Day Three. Fennel Juice

Day Three.

My first day back to work after being off for an entire week. I was more than anxious to get back to work because being at home sick is not my idea of fun. I had a bad case of cabin fever. I knew that a pile of work awaited me and I would have many loose ends to tie up before I could start my regular day!

So how was I going to incorporate what I had been eating at home for a regular day at work? 

The night before, I made Winter White Juice which was very different because one of the main ingredients was Fennel. My Dad had grown Fennel in his garden and I loved the licorice smell but never thought of  actually eating this odd veggie. The nice thing about the www.rebootwithjoe.com is that with each recipe there are substitutions so, if you don't like a particular item there are alternate suggestions. I didn't have Barlett pears but I did have apples so I used those. I have been on a ginger kick because of troubles with digestion due to antibiotics so I put some into the juice. When tasting it, the ginger overpowered the more subtle taste of the other ingredients. So, when trying anything new, be prepared for some experimentation that don't work. I took it in a sealed Mason type glass jar and stored it in the fridge to be consumed that day. 

Before leaving to work, I had a serving of Green Carrot Ginger Juice which held me over until a break in the afternoon. I also packed two 2 liters of water with me as well. I usually, drop by the drugstore and buy bottled water to have at my desk so I saved myself $3.00. By drinking the juice, I also skipped my normal Americano Coffee and Muffin which saved me another $5.00

I was spending $100 a month on coffee and muffins!

Dinner. 4:00 PM  I had tried other Smoothies before and usually choose the fruity ones. Not many healthy choices to choose in the food court so I was excited when I saw that the Pita Pit in the mall was now carrying "healthy" smoothies. Pure Blenz. I chose the Metabolic which had Kale, Berries, Apples, Banana, Wheat Grass, Blue Algae, etc. I asked her to add ginger to give it a bit of a spike. I watched as she took items out the freezer and the blender hidden around the corner as if it was a secret what was going into the blender. I tasted it and it certainly didn't have the nutritional punch or taste that my smoothies at home had. It was ok. I might give the smoothie another try when I am in a pinch. Normally, I'd buy a meal in the foodcourt with water. This cut my cost in half. 

After Work: Hungry. I admit that many times through Christmas that I created some horrible habits. One of them became the drive through. Too tired to cook. Too hungry to think about what I was going to eat. So, I went straight home and made the Goji Goodness. I substituted the banana and avocado with oranges and apples. Delicious! In a pinch, this could be made and frozen over night. A slow thaw for a healthy lunch. 

The other snacks I had through the day was rye bread with Cashew Butter  and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese mixed with cinnamon, apple sauce. 

How much do you want this? Working your way through cleansing.

What I write is of my own personal experience..

One of the questions you have to ask yourself when beginning any program and throughout a program is:

How much do I want this?

Also, any program is only as good as the effort you put into it.

Today is a challenging day for me. I have chosen today as my cleanse day and to save anyone from reading this, too much information, lets just say... I have a few side effects and my body is in full cleanse mode today. My day now looks differently then I originally had planned it but.. isn't that life in a nutshell?

If you read about cleansing, the body cleanses and various things happen.

If for example, you drink cofee then obviously caffiene withdrawl which might include headaches. Me, I don't drink coffee enough to go through withdrawls. Some of the side effects can include tiredness, irritability and hunger.

I remember the first day I had my cleanse, I went though it all: irritability, hunger, headaches, fatigue, stomach growling, and mood swings but I made it though. Then, I talk to some people who are on the program and they have no problems with the cleanse. In fact, they have little or no symptoms. I had to remind myself that I shouldn't compare my body or experiences to anyone. I am unique. We are all different and our bodies deal with cleansing differently.


Another time I went through, minor hunger pangs which I pushed away with a boiled egg or celery sticks. When I did a two day cleanse, back to back, it was effortless and the majority of the next day was! The majority of it was. I even cooked and prepped meals on days where I was on full cleanse and wasn't hungry! One day I even went out with a friend and little did I know she was doing her grocery shopping! Instead, I bought some cleaning supplies and when I got home I cleaned!

If you are cleansing and need relief:

Read a book
Watch a movie
Go for a walk
Get some extra sleep or rest
Drink more water
Drink More Energy
Eat one Isasnack
Eat an Isadelight
Get a massage
Have a hot soak
Get a pedicure
Stretch
Yoga
Eat a hard boiled egg, five almonds, celery, or small green salad.

Some key elements in a successful cleanse day are rest and water.

I cannot promise it you is easy but if you take the time to listen to your body, there is much for you to learn!

Things to do on a cleanse day! Cleaning Up My Act In More Ways Then One

Every buy more of what you thought you had run out of? Sure, we all have. Instead of thinking about food, I decided to reorganize the kitchen, pantry, cupboards. I grabbed a recycling bag, a donation box and a box for the Food Bank. I thought of this yesterday while walking around Heritage Days and watched everyone eating. We are fortunate and live in a society of excess.

I am getting rid of clutter! I have cleaned all my cupboards of excess dishes and knickknacks which are going to be donated to a charity. I have gone through my pantry and got rid of the foods I no longer eat because they are not benefiting my body. Those too, the Food Bank. I have taken stock of my pantry and ask myself, Why do I need four boxes of Inca Red Quinoa?!

My husband and I have made a pact. No groceries purchased until Sept! Sound weird? No way. We have pantry items and freezer items that need to be eaten. The only exception to groceries will be Veggies (Fresh), Milk for him (I am not eating dairy) and Cheese (again for him). I compromised....

It took us three hours to go through and see what was there! It certainly kept my mind off food and reminded me that I was being wasteful.

Isagenix on a busy Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday

A one day shake day. Should have been a two shake day but so much going on. Remember, it is designed to work within your lifestyle.

I spent most of the day with my Mom, Sister and her three daughters at Heritage Days. It was a cool day with low lying clouds so it kept the sun away. It was nice because it wasn't packed and it was the first day of the festival.


We watched the African performers who were excited to be there and it showed in their performances. We also watched the lion dance and Japanese drummers which were my favorites.

The kids meandered through the pavilions while eating elephant ears, churros, meat on sticks, and sechuan beef. (Misspellings and spell check isn't giving me an alternative.) Me, it was challenging to know where to eat because many of the places I wanted to eat at weren't opening up their food until later after noon or for the evening. Not sure why... It seemed that everywhere I looked it was deep fried dough, sugar, meat on sticks and more deep fried stuff. I got frustrated and hungry so I sucked on a Isadelight. I did choose food from Greece which was pita, carrot sticks, cellery sticks, hummus (with LOADS of Garlic in chunks) and thick white sauce (I gave that to someone). Two Samosas with Chutney from Pakistan. Green Papaya Salad from Lao. My sister also tried the chocolate dipped banana which just look too funny but I have a warped sense of humor. She gave up trying to eat it and gave it to the kids after we both couldn't stop giggling.



Throughout the Festival I kept bumping into people I know. At one point on Sunday, a woman came up to me and said, "Hi Christina! So good to see you! Isn't this great. Are you having fun, etc"and in the back of my mind I am thinking.. WTF, who are you?! I was trying hard to control the blushing because I do that when I get flustered. I smiled and grinned. So good to see you and that.. I came to the conclusion that it must have been a customer. Until then, I saw about 20 people I knew and knew them but this person had me totally confused. On Saturday, before I knew it I had someone come running up to me to hug me while I was looking at the Mendhi. She pulled us over and my niece got Mendhi done on her forearm. I didn't want mine there and she did it on my ankle. Ten minutes later, I was had ran together. Not sure why.. Heat. Heat from me. Or perhaps my muscle on my ankle from walking.. Then, Sabrina went to pull up her purse on her shoulder and smeared half of hers. I tried everything to remove the henna but it looks like I have a weird orange type birthmark on my ankle/foot for 2-4 weeks.

We stayed for a visit after we got home to my parent's home and before we knew it they were back on the road to Drayton Valley again. I miss them already.

Sunday

Two shakes today and Heritage Day offerings!

I drank 1 litre of water before I left and had my morning shake, Ionix and Accelerators.

I have heard about the River Valley Workout on Former Fat Guy Weight Loss Forum for the last year and Mike and I decided we'd give it a go. Its not too often that Mike and I are both off on a Sunday for this. It was great that Mike wanted to come along to support me. I thought it would be good to get out in the River Valley for some exercise.. Now when I think about it, it was mentioned as a "little boot camp". I felt like a contestant on the Life Channel's X-Weighted.
Oh, we had walking, squats, lunges, pull ups, push ups, planks, side planks, etc. and 'the stairs'. These are stairs that go up the hill, wooden stairs. I looked up and verbally said, "Holy... Mother!" Then, it was pointed out that firemen were training on the same stairs with hoses. At one point I looked up and all I could see was firemen fineness! :-) Legs incredibly tight and intense cramping. 3:40 Mins. But, even though the cramping sucked and the stairs sucked bigger, I did it! We were there for 1.5 hours and I was spent.


What did I learn about myself: I can do more if I push myself. I can talk myself into it as much as I can talk myself out of it!


I was incredibly sore and drank a Litre of water mixed with More Energy. That calmed everything down. Mike went off to bed and slept for two hours. Me, I had a hot soak. Before you know it I was showering, getting dressed and we were off to Heritage Days to meet with Darlene and Rob. We hopped into the car and then onto the shuttle bus.

Thank goodness for Darlene's notes on places to eat healthy or somewhat healthy. I tried:

Fattouch Salad A medley of fresh vegetables, tossed with sumac, lemon, olive oil & garnished with crisped pita bread

Kamundele BBQ beef with green pepper, onion and spices, Congolese way

Timtmo Lentils with onions, peppers and spices

Beef Skewer beef marinated in lemongrass, oyster sauce and soy sauce on skewer and a few pieces from the fruit cup (melon)

I think I remembered everything! Of course, water to go with that.

We watched Latin dancers, Cuban Entertainment, Dragon dance, Ethiopian Dancers, Tanzanian Dancers, and so much.

What I enjoyed about this was that when you meet new people, you get to see things that you might normally not see or look at. It gave me the chance to look at things through someone else's eyes and to try foods I haven't tried before. I like to try new things and see different things. I'm really easy that way.. That's what makes life interesting.

. What a busy, fun, interesting day and a chance to get spend some time with people who I never get to spend time with or have had the chance to get to know! Mike and I both had a fantastic time yesterday.. I just realized we took no pictures to have as souvenirs of that day.

Today, I have chosen as one of two of my back to back cleanse days. Quite honestly, there aren't many parts of me that aren't sore from the workout! Joints in my toes, back muscles, thigh muscles, lower legs. I will drink lots of water to ease me through the cleansing process. Cleansing begins .. NOW.

Cleanse Day Two.

I have released 10 pounds and... drum roll.. 2 inches from my chest, 2 inches from my diaphragm, two inches from my abdomen, 2 inch from thighs, 2 inches from my calves totaling.. 10 inches. That was my measurements 10 days in. We are now 16 days in and I will not weigh or measure until Day 30.


I'm very optimistic today and in a laid back mood which is a far cry from where I was before: anxious, curious and impatient. Now I know what to expect from my body so I will listen to its messages.

I think this is because of last night's workout. I pushed myself and I'm sore today. Not so sore I can't walk the 30 mins. to my appointment at 11 AM.

This morning: Ionix Supreme. Waited 30 mins. Accelerator. 8 Ounces of water. One hour later, 8 ounces of water and four ounces of cleanse. The cleanse is such a weird taste to me. I can't even begin to explain what it tastes like. I chug it back. It's now 10 AM and I have an appointment for 11 AM so I will bring water and snacks to get me through until lunch. Uhm, lunch is more cleanse and water.

I ended up walking the 1.5 KMS t the hair salon, getting the hair cut, walking to the pedicure place and then walking home. Before I knew it, it was 2 PM and I hadn't even wanted to eat anything! I drank 1 litre of water throughout the day.

When I got home, I had a message on my phone but I was starting to get hungry. Without thinking, I checked emails and proceeded to eat a shake! What the heck was I thinking?!? I wasn't supposed to have a shake, it was supposed to be a cleanse day!! Whoops. So, for dinner I had a cleanse and will have another cleanse around 7:30 PM. So, instead of eating my cucumbers and eggs like I did last time, I had a shake.

Its time for my last cleanse now and I have to say, I'm hungry. I have eaten one chocolate today. I will record how that goes for the evening...

Evening was tough but not as tough as the last cleanse. Ended up eating ten almonds, drank more water and went to bed hungry.

C.

My first cleanse.

Today began with eight ounces of water with one accelerator capsule.

One hour later, the moment of truth: the cleanser itself with water. It tasted quite .. different.. I can't even explain. It didn't taste as horrible as everyone makes it out to be when I read other blogs. So, I had it with water and ice to drink. What I've noticed this morning is that I'm incredibly cold. Usually I'm quite warm but today.. I'm cold. So, I took a hot bath to relax which is also good for detoxing.

It's been 90 mins. since taking the cleanse and 60 mins after taking it I was hungry. My stomach was in full grumble mode so I drank water with lemon and that certainly helped. If it returns I will eat one Isagenix snack. Other then that I'm already looking forward to eating a shake tomorrow. Who would have thought I'd look forward to a shake. I took some water from the fridge and would love to munch on some of the veggies. They look so good right now!

I took my one snack and that curbed things. I also drank more water which has helped.I ate two small baby cucumbers. I felt quite tired so I laid down for a quick 20 min. nap.

At 12:00 PM I drank my 2 ounces of Ionix Supreme. I drank more water and waited until 1 PM to take my next cleanse drink with water and ice. I drank more water with lemon throughout the next two hours. Now, getting slight headache so re read instructions.

I have boiled a few organic eggs and steamed some veggies to have on hand for tomorrow's shake day. I'm drinking water with lemon and taking second accelerator capsule.

Hungry before dinner cleanse so I ate two mini cucumbers and water.

Drank water with cleanse. Added ice to convince myself it was a fancy drink. :-)

Update: 7:30 PM. Will take last cleanse drink. Incredibly hungry now. Hungriest yet! I will take drink and drink more water. My goal is to eat one chocolate and then try to relax while watching a movie. Then, go to sleep. Please..inner Goddess, wherever you are! HELP ME! :-)

Had my last cleanse drink and more water with lemon. Ate two chocolates.

Watched movie, Mr and Mrs. Smith. 9:45 tired enough for bed but still hungry. Ate hard boiled egg and drank water. Calmed everything down and slept from 10 PM until 8 AM the next day.

It was tough for me but I did it. I can't see how anyone who has never fasted can make it though a back to back cleanse day... Amazing stuff.

Isagenix Day One.

Yesterday I picked up my 30 Day Cleanse from my cleansing coach and became an associate for Isagenix! I'm excited, anxious and scared!


Last night I didn't eat dinner, I immediately went onto my first shake. I got hungry in the evening so I baked a sweet potato and tried one of the snacks. Not a snack I'm used to! It reminded me of a scene from Logan's Run when they ate encapsulated food! Very odd. I'm used to food and lots of it!




Here are my beginning pictures, July 11, 2008. Excuse the outfit, it was my workout gear and I was on my way out to the gym...

Total Inches: 427
Pounds: 245

If I am going to get serious, these pictures will remind me where I began and where I want to go with regards to better health.

For breakfast, I had a Chocolate Shake, Accelerator and Ionix Supreme. Less then one hour I had a complete flush and it was like Draino in the bathroom. I was hungry so mid morning I had a boiled egg. Lunch was another chocolate shake and an accelerator. Around 3 I was hungry so I ate four snacks, 5 almonds and one of the Isa chocolates. Then, around 5 PM I thought that making hummous would be a good idea so I made homemade hummous and had some cucumbers. Before I knew it, I had eaten all the hummous. Well, it could have been much worse I suppose. For dinner I will have a green salad with lemon juice, small BBQ steak and brown rice with veggies. Throughout the day I drank 3 liters of water. Tonight, I will take my Isaflush before going to bed.

Pangs of hunger carries throughout the day. I thought of food often and tried to be positive. I think it was because I was at home and had more time to think about it. Tomorrow, I will make my shake and eat a sensible lunch. We are going out for dinner for a friend's birthday so it will be a one shake day and I will have no alcohol. I will have my snacks, almonds and one chocolate with me to help me along the way.

I have not told anyone other then my immediate support group I am doing this because it is too early on to be put under the microscope. I want results first..