Monday, March 30, 2009

Half way there.... :o)

Well, I am a little over half-way done with my 8 day intensive cleanse! (Thank goodness!) I did the Lemonade Diet (aka: Master Cleanse) for 3 days to prepare me for the Blessed Herbs cleanse, which I am on day 2 of. It's pretty intense, although I must say, so far, is going MUCH better than last time -- where I was miserable, and practically sprinted to the grocery store on the eve of the 5th night to get a can of organic veggie soup.... lol. I was reading my cleansing notes from last time too, and it looks like I broke the all liquids diet a couple times, once to indulge in a sprouted cinnamon-raisin bagel w/honey. MMmmmm... honnneeeeyyy.

The hardest part of this, other than the occasional stomach cramping due to the digestive stimulator's (if you know what I mean...) :) and frequent trips to the restroom due to drinking 90 ounces of water and juice a day (insane!), is just plain missing food. I torture myself at night inhaling whiffs of the dinner's Curt whips up (a cheesy, broccoli, pepper something last night...); and crazy enough, just about EVERYTHING sounds good. Two days ago, I would have committed murder for a fish-fillet sandwich from McDonald's, which is more than weird considering a) I haven't eaten at McD's in about 4 years, and b) I have never even so much as looked at a fish-fillet, little-lone eaten one! Ha. Soooooo yeeaahhh. Just like last time, cleansing is nuts!

I've decided to prepare myself this time with planning how I will come off the cleanse on Friday, and with the meals I'll make for the few days after as well (no grains or meats at least for a couple days). Then, onto the anti-inflammatory diet -- which, to be honest, I might slightly modify... (I just don't know if I can live without tomatoes for 6+ weeks!!) Until next time, pray I make it through this!

Also, I'll be adding a few pics of the Blessed Herbs cleanse either later tonight or tomorrow :o)

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Spring Cleaning & the Anti-Inflamatory "Diet"!

As long promised... the "horrible" cleanse is about to begin! I figured spring was as good as time as any to do a little cleaning, shall we say, and so starting today, I am in cleansing mode (though I barely stayed motivated through Curt's egg's benedict, left-over Chipolte burrito, and asparagus-cous-cous-mango chicken stir fry today... you are killing me sweet, loving hubby!) But here it is, 8:15 pm, and as promised, today was the lemonade cleanse for breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and steamed veggies for dinner (trust me, veggies have never looked so good in my life). Tomorrow will be much the same, and the lemonade "diet" will gradually turn into the fresh squeezed apple juice Blessed Herbs concoction Sat. morning....

And why, you ask, would anyone put themselves through something like this? All I can say is that doing a cleanse once or twice a year is not a bad idea, and it's highly motivating to eat healthy afterwards. I just love giving my body a clean-slate in a sense... and all liquids for a few days gives your digestive system a chance to rest and recoup! Something that has definite benefits for me and my whacked out stomach. Not only this, but I am now embarking on a whole new "diet" (not for weight purposes people!)... The anti-inflammatory diet! This way of eating is meant to test whether or not eating non-inflammation causing foods will have a profound effect on my skin (i.e. NO MORE BREAK-OUTS ALREADY!). Basically, I will be really happy if it helps, and really sad at the same time, because guess what's on the no-eat list?? In case you were wondering, the tragedy follows below:

Inflammation causing foods (no-eat): White potatoes, peanut butter (NNNNNNNNOOOOooooooooooooo!), citrus fruits (lemons OK, don't ask me why), wheat, dairy, all refined sugars, tomatoes (boo-hoooooo), corn, non-organic meats, pork, beef, chocolate (I practically live off of chocolate... or should I say, did live off of chocolate...), and caffeine - which I don't consume anyway. Brutal huh? BUT, perhaps it will be worth it! I just figured, after being on prescription drugs for my skin for 14 + years, isn't it time to give the natural route a chance? So here is your chance natural route!

The Master Plan:
Thursday & Friday: Lemonade cleanse, digestive stimulator, non-caffeinated herbal teas, steamed veggies, and tons of H20!
Saturday: Lemonade, digestive stimulator, herbal teas, and H20
Sunday-Wednesday: Fresh squeeze apple juice with the Blessed Herbs cleansing packets (about 5 a day), digestive stimulator, tons of H20, and herbal teas
Thursday: Fresh squeezed veggie/fruit juices, steamed veggies, tea, and H20
Friday: Much the same, except fresh fruits and veggies added as well
Sat.: More of a normal day, healthy eating.... following the anti-inflammatory "diet" for the next 6-8 weeks!

....... WISH ME LUCK! and of course I will be updating frequently and explaining more about the cleanses and eating plans as I go along. For now, how about a tall glass of lemonade before bed?

Friday, March 13, 2009

March upDate!

Hi all! Nothing too exciting to report as of late... just continuing on with student teaching and Curt is as busy as ever with teaching and coaching these days... Things are going well for both of us, but it will be nice when next week is over and we are on spring break! yipeeee! A week for Curt, and dare I say, two weeks for me, which is fabulous. One exciting piece of news was that I had a job interview two weeks ago that went really well, but because none of the school districts in the area are hiring next year due to budget cuts, I won't hear anything about a potential job until this summer, when enrollment numbers come in, etc. Such is life, but I am optimistic, despite the state of our economy! (just don't watch the news.... it's dreary enough to depress anyone, and it's made me see why I need to start reading more again!) :)
On the health front, that scary cleanse I talked all about when I was doing my raw experiment will be making its way out of the box and into my tummy during the second week of my spring break (starting two weeks from today). If you want to be tremendously entertained by someone else's experience, or rather, experiment, please tune in! It's sure to be quite the undertaking, if it's anything like the last time. Oh! And just three weeks ago, Curt and I signed up to begin receiving these amazing boxes of organic produce from local farmers off a semi-truck that comes through our area. The produce has been AMAZING... truly yummy. It's so satisfying to eat something that tastes so darn good, and is good for our earth, AND supports local farmers. It's "win-win-win" if I were to quote Michael Scott ("The Office" people! If you don't watch, you must start now!)
All for now... and on to writing grad papers and lesson plans! The fun never ends :) hehe.
Cheers!