Detox Day 10: The End!

I made it to Day 10! I received an email from the chiropractor leading the detox this morning and she congratulated me for being one of only two people to finish the detox! Nothing new today as far as food goes. Over the course of the day I had a green smoothie, toasted gluten free bread with almond butter and banana on top, an apple with peanut butter, Everyday Detox hot tea, and a spinach salad with sautéed mushrooms. I feel good and have noticed a few new results today. Since my kids were born I've had a rash on the back of my arms and after researching it discovered it is caused by a food sensitivity. It's gone now. :-) Hopefully it will stay that way as I add foods back in. I'm curious to find out what food was causing it. I also see more natural glow to the skin on my face. My nails look so much better even though I'm a nail biter. Maybe I'll treat myself to a mani-pedi or a facial to celebrate my achievement. I'll be adding foods back in but slowly and in a specific order based on common sensitivities. Tomorrow will be chicken, next is beef, then raw dairy (we don't do pasteurized dairy) and eggs, gluten, and sugar & alcohol last. Pork should be the last protein added and we rarely eat it so I'll add it in whenever it comes up in our meal planning; probably sausage during a weekend breakfast. I now get to move on to other exciting parts of my life, like filming my own fitness DVD's and hopefully buying a new home! THE END!

Detox Days 8 & 9: Choices, Choices!

I am loving the little things that feel like a treat right now! Roasted red pepper hummus, nut butters, food that isn't cold/raw! I feel like having more food choices is making it harder though. It was so easy when all I could have was raw produce. Now that I can have things that are cooked and have added in nuts, seeds, beans, and gluten free grains, it's harder to decide what to eat and I have to pay more attention to what I choose to eat. I have to really consciously make a good choice and not "cheat". I am finding that as I add in more food I feel more hungry and yet a little bit guilty eating what feels like a LOT of food compared to the rest of the detox journey. I have to keep reminding myself that I need to get back to a normal caloric consumption so I can resume my workouts and keep my metabolism working efficiently. A lack of calories will actually cause your body to burn fewer calories, if continued long term, because your body shifts to starvation mode. This causes fat stores to increase because your body doesn't know when or if it will get more fuel so it hangs on to calories to be used for sustaining life. As I approach the end, the desire for old indulgences increases but I feel acutely aware of them. I never realized how much I was splurging on the weekends or when we're out of town until we were traveling this weekend and I knew I couldn't have anything. I was constantly passing up food items I'd normally give in to, and I wouldn't have thought twice about eating them before. It never seemed like I was splurging but now to see all the foods I would have eaten, no wonder I felt the intuitive need to do something, I just didn't really know exactly what or how. I knew something felt wrong with the way my body was functioning and how I was handling things like stress. My body was holding on to a lot of negative energy and toxins and I'm positive the majority was in my mid-section. This really has been a practice in patience, and the deep connection to my body. I have always been fairly in tune to myself and my needs but now I feel like I have gained a new understanding and a better sense of how to positively affect my physical being when I notice things are "off". Tomorrow: The last formal day of the cleanse! I may take an after picture along with some measurements. I found a nasty before picture from a mini family vacation just a couple weeks ago. ;-)

Detox Day 7: Traveling

Day 7 is ending and I am sooo looking forward to my homemade roasted red pepper hummus tomorrow! 3 days left and I get to add nuts, beans, and seeds tomorrow. That means nut butters are a-go again! I had another busy day with little eating simply because of a lack of time. We had another showing of our home this afternoon and i had to get us packed to leave town tonight. I had a green smoothie for breakfast, left over dinner from last night for lunch (mushrooms, zucchini, rice), and a spinach salad with mushrooms and balsamic vinegar dressing for dinner. I am pretty proud of myself for sticking so strictly to my detox for dinner since it was at a restaurant with family! Italian food and a cocktail could've easily derailed me! I am currently enjoying an evening treat of blended frozen bananas and strawberries. I think hot tea will soon follow. I did end up losing another pound when I weighed yesterday. I'm now at 118, 3lbs from my preferred weight and 8lbs lighter than 7 days ago. It should be pretty simple to take care of those last 3lbs with adding my workout back in after the end of the detox. Tomorrow starts the last "phase" of this project and I am excited to have some raw cashews!

Detox Day 6: Beginning of the End

Day 6 has been actually a bit more difficult! I was allowed to add in gluten free grains, and the produce doesn't have to be raw anymore. I kept my typical green smoothie since that was part of my routine prior to the detox. I really wasn't very hungry at lunch so I just had a piece of toasted gluten free bread and some homemade raw applesauce. I couldn't even finish the applesauce I was so full. Ally finished it for me. :-) I taught Baby Boot Camp again this evening and did more than I have done the rest of the week but I still modified a bit. I really needed to move and felt like I could, so I did. For dinner I had zucchini and mushrooms with rice. It was good but boy was I full afterwards! I've been craving dessert all evening though and feel very unsatisfied. I wonder if there is a connection to adding in grains? It was very strange to eat something other than raw fruits and veggies. I felt a little guilty! I have noticed a large increase in thirst over the last 2 days. My mouth has been dry most of the day even if I feel full of water. So far I have lost 7 lbs and anticipate that to be as much as I'll lose since that was lost in the first 3 days. I read somewhere that the average person has 8-10 lbs of toxins in their cells at any given time. I can see how that could be true! It'll be interesting to see if I gain any of it back as I add in food and get back to my intense workouts. I am noticeably smaller and my clothes do fit differently since I started the detox (in a good way). 5 lbs on my 5' frame is about a dress size. I am heading out of town tomorrow so I have quite a bit of planning to do in order to finish the final 4 days. We will be eating out for all meals and I'm not sure if I should just order a salad/roasted veggies or if I should bring my own prepared food. It feels rude to bring my own but I don't want to make a mistake this close to the end! I don't like to do things halfway. All or nothing! I've worked so hard to do this successfully.

Detox Day 5: Boring!

Sorry about the delay getting this day's post up. It really was terribly uneventful. It was my last day of raw fruits and veggies and also the halfway mark. That's about as exciting as it gets. My day was good, just not much to share related to the detox. I taught Baby Boot Camp in the a.m. and then spent the afternoon getting the house ready for a late-night showing. I had a massage at 5:30 to compliment my body's detoxing efforts. The therapist suggested adding a very small amount of either baking soda or Epsom salts to my drinking water to encourage the detox even further but to be careful since they both have laxative effects. She said adding those really helps pull out the lactic acid build-up from my workouts. They also give the body magnesium and potassium to take care of muscle tightness which I have, despite my extreme flexibility. So that pretty much sums up Day 5! Today, Day 6, is 'clean eating' so I can have fruits and veggies and gluten free grains. I'm kind of excited to have some cooked veggies and a piece of Ezekiel bread toast! I'll be back tonight to share today's experience.

Detox Day 4: Awful Turned Awesome

This has been an interesting day to say the very least! It began at 7:45am when I woke up and was so uncomfortable in my own body that I couldn't get back to sleep. I got up and decided that, since the kids were both still sleeping, I'd relax in a hot bath. I got to the bathroom and glanced in the mirror to see a very pale Tara. Not good. I did some deep breathing and total body relaxation, and enjoyed the weightlessness of the water. I felt so weak. I assumed it was from a lack of calories from yesterday's liquid fast so I got out, crawled downstairs and managed a banana and a glass of water. The glass felt heavy. I was so nauseous and made my way to the bathroom and threw up. I felt absolutely awful. I haven't felt that type of misery since I was in labor with Jace. I was crampy, shaky, weak, exhausted, and just felt nasty. Like the worst flu ever. I got ahold of my sister and she came over to watch the kids so I could attempt to sleep it off. I just knew I'd feel normal again if I could sleep for a couple hours. I did just that and woke up like it was a new day! I was back to normal and had a good rest of the day! I talked to 2 of my chiropractors and was told that this type of reaction isn't expected from the detox but of course anything is possible. I really do feel like this was just my body ridding itself of a large amount of toxins quickly. Today I had my green smoothie, 2 spinach and romaine salads with baby bella mushrooms and balsamic vinegar, an apple, a banana, and a pretty sundae glass of the Delicious Mistake (see Detox Day 2 for info on that if you missed out). I cleaned the house and did a bunch of laundry in anticipation of showings on our home. I taught my Baby Boot Camp class tonight and of course kept it super modified. It felt good to move around but I was very cautious to keep it low and easy. My cravings today were odd and very child-like. I wanted a bowl of cereal, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and macaroni and cheese. I am consistently surprised that I'm not craving sugarary treats. Sure, I'd love to have some of the candy from Easter but I don't feel a need to eat it like I do these other foods. I'm anxious to see if this trend continues after the cleanse is complete. I am excited for tomorrow as it's my last day of all raw fruits and veggies and also the halfway mark! Yay me!

Detox Day 3, Easy-Peasey Lemon- Squeezy!

Day 3 is coming to an end and I feel pretty good! I ended up consuming 9 glasses of liquids today! I did all my juicing and prep yesterday so it would be a no-brainer to grab today. I juiced 3 different blends and a batch of mineral broth which is basically a vegetable stock. I did a pineapple, lime, mint blend which is probably my favorite. It is tart and refreshing like a limeade. It is really potent though so I diluted it 25% juice, 75% water. I also did a combination of carrots, apples, and ginger. Surprisingly good since I don't like carrots at all! Again I diluted but only about 50/50 on this one. The last juice blend I did was my least favorite but still very palatable. This one was granny smith apple, romaine, celery, and lime, diluted 50/50. The celery was a bit strong for me but the lime covered it up just enough. The mineral broth was pretty much awful. It tasted just like it should, I just didn't like it. It had a reallynstrong cooked carrot flavor and I just cannot stomach cooked carrots. It would've probably been much more doable if it had salt in it. I only choked down one glass of that (hot) while I did 2 glasses of each of the others. I also had some hot tea and some plain water. Overall, not a tough day. I don't feel super hungry but I do miss the way food tastes. Yesterday I craved hummus and a sub sandwich. Today I really wanted baked spaghetti with meatballs. I will be glad to get back to at least eating something with a bit of texture tomorrow! I feel like the detox is all downhill, easy sailing from here. 7 days to go and tomorrow I'm back to raw fruits and veggies. This experience, so far, has reminded me of my natural childbirth experiences with both children. I know, I know, how are they at all alike?! For me, natural childbirth was possible because I was prepared for it. I researched why I was doing it, how to make it simpler, and had a great support team. All of those things gave me the strong desire and conviction to do it and truly stick with it. This has been the same. I have the information on why detoxing is beneficial, recipes for yummy food, and a great support team. All pieces giving me desire and conviction. The hours of 2-4pm have been the hardest and are times when I so want to just grab a piece of cheese or have a spoonful of peanut butter. That reminds me of transition in the process of childbirth; that time when you doubt everything you know, including yourself and your strength. It seems silly to think of something like this being even close to as difficult as something like childbirth but they seem to parallel to much. When I was in transition with my daughter, first born Ally, I said to Ryan, "I thought I was stronger than this!" and his reply was, "Look at what you're doing! You are strong!" I've clung to that for the last 3 1/2 years because it was exactly what I needed from him at that very moment, and it's helping again through another challenge. After today's experience, I plan to continue with some juicing. I look forward to trying new recipes and getting wonderfully healthy raw veggies, that I wouldn't normally eat, in my body! You get out what you put in! You only get one body, treat it like the temple it is and you will be rewarded.

Detox Day 2, Delish!

Well, today has been quite a bit better and easier than yesterday. I took the advice of my chiropractor and added more veggies to my meals. I doubled yesterday's vegetable intake. For breakfast I had a green smoothie with banana, blueberries, strawberries, kale, celery, and raw Maca root powder. Much more filling. I also had a cup of Traditional Medicinals Everyday Detox tea, hot. I love hot tea so this is a very acceptable alternative to coffee for me. I only drink a couple cups of coffee a week and it's decaf so that piece as been easy to remove. Tomorrow is the liquid fast day so I prepped everything for that this afternoon. I did a lot of juicing and also made a mineral broth (basically a vegetable stock). Here is where the Delicious Mistake was made! I am new to juicing and just don't know much about it. I was supposed to juice 1/2 pineapple, 1 lime, and 1/4 cup of fresh mint. All I had was frozen pineapple because I prefer my green smoothies to be frozen. I "juiced" the pineapple and it came out the most beautiful sorbet texture! I added the lime and mint juice and voila! Amazing, refreshing raw food treat! I know this isn't news for you juicers and raw foodies but this made my day! I have a wicked sweet tooth and this meant dessert while I detox! I made my husband Ryan try it and even he said it "wasn't bad!" which is pretty enthusiastic coming from him regarding healthy food. For lunch I had another green smoothie and a spinach salad with the apple-pear balsamic vinegar dressing I made yesterday. I had a banana later in the afternoon since we don't do dinner until 8. For dinner I had another spinach salad with another cup of hot Everyday Dtox tea, and then I "indulged" in my Delicious Mistake. How satisfying! I have been trying to pay extra close attention to any changes and I haven't had to focus hard to find them! I wish now I had taken before pictures yesterday because I woke up today, weighed, and looked in the mirror. I am down 4lbs and no longer look bloated! Side note and surely TMI, but important, my bowels haven't been more than normal and my cycle started today and I am STILL able to see visible changes. Beyond the visible, my sinuses are clearing. I normally have some congestion that has just become normal and not bothersome. Today that congestion is pretty well gone. I also have noticed I'm cold almost all the time. The only time today I have been warm was when we were prepping our home for a showing (we're selling our home for those who don't know). We worked hard for an hour and a half and I was finally warm. This was my norm before having kids but I have been consistently warm/hot since I was pregnant with Ally, baby #1 of 2. I don't know if this is a positive thing but I'd rather be cold than hot so it works for me! I also want to add that I am still nursing both of my kiddos, ages 3 1/2 years and 18 months.this detox is safe while nursing according to my doctors because it is food-based and requires no supplements or extreme fasting. I have not noticed a change in my milk supply yet and Jace, the 18 month old, hasn't complained about my milk so far. Yesterday every single one of his diapers was poopy. I was beginning to wonder who was xeroxing here, me or him?! He's back to normal diapers I'm off to drink a little water (still struggling a little with that) and then to bed. Tomorrow: Liquid fasting day. Wish me luck!

Detox Day 1, check

I recently decided I wanted to participate in a food-based detox through my chiropractor's office. It sounds like the perfect thing to record via blog, so here I am. Also, any of you who may be waiting for the final day of our Disney trip (from December!), I completely forgot. Haha! Kids do mean things to our time management and ability to remember much of anything. It's typed and awaiting photos. It's coming. ;-) I think I will take some before pictures tomorrow. I'm interested to see if there is a noticeable difference in things like my skin, hair, and of course overall physical appearance. I'll share if it's exciting. My weight right now is 126 which is also part of my reasoning for doing this. I haven't been able to make changes to my body in ways that have worked in the past (cutting out sugar, increased workout intensity, specific core exercises, etc). I am at least 10lbs above where I feel best and I know 115 is a reasonable goal and I have been there, most recently when y son was 6 mo old (1 year ago). Side note, I am only 5' so a healthy weight range for me is between 100-130lbs. 115 isn't just a pretty number I picked. The basics of the detox is raw fruits and veggies for 10 days with Day 3 being a liquid fast. I'll offer more details as I share my daily journey. Today is Day 1 and is simply raw fruits and veggies only, and 80+ oz of water. The detox packet I received from my chiropractor offers several recipe ideas and various tips for a successful detox. The one piece of advice that really struck me as interesting is do not chew gum. The act of chewing signals the body to begin the digestive process and if there is nothing to digest then that causes problems like feelings of hunger or an abundance of unnecessary acid in the stomach. I chew gum all the time! I chew it while I jog so I can keep my mouth from getting dry and I am also a very orally fixated person so gum helps me keep my fingernail chewing at bay. This piece of the detox alone could be a huge challenge! I taught a Baby Boot Camp class this morning and while I know I'm not supposed to workout during the detox, I did participate at pretty close to my normal level. I chose to do this because I always workout on an empty stomach anyway and I have a green smoothie when I get home from class which is what I was going to do today. From here on out, my workouts will be limited to maybe a yoga for detox practice and some walking. I will say, today I wanted so badly to go for a jog. I needed something to occupy my mind and body. For lunch I had a large bowl of apples and pears. I do find it interesting what I want to eat. I am craving salt and protein/fat. I wanted a piece of deli meat or mozzarella cheese so bad! I decided to take a nap since it was nap time for the kids too. I needed to get my mind off the feeling of hunger, even though my stomach felt full. Very strange feeling. I just wasn't satisfied. My nap wasn't all that great. It reminded me if sleeping when I was pregnant; uncomfortable and just not very restful. I had a bowl of grapes after I got up and then made an apple/pear/balsamic vinegar dressing for my spinach salad for dinner. I topped it with some apples, garlic, and pepper and that helped my need for salt. I am really struggling with getting all the water I need though. I am not thirsty and the thought of forcing myself to drink water makes me gag! I have had probably 50oz. I need to brainstorm a project to do over the next 10 days to keep my body busy. Maybe I'll paint the trim and cabinets on our main level to update our home a bit. Tonight is a banana and hot tea then bed. Tomorrow: Day 2 with raw fruits and veggies again.