Sticky update

Just a quick update, since I’m not currently in the middle of “a week without”:

The cleanse seems to have…worked? I’m still craving healthy stuff instead of fast food. Despite that, lack of preparation has led to a lot of drive-thrus this week, so I went on a cooking blitz tonight to remedy that.

• More of the roasted winter vegetables just came out of my oven
• I made roasted chickpeas for the first time
• Ben’s pick: a quinoa egg bake is cooking now
• Plus, I’ve got the ingredients for a whole wheat veggie lasagna &/or pizza

More stuff that stuck:

I go without makeup &/or my purse pretty frequently. I choose water over pop a lot more. And we’ve been turning off the tablet in the bedroom earlier. Sometimes. Ok, we’re still pretty hooked on electronics.

Right now, I’m trying to decide my next week without. I have two ideas:

• A week without Aisle 11. That is, no paper towels, napkins, disposable plastic baggies, press-n-seal, etc. But I draw the line at toilet paper. I’m not that hardcore yet.
• A week without nagging. I think Ben will love this idea. J

So, what should I give up?

Home Stretch

Less than 2 days to go! I’d like to say that by now this feels like a normal diet which I could continue. That is not the case. The cravings have hit hard. My fiancé gets weirded out because I’ve started staring at him as he eats. It’s not my fault! He eats things like delicious chicken fingers and wheat dinner rolls and cheeseburgers! They smell soooo good.

Meanwhile, I’ve been forgoing many of the Week 3 recipes and experimenting instead. I cooked slabs of tofu in a little oil with homemade taco seasoning. OK, but not the same as tacos – especially with no tortillas. My fiancé promptly ate all of the tofu, but left the accompanying shredded veggies untouched. *sigh* Last night, I found this recipe for blueberry oatmeal & put it in the crockpot. It was awful, but not because of the recipe. It was awful because I didn’t FOLLOW the recipe. Not only did I not have all of the ingredients, but I didn’t have enough of the ingredients I had on hand….which led to some odd substitutions. And instead of baking it in a dry heat, I used my crockpot, for way too long. Long story short, I wound up with a purple tasteless goo. I choked down a bowl for breakfast and regretfully washed the rest down the sink. Blech.

I still wasn’t feelin’ the recipes today, so I dug through my cupboards & found a curry mix from the natural foods store. Unbelievably, the ingredients didn’t include any chemicals, sugar, dairy, or wheat! It’s supposed to be used with chicken, but I dumped it into the crock pot with a bag of frozen cauliflower. Fingers are crossed.

I’ll have fish, quinoa, & a salad at my parents’ for family dinner night. If I can pack some healthy stuff tomorrow at work, I’m home free! Runza, here I come! J

Pièce de résistance

I’ve resisted temptation for 16 days – 5 more to go! Here are the highlights:

I said “no” to:
- spaghetti at a family dinner
- homemade pumpkin cream cheese bars
- 10 takeout pizzas vying for the “best in town”
- Cookies from the Cookie Company in my department
- drinks and snacks at the bar
- Homemade cookies at Game Night
- jalapeno poppers fresh out of my oven
- A box of chocolates/cookies at a lunch meeting
- A giant jar of frosted cookies sitting 2 desks away
- the Cheese Nips and cinnamon ice cream that keep staring at me whenever I open my cupboard or freezer

…Plus countless images like this one on Pinterest. *drool*

I talked to:
Martha Stewart! The segment they did about the cleanse aired live on Tuesday, and they’ve posted it online: http://bit.ly/wISBTq One of the other “cleansers”, Erin, had already lost 14 pounds as of Tuesday! There is a chance (albeit tiny) that we’ll be asked to make a return appearance for an update on the cleanse. I doubt it will happen, but I’ll be sure to post if Martha calls!

I got picked for:
a random drug test at work. I’m pretty sure that’s the cleanest urine that facility’s ever seen. EVER.

I scheduled a:
massage at a local spa! I’ve been stressed and I still haven’t cheated on the cleanse. I’ve earned a non-food reward!

I lost my:
mp3 player! It’s been missing since a gym visit last week, and I’ve searched high & low. I really miss my workout playlists!

In the crockpot: Kale, white bean, & potato stew
In the fridge: Toasted coconut muesli

Detox Weight Loss

I am 2/3 done with the Whole Living 21-Day Detox Challenge! I’ve already gone 2 weeks without processed foods or beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, or alcohol. Several people have asked me if I’m going to stick with it when I’m done. My answer: Every time I do something like this, it introduces me to new things (yoga, rutabaga, Open Harvest) and helps reinforce the healthy habits I already have (tracking what I eat, getting more activity, cooking healthier meals). This is a cleanse, not a long-term diet, so I never intended to stick to this as a permanent diet. That being said, I have a whole new respect for vegans, paleo dieters, and whole/raw food devotees! It takes a lot of planning, preparation, and my least favorite - dish washing - to eat this way. And yes...I will still drink Coke Zero.

When I first started this cleanse, I said that I didn’t expect to lose weight. Well, I’ve been averaging 1130 calories/day (yes – I actually calculated the past 10 days!). Well guess what? I haven’t lost a dang pound! I thought I’d lost a couple, but when I double checked, it was just wishful thinking. I didn’t embark on this detox as a weight-loss challenge, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed. The other women doing this challenge have reported losing weight, and I’ve been staving off cravings and meticulously counting calories for 2 weeks. I know this is great for my body, but I sure wish there was a visible result!

Dishwashing and waistlines aside, this has been a good experience. I have proven to myself that I have a lot more willpower than I thought. At the risk of sounding like a holistic weirdo, I really do feel more in tune with my body. I can feel when I’m not getting enough protein in my diet. I can better distinguish when I’m craving something, when I’m dehydrated, and when I’m actually hungry. I’ve also trained myself into healthier portion sizes. I still fight naps like a cranky toddler, but I succumb to it a couple times a week now. J

Tonight: Salmon, gym, and an early bedtime

Tomorrow: Martha, eggs, & non-gluten grains!! I love me some quinoa!

Martha & a Mouthful of Bugs

I’ll be on The Martha Stewart Show live via webcam on Tuesday. The producer tells me it airs live, but I’m not sure that’s the case in my area. The three “weeks without” I’ve been doing are taken directly from the 21-Day Detox Challenge in Whole Living Magazine….a Martha Stewart magazine. As I’ve been making recipes, I’ve been following Whole Living’s blog posts and Facebook page. One afternoon, they asked their Facebook followers if any of the 21-day cleansers would be interested in talking about their experience on The Martha Stewart Show. I replied with my contact information & received a call about an hour later. The next day, I received a laptop, webcam, and microphone that they’d overnighted for me to use (not to keep…). Lucky me, I work at a TV station, so I’m using the studio at work to do the segment. I won’t have to miss work, and I’ll have great lighting J

We did an equipment test & quick run-thru on Friday, and everything went smoothly for me. The only bad news? The rehearsal is at 7:15am on Tuesday (ouch!) before the live show at 9:30am. So – if I look really tired or sound like Frankenstein, now you’ll know why.

My kitchen is in a constant state of disaster - just as I finish a load of dishes, I have to start another one and hand wash another sink full of them. Plus, my sink is backed up (and no, that's not a detox euphemism...), so I guess I haven't been being careful enough about all of the vegetable peelings going down the garbage disposal.

Today, I made my first –and long overdue- visit to the Open Harvest co-op grocery store in Lincoln. I’d heard nothing but glowing reviews about it, and it –mostly- lived up to the hype. First, the service was incredible. I knew the woman who was handing out samples because we’d met through a couple shoots for work. My cashier was the friendliest, most helpful guy ever. Second, they’re super green. I expected this, but it was cool to see people bringing in their own containers and leaving with reusable bags & boxes (you get a discount for doing so). Thirdly, I found some of the weird ingredients for the cleanse that I couldn’t find ANYWHERE else! Delicata squash, miso soup powder, hemp seed, and tons of no-sugar added organic dried fruit. But it wasn’t all good news…I came home and mixed up some of the dried fruit with nuts to make some cleanse-friendly trail mix. I had eaten a couple of handfuls when I noticed ANTS in the jar!!! I am quite sure I ate a few of those little guys, and they’re NOT on the detox menu! haha That being said, I’ll take my chances & revisit Open Harvest. – but I’ll be double checking my fruit.

Currently craving:

- chocolate

- Amigo's soft taco

- Sam Adams

New Year's Cleanse Day #9

Week #2 is wonderful, but very busy! I had another antioxidant smoothie for breakfast, but didn’t pack a lunch. Since I had to meet with my Teammate across town followed by an all-staff meeting, I couldn’t run home, so I went to the grocery store instead & loaded up on spinach, peas, and cabbage at the salad bar. Skipped the meat & the dressing, but I got to have a few strawberries & some balsamic vinegar instead (not together – that would be odd.)

Last night, I felt so good after dinner that I wanted to work out. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was so late & I got there 15 minutes before they closed! I busted my butt & got 2+ miles in on an elliptical before I had to leave. I’m goin’ back tonight!

Plus, this blog/cleanse is leading to fun things! The Public Relations guru from my gym asked to interview me for the monthly newsletter, and there’s a chance I’ll be on the Martha Stewart Show via webcam! Crazy, right?

On the menu for tomorrow:

Scrambled Tofu with Collards and Turmeric

Red Lentil Soup with Turnip & Parsley

...that's if I can get the kitchen cleaned up. It looks like a DISASTER right now.

A Religious Experience

Today kicked off Week #2 of my three weeks without processed foods, added sugar, gluten, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. If this is a “detox”, then a lot of the foods I like are poisonous. J

The detox symptoms are gone, and I’m feeling good! How good? Yesterday, my work day flew by, I got a root canal, worked out at the gym, ran errands, and STILL stuck to the cleanse. Yeeaahh! This afternoon, the junk food cravings hit hard, but I stayed far away from the vending machines.

While I’ve been eagerly awaiting Week 2 foods (never in my life have I been so excited for lentils!), I didn’t cook last night, and I didn’t have time to make breakfast/lunch today, so I fell back onto a Week 1 smoothie and butternut squash soup. Tonight, I celebrated my Week 1 victory with a mani/pedi. Then drove straight to the grocery store and made a beeline to the butcher’s counter for some wild-caught salmon. My dinner was a religious experience: salmon, half an avocado, red onion, cilantro, grape tomatoes, and some steamed Brussels sprouts.

Plus, my friend Audrey decided that she’s going to do the 21-day challenge, too! Hooray for at-work support!

Cleanse Support

After two days of headaches and naps, I’m feeling good! Hungry, but good!

And even though I’ve been a little tired & cranky, my fiancé and my friends have been amazing! Ben read off recipes to me late last night as I finished up making my meals for today. He also rubbed my head when I had caffeine headaches, and hooked up the Xbox downstairs so I could burn some calories with “Dance Central”.

My co-workers & friends Audrey & Steph have been AWESOME! They eat healthy lunches with me in the breakroom, go on walks with me on the bike trail near our office, and are pretty much my cheerleaders. Steph gave me a clementine for a snack yesterday, and some no-sugar-added trail mix today. They rock!

Because I’m a crock-potting nut, I’ve already made two of the recipes in my crockpot J I thought I did a lot of cooking before, but that was nothin’! I’ve already gone through half of the giant whole pile of vegetables stocked in my fridge. I’ve also washed a ton of dishes – but hey – that keeps me distracted from being hungry.

And… I inadvertently cheated today, because I ate a few peanuts. This week of the challenge basically includes fruits, veggies, nuts, & seeds. Since peanuts are actually legumes –not nuts- and a common allergen, those aren’t part of the cleanse. Oops!

Minty Pee & Eagle Arms

I’m having a good day! Maybe it’s the cleanse….or maybe it’s the fact that I took the day off, slept in, went to my first ever yoga class (I’m so behind the times!), and lounged in my car to read a magazine. Plus the my great new haircut doesn’t hurt J

I got so excited about shopping and cooking last night, I forgot to eat dinner (unheard of!) After spending last night making beet soup, trail mix, and minty pea dip (which my brother-in-law misinterpreted as “minty pee dip”), I put myself to bed tonight with some chai tea. Technically, I made a cup of chai tea, left it on my night table, and promptly forgot about it until it was barely warm. I drank it anyway.

Today, I woke up after 9am, made myself a mango-coconut water smoothie, and went to the gym for yoga. Since the class was in the middle of a weekday morning, most of the students were retired women – much older and much more flexible than me. My mat was directly in front of the fireplace. The instructor had to correct me on my Eagle Arms (is that right??) and one other pose, but for an ungraceful klutz, I think I did pretty darn well! No bruises! haha I did a little meditation in the steam room, took a shower, and left the gym feeling great – no lack of energy, etc. due to the new diet. Same with lunch. I made this kale-broccoli slaw. I snuck a little more than the recipe’s serving size, but left the house feeling satisfied, not full – which is good, because I had a scheduled tasting for our wedding food. Fortunately, the tasting didn’t have a lot of processed foods or added sugar – but it did have meat, dairy, and starch. Luckily it was all very small tasting bites – so not too much damage done to the cleanse, I hope.

As I type this, I’m developing a caffeine headache, but that’s to be expected. I’m gonna keep chugging water and go take a day-off-work-nap!

New Year's Cleanse

Happy New Year! I’ve gone a few weeks without a “week without”, so I’m kicking off 2012 with a doozy:

I’m going three (3) weeks without: processed foods or beverages, added sugar, dairy, gluten, caffeine, and alcohol. I’m doing Whole Living magazine’s 21-day Challenge. It’s basically a cleanse, which I’ve never done or even considered before. The closest thing I’ve done to a cleanse is when I decided to just eat fruits and veggies for a week. I think I made it about 5 days. The whole first week of this is vegan. Because I still need to grocery shop, I'm starting this one day late.

I always thought cleanses were for crazy people, and 9 times out of 10 when I hear the phrase “rid your body of toxins” – it’s to advertise some product that’s a bunch of crap. (I’m lookin’ at you, Body Wrap! Those aren’t “toxins” – it’s sweat!)

However, I can definitely see a connection between what I put into my body & what I get out of my body. (I meant performance, not poop. You’re gross.) I tend to overdo it on many of these things, specifically alcohol and caffeine. I don’t expect to lose a ton of weight on this, but am interested to experiment with this for 21 days and see if it really does improve the way I feel. It’s a new year, and I’m ready to try something new!

If you’re intrigued & you want to try it (Translation: Please! I want to do this with a buddy!), here’s a link.

If you don’t want to try it, you should at least check out Whole Living magazine. I got a free subscription from MyCokeRewards. (ironic, eh?) I look forward to reading it every month & I keep begging Ben to read it, too. It’s fantastic.

EDIT: I am an idiot! Just as we drove away from the grocery store with $138 worth of fruits, veggies, and bird food in my trunk, I realized we're tasting wedding food from the caterer tomorrow! I may have to delay this challenge for one more day - but I'm still excited to try out a smoothie or roasted chickpeas tomorrow!