Last Saturday morning I woke up full of spunk and ready to start this detox/purification. I had my shake powder, fiber powder, pills galore and my trusty blender. (No, that is not me in the picture......one of my favorite chefs though!)
I can honestly say the first couple of shakes were rather shaky!! They were nasty, gritty and I was having to choke them down. Then I needed to follow it with 10 pills (vitamin/mineral type stuff). Sheesh....I started to wonder if I was cut out for this!
Truly realizing that I was not going to consume gluten product came to more of a realization when I could smell peanut butter toast. *sigh* It made me salivate. I could not have a cup of my favorite coffee......well I could if I wanted to drink it black but that is not an option for this East Coast girl. I learned very young to drink my coffee 'boston' style! I did try some almond milk one time and another time I tried coconut milk.......just not the same. I will settle for tea for now as I can tolerate that without sugar, honey, or agave. I made it through breakfast with hard boiled eggs. YUM. That with an apple and I was golden.
A friend called and we were going to meet for lunch.....uh oh.....how am I ever going to order out?! Gluten follows me.....no bread, no pasta. With my thinking cap on, I actually had a small pork chop, baked potato, and spinach. Hey, this was easy! I made it through a meal without freaking out!!
Now, it has gotten easier. When in doubt, I consult my friends at Google. Is oatmeal gluten free? YES! Is brown rice gluten free? YES! What kind of pasta is gluten free? The questions go on, but I am having fun with the answers. The other night I really wanted some elbow pasta with tuna (a comfort food growing up) and the quinoa pasta was rather tasty. I could enjoy that on occasion.
Friday night I will be done with the handful of 10 pills 3 times per day. The following 2 weeks I will be down to 5 pills 2 times per day and a different pill 3/3 times per day.
I will admit that my energy level is starting to increase. I am learning other issues with my body but that can all be corrected over time. 3 days into the program I had my first weigh in at Weight Watchers and was not pleased with the result but this kind of change is HUGE to my body and it is probably still trying to figure out what I am up to. We will see what next Wednesday brings.
Onward and upward.........oh, and I did find some Udi's bread. Toasted it is very nice with a smattering of peanut butter.
Part of this journey is good health, feeling better, looking better, etc. How better to attain this goal but by detoxing all my organs!
I have been talking to a pharmacist who also understands nutrition...sounding like fun, eh? Well, looking at my blood work, she came up with some ideas as to how I might be able to gain more energy for starters. See those vegetables above? They are our friends! I like veggies.....I also like them with dip! Right now dip is not a friend!
I am trying the Standard Process detox/purification system. It is a 21 day process. I need to avoid gluten (bread, bagel, pasta....oh wait, I am Italian!!), refined sugars, dairy (except for butter), and artificial sweeteners. Even as I write this I am sad......21 days without coffee??!! What is up with that? I never heard her say no caffeine, except I need something to be the cream in my coffee! Do I dare go to the 'other side' and try tea? That I can drink without cream.....oh, and no agave nectar....waaahhhh!!
In all honesty, it is not a big deal. I will survive. Actually I will thrive! I found a recipe today for a tomato sweet potato bisque. Now you are thinking bisque means DAIRY! Well, I found out that if I take silken tofu and puree it final product will mimic cream. Really, I think I would like the final product without the cream anyway. I also have a recipe for garbanzo beans and greens! Another fav of mine growing up. Grandma taught me to love my odd veggie soups.
I am also going to my favorite grocery store and looking for more protein that does not have the antibiotics/growth hormones. I know it will be more expensive but in the end, I am worth it. When we eat the 'normal' portion it in all reality is not that much more expensive......that's my story and I am sticking to it! Whole Foods, here I come. I can get the stocks for the soups and the protein there too. I might even go so far as to make my own dry beans instead of buying cans! Call me Suzie Homemaker!
I did a cleanse/detox a couple of years ago and I lost the heartburn that I occasionally get (more acid related), and the 'urpies' that I sometimes find after I have forms of dairy. I am pretty sure it is food combinations so I will take the time to see if I can figure out what the offenders are while I go through the process. Feeling better will be worth it.
As I read the info on this product, it is also supposed to make my skin more clear, hair shinier.......oh, and it does help with weight loss. BONUS! I am all for whatever it takes to make me the better me I can be!
Oops.....timer went off......time for more vitamins! I will post in 21 days as to what the results are!!
How many times do we hear that.....it's just a number. What do all these numbers mean? Is it good if it goes up? Down? Sideways (just kidding!)
Let's start with weight......wow, that is a number!! As a weight watcher's member it is a very important number that I track weekly. I really like when I see it move down. It is then an indication that I have done it right.......more fruits/vegetables; less bread, pasta. More water, less wine (ok that is a stretch.....I don't drink that much) but I have followed the program as dictated....and there is a smile on my face!
Along with the weight going down, blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol all will follow in a downward spiral. All of that is good! One goal this year is to get off the little blood pressure pill I take. All of these numbers can be critical for a person......especially if you have family history of heart disease, diabetes and the like.
Then there are numbers, healthy numbers, that going up are good. I see you scratching your head but give me a minute to explain. Stamina, steps, exercise...these are all numbers I like seeing go up. I have a fitbit, a type of pedometer, and I wear it faithfully. For several months I have not been able to exercise at Jazzercise or take Sassy for the walks she became accustomed to. Since New Year's eve I have been trying to go back to the 10,000 steps per day. I have found that the days I do go to Jazzercise it is easy to hit that mark. The other days I really strive for 7,000 steps. With time and persistence I will get back to where I was. I don't like the feeling of exhaustion walking up the stairs with a full laundry basket. It has been a long time since that was a problem for me. I am not taking this lying down.....I am on my feet moving!!
Other numbers we track.......age. I am not getting any younger but refuse to be labeled old. I will keep moving and looking great. Money.....well we can all use more and I hope that I am investing well. Blessings........boy I count those daily. My friends and family are high on the list of blessings I have.
On that note, I need to go do some homework.....another number I track.....my grades. I never thought going back for masters #2 would be so hard but if it is worth doing it better be done well.
until next time......
Yum.....I love guacamole! I love avocados in general. I have been experimenting with a panini maker I received for Christmas. Last night it was a tuna melt with avocado. Very thin slices of avocado......it was decadent. I can't say it was point friendly but I had planned for the sandwich for dinner and it was ok. It was so ok that I saw a 1.4 lb loss on the scale this week.
At my meeting this morning we talked about our successes and how we achieved them; also talked about how we would sustain the momentum this week. I thought about that.
The last few weeks I have been cleaning my spaces (fridge, pantry, house in general) and most everything is point friendly. This includes the glass of wine I might choose with dinner or a splurge of ice cream after dinner. Did you know the beauty of Weight Watchers is that there are no forbidden foods?! Seriously! I love ice cream.....skinny cows, dairy queen, you name it.....I like it!!
What is even nicer is that if I choose to exercise, I can have more points to eat! I try not to use my activity points because I have the extra 49 per week. I NEVER use both the extra and activity points. That shows a lack of self control! This is a healthy journey and there is nothing healthy about being glutenous in any area of life. Everything should be in moderation.
So, to celebrate my success this week, I will take the dog for a walk before dinner and maybe indulge in a cup of hot cocoa as a treat. I really don't want to give myself food as a reward for success.........isn't that how I got in this mess??!
Seriously, I am saving my rewards that I am earning for my cruise. Maybe I will get a new pair of shoes or a new swim suit....something that will reflect the hard work I am putting forth to be a healthier (and sassier) me!
To me, the answer is a resounding YES! Try spending a very extended period of time in a boot to keep your foot mobilized. Try having 3 foot procedures keeping you on crutches (and begging the doc to let me just walk...no depth perception makes crutches harder). Try having an infection wreaking havoc with the healing process......and lastly being forced NOT to participate in my beloved Jazzercise for virtually 9 months.
I can honestly say, in the 17 years I have been jazzercising I have never missed more than a week due to a cold, vacation, or some malady. This has been excruciating. For most of this time an exercise bike was the only activity that the doc would allow but I am not a big fan, so I opted to do it very infrequently. I could have been doing some weight work or ab work on my own, but that is why I joined Jazzercise.......I do not do well on my own!
Walking was a challenge after getting the release from the boot. My foot did not have a lot of feeling and the muscles were tight. I was given a stretching routine that I do use. It does make things feel a bit less weird. Right now, about 1/3 of my foot is still numb. Not unexpected but still is weird. Even the dog has been missing her long walks through the park and around the neighborhood.
I finally got off the pity pot the other day when I realized I needed to move. I am recommitting myself to a healthy lifestyle and that most definitely includes exercise. New Year's eve I took my first jazzercise class in months. It hurt and I felt like a new student as most of the music I had not danced to this year but it was good. Yes, my foot was swollen at the end of the class but a little ice and I was golden.
Sassy has been getting mini walks through the complex here. She is finding all the old smells as new and having a blast......and most important I am wearing my pedometer (a fitbit ultra to be exact). I have gone from getting maybe 500 steps in per day to closer to 7000 steps per day.......all without indulging in jazzercise. I am moving toward my old goal of 10,000 steps per day and I can see it in the horizon.
So if you are in the hood and see us meandering about the place, wave hi! We will smile and continue down the road with a smile because we can move and choose to enjoy it all!
If it has not been obvious, I am a Weight Watchers member. I have been for many years.....more off than on but that is a story for another day. I even have the first cookbook the Jean N (can't spell her last name.....but the founder of WW). My grandmother, God love her, thought her chubby granddaughter needed the help.
For the most part I am a faithful tracker........well, I did take a couple of months off. I had my pity party that if I could not exercise, why track what I eat. Did it matter? I know it did matter but could not wrap my head around it. What is crazy is I have been watching people around me losing like crazy.....why? Let's say it together......TRACKING! One high school friend has almost lost half his starting body weight. How did he do it? I eats the same thing every day for breakfast, snack, lunch and snack. Dinner he varies as I am sure his family would get bored with eating the same boring chicken every night.
Tracking is not hard. Is it necessary? I really do think so. Our mindless eating (one cookie won't kill me) will get us into trouble. An extra point here, two there, no enough activity will help the pounds creep back. Shoot, WW has apps of every kind, paper trackers, books....all sorts of tools to help us be successful.
In the new version of Weight Watchers 360, there are even more tools. They are my title today. I have recommitted to tracking. I can do it on my computer, my phone, my iPad....they have made it very easy for me.....I can't screw it up! Well.......you understand what I mean.
Spaces is one of my prides today (yesterday too) as I took the time to clean the fridge. OMG the stuff that was in there that was old. Some looked like a science experiment and other things just looked wilted and beyond their time. I was sad for the money I was throwing out and have made a promise to myself that I will not let that happen anymore. Food is too expensive to be lackadaisical with what I have purchased and not use it. Once it was clean, I started cooking! I looked up recipes (split pea soup....Emeril has a great one) and made 2 pots of soup. Good old chicken soup and Split Pea (no ham). I had purchased some chicken breasts and was afraid they might be bad.....luck was on my side and they were fine. I stuffed them with low fat ricotta cheese and spinach, topped them with salsa and added a little white wine to it for added moisture. All point friendly. I went to the grocery and got fruit, frozen veggies and am good to go for the week. My space in my kitchen is a good place for me. Everything there is friendly and I don't have to worry about whether something will sabotage my journey.
Another friendly space is my bedroom AKA the cave! No food is allowed in the cave, liquid beverage only. There has to be a place where I don't have to worry about food. The dog and I have our safe haven......and all is good there.
Let's face it, we are all creatures of habit. Routine can be our friend. I love knowing that I have my pedometer on and can challenge myself to move a little more today than yesterday. I like knowing that I have a few things readily available for breakfast so no thought process needed there. I have snacks to grab with no thought of failure.
I need to work on my exercise routine. More like get back to it. As I said the other day I took my first class and although I did plan tomorrow to be number 2 it might have to wait for the weekend. I say that as being an accountant, year end is surrounding me and those deadlines don't care if I want to work out. I will get out and take Sassy for a walk. She will love it. She loves the cold weather and running around like a fool (a fool on a leash!)
I did have my first weigh in for 2013 this morning (ww at the office......greatest thing I did for me and my work buddies) and had a success on the scale. That made my day! I will allow the momentum and joy of that feeling today carry me through the week. There is no such thing as failure UNLESS I say it is failure. I make choices all day long. If my choice is to indulge in a piece of chocolate, good for me. If I bite it, I write it. The word 'bad' is banned from my vocabulary unless I am talking about something spoiled. I am not bad for making a choice......I am a human making a choice. If I choose to have something NOT point friendly I have to give something up to accommodate it.
This is my year for success. I know it.....I feel it....I will achieve it and unlike the celebrities who endorse WW, I don't have chefs, trainers and the like in my corner. I do, however, have all my friends who cheer me on and for that I am the luckiest girl in the world!
See you soon!
