The Wrap Up

Well I'm officially done my detox, just in time for the holidays. There are a few things I've learned I wanted to share:
1. Sugar is very addictive!!! That was the hardest part, having no sugar for the first week was difficult and I chose to avoid even the allowed sweeteners. I decided if I was going to break the habit might as well break every aspect of it.
2. It's important to be mindful of what you eat. Part of the process is being very aware of everything that goes into your mouth. That lick of almond butter and jam off the knife when making a sandwich for my son, or tasting his food for temperature had to go and with it came a new found consciousness of eating.
3. Making drastic dietary changes is hard. It's something I ask people to do every day and I wouldn't ask it if I couldn't/wouldn't do it myself.
4. Cheats - well I was pretty dedicated throughout. The few things I allowed myself over the 28 days were 3(and no more than 3) dates if I was really craving something sweet and a soy chai latte on my birthday. I didn't eat much fruit because I found it was upsetting my stomach at first and felt better off it, so I used the lack of other fruits to rationalize the dates.
5. I can eat nothing but vegetables with a little flaxseed oil drizzled over them all day and NOT FEEL HUNGRY and still workout! This was astounding to me. I thought for sure I would be starving or fainting. But it really felt good! Digestion felt great, I had energy and I'm sure I was getting the maximum nutrient density in terms of vitamins and minerals by eating that way. It's a testament to how good you can feel and how normal your appetite can be when your blood sugar is being well maintained.

How I feel after:
1. Much better than before in terms of energy, digestion, healthier skin, less bloating and I lost about 5 pounds. I still have a bit of mild headachiness and allergies that I'm wondering if there isn't some unknown allergen in my home.
2. I think I'll retain a few days per week of eating nothing but vegetables, to give my digestive tract a break, keep blood sugar levels healthy and keep lots of vitamins and minerals coming in.
3. I still enjoy my soy chai lattes but I'm thinking they'll become a once per week treat, rather than 3-4 per week.

So was it worth it? Definitely! Both in terms of immediate effects and I'm sure long term health benefits, but also as an exercise in self-discipline which I think is an important muscle to flex periodically and empathy for my patients who undertake similar drastic changes in their eating habits.

Thanks for following along and keeping me on track.

Yours in health,
Pamela

Succumbed!

Well its day 24 and as luck would have it, my birthday. Did I have cake? Ice cream? A glass of wine? No, but did have to have a soy chai latté to celebrate the occasion. I thought after not having any for over 3 weeks I might have a strong reaction to it, but no, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but no bad reaction to either the sugar or the soy. I'm back on the wagon tomorrow at least until Saturday, my last day is scheduled to be Sunday, but I suspect I'll be going out for dinner Saturday night so I may cut it a day short. All in all, feeling pretty good still, haven't really felt much need to reintroduce some things like milk substitutes and legumes, nice to have a bit more protein back in my diet like nuts, fish and chicken after the week of fruit and veggies only.

Day14: Rice Milk Never Tasted So Good

Well after a week of nothing but water, herbal tea, fruit, vegetables and oh so tasty Ultra Clear Plus, it's a pleasure to be able to reintroduce rice milk. The last week hasn't been as hard as I imagined it would be, I have felt surprisingly full. I attribute that to the fact that my blood sugar has been kept incredibly stable by what I have been eating. Breakfasts have been Ultra Clear mixed with water and a banana, morning snack a fruit or veggies, lunch more Ultra Clear and veggies, snack fruit and dinner Ultra Clear and veggies. Not too exciting, but easy to digest and prepare. Today starts the reintroduction phase, so far just rice milk and quinoa, no reaction to either.
Last night was the 10 year reunion for my graduating class from CCNM (naturopathic college). I had originally planned on going but after a busy day at work I decided to veg at home in front of a chick flick. The evening would have been pretty difficult anyway since there was literally nothing on the restaurant menu I could eat nor could I have enjoyed a glass of wine.

Day 7: Association, Confession and Rationalization

I know smokers sometimes have a tough time quitting because there are so many associations with smoking - they smoke around certain people, in certain places, along with their coffee or beer. I now have a better understanding of what giving up something with such strong associations is like. You see I spent this past glorious weekend at a continuing education course. I've done this same course every year for the past 5 years. Anyone who's had to do CE courses knows that 8 hours of listening to lectures at a stretch can get a bit boring, even when it's a topic near and dear to your heart. In past years, there would be a chai latté to take there and as a reward for being so studious another on the way home. And if the topic was particularly tedious like Ontario Jurisprudence, then perhaps some M&M's to keep me somewhat entertained with food. Well being on a detox and struggling through all those times when I would have reached for chai tea or chocolate was a whole new challenge. But I did it! The only concession I made was while the smell of sugar was in the air as all the other ND's around me were munching on cookies after lunch, I had about 6 dates. So there you have it, my big confession. I cheated and had some dates. I can rationalize my date indulgence this way: fruit is ok on the detox and dates are fruit, they even have raisins at breakfast one day, so it's really not all that bad and I limited the amount. There I've made it totally ok in my own mind.

I haven't been doing daily diet updates as most days have been the same:
Breakfast: Ultra Clear in rice milk some days with tahini and fruit, or quinoa hot cereal with blueberries
Snack: peas with flax seed oil and sea salt
Lunch: vegetables with chicken or fish
Snack: Ultra Clear and some times fruit
Dinner: vegetables with chicken or fish

All in all, my digestion is definitely better, no headaches since I started this, energy is pretty good, skin is better and mood is pretty stable. Surprisingly I haven't felt particularly hungry which is a sign to me that my blood sugar is being kept nice and stable. I'm still working out 4-5 times per week with no particular effect on my ability to exercise.

In health,
Pamela

Day 3: More Temptation!

Today is Open House day. I'm a bit nervous hoping everything comes together as it should and as comfort food would love - a soy chai tea! But no, I'm committed (or I should be, not sure which today).

The Open House went well, everything did come together as planned. Had to watch everyone else enjoy my cupcakes and the gluten free goodies that Kinnikinnick graciously supplied as I munched on celery and hummous. David's Tea was wonderful at supplying us with lots of Caramel Rooibos tea for everyone who stopped in. I think I've found my chai tea substitute - no caffeine, it doesn't have or need sugar or soy milk and does have lots of antioxidants. Jen from David's tells me their Fall Rooibos is even better with caramel and maple syrup flavour - yum!

Up to 2 scoops twice per day of Ultra Clear, it's kind of a treat for me now. I'm getting used to what I can and can't eat after three days. I'm feeling a bit healthier too I think, a little less headache-y and my skin seems healthier too.

Breakfast: 2 scoops of Ultra Clear with 1 cup rice milk, 3/4 cup frozen blueberries and 1 tablespoon of tahini in the blender
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Salmon, quinoa, peas
Snack: Cantaloupe, honeydew, celery, hummous
Dinner: Cauliflower, turkey and quinoa
Snack: 2 scoops of Ultra Clear
No Cheats!!!

Day 2: Temptation Everywhere

Tuesday was a hard day. Had to bake 80 mini gluten-free cupcakes for the Open House on Wednesday. For those of you who bake you'll know that it's next to impossible to do it and not lick your finger! I did it, but probably took twice as long because I had to keep walking to the sink to wash my hands. Then to top it off had to pass by Starbucks on my way into the office, I miss my chai tea!

Detox Day 1

Here to answer the burning questions: what did she eat? did she cheat?

Breakfast: water, peas and tahini
Snack: 1/2 scoop Ultraclear Plus with 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
Lunch: homemade minestrone soup with no pasta, hummous and fish
Snack: 1/2 banana
Dinner: leftover soup, salmon, broccoli
Snack: 1/2 scoop Ultraclear Plus with 1/4 cup rice milk, 1 kiwi fruit

No cheating today! Really wanted some soy milk, preferably in the form of chai tea, but I resisted. Cravings only last about 15 minutes, not that long to ride it out.

In health,
Pamela