First Time, But Not My Last

As indicated in my profile, I love to eat. However, I do not like exercise. Below are the details of my first official detoxification diet in order to cleanse my body of the pounds of cupcakes and french fries I've consumed in my lifetime. So I went online to http://www.goop.com/ to find a do-able detox that wouldn't leave me miserable for 7 days. I had to alter or skip some of the recipes that were given since I didn't have a juicer and couldn't find some of the ingredients at my regular market. Basically, I couldn't eat red meat, dairy, refined sugar, caffeine, wheat, flour, fatty nuts and nightshade vegetables (i.e. potatos, yams). The diet did allow organic chicken and salmon. I had to drink lots of water. I have to admit, I was scared that I'd crack under the pressure of being without coffee and bread...and I did on my last day. But overall, I do feel lighter and I've been able to wake up earlier in the morning without feeling groggy. I think I'll even stick with the smoothies.

Day 1: So every morning, I started my day with a glass of water and a cup of herbal detox tea I got at Trader Joes. For breakfast, I made a blueberry almond smoothie as a meal supplement. The smoothie consisted of blueberries, unsweetened almond milk, a scoop of whey protein powder and Progreens probiotic powder. I had almonds and coconut water whenever I got hungry. For dinner, I had sauteed broccolli with garlic and onions. To stimulate my liver, I took a spoonful of olive oil before bed.

Day 2: This morning, I had a raspberry and rice milk smoothie. Even though the smoothie is suppose to fill me up until lunch, I had to have a banana to tie me over. For lunch, I baked a chicken breast with olive oil, salt and pepper and ate it over a bed of arugula with a little balsamic vinegar. I had class that night, so I packed a peach, coconut water (Viva), and a bottle of water to munch on for the next four hours. I was still hungry when I got home, so I ate an orange and drank a cup of herbal tea.

Day 3: The first two days, I think my body was adjusting to my new diet since I felt really tired every morning. I was so tired I barely did my yoga stretches opting to sit on my couch and watch bad morning shows. I had my regular smoothie, but this time with raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and rice milk. For a snack, I had almonds, celery sticks, and baby carrots. I cheated a little and ate the crudites with a spoonful of salsa which had a little sugar in it. I know, I'm weak. For lunch, I had a roasted beet salad with onions in an orange vinagrette. For dinner, I had a baked chicken breast in goop.com's detox teriyaki sauce and sauteed kale. The detox teriyaki sauce was a combination of balsamic vinegar, honey, miso, ginger, salt, pepper, and miron. I had a few strawberries for dessert.

Day 4: Started my day with the usual water, tea, and breakfast smoothie. Since sweating is part of the detox process, I decided to take a brisk stroll downtown and sweat in the 88 degree weather. For lunch, I made myself some guacamole and ate it with a few celery sticks. I finished it off with some coconut water (Vita). For dinner, I heated up my left over teriyaki chicken and ate it over a bed of arugula. Of course, that wasn't enough, so I finished off the strawberries in my fridge.

Day 5: This morning, I had the energy to do some cardio which mostly consisted of squats, kicks and air punches. I then drank a raspberry and rice milk smoothie for breakfast. For lunch, I ate some guacamole and celery sticks. To tied me over before dinner, I ate some almonds and blueberries. I pan-seared a salmon filet (seasoned with basil, parsley and lemon) and steamed some red beets for dinner. I then had an orange for dessert.

Day 6: Although I didn't go to bed until 1:30 am the night before, I woke up this morning at 9 am without wanting to curse my alarm. I drank a glass of water and started the morning with a cardio workout. It was really hot this morning, so I skipped the herbal tea. I had my regular smoothie with peaches and blueberries. I also took a multi-vitamin with my smoothie since I wasn't sure if I was getting my daily vitamins with the detox diet. I usually get my vitamins eating Total or Multigrain Cheerios. For lunch, I ate some cantaloupe and finished off my guacamole and celery sticks. I think my body was getting use to not eating all the time since I wasn't hungry for another 5 hours. For dinner, I heated up my left over salmon and sauteed some kale. Afterwards, I went to Intelligentsia to read and drank a pot of their herbal Blue Crane tea, which was very good.

Day 7: My legs were really sore from the two days I did cardio so I just did my yoga stretches this morning. I had my blueberry and almond smoothie after I drank my herbal tea and water. For lunch, I ate a few slices of cantaloupe and a handful of almonds. I had dinner around 5:30 pm, eating an arugula salad with avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots in a balsamic viniegrette . I would have just drank herbal tea and water the rest of the night, but Viv came over and I decided to cheat on my last 3 hours by going to Pete's Cafe and Bar, the Must and Seven Grand for late night dinner and drinks. I ate and drank everything I wasn't suppose to in just one hour. It was a great celebration to a long 6.8 days.