I'm a little disappointed that I didn't finish the full 21 days, but what bothers me more is that I broke too many rules all at once--dairy, chicken, shellfish, gluten, sugar, alcohol. I pretty much hit all the items on the taboo list in one night! Ugh!!! BUT it was my husband's birthday party, so if there was a time to cheat, it was an appropriate occasion. At this point, I'm finding solace in three things. One is that I only cut the plan short by two days. Better at day 19 than at day 9, right? Two is that I actually had fairly small portions of all the food. As the host, I was pretty busy making sure everyone had everything they needed and so on, so I didn't linger by the food for very long. Third, I'm back on track for healthy, mindful eating today.
So what do I do now?
My plan now is to continue with the healthy eating patterns that I employed during the cleanse, specifically along the lines of the Week 3 guidelines, but including lean chicken, beef and shellfish and also allowing myself occasional servings of gluten foods (wheat, barley and rye), low fat dairy (such as fat free, unsweetened Greek yogurt), wine, coffee and an occasional treat. In order to help stay on track with this mindful eating, I'm using the LoseIt app again to log the food I eat. I'll also be logging calories burned in my workouts in the app, which will help me stay within a caloric budget that will promote weight loss, too. I hope! I want this year to finally be the year I reach my target weight once and for all. Wish me luck and send me any extra discipline you might have lying around, would you?
This wraps up my experience with the 2013 Whole Living detox Action Plan. Thanks for reading!
What's your favorite go-to healthy snack?
*For more information about the 2013 detox plan and how I coped, visit these posts HERE and HERE.
Congrats on finishing and all the best with the healthy eating!
ReplyDeleteHey, you went 19 days longer than I would have! Good on you :) I admire your commitment to this.
ReplyDelete19 days is still 19 days, Christine! And you're hubby's birthday is reason for celebrating. How did you feel the next day after your indulgences? I've done a detox before where afterward the real food had an off taste and didn't make me feel very good (of course, that didn't take long to wear off - ha ;)
ReplyDeleteHealthy Go-to Snack: handful of almonds.
I think you did great! You're right, finishing only two days early is a lot better than quitting early on. I'm proud of you for sticking with it!
ReplyDeleteI stopped using the LoseIt app after two years, I figured if I hadn't learned what foods and how much of those foods I could eat then I wasn't learning anything. But, you going back to using it is making me wonder if I need to as well.
I have faith that you'll accomplish all your goals this year!
Did you feel ok after introducing that many foods back into your diet at once? That's always the hard part for me. Great job on doing 19 days.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments, all.
ReplyDeleteJanet and , aside from a bit of guilt for indulging on those "detox-prohibited" foods, I didn't feel THAT different, but yet I did sense a change in my belly. Nothing strange or offensive, but I could sense a subtle feeling of 'ugh.' My guess is that it was because I had too many simple carbs and sugars, in general. I have been mostly gluten-free and low sugar again since the party on Saturday and I feel better already. I find I feel much better without those foods. I don't know how to describe "better" how. I guess a "lighter" less "bloated" or "full" feeling in my gut. And a more steady energy level throughout the day without those foods, too, as opposed to ups and downs of energy or hunger. But as I said, it was a subtle feeling that I was aware of just because I have trained myself to pay attention to subtle changes over the weeks. Thanks so much for asking. :)
Brandy, don't beat yourself up over using the LoseIt app. I honestly believe the science behind weight management for you is more complex because of your metabolic needs as a result of your thyroid problems. Consequently, using the app to track calories eaten and calories burned won't be as effective for you, don't you think?
My comment above should address Janet AND Heather. Sorry about that, Heather!
ReplyDelete19 days is quite an accomplishment!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite go-to snack until recently has been dark chocolate chips and nuts, but lately I've been aware that nuts contribute more fat than protein, so I'm working on more protein-heavy snacks. A spread made with low-fat cottage cheese, nonfat yogurt cheese, and some peanut butter on homemade whole wheat bread has been working for me.
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Thanks, Joy! I'm glad I did it.
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of nuts while doing the detox. They were one of my few sources of protein and fat during the detox and a great go-to choice for people who don't eat meat or dairy. Do you like Greek yogurt? The unsweetened, non fat (or low fat) Greek yogurt that I buy has 22 g of protein and only 120 calories in one cup! Add a little fruit and it's a yummy workout fuel or snack. I don't tend to want it as much when it's cold outside. Natural Peanut butter always works! I like it on 1/2 a banana or apple slices, although I tend to prefer almond butter.
I think skipping those last two days was the best way to go, considering you did it for a specific reason. Plus realistically, I bet you ate less of the bad stuff than you would have had you never done the cleanse, so it's still better in the long run!
ReplyDeleteMy snacking tends to vary, but I often reach for a whole wheat english muffin with some jam, or some fruit with peanut butter. I'm on the look out for some healthy easy to eat snacks for before a workout, something along the lines of a protein bar, but less sweet. I'm on the hunt to find a recipe I can make at home!
Hi Crystal, yeah I don't feel too badly about cutting the detox short by those last two days. It was for a worthy cause! ;)
ReplyDeleteI like banana with peanut or almond butter for a pre or post workout snack.. depending on the time of day I'm working out. I also like plain, non fat Greek yogurt [22 g protein and only 120 calories in 1 cup!] with some fresh fruit. Sometimes a glass of low fat chocolate milk does the trick, too! I posted a recipe for dried fruit oat bars in January that has 9 g of protein and isn't as sweet as commercial bars.
You did really well, I agree that it's better to stop at day 19 than at 9. Besides, you can't not indulge on your husband's birthday. Yay for sticking to it for almost the entire plan! I don't think you should be disappointed in your food choices on the birthday party, at least you've picked up new food ideas to spice up your meals and snacks and make them a lot healthier :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tze-Wen. I'm really glad I did the cleanse, but I haven't been so good at sticking to all those healthy habits since then. But I'm not giving up. I know what I have to do.. I just have to DO IT. I think for me, I can't go all or nothing for long.. I need to allow myself a few indulgences throughout the week. Nothing too destructive. Just a piece of chocolate, a small scoop of ice cream,.. things like that. If I deny myself too much, I just give up and go back to having too many of those things too often. I'll figure it out!
ReplyDelete