I can't believe our 21 day cleanse is almost complete! Seriously, it has been a rewarding experience; so much so, that I am almost a bit saddened at the thought of ending this journey! Not only do I just feel more energized, emotionally stable, and free of belly discomfort, I feel more connected to my husband as we have tackled this challenge together.
Week one began with great enthusiasm mixed with a hint of apprehension. For the first couple days, I wasn't feeling like I was starving but was really aware of how many times I wanted to just grab a snack or munch on something I was giving the kids. It was like a thoughtless, automatic impulse to pick up a pinch of food, especially while I was cooking meals for them! I had to keep myself in check.
By day three my digestion was in high gear. I felt a little foggy and a bit tired, and had a sore throat. Could have been from the spin class I taught with a bad microphone, or perhaps I was killing off some yeast with the cleanse, or a mix of the two? At this point I was loving that I was sleeping better. Seriously, I am still enjoying good rest... 19 days later, no night sweats, I sleep through the entire night (Unless a lil'bear wakes me up!), and I wake up feeling alert, refreshed.
I was excited and proud of myself for starting off this third day with a fresh juice! It seemed like it was going to be a big deal to have to cut up a ton of vegetables, but it actually did not take very long and I was surprisingly satisfied from this juice, like really satisfied and felt whole and centered. I did feel a bit of a crash before lunch and was really thankful that there was still one piece of salmon and spinach salad in the refrigerator. Oh...and that yummy basil and lemon balm pesto fresh from my garden! Deeeeeelishhhhhh!
I was starting to feel hunger by this day and noticed that during the last three days, the hardest time for me was from 2:00-5:00PM; probably stress induced as I've tackled picking the kids up from school, transitioned to get everyone settled at home, began making dinner, and refereed all the fights and quarrels that were going on between my intensely passionate boys. I found myself wishing I could shove some chocolate, pretzels, or wine done the hatch! (OK...got to make note of this and remember my triggers!)
And guess what ... emotionally weak ... I did. Two pretzels! Two! I felt so disappointed in myself as I had been doing so good at sticking to the plan. And guess what! Pay back....my belly just blew up. You know the feeling? That hard lower abdominal bloat! FROM TWO PRETZELS. They were gluten free for God's sakes! Seems I have another thing to make note of ... I may be reactive to certain grains even though they are not revealed as problematic on my IgG allergy profile. This is one of the things I really like about doing this cleanse; many irritating foods reveal themselves. (Maybe I need to go grain free?)
So the week went on and that sore throat from day 3 turned into a seriously killer cold! I had a fever, lost my voice, and had terrible congestion. On a positive note ... since I couldn't smell and had no appetite, cleansing was easy breezy at this point! (the silver lining!)
So, week one was a learning-challenging success! The illness did put a damper on my ability to appreciate some of the positive effects of the cleanse, but there still were some really awesome things happening in the Godfrey household! The kids were very aware that Mommy and Daddy were eating a bit differently, and even though they saw all the kale, beets, cilantro, fennel, ginger, and parsley being used in our meals, they were eager to try all of our nutrient packed juices, shakes, and salads! There was much excitement every morning as they heard the juicer and Vitamix kick on (which is a lot of noise to take in at 6AM!) In fact, it became a bit of a battle for my husband and I as we were protective of our liquid meals they were so relentlessly trying to steal from us! By day four, I just began making an oversized batch of what ever I was mixing up, and served it to my growing boys with a delighted smile!
Here are a few pictures of our favorite eats and drinks during Week One:
