I DID IT!!!

And now...ahhhhh...I'm enjoying a cup of coffee with peppermint creamer, which I found at Target yesterday.  What perfect timing!

I did lose 2 & 1/2 pounds last week. Didn't do anything different, so I don't know what to think about that.

Lessons? I think way too much about food, probably eat too much too. And I had to think even more while cleansing, b/c the choices are so limited. I need to just enjoy my food and my healthy body and eat as healthy as I can without obsessing about it. Being hungry for a few minutes or hours won't kill me, and I'm grateful to know that the hunger is always temporary. 

Will I do it again? I plan to do it a couple of times a year, just for the 'lightning' effect - I feel lighter inside and healthier (and, of course, hungrier - LOL).

Today I'm having sugar, dairy, caffeine, and gluten, but I'm saving alcohol for the weekend. My blueberry smoothie was especially delicious this morning, and my sweet tea at McAlister's with my buddy Andrea (the neighbor to my left that, according to Kathy Freston's book was required to do the cleanse with me) will probably be the best tea I've had this year! Tomorrow I will be more intentional about the sugar, maybe have coffee or tea, not both. But today is a day to celebrate with all my favorite things!

Muchas gracias to my supportive family and friends who held my hand, listened to me whine, and put up with my crankiness these past three weeks. I couldn't have done it without you, especially, you, Jane!  xoxo

One Week Down, Two To Go

I'm one third of the way through the cleanse. I don't feel any different, except that I'm hungry a lot of the time! I'm thinking of other ways to nurture myself than with food, and other things to occupy my time than thinking about food or eating it. Reading a lot! Cleaning. Going through piles. Bugging John about his social life. Fixing big pots of soup - oops, that's about food.

I'm beginning to think in terms of how to modify the radical cleanse instead of going back to the old way of eating when the three weeks is up. Kathy Freston's (whose book I'm using as a model) spiritual integrity requires her to 'do no harm', so she is a vegan. The only 'meat' I was eating before the cleanse was seafood, and I may let go of that. Dairy is another story. I love my cheese! And the fake cheeses I've tried just don't cut it - no pun intended. There is a frozen egg substitute, but so far I haven't found it. Egg Beaters contain egg whites, not egg substitute. Gluten, of course, is everywhere, but since I don't seem to have an allergy to it, I don't think I'll worry about it so much. 

The big dilemma will be my sweet tea. I'm not interested in altering the taste of the tea I love so much, by using Stevia or agave nectar. It's real sugar or no tea, and I'll have to see what happens over the next couple of weeks. If I have McAlister's sweet tea then I'll be having caffeine. Can I employ moderation? Often the answer is no, but in this case, it may be possible. Of course in a few weeks, Carnation will begin offering their Peppermint coffee creamer for the holidays, and then I'm doomed! But you'll notice that I timed this cleanse to be finished before the holidays begin. My mama didn't raise no fool!  Happy eating!

21 Day Cleanse - I'll Start Tomorrow!

After hearing Oprah interview Kathy Freston about her new book, Quantum Wellness, and then reading the book, I decided to do her 21 day cleanse. It consists of eliminating sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten. and all animal products from your diet for up to 21 days. You may wonder, as I did, what is left to eat?! At a very basic level, what is left is fruits and vegetables. But if you look further (at vegan blogs and Oprah's blog) there is a world of foods and menus just waiting for your dining pleasure.

My family and friends are asking a different question. To them it's not 'what?', but 'why?'. Why in the world would I cut out all those delicious foods and deprive myself that way? The answer is multi-leveled. First, I like Freston's theory that eliminating those foods will give my body a break from having to work so hard to digest and get rid of toxins and allergens. Second, I have had food and body-image issues for as long as I can remember, and I feel like this will bring them right up in my face, so to speak, so that I can resolve them and create a healthy relationship with my body. Third there is that small matter of discipline - I don't always exercise it to my advantage, and this cleanse will certainly provide an opportunity to do so.

Since I don't eat any meat, except seafood, the only hard part of eliminating animal products will be the cheese, yogurt, and eggs. I'm willing to try the soy-substitutes, but also willing to do without, if the substitutes don't taste good. I can do anything for three week...right?

Fortunately, my next door neighbor, Andrea, is accompanying me on this 21 day journey. I told her that the book suggested that you get your neighbor to the left, facing your house, to do the cleanse with you, and she agreed. (If you happen to see her, don't let on that the book didn't really mention anything about neighbors!)

I really will start tomorrow! Tune it to see how I progress. Blessings, Annie