Out with the Bad, in with the Good: 2013 Detox

So today was day 1 of the 21 (possibly 28) day detox that Clarence and I have decided to do. We are following this plan from Whole Living, which impressed me because there seems to be more of a method to the madness rather than other cleanses I've seen. There are lots of reasons we're doing this cleanse, and we each have our own reasons. My top reasons are to have more energy and to give my body the boost it needs to really get serious about losing weight.

 Back in June, I joined Weight Watchers and lost 20 pounds over 6 months. I really loved the program and would advocate it to anyone who's looking to lose weight but doesn't want to necessarily feel like they are on a diet. I was also happy that it took into account that I was (am) nursing, so I didn't have to worry about losing my milk or anything. There's no doubt that if I had stayed on WW I would have continued to lose weight, so while I still hope to lose a few pounds on this cleanse, weight loss isn't my primary reason for doing it. I want to do something good for my body and give it a break from the sugar, dairy, and gluten that I eat far too much. After this cleanse, I'm hoping that I will have trained my body enough that I can possibly go gluten free, at least long enough to get down to my goal weight. Now I'm not going to kid myself and act like for the rest of all time now I'm never going to eat gluten, sugar, or dairy again, because I love food...especially chocolate cake...but I do want to have a diet that doesn't rely so heavily on these.

After being overweight my whole life, losing 40 pounds, gaining back 20, then gaining even more when I was pregnant, I've realized that I'm not and will never be one of those women who can eat whatever she wants and and not exercise seriously. I've always known I wasn't like that, but that didn't change the fact that I ate like I was. I want to feel happy and confident in myself and in my ability to do whatever I want. I don't want my health to hold me back in any way from enjoying life. So this detox is my first step to making some major changes to my lifestyle.

I am choosing to blog about our detox because I know that by making it public, even if no one reads it, I will have that much more motivation to keep going. I also am using it as a food diary to keep track of which recipes we like, how I'm feeling, and my failures and hopefully successes.

The rules for the cleanse are:

-Absolutely NO processed food or beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, and alcohol.

For Week 1 you can eat fruits, vegetables, and plant-based fats, including nuts, seeds, and oils.
You will then add back in certain foods in week 2 and 3 (and the bonus week 4), but I'll get to those once we get there.

Here is an outline of what I ate today:

Breakfast:

I started the morning with 1 cup of hot water with some fresh lemon juice to stimulate the liver and release digestive enzymes. 

Antioxidant Smoothie



Morning Snack:

Cranberry-Pumpkin Seed Trail Mix



Lunch:

Avocado with Bell Pepper and Tomatoes



Dinner:

Roasted Garlic and Beet Soup



All of these meals were delicious. And I'm not just saying that, they were legitimately flavorful and very filling. I don't feel any of the effects of the detox yet that they say to expect, such as fatigue or a headache. I don't feel hungry at all tonight after dinner and didn't feel excessively hungry during the day, which surprised me. Each meal was simple to make with fresh, basic ingredients. I'm making sure to drink plenty of water and am adding a lemon wedge if I want to have a different taste.

Before I go to sleep I'm going to do these detox stretches that they recommend. I will also do my pilates, which I try to do every day. I'm not sure at this point if I'm going to go to the gym much, or if I do I will likely just walk uphill. I am still counting my calories and my total for today is 1,113, so I'm still definitely getting in some calories. I'm thinking by week 2 I will pick up going to the gym, once the negative effects of the detox have worn off and I have more energy. All in all, today was a great day and I'm not having any major cravings. I'm excited to try some other recipes tomorrow!