Detox

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My Detox Diaries: Yes! That's Kale on My Burger

Pumpkin Smoothie

 Well, I survived a 10-day detox/cleanse. And let me just say I DID NOT CHEAT one bit throughout the 10 days.

That’s right! No alcohol. No caffeine. No gluten, and only natural sugar found in foods. I even packed my own food for a huge Oktoberfest party. 

Yes, I did!

For those of you just joining us, I participated in a fall renewal detox designed by Lisa Consiglio Ryan of Whole Health Designs. As I shared in my earlier diaries, the program start was bumpy.  The middle days were a little better, and the finale was still no picnic. But, honestly, I could see a change in my body, and my mental clarity, especially in the afternoon.

Some people felt absolutely fantastic on the last few days. I did not.  I was still up and down like a roller coaster with my mood. I felt a little dizzy on the last day since I hadn’t eaten any beans in a day or two. I believe my iron was low.  But there were times during the detox when I was feeling great, too.  I posted the following on Facebook after I cut up a butternut squash for an hour while my two kids destroyed the house around me.

“I think to properly detox, you need to be wealthy, spend an entire week at a spa resort, have a personal chef, and most importantly, no small children around. You know...live like a celebrity.”
In hindsight that may be a little harsh, but I will tell you there were parts of this program that I had access to due to the personal coaching that I, unfortunately, didn’t have time to take advantage of on a daily basis.  I was to meditate, breathe, and listen to what my body was telling me.  It’s hard to do that with young children around.


I am feeling really good post detox.  Apparently, all this great cleansing food caused my gray hair to grow.
My salon appointment can't get here quickly enough. 

The only voice I heard was a little devil on my shoulder who kept telling me one thing: “You need a nice cup of warm tea to make it all better.”

I was to dry-brush my skin daily, view daily blogs, and check in with a support group.

Instead, I was busy running back to school because my son forgot his backpack one morning and avoiding routes that had a Starbucks. I was busy preparing not only my own food, but food for my family to eat, too.  I was busy listening to my husband tell me that this detox was making me mean and he would be glad when it was over.  I was viewing Lisa’s Day 5 vlog on Day 8. You get the idea. 

I did the food plan to a tee, but the mental and physical components of the program were put on a backburner.

So what happened on Day 11 when it was over? 

Lisa really encouraged us to not add caffeine or alcohol for another week because she said they were highly addictive substances that our body does not need.

I woke up the morning after the detox, saw that I weighed 126 pounds, and felt so good that I wanted to keep the momentum going.  This old saying is true.

“We only want what we can’t have!”
I had a very small cup of tea, with some almond milk, and no sugar. I didn’t even finish it. It really wasn’t even that good. I learned from this experience that my tea ritual was not so much about the caffeine, but instead I was addicted to the raw sugar that I put in my tea.  I did not give in to my old habits.

On Day 11, I chose to have the tea, but I chose not to have the sugar.  That’s a lifestyle change I plan to keep.  I also plan to continue to start my day with a glass of lemon water and shot of apple cider vinegar.

We also got back in the land of the living and had a break at Starbucks on Day 11. I had a sugar-free skinny latte and the tiniest bite of a pumpkin scone.  I didn’t even want it.  
A Starbucks break in Cary, North Carolina
What I loved was that I enjoyed being able to go into a Starbucks again and blend in with the other coffee junkies.  While on the plan, I felt a little depressed and deprived. I kind of wanted to be a recluse in my home and avoid temptations.  Now, I feel social again.

You’re not going to believe this, but I continued to eat detox meals until Saturday night, a whole three-and-a-half days after the detox ended. I loved the food on this program.

However, while making the bed in the morning with just a day or two left in the detox, a burger flashed before my eyes, but not just any burger.  I wanted a specific burger at the Raleigh restaurant Chuck’s. 


This is a restaurant owned by well-known Chef Ashley Christensen, who was on Iron Chef America last year. She’s known for organic, farm-to-table-type food. Sure, her food may have some calories, but it’s good food that I felt would get me back into normal living, so to speak. I told Will that I wanted to go to Chuck’s for dinner on Saturday night.

Let me introduce you to The LAST WORD, a 5-ounce, house-ground, 100 percent chuck on a potato roll with sottocenere, and shredded Dino Kale in a hazelnut vinaigrette. AMAZING.
The Last Word Burger at Chuck's  Raleigh

I also had a few Belgium fries and a craft brew from Mother Earth Brewing Company in Kinston, North Carolina. 

I felt good about what I ate, and I followed Lisa’s 80 percent-20 percent rule.  I indulged a little with the beer, but this week I’m going to do my best to eat whole, nonprocessed foods.

I woke up on Sunday morning still weighing 126 pounds. Typically, after a night eating out, I would be two to three pounds heavier the next morning. Not the case this time.  I would like to see this trend continue.

I am so glad to have had the opportunity for this detox/cleanse journey, as hard as it was on me.  I really think I learned a lot from the experience, and it helped me jumpstart some weight loss. 

 I have wanted to lose 5 pounds all year, but wasn’t successful. I would lose a couple of pounds then gain it all back.  My excess sugar, gluten, and lack of discipline plus a nonconsistent exercise routine hindered me from my goals.

Right now, I feel that my skin looks fresher, and I have more energy than I've had in quite awhile. 

Ask me any questions you may have, and I will follow up with you in a few weeks to let you know if I am being successful or reverting back to my old eating ways.  I have created a new post-detox Pinterest board with some good recipes to help me on my journey. 

I started with this Lentil Chili on Sunday night.
Lentil Chili Recipe from Whole Foods

 I think I’m on a roll.  
Related Posts:
My Detox Diaries: Confessions From a Processed Food Buyer
My Detox Diaries: The Middle Days
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My Detox Diaries: Yes! That's Kale on My Burger
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My Detox Diaries: Confessions from a Processed Food Buyer

Pear, Pecan, and Spinach Salad

The First Four Days

So far, I think I can sum up my detox journey which I announced on Monday with these simple words.

“I want some $*^% hot tea, and I want it now!”

I think about a nice, piping hot cup of English breakfast tea 24/7.  At this point, I would take it with almond milk and stevia, if I could, but tea and stevia are not allowed during this detox.  I can have herbal tea, but I don’t even brew a cup anymore in the morning. It just turns me off, and I would rather have cold lemon water.  I like green tea, but, unfortunately, it falls into the caffeine/processed category, so decaf is not allowed either.

As I write this, it’s the morning of day 5 of my 10-Day Fall Renewal Detox with certified health and fitness instructor Lisa Consiglio Ryan of Whole Health Designs. 

For those of you just joining me, fall is supposedly a great time to renew and rid your bodies of toxins.  Some people are paying Lisa to help them through this process. I, on the other hand, won this experience through a giveaway.

Whole Health Designs

A lot of people ask me, “Why would I do this?”  This is 10 days of eating whole, nonprocessed foods. No caffeine. No decaf anything. (It’s processed.) No gluten. (Bye, bye, bread and pasta.) No added sugar (only natural from nonprocessed foods), no dairy, and no alcohol.

It’s not easy! 

I’m not really sure why I’m doing this, either, but I will reveal that several years ago, before I became pregnant with my daughter, I began eating more whole foods, took high-potency vitamin supplements, exercised regularly, and got down to a healthy weight of 122 pounds. I felt really great during that time.  My energy level was through the roof.

Then came pregnancy, a new baby, hormone issues, struggles with losing pregnancy weight, life in my early 40s, and more chaos in my life. Add newly diagnosed post-pregnancy hypothyroidism plus a lot of computer time for writing to the equation, and I simply have not felt as good as I did in early 2009.  That was the “I-can-conquer-the-world feeling.”

Christmas 2008 shortly before my 40th birthday. I was starting to feel really good after having two miscarriages that year
By February 2009, I felt better than I had in a long time eating a whole food diet, and discovered I
was pregnant with my daughter in March. 

I wouldn’t mind getting that feeling back. It’s that simple. I lost all my pregnancy weight, but since I started blogging I have added 5 to 7 pounds back on the scale.

So, I thought, “Why not?” And here I am down this 10-day path.

As I emailed my coach last night to ask if it is normal to turn into a complete bitch around 6 p.m. at night, she told me that my body is working hard to get rid of the toxins. She simply said that moodiness can happen early on, but I’m almost at a turning point and will soon start to feel great. She reminded me that this is not an easy process, or people would be detoxing all the time.

When I told my husband her response, he just laughed. Truthfully, he thinks this is just a bunch of holistic mumbo jumbo. Is he right? Time will soon tell.

What Am I Eating?

The sauteed Kale with Cannelloni Beans is delicious

Here’s the good news. I really like the food on this detox. It’s rich butternut squash soup; a lot of dark, green, leafy vegetables; and raw veggies like cucumbers and carrots. It also includes pears, apples, raw almond butter, nuts, quinoa, lentils, and beans, beans, beans.

Let’s just say that I could probably ignite my own hot air balloon from eating all the beans.

Eating the food is not a problem for me at all.  I’m not a fan of rolled oats, but I can survive it, but … and it’s a big but … prepping the food drives me crazy.

I feel like I am working myself to death preparing three meals a day that can only be consumed by one. Other than not having my tea, this is one of the hardest parts of the detox for me.  It’s a lifestyle change for cooking. I’m always getting out the blender, etc. You need to sauté leeks just for lunch.  Get the idea?

I don’t think I have gotten a frying pan out for anything during the day except to make a grilled cheese for my child.

It’s been a royal pain to cook meals for my family and then something else for me.  But the recipes are good, and I do plan to work them into family meals once I learn to get the right quantities to feed a family.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I love this rich, butternut squash food.
On day one, I had a nagging, pounding headache for most of the day. My coach felt it was from my body’s lack of sugar, but I also had my menstrual cycle, so it’s really hard to know for sure.  I felt tired the first day and the second day, too.  Unfortunately, I’m battling some sinus issues right now, too, and that could also impact how I am feeling.  Some people experience nausea. I did not.

I think I have lost a pound or two. I weighed 128 pounds today, a weight that I thought I weighed before this detox, but with some nightly indulgence in Dave Matthews’wine plus my monthly cycle, my scales had me more at 130 when I finally put a battery in them the night before the detox. 

I am still very sluggish in the morning hours. However, by about 11 a.m., I am feeling pretty good, and then it lasts until about 6 p.m.  This is the time when I turn into a monster DEMON.  Once I get the kids to bed, I get a second wind and feel better, but am still staying up too late. I am not getting the full eight hours of sleep recommended.

I definitely feel better in the afternoon hours, after lunch. This is something that I can definitely see different since Monday. Prior to this detox, I felt as if I could not function without two cups of tea with sugar and milk around 1:30 p.m. I would also eat a bite of dark chocolate. I have more energy during this time, and am more focused. 

I don’t like to get out much. The Starbucks signs are too much of a temptation. I’ve been a little recluse. I think social situations will be hard, and I will need to eat beforehand.  We have a big Oktoberfest to attend tomorrow. That’s going to be a challenge. …

And I’ll let you know how it goes. … I’ve got five more days to go.


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My Detox Diaries: Confessions from a Processed Food Buyer

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My Next 10 Days

As luck would have it, I won a giveaway. 
No, it’s not an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii.
I wish.
It’s not a designer purse, or a $250 silk blouse that I have tried to win before on my friend Amy's blog. You know!  The things that I wish were in my closet, but cannot afford to stock in my own closet very often.
I know you are on the edge of your seat with anticipation.
But, let me assure it is not a box of gourmet chocolates.
Far from it, actually. 
Please don’t spit out your pumpkin spice latte when I tell you.  I don’t want you to waste any sugar on me.
I won the opportunity to get clean, and rid my body of toxins. Beginning October 1st, I am going to take part in the online “Fall Renewal: 10 Day Detox” program.

I can’t even bear to write this, but the road I’m going down is a road that has no chocolate, caffeine, pumpkin spice lattes, or alcohol.  Apparently, just lots of broccoli.
Sounds like a picnic in the park, doesn’t it?  You know I’m rolling my eyes.
I haven’t even started this program yet, and I’m already hearing the sugar Nazi yell harshly in my ear,
 “No, sugar for you!”
Wait, it gets worse.  
“No English Breakfast tea for you, either-you British wannabe.”
What's up Doc? I've prepped my carrots for the week

 Ahhhhhh! I don’t know if I can do it.
And when I head to an Oktoberfest party six days into the detox, she will be saying in my ear as I stare at the seasonal brews,
“Fuhgeddaboudit!”
Ouch! She is taking away everything I love.  
But, I know I can do this!!!
I try to eat healthy, I really do.   But, I do have too much sugar, processed foods, and other toxins in my diet.
I know that.  I think it’s why I’m secretly excited to give this program my all, and work to feel my best.
I went out to dinner at J.Betski's in Raleigh on Saturday for a last meal type of thing.
 I chose to have a beet infused vodka drink called the "Beet Hammer."  That has a healthy ring to it.  By the way, when
my detox is over, I'll be going back to J.Betski's. My food was delicious. 
My 43-year-old body needs it.  Hopefully, it will thank me. It may beat me up in the beginning, but I went through 9 months of pregnancy, twice.  This detox has nothing on that, right?
After the 10 days, I am supposed to have more energy, think clearer, shed some pounds, and sleep better. Supposedly, my mood will improve, too. 
I will let you know. 
If you don’t hear from me later in the week, send reinforcements to my house because you may find me locked in my pantry singing, “pour some sugar in my tea!”

 PS: I had a conference call with Lisa Consiglio Ryan after I wrote this, and she does not sound mean at all, like a sugar nazi would.   She's very pleasant. Now that I've bought my food, I'm ready to start my journey.  Wish me luck!
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My Next 10 Days
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