Only one week in and I'm feeling pretty good... a lot better than I have in a long time. My bloating is decreasing, I have sufficient energy for exercising, and my allergies seem to be disappearing, or at least abating. I won't deny I've had small bouts of crankiness and fatigue, and my kidneys are in discomfort from being overloaded by the detoxing. Worst of all, have been the craving battles I've had with myself. Over the last week I have fended off temptation in a number of forms. For example, I've deliberately had to ignore and distract myself from a box of fried chicken (on day 2 no less! Thanks, Kieran), cheezits, bacon, a bean and cheese burrito, french fries, cocktails, gooey caramel brownies, and all the enticingly yummy superbowl snacks, including barbecue meatballs and que bueno nachos. Despite these encounters I've been able to stick to my diet so far without falling off in the slightest. It sort of makes me feel stronger... being confronted by these seemingly tortuous temptations and resisting them successfully.
Certainly it has not been easy. The smell of delicious food ignites a bit of a mood, and the thought of drinking my dinner rather than chewing on amazingly flavorful food is not desirable in the slightest, but I'm getting through it ok. I am, however, thoroughly enjoying lunch, the one cooked meal I'm allowed. My favorite recipe so far has been quinoa salad hand rolls (note: can replace quinoa w/ brown rice) - the seaweed gives me the sodium fix I used to crave from things like salami, and the quinoa mixed w/ chopped up veggies and herbs tossed in organic olive oil and fresh lemon juice with a pinch of sea salt, makes an exquisite filling. I highly recommend it!
While 14 more days seems a long ways away, with a lot of work ahead, I'm hoping to come out of this with an internal system that works more fluidly and efficiently... stream-like, if you will. At the very least, I look forward to trying out new recipes, like lentil chili, and apple-fennel juice. The challenge of it all is what keeps me going. And these days, I'm all about taking on new challenges and knocking them down! I think my delicate ego could certainly benefit from it... and perhaps it's starting to.
