Week 3 here I come – bring on the eggs and rice!

Day 15
Breakfast: Orange, Apple, Carrot and Celery Juice
Mid-morning snack: Banana
Lunch: Artichoke, Onion, Mushroom and Spinach Frittata
Snack: Almonds
Dinner: Chipotle Vegetarian Burrito Bowl (cilantro rice, black beans, pico de gallo, corn salsa, gucamole and lettuce)
After-dinner Snack: pistachio, blueberries, raspberries

Exercise:
None.

Weight: dipped just below 97.5 (which is exciting because I thought it would start going up when I added other foods! Let’s see what happens this week…)

Day 16
Breakfast: Mean Grean Juice #1 (kale, cucumber, celery, green apples, 1/2 lemon, piece of ginger)
Mid-morning snack: Banana
Lunch: Artichoke, Onion, Mushroom and Spinach Frittata
Snack: Green bean salad with corn and tomato, trail mix
Dinner: Sauteed shrimp with garlic and lemon, sauteed mushrooms, baked sweet potato fries, roasted cauliflower and green bean salad with corn, red onion, and tomato
After-dinner Snack: pistachio, trail mix, blueberries, raspberries

Exercise:
Ran 3 miles.

How I felt:
I’m feeling really good. My husband says my skin is glowing and it does seem to look a bit bitter. I have energy and overall feel great. On Monday I attempted to make “corn pasta” which is “pasta” made from corn flour. Technically, this is probably not ok on the cleanse because it’s processed but I wanted some semblance of pasta. It was terrible. I didn’t even put sauce on it because when I tasted it to see if it was ready it was awful and really chewy – not anything like pasta. So, we scrapped the corn pasta idea and went to Chipotle since I could eat everything in a vegetarian burrito bowl. It was yummy since I’ve been craving Mexican food but I noticed some changes to how I ate it and it made me feel. First, I didn’t eat nearly as much as I usually do. I normally can’t finish the burrito bowl but I get pretty close to finishing. This time, I left just under half of the burrito bowl. I wanted to keep eating but I felt full and so I stopped. I was happy that I was able to recognize that I was full and stop eating. Also after two weeks of not eating anything heavy the rice felt a bit heavy in my stomach and I could feel my stomach working harder to digest.

On Tuesday, I was going to make rice as a side dish just because I could but I didn’t really WANT it. So instead, I made a bunch of veggies on the side and was really satisfied with my dinner (and it was very tasty). I’m definitely glad I’ve stuck with this cleanse because I can already see changes in how I’m eating. That said…I’ve decided to end the cleanse two days early. I know, I know excuses, excuses but this is really valid. My plan for future eating is to eat in a similar way as the cleanse during the week and on the weekends I can eat whatever (bread, sweets, etc). BUT, if I go through Sunday then I’ll have to wait until the following weekend to have a cupcake. And frankly, I just don’t want to! It’s the Super Bowl on Sunday! I will definitely snack in moderation though – I have a feeling my stomach won’t like me if I dive in.

I once tried a kettlebell workout at home but I didn’t have a kettlebell so I used my free weights. It wasn’t the same thing. I knew that I was missing out on the workout so I didn’t do it anymore – until now. Empower Fitness was kind enough to send me a sample of the Empower Comfort Grip Kettlebell to try out and I’m so glad that I’m doing this workout with the right tools!

I love that Empower is a fitness company that designs products by women, for women. The products are ergonomically designed for a woman’s body and thought about how women’s goals and fitness needs are unique are put into each product.

The kettlebell is much more than a weight – so much of the workout comes from stabilizing the kettlebell. Empower Comfort Grip Kettlebells are made with a soft touch plastic shell for added comfort and a wide grip handle for smooth, controlled moves. What I love most about this Kettlebell workout is that it’s actually a full body workout. Going into it, I thought the workout would be mainly for my arms but I felt the burn in my legs and core as well.

The Empower Comfort Grip Kettlebell comes with a DVD with workouts by fitness instructor Gin Miller. The DVD has three separate workouts totaling 45 minutes – you can do them consecutively or just one if you’re short on time. I was amazed how quickly I broke a sweat. I did all three workouts in a row but I’m glad that I have the option to do just one or two if I don’t have time or if I want to combine different workouts. The Kettlebell also comes with a boot camp style workout guide if you want to workout without a DVD.

I opted for the 8lb Kettlebell since I already had 3lb and 5lb free weights at home. It was a bit heavy at first but I pushed through and was able to complete the workout with the 8lb Kettlebell. I’ve started training for a half-marathon but so much of marathon training is not just running, but strength training. I’ll definitely be keeping the Empower Comfort Grip Kettlebell in my weekly fitness rotation.

The Empower Comfort Grip Kettlebell comes in three weights: 5lb, 8lb and 10lb. You can purchase the Kettlebells at the following retailers: Amazon.com, Duckwall-Alco, Dunham’s, Fred Meyer, Jewel-Osco, MC Sports and Modell’s.

2 weeks down, 1 to go!

Day 13
Breakfast: Kale Juice, Mint and Pineapple Smooth
Mid-morning snack: banana, 1/2 apple, almonds
Lunch: Cioppino
Dinner: Minnestrone soup, arugula salad with mango and pineapple
After-dinner Snack: pistachio, blueberries, raspberries

Exercise:
Ran 4 miles.

Weight: holding steady at 97.5

Day 14
Breakfast: Orange juice, pineapple, mango, strawberry smoothie
Mid-morning snack: Almonds
Lunch: Lentil soup
Afternoon Snack: Raspberries, Trail mix (almond, peanut, cashew, cherries, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips)
Dinner: Grilled Mahi Mahi with mango salsa, baked sweet potato, arugula salad with orange, fennel, avocado and red onion
After Dinner Snack: Trail mix, blueberries, raspberries

Exercise:
Rest.

How I felt:

Weekends are hard.  During my non-cleanse days, on weekends we tend to eat out a lot and they are usually my “freebie” days – that is we try to eat healthy during the week and then I can splurge on the weekends.  I’m glad this weekend is over and I only have seven days left.  I have been cheating a bit with the trail mix because it has small pieces of chocolate in it but I don’t care.  My intention is not to live life without chocolate and I need to maintain my sanity.  Today I talked myself out of buying a donut and instead I sat down to watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  The documentary was uplifting and inspiring and made my cleanse look like a piece of cake.  It gave me the push I need to head into the last week – tomorrow I can add eggs and gluten-free whole grains like rice and corn. Woo hoo!

Day 11
Breakfast: Orange, carrot, celery, apple juice
Lunch: Minestrone soup
Afternoon Snack: Coffee! I cheated – a little bit more on that below
Dinner: Grilled halibut, baked sweet potato, roasted cauliflower, kale salad with avocado, tomato, red onion and red bell pepper
After-dinner Snack: pistachio, mango, blueberries, raspberries

Exercise:
CoreBody Reformer Full Body Workout – 40 min.

Day 12
Breakfast: Orange, carrot, celery, apple juice
Lunch: Lentil soup
Afternoon Snack: Almonds
Dinner: Grilled Tilapia, baked sweet potato fries, roasted cauliflower, kale salad with tomato, avocado and red bell pepper
After Dinner Snack: Pistachio, pineapple, mango, blueberries, raspberries

Exercise:
Ran 2 miles.

How I felt: I’ve been feeling good and have had enough energy to exercise regularly. It’s Friday night and by now I’m getting a little bored but it’s partly my fault because I’ve been making the same side dishes over and over again. I find myself thinking about eggs and rice more and I’ll be happy Monday when I can add those to my diet (and maybe even some Mexican food!).

Oh yeah, the elephant in the room…I cheated…just a little. Thursday was a taxing day and I just needed some time to unwind by myself and I really just wanted to get out of the house and have a cup of coffee. It’s not like I’m reaching for scotch! Though by having coffee, I broke 3 rules in one: dairy, sugar and caffeine I can make a million excuses why this was ok, but I won’t bore you with them. But, I will tell you what I got out of it…
-I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would;
-I didn’t drink that much (see the pic below – less than half of a small coffee!);
-I felt guilty about being weak;
-It made me feel like the cleanse is already worth it because I’m less reliant on foods and beverages that I used to be dependent on. I’m hoping that I have the same reaction when I put a cupcake in my face when this is all over.

I hope you’re not getting tired of these posts – here’s days 9 and 10…

Day 9
Breakfast: Fresh OJ, strawberry, mango and pineapple smoothie (tastes like Jamba Juice’s Citrus Squeeze)
Lunch: Lentil soup and banana
Afternoon Snack: Almonds
Dinner: Grilled salmon, sauteed mushrooms, roasted cauliflower, sweet potato and kale salad w/ orange, avocado, red onion and cilantro
After-dinner Snack: Cashews, pistachio, apple

Exercise:
Kettle bell workout – 40 min.

Day 10
Breakfast: Fresh OJ, strawberry, mango and pineapple smoothie (tastes like Jamba Juice’s Citrus Squeeze)
Mid-morning Snack: Almonds, edamame and banana
Lunch: Lentil soup
Afternoon Snack: Raspberries and blueberries
Dinner: Homemade Minestrone
After Dinner Snack: Pistachio, cashews and apple

How I felt:
I feel great in every aspect – I just spend a lot of my day thinking about things I can’t have specifically baguettes, coffee, chocolate, and carne asada tacos. I’m officially half-way through with the cleanse and I’m already really glad that I did it. I keep thinking about what I’m going to eat afterward and when I make a mental list I start getting a little grossed out at myself. I don’t want to undo everything I’ve done and the fact that my dream list is grossing me out a little bit is a sign that the cleanse is working in changing the way I think about food.

I can eat fish and beans today! I might have gone a little crazy…

Day 8

What I ate:
Breakfast: Kale Juice, Pineapple and Mint Smoothie (I’m really liking this one!)
Mid-morning snack: 1/2 apple
Lunch: Tuna Salad Lettuce Wrap (butter lettuce, tuna, celery, carrot, red onion, evoo, lemon, s/p)
Afternoon Snack: Homemade Hummus (my first time – tasty!)
Dinner: Homemade Lentil Soup, kale salad with avocado, red onion, tomato and cucumber
After-dinner: Cashews, Raspberries and Blueberries
Drank: Water with Lemon with meals and throughout the day

Exercise:
Ran 2 miles.

How I felt:
I definitely felt more full today. I was so happy to eat some protein! I had more energy (and knew that I would be getting more protein) so I went running today. I started slow just to get into the swing of things again. Since I was cooking much of the day and had to periodically taste the lentil soup, I never got that hungry after lunch.

I will confess that I did cheat a little today. I made the Tiny Dancer baked turkey meatballs with a new recipe for the first time and I tried 1/2 of golf-ball sized meatball. Sue me! It was DELICIOUS. I did feel very full but no tummy ache thankfully. Since it was a new recipe I really wanted to try it to see how it came out and see if I had to tweak it for future preparations. I don’t think this will affect the overall cleanse and I don’t feel guilty!

Only one day before I can eat beans and fish and it’s the slowest day EVER!

Day 7

What I ate:
Breakfast: Mixed Berry and Pomegranate Juice Smoothie
Mid-morning snack: 1/2 apple, handful of almonds, handful of edamame
Lunch: Asparagus soup
Afternoon Snack: Peppermint tea, blueberries, raspberries and a handful of pistachios
Dinner: Asparagus soup, baked sweet potato fries, kale salad with avocado, red onion, tomato and yellow bell pepper
After-dinner: nuts and fruit
Drank: Water with Lemon with meals and throughout the day

Exercise:
None. Instead I took a long nap.

How I felt:
I woke up from my nap where I had a dream that I found the end of the rainbow. But instead of a pot of gold I found french fries at end of the rainbow!!! My dreams are crazy! (I ate the fries in my dream by the way and they were delicious!). I also dreamed of Christmas cookies, Cesear salad (can’t have dairy or bread) and sandwiches. So random.

I think being around all that food last night really messed me up because I’ve been eating the same way today as I have all week but I was “hungry” all day. I just kept thinking about bread and chocolate cake. I’ve decided that I won’t be going to the in-laws for dinner for the next two weeks because I don’t want to put myself in situations where everyone around me is eating food I want to eat. I mean, you don’t take alcoholics to a bar right?

I cannot wait until tomorrow. I have lentils and chick peas soaking (no canned beans for me this week!) and I have my salmon and halibut recipes ready to go. I just can’t decide what to eat tomorrow because I want to eat everything!

I really liked the juice/smoothie for breakfast and I’m going to keep that up this week – especially because I’d like to carry that aspect over to my life post-cleanse.

I learned today that the last day of my cleanse is on Super Bowl Sunday and I’m debating whether to fall off the wagon a day early to indulge. The only thing that’s stopping me is I think I’ll feel pretty ill if I eat a bunch of crap after eating so healthy and I don’t want to undo everything I did. It’s going to be a test of sorts – I hope I’m ready for it! Until then, I can eat beans and fish tomorrow!!!!! Yay!!!!

Wednesday was day 3 of my cleanse and rather than getting easier it’s getting harder. I hope that after hump day this will get easier.

DAY 3
What I Ate:
Breakfast: Broccoli and Asparagus Soup
Mid-AM Snack: Almonds
Lunch: Edamame, Fresh Mango, Blueberries and Raspberries
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Banana and Cashews
Dinner: Broccoli and Asparagus Soup, Mixed Greens Salad and Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Drank: Water with Lemon with meals and throughout the day

Exercise:
Exercises for my hip bursitis and some yoga detox stretches.

How I felt:
No headache this morning! But my body felt a little achey but very, very mild. I still don’t have much energy and all I think about is food. I spend most of the day thinking about quitting or modifying the cleanse but then I get down on myself for not being able to finish something. I weighed myself this morning and I was down to 99 lbs though when I look in the mirror I look exactly the same so I’m not sure where the weight has gone.

This is officially the longest I have gone without coffee in probably ten years. I guess it’s good to have willpower but I question the point of this when the first thing I do the day off this cleanse is have a giant cup of coffee. I’m whining, I know it and whenever I catch myself I try to remember all the people who are hungry and I try to be grateful that I get to eat anything at all. All this while I’m dying for some Mexican food. Ah!!!!

Yesterday was Day 2 of the Whole Living Action plan and let me tell you, this is not easy. Yes, I get to eat lots of delicious, nutritious food. But all I keep thinking about is bread, pasta, chocolate and coffee – and counting the days until I can have some.

DAY 2
What I Ate:
Breakfast: Beet, Carrot and Apple Juice with Mint and a Banana
Mid-AM Snack: Cashews
Lunch: Butternut Squash Soup
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Fresh Mango, Blueberries and Raspberries and Herbal Tea
While Cooking Dinner: Almonds
Dinner: Broccoli and Asparagus Soup, Butter Lettuce Salad and Kale Chips
Drank: Water with Lemon with meals and throughout the day

Exercise:
None – zero energy

How I felt:

I woke up with a low-grade headache that lasted all day but it was not as bad as the first night and I was able to cope without tylenol or caffeine – though I almost caved. I pushed through it, drank lots of water, had some Peppermint Tea (herbal tea is allowed) and felt better. I was able to stay up past 8:30 and get some work done but I’m not feeling great. I’m hoping to do yoga tomorrow – I don’t think I have enough energy to run.

Today’s food was ok but I will note that I hate beets and I never want to eat a beet in any form – whole, cooked, raw, or juiced – again. I personally am not a fan of the flavor of dirt. How do people eat these things??? One highlight was the kale chips – it was my first time making them and they were very tasty. Not quite potato chips but that’s the best I can have for now.

My birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year – it was also the same day I ran a 10K. In preparation for the 10K I was running 5 days a week and eating well. I finished the race but afterwards it went all down hill. I filled my belly Thanksgiving Day all through the holidays. It wouldn’t have been so bad but I developed hip bursitis from all the running so for the month of December I was in physical therapy instead of running 3 miles a day

The physical therapy really helped and when the new year started I knew I wanted to get back to eating healthy and free myself from all of the tasty but not-so-good stuff I had been eating. I came across the 2012 Action Plan in Whole Living Magazine – a cleanse that actually seemed doable. I’ve seen so many “cleanses” that are just juice, or just water+cayenne+lemon, etc and none of them sounded appealing. The Whole Living Action Plan consists of 3 weeks:
Week 1 – Eat only fruits, vegetables, nuts and plant-based fats
Week 2 – Add beans and fish
Week 3 – Add gluten-free whole grains and eggs.
All 3 weeks – NO caffeine, processed food or beverages, added sugar, alcohol, gluten or dairy

When I read this I wanted to do it.  After 2 weeks of mental preparation I decided to give it a go.  I knew what my three weak spots would be: coffee, chocolate and bread/pasta.  I knew I could go without them but I dreaded the caffeine-withdrawal headaches.  I put my fears aside, bought a juicer, made a grocery shopping list in excel and hit up the local Farmer’s Market and Whole Foods.

I’m going to be documenting my plan daily here – please bear with me as I know I will get cranky at some point. Hopefully not enough to scare you off   Let me know if you’ve done the plan or are inspired to do so – would love to commiserate with you!

MY GOAL FOR THE PLAN:
1. Detox my body
2. “Reset” my body – re-learn hunger cues, when I’m full, why I’m eating
3. Get back into the habit of healthy eating – when this is done I’d like to eat similar to this for breakfast and lunch during the week and weekends I can eat whatever I want.

START WEIGHT: 102 (height 4’11)

DAY 1
What I Ate:
Breakfast: Grapefruit, Carrot & Ginger Juice
Mid-AM Snack: 1/2 Banana and a small apple
Lunch: Kale, Carrot & Cabbage Slaw
Mid-Afternoon Snack: Almonds & Herbal Tea
Dinner: Roasted Cauliflower and Butternut Squash Soup
After-Dinner Snack: Cashews
Drank: Water with Lemon with meals and throughout the day

Exercise:
Ran 2 miles

How I felt:
I felt ok for most of the day but around dinner time I developed a debilitating head ache. It was the worst headache of my life and it felt like my brain was in labor. I was in bed at 8:30 and couldn’t get any comfort from the pain and couldn’t fall asleep. I caved and took 2 Tylenol because I couldn’t take the pain anymore. Not quite detoxing but I couldn’t function.

On a positive note, in only 1 day I realized that so much of what I eat is out of boredom or out of mental hunger or cravings as opposed to actual physical hunger. For example, after my big salad for lunch my stomach was full but I wanted MORE. I didn’t keep eating but I realized that I wanted more not because I needed more but because I mentally didn’t feel satisfied. I think it’s an important lesson and I’ll keep trying to distinguish between my physical and mental cues.