Victory!
I ended the cleanse last Wednesday night, on the eve of Day 21. I broke the fast with a cheeseburger, fries, roasted brussels sprouts (that was the 'transition' element) and a dirty martini. Everything tasted delicious. The next morning when I woke up, I didn't feel great, but by about 11am, I was ok. Over the last few days I've chosen to eat several meals that would still 'count' as clean, I think it might be new habits forming.
A few post-Clean resolutions:
- I'm going to stick with the morning shakes. For the past 4-5 years, I've been skipping breakfast. I haven't been hungry in the morning, and I'll generally have a cup of coffee with milk and be fine until lunchtime. With the cleanse shakes though, I've felt a rush of energy in the morning and have been craving that boost when I wake up. I feel more awake, more alert, and like my body is getting what it needs. I'm sure this is an obvious one to all of you-- breakfast is important-- but, it took the cleanse to make me believe it.
- I've kept off the caffeine for the past few days and that feels good. I've had several decaf soy lattes-- I love the taste and ritual of it all-- but haven't missed the caffeine. I'm going to see how long I can continue with that.
- My stomach has also felt heavier after I've eaten non-Clean food. And, bloated. I think it's the gluten since that's what I've mostly been reintroducing-- sandwiches. I'm going to try to limit the bread intake (like Amy) and see what happens.
- Is it just coincidence, or has only 5 days of non-Clean eating resulted ino 2 huge zits on my face?
For those still cleaning, fight the good fight!
Day 14- Thursday
Tonight we had curry butternut squash soup (look for it under the recipe tab). Dave thought it was great; I thought it was good. We followed it with some sliced avocado -- it was a garnish!
(By this week, avocados have become a regular garnish to pretty much everything for us. -JJ)
This morning we tried the Cinnamon Roll in a glass and it was pretty tasty. We added hemp protein and powdered fiber, yum.
And, for lunch, we had Sabrina's cod recipe-- except I made it with haddock, which is what the woman at the Whole Foods fish counter suggested because they didn't have any cod. It was really delicious-- only took about 12-15 mins to cook. Tomorrow we might try chicken stir fry.
Feeling pretty good tonight at the two week mark. A few observations:
- I haven't had any bloating, cramping, or otherwise uncomfortable situations going on with my stomach since this started. That's a nice thing.
- I feel thirstier than before. Maybe I'm just more aware of needing/wanting water?
- There are a lot of really gross gluten-free/vegan/sugar-free snacks out there. I bought three different varieties at WF yesterday and only one of them is passable. And, after the second 'chip,' you don't want anymore.
- I enjoy different varieties of tea at different times during the day. In the morning, as a coffee alternative, the heartier stuff is nice: mint, 'thai chili spice'. In the afternoon, the fruitier varieties, and in the evening, I'm drawn to the ginger.
- I've probably lost a little bit of weight, but I can't actually tell that much. I'll have to see when we go back to the gym.
- I really want a grilled cheese sandwich.
Day 11- Monday
I'm sipping ginger tea while sitting in the multi-faith coordinator's cozy office at Berea College in Kentucky. We just had lunch in the cafeteria (salad plus shredded chicken from the panini bar-- so-so. would have been a lot tastier inside a panini).
In the middle of lunch, a student stood up on his chair and shouted out the first few lines of MLK's 'I Have A Dream' speech. The hall went quiet. He was followed by a dozen or so students who stood up on cue in different corners of the cafeteria and read aloud excerpts from inspirational speeches given by men and women involved in the civil rights movement. The students themselves were from all different racial and religious backgrounds. My first ever flash-mob! And, it was awesome.
(Very cool! BTW, your text last night made my day today, "I'm in Kentucky with a box of crackers and an avocado...wish me luck." LOVE IT!!) -Jenny
Day 8- Friday
We passed the one week mark and I don't feel so bad. The caffeine withdrawal left me with headaches the first few days which were pretty intense-- I had to miss the last half of Black Swan because of a headache. But I'll go back and watch that first part over again any day, I love Natalie Portman and she was amazing! For the past few days, waking up to mint tea hasn't been so bad. I miss the taste of coffee, but don't miss the effects as much as I thought I would.
Our first real meal last Sunday after clay and vegetables was baked salmon with brown rice. It was delicious. Although, I added a little bit of tamari to the salmon, along with olive oil and garlic, because I thought since it was the gluten-free version of soy sauce, it would be ok. Then I realized it's also the soy that isn't allowed. oops.
I was in Chicago quickly for work this week and that posed a few challenges. I more or less followed the good list/bad list, but I pretty much ate meals for both lunch and dinner. *Breaking news: Dave just had a BM.* When we had our January bday celebration at work, in addition to the strawberry cheesecake, someone put some carrots out for me. A very nice gesture, but sadly, very inadequate. I caved and had a few glasses of champagne to celebrate a friend's upcoming wedding one night. And a chocolate covered cherry.
I've been drinking a lot of herbal tea and snacking on nuts and Mary's brand gluten free crackers (or cardboard). I don't feel hungry really, just bored with what's in my mouth.
We are off to find a soup somewhere that will fit our needs... Jenny, when do I get the glowing skin??
Day 2- Saturday
I'm feeling a little more energy right now -- enough to write a blog post. Must be because of our cheating this afternoon.
After a breakfast of an omelette without the egg or cheese-- think lots of sauteed veggies--, and a fiber/bentonite clay drink, Dave and I went on a really beautiful hike in a state forest only about 10 mins from our neighborhood. It was crisp out and it had snowed last night, and we only ran into a few other people during our 4 mile loop. And, we saw one deer. Really peaceful and pretty.
Then we got home and it was all I could do not to eat the whole box of graham crackers Dave had out on his counter. I made the hasty decision that corn is in fact a vegetable (I was wrong), and therefore 100% organic, no salt, no butter, Paul Newman microwave popcorn was fine. I also decided that brown rice was fine too, since Dave needs more fiber and that didn't really seem like it should slow down the detox any. After a bowl of popcorn and about a 1/2 cup of unadorned brown rice each (that's all Dave had in his cupboard), we felt much better. The CLEAN book arrived (thanks, Chris!), so we peeked at that before taking an afternoon nap.
I'm about to go back in the kitchen and see what I can do with leeks, a whole artichoke, cabbage, green beans and some other salad makings. Thank God this is the last day of the all veggie thing-- it is rough! And I love veggies. I've also realized how much I love salt. Raw veggies with just olive oil on them? yuck. But, add some lemon and salt? not bad... Until that is all you eat for 3 meals in a row.
Question to those who have already started: Do I need to go get a Magic Bullet? Will my blender or immersion blender suffice? I feel like it might be overkill to buy my third blending machine.
(M, I feel like a blender would do fine, but I could be wrong. I have used the same pieces of my Magic Bullet this whole time and it looks just like a blender. My Mom gave Amy and I Magic Bullets a few years ago for Christmas, that is why A and I both have them.)
Megan, I also think the blender will be fine. My Magic Bullet was too small to blend tonight's soup. I had to drag out the food processor. (I'm currently blender-less). -A
