My 21-day endeavor has come to a close, and it has been quite an experience. In the last post, I gave the impression that things were going pretty smoothly. I must admit I spoke too soon. Immediately after things took a bit of a turn. I took on this challenge while studying for the exam, which did have many advantages, but certainly some disadvantages as well. Unfortunately I am a stress-eater. When stressed/over-loaded I like to eat and eat and eat! As a result, my cravings for foods I shouldn't eat (cookies, french fries, etc) which should have left me after the first week of the cleanse constantly pestered me through Day 19 out of 21, making me rather cranky. It was only the last two days where I felt content, sustained - that I could do this indefinitely. But I'm proud to say I didn't cave. Despite the craving-nuisance, the cleanse was successful overall. A majority of my bloating abated, my itching stopped, a couple of rashes that have plagued me for the last year and a half nearly disappeared.
Post-cleanse I didn't quite follow the proper protocol for reintroducing foods back into my diet, resulting in some of my itchiness and rashes returning - at least I know what I'm dealing with.
One huge benefit of all this has been making new juices and meals I never made before. I bought a juicer with which I've been making my morning green juices. One serving of juice can contain, for example, some carrots, 1/2 a cucumber, 1/2 an apple, a cup of spinach, a cup of kale, 1/4 head of romaine, 1/4 bulb of fennel, some celery, and a piece of ginger. Thats a lot of vegetables packed into some green goodness!
I've also found new favorite snacks/meals in quinoa hand rolls, lentil chili, falafels, apples w/ almond butter, homemade hummus, guacamole with jicama, brown rice crackers, lentil-based chips, sprouted almonds, brown rice pasta, and herbal teas. These gluten and dairy alternatives, frankly, are delicious, and I don't miss the things I used to eat all that much... actually, its hard to remember how I ate before all this. One thing I will forever be unable to ignore, though, is my well-known, timeless soft-spot for french fries that I will just have to indulge every now and again.
I plan to stick with the cleanse diet as closely as possible, giving myself a cheat day to enjoy small amounts of the things I love but shouldn't eat. I really hope the benefits are showing through and my body continues to improve. My biggest fear is everything reverting back to how it was. The thought makes me paranoid to the point that on a daily basis I complain to John how I've failed in my diet. But hopefully, for my sake and John's, I'll find some balance/acceptance soon.
