Detox

So I’m three days into a detox diet.  I know, I know, how many times have you read “everything in moderation” on here?  I really do ultimately believe in that philosophy and will get back to living by it.  I’m torturing myself doing this because I wasn’t doing sugar in moderation.  Or alcohol.  Or chips/candy/chocolate/cereal/Coke Zero.  Yeah, pretty much if it started with a “c,” I was eating too much of it.  I’ve always had a soft spot for carbs, which were in danger of leading to more soft spots on my body so I finally decided enough was enough: if I can’t do moderation, I’ll do something extreme for a short time.  I’m trying not to think about it as punishment but…it kinda is.  I’m definitely paying the consequences for enjoying the holiday season. 

Which started the minute those Reese’s Pumpkins hit the shelves back in September.

I can’t exercise as much as I used to.  I just don’t have the time or the energy and it’s hard for me to muster the motivation once I get home.  Before Connor, I always went straight to the Y after work so there was no couch to knock me off track.  Now, I try to get to the Y three days a week and of course there are the walks with the dogs and the general chasing around of and playing with a mobile infant.  Once the weather warms up and the time changes, I hope to be better about getting in some weeknight runs and backyard boot camp sessions.

Since I’m not as active, I need to count on my diet to keep my weight in check.  Honestly, I’m surprised that I’m still wearing the clothes that I am considering how bad I’ve been in the food department.  But it just makes me think of the smaller clothes in my closet that I COULD be wearing if I had a little more discipline.  The detox diet is just a way of hopefully jump-starting my weight loss and a way to deal with my sugar cravings.

So what AM I eating, you’re wondering?  It’s pretty basic: meat, veggies (but no white potatoes), eggs, some nuts, good fats, and small amounts of fruit. There’s no dairy, beans, grains, or sugar, and there isn’t supposed to be any caffeine but I do have some green tea in the mornings at work. 

On Wednesday, I ate:

• Breakfast: 3 eggs scrambled, 2 sausage links
• Snack: Cashews
• Lunch: Bunless burger with grilled mushrooms, jalapenos, and avocado and a salad with an olive oil-vinegar dressing
• Dinner: Leftover rotisserie chicken, peas, and cauliflower (I should’ve had a good fat)
• Snack: An apple and a few almonds

I took a picture of my dinner from last night: grilled chicken, a small sweet potato with a little coconut oil (good fat!) drizzled on it and some cinnamon sprinkled on top, and peas.  That’s a lot of “real” food for the girl whose favorite dinner used to be a bowl of cereal carefully measured out so that she didn’t get more than one serving.

You aren’t supposed to snack because each meal should be filling enough on its own.  But I’m still figuring out how much and what to eat to ensure that I get enough.  Plus on Wednesday I had a late lunch and my breakfast at 6:30 just wasn’t going to hold me over til 2:00.  On the other two days, I only had one snack.

So far, the hardest part has been not having my morning crackers (another c!) and Coke Zero at work.  Yes, I at because I was hungry, but it was also just such a habit to have that snack at 10:00.  I’m sure after a weekend on the detox diet, I’ll be changing my tune about what the hardest part is.

This detox is supposed to last 21 days, which takes me to February 3^rd.  Between now and then, I have a Women’s Night in the ‘hood and a show with the McHusband at the DPAC on a Friday night.  The latter event is just before the end of the detox, and I am already thinking I’ll probably bend the rules and have some wine that night.

If I make it that long.