Week One

     We have cutout cokes, unless we get one while we are out. So basically anywhere from one-none. Jack already feels more energized, I haven't really noticed a difference. I bought the LaCroix carbonated drinks to feed my carbonation fix. So far, so good. Cutting out starches in moderation. Still eating meals with them, just smaller portions. Have been buying the hormone free meat for meals. Emptied out our pantry. Trying to only buy healthy snacks. Couldn't stop eating chips all together, so I bought corn tortilla chips and made salsa from scratch. Found out the clean 15 versus the dirty dozen and am buying organic fruits and vegetables accordingly. Enjoyed the farm fresh eggs, need to buy more. Bought organic milk. Jack is drinking sweet tea, but in moderation, and watered down at that. The boys have organic juices to drink.

     My goals: to make a meal list, so I have a planned out grocery list, invest in a crock-pot and a juicer, and go to the farmer's market this weekend. 

Making a Lifestyle Change

     Hopping on the gluten-free fad... Well, we kind-of are. Bought and read the GAPS Diet book. Have done my research on the affects that certain foods have on our bodies, and we've decided to make a lifestyle change. I will now be using this blog as a food journal to track what we eat and how we feel.   

     Main Objectives:
-cut out processed foods
-cut out sugar and sodas
-cut out starches
-eat more "fresh" fruit and vegetables (clean 15 vs. the dirty dozen)
-buy organic, especially with dairy (milk, butter, yogurt, sour cream, etc.)
-buy hormone free meat
-buy eggs from a local farmer
-shop at farmer's market
-buy local
-buy a juicer, so I can get vitamins naturally over supplements
-take a supplement for my cod-liver oil, omega-3, and omega-6
-maybe take a probiotic (still researching to see if necessary)

Four Week Diet FAIL

     So, not sure if it's my increased travel schedule or the fact that I'm just not self-disciplined enough, but I am not able to complete my four week plan. Unfortunately with my job, I am traveling about every other week, and it's hard as hell to eat the diet I would like to eat while eating out all of the time. Plus, after a day of travel and sales calls, exercising is the last thing on my mind. A good friend once told me that tan hides fat. Well, maybe since I happen to be super tan right now, I am okay with my body.

     My new goal, just a more disciplined lifestyle. I will blog when I can, eat healthy when I can, and exercise when I can. I have decided to be more conscious of what I put in my mouth. Not that I was bad before, but I plan to be better. My house is filled with more fresh fruit and vegetables and very few processed foods. I am allowing myself two caffeinated drinks per day, either one coffee and one coke or two cokes. I am drinking more and more water. I am trying to exercise two to three times per week. And I've learned that avocado slices on toast makes for a delicious breakfast. Hopefully, as I get more accustomed to my schedule with my job, I will be able to exercise more frequently.

     During this four week diet, I lost 10 pounds and gained back 5. And for the past month I have been stuck at the same weight, regardless of what I do. I would like to lose another 10 pounds, so that when I gain back the 5 pounds, I'll be 5 pounds lighter than I am now. We'll see, as long as I am living healthy and I feel confident, I suppose that's all that matters.\

Week Three: Day Two

     Well, I did okay... I had to leave first thing in the morning to drive to another city for my job (approximately three hours on the interstate). Coffee was a necessity. I also ate a banana. About two hours into my drive I pulled over and stopped at a Burger King. While there I got a bacon, egg, and cheese croissantwich, hashbrowns, and a coke. I ate the sandwich all gone, but didn't finish my hashbrowns. For lunch I ate a very healthy salad (according to the menu it only had 340 calories with the dressing). It has mixed greens, spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, and sprouts. The avocado and bell pepper were awesome! The rest of it kind of tasted like dirt so I only ate about a half or a third of it. I also got an unsweetened ice tea as my drink. For dinner, I ate a chain restaurant. Not my favorite, but I am in a new city, and am not sure what local restaurants around my hotel are good. I had a small salad, a small steak, and a loaded mashed potatoes. I also drank one Bud Light. My dinner was not healthy.

     I did not exercise today. However, my hotel does include a gym, so I may exercise tomorrow.
  

Week Three: Day One

     Week three is all about antioxidants and drinking lots of water. I've been drinking way more water so I really need to focus on the antioxidants. I have to travel for three days this week, so we'll see how that goes. It's rather challenging to eat healthy and stick to a strict diet when you're eating out for every meal.

     Today I had a cup of coffee for breakfast. I ate a chicken salad sandwich and some chips for lunch with a coke as my drink. For dinner I lightly pan fried thin chicken breast in olive oil. I also made couscous and lentils and a homemade Tziki sauce for the chicken.

Week Two: Days Six and Seven

     Over the weekend I kind of let loose. I have come to the conclusion that more than just a four week bikini fit, I want this to be a way of life. So, my goal is to eat extra healthy during the week and give my self kind of a free pass on the weekends. As of now, it's a bit challenging to exercise on the weekends, and since I've decided to not drink alcohol during the week, I have decided I'm not going to sweat having some light beers or some wine on the weekends. However, in order to be more health conscious I may try out the Skinny Girl brand wine...

Week Two: Day Five

Breakfast: one cup of orange juice, one bowl of organic granola cereal and half of a banana
Lunch: salad with avocado, cherry tomatoes, carrots, celery, and one scoop of chicken salad with a small amount of vinaigrette dressing and a handful of crackers
Dinner: pork tenderloin, roasted cauliflower, salad
Snacks: two Mich Ultras, two cokes, small amount of pepperonis, cheese, and crackers

Exercise: 25 minutes of cardio and a 5 minute ab workout. Both caused me to sweat and curse life.


     When I woke up this morning I thought that my legs were going to fall off. They still are sore, so I tried to focus on workouts that didn't use them too much. My 5 minute ab workout was so intense that I have a feeling that my abs will now be sore all day as well.

     As far as food is concerned, I recently purchased Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook titled, "It's All Good".  I am kind of obsessed with GP, but in a healthy way (not stalker crazy way). I subscribe to her blog, GOOP. I've been following it since she started it a few years ago. Now it has really grown into big thing. I love how she totally researches things to find out what's best. Her second cookbook is all about healthy eating, but it a fun and delicious way. Due to health issues, GP sought out guidance from many experts, and learned via blood tests that she needed to hit the reset button via an elimination diet (very similar to my detox diet from week one). Once she had completed the diet she consulted the health expert who advised it on what she was able to eat after the fact. He told her that she really needed to eat like that all of the time. That would be near impossible, so she tries to eat that way most of the time. Her cookbook is full of tasty recipes that are gluten, dairy, and sugar free. I am looking forward to trying them out.

     After reading GP's book, I feel a mix of emotions. So much of me would love to grow my own garden, go to the farmers market, buy only organic, but I live on a budget, and I am not disciplined enough to spend all of that extra time in the garden or in the kitchen. I am going to do my research and try to find the items that it really matters to buy organic. I would also like to start making a meal plan and working in some of her recipes into our daily, weekly, monthly routine. Another friend of mine once told me that she follows an 80/20 diet. 80% of eating healthy and 20% of indulging. I want to do what's best for my body and for my family. However, I don't want to care about it so much that I don't enjoy the occasional hot dog at the ballpark, popcorn at the movies, and ice cream cone on a hot summer afternoon. My goal is to try out the local market, support local farms, and try to buy things that are close to home (I've heard that the closer the produce comes from, the better it is for you). Maybe I can make that a fun weekend event with my family? In the meantime, I will still do my best to buy the best from my favorite grocery, Publix. It's hard to beat a place where I can buy everything I need from organic items, to household supplies.
  

Week Two: Day Four

Breakfast: coffee with creamer and a bowl of cereal

Lunch: chicken salad sandwich (and I added craisens to the salad) and a handful of crackers

Dinner: homemade stir fry chicken breasts and homemade vegetable fried rice with asparagus, broccoli, corn, onion, and one egg
Snacks: one coke and one Chipsahoy chocolate chip cookie

Exercise: 25 minutes of cardio, 200 leg lifts, and 150 crunches. My heart hurts, I was sweating, and I am kind of sore... exercising kicks my ass! I am SO out of shape!!!


     Looking back at my week two plan from the book, I need to exercise everyday for the rest of the week since I've already skipped two days, I need to eat healthier snacks, and I need to eat breakfast every morning and trade my morning cup of coffee for either a smoothie or some orange juice. On a good note, I am drinking much more water.

Week Two: Day Three

Breakfast: coffee with creamer
Lunch: salad with red onion, cheery tomatoes  cucumber, cheese, grilled chicken, bacon, and hard boiled eggs with a small amount of ranch and vinaigrette dressing
Dinner: couscous with extra virgin olive oil and Parmesian cheese, and a little of what was leftover from my salad
Snacks: four Chipsahoy chocolate chip cookies and one coke

Exercise: none

Week Two: Day Two

Breakfast: coffee with creamer
Lunch: a McDonald's cheeseburger, small fry, and a small coke
Dinner: homemade spaghetti
Snacks: had a second coke and a cheese quesadilla

Exercise: none

Day Two was kind of a fail...

Week Two: Day One

     One of my best friends ordered the book Bikini Fit and committed to do the bikini plan with me. Had I stayed on task, I would most likely be on week four now. However, seeing as follow through of week two has been a struggle for me, I agreed to wait to start week two, until my friend completed her detox week. This way she and I will do the rest of the weeks together, and will check in with each other on a daily basis as accountability partners. I even helped her start a blog as a food and exercise journal.

Breakfast: one cup of coffee with creamer, organic vanilla yogurt and organic granola
Lunch: three cheese sticks and one slice of pepperoni and mushroom pizza, water as my drink
Dinner: had a Junior League Meeting so I skipped dinner
Snacks: had one glass of champagne at the meeting and when I got home I snacked on some carrots and pita chips with hummus and drank one coke

Exercise: I did some leg lifts. Didn't break a sweat, but my legs felt the burn...

Week Two: Weight Loss

     Okay, so I took about a 10 day hiatus. I kind of rearranged my priorities, but I am officially back on track. I did not do anything too crazy as to not throw off my week of detox, but I certainly have not been eating as healthy as I hoped nor exercising. I have realized that I need to keep a food journal. It is a great accountability partner. I seem to have convinced myself that if I'm not writing it down, it's not real... But for some reason knowing that I am going to be posting my meals and keeping track of them makes me feel obligated to eat healthier. So, back to the daily food and exercise journal I go!

     My book, Bikini Fit, also recommends that you keep a food journal, as well as raid your pantry and get rid of any temptations, and meal planning. It suggests that a balanced diet includes 1 serving of sugars and fats, 2-3 servings of protein and dairy, 5 servings of fruit and vegetables, and 4-5 servings of starches. It also includes examples of each on pages 50-51. Some tips include the following:

• eat little and often
• take time to enjoy your food
• drink up - 8 glasses of water per day
• exercise more
• keep nutritious snacks handy
• beware of empty calories
• control your appetite - learning when to say no
• low-fat cooking

   
     The book includes suggested meals on pages 56-57, which I am going to try and follow. It also says to not skip breakfast, even if it's only a banana. This helps give your digestive system a kick-start to restart your metabolism after a night's sleep.

     Exercise for week two involves a muscle-building work-out. A 5-10 minute warm-up, 20 minutes of a muscle-building workout with heavy weights, 30 minutes of aerobic exercise, 10 minutes of toners, and a 5-10 minute cool down. Since I am not a member at a gym, I will most likely stick to the suggested exercises in the book and exercise routines found via Comcast On-Demand. Lastly, the chapter on week two recommends exfoliation during bathing, hydrotherapy, and massage. Apparently continual rubbing of lotion onto your skin helps to break-up and prevent cellulite. 

Days After Detox...

     Okay so I meant to start week two on Tuesday, it is now Thursday. Stuff came up at work, and I've been busy. I haven't gone crazy with my eating habits or anything, but I have not exercised at all. I have decided to take Friday (tomorrow) off of work, and will be able to go to the grocery store, make a meal plan, and get back into exercising then. As long as I make a plan, I will follow through. One a side note, I have gained back 2-3 lbs. of the original 10 pounds that I lost.

Day After Detox

     So week two of Bikini Fit is all about weight loss, eating healthy, aerobic exercise... I will blog about that tomorrow. For now, I need a day off. I just detoxed for a week, I am rewarding myself, by just enjoying a day of normalcy. For breakfast, I ate a granola bar with a glass of milk. That glass of milk may have been one of the best tasting glasses of milk that I have ever had. For a snack I ate about five Lays potato chips and had my first coke in seven or eight days. Delicious! For lunch, I met a friend at Chicken Salad Chick and ate a buffalo-flavored chicken salad sandwich with a water as the drink. For a snack in the afternoon I drank another coke. For dinner, we went to my mom's house. She made a St. Patrick's Day meal for me, the day after, since I was detoxing on the actual holiday. I ate corned beef, spatzel (a potato noodle), carrots, and a baked guyere cheese and pearl onion dish. It was ever so tasty. I have found that since my detox, I get fuller faster, so I only was able to eat small portions of everything. Even at lunch, I would have typically gotten a side of chips or something with my sandwich, but today the sandwich was enough. I drank one beer, a Bud Light, with dinner. Lastly, before bed, I ate four Oreos with a glass of milk. I hope I didn't mess up my detox too much!

Detox Week: Day Seven- Add Fish

     Any fish will do, but your skin will benefit from the EFAs found in oily fish, such as sardines, tuna, and salmon. (pg. 29) I only like non-fishy fish, like fried grouper so I just repeated Day 6. Day 7 was especially hard for me, because I knew how close to the end of detox I was, that I just kept wanting to be like, "Well, it's almost over, so what's quitting early?" Plus, I was just ready to eat whatever I was craving again, but again I persevered.

     For breakfast I ate yogurt with granola. For lunch we went out to eat. About the only thing on the menu I could eat was a summer salad, with mixed greens, red onions, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and cucumbers. I used the raspberry vinaigrette sparingly. Oh, and there was feta cheese on it, which I do not think I am allowed to eat, but I figure feta of all cheeses must be kind of like the yogurt with live enzymes or whatever, right??? So, I'm going to consider that a partial cheat. I didn't really eat dinner. I mostly just snacked on some banana chips, sunflower seeds, and granola throughout the evening.

     I did not exercise, but I had a pretty full day of outdoor fun with my family.

     Thank the Lord, I made it through one week of detox. I am very proud of myself for my determination. I was not perfect, but I was close enough. During my week of detox I dropped five pounds. I also dropped five pounds during my prep for detox week. So, in the past two weeks, I have dropped 10 lbs. total. I am happy with my weight now. My goals for weeks 2-4 of bikini fit is to maintain a healthy lifestyle that introduces myself and my family to foods that are healthy and good for our bodies, and to introduce some exercise into my life. All in all to be bikini fit and ready for the summer.

Detox Week: Day Six- Add Grains and Live Yogurt

     The yogurt should be from goat's or sheep's milk, which is easier to digest than live yogurt from cow's milk but has the same beneficial action on the gut. The grains should always be whole grains, which provide fiber to help move waste through the intestines and trace minerals useful for liver function. Choose from rye, buckwheat, barley or oats - anything but wheat. All help to deliver a slow and steady supply of glucose into the blood, enabling liver to build up a supply of glycogen, which it needs to carry out its detox functions effectively as well as deliver sugar into the blood for emergency energy. (pg. 28)

     I was so excited to be able to eat yogurt. I must say that I could not find any yogurt made with sheep's or goat's milk at my grocery so I settled on the "YoBaby" brand of yogurt because I saw that it contained "actives" or "live" enzymes or cultures or whatever. I made a fresh plate of fruit for the whole family that included watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, blackberries, and bananas. I also cooked scrambled eggs and baked cinnamon rolls for my family. For my breakfast, besides munching on some of the fresh fruit. I ate my yogurt and added some of my organic granola, strawberries, and blueberries to it. It was delicious!

     Around noon, I sat outside in my front yard with my neighbor while our kids played. Mental note, must remember to apply sunscreen as I was wearing a strapless top and am now fried on my chest and have a wicked tan-line! I know that this book highly promotes the use of sunscreen, so I must do better!

     For lunch, I made myself a salad, with spinach leaves, mixed greens, onions, cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, and celery. I used a Tbsp. of the Newman's Own Organic Vinaigrette as the dressing. I also munched on some watermelon. In the afternoon, I met up with my mom, went to the park, left my youngest with her so he could spend the night with her. After that, I took my oldest son with me to see a movie. He was craving food, so we ran through McDonald's on the way to the movies. It was very hard to go through that drive-thru while hungry and realize there was nothing on the menu that I could eat. And boy did his fries sure smell tasty! By the time we got home from the movies, it was late, and I was too lazy to fix myself a dinner. So, I snacked on some watermelon, raw and unsalted sunflower seeds (which I've really grown quite a taste for), and banana chips. Only one more day...

Detox Week: Day Five- Add Beans, Lentils, Nuts, and Seeds

     Beans and lentils are a good source of protein, but should not be eaten with rice at this stage since mixing starchy carbohydrates and protein can slow digestion. Try to leave four hours between consumption of the two food types. Nuts should be eaten raw and unsalted. Like seeds, they provide useful calories in the form of essential fatty acids (EFA's). which are needed by the body but which it cannot manufacture. EFA's also stimulate the flow of bile, which speeds up digestion. Sesame, sunflower and linseeds are all rich sources. (pg. 28)

     Today I ate fresh fruit for breakfast. I had my usual watermelon and grapes. For lunch I ate a mix of raw, unsalted sunflower seeds, banana chips, raisins, and organic granola. (I forgot you couldn't add granola until Day 6.) I also made myself a banana, strawberry, and orange juice smoothie. Since today was Friday, and the day was gorgeous, after school, and after work my family and my neighbors and all of the neighborhood kids gathered together, and the adults all sat in our lawn chairs and visited while our children played. Pretty much everyone had a alcoholic drink in-hand besides me, so that was a little tempting, but I'm already on Day 5, no way I'm caving now! For dinner, I made fajitas and tacos and yellow rice. For myself I cooked brown rice and added onions and bell peppers to it. Then I added some salsa (I made sure to check the ingredients that is all natural.) I definitely miss cheese and sour cream and meat!

Detox Week: Day Four- Add Cooked Vegetables and Brown Rice

     I woke up with a slight headache. My face has a clear complexion, which is nice. I went about my morning duties, and while standing in the kitchen making my kid's lunch and getting their breakfast, I realized how much I'm over this detox. Smelling my husband's coffee did not help. I want to eat some cereal, a nutrigrain bar, have some coffee with cream, drink some milk, eat some cheese. Oh, how I miss dairy! And cokes, I don't even care about the caffeine, but I want a tasty coke on ice. And butter, how I wouldlove to add some butter and salt to my cooked vegetables. I refuse to cave, but this is starting to get hard. I want something to drink besides water or a smoothie.

     The book recommends you cook the vegetables with as little water and for as short as possible so the vegetables retain their maximum nutritious value. Steaming and stir-fry are the best methods. Cruciferous vegetables (leafy green vegetables) are particularly good for an overtaxed liver. The rice should always be brown short-grain as this is by far the most absorbent type. It soaks up toxins from the gut, is the most easily digested, and contains the most fiber. Among recommended spices are cayenne pepper and ginger because they both stimulate digestion and encourage the elimination of toxins through the skin. Other vegetables that have detox properties include, leeks, onions, garlic, globe artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, and beetroot. (pg. 27)

     For breakfast I ate watermelon. For lunch I ate ginger carrot soup and brown rice. I made the ginger carrot soup from scratch. I simmered some ginger, onions, and garlic in a sauce pan with small amount of extra virgin olive oil, then I added chopped carrots, and organic vegetable stock. I let the carrots cook in the stock until they were soft, then I took the mixture and put it in my blender and blended it until it was in a soup-like consistency. My lunch was delicious. As much as I would love to eat some potato chips or pita chips right now, I just keep telling myself, just three more days.

     For dinner I fixed myself the ginger carrot soup again with some brown rice, but after a few bites, I just was over it. So, I ate half of an avocado instead. I also worked out again. Same basic workout with 15 minutes of stretching and warming up, 15 minutes of cardio, and then a cool down. Lastly, I bought some organic banana chips to snack on throughout the day when I get hungry and am craving something crunchy and chip-like.

Detox Week: Day Three- Add Raw Vegetables

     I woke up feeling great. My husband noticed that I look thinner. I weighed myself, and I am eight pounds less than my dreaded weight at the doctor's office. I only had three white heads on my face. I ate watermelon and grapes for breakfast. I've been eating a lot of watermelon, and will have to make another trip to the grocery. I have done some research and watercress contains beta-carotene and sulfur, both of which are liver tonics. It also is an anti-cancer super food. Dandelion leaves are loaded with antioxidants. They are bitter so it is recommended you use them in a fruit smoothie and start with a small amount until you develop a taste for them. I also found this great website for healthy smoothies, www.incrediblesmoothies.com.

     For lunch today I decided to eat some raw vegetables. So, to me, the idea of raw vegetables without salt or ranch is kind of crazy. So, when I made my salad today, I used a Tbsp. of Newman's Own Organic Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette. I read all of the ingredients, and it's pretty much oil & vinegar and onion, pepper, garlic. Besides the oil & vinegar (I'm not sure where they stand in the detox process), everything else seemed like it was on my approved list. And on Day Four you can add spices like cayenne pepper and ginger, so what's a tablespoon of a vinaigrette to add flavor? My salad was a mix of leafy greens and spinach, half of an avocado, cherry tomatoes, onion, and slices of bell pepper. I also have been drinking lots of water with fresh squeezed lemon.

     I must also mention that my body is sore from yesterday's workout. Hopefully, I will sstick to my plan of exercising regularly and my body will get used to it.

     So, for dinner, I kind of cheated on my detox. I didn't do anything major, like drink caffeinated beverage, but I did skip ahead to tomorrow's approved food - cooked vegetables and brown rice. My husband thought I could eat that today, and being supportive suggested that we have rice-stuffed peppers and chicken on the grill for dinner and that he would grill vegetables for me. I appreciated his support, and the meal sounded delicious, so I went ahead and ate the Day Four approved foods for dinner. And man was it delicious. I made brown rice for me and white rice for my family. I added peppers, onions, mushrooms, and broccoli to the rice, and a tablespoon of organic vegetable stock. Then I stuffed red peppers. I added cheese as a topping to my families. My family loved it. I will definitely make it again. Mine was great; however, I am sure it will taste even better when I can add salt and cheese to mine. We also ate steamed broccoli and they ate grilled chicken and I ate grilled peppers and onions. Tonight was the first time that I really craved a coke with dinner, but I stuck to my water with fresh squeezed lemon, and dealt with the craving.

Top Detox Foods

Grocery List for Detox Week:

• Apples
• Beetroot
• Brown short-grain rice
• Cayenne pepper
• Dandelion leaves
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Globe artichoke
• Grapes
• Jerusalem artichoke
• Leafy green vegetables
• Leeks
• Mango
• Onions
• Parsley
• Pineapple
• Strawberries
• Watercress
• Watermelon

Detox Week: Day Two- Liquid and Fruit Only

     So, I must confess that last night around 8pm I started feeling like sh*t! It wasn't even that I wanted to cave because I knew bedtime was approaching, but I just felt awful. All I wanted to do was go to sleep. I had the worst headache and felt slightly nauseas. You would have thought that I was having hard core drug withdrawals or something. I did this diet when I was in college, and I do not remember ever feeling as bad as I felt last night. As bad as I felt though, it made me want to persevere even stronger because it made me wonder what the heck I had put in my body to make me feel so bad.

     I woke up feeling fine. Surprisingly not even that hungry. For breakfast I ate some watermelon and raspberries. I also drank a small glass of Simply Orange orange juice. It's not from concentrate so I'm hoping it doesn't throw off my detox too much. When I looked in the mirror this morning, my face definitely had like ten whiteheads, which the book warned of. At least I know that the detox is working. Hopefully the funk will get all out of my system or already has, so I won't have to go through any more nights like last night. We'll see how the day goes...

     The book states that fruits are generally very alkaline foods so they help neutralize the acidic waste that is produced when your boy starts to detoxify. With their high fiber content, fruits are also good laxatives and will help shift some of the estimated 6 1/2-9lbs. of decayed material in the intestines. There are five key fruits to aid with the detox process. Apples contain pectin which removes toxins and tartaric acid, which aids in digestion. Pineapples contain the enzyme bromelin which produces acids that destroy 'bad' bacteria in the gut, and encourage the growth of 'good' bacteria important for digestion, and support tissue repair. Mangos contain bromelin, and papain, which help break down protein wastes. Grapes help to counter the production of mucus, which can clog up tissues, and cleanse the liver and kidneys. Their high fructose content also produces instant energy. Watermelon is a diuretic, which speed the passage of fluids carrying toxins through the system. (pg. 26)

     For lunch I made a banana, strawberry, and orange juice smoothie. I drank a lot of water throughout the day. I never had a headache, so I'm thinking the caffeine withdrawals are over. Because I am able to eat food, I had no problem preparing dinner for my family. I will say that their chicken and couscous and carrots smelled amazing! But I came to the table with a plate of apple slices, grapes, raspberries, and blackberries, and another banana, strawberry, and orange juice smoothie so I was able to watch them eat without feeling like a tortured soul. We had another movie night, and it was hard to watch them eat their brownies and popcorn, so I snacked on watermelon and instead. Being able to snack on grapes and watermelon will probably get me through this detox for the next few days.

     I cannot leave out that Bikini Fit also promotes exercise and skin detox. I refused to exercise the day of liquids only. But today I felt well enough to tackle exercising, which is a huge deal, because I honestly do not think I have exercised since college. Well, I have done a yoga class here and there, and I tried zumba once. So, if I had those up, I've exercised a total of maybe 10 times in the past seven years. Due to the intensity of the detox diet, the book exercising only 3-5 times per week. For the week of detox the regimen is 5-10 minutes of warm-up, 15 minutes of aerobic exercise, 10 minutes of toners, and 5-10 minutes of a cool down.  I followed this work out, and afterwards I was so proud of myself. The 15 minutes of cardio kicked my butt though. I found exercise via my Comcast On-Demand feature and the aerobic exercise was basically 15 minutes of jumping jacks. I know that sweating is a great way to release toxins and since that's my goal this week, I am going to use that to keep me motivated to exercise.

     The skin detox regimen for the week focuses on exfoliation and hydrotherapy. The book claims that exfoliating boosts circulation, stimulates the elimination of toxins through the lymphatic system, and speeds up skin cell renewal. This is easy for me because I use face wash and body wash with salt scrubs or whatever that promotes exfoliation. As effect of hydrotherapy is to deep-cleanse the skin and jump start the system, by stimulating the circulation of the blood and lymph. This is often achieved by extreme temperatures. Long term  results of hydrotherapy include a strengthened immune system. The book recommends you practice hydrotherapy at least once a week. A hydrotherapy shower would be a shower with 2 minutes of warm to hot water, 30 seconds of cold water, and repeating each step two more times. Once down with the shower dress warmly and go lay down for 10 minutes. Afterward your whole body will be tingling with vitality and your energy will be increased throughout the day. I did this in my shower. I love taking burning hot showers and switching to the cold was quite a shock to my system. I only repeated it twice, and was not up for doing the last step of hot/cold. (pg. 44)

     All in all today was a good day, and I am very excited about my detox and commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

Detox Week: Day One- Liquids Only

     Stage one of the detox diet is liquids only. Traditionally this is water. Adding a squeeze of fresh lemon to your water not only enhances the flavor, but also stimulates the bowels. Besides water, you can include freshly made fruit and vegetable juices, unsweetened herbal and spice teas such as ginger or dandelion, and broth, made from fresh organic vegetables simmered in water. I may cheat a little, while I realize that the detox is about purification and all organic, etc. etc. etc., I also have to work with what I have. I will be making a trip to the grocery store, but currently I don't have any fresh, organic oranges to squeeze.
   
     Suggested juices: Apple and Carrot Juice - for the best general tonic for cleansing and boosting the immune system, juice together four carrots and two green apples. Raspberry and Peach Juice - a juice great if you are overtired or anemic  juice together 4oz of raspberries and two peaches. Add an apple if you find the juice is too thick.

     It's lunchtime, and the headache has set in. Not sure if it's from no caffeine or just the fact that I have not eaten anything. It's most likely a combination of both. As I cleaned up the kitchen I saw the brownies, and in hindsight I wish that I had eaten more than two of them last night. I decided to go with a two banana and 1/3 cup orange juice for the smoothie. I'm too hungry and grumpy and headache-y to stomach the idea of blending carrots and apples as a drink. The smoothie is actually quite good. The bananas have made it pretty thick so maybe this can help me pretend that it's meal or something of sustenance. Hopefully the headache will go away. I've only been awake five hours and all I can tell myself is persevere, persevere, persevere.

     So, I am halfway through the smoothie and my headache is subsiding. Maybe it was all mental to begin with, who knows? I do feel better though and the happiness with knowing I'm halfway through my day of liquids only and that I haven't caved, is worth the mild headache and grumpiness that I had earlier. I feel good about myself and what I'm doing. Hopefully, this positive attitude will get me through until dinner-time.

     Headache came back and has pretty much been constant since mid-afternoon. Being at my house today stunk! I almost caved so many times. I tried the apple and carrot juice for my dinner. I do not own a juicer, so I made it in my blender on the "juice" setting and added some water to keep it from breaking my blender. The juice was alright. It tied me over, but I would never just make it and drink it on my own. Plus, there were some chunks of apple so I had to use a strain. Also, I added some cucumber slices to my water to flavor it. Then I could pretend like I was eating it. I refused to cook dinner on a night that I can't eat, so left-overs were dinner for my family. Too bad the pizza smelled amazing as it was reheating in the oven. There is just something about the smell of cooked peppers. This is hard. If I didn't have a pounding headache, I'm sure it'd be much easier. I know I can do this. My strongest motivation is counting down the hours until bedtime. I cannot wait for tomorrow when I can add raw fruit.

Why Detox?

     As week one, Detox Week, is starting, I feel it's necessary to include "why" I am going to detox. I have pulled some key things from the book Bikini Fit that I am basing my Living Healthier Blog on to show why this book and method is the route I have chosen to take. I believe in and support everything that this book states. :-)

     Our food has lost much of its nutritional value through processing, and it's packed full of fat, sugar, and additives. When we pour these and other toxins like alcohol and caffeine into our bodies, our metabolism prioritizes rendering them harmless or detoxed. This leaves less energy for the everyday processes of cleansing, healing and renewal. Over time, the body cannot keep up the pace, strain on the overworked liver and kidneys shows the  and the body's performance slows down. (pg. 22)

     A detox diet allows two things, you stop overloading on harmful things for your body and you give it plenty of the right nutrients to speed up the elimination of old toxins and promote cell renewal. As the cells are rejuvenated you become healthier and you look and feel younger. Eating food as close to it's natural state is at the core of any detox diet. So, raw fresh fruit and vegetables, lentils, and whole grain rice will play a large part in the detox diet. You also need to cut out things like, smoking, alcohol, caffeine, and drugs, for the detoxification process to work. (pg. 22) Going an entire week without caffeine and alcohol sounds excruciating! Water is the quickest and purest way to flush the toxins out of your system. So I will be drinking a lot of it.
     
     The first few days of a detox diet can be an endurance test, within a relatively short time you will feel re-energized and your skin will be glowing. As your body starts to clear itself of trapped toxins, you usually feel tired and may suffer muscle pains, mood swings, headaches, and skin problems. Oh joy! But do persevere! Detoxing is much easier than you think. Or so the book says. (pg. 23)

     By undertaking a detoxifying program you can help your liver, kidneys and skin, the main organs of detoxification. Detoxification does not involve diet alone. There are therapies that help the general detox process by improving the circulation of blood and lymph. They include deep breathing exercises, exfoliation, hydrotherapy, massage, and exercise (releases toxins via sweat). (pg. 23)

     The book states that it's detox diet is designed for a normal, healthy adult and should not be undertaken without prior consultation with a doctor. The book suggests that you calculate your BMI to find out if you are considered overweight and to help you determine how much weight to lose. To calculate your BMI you take your weight in pounds and multiply it by 700. Then you take that number and divide it by your height in inches squared. For women, a healthy BMI is between 19 and 24.
   
     I started this Healthy Living Blog, to lose some weight (as I mentioned in the Straw that Broke the Camels Back post), but mainly to get back on track with Living Healthier, hence the blog name. Since my BMI is on target with being healthy, my main focus is to detox myself from all of the caffeine that I have been drinking and to get in shape. Being skinning is one thing, but I truly need to be healthy. I want to live a long full live with my family, and taking care of your body promotes that by preventing so many illnesses and diseases. And I believe that by focusing on Living Healthier the weight will get to where it needs to be.  

Gearing up for the Week of Detox

     So, of course I got sick the weekend I wanted to start my diet. There is no way that I am doing a week of detox while I'm sick, and I don't think it would be recommended anyway. So, I am taking this week to heal and prepare for my future of "diet and exercise." Since I am used to drinking one to cups of coffee in every morning and cokes continuously throughout the day, kicking caffeine is going to be a bitch! I generally do not eat breakfast, I go out to eat a lot for lunch, and I usually get sandwich and chips. I eat good dinners because it's important to me that my boys eat a square meal, with meat, vegetables, and a starch. We don't eat dessert at our house, but the boys get ice cream every Friday as a reward after dinner if they've had a good week. Lastly, I drink alcohol moderately, maybe 1-2 beers or glasses of wine, one or two nights of the week, and then a somewhat excessive amount, maybe 4-6 beers or glasses of wine, one night a week
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   In preparation for my week of detox, I have decided to give up coffee and replace it with smoothies. I love raw vegetables, but am not as big of a fan of raw fruit, so smoothies seem like the best way to get my fruit intake. I plan on eating salads or raw fruit and vegetables for lunch, and keeping my dinners the same as always. It's hard to change dinner's when your family is accustomed to something and they are not the one's dieting. Plus, we eat healthy dinner's 90% of the time. I am going to limit my alcohol intake, and only allow myself one coke per day. I'd like to walk or do some form of exercise too.

Here goes...
     Day One: Breakfast - a strawberry and banana smoothie, made with fresh strawberries, one banana, organic vanilla yogurt, and milk. Lunch -  a cup of plain flavored baked goldfish, some cubes of cheddar cheese, water. Dinner - spaghetti noodles with meat sauce and steamed asparagus, and a coke.

     Day Two: Breakfast - a strawberry smoothie, made with strawberries, organic vanilla yogurt, and milk. Lunch - salad and one mini-burger and a handful of french fries, water. Dinner - marinated pork tenderloin, roasted cauliflower, mac-n-cheese. Snacks - half of an avocado and cheery tomatoes in a lite, organic vinaigrette.

     Day Three: Breakfast - a banana smoothie, made with two bananas, organic vanilla yogurt, and milk. Lunch - half of an avocado and cheery tomatoes in a lite, organic vinaigrette, and one coke. Dinner - went out to eat because a friend in moving, went to Anthony's Woodfire Grill, got the Chicken Marsala with a vegetable medley of asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and yellow squash. Snacks - handful of pita chips with 1 Tbsp of hummus. Alcohol - two glasses of red wine with dinner.

    Day Four: Breakfast - a triple berry smoothie, made with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, organic vanilla yogurt, and milk. Lunch - noodles with olive oil and light Italian seasoning and light Parmesan cheese and a coke. Dinner - best stir fry chicken recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's My Father's Daughter cookbook and vegetable fried rice recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. Snacks - four Girl Scout thin mints.

     Day Five: Breakfast - a banana smoothie, made with two bananas, organic vanilla yogurt, and milk. Lunch - a junior bacon cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato from Wendy's with medium fountain coke. Snacks - lunch-sized bag of Lays potato chips. Drank one glass of white wine and got the muchies, FAIL! While munching, I finished the veggie fried rice leftovers, ate half an avocado, finished the thin mints (about 4), and drank half of a can of coke. But due to my schedule (gone from 5:15pm - 8:30pm en route to and from and attending Veggie Tales at CHC) I ended up not eating dinner so I'm just going to consider my munchies snacks as my dinner.

     Day Six: Breakfast - a cup of coffee (first in days, thought that was pretty good. Plus, I substituted the coffee for coke, so no cokes all day). Lunch - Thai chicken stir fry (small serving from Siam Bistro). Dinner - ate at Bella Bella so, 3pcs. Bubble bread, cup of French onion soup, and their Tuscan salad (mixed greens, eggplant, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, and chicken breast with a balsamic vinaigrette). Alcohol - two glasses of Cabernet with dinner and one blue moon out at the bar.

     Day Seven: Breakfast - half of a cup of coffee and 2 1/2 strawberry Nutrigrain bars. Lunch - a junior bacon cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato from Wendy's with medium fountain coke. Dinner - homemade pizza with bell peppers and mozzarella cheese. Snacks - half cup of popcorn with butter, 2 brownies, and a coke. We had a family movie night. I couldn't resist. :-)

Where to Start

     When I was in college, I read Bikini Fit: The 4-Week Plan by Hamlyn. It promotes Beauty, Exercise, Detox, and Energy. I believe in everything that the book says so it seemed like a natural place for me to start. So, I dug through some boxes, pulled it out, and re-read it. According to the book the four weeks go as follows:

Week 1 - Detox Week: 7-stage detox diet, kick start to weight-loss, stomach toning exercises, cleanse and invigorate your skin

Week 2 - Weight-loss Week: healthy eating plan, burn body fat, shape and tone your buttocks, anti-cellulite massage

Week 3 - Beauty Week: foods for super skin and hair, improve your fitness, strengthen your legs and tone your thighs, focus on your face

Week 4 - Energy Week: eat for energy, tone your upper body, get your beach body ready, be safe in the sun

The Straw that Broke the Camels Back

     Diets are everywhere! Exercise is everywhere! I have friends who have gym memberships, my neighbor goes running every morning at 5am, I see those marathon bumper stickers on every other car. Maybe they have always been there, but the fact that I have been avoiding diet and exercise like the plague since college, seems to make me think that diet and exercise are always around taunting me everywhere I go.

     I consider myself a generally healthy person. I've always used the excuse that I have a good metabolism and eat healthy most of the time. Plus, I have two young boys that keep me super busy, so I consider keeping up with them my exercise. I've gone pretty far with this excuse. The last time I actually dieted was my junior year of college. With my boys I, at best, gained 40 lbs. of baby weight, which thankfully fell off within weeks of having the babes. So, I have just avoided the words diet and exercise because I seemed to be doing just fine on my own. That is, until last Thursday...
 
     I have noticed during this winter that my pants were all a little tighter. I could still wear them, but only with loose fitted, flowing tops to hide the muffin-top. Still I was not motivated to actually do anything about it besides constantly suck-in while standing. Then last Thursday I got weighed at my doctor's office, and I had a mini panic attack. I had promised myself in college (after I gained weight during my study abroad program from too much food and way too much alcohol) that I would not let myself weigh more than a certain number, EVER, besides when I was pregnant, of course. Well, the weight the scale read was only 3.5lbs. away from that number. So, I realized there at my doctor's office that I needed to do something before it got too late.