And a photo, just because no one likes to read a post without photos.
What: I'm going to be doing a vegan "cleanse" again. Last time I used the Fresh Start 21. This time, I will be using a combination of the Fresh Start 21(FS21), but I'm also using a lot of recipes from The 22-Day Revolution(22DR).
Who: Me, myself and I. But I'm hoping to bring E along for the ride as well. He will definitely not be going vegan, but said that he will be willing to go vegetarian for the 22-days. I've also asked that my kids (who are 4 & 2 see www.featuringfinorah.blogspot.com for more adorably cute photos of them) that they need to taste a lot of my food, just to see if I can get them on the healthy eating plan as well. I don't have high hopes, just that they find 2-3 foods through the 22 days that they like that they hadn't tried before.
When: Monday, June 20th through Tuesday, July 12th
Where: This one seems silly -- I'll be doing it right here on the blog. I'm hopeful to do some video diaries, post from photos of my food, and discuss some of the challenges and thoughts throughout the cleanse -- but also post my losses (both weight & measurements).
Why: I've decided to do this again because I feel like I need to hit the reset button. Our eating habits aren't the healthiest, even though I love eating fruits and veggies. Junk food is usually the easiest & fastest to grab. Also, I don't fit into any of my summer clothes the way that I want to. I had big aspirations to be able to fit into my shorts before summer. And while I lost 5 pounds on a dietbet and can get into my summer wardrobe, I still didn't lose those last 5 that would put me comfortable in my clothes.
What I learned from my last cleanse (an overview): During my last cleanse, I made it through 9 days. And in those 9 days, I lost 9 pounds and an inch off my midsection. I felt fatigued and rundown. I didn't get the energy boost that those who were on the cleanse said they got. And in retrospect, I know why. I was in a severe caloric deficit. Each morning began with a smoothie. I learned that I don't like smoothies. And I can't force myself to eat something that I don't like. I would never be able to finish my breakfast -- most times not even getting half of it gone. So I basically wasn't getting all the calories that I needed. Everything else that I ate I loved (except the beet soup). I never felt hungry while on the cleanse and I always had to push myself to finish all the food on my plate. In listening to my video diaries that I did, I missed regular food, but didn't have any desire or cravings to eat them. The only thing that I missed was my coffee. Severely. And when I actually tried to cheat on my cleanse, it was with a cup of coffee -- not butter, carbs, or sweets.
Modifications: I already know that I am making some concessions to see this thing through. I am not giving up my coffee this time around. I feel like a single cup of coffee is perfectly acceptable because coffee is vegan. I take my coffee with a teaspoon of sugar. I won't be using the sugar, but will be using agave nectar, which I've done before and feel comfortable with.
In looking at the recipes in the 22DR, I feel like I'm going to be using most of their recipes because they all look SOOOO good. There are some salads from the FS21 that I will be adding in, because they were just too good to pass up. My only other concern at this point is the fast that the FS21 allowed for two snacks during the day. I don't see any snacks in the 22DR. It is quite possible that the 22DR meals are filling enough that snacks aren't required. I'm going to initially try to skip the snacks and see how things go with 3 squares a day.
I also will be allowing myself two drinks a week (not to be used on the same day). I may or may not use them through the three weeks. But I feel like the purpose for the cleanse is a hard reset, not necessarily the toxin removal that the FS21 claims to have as a benefit. But I feel like if I don't allow myself one or two, I'll want the wine or the beer because I know that I can't have it which seemed to have happened during my last cleanse.
