Why are you doing a detox?
Well, that’s a legitimate questions…
** Bonus ** Stick around to the end and get two healthy recipes!
Well, not long after taking the Detox Cleanse package, I assure you, I was asking myself the same question!
Truth be told, had it not been for a Groupon that came across my email for SpeedLoss, I probably would never have considered it. But they got me. Right place, right time. I’m not sure if the price was right, but it was 60% off the normal price, so I felt good about it!
I went to the SpeedLoss (R) website and truthfully I liked what I read. Their 2/3 day cleanse and detox package provides supplements, food, and juices for two days, with a plan of up to 10 days. I assure you, I did not make it ten days.
Day One
It was ok because there was something to eat or drink every two to three hours.
Day 2
SUCKED. After a yummy oatmeal for breakfast, it was pretty much juice the rest of the day.
Day 3
The recovery day, was still pretty much just juice.
Day 4
I finally got to eat again on Day 4 and I was HUNGRY.
And proud of myself.
And down 5 lbs! (3 of which returned as soon as I started eating again!)
I learned a few things about myself during this.
- Although I have never been a fan of extreme or fad diets, I do believe a good cleanse is in order from time to time. Especially with all the garbage I’ve been eating. This plan was actually fairly gentle. I have heard nightmares about colon cleanses, but this was not like that.
- I give in very easily. It’s no wonder I fail constantly at losing weight. Every time it gets the slightest bit challenging, I give in. “I can just have a bowl of ice cream now, and work out more later.” But that never happens! So I was bound and determined to make it through only TWO (actually three) days of saying no. I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. I needed to break the power that food has over me!
- I snack a LOT more than I realize! Pretty much every time I feed something to my kids, I take a handful myself. That’s got to add up to several hundred calories every day that I’m not factoring into my diet! I had to literally fight myself from snacking on their food for these two days! It was quite an eye opener.
- It IS possible to feel more energetic from exercising even when you are starving and tired! I have never felt so good as I did these 3 days of limited food, no junk, and lots and lots of water and exercise.
- I do not drink enough water on a day to day basis.
- I am becoming a believer that food allergies, crappy processed food, and perhaps even gluten may be wreaking havoc on my body, and perhaps making my lupus worse. I did not have pain, headaches, joint aches, vision issues, or many of my other ailments on Day 2 or Day 3. Only after I began eating the crap again did these issues return.
- Junk food, alcoholic beverages, and all those naughty things will still be there tomorrow. But if I can make it awhile without them, I may realize I do not crave them as much!
- Drinking more water and eliminating processed and junk foods significantly reduced the amount of bloating, abdominal pain, belching, and other similar issues throughout the day.
- I have more willpower than I realized. I just have to believe in myself.
Just believing will not be enough if I don’t provide myself the correct tools. One of these is ensuring I make the time to exercise.
Check out my post entitled 5 Ways for a Busy Mama To Stick to An Exercise Routine.
Healthy eating is the other. Here are two of my favorite healthy recipes.
Balsamic Dijon and Mushroom Chicken
Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey dijon mustard (or you can use regular dijon and regular honey mixed)
1 can mushrooms
Directions:
- heat the oil in your large pan.
- Place the chicken breasts in the ban – sear each side.
- Add the mustard, honey, and balsamic vinegar. Stir around until it thins out. (To be honest, I never measure the amounts, I just add until the consistency and taste is right, so you may need more. You want a sweet balsamic juice)
- Add can of mushrooms.
- Cover and let it cook on low until the chicken breasts are cooked through.
This is very low cal, low fat, and super, super easy to make. It is one of our absolute favorite chicken dishes.
It goes well with a salad and another of my favorite healthy recipes –
Marinated Veggies
Ingredients:
2 summer squash
2 zucchini
1 onion
Italian dressing.
Directions:
- Prepare several hours in advance so the veggies can marinate.
- Clean and cut the veggies. Long strips works well.
- Put into a bag or container and douse heavily with the Italian dressing.
- Let marinate several hours.
- Saute in a pan or put on the grill.
Delish! I don’t even like squash and zucchini usually but I like this one!
