Day 2

4oz very lean pork steak
5 small carrots
1/3 large cucumber
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
16oz ginger tea with cayenne, ginger powder, cinnamon and 1 whole lemon

16oz ginger tea with 1/2 cup pure cherry juice, cayenne, cinnamon and ginger powder
1 small pear

Huge handful of spinach
1 5oz can of solid albacore tuna (rinsed and drained)
1/2 avocado
1 small tomato
1 small pear

16oz water

Bowl of diet soup
1 large beet

Almond, Walnuts

Day 1

After last night's very rich Nordic culinary extravaganza:

I was feeling quite full, too full, on into today. I laughingly joked it was my Christmas banquet, as I'd probably not be attending one this year. I forgot to take a photo of my dessert plate. Yes, I had dessert too. Four different kinds of cake (out of 10). Well, technically, one was a fresh fruit dessert. So three. I also sampled a beer, and had three small glasses of wine. I can't remember the last time I ate that much food, or dessert for that matter. It won't happen again soon. But, I did savor every bite, and it all was very delicious. Thanks boss for the event ticket! Wish you could've gone too.

BLAAHHHOORRGGG. Way too full for way too long.

That's it! Back to healthy eating.

I started out the day with 2 - 16 oz glasses of ginger tea. One early this morning, and one later with about 1/2 the glass or so of my remaining ginger tea, and the rest 100% grapefruit juice (before I fully read: No Grapefruit - oops).

Then 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar, followed by another 16oz glass of water.

First meal:
Sliced cucumber, tomato and avocado, with fresh cracked black pepper.
1 Flax oil supplement (bottle says to take 3x day)

Second (forgot to take a pic - oops):
2 eggs sunny up with onion, jalapeno and wax peppers, and mushrooms, sprinkled with chili powder, fresh ground black pepper and tumeric all done in a tablespoon of EVOO.
2 handfuls of spinach leaves
1 carambola
3 small carrots
1 16oz glass of water

Small bowl of Walnuts, Almonds, Dried Fruit (Apricot, Coconut, Pineapple, Papaya ) and a small piece of Dark Baking Chocolate.

20 oz mug of water

2 glasses of red wine (my cheat for the day - Sunday is wine day)

The Cleanse

Using this Liver detox/cleanse by Ann Louise Gittleman , I make my start.
Pasted in here for quick reference.

Seven-Day Prequel

Before you begin the One-Day Detox, it’s essential that you prepare your body by strengthening your liver and colon for the work ahead. If you don’t do this, you might end up more bloated, constipated and “toxic” than you were before. You may also inadvertently put the brakes on desired weight loss.

Fasting releases toxins that were previously lodged in your fat cells and shuttles them into your bloodstream for filtration and transport through your body’s elimination channels. But without prior liver and colon support to help these toxins clear your system, the poisons may simply get relocated within the body, settling into any number of sensitive organs and making you feel tired, anxious, headachy and more fatigued than when you started. So if you want to avoid feeling unnecessarily lousy, and if you want to maximize weight loss, follow this simple, six-step program for seven days before you embark on the one-day, liver-flushing juice fast:

1. Each day, for seven days, choose at least one serving from each group of the following Liver-Loving Foods:

• Crucifers, such as cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, broccoli sprouts

• Green leafy vegetables and herbs, like parsley, kale, watercress, chard, cilantro, beet greens, escarole, dandelion greens and mustard greens

• Citrus, like oranges, lemons and limes (avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice, which contain a compound called naringen that can interfere with the liver-cleansing process)

• Sulfur-rich foods, like garlic, onions, eggs and daikon radish

• Liver healers, such as artichoke, asparagus, beets, celery, dandelion-root tea, whey and nutritional yeast flakes

2. Each day, choose at least two of the following Colon-Caring foods: powdered psyllium husks, milled or ground flaxseeds, carrots, apple, pear or berries.

3. Each day, drink half your body weight in ounces of filtered or purified water.

4. Each day, make sure you have at least two servings (the size of the palm of your hand) of protein in the form of lean beef, lamb, skinless chicken, turkey or fish, or, if you’re a vegan or vegetarian, at least 2 tablespoons a day of a high-quality blue-green algae or a spirulina source (available in natural-foods and health stores).

5. Each day, make sure you have 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the form of olive oil, flaxseed oil or a “woman’s oil” (a flaxseed oil-black-currant oil blend).

(For specific serving sizes and more detailed guidance on choosing Liver-Loving Foods, see The Fast Track Detox Diet.)

6. Avoid the following “detox detractors”:

• Excess dietary fats, especially trans fats

• Any form of sugar, including honey and maple syrup

• Artificial sweeteners

• Refined carbohydrates, including white rice and products made from white flour

• Gluten, found in wheat, rye, barley and all their related products, such as packaged cereals, macaroni and cheese, pizza dough, pasta, tortillas, pancake/waffle mixes and cookies, as well as in many “low-carb” products, vegetable proteins, some soy sauces and distilled vinegars

• Soy protein isolates, found in many protein energy bars and processed soy foods

• Alcohol, over-the-counter drugs and caffeine

One-Day Detox Juice Fast

The One-Day Juice Fast portion of the Fast Track Detox is designed to flush impurities from your liver and other cellular tissues while supporting your general health and energy.

While I do not advocate water fasts, or even long-term juice fasts, decades of professional clinical experience and research have convinced me that healthy, short-term juice fasting – the kind supported by adequate nutritional preparation for the liver and sufficient fiber for the colon – is probably the best-kept secret around for good health, long-term weight loss and an overall feeling of well-being.

By reducing the amount of work your digestive system has to do, you free up a great deal of energy for healing and regeneration. And while you will be limiting your caloric intake for one day, it is not an extended enough period to suppress your metabolism or set off a starvation response. In fact, every ingredient of the One-Day Detox Diet has been specially chosen to stave off hunger; balance your blood sugar; rev up your metabolism; and keep you feeling fit, energized and trim throughout your fasting day.

Here’s the basic protocol you should follow for your One-Day Juice Detox, and some idea of what you might experience during the detox process (keep in mind that the effects and results will vary from person to person).

Before you conduct your one-day fast, make sure you have completed the Seven-Day Prequel. Then, follow this four-step program:

Step I. Prepare the Miracle Juice (for complete recipe and preparation instructions, see The Fast Track Detox Diet):

• Cranberry Water – unsweetened cranberry juice or unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate diluted with filtered water (be sure to use 100 percent pure, unsweetened cranberry juice that has no sugar, corn syrup or other juices added)

• Cinnamon

• Ground ginger

• Nutmeg

• Freshly squeezed orange juice

• Freshly squeezed lemon juice

• Stevia (a sweet-tasting herb that is widely available at natural-food stores) to taste

Directions:
1. Bring Cranberry Water to a light boil; reduce the heat to low.

2. Place cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg into a tea ball; add to the Cranberry Water. (For a tangier juice, add the spices directly to the liquid.)

3. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes; cool to room temperature.

4. Stir in the orange and lemon juices. Add stevia at this time, if desired.

Step II. Alternate drinking 1 cup (8 ounces) of filtered water and 1 cup (8 ounces) of Miracle Juice during the day. Drink at least 72 ounces of filtered water throughout the day, in addition to the Miracle Juice. Make sure you drink at least a cup of liquid – either the Miracle Juice or water – every hour. Begin the protocol when you wake up in the morning. You don’t have to begin at a specific time, but be sure to have all eight glasses of Miracle Juice in addition to the 72 ounces of water by day’s end.

Step III. Upon rising and at the end of the day, take one serving of a colon-caring supplement, chosen from among the following:

• Powdered psyllium husks (1 to 2 teaspoons mixed in 8 ounces of water or Miracle Juice)

• Ground or milled flaxseeds (2 to 3 tablespoons mixed in 10 to 12 ounces of water or 8 ounces Miracle Juice)

Step IV. Engage in only light exercise – either a 20-minute walk or 10 minutes on a rebounder or elliptical machine.

The Three-Day sequel

Following your One-Day Detox, it’s essential that you follow this sequel program for three days straight. Otherwise, your reentry into normal eating may leave you feeling bloated, constipated and more toxic than before.

Fasting without follow-up support means that toxins released into your bloodstream during the fast may remain in your system, making you feel tired, anxious, headachy and fatigued. Skipping the Three-Day Sequel also sets you up to regain lost weight. So support your body’s natural detox process and seal in the results of your One-Day Juice Fast by following these simple steps:

1. Each day, choose at least one of the following probiotic food sources to restore “friendly bacteria”:

• Sauerkraut (1/2 cup). You can either make your own or buy an organic, raw variety. Most store-bought sauerkraut is processed with heat, which kills the naturally occurring enzymes and microflora, so check the label carefully.

• Yogurt. Nonfat, low-fat or whole-milk yogurt are all fine, but look for plain yogurt whose label reads “live, active cultures.”

2. Before each meal, take one or more tablets of hydrochloric acid in a formula that contains at least 500 to 540 milligrams of betaine hydrochloride with at least 100 to 150 milligrams of pepsin, and at least 50 milligrams of ox bile extract (such formulas are widely available at most health and nutrition stores and at many natural groceries).

3. Follow steps 1 through 6 of the Seven-Day Prequel.

Fast Track Detox Shopping List 

Beverages:
__ Filtered or purified water
__ Unsweetened cranberry juice

Liver-loving foods: (your choices in each of the following categories):
__ Crucifers: cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, broccoli sprouts
__ Green leafy vegetables: parsley, kale, watercress, chard, cilantro, beet greens, collards, escarole, dandelion greens and mustard greens
__ Citrus fruits: oranges, lemons and limes (no grapefruit)
__ Sulfur-rich foods: garlic, onions, eggs and daikon radish

Liver healers:
__ Artichoke, asparagus, beets, celery, dandelion-root tea, whey and nutritional yeast flakes

Probiotic-rich foods:
__ Sauerkraut and/or unsweetened yogurt

Herbs and spices:
__ Ground cinnamon
__ Ground ginger and nutmeg
__ Stevia (powder or extract)

Supplements and nutritionals:
__ Powdered psyllium husks and/or ground flaxseeds
__ Olive oil, flaxseed oil or "woman's oil"
__ Hydrochloric acid with betaine hydrochloride, pepsin and ox bile extract

About This Blog

I've decided to add yet another blog to my plethora of blogs.
I know, you're so excited.
Well, frankly, I am.

This blog is to be about becoming more healthy, and my strive to eat better, exercise more, and lose weight/transform my body. I'm not getting any younger and feel the effects of the things I do daily.

I've really cut down on the active things I used to do, for a more sedentary lifestyle, which I dislike. My knees won't take a lot of things anymore due to years of volleyball abuse, and I hate that. I was always a very active, a tomboy if you will, and it is strange to me to be so limited now. I've stopped wearing heels for the most part to help. I have begun walking more in the past few weeks with my old walking buddy or on my own, but not nearly enough as the past week I worked on other outside things when it was nice out, or it rained. I feel it though, and part of that is the extra weight I'm carrying; that I've carried around for way too long again now. I know that once things change, I will regain some of my flexibility and stamina, along with the ability to be more active and experience less pain than I am now.

Over the past year or so, I have eaten much healthier; quitting sodas (except for maybe 1-2x a year I'll have a root beer with pizza), more fresh/organic grocery/co-op/Farmer's Market fruits and veggies, growing some of my own, cutting out breads unless they're really grainy or natural/healthy breads - then often using one slice as two, using more spices to enhance my foods - not condiments, switching to almond milk, eliminating nearly all GMOs out of my diet, and more. I quit fast food years ago  - like at least 2004? Looking now more toward paleo.

This is not to say I'm a purist, because if my boss treats me to a lunch somewhere tasty, or my Census pals wanna go for pizza buffet once a month - I'm there! I will never give up pizza. Once a week, I have some sort of pizza, home or out. I LOVE PIZZA. But in my home you won't find snack foods, chips, breads, candy (except for 100% dark chocolate and some licorice now and again), etc., and when I am out, I try to make the best choices of what I eat and how much for the most part. My menu choices and snacks are very healthy, and I'm finding often more filling, and fulfilling.

I've learned to be more creative with my meal and snack choices, often just experimenting or due to recipes online, or from others - frequently even modifying those as well, to make them healthier.

I also need to cut down on alcohol. I love beer and wine. I love bourbon. Sometimes vodka and tequila too. I like to have a drink or two at night, always after 7p. Frequently it's wine, and all that added sugar I feel is what keeps me from dropping the weight, even though I eat pretty healthy overall. LIKE DUH, right. I'll never fully quit drinking. I don't feel as though I need to, nor do I want to, but moreover, just limit it more than I have in the past. So many new brews and brew pubs (luckily my income does not support me going out very often, if ever) and I like trying new wines, albeit the cheaper ones. I've researched the healthier wines (Reds) and only drink beers worth the taste and calories. Long ago I stopped drinking drinks made with sodas, and switched to water or on the rocks, bourbon or vodka mixed in hot tea (when it's cold), and more recently to warm or cold ginger tea - mixed with 3 Gingers Irish Whiskey (and ginger tea ice cubes!), or vodka with my own veggie soup-made-into-juice. Just add spices - the good spices (cayenne, chili, tumeric) and you've got a healthier Bloody Mary! So there are ways to indulge, without over-indulging. I never drink to get drunk; I prefer the tastes and just really enjoy my evening beverage or Sunday night wine.

I hope to use this blog for accountability for my daily exercise and healthy eating, as well as tips and recipes I make or find online - a place to archive it all - mainly for myself. If others find help, inspiration or something tasty - great! Either way, for the next 50 years (or the second half of my life, as I like to call it) I plan to make up for and hopefully try to erase some of the unhealthy things I've done to my body, and while I know some things can never be changed, at least I'll be trying - and living better too.

The 11 days is about a cleanse/fast I've read about. I have 11-12 days until I leave for a trip, so it's a good time to hopefully shed a few pounds and just become that little bit  more healthy before I have less control away from home, and because I know that I will be indulging on the trip as well - cuz, well, it's a trip.

Anyway, here's to 11 Days, and Then Some, on into the next fifty years!

Cheers!
(raises glass of ginger tea)
To Health!

238