It was a hard program to stick with but well worth it! I lost seven pounds overall, but remember my goal wasn't to lose a great deal of weight. Most people who wish to lose weight will average 15-20 pounds over the course of the 20 day cleanse. But, don't just go by what the scale says. Measure yourself before your start and when you finish the cleanse. The tape measure will give you a more honest reflection of how you are doing. The program recommends light exercise such as walking or yoga or a little weight lifting for three or four days a week. If you are exercising, you will be exchanging fat for muscle. I was hit and miss with the exercise. I decided today that I need to write a post about why it is difficult for a mom to work out.
I'm a firm believer in the tape measure. Seven pounds doesn't like a lot but in inches it amounts to:
2 1/2 inches lost in the waist
1 1/2 inches lost in the hips
2 inches lost in the mid-section (belly button--the widest part of the belly)
Those inches meant I didn't have to go buy new clothes. Our budget certainly couldn't afford me growing out of my clothes.
I feel much, much better! I am sleeping better and more soundly. I have more energy overall but especially in the mornings due to getting better sleep. I was taking medication in morning and evening for acid reflux and am no longer taking it. The reflux is completely gone! My body PH has stabilized around a somewhat normal level. It is still slightly lower than it should be, but I am getting there. Before the cleanse my body PH was so low that it equated to being slightly higher than stomach acid. No wonder I had reflux!
I am still taking my anti-depressant but that is as much emotional as it is physical. I hope to be off those by the New Year.
My blood sugar has also stabilized. I am pre-diabetic because of bad genes. But, I am hoping to avoid any need for insulin later on by combating the diabetes before it becomes diabetes. I'll be sticking as close to sugar free as I can from now on. I'll also be eating a lot more vegetables than I did before.
I'm still having some asthma issues but certainly nothing like before. I can take a deep breath without issue and don't need my inhalers during the day unless we are near a horse arena (we were at the fair and I needed my inhaler then.) Overall, I think the cleanse has helped my immune system and my breathing quality.
Post cleanse Day one, I find that I really want to keep eating healthy. I ate a chip, and it didn't taste good to me. I also tasted a piece of candy and found it was wayyy too sweet. I hope this keeps up because I likely won't go back to sodas and chocolate. (Well, sodas anyway and candy at least.) I am going to keep drinking a shake for breakfast but I am changing the recipe to a not-so cleanse approved drink. It looks like this:
Ingredients (Makes 1 serving)
4oz V8 Splash Strawberry Banana
1 serving Bluebonnet 100% Whey Protein Powder
1/2 cup, thawed Strawberries
1/2 Banana
4 oz Water
1 tbsp Psyllium Husks (500 mg or 5 g)
1 tbsp Great Value Peanut Butter
Directions
1.Place all ingredients in a blender.
2.Blend till smooth.
The nutrition facts look like this:
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (451.9 g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 349
Calories from Fat 73
Total Fat 8.1g
Saturated Fat 1.5g
Cholesterol 1mg
Sodium 149mg
Total Carbohydrates 43.1g
Dietary Fiber 9.8g
Sugars 26.0g
Protein 30.5g
Vitamin A 51% • Vitamin C 148%
Calcium 3% • Iron 9%
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet
This is not a light shake. It sticks with you courtesy of the peanut butter. The peanut butter also gives me more carbohydrates and protein. I was able to work-out after breakfast and wasn't hungry till noon. No morning snacks were needed. According to Calorie Count, the recipe gets a grade of "B." Of course, my preference is all "A's" but an occasional "B" is okay. I can live with it. It makes for a very hearty and mostly healthy breakfast. I am going to toy with different recipes for breakfast shakes. I like making my breakfast the night before and not having to worry about cooking my breakfast the next morning.
For lunch today, I had a salad that wasn't any different than during the last ten days of the cleanse. I also made an entire bottle of the homemade dressing mix. It is half olive oil and half Bragg's Apple Cider vinegar with some garlic and Italian seasoning. I then poured it into a spritz bottle that I found in the travel section. I can spritz my salad with my own dressing, and I don't have to worry about sodium or chemicals. It is also cheaper!
For dinners, I am not worrying about sticking to the cleanse approved diet. We will still occasionally eat enchiladas and tacos. I am going to try to cut down on the less healthy foods and eat them less often. Afterall, you can't totally cut tacos out of your diet. They are just too yummy! But, you can limit them to once a month or every other month. We will still have menus that include meatloaf and beef stew but the plate will feature three vegetables in large portions leaving less room for the main dish that is not so healthy. My thought is the two will even out in the end. My nutritionist may see it differently so don't quote me. I am not giving advice, merely stating this is what I am going to try.
I'm taking a ton of vitamins now. I am taking pretty much any and all vitamins and even a disgusting colloidal mineral supplement. I am also taking Co-Q 10 which is good for rebuilding and nourishing the cells themselves. Vitamin C is a regular part of my meals. I take 1000 mg with each meal. It is more than the recommended amount but then I have been more sick than is recommended.
The biggest thing I learned is that your should do the cleanse in a month with no special outings, like fairs, no family get together, and no holidays. It is just too hard to do a cleanse while watching everyone else eat delectable dishes. I also think spring or summer is a better time because you can grow your own veggies if you have a porch with some sun or a garden, but you can also find them easier and cheaper at Farmer's Markets and even in the grocery store.
I highly recommend this cleanse. It is pricey! If you can't do this cleanse, then there are other options you can try and get results. I won't say they are the same results since I have no comparison. But I would recommend trying to eat just fruits and veggies for the first ten days and introduce chicken and fish on day eleven. Take lots and lots of fiber supplements and drink a shake for breakfast, making sure your protein powder has a LOT of vitamins and nutrients and no excess fillers, flavors, or chemicals. The goals is to get rid of the chemicals from your body and part of that is not introducing more chemicals.
If you are attempting to get healthy, please let me know. If you found these posts helpful in any way, I would love to hear your story. If you are a Snugglbug fan and wondering where he is in all this. I'll be updating with pictures from the State Fair, Pumpkin Patch, and best of all Occupational Therapy Graduation! I'll post those by next weekend!
Thanks for joining me on my quest! Now, it is your turn! Go get healthy!!
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