So, today was the long-awaited (well, three-days-awaited) day to return to "real" food. The BPC authors made a point to stress that, just as it was important to prepare for the cleanse, it's important to ease out of it. And that's pretty much what I didn't do.
I was sooooooo excited to eat real food. And I kind of let that carry me away. I started out ok, green juice then smoothie with yogurt. I know they said fruits and veggies, but I really missed yogurt and it had to return. Then blended soup and grilled zucchini for lunch. And then the rails came off. Trail mix, cereal and milk, peanut butter. God, I was so hungry!
Of course, I feel awful now. Not just physically, but my stomach is strained. I feel foggy, my head just isn't clear. And I don't want to undo all the good results and hard work I put into this.
So tomorrow I plan on going back to more juice. I don't have this balance thing down (let's be honest, I never have). On the juice, I felt in control, like I knew what I was doing. Yea, I know, I can't do this for a long time, but I feel terrible right now. I'm thinking the "Juice til Dinner" plan to ease back into food.
What I'm saying is, they're serious about having an exit plan. I wasn't, and now I'm paying the price, mentally and physically.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, August 17, 2012
Blue Print Juice Cleanse - Complete: Final Results
Yay, I made it through! And the final verdict is: down 2.5 lbs. Sweet! But, more importantly, I feel pretty good. And I have a new tool to add to my regime. I feel like I could go on (if I had to), but thankfully I don't. I'm excited and nervous to go back to real food. Excited because, obviously, real food is awesome, but nervous because I don't want to slip and go back to my old ways. And I suppose I could have lost more weight if I had worked out harder, but I wasn't sure how the cleanse would affect me and I didn't want to be super hungry (or even hungrier, as it was).
Last night was definitely tough though. I went out with friends and really struggled not to eat something, anything. We were at a Mexican place and, god, it smelled good. I had about 5 chips before I started getting a little queasy. They were so salty and greasy; it was a shock to the system.
I woke up this morning and made a green juice. I do actually like the way it tastes. And there's no way I'm eating that much kale on a regular basis. But I had some soup for lunch, and man, that was good. So many flavors! And so savory. I'm pretty happy. The cleanse authors warn about jumping back into real food too quickly, so I think I'll make some juices later.
While I, um enjoyed might not be the right word, but you get the idea, I don't think I'm going to take this as far as the authors do. Raw, vegan, food combining is not going to fly with me. I like hot food, and dairy, and lots of things all together. I do think I can come back to juice when I need to. And next time, because I'm sure there will be, I'm going to do more green juices.
I'm not really sure I "felt" any cleansing though. I did have a bit of a break out on my cheek, so maybe that's all there is. I certainly don't feel any awesome energy burst or great clarity. Maybe because it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be? I don't know. Maybe next time...
Just one last thought, and this goes back to the beginning, I think one thing that helped me was taking the preparation phase fairly seriously. I was nervous that this would be unbearably hard, and the authors cautioned that jumping right into the cleanse could be a shock to the system, making it all the more difficult to stick to. Even though I was at a wedding over the weekend, on Sunday and Monday I made an effort to stick to the pre-cleanse plans. I think doing that made it easier to transition to the cleanse. And I felt really ready for it to start.
But, now I'm ready to get back to real life. We'll check in later and see if this really sticks!
Last night was definitely tough though. I went out with friends and really struggled not to eat something, anything. We were at a Mexican place and, god, it smelled good. I had about 5 chips before I started getting a little queasy. They were so salty and greasy; it was a shock to the system.
I woke up this morning and made a green juice. I do actually like the way it tastes. And there's no way I'm eating that much kale on a regular basis. But I had some soup for lunch, and man, that was good. So many flavors! And so savory. I'm pretty happy. The cleanse authors warn about jumping back into real food too quickly, so I think I'll make some juices later.
While I, um enjoyed might not be the right word, but you get the idea, I don't think I'm going to take this as far as the authors do. Raw, vegan, food combining is not going to fly with me. I like hot food, and dairy, and lots of things all together. I do think I can come back to juice when I need to. And next time, because I'm sure there will be, I'm going to do more green juices.
I'm not really sure I "felt" any cleansing though. I did have a bit of a break out on my cheek, so maybe that's all there is. I certainly don't feel any awesome energy burst or great clarity. Maybe because it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be? I don't know. Maybe next time...
Just one last thought, and this goes back to the beginning, I think one thing that helped me was taking the preparation phase fairly seriously. I was nervous that this would be unbearably hard, and the authors cautioned that jumping right into the cleanse could be a shock to the system, making it all the more difficult to stick to. Even though I was at a wedding over the weekend, on Sunday and Monday I made an effort to stick to the pre-cleanse plans. I think doing that made it easier to transition to the cleanse. And I felt really ready for it to start.
But, now I'm ready to get back to real life. We'll check in later and see if this really sticks!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down
My friend's husband sucks. Even though I only met him last night, I'm confident in my assessment of him. Of the many reasons why he sucks (his need to be the center of attention, his dismissal of her friends, the fact that he's a party pooper) there is one reason why he really sucks is this: he thinks it's ok to judge other people for what they eat. Out loud. Well, more specifically, he thinks it's ok to criticize the food choices of women.
Not cool, bro.
First off, let me say, I know we all judge what other people eat. We all inspect who's eating what when. But it takes a special person to actually say something out loud to someone they don't actually know.
Let me set the scene: Sitting outside at a lovely Greek restaurant on a very nice night in DC. A third friend and I are first to arrive (by at least 20 minutes, and we know this), so we order drinks. I also order hummus because a) it's delicious and b) I'm hungry. Also, last time I checked, hummus was not a food that generally garnered disapproving comments. So I thought...
People start to arrive. Above-mentioned d-bag arrives. Other people order food and drinks. Hummus is offered to the table. Here's where things go wrong. I am eating my hummus with the bread provided and there's approximately 1/2 a pita left in the basket. Out of two originally brought. I am, I think, minding my own business when friend's husband says snidely "Do you want us to get you more bread or are you done eating."
EXCUSE ME?!
I say "Do you have a problem with what I'm eating?" Then, trying to lighten the mood I add "I do love carbs, haha."
He goes "Yea, that is a lot of carbs." And then casts that side-long judgmental glance at my plate. Then, and this is where it gets good, I say "Well, that sangria has a lot of carbs. Are you saying that's better?" And he simply says "Yes, yes I am."
WTF dude. I don't even know you. And you're going to (stupidly) tell me that booze (not just booze, sangria) is better for me than hummus. Who is this guy??!! Anyone who's ever thought about dieting knows that alcohol is worse for your your diet than almost any food.
But, more importantly, what man, no, what person, thinks it's ok to judge someone else's food choices to their face. I'm not training to be an elite athlete or trying to be a movie star. This guy isn't anyone to me. So why would he think this is ok?
I'm mad just thinking about it. But it also makes me think about whether I judge people's food choices. Now, what this guy didn't know was that I hadn't eaten dinner. I'd been on a semi-awkward date where we split an ahi tuna appetizer. So, considering what I'd already eaten in the day, a nice hummus dish was perfect. That guy had just come from a steak dinner, so maybe my dish didn't appeal to him, but I certainly wasn't asking his input on it.
There's always extenuating circumstances. I didn't feel compelled to explain mine to him, but maybe before I judge other people, I'll think about what I don't know. And keep my opinions to myself.
And, yea, I finished the hummus.
Not cool, bro.
First off, let me say, I know we all judge what other people eat. We all inspect who's eating what when. But it takes a special person to actually say something out loud to someone they don't actually know.
Let me set the scene: Sitting outside at a lovely Greek restaurant on a very nice night in DC. A third friend and I are first to arrive (by at least 20 minutes, and we know this), so we order drinks. I also order hummus because a) it's delicious and b) I'm hungry. Also, last time I checked, hummus was not a food that generally garnered disapproving comments. So I thought...
People start to arrive. Above-mentioned d-bag arrives. Other people order food and drinks. Hummus is offered to the table. Here's where things go wrong. I am eating my hummus with the bread provided and there's approximately 1/2 a pita left in the basket. Out of two originally brought. I am, I think, minding my own business when friend's husband says snidely "Do you want us to get you more bread or are you done eating."
EXCUSE ME?!
I say "Do you have a problem with what I'm eating?" Then, trying to lighten the mood I add "I do love carbs, haha."
He goes "Yea, that is a lot of carbs." And then casts that side-long judgmental glance at my plate. Then, and this is where it gets good, I say "Well, that sangria has a lot of carbs. Are you saying that's better?" And he simply says "Yes, yes I am."
WTF dude. I don't even know you. And you're going to (stupidly) tell me that booze (not just booze, sangria) is better for me than hummus. Who is this guy??!! Anyone who's ever thought about dieting knows that alcohol is worse for your your diet than almost any food.
But, more importantly, what man, no, what person, thinks it's ok to judge someone else's food choices to their face. I'm not training to be an elite athlete or trying to be a movie star. This guy isn't anyone to me. So why would he think this is ok?
I'm mad just thinking about it. But it also makes me think about whether I judge people's food choices. Now, what this guy didn't know was that I hadn't eaten dinner. I'd been on a semi-awkward date where we split an ahi tuna appetizer. So, considering what I'd already eaten in the day, a nice hummus dish was perfect. That guy had just come from a steak dinner, so maybe my dish didn't appeal to him, but I certainly wasn't asking his input on it.
There's always extenuating circumstances. I didn't feel compelled to explain mine to him, but maybe before I judge other people, I'll think about what I don't know. And keep my opinions to myself.
And, yea, I finished the hummus.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Fighting Back Against Clones
I guess this shouldn't all be about food and exercise. That would be pretty boring. This is about life and living life to the fullest. And, sometimes that involves reflecting and changing course.
I've been taking a class about conflict management and negotiation. You might think that really doesn't have anything to do with this blog, but hear me out (or at least keep reading). Today we talked about recognizing when you've gotten into a bad situation and how to get out. I think that can be applied to a lot of areas in our lives, relationships, financial endeavors, and even our diet and exercise plans.
Think about it. How focused are you on reaching a certain weight? On eating a certain number of calories? On running a certain distance? You've thought a lot about these things, but what do they really mean? And if you get there, what happens next? The fact is, most of us forget about being healthy in an effort to be "perfect."
And this is my next point. How awful would the world be if we were all "perfect?" I think we often get lost in the thoughts that people will only accept us if we meet these incredibly high standards that we only hold ourselves to. Physical standards, anyways.
When you think about what you like most about your spouse/partner/bf/gf (whoever), is it their rockin' bod or something else? Is it their smile, their thoughtfulness, their work ethic or sense of humor? Or are there even more intangibles that you can't quite describe because they sound dumb when you say them out loud ("he just gets me, ya know??"). It's pretty obvious that the things we value most in other people are not biceps and abs.
If we just took a moment to recognize what we like about other people, and think maybe, just maybe, people value those things about us, I bet we'd all be a lot happier. And a lot less hard on ourselves. The world would be terrible if we were all the same, so celebrate the individual gifts you have to offer.
Being in good health is important, no doubt. And, it's something that's achievable. Part of my whole plan is to focus on the things that bring me good health, like fitness and eating fruits and veggies. But not killing myself in the gym or making foods off-limits. Balance, commitment, and sustainability are what I'm after. So I'm not going to be so hard on myself (and I won't be hard on you either, I promise).
I've been taking a class about conflict management and negotiation. You might think that really doesn't have anything to do with this blog, but hear me out (or at least keep reading). Today we talked about recognizing when you've gotten into a bad situation and how to get out. I think that can be applied to a lot of areas in our lives, relationships, financial endeavors, and even our diet and exercise plans.
Think about it. How focused are you on reaching a certain weight? On eating a certain number of calories? On running a certain distance? You've thought a lot about these things, but what do they really mean? And if you get there, what happens next? The fact is, most of us forget about being healthy in an effort to be "perfect."
And this is my next point. How awful would the world be if we were all "perfect?" I think we often get lost in the thoughts that people will only accept us if we meet these incredibly high standards that we only hold ourselves to. Physical standards, anyways.
When you think about what you like most about your spouse/partner/bf/gf (whoever), is it their rockin' bod or something else? Is it their smile, their thoughtfulness, their work ethic or sense of humor? Or are there even more intangibles that you can't quite describe because they sound dumb when you say them out loud ("he just gets me, ya know??"). It's pretty obvious that the things we value most in other people are not biceps and abs.
If we just took a moment to recognize what we like about other people, and think maybe, just maybe, people value those things about us, I bet we'd all be a lot happier. And a lot less hard on ourselves. The world would be terrible if we were all the same, so celebrate the individual gifts you have to offer.
Being in good health is important, no doubt. And, it's something that's achievable. Part of my whole plan is to focus on the things that bring me good health, like fitness and eating fruits and veggies. But not killing myself in the gym or making foods off-limits. Balance, commitment, and sustainability are what I'm after. So I'm not going to be so hard on myself (and I won't be hard on you either, I promise).
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Say Yes To Stress
This is going to be short and sweet because I have so much to do tonight.
I was running around all day at work, and when I was on my way home, I had a mini-revelation. I was so busy all day that I didn't have time to sit and dwell on food. And, knowing I still had so much to do over the next few days, I saw eating as an opportunity to really use food as fuel.
So many times people use stress as an excuse to eat poorly, but it's really a chance for us to give ourselves more of the healthy foods we need. When we know we have to be in a million places at once and burn the midnight oil, we should be turning to healthier options. Stress puts us in a situation of giving maximum output, but we won't be our best unless we fuel ourselves the right way.
Does stress turn you into a cookie monster or an extreme machine?
Also, on another quick note about challenges, it looks like I won't have an opportunity to work out much (if at all this weekend). I usually dread these times because I look to burn off some of those extra calories by hitting the gym. But, I think this is a chance to see how I do eating mindfully. If I'm not stuffing myself, I should be a-ok. Not that I advocate giving up fitness for any length of time, but realistically, a 30 minute workout only burns a few cookies. If I'm living the non-diet life, I should be listening to my needs and not my wants.
Ok, that's all I have time for. Happy Memorial Weekend!
I was running around all day at work, and when I was on my way home, I had a mini-revelation. I was so busy all day that I didn't have time to sit and dwell on food. And, knowing I still had so much to do over the next few days, I saw eating as an opportunity to really use food as fuel.
So many times people use stress as an excuse to eat poorly, but it's really a chance for us to give ourselves more of the healthy foods we need. When we know we have to be in a million places at once and burn the midnight oil, we should be turning to healthier options. Stress puts us in a situation of giving maximum output, but we won't be our best unless we fuel ourselves the right way.
Does stress turn you into a cookie monster or an extreme machine?
Also, on another quick note about challenges, it looks like I won't have an opportunity to work out much (if at all this weekend). I usually dread these times because I look to burn off some of those extra calories by hitting the gym. But, I think this is a chance to see how I do eating mindfully. If I'm not stuffing myself, I should be a-ok. Not that I advocate giving up fitness for any length of time, but realistically, a 30 minute workout only burns a few cookies. If I'm living the non-diet life, I should be listening to my needs and not my wants.
Ok, that's all I have time for. Happy Memorial Weekend!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Eating While Hungry
I'm not really sure what to write here. My thoughts? Struggles? Insights? Tell me what you think!
Did you ever notice that the worst time to eat is when you're hungry? Or really, the hardest time to keep your resolve is when you're hungry?
That happened to me today. I was *trying* to run some errands after work today. After getting turned around, "accidentially" driving in the HOV lanes (I was real low on gas, I couldn't afford to sit in traffic), finding the most expensive gas station in the DMV (seriously, I checked, it was outrageous), spending more than an hour driving three miles through the city to get a gift at a place that turns out not to carry it, I was starving.
And I was across the street from McDonalds.
So I went in.
Yea, you read that right. That's what this is all about.
I messed up in planning on zipping around town during rush hour and getting everything taken care of in a few minutes. I knew I'd be hungry around 5-5:30, but didn't have anything in the works or in my bag. I didn't know how long it would take me to get home, but I knew I'd be unstoppable once I got there.
Fast food doesn't have to be terrible. I didn't have to order everything on the menu. Or supersize my meal. Or even get a meal. I just had to get enough. But I didn't get a salad (I hate salads, more on that in the future). I got a 6 piece nuggets and a small smoothie. Because it's about listening to yourself and thinking about what you want.
Hunger can really overwhelm the signals. A 20 piece nugget meal sounded great, but that really wasn't practical. Or reasonable.
Reflecting on this, I probably should have gotten a water. I was really thirsty and that smoothie didn't do anything to quench my thirst. But this is a learning experience.
Did you ever notice that the worst time to eat is when you're hungry? Or really, the hardest time to keep your resolve is when you're hungry?
That happened to me today. I was *trying* to run some errands after work today. After getting turned around, "accidentially" driving in the HOV lanes (I was real low on gas, I couldn't afford to sit in traffic), finding the most expensive gas station in the DMV (seriously, I checked, it was outrageous), spending more than an hour driving three miles through the city to get a gift at a place that turns out not to carry it, I was starving.
And I was across the street from McDonalds.
So I went in.
Yea, you read that right. That's what this is all about.
I messed up in planning on zipping around town during rush hour and getting everything taken care of in a few minutes. I knew I'd be hungry around 5-5:30, but didn't have anything in the works or in my bag. I didn't know how long it would take me to get home, but I knew I'd be unstoppable once I got there.
Fast food doesn't have to be terrible. I didn't have to order everything on the menu. Or supersize my meal. Or even get a meal. I just had to get enough. But I didn't get a salad (I hate salads, more on that in the future). I got a 6 piece nuggets and a small smoothie. Because it's about listening to yourself and thinking about what you want.
Hunger can really overwhelm the signals. A 20 piece nugget meal sounded great, but that really wasn't practical. Or reasonable.
Reflecting on this, I probably should have gotten a water. I was really thirsty and that smoothie didn't do anything to quench my thirst. But this is a learning experience.
Welcome to the diet-free life
I've been on a diet almost my whole life. I've struggled with my weight almost my whole life.
Recently I've just become so tired of it all. It has to end. I have to get a grip over it. I have to be in charge of the food, not the other way around.
Do you have those friends that seem to eat whatever they want, when they're hungry, and stop when they're full? They don't agonize over menu choices. They eat what their bodies need. I want to be like that. I want to be in control, to have moderation.
I thought I could do this all on my own, but I realize that I do need to write about it. For me, I need to get some thoughts down on paper ("paper" haha). And maybe what I say can help someone else. It's a journey, but we all need guidance once in a while.
So, welcome to my journey.
Recently I've just become so tired of it all. It has to end. I have to get a grip over it. I have to be in charge of the food, not the other way around.
Do you have those friends that seem to eat whatever they want, when they're hungry, and stop when they're full? They don't agonize over menu choices. They eat what their bodies need. I want to be like that. I want to be in control, to have moderation.
I thought I could do this all on my own, but I realize that I do need to write about it. For me, I need to get some thoughts down on paper ("paper" haha). And maybe what I say can help someone else. It's a journey, but we all need guidance once in a while.
So, welcome to my journey.
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