Day 30: What a Difference a Month Can Make.

So technically this is supposed to be my last entry, but I have to say I think I am going to keep going. It has been so helpful to me to write and reflect my moods and feelings about this change. As I look back over the month I can see I have grown so much and I feel so much better. I have energy to do things I would never have committed to before, and my mood is just so steady and even. The high and low points are still there, just not so often.


My overall assessment for the month is that I just feel better. I was really worried that this would be too hard for me, but honestly it's just different, not difficult. In fact, I am beginning to realize how much processed food my family was really eating. There is still some in our diet, but we have reduced the quantity dramatically. I am also grateful to be introducing new foods to my kids and providing them with a more balanced nutrition. How great is that?!?!


I can't say enough what a blessing this has been and how excited I am to continue this journey and see even more improvements. This blog has been a big part of helping me to see those changes which is why I will continue indefinitely. I will probably do every other day now - as I want to keep it interesting. So here's to the future - the next 30 days and the 30 years after that. Here's to health and vitality - what a lovely way to live!

Meals:

Breakfast- Puffed rice, agave, coconut milk, pear.

Snack- Pistachios and corn chips.


Lunch- Grilled chicken with rice and butter.


Snack- Pistachios 

Dinner- GF BLT (w/turkey bacon)

Snack- dark chocolate squares, potato chips.
Water Intake- 64oz. 

Supplements: L-lyosine, fish oil, D3, Probiotic, antifungal, multivitamin, kelp caps, cal-mag citrate, thyrisol.

Energy levels:

Morning- Moderate.

Afternoon-Moderate

Evening-Low

Exercise: None

Mood: Slightly stressed and agitated.

Changes: Have been having a lot of nasal mucous the last 2 days.

Day 29: Sometimes Treats Aren't Really Treats.

Man was it hard to get out of bed today! But, once again we are busy, busy so I dragged myself out and went to the days tasks like a good little trooper. The only thing that pushed me forward was the promise that I could take a nap as long as I got everything done - and I am happy to say that I followed through on that one. Not really sure why I feel sooooo tired today. Perhaps the stuff I have eaten the last few days is affecting my energy.


On a positive note, the nap and a smoothie really helped me push through the rest of the day. Dinner was simple and low key and I was able to sit down and snuggle with the kiddos while I got some reading done. I am completely back on track today and it feels good - hopefully that will create some really good energy for tomorrow since it's grocery day.


Taking the time to listen to my body and observe how I feel has been so helpful these last few weeks. I feel so thankful to those of you who have come on this journey with me. your support means so much. Today I am grateful for you - goodnight my friends. Another great day awaits.

Meals:

Breakfast- Millet cereal, coconut milk, banana, green tea.

Snack- Green smoothie.


Lunch- Chicken Nachos.


Snack- Green smoothie.

Dinner- Grilled chicken, sugar-snap peas, and rice.

Snack- Coconut milk and rice chips.
Water Intake- 54 oz. 

Supplements: L-lyosine, fish oil, D3, Probiotic, antifungal, multivitamin, kelp caps, cal-mag citrate, thyrisol.

Energy levels:

Morning- Moderate.

Afternoon- Low, Low, Low.

Evening- Low.

Exercise: None. I am thinking next week I will add it in since it will be officially one month since starting the plan.

Mood: Peaceful.

Changes: I have lost three pounds since starting.

Day 28: Holidays Can Be a Challenge.

So today flew by at the speed of light and yet felt like about 4 days wrapped into one. This morning we had the privilege of watching our adorable kids find their Easter baskets and eggs. Then we put on our Sunday best and went to church. Next we had family come and visit for an early dinner, and finally we had the tail end of the evening in which we were able to wrap up the days activities and unwind. What a week! And another one is fast approaching. I look forward to seeing what it brings.

I found it really difficult to stay on plan with all of the yummy treats all around me - I am really unsure of how much I had. I think I thought that if I ate one at a time with space in between that they didn't count. The candy will be leaving the building tomorrow, if there is one thing I know for sure about eating healthy it is that you have to set your environment up for success. I am human and as far as I am concerned, will power is a myth. If it is there I will eat it, almost every time. I am already feeling bloated and icky from the "treats" and I hope these feelings will not be spilling over into tomorrow.

Life is so special and beautiful. I hope you found time to cherish some of the people you love today as we did. Gratitude and blessings to you all as you embark upon the potential waiting to be uncovered in this week. We can never know for sure where our journey in this life will lead us - we can only accept the gift of each moment as they come. I am setting intentions for a healthy week full of energy and great eating. Good night all - time for a new week.

Meals:

Breakfast- 2 GF toast, 1 boiled egg, apple.

Snack- veggie chips w/ hummus, gummy bears, and whopper eggs (sooo bad!)


Lunch- Nachos (Tortilla chips, chicken breast, greek yogurt, DF cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo)


Snack- veggie chips, about 10 hershey coconut kisses (very very bad), gummy bears, 1/4 of a lemon bar.

Dinner-  Nachos (Tortilla chips, chicken breast, greek yogurt, DF cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo)

Snack- 2 more kisses.
Water Intake- 64oz. 

Supplements: Forgot to take all vitamins - and paid for it with low energy.

Energy levels:

Morning- Moderate

Afternoon- Low

Evening- Low

Exercise: None

Mood: Mellow

Changes: Digestion problems (I suspect fron the McD's yesterday).

Day 27: Hmmmm....

Today I slept in till 9 and it was glorious! It has been great to have a day to just hang with the family and get non-urgent errands done together. I was able to get the house completely cleaned up from the party yesterday with the help of friends (thank you Lauren and Jamie!) which made today feel really easy. I am now on to planning party number two for this weekend, as Easter is at our house tomorrow. After my experience yesterday with Spence's party I am really just looking forward to seeing friends and family and loving on them!

I planned a taco bar for lunch - which is not very "Eastery" I know. But, it is simple and I can eat it, and everyone loves tacos right? At this point in my life I have come to terms that I am no Martha Stewart, and further I do not want to be. My passion is having fun with family - not having perfect family dinners. To me perfection lies in the connections and joy my family and I experience together. Besides, there will be eggs and that is VERY "Eastery".

Food is a struggle for me again today. We had McDonald's and I had fries and a chicken Mcnugget which I am sure has all kinds of gluten and God knows what else in it. I just couldn't resist! I was hungry and on the go and had no snacks prepared. So let me ask you this: If I am aware that I need to prepare my snacks in advance, what will it take for me to actually DO that? Geesh! All good things come in time right? maybe I just need more patience, I am afterall only on day 27 of this plan - and there are many more days to go!

Today I am grateful for the beauty that is my family. Good-night friends....

Meals:

Breakfast- Rice cereal, coconut milk, apple.

Snack-None.


Lunch- McDonald's fries and a chicken nugget.


Snack- Green smoothie.

Dinner- GF/DF grilled cheese and green beans.

Snack-Popcorn, 10 gummi bears, 3 whopper eggs.
Water Intake- 50oz. 

Supplements: L-lyosine, fish oil, D3, Probiotic, antifungal, multivitamin, kelp caps, cal-mag citrate, thyrisol.

Energy levels:

Morning- High

Afternoon-Moderate.

Evening-Low.

Exercise: None.

Mood: So-so.

Changes: Did not notice any.

Day 26: Party Time.

This morning I had no choice to lounge in bed as my boy's birthday party was today. So I hopped out and got myself ready and went to the task of preparing and decorating for the day. I am not really sure if I was tired because I just had no time to be sleepy. It was go go go from the moment I opened my eyes.

Food wise I did ok. It is interesting to me that while in Chicago I had no problem sticking to my plan, but now that I am home it is more difficult. I ate a good breakfast and had salad for lunch. I then munched on natural potato chips (they only have potatoes, oil and salt) throughout the day. I did have a quarter of a piece cake, since one of my good friends made it I wanted to try it out (and yes that is the excuse I am sticking to!) For dinner we did Chinese and I had a couple bites of sweet and sour chicken, but ordered summer roles for myself. Writing it down here I don't feel so bad - I guess I didn't go too far off plan. All of the potato chips, and there were a lot, are probably going to make me feel icky tomorrow, though.

Oh well, it is what it is, and it was a party so I think I ate pretty good considering. I have found that I have struggled to be prepared this week. And as I have mentioned before it is so important for me to spend some prep time so I can make it easy for me to eat what I am supposed to eat. One awareness I am having about the party is the amount of peace I felt all throughout the day. I am a recovering perfectionist which can make me very anxious when I throw a party. I really kept my cool all day and remained unattached to a specific plan of how it was "supposed" to unfold. It was really amazing to experience the party minus anxiety - I just went with the flow of all the changes - and had fun.  

What I am thankful for today is all of the wonderful friends who came to the party to celebrate Spence's 2nd year. And I do need to give myself credit for staying mostly on plan. I will do better tomorrow - the guilt is what will eat me up if I allow it to AND I choose to let it go. Good-bye guilt!

I am so beyond tired tonight, I know it will be good sleep. So goodnight friends - gratitude for all of the blessings today.

Meals:

Breakfast- Green tea, Millet cereal, strawberries, pear, and coconut milk.

Snack-none.


Lunch- Salad. (lettuce, tomato, olives, dressing)


Snack- Chicken and rice soup and a tone of potato chips! A very small piece of cake.

Dinner- Summer rolls with chicken and 3 bites of sweet and sour chicken. 

Snack- 1 beer.
Water Intake- 40oz. 

Supplements: L-lyosine, fish oil, D3, Probiotic, antifungal, multivitamin, kelp caps, cal-mag citrate, thyrisol.

Energy levels:

Morning- high.

Afternoon-moderate.

Evening-LOW - crashed!

Exercise: none.

Mood: Good - peaceful in spite of the party. (Normally I would have been an anxious wreck.)

Changes: Didn't notice much.

Day 25: Lessons.

I learned a lesson today. Wine, while fun in the moment is not so much fun the next day. Now to be clear I have known this about excessive wine for a long time. What I did not know is that even one glass of wine on a cleanse can affect you all day the next day. Since my new mantra is, "I surrender to health" I will accept the lesson of that glass of wine as a gift and move on. 

I have had very low energy today which has been particularly difficult since there is so much to do. It is my baby boy's birthday and so life must go on, even if I feel like crawling back into bed in the midst of it. Lesson learned, lesson learned. I do think a nap would serve me well today and so I may go and snuggle up for just a bit while the kids rest.

Grocery shopping, cleaning and celebrating are all on the agenda for today and my mood is starting to be affected so I would say that is as good a reason for a nap as any. And what a glorious nap it was. I woke up made a smoothie and kicked butt on the rest of my tasks - so I could spend time with the fam for my little mans birthday. 

The big party is tomorrow (or little I suppose 12 people is not that much). So I am off to bed friends - peace to you. 

Meals:

Breakfast- GF toast w/butter and cashew butter and coconut milk.

Snack- None.


Lunch- Chicken and rice soup (leftover from yesterday).


Snack- green smoothie

Dinner- Eggs, bacon, potatoes. 2 bites of french toast (I am sure i will pay for that one - but it was delicious.)

Snack-none
Water Intake- 54oz. 

Supplements: L-lyosine, fish oil, D3, Probiotic, antifungal, multivitamin, kelp caps, cal-mag citrate, thyrisol.

Energy levels:

Morning- Low
Afternoon-Low

Evening-Moderate

Exercise: none

Mood: started off crabby and grew into good

Changes:none

Day 24: Still getting Into the Swing.

Today was a good day. I did struggle to get out of bed, but I think I am still catching up on sleep from being out of town. I am also aware of a bit of a cold leftover. I haven't been able to kick it just yet. Hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

I still struggled to get back into my rhythm today. It's so funny how when you fall out of practice with your habits, it only takes a few days to totally erase several weeks of effort. Oh well, I'll get back to it - I just get so impatient with myself sometimes. One of my teachers last weekend kept saying, "How do I know that what is happening is what is supposed to be happening? Because it's happening." I love this and I keep hearing her voice as I begin to get frustrated with the reality of things, which totally calms me down and throws me into acceptance mode. What is - is, right? Why waste energy fighting it?

My energy was very steady and I did accomplish quite a bit of work around the house - so that was good. On the down side the house was completely empty of fruits and veggies today. I can't wait to go grocery shopping tomorrow so I can start making smoothies again - they are unbelievable energy boosters. I really miss them.

Okay friends - nighty night. Setting intentions for an abundance of energy and productivity tomorrow - hopefully.

Meals:

Breakfast- Cream of Buckwheat, banana, coconut milk.

Snack- none.


Lunch- GF pasta, marinara sauce.


Snack- none.

Dinner- Chicken and Rice soup. (Chicken, broth, rice, vegan seasoning, carrots, lima beans, cauliflower, zuchini, red pepper) Wine.

Snack- GF Toast w/ cashew butter and butter. 
Water Intake- 

Supplements: L-lyosine, fish oil, D3, Probiotic, antifungal, multivitamin, kelp caps, cal-mag citrate, thyrisol.

Energy levels:

Morning- moderate

Afternoon-moderate

Evening-moderate

Exercise: none.

Mood: Great!

Changes: Nothing new.