I have to wear my belt today - hooray! I'm down somewhere around eight pounds since I started changing my diet about two and a half weeks ago.
I have no headaches now, and I don't crave sugar nearly as much as I used to. I have had three or four sweets since I started, and each time I got gassy, and had intense cravings for more.
As if that wasn't enough, my trip to the dentist two days ago revealed that I have two new cavities. He told me I was too old to be having cavities at this rate. This may be the first time a medical-type told me I was too old for something. Embarrassing! I need to keep up with my changes that are meant to take better care of this one and only body that God gave me.
Now that you're hearing about weight loss, your interest may be peaked by this cleanse. www.cleanprogram.com has a lot of the resources that I'm learning by reading the book , "Clean" by Dr. Alejandro Junger.
Some yucky stuff. (This blog is also functioning as my journal that Dr. Junger recommends keeping to know how you are feeling and what reactions you're having to everything.) For the last 5ish days, I've had to experiment with different combinations of herbal colon health and cleanse products including fiber, pills and oils (even castor oil!). So far I haven't settled on the perfect balance for my body, but it is a priority. If you don't expel the toxins, they can be reabsorbed by the colon and wreak even worse havoc than before. I also don't think I've been drinking enough water, so I'm focusing on that now!
One thing I have also noticed is an increase in stress over these last few weeks. Some things at work have contributed to this, but also getting home, making dinner and making lunch for the next day have been very time consuming, such that I don't feel as relaxed at home. I'm starting to see a real sense of a break when I'm able to stretch a meal over two meals. I guess I better get used to it: food is what makes our bodies healthy or unhealthy. I intend to continue practicing a lot of what I've been learning for the indefinite future!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
April 15, 2011: The cooking!
If you are considering doing a cleanse such as this one, you have to spend time getting ready so that you can hit your work schedule running.
I recommend setting time aside on the weekend to read, plan and shop. I have been making my breakfasts in the morning and eating them on my way to work. I make dinner and drink it when I get home. Then I cook the next day's lunch and bring it cold in tupperware to work the next day.
It really helped me to photocopy the recipes so that I could keep them flat while trying to cook from them. Also, I went through and numbered them. 1-7 are smoothies, 8-14 are soups (etc.) Then I made a calendar like the one from the book. I have the three large meals and a snack in the morning and afternoon. I planned to alternate smoothies, soups and drinks for the breakfasts and dinners, and I write in "smoothie" for Mon and Thursday morning and Friday night. Then I alternated the lunches between chicken, fish and vegetable recipes and wrote what type of food in on the calendar.. I was careful to make sure I wouldn't have a juice for dinner and then again for breakfast because it wouldn't be filling enough. I can maybe do that next week after my stomach has shrunk a bit.
Then I chose meals from the parameters that I had set. I chose recipes that both sounded good and allowed me to repeat ingredients so that I wouldn't be buying too many ingredients to keep them fresh.
Once I chose my meals, I made a specific shopping list. Hit an international market for the majority of fresh fruits and veggies, and save organic fancy stores like Trader Joes for the organic meat and anything obscure you couldn't find at the international market.
All told, it's more extensive than regular shopping, and I just cut some ingredients out if they are expensive.
For two and a half weeks of groceries, I'm in around $175, but I expect that it won't be as expensive to maintain once I get jars and bottles of items that can be used over a longer period of time, like oils and supplements for example. I shopped for two.
I opted for Stevia ($3 for a box of packets) and use it anytime a recipe calls for agave syrup.
I hope these tips will inspire! I am feeling better everyday. I still miss some of my favorites such as crackers and cheese, but I'm not hungry so I am able to put it out of my mid relatively quickly.
Today I accidentally left my shake and cod-veggie meal at home. I'm doing the best I can to eat well at work until I get home, then I will have the solid meal for an early dinner and maybe a half batch for later dinner. Then I will have to wait until later tomorrow morning to eat in order to preserve the 12 hour digestion/de-tox window overnight.
Happy weekend!
I recommend setting time aside on the weekend to read, plan and shop. I have been making my breakfasts in the morning and eating them on my way to work. I make dinner and drink it when I get home. Then I cook the next day's lunch and bring it cold in tupperware to work the next day.
It really helped me to photocopy the recipes so that I could keep them flat while trying to cook from them. Also, I went through and numbered them. 1-7 are smoothies, 8-14 are soups (etc.) Then I made a calendar like the one from the book. I have the three large meals and a snack in the morning and afternoon. I planned to alternate smoothies, soups and drinks for the breakfasts and dinners, and I write in "smoothie" for Mon and Thursday morning and Friday night. Then I alternated the lunches between chicken, fish and vegetable recipes and wrote what type of food in on the calendar.. I was careful to make sure I wouldn't have a juice for dinner and then again for breakfast because it wouldn't be filling enough. I can maybe do that next week after my stomach has shrunk a bit.
Then I chose meals from the parameters that I had set. I chose recipes that both sounded good and allowed me to repeat ingredients so that I wouldn't be buying too many ingredients to keep them fresh.
Once I chose my meals, I made a specific shopping list. Hit an international market for the majority of fresh fruits and veggies, and save organic fancy stores like Trader Joes for the organic meat and anything obscure you couldn't find at the international market.
All told, it's more extensive than regular shopping, and I just cut some ingredients out if they are expensive.
For two and a half weeks of groceries, I'm in around $175, but I expect that it won't be as expensive to maintain once I get jars and bottles of items that can be used over a longer period of time, like oils and supplements for example. I shopped for two.
I opted for Stevia ($3 for a box of packets) and use it anytime a recipe calls for agave syrup.
I hope these tips will inspire! I am feeling better everyday. I still miss some of my favorites such as crackers and cheese, but I'm not hungry so I am able to put it out of my mid relatively quickly.
Today I accidentally left my shake and cod-veggie meal at home. I'm doing the best I can to eat well at work until I get home, then I will have the solid meal for an early dinner and maybe a half batch for later dinner. Then I will have to wait until later tomorrow morning to eat in order to preserve the 12 hour digestion/de-tox window overnight.
Happy weekend!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
April 14, 2011
This morning I feel pretty good. My system hasn't been moving to expel toxins as much as it's supposed to according to the book, so I took some olive oil last night and another colon cleanse pill this morning. I've also been taking a pro-biotic daily and fiber each morning. Yesterday I woke up so woozy that I was worried that my intestines are reabsorbing toxins that weren't expelled. Could have been any number of reasons, but that was my gut. I'm hoping to hit the stores today for a natural laxative or castor oil (surprisingly hard to find - not in Jewel or Trader Joes or local international markets).
Today I had a smoothie for breakfast made of coconut milk, berries, avocado, stevia to sweeten it and cinnamon. It was pretty yummy. I've also had a kale smoothie with mango and avocado the last few mornings. According to the scale today, I seem to be down three pounds, but that could be due to many things including time of day I measured.
I have a rash bubbling at the base of the fingers on my right hand. Yesterday my hands were dry, and I used some lotion a few times. I also gripped a gummy bat handle in softball yesterday afternoon. I had butternut squash "soup" (cold soup with the butternut, yellow squash, celery and some red lentils I'm trying to use up) and I'm wondering if any of these substances have caused an allergic reaction. I'm keeping my eye on it and relieving the pain with vaseline. I've had this kind of cracking, stinging and swelling periodically in the past, never more than once or twice a year.
My husband, who is at least doing the diet with me if not all of the cleanse practices, has begun to mention that he feels more awake and energetic. He didn't do a careful elimination diet before starting the cleanse like I did, so he's having a harder time adjusting in these first 4 days. Also, he misses crackers a lot and beef!
The next step for me is to look for time in my super-busy lifestyle to squeeze in some more serious physical activity. I'd like to break a sweat daily, but it's been years since I was on that kind of exercise program. Waking up earlier may be an option soon since I'm feeling less tired each consecutive morning.
Today I'm having thoughts of this awakening starting a whole new future for me. If I've documented this journey, how and when can I share it with more unhealthy people in my community? What's the best way without butting in too much? How can I do that without being insulting? Should I sign up for some classes to learn more about nutrition? Maybe I can even teach it some day.
Today I had a smoothie for breakfast made of coconut milk, berries, avocado, stevia to sweeten it and cinnamon. It was pretty yummy. I've also had a kale smoothie with mango and avocado the last few mornings. According to the scale today, I seem to be down three pounds, but that could be due to many things including time of day I measured.
I have a rash bubbling at the base of the fingers on my right hand. Yesterday my hands were dry, and I used some lotion a few times. I also gripped a gummy bat handle in softball yesterday afternoon. I had butternut squash "soup" (cold soup with the butternut, yellow squash, celery and some red lentils I'm trying to use up) and I'm wondering if any of these substances have caused an allergic reaction. I'm keeping my eye on it and relieving the pain with vaseline. I've had this kind of cracking, stinging and swelling periodically in the past, never more than once or twice a year.
My husband, who is at least doing the diet with me if not all of the cleanse practices, has begun to mention that he feels more awake and energetic. He didn't do a careful elimination diet before starting the cleanse like I did, so he's having a harder time adjusting in these first 4 days. Also, he misses crackers a lot and beef!
The next step for me is to look for time in my super-busy lifestyle to squeeze in some more serious physical activity. I'd like to break a sweat daily, but it's been years since I was on that kind of exercise program. Waking up earlier may be an option soon since I'm feeling less tired each consecutive morning.
Today I'm having thoughts of this awakening starting a whole new future for me. If I've documented this journey, how and when can I share it with more unhealthy people in my community? What's the best way without butting in too much? How can I do that without being insulting? Should I sign up for some classes to learn more about nutrition? Maybe I can even teach it some day.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Monday, April 11
Welcome to my online Cleanse journal!
All last week I ate a restricted diet as I prepared myself for a cleanse based on the book Clean by Dr. Alejandro Junger. The philosophy is to rid the body of toxins by controlling your intake. Unlike juice or water fasts, this cleanse is three weeks and includes two liquid meals, one solid food lunch and snacks as necessary. His book and website provide multiple recipes designed to provide the right balance of nutrients to your system so that your body will not go into starvation mode but rather function optimally. Both liquid and solid meals are comprised of largely organic foods, and these foods are selected from a carefully restricted list. Many foods may not be eaten during the cleanse to help eradicate any toxins (from processed foods) or irritants (from foods that contain previously unknown allergens).
Last week I made steps to cut out "elimination" foods from my diet including all gluten, soy and processed products. Certain common allergens such as strawberries, peanuts, etc. are not allowed and neither are foods that are acidic or cause your body to create acid to break them down. Most fruits and vegetables are ok, as are wild game, chicken and turkey, millet, quinoa and brown rice.
Last week was difficult and saw many late afternoon headaches. It only took a few days to stop feeling hungry in between meals, and I was able to notice by the end of the week that I wasn't always hungry when I felt like eating. True hunger pangs can be warded off without much difficulty, but the desire to eat is tougher for me. I often felt foggy, on Wed or Thurs I noticed increased sensitivity to light. I have enjoyed drinking more pure water - I went to the Jewel and bought a jug that I keep near my desk at work.
At my place of employment, we always have snacks and coffee in the lounge. It's really tough to go in there and not be able to eat the goodies. This week I plan to avoid the room as much as possible in order to avoid the temptation.
Yesterday I prepared a meal from the elimination recipes that I ate for lunch today. I had a smoothie for breakfast with added fiber to help cleanse my digestive system. For dinner tonight, I will have my first liquid dinner.
Side effects: Saturday there was a family party, so I fell off the wagon. Once I had eaten things that were meant to be eliminated, it got pretty bad, especially with the sweets. On Sunday, I felt tired and hassled. My husband and I were at each other's throats all day. Probably the worst day of our three year marriage. I can only attribute this to sugar withdrawal!
I'm hoping tomorrow will be so much better!
All last week I ate a restricted diet as I prepared myself for a cleanse based on the book Clean by Dr. Alejandro Junger. The philosophy is to rid the body of toxins by controlling your intake. Unlike juice or water fasts, this cleanse is three weeks and includes two liquid meals, one solid food lunch and snacks as necessary. His book and website provide multiple recipes designed to provide the right balance of nutrients to your system so that your body will not go into starvation mode but rather function optimally. Both liquid and solid meals are comprised of largely organic foods, and these foods are selected from a carefully restricted list. Many foods may not be eaten during the cleanse to help eradicate any toxins (from processed foods) or irritants (from foods that contain previously unknown allergens).
Last week I made steps to cut out "elimination" foods from my diet including all gluten, soy and processed products. Certain common allergens such as strawberries, peanuts, etc. are not allowed and neither are foods that are acidic or cause your body to create acid to break them down. Most fruits and vegetables are ok, as are wild game, chicken and turkey, millet, quinoa and brown rice.
Last week was difficult and saw many late afternoon headaches. It only took a few days to stop feeling hungry in between meals, and I was able to notice by the end of the week that I wasn't always hungry when I felt like eating. True hunger pangs can be warded off without much difficulty, but the desire to eat is tougher for me. I often felt foggy, on Wed or Thurs I noticed increased sensitivity to light. I have enjoyed drinking more pure water - I went to the Jewel and bought a jug that I keep near my desk at work.
At my place of employment, we always have snacks and coffee in the lounge. It's really tough to go in there and not be able to eat the goodies. This week I plan to avoid the room as much as possible in order to avoid the temptation.
Yesterday I prepared a meal from the elimination recipes that I ate for lunch today. I had a smoothie for breakfast with added fiber to help cleanse my digestive system. For dinner tonight, I will have my first liquid dinner.
Side effects: Saturday there was a family party, so I fell off the wagon. Once I had eaten things that were meant to be eliminated, it got pretty bad, especially with the sweets. On Sunday, I felt tired and hassled. My husband and I were at each other's throats all day. Probably the worst day of our three year marriage. I can only attribute this to sugar withdrawal!
I'm hoping tomorrow will be so much better!
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