Well, here we are at Day 3! I am especially excited today, because everyone says once you get past day 3, it's smooth sailing. I have to say, today is the easiest day so far. I woke up feeling ready to make my smoothie, and looking forward to getting another day under my belt. Speaking of my belt, it seems to be feeling a little looser.
I've weighed myself, but since I don't have a digital scale, it's a little difficult to be accurate. It looked like I was down about a pound and a half. But that's not the thing that's making me so happy. I'm noticing the rest of me is just...thinner. My engagement ring is WAY too big, it spins when I type! My face seems a little thinner, and my tummy feels a little flatter as well. Results, people, I'm seeing RESULTS! Can I get an AMEN?
Yesterday, Whil and I went to the DI in search of a cheap stationary bike for the house. We weren't able to find a good bike, but we did find a Health Rider. They were willing to let us take it for 10 bucks, so we thought we'd give it a shot. I used it last night for about an hour and was genuinely surprised at what a good work out it is. Totally a good purchase.
Yesterday also marked the introduction of proteins and healthy fats into my diet. Sweet baby Jesus...I cannot tell you how decadent raw, unsalted nuts are to me right now. At my desk right now, I have some cashews, walnuts, pecans and almonds...and it feels soooo good just to know they're there, and I can eat them whenever I want. It's heaven! For dinner last night, I also had my first avocado since starting the cleanse. I know some people are using seasoning like sea salt and the like while doing this, but I'm trying to get the full effect of the cleanse, so I'm really not using ANYTHING that isn't a raw fruit, veggie or legume. So to season my avocado, I just squeezed on the juice from half a lime. I'm telling you, it was the best thing I've eaten all week.
Normally, avocado makes me feel a little guilty since it's like ALL fat, but now that I know I'm eating nothing but good things for my body, that avocado is a welcome addition to my meal plan. I even brought another one in case I feel like something yummy today at work.
Today's smoothie is also a positive. Here's what I blended for today:
A crap load of fresh whole pineapple (this is the first time I've broken down a pineapple...it's easier than I thought)
1 whole Banana
A crap load of fresh spinach
I had intended to add Mango, but it wasn't quite ripe yet. Next time, though...it's ON!
Still, without the mango, this smoothie is SO tasty! I barely notice the spinach, and because of the pineapple, the whole thing is this really pretty shade of green. I don't know why, but the color makes it more appealing to me.
I will say, despite how positive I'm feeling here at the beginning of day 3, I'm a little nervous about the weekend. Weekends are usually a time to let loose...go a little wild. I'm not going to be able to do that. Not to mention, I'm supposed to be seeing a band tonight at a bar. A BAR. WHERE I CAN'T DRINK. Poo.
Also, today at work, we're having a "Wine Friday" with snacks and wine and goodies...all of which I will be able to have none. But it's ok! A little test of my resolve can only be a good thing, right? Right.
So that's it. Day 3, big success. Bring it, Day 4!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Day Two - Discouraged
Well, yesterday was...interesting.
The lunch smoothie I was so excited about, the one with the tomato, it turned out to be MUCH better in theory than in execution. It tasted like a very boring, blended salsa. I had a VERY hard time drinking it all, and truth be told, there may have been a little left in the glass when I gave up on it.
That smoothie experience had me kind of mad at this cleanse. I was suddenly very frustrated and the last thing I wanted to think about was vegetables. Too bad that's one of only TWO things I'm allowed to eat, right? I wasn't hungry, but I started craving anything and everything I knew I couldn't have. Then, we received an office email that there were treats and sodas in the kitchen. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I had managed to keep my mind off my precious Diet Coke all day...but that ruined my resolve.
I didn't have any treats or Diet Coke, but it did make me more frustrated, and tacked on a couple more cravings.
For dinner, I decided I didn't want to blend anything. So I made myself a spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and baby carrots. I added the juice from half a lemon as dressing. At the time, it was heavenly. I was CHEWING! I savored every bite.
Once I was done, I had some strawberries to stave off my inevitable sweet treat craving. Oh, I've neglected to mention until now, but I have added one little thing into this cleanse. I'm a bit...irregular. There, I said it. So to assist in cleansing, I have also been drinking 2 cups of organic smooth move tea each day. I'm surprised, but it's actually a nice little treat. It has sort of a black licorice taste to it which is really a departure from everything else I'm eating.
So I had my tea after my "dessert" of strawberries.
Everything seemed ok until it was time to pack my supplies for breakfast and lunch for the next day. I was just so pissed off at the prospect of eating all the same crap again. I went to bed HUGELY discouraged. So, I called Gillian. She's always good for lighting a fire under my ass. After speaking with Gillian, I got a little message from Amber, who is basically my green smoothie cleanse mentor, haha. She had a lot of really helpful tips and offered a lot of encouragement. So, I live to blend another day. But juuuuuust barely.
I weighed myself this morning, no change. I'm not too surprised about that, though. It's only been a day.
One of Amber's tips was to make a large quantity of one smoothie and drink that all day, so that's what I'm trying today. Since yesterday was a spinach day, I had to pick a new green for today, and I chose romaine. Here's what I'm eating today:
Smoothie:
One Head Romaine
One Large Banana
Two Handfuls Strawberries
(This one is actually pretty tasty!)
Snacks:
Green Grapes
Tomato
Cucumber
Baby Carrots
Onward!
The lunch smoothie I was so excited about, the one with the tomato, it turned out to be MUCH better in theory than in execution. It tasted like a very boring, blended salsa. I had a VERY hard time drinking it all, and truth be told, there may have been a little left in the glass when I gave up on it.
That smoothie experience had me kind of mad at this cleanse. I was suddenly very frustrated and the last thing I wanted to think about was vegetables. Too bad that's one of only TWO things I'm allowed to eat, right? I wasn't hungry, but I started craving anything and everything I knew I couldn't have. Then, we received an office email that there were treats and sodas in the kitchen. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I had managed to keep my mind off my precious Diet Coke all day...but that ruined my resolve.
I didn't have any treats or Diet Coke, but it did make me more frustrated, and tacked on a couple more cravings.
For dinner, I decided I didn't want to blend anything. So I made myself a spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, and baby carrots. I added the juice from half a lemon as dressing. At the time, it was heavenly. I was CHEWING! I savored every bite.
Once I was done, I had some strawberries to stave off my inevitable sweet treat craving. Oh, I've neglected to mention until now, but I have added one little thing into this cleanse. I'm a bit...irregular. There, I said it. So to assist in cleansing, I have also been drinking 2 cups of organic smooth move tea each day. I'm surprised, but it's actually a nice little treat. It has sort of a black licorice taste to it which is really a departure from everything else I'm eating.
So I had my tea after my "dessert" of strawberries.
Everything seemed ok until it was time to pack my supplies for breakfast and lunch for the next day. I was just so pissed off at the prospect of eating all the same crap again. I went to bed HUGELY discouraged. So, I called Gillian. She's always good for lighting a fire under my ass. After speaking with Gillian, I got a little message from Amber, who is basically my green smoothie cleanse mentor, haha. She had a lot of really helpful tips and offered a lot of encouragement. So, I live to blend another day. But juuuuuust barely.
I weighed myself this morning, no change. I'm not too surprised about that, though. It's only been a day.
One of Amber's tips was to make a large quantity of one smoothie and drink that all day, so that's what I'm trying today. Since yesterday was a spinach day, I had to pick a new green for today, and I chose romaine. Here's what I'm eating today:
Smoothie:
One Head Romaine
One Large Banana
Two Handfuls Strawberries
(This one is actually pretty tasty!)
Snacks:
Green Grapes
Tomato
Cucumber
Baby Carrots
Onward!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Day One - Here goes nothing!
Hi There! My name is Jonda, and I am keeping this blog to document my experience with the Green Smoothie Cleanse.
I suppose I should start by telling you a little about myself and about the cleanse. We'll start with me.
I'm coming up on 28 this year, and I'm heavier than I have ever been in my life. 30 lbs heavier, to be exact. You can imagine how uncomfortable it's making me. I feel like the worst part of the weight gain is that I can't really see any explanation for it. My lifestyle hasn't really changed, nor has my diet...so I guess I just chalk it up to getting older and my metabolism slowing. No matter the reason behind it though, I am not OK with it.
I find myself uncomfortable in my own skin. Constantly finding new areas that look or feel so disgusting to me. I don't like to go out anymore because I don't like to dress this body. I don't like to be in pictures anymore because I don't recognize my own face. Clearly, it is beyond time for me to make a change.
Besides that, I'm getting married in September of next year, and this version of me is NOT the version I want walking down the aisle.
Now, let's talk about the Green Smoothie Cleanse. I've tried a cleanse before, but I made the mistake of selecting the Master Cleanse (often referred to as the Lemonade Diet), and it just wasn't for me. I found myself angry, moody, unable to focus, and most of all: HUNGRY. I didn't even make it 3 days.
The Green Smoothie Cleanse is a more realistic approach for me. Basically, it's a raw food diet. I'm only eating raw fruits and vegetables (as well as legumes and nuts if you like). No Dairy, No Meat, Fish or Poultry, no Grains or Bread, and worst of all for me: No alcohol.
For my three meals of the day, I'm making a smoothie consisting of any fruits or vegetables I like and either leafy green lettuce (no iceberg...it's useless as far as nutrition goes), or spinach. Toss it all in a blender and go. If I'm hungry throughout the day, I can snack on any raw fruits, veggies or nuts I like. Not too difficult right? I certainly won't be starving, that's for sure.
I'm sure I'll miss my precious cheeses and meats...but I'll survive.
So now we know all about me, and all about the cleanse. Let's get in to day one.
For Breakfast this morning, I made a smoothie consisting of the following:
2 Mangos
1 Banana
1 Large Bunch of Fresh Spinach
The recipe I found for this did not call for water, so I assumed the natural juices from the fruits would thin the mixture out. I was wrong. My smoothie was like CEMENT. I tried to eat it with a spoon, but I'm a texture person and I just couldn't deal. So I added in about a half a bottle of water and mixed it by hand with a spoon. This made it MUCH easier to drink, and made the texture a lot more bearable.
As far as taste, it's really not that bad at all. Banana is such a strong flavor, so that's really the main taste I'm getting. The spinach is sort of an afterthought, and after a few big gulps, I barely even notice it anymore.
My main concern at this moment is having flecks of spinach all over my teeth. lol. I hope people are nice enough to tell me if I do!
At lunch, I'll be having a tomato based smoothie. I'm really excited for this one, as I LOVE tomatoes. Here's what it's comprised of:
3 Large Tomatoes
6 Leaves of Leafy Lettuce (I'll be using spinach again)
2 Inch Piece of Cucumber
1 Garlic Clove
Handful of Fresh Cilantro
Small Wedge of Lemon
Doesn't that sound SO good?! I seriously can't wait :)
I plan to weigh myself daily, and I'll let you all know how much I'm losing. I will NOT be posting my starting/ending weight. I thought about it, but I just can't do it. I'll tell you the total I lost though :)
So that's it for today, kids. Wish me luck!
I suppose I should start by telling you a little about myself and about the cleanse. We'll start with me.
I'm coming up on 28 this year, and I'm heavier than I have ever been in my life. 30 lbs heavier, to be exact. You can imagine how uncomfortable it's making me. I feel like the worst part of the weight gain is that I can't really see any explanation for it. My lifestyle hasn't really changed, nor has my diet...so I guess I just chalk it up to getting older and my metabolism slowing. No matter the reason behind it though, I am not OK with it.
I find myself uncomfortable in my own skin. Constantly finding new areas that look or feel so disgusting to me. I don't like to go out anymore because I don't like to dress this body. I don't like to be in pictures anymore because I don't recognize my own face. Clearly, it is beyond time for me to make a change.
Besides that, I'm getting married in September of next year, and this version of me is NOT the version I want walking down the aisle.
Now, let's talk about the Green Smoothie Cleanse. I've tried a cleanse before, but I made the mistake of selecting the Master Cleanse (often referred to as the Lemonade Diet), and it just wasn't for me. I found myself angry, moody, unable to focus, and most of all: HUNGRY. I didn't even make it 3 days.
The Green Smoothie Cleanse is a more realistic approach for me. Basically, it's a raw food diet. I'm only eating raw fruits and vegetables (as well as legumes and nuts if you like). No Dairy, No Meat, Fish or Poultry, no Grains or Bread, and worst of all for me: No alcohol.
For my three meals of the day, I'm making a smoothie consisting of any fruits or vegetables I like and either leafy green lettuce (no iceberg...it's useless as far as nutrition goes), or spinach. Toss it all in a blender and go. If I'm hungry throughout the day, I can snack on any raw fruits, veggies or nuts I like. Not too difficult right? I certainly won't be starving, that's for sure.
I'm sure I'll miss my precious cheeses and meats...but I'll survive.
So now we know all about me, and all about the cleanse. Let's get in to day one.
For Breakfast this morning, I made a smoothie consisting of the following:
2 Mangos
1 Banana
1 Large Bunch of Fresh Spinach
The recipe I found for this did not call for water, so I assumed the natural juices from the fruits would thin the mixture out. I was wrong. My smoothie was like CEMENT. I tried to eat it with a spoon, but I'm a texture person and I just couldn't deal. So I added in about a half a bottle of water and mixed it by hand with a spoon. This made it MUCH easier to drink, and made the texture a lot more bearable.
As far as taste, it's really not that bad at all. Banana is such a strong flavor, so that's really the main taste I'm getting. The spinach is sort of an afterthought, and after a few big gulps, I barely even notice it anymore.
My main concern at this moment is having flecks of spinach all over my teeth. lol. I hope people are nice enough to tell me if I do!
At lunch, I'll be having a tomato based smoothie. I'm really excited for this one, as I LOVE tomatoes. Here's what it's comprised of:
3 Large Tomatoes
6 Leaves of Leafy Lettuce (I'll be using spinach again)
2 Inch Piece of Cucumber
1 Garlic Clove
Handful of Fresh Cilantro
Small Wedge of Lemon
Doesn't that sound SO good?! I seriously can't wait :)
I plan to weigh myself daily, and I'll let you all know how much I'm losing. I will NOT be posting my starting/ending weight. I thought about it, but I just can't do it. I'll tell you the total I lost though :)
So that's it for today, kids. Wish me luck!
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