end of cleanse

my cleanse is over - i am full from my juices today - almost over-full in fact.

i am also craving home-made turkey kabobs - which i'll blame on my lack of b-12.

while this has been a great journey, which i will continue as i slowly begin eating real food throughout the week - i've realized that the main culprit in my life is sugar. Most days I crave sugar every few hours - but these past 3 days - nothing. I have never lasted on a 100% raw diet for more than a day maximum. 3 days of fully raw fare was very interesting..although today I must say I feel a bit too full/a little nauseous.

I have recently viewed a lecture by Gary Taubes, author of "Good Calories. Bad Calories." - in it he refutes the long standing belief that calorie counting, exercise and the concept of 'calories in, calories out' are keys to weight loss.

He has a few very interesting points - and it all boils down to the concept that sugars and carbohydrates (specifically refined carbs) - create an overload of insulin in the body. This insulin then gets stored in fat cells...which ultimately is why we get fat...and particularly why we get fat in some areas and not in others.

It was really very interesting - and very medically driven - not a typical diet video and I've heard the book is the same - it is very medically driven and somewhat like a medical journal.

So - my plan for myself - is to stay off refined products, remove processed sugar from my diet and actually begin to include lean meats into my daily/weekly diet. I have been a pseudo vegetarian since 2005 - and really, it has not been a healthy choice.

I know some will argue that vegetarianism is the healthiest diet if you do it right and know what you're doing - and perhaps I agree. That said, I was my most tone and most healthiest when on a lean meats, good carbs/low carb lifestyle.

I will of course only eat turkey or chicken that has been grass-fed, and ideally made in the comfort of my own home. I will not eat anyone else's meat made in their home or in a restaurant - and I will still stick to mainly fish outside of the house. For all intensive purposes, I have become a closeted meat-eater. (and that is definitely what she said)

Anyways - this is where I am right now. Thanks.

Blue Print Cleanse

Yesterday I embarked upon a new adventure in health, fitness and experimentation.

I received my first 3-day set of juices via the Blue Print Cleanse! I've been wanting to try this cleanse for a while but never did primarily because of the cost. Although the cost is still high, I threw caution (and my credit card) to the wind and decided it was now or later and I choose now.

Anyways - being that I am generally a fairly healthy eater, I chose the Renovation cleanse. There's 3 types you can try - one is for beginners, Renovation is for middle-people, perhaps those who like to binge on brownies one day and then ingest salads and go to bikram yoga the next few days, and the 3rd is Excavation - this is for the hard-core health nuts that can stomach 4 16 oz bottles of green juice a day. While Excavation seemed like a great challenge, I decided to be careful and go with Renovation.

I am on day 2 and half way done my juices of the day. It is actually quite a difficult mental and physical challenge! While I pride myself on being healthy, the past few months I have been on a vacation from my regular normal diet. These days, I am used to waking up and eating - fruit, granola, cereal, pancakes, eggs - one of these items enters my mouth by noon. By 2, I'm munching on chocolate, crackers or string cheese - and by 4 I'm eating another meal. A few more chocolate snacks enter my mouth before dinner - where I will have a full meal followed by dessert. Thus - you can see my desire for a detox that would rid me of my cravings and help me get back on a healthy track.

Anyways - the mental challenge is certainly the lack of meals. That said, I haven't had too many crazy cravings because the juices really fill you up. To be honest, the green juice (romaine, kale, celery, apple, lemon, etc) - tastes good but I'm usually queasy by my 2nd one. I've been skipping the 3rd green juice entirely b/c my stomach just can't handle it.

The spicy lemonade and Pineapple/Apple/Mint juices are light and refreshing and a good break from the heavier green juice. Finally, there's the cashew milk which is really great and if you have a good imagination, you can drink it with a spoon, pretending its ice cream or something else decadent.

One of the negatives I have with this diet is that every juice is SUPER SWEET. My sweet tooth is gone - perhaps that's a good thing. I'm craving salt which is surprising b/c I rarely do.

This morning, after 1 full day of juicing, I have lost approximately 2 lbs. I know this is just water weight but its still very substantial seeing as I have a fairly small frame.

i also did a light 10 min job + 40 min of vinyasa yoga today.

right now - the time is 5:47 and i feel a little sick to my stomach - i've drank 1/2 of my 3 out of 6 juices and i'm really waiting for my evening cashew milk.

my goal with this is to end my cleanse tomorrow and then start eating a primarily raw diet post-cleanse. i've realized that my mind, body and mental health is best when i am eating less refined carbs and junk. I am happier, more alive and less tense.

let's see. i will keep my progress posted via this blog.