21 Day Detox Recap

It's been a little over a week since I completed the 21 Day detox and I'm finally getting around to sharing my thoughts.

Fist of all, this was by far the most challenging detox / diet program I've ever attempted. The first  days was especially difficult, only being able to eat fruits and vegetables. After 3 days I started to hate quinoa, like really, really hate quinoa. I wanted it to be rice and it just wasn't. No amount of clarified butter, salt or pepper made it delicious. Now, I'm sure that everyone has an amazing, life-changing, quinoa recipe, and that's awesome for you. I will continue to turn my nose up at the thought of it. blegh...

By day 8 I had to add in some protein. I couldn't last the last 2 days. In my defense my doctor said that I could eat protein during the entire detox but would have better weight loss results if I followed the plan exactly. I couldn't look at another lentil after 8 days and I've never been so happy to eat a piece of chicken in my life.

In the end, I made it 19 days, mainly because I was traveling up north for Kev's reunion and eating on plan just wouldn't be possible.

Thoughts on the process: It's not easy. The first 10 days is really restrictive and if you aren't terribly creative with vegetables, like me, there will be a lot of eating the same old thing. Also, dry salads with no protein are super difficult to eat after a while. (Like after day 3). Adding back in the protein really helped, I can eat meat/fish and some sort of vegetable every meal, and I didn't really miss the dairy. I also added decaf coffee with coconut milk on day 14 and it was glorious.

Results: I definitely lost weight and inches. I didn't weigh myself before the process but based on the way my clothes fit, I would estimate that I lost between 6-8 pounds. I wasn't doing it specifically for weight loss but that certainly was a nice side effect.

Fitness: I didn't work out the first week, simply because I was really tired as my body adjusted to the lack of sugar and caffeine. I went back to the gym in week 2 and felt really good. The biggest difference I noticed was in my running ability. I did the Komen 5k during the detox and ran a few times and felt amazing. Since my return to running at the beginning of the year I've felt really slow and sluggish and haven't since the detox. During the 5k I saw a sub 10 minute mile for the first time in 18 months and when was running in NY at a casual pace it was in the low 10s and that just hasn't been me, ever. It might not all be a result of the detox but I really think it helped.

What happens next? Well my transition away from the detox kinda sucked since I was away and finding approved food was difficult. Since I've been home, I'm back to a modified detox. I am drinking caffeinated coffee with a little bit of half and half, and will continue with 1-2 smoothies a day. Mainly because I still have an entire container of the protein powder and that -ish wasn't cheap. I'm trying to stay away from grains and am watching my fat intake, especially since I think that I was under counting my cheese and nut consumption. Honestly though, when I eat this way my stomach feels better. I have less pain and that's always a good thing.

Would I do it again? Probably. I really liked the results and I'm stubborn. Once I start something, I want to finish, no matter how difficult.

Have you ever done a detox? How did it go?

The Day Baba Ganoush Saved My Life

I'm not going to lie, this detox has been TOUGH. Before I started I thought the lack of coffee would do me in and I was really surprised that wasn't the case. I usually don't eat a ton of carbs, especially after I did the 21 day sugar detox in February so losing that wasn't terrible. It was the protein. I don't think about the amount of protein I eat on a daily basis and when you take it away, it's not easy. Yes the detox allows for protein in the shakes and in the form of lentils and quinoa but that's about it. Most meals look a lot like this.

A few days this week, I had stir fry vegetables mixed with quinoa. Let me tell you, this day, I forgot to add flavor when I packed it up in the morning. I had salt and pepper at work but seriously, I would have killed for some butter. Yes, I can have grass-fed, un-salted butter.

I was getting pretty tired of stir fry and decided to head over to Whole Foods and see what they had in the prepared case. They usually have some sort of vegan dish that I might be able to eat. I did find some cabbage salad that was pretty tasty and I tried a Suja Green Juice. Since I was still on a quest for food I didn't have to prepare,  went to a Lebanese restaurant around the corner. I knew that hummus was out of the question but was hoping there was something that would work. 

I almost cried when I realized all the ingredients in Baba Ganoush were detox approved! Since then.

I even took some on a container to the movies last night. I'm on a quest to sneak in the most ridiculous things into the movie theater. This time it was baba ganoush, baby carrots, an apple and a seltzer water. Kev is still leading the way with an apple pocket from Cheesecake Factory. 

We saw the X-Men movie and can I just thank the producers for the gratuitous naked butt shot of Hugh Jackman? Thank you....

I'm also currently taking bets on how long it will take me to get through this 5 pound bag of baby carrots and a pound of baba ganoush.

Confession time. I slipped and had some protein. I know I'm not supposed to until day 11 and the doctor did say that I could have protein in the first 10 days but I'd see a more significant weight loss if I didn't. I was doing well until Friday night. We were busy at a concert all evening and even though I tried to pack food, I was starving, at a bar and I slipped and had a chicken salad. Let me tell you, I ate every last bit of that chicken and it was DELICIOUS. Tonight on day 7 I had some grass fed fillet and it was awesome too. I know it's a bit sooner than planned but I was having trouble stomaching another salad. Apparently eating nothing but carrots and baba ganoush for diner doesn't quite cut it. I'm seriously counting down the days to Thursday when I will eat ALL THE MEAT (and fish)

The exercise has been pretty non-existent this week and I'm excited to get back into the gym. I have Body Pump class scheduled tomorrow night and I can't wait to get back to lifting again.

This week has also been pretty busy with things I can't quite yet share but I'm super excited about what's coming soon! Off to watch the Tony's!

Cleanse Days 2 and 3

Ok let me tell you, this is HARD. I would cut someone for a piece of steak right about now.

Day 2 started off pretty much just like day 1 ended, with a headache. I assumed this is part of the caffeine detox. According to the cleanse instructions I should start to ween myself off the coffee a few days before starting. Yeah, that didn't happen at all.

I miss this

In the morning I make my breakfast and lunch smoothies. They've been a combo of frozen fruit, carrot juice and coconut milk. Not all at once, that would be gross. Berries, a banana and some coconut milk has been pretty tasty. I've been putting the lunch one in a mason jar (because I live in the south now and that's what you have to do) but seriously it really does make a nice seal and doesn't make a mess when it falls over. Which it does often because I'm messy and try to carry 8000 things at once.

For lunch both days I had a salad full of assorted greens and a sweet potato. Unfortunately no pictures. For dinner each day I had a combination of either lentils and sauteed vegetables or quinoa and sauteed vegetables. Can I be honest? I don't care about quinoa.

Everyone under the sun has been preaching the benefits of quinoa and I swear I see it everywhere and I just don't care about it. I really want it to be rice and it just isn't. I want it to be delicious and sauteed with butter and no matter how hard I try, it just tastes meh. After day 10 I'm going to give up on quinoa, just like I gave up on asparagus.

I think the hardest part is that I haven't worked out since Saturday. For me that's insane, I'm usually doing something 4-5 days a week. Honestly though, I couldn't have done anything the last few days. I've been really tired and adding strenuous activity just wasn't going to happen. I'm hoping to make it out for a run on Saturday but I might have to wait until I reintroduce protein into my diet.

The past few days have definitely been tough but I'm still going!

Day 1 Purification Cleanse

I started the first day of the Purification Cleanse with a berry smoothie. It had frozen berry mix, a banana, the SP Complete and a scoop of the Whole Food Fiber powder. I took the SP Cleanse pills and drank the smoothie throughout the morning.

Afternoon smoothie consisted of an apple, carrot juice, banana, a peach, the SP Complete and Whole Food Fiber. I drane that and ate some roasted sweet potatoes. 

After I got home I had some cabbage, onions and lentils and a salad.

Thoughts on day one: I'M TIRED. Seriously, I was so, so sleepy. After I ate a passed out on the couch for  hours. When I woke up Kev and I watched Cosmos and a documentary about a hippie cult in the early 70s. It was called the Source Family. If you like documentaries, this was a great one. So many hippies, so many drugs and the leader of the cult was fantastic. I totally understand why all of those people followed him. 

Back to being tired, I know it's my body adjusting to the lack of caffeine and protein but it's definitely been rough. I also had a headache most of the evening. I am having difficulty getting in all of my vegetables. I might have to start juicing more and adding to the smoothies. I'm supposed to have 2 times as many vegetables as fruits and I wasn't quite there. I think I was closer to 50/50. Right now I think this is going to be tougher than I thought but I'm all in and have every intention of completing the cleanse. 

1 day down and 20 to go!

21 Day Purification Cleanse

Recently I went to a new doctor, she was recommended by a woman I work with who had gotten some pretty amazing results. Since conventional medicine wasn't working for me and mu stomach issues, I thought I would give it a shot.

Applied Kinesiology (AK) is an interdisciplinary approach to health care that uses manual muscle testing as a primary feedback mechanism in the body. Though muscle testing, the doctor is able to evaluate the physical, chemical, and emotional imbalances within the body. These imbalances, if left untreated, result in poor health.

I read about the practice and it definitely sounded a little strange. Seriously, they can pull on my arm and tell me that there's an issue with my liver? It sounded a little mumbo jumbo to me but why not.

Prior to the initial meeting, I had to fill out a 16 page questionnaire which covered anything and everything about my previous medical history as well as questions around my mental health and sleep patterns. At the first session she asked a lot of questions and did the muscle testing, 2 days later, I met with her for the results. At the session when we talked about her findings, she was pretty much spot-on. She identified some issues I was aware of as well as others I hadn't discussed with her. As part of the treatment plan she recommended some supplements and after a few weeks of those, a 21 Day Purification Cleanse. (There's more to the treatment plan but this is all about the cleanse)

The 21 Day Purification Cleanse is from a company called Standard Process and consists of a diet plan and a supplement regimen.

Are you hungry for good health? Experience the benefits of helping your body cleanse with the Standard Process Purification Program. The purification program combines a generous menu of whole foods with supplements that support the body’s ability to remove naturally occurring toxins. This promotes a state that allows for toxin release.

Naturally occurring toxins that build up in the body can contribute to:
A stuffy feeling in the head
Fatigue or difficulty sleeping
Indigestion and other temporary gastrointestinal upset
Food cravings and weight gain
Reduced mental clarity
Low libido

To Your Health: Cleanse to Feel Your Best:
Improved weight management
Increased energy and vitality
Better digestion
Less bloating
Clearer skin
Shinier hair
Better sleep
Clearer thinking
Better management of challenges related to natural toxin load in the body†

Well, those results sound nice, especially the Improved Weight Management. I've gained back about 10 pounds since hitting my Jenny Craig goal weight and they haven't been budging. In addition to improved weight management, the doctor said that many people lose between 8-10 pounds during the cleanse which would be perfect! Disclaimer: I'm not doing the cleanse for weight loss but it would be a fantastic side effect.

For the first 10 days you eat nothing but fruits and vegetables. You can eat as much as you want  but it should be twice as many vegetables as fruits. Anything canned is a no-go but frozen is OK and they should really be fresh and as raw as possible. On day 11 you can introduce lean meats and that's about it. No grains except 1/2- 1 cup of pseudo-grains like lentils and quinoa per day.

In addition to the fruit and vegetables there are a few other components:
SP Cleanse: 7 capsules before every meal for the first 7 days
SP Complete: Protein powder that's added to the smoothies
Whole Food Fiber (powder): used 2-3 times a day and added to the smoothies
SP Green Food: for phytonutrients - used days 7-14

The plan isn't cheap, it ran me about $200 and these products have to be ordered by a licensed provider. I'm a big fan of challenges, I did the 21 day sugar detox a few months ago and loved the results. I figured if I could do that, I could do this too.

I'll be posting my progress as I go through the plan, this should be interesting!

Has anyone else ever tried a detox? How long was it and what were the results?