My Detox Diaries: Confessions from a Processed Food Buyer

Pear, Pecan, and Spinach Salad

The First Four Days

So far, I think I can sum up my detox journey which I announced on Monday with these simple words.

“I want some $*^% hot tea, and I want it now!”

I think about a nice, piping hot cup of English breakfast tea 24/7.  At this point, I would take it with almond milk and stevia, if I could, but tea and stevia are not allowed during this detox.  I can have herbal tea, but I don’t even brew a cup anymore in the morning. It just turns me off, and I would rather have cold lemon water.  I like green tea, but, unfortunately, it falls into the caffeine/processed category, so decaf is not allowed either.

As I write this, it’s the morning of day 5 of my 10-Day Fall Renewal Detox with certified health and fitness instructor Lisa Consiglio Ryan of Whole Health Designs. 

For those of you just joining me, fall is supposedly a great time to renew and rid your bodies of toxins.  Some people are paying Lisa to help them through this process. I, on the other hand, won this experience through a giveaway.

Whole Health Designs

A lot of people ask me, “Why would I do this?”  This is 10 days of eating whole, nonprocessed foods. No caffeine. No decaf anything. (It’s processed.) No gluten. (Bye, bye, bread and pasta.) No added sugar (only natural from nonprocessed foods), no dairy, and no alcohol.

It’s not easy! 

I’m not really sure why I’m doing this, either, but I will reveal that several years ago, before I became pregnant with my daughter, I began eating more whole foods, took high-potency vitamin supplements, exercised regularly, and got down to a healthy weight of 122 pounds. I felt really great during that time.  My energy level was through the roof.

Then came pregnancy, a new baby, hormone issues, struggles with losing pregnancy weight, life in my early 40s, and more chaos in my life. Add newly diagnosed post-pregnancy hypothyroidism plus a lot of computer time for writing to the equation, and I simply have not felt as good as I did in early 2009.  That was the “I-can-conquer-the-world feeling.”

Christmas 2008 shortly before my 40th birthday. I was starting to feel really good after having two miscarriages that year
By February 2009, I felt better than I had in a long time eating a whole food diet, and discovered I
was pregnant with my daughter in March. 

I wouldn’t mind getting that feeling back. It’s that simple. I lost all my pregnancy weight, but since I started blogging I have added 5 to 7 pounds back on the scale.

So, I thought, “Why not?” And here I am down this 10-day path.

As I emailed my coach last night to ask if it is normal to turn into a complete bitch around 6 p.m. at night, she told me that my body is working hard to get rid of the toxins. She simply said that moodiness can happen early on, but I’m almost at a turning point and will soon start to feel great. She reminded me that this is not an easy process, or people would be detoxing all the time.

When I told my husband her response, he just laughed. Truthfully, he thinks this is just a bunch of holistic mumbo jumbo. Is he right? Time will soon tell.

What Am I Eating?

The sauteed Kale with Cannelloni Beans is delicious

Here’s the good news. I really like the food on this detox. It’s rich butternut squash soup; a lot of dark, green, leafy vegetables; and raw veggies like cucumbers and carrots. It also includes pears, apples, raw almond butter, nuts, quinoa, lentils, and beans, beans, beans.

Let’s just say that I could probably ignite my own hot air balloon from eating all the beans.

Eating the food is not a problem for me at all.  I’m not a fan of rolled oats, but I can survive it, but … and it’s a big but … prepping the food drives me crazy.

I feel like I am working myself to death preparing three meals a day that can only be consumed by one. Other than not having my tea, this is one of the hardest parts of the detox for me.  It’s a lifestyle change for cooking. I’m always getting out the blender, etc. You need to sauté leeks just for lunch.  Get the idea?

I don’t think I have gotten a frying pan out for anything during the day except to make a grilled cheese for my child.

It’s been a royal pain to cook meals for my family and then something else for me.  But the recipes are good, and I do plan to work them into family meals once I learn to get the right quantities to feed a family.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I love this rich, butternut squash food.

On day one, I had a nagging, pounding headache for most of the day. My coach felt it was from my body’s lack of sugar, but I also had my menstrual cycle, so it’s really hard to know for sure.  I felt tired the first day and the second day, too.  Unfortunately, I’m battling some sinus issues right now, too, and that could also impact how I am feeling.  Some people experience nausea. I did not.

I think I have lost a pound or two. I weighed 128 pounds today, a weight that I thought I weighed before this detox, but with some nightly indulgence in Dave Matthews’wine plus my monthly cycle, my scales had me more at 130 when I finally put a battery in them the night before the detox. 

I am still very sluggish in the morning hours. However, by about 11 a.m., I am feeling pretty good, and then it lasts until about 6 p.m.  This is the time when I turn into a monster DEMON.  Once I get the kids to bed, I get a second wind and feel better, but am still staying up too late. I am not getting the full eight hours of sleep recommended.

I definitely feel better in the afternoon hours, after lunch. This is something that I can definitely see different since Monday. Prior to this detox, I felt as if I could not function without two cups of tea with sugar and milk around 1:30 p.m. I would also eat a bite of dark chocolate. I have more energy during this time, and am more focused. 

I don’t like to get out much. The Starbucks signs are too much of a temptation. I’ve been a little recluse. I think social situations will be hard, and I will need to eat beforehand.  We have a big Oktoberfest to attend tomorrow. That’s going to be a challenge. …

And I’ll let you know how it goes. … I’ve got five more days to go.

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