I dragged my sister and boss into the Clean Program with me. Below is my sister Jessica's account of her experience through the first half of the program. I hope this gives you some insight into what our last ten days have been like! I will post my week 2 experience on Sunday.
I was very hesitant to do the 21 day Clean Program mainly because I was scared to try something so drastic. I am not what you would call a “health nut” so it was intimidating to read through the guidelines and menus and discover how many foods and drinks were completely off limits. The main reason I ultimately decided to go through with it is because it is supposed to help with inflammation (I have a bad low back), seasonal allergies and of course the obvious weight loss.
I am a very active person but noticed that I was staying the same weight regardless of how much I worked out. As I am writing this, day 10, I am down almost 9 pounds!! I cannot believe how much water weight I was holding onto and how quickly my body reacted to a change in food and drink intake.
I never believed in diets because I don’t think anyone ever sticks to them. I have seen a number of people try for a few days or weeks and then give up because they cannot kick the cravings. Well, after the first four days I was feeling the same way. It was really hard giving up dairy, gluten, lattes, red wine, and sugar (a few of my favorite things) and my body was definitely not happy with me! I noticed my emotions were starting to get out of control because I didn’t have the opportunity to channel them to food or alcohol anymore. I don’t think people realize how much they depend on these things until they are taken away for a long period of time.
Someone very wise once told me that it takes 21 days for someone to form a habit (hence the amount of time this cleanse takes), so even though I am only half way done, I know I have a lot more work ahead of me.
Here are a few specific examples of what I have been going through…
1.) Detoxing- The first week I could feel myself going through a very intense detox (the website says it is the worst the first three days but mine lasted a whole stinkin’ week)! After I got over the hump of feeling like I wanted to eat anything, including my own dog’s food, I started to become more aware of my hunger and realized my body didn’t really need food it just wanted what it couldn’t have. Since then my appetite has changed and I am not nearly as hungry before each meal, I get full really fast, and I crave fruits and veggies as opposed to carbs and sweets.
2.) The Clean Program with food allergies- I am one of those weird people who have all kinds of food allergies that are the complete opposite of everyone else. For example, I am allergic to tree nuts but not peanuts, and fish but not shellfish. Unfortunately, peanuts and shellfish are not allowed on the cleanse (but tree nuts and fish are of course) so it has been a challenge to find recipes for satisfying lunches that actually taste delicious. Luckily we have found an awesome personal chef, Stacy Weber, to come to the office and bring us lunch four days a week. She has been great working with my food allergies and has found some awesome alternatives for me. Her chicken curry is to die for, and quinoa noodles with pesto and turkey meatballs are heaven! Go Stacey!
3. The dreaded shakes- Well, I guess they aren’t so bad now that I have had 20 of them! I was very scared to learn that my dinners for three weeks would be nothing but a cold shake with some sort of fiber powder/fruit/rice milk concoction, but and after I got used to the taste and my appetite changed, I am actually craving them! My favorite combination is a scoop of the Move fiber powder, 1 ½ scoops of vanilla protein powder, 1 tablespoon of sunflower seed butter, 1 cup of rice milk, 8 ice cubes and a half a cup of frozen organic blueberries. I also substitute the protein powder flavor for chocolate and the fruit for frozen raspberries and fresh peaches. Trust me people, this is all coming from someone who does not like “healthy shakes” and never thought I would actually be enjoying them. I even bought a sweet blender bottle from Whole Foods so I feel more legit when I carry it into work in the morning. To be honest, I will probably continue to make the shakes every morning for breakfast, yum!
4.) Let’s talk about some positive results, shall we? Like I said before, I have lost almost 9 pounds and my clothes are fitting much better. I know that my weight will probably even out soon and I won’t lose much more but it is nice to see such quick results. Also, my skin has cleared up a lot and I have a ton of energy in the morning (which surprisingly enough isn’t coming from my Grande vanilla nonfat latte from Starbucks)! Another huge change is that I am sleeping like a rock. I used to wake up at least five times a night tossing and turning and would be exhausted all day long, lately I have been falling asleep very fast and only waking up once. Also, my dreams have become incredibly vivid and I remember them all very clearly…I feel like I am in the movie Inception! Finally, the amount of money I am saving is awesome! Even though the initial sticker shock of the program is kind of intense, just divide that all out among three weeks and realize you will hardly need to buy groceries, you won’t be spending money at the bars, and $5 dollar lattes are out of the question.
5.) Emotions, emotions, emotions - This part of the Clean Program is not what I expected at all! I have become aware of my emotions in a way that I have never felt before. Usually if I was stressed out or tired after a long day I would go home and have a glass of red wine. So, what does a girl who is on week one of an intense cleanse and can’t have a drink do? Shop of course! I made the dangerous mistake of going to the mall hungry and cranky, spent some of my “saved” money and realized all I had done was channel my emotions from one habit to another. After that experience I learned that if I have those feelings again I should go to the gym or read a good book. Also, spending time with family and friends who are supportive of you is a huge help.
Sorry if any of this has bored you, made you scared of the Clean Program or had you running for a big piece of chocolate cake, but my true intention was to give you an in-depth view of what this kind of intense detox program can do to someone who has never experienced anything like this before. So far it has been eye-opening and I am very glad I have stuck with it every step of the way. I look forward to seeing even better results after I am finished and I will give you all an update of how I feel in about 11 days!
Hammer out.
*M*
