Day Six Meals - Breakfast: Banana smoothie; Snack: Pineapple/Watermelon juice; Lunch: Cranberry Walnut Salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing; Snack: Sesame Kale Chips; Dinner: Carrot/Apple juice
Day Seven Meals - Breakfast: Broccoli/Peach/Apple juice; Snack: Grapes; Lunch: Mean Green Juice (included Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery, Apples and Lemon); Snack Carrots; Dinner: Grilled steak, grilled shrimp, grilled asparagus, grilled sweet potato, broccoli, salad; Snack: Kale Chips and strawberries
This was my first foray into having two days off and trying to curb my cravings without the structure of a work day to keep me honest. I am one of those people who love to snack, especially when sitting around and watching TV or a movie. So I figured if I could keep busy it might help take my mind off of the random bowls of candy around the house, the pantry full of chips and crackers and the need to stop at Taco Bell on the way home.
It was not a picnic.
We were out all day with our neighbor, hitting up antique stores, which was a blast. But two things fast became an issue. It was hot as balls (115 degrees) and so I was doubling my usual doubled intake of water. Which meant I had to pee, a lot. Something I usually don't have an issue with because I'm like a camel, I hold it all in for reserves. At least that's what I tell myself. However, it is very daunting to find a bathroom when you need one desperately. And it happened to me four times. Allow yourself to indulge in the image of a thirty-four-year old woman doing the pee-pee dance amongst trinkets from yesteryear. That was my day.
Another obstacle came when it was time to break for lunch. I had brought two drinks with me (which involved loading up a cooler, along with all our bottled water, with ice to keep in the car) to have for my breakfast and snack. I actually forgot about lunch. I was freaking out about starving. Luckily Charming assured me if I had a salad for lunch and a juice for dinner the world would not end. So I happily munched on my cranberry walnut salad while my neighbor enjoyed a hot pastrami sandwich. I tried really hard not to hate her for that.
The next challenge occurred when Charming announced on the way home that he was hungry. And he wanted Taco Bell. Or In & Out. The same man who assured me I would be able to drink my dinner was now torturing me with two of my most favorite food options. He decided on In & Out and while I slurped my carrot/apple juice he devoured a double-double with fries and a milk shake. And then announced he should have gotten Taco Bell because that wasn't what he wanted. I was ready to lick his bag. Sitting on the couch was torturous as well as he had ice cream and Ritz-Bits and Kettle Chips. I ate my Kale chips and liked them but I couldn't help but stare forlornly at the treats he was eating. I told him he didn't need to worry about eating in front of me because I didn't want what I was doing to influence him, but it was still difficult and tested my willpower.
Day seven was a whole other bag of tricks. I am not sure if some of my longings from the day before carried over but my resistance was shot. I was moody and cried no less than three times. I told Charming I was done, I didn't want to do this any more. I didn't feel like I was seeing any improvements in my moods or general well-being, in fact I believe I feel worse. I don't feel like I lost any weight and this whole thing seems just a big pain in the ass. Too time consuming, too expensive, too much my life and I don't want that. I had a break down when one of the juices I drank for lunch tasted off and made my stomach feel incredibly upset. It was an older juice, had sat around for too long. I drank two thirds of it, trying to gag it down because I didn't want to waste, before Charming took it from me and dumped the rest out. In the middle of the afternoon I was so desperate for something, anything to eat that wasn't juice I ate a sushi sample at the grocery store and I despise raw fish and anything spicy.
The evening went a bit better because I had an actual dinner, one of two I'm allowing myself a week. I savored my steak and shrimp and really adored the grilled asparagus (so easy I will be sure doing that again.) We watched a movie and I was able to curb my snack need because I was extremely full from dinner. Charming and I juiced at night because I had plans in the morning and we only made enough to get me through until Friday since I don't want to waste any more juice. I was already super upset at having to throw out three small containers of raspberries, I just couldn't eat them fast enough and bought too much in bulk at Costco. So I am learning to buy less more often, not more less often. Same with how I make the juice.
I have so many things running through my head: is this good for me? Am I doing the right thing? Am I eating enough vegetables? Will I ever see results? My coworker assures me he saw nothing in the first week and then stuff started to improve rapidly. I am hoping the same is true for me. The funny thing is, I don't miss soda at all which is a surprise to me. And I don't miss chocolate if it is not right there in front of me. So in that aspect I am doing okay. Still a lot of questions and reservations.
I need to get my motivation and encouragement back. This discouraged crap is not doing me any good.
3 weeks ago
4 Sprinkles:
Why in the world is your husband just continuing to eat fast food and fatty stuff around you right now?! That's the part that jumped out at me when I read this. Of course you're feeling discouraged, with temptation right in your face like that. This is a HUGE lifestyle change you're attempting here. It's not going to be easy. I'm surprised he isn't trying to, I don't know, eat the bad foods at times when he isn't around you. Out of sight, out of mind REALLY means something in the world of bad foods! It's bad enough our culture saturates us with ads and images of all the bad food choices.
So anyway, think of it this way: you already have one major victory from all of this: you've cut out soda! YAY! And if your chocolate cravings are subsiding, that's something great as well. Your body is getting more of the nutrients it needs and isn't trying to pull it from places like chocolate or sugar. This is all a good thing.
And yeah, it does take more than a week to see any weight loss. But you will see it. Be patient.
Big changes are happening within your body's chemistry. None of this comes easy. But it's all good changes and things you need to do to be healthier. So it's worth doing. Don't let yourself give up...
...but maybe adapt this lifestyle change a bit to make it more sustainable for YOU. Here's the thing: If you are starving yourself and not having a good, well-rounded dinner (or lunch...or breakfast) once a day, you're not giving your body a fair chance. It was used to a certain # of calories a day, for years, right? Now that number's been drastically cut in a short period of time. There's a reason why crash diets never work long-term: your body NEEDS fuel and energy to function, and it will tell your brain to go out and get fuel at all costs, if it is left needing. And a fast, rewarding way for your body to grab calories is through fatty, sugary foods. But it's actually only a temporary fix, and ours bodies know this.
I have seen "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" and it inspired me to do all of this, too. But I don't think the 60 day (or even 30 day) fast is a great idea for most people. I've come to think a 3 day fast to jumpstart a healthy eating regime is fine, but after that new eating habits need to be established. EATING, not just drinking. I still have juices and/or smoothies every day, but I also eat whole foods. I feel like the habits I've been working on since January are best for me and my body. Sure, I still screw up and have binge-periods where I'm eating sugary crap again, but the difference now is I am more in touch with how all of that crap makes me feel. I can notice the changes if I have a poor eating day with not enough fruit or veggies. And I don't like it. So this drives me to keep eating healthy, since I can feel the difference.
The greatest benefit I get from juicing is this heightened awareness of WHAT my body NEEDS, not what it WANTS. I'm excited for you to reach that realization too, because this has been changing my life and I am excited about other people learning it, too! So I don't want you to quit. Not when you have already come SEVEN WHOLE DAYS in the journey. That's fantastic! You do realize how difficult this challenge is, right? I bet you that the majority of people who attempt something this drastic fail within the first few days and never go back to it. You didn't do that! You're still here and you're still making that effort... don't give up on this now.
Sorry to ramble, but like I said, this is kind of important to me on a personal level and I know how it's changed my life for the better. I can't see myself NOT juicing a meal or two here or there, ever, from now on.
Ditto what Lisa said.
Also, it seems that somewhere around the one-week mark of every previous health journey you've begun, you hit this particular sticking spot. It's ok to re-think things a bit, and make them more realistic according to your needs and abilities, now that you've gotten a good taste of how things work and how you feel based on that, and what is really feasible for you.
It does take time (they used to say 10 days, now they say it's 20) to make a new habit, but you could also technically say you're almost, or halfway, there, depending on which guesstimate sounds more like you. Also, it's good that you're recognizing your triggers and identifying them (the need to eat while watching TV/Movies). That right there is probably a huge source of excess calories. You may not have even known that before. You are definitely becoming aware that you're maybe a "Mindless" eater, not so much an emotional eater, or one who eats out of boredom. I think maybe you do associate food with fun, and feel like you're not having fun if you're not indulging/enjoying the standard fare consumed during certain activities.
One thing at a time.
One step at a time.
Make one healthy change at a time.
You've already come such a long way, with the soda, the increased fruit/veggie intake and the water. Don't quit now! Don't give those victories up!
I'm on the Lisa bandwagon too--the juicing is fabulous and healthy, but it's not the real world that you'll have to come back too eventually.
So don't beat yourself up over a real meal. Savor every bite, eat slowly, talk and enjoy the company.
Don't get discouraged--getting healthy is worth the work you're putting into it. You'll find the balance point and I can guarantee that success brings a whole lot of motivation to eat smart! Stick with it--we're all pulling for you!!!
I recently bought a GoGirl, so when I read about your antique adventures, and the pee pee dance, all I could think was that if you had one, you could duck in an alley. ;)
Good job with the juicing. Are you able to freeze any fruits and berries until you can use them. I don't know how a juicer works, but I have been doing protein shakes in the morning, and the water tends to make the shakes cool, and helps blend the berries.
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