21 Day Cleanse - Day 12-21 Overview

Heeeey!

Alright, so it's actually been a 10 days after my little cleanse ended! I guess I didn't realize that the 21 days ended on the 14th...in my mind it was not until the 22nd or something... silly me.

Anyway -- my French friend left early Monday. I'm trying to get back to some sort of normalcy. It's ridiculous how vacation and/or having guests for a week or two just completely throws your schedule off track.

As I said, I introduced her to the raw lifestyle. We made kale salad with an avocado dressing, marinaded portabello mushrooms, green juice or shake every morning, faux-sushi rolls with cauliflower rice (first time, so great!), and a bunch of other random items. Because we didn't spend a lot of time at home together, we wound up going out as well, which actually became a blessing in disguise despite spending money. I was able to find some AMAZING restaurants in the area that I didn't know existed. Lots of vegan and raw places! Sadly, the one that I love the most is kind of far from me :(  They took me there for my birthday. It was so awesome. Their raw sour cream was DELICIOUS. I also found a raw restaurant not far from work, however it's quite expensive ($15 for 2 tiny kale enchiladas!) so I imagine I won't be going back.

This past weekend we visited the Texas State Fair and then the Texas State Veggie Fair the day after. LOVED the Veggie fair! There were food trucks and a bunch of local restaurants, plus the other booths were great. I learned a lot, signed up for a lot of worthy causes, and just had an overall great experience. Can't wait for next years!

Tried doing some running while my friend was in town. She had completed the Couch 2 5K last year and unfortunately is out of running shape...so we did more walking. Went on a hike, which was a big deal for her since she used to be extremely fearful of the woods. Sadly, I broke my pinky toe half way through (ugh, dastardly ninja stumps!). Can't wear shoes right now :(  Can't run... makes me SUPER SAD.

Hopped on the scale today and even without the working out as much over the past 2 weeks I'm still down 4 pounds after the cleanse! I will say that it doesn't seem like a lot, but I'm a pretty tall and thick woman with a lot of extra skin from so much previous weight loss. Pretty sure my body is about at it's ideal weight and I just need to work on toning up.

That is my next task! As soon as my toe heals....

Delays

I realize it's been a week since I posted! I'm still very much doing my thing, I just haven't had a chance to sit down and log everything. I have a friend from France visiting for a couple weeks, so my time has been spent at work, running, volleyball, and hanging out with her. There's not been much time for anything!

The fun part is, she is very interested in the raw lifestyle and since she's already vegetarian, it's not too much of a change. When with me, she's partaking in raw. We've juiced every morning :)  Good stuff!

I'm happy to report some pounds lost! Not sure how many as I stepped on the scale the other day and noted it was down and since then I've drastically upped my workouts.

21 Day Cleanse - Day 11

I've felt pretty darn awesome the past few days :)

Morning:
16 oz Warm Water & Lemon

Green Smoothie
Spiralina Powder
Maca Powder
4 Leaves Kale
1 Apple
1 Zucchini

Maca Drink
Maca Powder
16 oz Almond Milk
Stevia to taste
Carob Powder

10 min meditation
Couple Sun Salutations


The green smoothie filled me SO much..I had leftovers until lunch. Pretty glad to have done the meditation this morning :)  Need to get back into the swing of that!

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Afternoon:
Mixed Greens
1/2 Tomato
1 Green Onion
Cheesy Dressing
Avocado

Orange
1.5 oz Almonds
5 Green & Black Mint Chocolate Squares (please note these are really small .5"x.25" rectangles)

24 oz Water
32 oz Tea

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Evening:
Lettuce Wrap
4 Romaine Lettuce Leaves
1/2 Red Pepper
1/4 Cup Hemp Hearts
1 Green Onion
1 Tbsp Flax Oil
1/4 Cup Cheesy Dressing
1/2 Bunch Parsley
Dash Cayenne
Brine of Capers to taste

3.01 Mile Walk/Run in 45 min
16 oz Coconut Water
24 oz Water


This was SO GOOD... Definitely making it again!! It was just something I threw together with what I had and needed to eat...enjoyable!!

I petered out on the run a bit...I did 90 sec run, 90 sec walk, 3 min run, 3 min walk, 90 sec run, 90 sec walk, 2 min run, then walked for like 15 min and then ran for quite a long time. I find that when I warm up with off and on running for about 20 min, I have the endurance to do another run that lasts forever.

21 Day Cleanse - Day 10

I didn't mention yesterday that I found myself hungry during those normal times of 10AM and 2-3PM and while I was able to satisfy my hunger with a banana in the morning, I felt okay letting the hunger pains keep at me. I drank a TON of tea and water, nibbled on some dark chocolate...but overall? I was okay with it. I did stop by the deli downstairs to see if they had any salad I could eat, but they didn't, thus I just went without! 

Today, I tried something a little different.

Morning:

16 oz Warm Water & Lemon

Green Smoothie

Handful of Greens

1 Green Apple

1 Tbls Spuralina

1/2 Juiced Lemon

1/2 Juiced Lime

1 Banana

Banana

Handful Almonds

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Afternoon:

2 Handfuls Greens

Cheesy Dressing

1/2 Tomato

Green Onion

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Evening:

"Egg Salad" (ish)

Finely Chopped Sprouts

Cheesy Dressing

Baby Pickles

Mustard

Green Onion

Spoonful Raw Almond Butter

Drizzled Raw Agave

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Workout:

Week 1, Day 2 - Couch 2 5K Program

Note on this C25K! Apparently, my running friend is doing the SHORTENED version of this because rather than repeat the first day as in the actual program, we did runs for 2 min (last one was 3), walk for 1 min...oh man was I DYING! Next week is worse! lol... He thinks he can get me running 5k in like 5 weeks or something...which...okay...I'm going to die on the way there - hah!

21 Day Cleanse - Day 8 & 9

So, it's been pretty obvious that I'm not good at sticking to this menu. I like following menus, but it's just me, so I tend to have food leftover if I follow it so strictly. This is not kosher! Not to mention, it's REALLY expensive (for me, who has a massive student loan monthly payment near $1k). I've been fiddling with alternatives. Here's what I know:

1. I do great with salads for lunch because I'm at work; it's fast and simple and I love them (somehow I'm not sick of them yet...)
2. Green juicing in the morning tends to leave me hungry around 10:30...starving by 11. Perhaps I need to try smoothies.
3. If I eat slightly heavy at night, then I get really sluggish and don't want to do any of the chores I need to get done. Perhaps green drinks? Though, I'm usually craving something more.
4. While I like the idea of some of these raw gourmet foods, I just don't have the time to make them. Maybe a couple times a month, but it's killing my wallet and my to-do list. So, I need to stick to simple!
5. I'm usually hungry around 3. I should probably try to pack nuts and whole fruits. 

Combining the past few days since I've failed at keeping this going (it was an emotional day yesterday).

MONDAY 

Morning:

Warm Water & Lemon

Green Juice (Carrot, Lemon, Beet, Apple)

Maca Drink (raw almond butter, maca powder, carob powder water, agave)

Afternoon:

Tabbouleh

1 Cucumber

1/2 Tomato

1 Avocado

handful Chives

1 Green Onion

1/4 Parsley

1/4 Cilantro

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

24 oz Water

16 oz Green Tea

Evening:

Kelp Noodles

Cheesy Dressing

30 oz Water

Workout:

Week 1, Day 1 of C25K - Outdoors, Moderate Hilly Terrain (omg, it was hard!! I've been doing week 3 trail runs and this was a step back that kicked my rear!)

TUESDAY

Morning:

Warm Water & Lemon

Almond Butter

Maca Drink (almond milk, maca powder, carob powder, water, agave)

24 oz Water

Afternoon:

2 Handfuls Greens

Cheesy Dressing

Green Onion

1/2 Tomato

Sea Salt

32 oz Green Tea

2 Squares Green & Black Organic 85% Dark Chocolate

24 oz Water

Evening:

2 Handfuls Greens

Cheesy Dressing

Green Onion

1/2 Tomato

Pumpkin Seeds

Alfalfa Sprouts

20 oz Water

21 Day Cleanse - Day 7

Today stunk... just plain stunk... It was a friends birthday gathering and rather than the normally go out to a bar, we did a brunch and then hit up Main Event for games. Brunch was at a Tex Mex joint and consisted of their buffet. I stuck to vegan, but not everything was raw. I don't know WHAT exactly killed my stomach, but I was in and out of the restroom until about 9pm. I only bowled once at Main Event and went home and then did nothing but lay on the couch and run to the bathroom. OY, that was no fun. Stomach wasn't used to something... I ate a lot of fruit, but also had their guac, some really spicy potatoes and then some salsa... probably the combo and I don't know what they cooked with. Needless to say, next time we do something like that; I'm sticking to the fruit!

Since we were eating and hanging out near the farmers market that I've been wanting to go to, I sucked it up and stopped on the way home. The local farmers can't call their produce certified organic because they can't afford the certification, but they call it "natural", which is the same...they do not use pesticides, no GMO's, everything is naturally grown. This made me happy! It also made extremely excited to find the "over ripe" discount stuff! Perfect for juicing!

Morning:
20 oz Water
Tex Mex Vegan Brunch Buffet (fruit, potatoes, guac, salsa, etc)

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Afternoon/Evening:
Cucumber
Tomato
Green Onion
Hemp Hearts
Olive Oil
Mustard
50 oz Water

Made a sort of tabouli bowl, though I realized I was definitely missing the herbs that the recipe calls for. Didn't realize that until after I had eaten it. The tomato was one of those that was on sale because it was over ripe. I removed one tiny little spot and the rest was amazing! It had so much meat and barely any juice. SO AWESOME!

21 Day Cleanse - Day 6

Um...today I wanted to hang out at home and do freelance, plus make note of the sun hitting my balcony so I can plant some herbs and lettuce! However, it rained ALL day... I had thought about going hiking down south and then hitting up an outdoor yoga class, but, again..it rained...  :(  these days make me very boring. I laid around basically all day before meeting a coworker and her boyfriend in the evening.


Morning:
Warm Water & Lemon
Handful of Raw Nuts & Raisins
24 oz Water

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Afternoon:
Lettuce wrapped "sub" w/lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and guacamole
24 oz Water

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Evening:
Hummus & Veggies
Salad w/Balsamic Dressing



So, the past few days have literally been eating out. I have stuff I could make at home, though I lack a lot of fresh veggies and fruit. The mustard greens I want to make into chips and the kale I seem to be too lazy to make a dressing for. Oh well... I'll get to it! Hopefully before they go bad...

21 Day Cleanse - Day 5

Today I wasn't quite as hungry as yesterday... I AM REALLY SORE! It feels amazing! I'm going to assume my body is sore from Pilates, though I guess some of it could be from volleyball. I know the floor burns and goose egg bruise on my knee plus the forearm bruises are from volleyball, but the rest of me is extremely sore also. I woke up and could barely roll over - haha.

Morning:
16 oz Warm Water & Lemon

8 oz Coconut Water
1 Scoop Vega Berry Protein Powder

4 Cups Coffee + Nondairy Creamer + Natural Sugar Packets

I realize that the coffee thing was bad, but I needed some caffeine and tea was not cutting it. After volleyball I wound up staying up until about midnight doing some freelance and then woke up at my normal early hour this morning (after a couple false wake ups). Pretty much just an excuse, I realize.

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Afternoon:
Vegan Salad w/Chili Dressing from Blue Mesa

It's fun going to restaurants and asking if they have vegan options. My coworkers I think have gotten used to it now, though we did poke fun and laugh at the terminology of making Almond Milk.

This was a great salad!


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Evening:
Vegan Salad w/Black Beans & Salsa from Fuzzy's Tacos

Met with some friends for dinner. I've had their salad before...so good. SO HUGE, too. I took a lot of it home :)

21 Day Cleanse - Day 4

Forgot to post this...

Morning:
16 oz. Warm Lemon Water

1 Orange Juiced

1 Cup Coconut Water

1 Cup Strawberries

1 Banana

24 oz Water

1.5 Cups Strawberries

Apple Pie (made with coconut oil and cinnamon)

20 oz Hibiscus Tea

16 oz Green Tea

1 oz Almonds

Afternoon:

16 oz Water

1 Cucumber + Vinegar, Dill, Honey Dressing

2 Bowls Mixed Fruit (melons, grapes, pineapples)

2 Bowls Mixed Salad w/Balsamic Vinaigrette

1.5 Rows Green & Black Organic Mint Dark Chocolate

Evening:

2 Handfuls Mixed Lettuce

Homemade Dressing (see previous post)

1/4 Cup Hemp Seed

4 Baby Dill Pickles

1 Avocado (part bad :( )

Pepito Seeds

10 oz Water

3 Squares Green & Black Organic Mint Dark Chocolate

With this mixture of salad, the combo of dressing, avocado, and dill pickles tasted like an egg salad. It was great!

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I was SO hungry all day long. I couldn't stop eating. I got up early and did Pilates (though my friend didn't join me after all). Sadly it was the last one of those classes because they are canceling it. I'm really glad I came, though! I would love to do more Pilates! 

But, I seriously ate all day long... And you can see I had plenty to drink! 

I went for a 30 min walk on my lunch with a coworker and we've decided to try to do it 3 times a week. 

Went to volleyball practice from 7-9 and HAD SO MUCH FUN!! I can't describe the pleasure I had from doing this. The group I practiced with is very new to the sport, but I still had a blast. When I join I will definitely not be playing with them as I seemed to have picked my skills back up where I left off (well, probably not, but I did damn well!). 

Seriously, though...I loved it. My forearms are SO bruised, though. I've not played in 10 years, so they aren't conditioned at all. 

Great group of people, too :) Can't wait to actually start playing! I don't think it'll be until next session, though (I might do some subbing until then) since Oct is pretty booked for me.

21 Day Cleanse - Day 3

Downed some more water before bed last night...was REALLY thirsty. I toyed with the idea of hitting up the gym this morning, but after searching the classes at all the locations around me, I was less than inspired. Forgot I was going for coffee/tea with a coworker on lunch today, so I will not be walking, but I did enlist another coworker to do a couple walks a week on our breaks. Start tomorrow! I'll be walk/running (not sure if my friend is or wants to run) with a buddy after work this evening. It'll at least get me moving! She's trying to get in shape after having put on quite a bit of weight. She does boot camp Tues and Thurs and now walking Wed with me. I'm determined to get my friends to socially move!

I could easily just go look, but I don't remember if I posted my excitement over volleyball Thurs! It's only practice and only to see where I might fit in with the different levels, but I'm so excited!! VOLLEYBALL! Man I love the sport. Depending on what team I wind up on will determine when practices are...and that might stink for my newly acquired walking buddies. They spread over Tues-Thurs with games on Fri.

Oh well, I'll figure it out!


Morning:
16 oz Warm Water & Lemon
12 oz Water
5 min Meditation
Quick Stretches/Core

Smoothie
4 Oranges Juiced
1 Banana
Handful Fresh Strawberries
16 oz Green Tea

I could not sit still for meditation this morning...not sure what the deal was but it's a sure sign I need to do it for MUCH longer. I decided to add in some strawberries to the blend this morning. They need to be eaten.

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Afternoon:
24 oz Water
16 oz Lemon Tea

Chowder
1/2 Bunch Celery
1/2 Cup Coconut Water
1/2 Tomato
3/4 Cup Brazil + Macadamia Nuts
1 Tbsp Agave
1 Clove Garlic
1/4 Onion
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Cayenne + Chili + Cumin + Salt + Pepper

The chowder is pretty great! Not sure why I didn't like the original recipe; perhaps the young coconut meat? I don't know. I'm eating it early so that I won't be too hungry while out with a coworker (I WILL be getting tea at this coffee house!). Granted, there's a TON of it and I'm darn full after 1/2...so I imagine I'll eat the rest later in the afternoon.



Afternoon Part 2:
Bunch of Grapes
Soy Mocha
Rest of Chowder

So that trip to the cafe I mentioned...yeah, well...they didn't have tea. They had coffee (apparently some vegan food too, but I already ate). The mocha was really not good. It was SO SWEET. I wish I had gotten just a coffee and had them put soy milk in it. It was bad. I wasted the money on that sucker and now have a horrible headache. Even my friend who had been there said it was more like hot chocolate than anything else. I have a headache to boot :(   The grapes were from my coworkers plate. She has food intolerance so I happily ate them. (Please note the chowder was after all of this!)



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Evening:

Black & Green Organic Mint Dark Chocolate

24 oz Water

Mini Cumin Nori Wrap Snacks (organic and raw from Natural Grocers)

Handful of Cashews

Handful of Organic Raisins

Handful of Homemade Sweet Potato Chips

10 Organic Baby Dill Pickles

1/2 Can Organic Olives

Random Salad

Handful Mixed Greens + seeds + olives

Homemade Dressing (Olives, Capers, Garlic, Mustard, Olive Oil, etc, etc...)

So I didn't wind up going to workout.... my friend had to work late. Little bit disappointed in myself. I probably should have gone on my own and I would have if I had been dressed. I was going to change at her place. As soon as I got home I knew I wasn't going out again. I dislike walking around my neighborhood. I stopped at Natural Grocers for the heck of it and kind of fell in love with their spices, nuts, and some of their produce. To my disbelief everything was organic and a LOT was cheaper than Sprouts! How did I not know this?!?! Not everything, mind you. But I will definitely be buying spices, nuts, and some produce there! 

When I got home I don't know why, but I was craving the crap out of salt. I wanted salty... I bought baby dill pickles and I couldn't stop eating them. And then as I was making the dressing I couldn't stop eating the olives. I also really craved mustard...to which I put on the sweet potato chips. Weird, eh? 

A friend asked if I wanted to workout in the morning, to which I said "Heck Yes!" We're off to do Pilates at 6. Whoohoo! I made the apple pie for lunch tomorrow and the cucumber salad (with vinegar, honey, and dill) for dinner since I'll be going to volleyball practice. :)  Excitement!

21 Day Cleanse - Day 2

So hey... I woke up this morning and was HIGHLY disappointed with the scale; especially after having done a colonic and getting rid of so much.

Whatever; I will not be ruled by you, Mr. Scale!


Morning:
2 Glasses Warm Water & Lemon
20 oz. Grapefruit Juice
12 oz. Water

I remember the grapefruit eating the crap out of my stomach last time. It didn't this time around; not sure why. I will say that having drank all of that...I'm really quite hungry. I was tempted to eat the banana I threw in my lunch for emergencies but am deciding not to. What I REALLY want is some coffee. I don't know why I can't get the same satisfaction out of tea (maybe because it's not quality tea?), but it just doesn't appeal to me!

I'm going to drink tea, though.

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Afternoon:
32 oz. Green Tea
3 Handfuls Mixed Greens
1/2 Large Tomato
1 Carrot Shredded
1 Avocado
1 Lemon Juiced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Dill, Rosemary, Chives

Definitely brought too much salad....buuut so tasty! However, I don't know about the rosemary. My friend has some growing wild in her back yard, so I went and trimmed, but I'm thinking I either didn't get the right plant (it was dark and the light wasn't working) or I trimmed in the wrong spot because it smells and tastes more like a pine tree - lol...but having looked them up online they are a woody plant. Guess, maybe I should just look for the younger parts of it next time.

I love the smell of dill :)   Chopping it up this morning made my kitchen smell sooo good. Speaking of herbs - update on the cilantro: it perked up and looks healthy! Water is amazing.

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Evening:
48 oz Water
Raw Protein Bar (can't remember the name...)
3 Leaves Kale
2 Handfuls Lettuce
1 Avocado
1 Large Tomato
1 Green Onion
Cilantro
1 Clove Garlic
Cayenne
Salt
1 Lemon Juiced
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Hemp Hearts
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

Fitness:
Week 3 Distance Couch25K Run

Did week 3 of the C25K! I've done the timed version a long time ago, but this app has the distance version, which I'd rather do because you're not guaranteed to run 5k by the end of 30 min if you're slow! Lungs buuuurned, but it felt good. I didn't make it as far as I have in the past on the timed, but hey, whatev. I didn't want to push myself too much. Went the entire way one way so that I had to walk back. I stopped by Sprouts on the way home and picked up some items, including that raw protein bar. I need to make my own!

Definitely feel some great energy right now. I am making sweet potato chips via the dehydrator, I've signed up to try out a volleyball league, got multiple people to do a once a week run/walk after work with me (starting tomorrow with one friend!) and one will help me as he's already a runner. I plan on signing up for Warrior Dash next year (there's people wanting to join also!) and he's going to be my training "coach" - haha. I've gotten a lot accomplished today! Nothing was going on at work, so I was productive in other ways.

Dinner was late. I decided to massage the kale with half a lemon's juice and a little salt, added the lettuce, and then made some guac/salsa dressing out of everything else in that list. I'm going to fiddle with tomorrows lunch menu as I never found a young coconut and I was not a big fan of the recipe. Think I'll add in the half a tomato I have left and some other spices!

21 Day Cleanse - Day 1

This morning was a bit unconventional as I wound up staying at my boyfriends last night and leaving really early this morning to get ready at home. Luckily I had nice clothes to wear to work at his place and really just had to drop off the mounds of groceries for this week, make up my lunch, take care of the cat, and take off. I have some cleaning to do tonight, though... it's kind of a mess (at least to my standards, which are really high)! A friend is coming over to juice with me tonight, so I hope I have time to get it presentable.


Morning:
20 oz OJ (4 oranges)
Raw Tea
Vitamins
58 oz water

Been watching the clock from about 10:45 until noon waiting for lunch to hit. SO HUNGRY. I tried chugging water (hence the amount I've had so far), had all the tea, did some quick exercises, tried walking around...I think that's a sign that I really am just hungry. My head hurts, also. Perhaps because of the caffeine withdrawal? I have had some in the past few days!

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Afternoon:
1/4 Cup Hemp Hearts
1/4 Bunch Cilantro
1/4 Bunch Parsley
1 Tomato
1 Avocado
2 Green Onions
1 Lemon Juiced
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp salt

I love this type of meal. IT IS SO GOOD! There is more than what the recipe called for, but I'm making it at work, so I didn't want to leave half an avocado. I did chop the herbs this morning at home and I apparently neglected the cilantro in the bottom of the fridge because it was all sorts of wilted! I put them in a jar with some water and then an open bag draped over top. The jar was void of water. Oopsie... I cut off the ends this morning and filled it with water again in hopes to revive it at least enough to get some use out of it until I go shopping again.

I need to get in the habit of not eating at my desk, or at least not being on the computer and doing other things while eating. I tend to scarf down the meal and not realize what I even ate or relax and enjoy the flavors of fresh food!

I still have some of this left and I'm quite full. Makes me happy.

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Snack:
Organic Black & Green Mint Dark Chocolate
Apple
24 oz water

Somewhere along the line I got cravings for chocolate again. I don't tend to HAVE cravings unless I'm not eating optimally. Which was kind of my clue I needed to do this. I will slowly ween myself and hopefully just not have the desire to eat it at all soon!

I don't know what it is about apples, but they really fill me up...maybe because my body doesn't digest them so well. I don't know.


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Evening:
Green Juice (carrot, celery, apple, cucumber, lemon)
Almond Cheese
Kit Kat

I went and had my second colonic and feel amazing! I am also STARVING. A friend came over to try out juicing. I gave her the recipes from Kris Carr and she chose this spicier one. It turned out to be EXTRA spicy because she accidentally got mustard greens instead of kale. Whoops! Probably not the best way to try juicing.

My green juice was about 32 oz...it was good, but I was so hungry afterwards. I've had so much water today! Probably need to eat more food. I had some almond cheese that I finished off and then decided it was a good idea to eat the remainder of a Kit Kat bar I had in the freezer. Um... it didn't taste good at all. Added to the fact that my Packers lost (good grief refs...)... :(  Anyway...it's at least gone now and the only chocolate I have in the fridge is organic dark....so no milk! I'm not beating myself up over it. It happened. I learned my lesson.

Raw Cleanse Reboot

I decided, now being armed with much more knowledge -- especially when it comes to raw and my body -- to start the 21 Day Cleanse today! I haven't gained back a lot of weight, but I did gain some pounds since the first round and having gone through all of the health issues.

Please note that the health issues were purely my own. I loved the raw diet, however, there are things that my body cannot digest (cabbage, broccoli, etc) unless slightly cooked. I'm also convinced that my body was "WTF?" having gone from eating fairly poorly to dropping everything (chicken and fish, sugar, grains, etc) cold turkey and hitting the raw hard. That's kind of how I am...though I did slowly get rid of the other meats and dairy, I dropped the others pretty fast.

So, I'm pretty determined to finish these 21 days again, without the hormonal imbalances! Honestly, the first cleanse was a HUGE success for me. This one will only be better!

Since having done the 21 and 28 day programs, I've stuck to lots of greens and meatless. I did add in some cooked legumes and quinoa as well as cooked vegetables here and there. I've gotten in the habit of doing a green juice for breakfast and will stick to it, even through the 21 days. There will definitely be meals that I substitute as there were a couple that I wasn't fond of. I'll just be doing ones that I loved :)

The point of doing the 21 days now is to get back on track because I foresee myself slipping further into the cooked realm and I dislike it! I've noticed a change in my body; fatigue being the main.

Here's my routine, most of which started during and after the first round of 49 days!

Morning Ritual:
Warm water and lemon
10-20 min meditation
Yoga stretches
Dry Brush
Netti Pot
Shower
Green Juice
Tea throughout the morning (will be learning about loose leaf tea making soon!)

Afternoon Ritual:
Lunch (salads mainly)
30-50 min walk (or run at the gym, haven't gotten to that point yet! I take lunch time to do errands too)
Snack (fruit usually as I crave sweets after lunch)

Evening Ritual:
Some form of exercise after work (walking, running, cycling, lifting, etc)
Dinner (this depends if I get home late, but it tends to be some form of salad or mixed bowl)
Prep food and clothes for the next day
Relax (if there's time left for this, lol...)

I definitely can't say that EVERY day goes exactly like that, but for the most part.

Hit & Miss (An Update)

I had some fish. I like fish. I could probably not eat it again, though. I don't feel guilty having done so.

I do not miss dairy. I accidentally had some cheese in a salad last week. It didn't taste great and did a number on my stomach!

I don't miss carbs. Especially the white, starchy stuff. I did do some yam/sweet potato (no idea which it REALLY was) that was cooked, which tastes wonderful by itself. Not sure my stomach could digest it raw.

I miss blogging daily :(  I haven't been keeping up with the journal and it's driving me crazy! I love writing!

My boyfriend is getting ready to try a couple days of raw. I'm slightly excited! I don't think he'll stick to it at all, but I'm hoping the positives that he gets from it will make him think about doing an 80/20 plant-based diet!

Looking Back

I keep looking back at these posts and visiting on the online communities. Since my experience on the program I've added in some more cooked foods that weren't digesting well at all -- cabbage, broccoli. I do some quinoa every now and then. My hormonal issues have seemed to completely level off and I've not had any issues. My skin is super clear and my hair shiny and healthy.

I will say that 100% raw might not work for my body, but the 80/20 rule has been perfect so far. I've gotten a juicer and a dehydrator and have started making new, wonderful and delicious things! I don't think I would have gotten to this point had I not done what I did and taken the plunge. 49 days seems like a LOT, but it was so worth it, even with all of the challenges. It helped me get to where I am right now, which is happy and healthy :)

Aaaand Done! (28 Day - Day 28)

I've not been home earlier than 10:30 the past few nights and out the next morning by 7, thus the lack of blogging. My eating has been good! Currently chowing down on some turnip greens sauteed in apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and Bragg's. SO GOOD! The saute takes away that bite from the raw turnip greens. I tried one as I was washing them (I meant to get mustard greens...) and was like "oh man...what did I BUY!?" but, this saute is pretty fabulous. I looked up ways to eat this raw and saw a bunch say sauteing (letting it sit for 1-24 hours or massaging and eating), so I just threw it together and am pleased.

I heard from my doctor last week!

All of my levels are STELLAR!   ...except my DHL hormone levels. They're supposed to be above 90 and mine is in the 40s. So, she had a compound cream made up that I will start rubbing into my skin on Monday for 30 days before getting the levels tested again. Looking forward to it!

She commended my eating habits but would still like to see me add a little more protein (even though those levels were good as well). I will do as she says and add some raw vegan powder to smoothies to boost it a bit. 

I wasn't quite as satisfied with my results this 28 days compared to the 21 day cleanse, but that is due to several factors, the main one being lack of energy for exercise followed closely by eating more. Here's hoping that cream works!

The past 3 days have been full of scuba diving, so that rocks! Definitely getting a workout in the pool.

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I forewent doing another undies shot since these are going to Jinjee. Figured people didn't want to see my half naked self...

I wish I had a better full body picture, but you can tell how tight that dress was vs how loose it is now. It's on the last hole for the tiny little belt and it's quite baggy (all those wrinkles). In the before I was wearing some Spanx to suck it all in! You can also see how much further down the leg the dress goes since my hips and stomach aren't restricting it! Collar bone protrudes a bit more as well.

Please ignore the swimmers hair and no makeup... I didn't feel like fancying myself up for these.

Consider me transitioned (28 Day - Day 25)

Another busy day at work! And then I went to see Peter Pan with Cathy Rigsby afterwards! I've seen it when I was a kid and I remember her flying all over the stage...that was at the beginning of her career as Peter Pan...so it was neat to see it again. She is so great as a little boy. I have no doubt that she's exhausting to keep up with in real life. 

We had a buffet dinner before the show. There wasn't much aside from lettuce (with weird dressings) that wasn't cooked. My friend that I went with asked what I was going to eat tonight and then said "you might want to cheat". I was going to explain that cheating isn't necessary...that I don't consider anything cheating anymore, but I don't think I did quite right because it was then considered cheating. I guess people don't quite get that this has become a way of life rather than a temporary start-finish program. If I eat something cooked or accidentally have dairy, I'm okay with that. I'm not going to beat myself up because I'm not 100%. It's impossible to BE 100% all the time. I'm no longer one of those 100% or nothing type of people. So I ate some cooked foods tonight and I'm okay with it. 

Breakfast: Cantaloupe -- I bought two...one is not so tasty, the other is great! 

Snack: Almonds + Raisins -- This combo reminds me of almonds and apples. I love the sweet and savory combo!

Lunch: Baby Spinach + Carrots + Cucumber + Green Onion + Avocado Tahini Dressing + Olive Oil -- I was SUPER hungry by the time that 11 rolled around. The cantaloupe and snack didn't hold me over much! This is the last of my baby spinach...so tasty. The green onions I bought are on the larger size and they are SO POTENT! Doesn't help that I put the whole thing in the salad. I need to do half next time!

Snack: Mango -- I love mango...gotten good at cutting them up too!

Snack: 2 Cups Coffee with Powdered Creamer and Equal -- I needed something...I've been so tired lately. This did give me a headache, but I've kind of had a perpetual headache lately anyway that I pushed past it.

Dinner: 2 glasses wine + leafy greens and some dressing + quinoa mixed with vegetables, almonds and apples + canned beats + baby tomatoes dipped in pesto + cooked green beans + tilapia -- The dressing was as close to clear as they had...it wasn't bad! I LOVED the quinoa with it's mix...the apples in it were amazing; I had seconds. I did try some tilapia so I could get some protein in, though I didn't necessarily need to eat this in order to do so.

I didn't get home until 11 and had to prep for tomorrow since immediately after work I go to scuba lessons. Needed food for all day, plus to get my scuba gear in order. Finally going to bed at 1:30am! Going to be a long Friday...

Stress-ola (28 Day - Day 23 & 24)

The past 2 days have been HECTIC!! Work is insane with only myself...luckily the big project was finished at 1:30...the project manager had to deliver it by 2...he got there at 1:51. PHEW! So crazy.

I got my blood drawn yesterday--ELEVEN VIALS! Glad I have enough to spare...

I've definitely been cranky these past 2 days, though I'm a bit better today. I kind of snapped at my boyfriend last night...poor guy. Crappy thing is I didn't even care. Usually I am extremely apologetic after the fact, and while I knew that none of this was his fault and KNEW that I was treating him poorly, that didn't change my tune. I did apologize, but not like usual. Man I hope they figure out what's wrong with me.

Yesterday I also had a bazillion things not go my way and while I realized as I waited in traffic behind an accident delay that the Universe was teaching me patience, I was still slightly annoyed. 

The friend I had dinner with Monday found out she might have cervical cancer. It's not what's causing the rest of her issues, but it was sped up by the autoimmune stuff. Puts things in perspective. I at least will get some answers with my blood work, but she is a medical mystery right now. She's visited so many doctors and most have washed their hands of her because they can't figure it out and can provide no other help. REALLY sucks...

TUESDAY

Breakfast: Fasting for blood draw

Snack: Banana + Nectarine + Choco Pudding -- The nectarine was probably the best tasting one I've had in SO LONG. I didn't eat these all together, mind you...but shortly after one another! I was hungry after fasting for so long!

Lunch: Baby Spinach + Avocado + 1/2 Tomato + Hummus Dressing + Green Onion -- Pretty decent, though the avocado was not ripe, so most of it was in the trash!

Dinner: Baby Spinach + Tomato + Avocado/Tahini/bazillion other things dressing -- I REALLY dislike Tahini I've decided. I went to make one of the dressings...and wound up adding a bunch of other stuff to it to get rid of the tahini taste that sticks to everything! Funnily, honey seems to help get rid of it, though not entirely.

Snack: Banana + Nutritional Yeast -- Not together...I don't know why, but I REALLY like the taste of nutritional yeast! HOWEVER...I gave myself a niacin flush. I had a couple spoonfuls (weird, eh?), then went to bed and started getting serious itching and burning. Watched myself become a lobster...amusing and annoying! I had to look up what gave it to me. I've had it once before is the only reason I knew what it was. I was about to go for a run and took an energy shot to give myself an extra boost. I already take niacin pills and had no idea that the energy shot had so much in it... it was kind of scary the first time to say the least!

WEDNESDAY

Breakfast: Nothing -- Not sure how this is possible...

Lunch: Baby Spinach + Tomato + Shredded Carrot + Avocado Tahini Dressing + Olive Oil -- This tasted fantastic! Though, it might be because I was so hungry at 1:30 when I was finally done with everything

Snack: Peanut M&Ms -- Weakness! They didn't upset my stomach or anything, though I did notice a distinct headache, however I can't say that was from this because I've had them off and on the past couple weeks

Dinner: Kale + Tomato + Green Onion + Hemp Seeds + Chia Seeds + Avocado Tahini Dressing + Olive Oil -- I massaged the dressing into the Kale...so good! I am really digging the crunch of chia seeds, also

Snack: Carob Pudding -- Carob definitely doesn't taste the same as my Hershey's cocoa. Of course I accidentally added the carob as I would have the cocoa and the recipe called for HALF the amount if using carob! Whoops...

Eureka! Sort of... (28 Day - Day 22)

Well...yay! Incoming LONG POST -- sorry...I just kept typing.

Yesterday I felt like poop. Plain and simple. We went to do some archery with some friends. Now this is something that I have ALWAYS wanted to do. I love shooting guns (at inanimate targets, mind you). I was so excited to do a Groupon with people!! However, I did NOT want to be there yesterday. This whole thing has been permi-PMS basically. People asked me if I was okay. I just didn't want to talk. I didn't want anything. I wanted to go home and go to bed.

I called this new D.O. to try to get in and the next available New Patient appointment was the 26th...ugh. TWO WEEKS?! I asked her if she'd ask the doctor what I should do since I had been bleeding for over a month and was extremely fatigued. She said she would send the doctor a message and call me back. When she called she said someone had canceled and the doctor wanted to see me TODAY if possible. I said HECK YES! And took 2 hours to run up there, get a papsmear, extensive questioning, and 3 pages of blood work ordered. I like this lady. I've never had a doctor ask so many questions. She's the only one in that office and is a woman only doctor. I felt at ease talking to her. I went prepared with my list (though I would have liked to have my past lab work) of blood work I wanted done, plus all my symptoms. 

She can't be for certain what is causing the bleeding until the lab work gets back from the pap and blood tests, but she doesn't think I'm getting enough protein, however she wants me to keep track of what I eat to track it. She gave me the following stats to shoot for:

Weight: 160 lbs (I'm at 184 after food and clothed, so it's nice to see I haven't gained anything with my excessive hunger and no working out! However, I don't know that I will ever hit this number because I have so much extra skin...maybe if I got rid of it!)

Calories: 1600

Protein: 60g (90g if working out)

Now, I don't necessarily agree with all of that...I'm sure I'm eating enough food calories wise and I guess I'll try adding in raw vegan protein powder to a smoothie to boost it a little bit. I'm all about catering and tweaking my diet to what my body needs and in order to know what my body needs I need to do all of this blood work. I dislike counting calories and numbers...I used to obsess over it! EVERY calorie, EVERY gram of sugar, EVERY carb...and then I'd workout and burn like 800 calories and it would just throw everything off! It was maddening! I hated it (and loved it at the same time). I'm over that, now...I did do a day of tracking while eating raw and I was actually around 1400 calories doing one of the meal plans. I don't doubt I'm getting plenty. I'll do it, though. I want to figure this out and maybe I really am protein deficient! That can set your hormones off.

There's also the possibility of being anemic, which is common in bypass patients, though ALL of my blood work since having it done in 2008 has come back normal. Literally all of these issues started with going raw. I'd hate to see that happen. There's also the protein and then the estrogen deficiency, which are tied in together. The latter would require taking hormone pills or being put on birth control (I have an IUD, so double the birth control kind of sucks), which better not result in weight gain!!  lol...

Guess I'll figure it out soon. I'm thankful they were able to get me in and that I can get my blood work done tomorrow in the building right next to mine. Hopefully it won't take long to get everything in! I do wish I hadn't taken the half iron pill yesterday and today, though there hasn't been such a significant change, but there has been SOME change, which I'd hate to have my blood test come back normal if that was truly the problem. We'll see!

Breakfast: 2 Cups Orange Juice + Frozen Strawberries + Fresh Blueberries -- Actually made this Sunday morning, which I need to remember NOT to do because it congeals...not very appetizing...tastes okay, though once you mix for a long time and add some water.

Snack: Dried Apples, Apricots, Peaches, and Prunes -- This is actually what I had last night...I posted before the boyfriend got back from the store.

Snack: Left Over Blended Salad -- I was so hungry by the time 10:30 rolled around...

Lunch: 2 Boca Burgers + hummus + cucumber, celery, avocado, carrots + 1 tbs olive oil -- Out of these thank goodness! I wanted some protein, though and had these on hand. 

Dinner: Salad with mixed veggies + Olive Oil dressing + Raisins -- Went to Sweet Tomato with a friend for dinner (we had a woe is me health pity party) and had their salad bar...little expensive, but it's all you can eat! I had 1 heaping plate, and then a small one. Good stuff!

Snack: Chocolate Pudding -- Ate the rest of this. Didn't actually have any last night so I took it to work, just forgot about it...so I guess I'll eat that tomorrow sometime. Now that my avocado is ripe, I kind of want to make some more!

Problems? (28 Day - Day 21)

Ugh, is all I have to say! So much running through my mind. So many assumptions! I've essentially done all raw for 2 months now. My body has been kind enough to shed some weight and not kind so much as to become eff'd up! I have no idea what's going on. My period has started again despite taking Dong Quai. I am exhausted, pale, HUNGRY all the time regardless of how much water I drink. I need to get in to see the doctor. I have a new one that's closer to work and focused on women and wellness. I have a list of blood tests I want to get done and while I'm there might as well do my annual pap and physical. Maybe we can figure out what's wrong! 

I immediately jump to conclusions as to why this is happening on such a clean diet... maybe my body, having been moved around from the gastric bypass, can't handle the food. Maybe it can't digest raw properly (which would SUCK). Maybe it's missing getting some nutrient. I don't know what that would be, but that's why I want to get blood work; to figure that out! My biggest assumption is lack of iron. REALLY don't want to become anemic...

This does suck, though. I'm not blaming the diet in anyway...it's what I did to my body prior to. I really wish I had found this and stuck to it before having surgery! 

Breakfast: Green Juice

Snack: Green Juice

Lunch: Twisted Root Vegetarian Burger on Salad with cheese, pickled onion, and guacamole as dressing -- This was supposed to just be the vegetarian burger on the salad without the cheese and onion, but I misunderstood what the lady said when ordering. I couldn't pick out the cheese at all, so I figured with all that's going on it wouldn't hurt me to eat it. The burger was good. I couldn't have cared less for the cheese or onion.

Snack: Almond Ice Cream -- Bought this at Sprouts because I craved sweet, but this tore through my stomach like crazy! Definitely not eating more of it. 

Dinner: 1/2 Carrot, 1/2 Cucumber, 2 Celery Sticks, 2 Boca patties, hummus & splash of olive oil -- This was really tasty. Again, I'm okay with the Boca patty (had to microwave it) today.  plan very much to go High Raw in the end, incorporating some cooked vegetables from time to time.

Snack: Frozen Grapes & Dried Bananas and Strawberries

Snack: Chocolate Pudding