I bet you thought I’d fallen off the face of the earth; or, perhaps that my detox didn’t go so well and I was hospitalized? Nope! Still here, alive and kickin’.

So, here is what’s been happening:

Week 1

Major aches and pains as the toxins started to work their way out of my body. Now I know why you should drink so much water each day! Those toxins need to go somewhere, and if they hang out in your body they make you feel like $@*%.

This week I eliminated the following foods from my diet:

Refined and added simple sugars
Artificial colorings, flavorings, and sweeteners
Caffeinated beverages
Gluten-containing grains
Meat and seafood
Eggs and diary products
Alcohol

What’s left you ask?! Lots of things I didn’t know about; things that actually taste good. You would be amazed at how many things you can find made out of rice. Cereal, bread, syrup, crackers, flour, and the list goes on. I basically ate lots rice and beans this week with tons of fruits and veggies, and WATER. I was a bit lazy, so I didn’t get creative and try any of the recipes in the patient guide. But there are tons and one day I’ll make one of them.

I also drank yummy chocolate shakes that were ‘meal replacements’ and I had them as snacks with fruit/veggies to help keep my nutrition up while I was taking so many nutrient containing foods out of my diet. (In case you’re wondering, the ‘shakes’ did not contain any of the aforementioned items I eliminated from my diet. However, it still had calories, so I mixed it with water. Not too bad!!) I also took special capsules to assist my ‘detox organs’ to clean me out. I had shakes and took capsules 2x/day.

Note to Self: DRINK LOTS OF WATER!

Week 2

This week I ate just fruits, vegetables, ‘good fats’ such as olive, sunflower, sesame, and/or safflower oils, and water. I also upped my intake of shakes and capsules from 2x/day to 3x a day.

This week started out much better as I was getting used to the restrictions and was able to find yummy things to nosh on and drink that were within the guidelines.

Going out to eat and traveling proved slightly challenging. But I managed to stay within the guidelines while watching friends and family eat some of my favorite foods in front of me. Sigh. Where’s the love?!

I also began exercising a bit more this week as I was feeling much more up to it than the week before. More karate and cardio at the gym; and I will be going back to weight lifting- slowly- so as not to injure myself.

During the beginning of week 3 I will begin adding back a few of the items I eliminated in week 2, such as milk substitutes, bread (wheat/gluten free), and cereal. Later in the week I will begin to add back other things like legumes and nuts. All the while I will be keeping track of my body’s reaction to the re-introduction of the food. I should be all done with the detox by August 25th and we’ll see what my eating habits are like then.

Wish me luck and stay tuned! I promise I will be better about posting in a more timely fashion.