Cleansing

Just last week when one of my co-workers asked me what I was having for lunch, I stuck my tongue out and replied, "Ugh. I am so sick of food."  Nothing will turn that attitude around like a cleanse. 

I am on Day 3 of the Dr. Oz cleanse. I am not a Dr. Oz fan. He isn't telling anyone anything that can't be found on the internet, and he talks to people like the are 5 and stupid. I don't get the hype. But I do get, and am a huge fan of Pinterest, where I found the 3-day cleanse. I have a few cleanses pinned on my Health and Fitness board, and have had success with each of them. There are usually some basic side effects: headaches, fatigue, irritability.  I haven't experienced any of these so far, but Jon certainly is cranky. For a man who eats relatively healthy, he consumes way too much sugar on a daily basis.  Not experiencing any side effects/symtoms of de-toxification makes me think I am not doing things right. Of course, I am not following it to the tee. Could that be a problem? 

I wish that when you read these cleanses they explained what each ingredient does for your body. I have to rely on my nutrition knowledge to make substitutions. Yes, substitutions. Because here is the deal. The first time I did a weight loss program, I beat myself up and was miserable because I was obsessed with the rule book. It almost made me want bad food more because it was ruining my positive relationship with food. Eating is an essential part of every person's days. Not only can we not survive with basic nutrients, but a large part of our socialization occurs around a plate. I firmly believe that self control with portion size is why there is an obesity problem, not as much as the food itself. Because anything can taste good if you know what you like. And I will try just about anything. So I followed the recipes the first day. But then........

I kind of feel like anything on the list of foods to eat on a day is fair game. I really want to like kale. But my lunch smoothie on the first day took 2 hours to choke down before I finally strained it. I miss chewing my food during cleanses, but this was ridiculous. Not to mention, all I could taste was lime, and coconut. Coconut is in my top three most hated foods (behind mushrooms and olives). So on day 2, I eliminated the coconut oil, added 1/4 avocado and used 1/4 lime instead of a half, and put 1 1/2 cups of spinach in instead of kale. I substituted a fat for a fat, and a leafy green for a leafy green. I also didn't have time for a 4th smoothie on the first day because it took me so long to drink the other 3. I also bought fruit blends, and my cup of raspberries or blueberries were a mix of the 2 with blackberries. Same for mango and pineapple (mixed with papaya). It isn't like I was adding a cup of sugar, so what if there was a little extra fruit?  I also didn't think everything needed to be pureed. So I ate my banana and licked my spoonful of almond butter, and ate my avocado -happily.  

Today, all 4 will be consumed. I am hungry today. And today's workout may only be another bike ride to the store because I am a little tired (so maybe I am feeling a side effect). I can't wait to buy food I get to actually eat, and not just digest tomorrow.