MC Day Three

OK. I totally backslid on both my eating habits and my yoga program over the past couple of weeks. It started because my blender gradually stopped working and I could no longer make green smoothies that were palatable to drink. (I've got my eye on a couple used Vita Mix machines on ebay to replace it, though.) Then I had friend and family visitors back to back so what little free time I have was spent going out to eat, going out drinking, and doing fun tourist stuff. Unfortunately, most of my good intentions went out the friggin window.

Not to worry, I am back on track. In fact I am on Day Three of a 15 day Master Cleanse. I want to wipe the slate clean. I also want to get down below the 200 lb mark before my trip. I know that it's doable I just need to focus. I am doing the Salt Water Flush every single morning. I will do yoga at home w/ Bikram's audio cd in the evening at least 10 out of the 13 days left before my trip.

I didn't begin with the yoga right away because I thought it would be better to give myself a few days to get into the swing of the fast before adding exercise. The first couple of days are the hardest and I wanted to make it a little bit easier to stick with.

I'd also like to incorporate a couple swim sessions next weekend and I'm scheduled to get body wraps on Day 7 & Day 14 as well.

Here's my progress so far:

Day Zero (4/30/09) - 217.5

Day One (5/1/09) - 214.5

Day Two (5/2/09) - 212.0

Day Three (5/3/09) - 209.0

That's 8.5 pounds lost so far on this cleanse!!!


I am drinking plenty of the MC lemonade and pure water. I am also having green tea once a day and herbal teas as needed. I feel good physically but have a very short fuse emotionally. Things just seem to annoy me a lot more than usual. But I think that's because I am used to stuffing my emotions with food and can no longer do that.

When I am finished I plan to get back to my green smoothie routine and will most likely eat a high raw diet. The month of May is my new beginning into Raw Foods. I've built the foundation of yoga and now it's high time to quit slacking and commit to eating well once and for all.

Green Smoothie Challenge

After much deliberation, I have decided to start the Green Smoothie Challenge tomorrow. I've got about 4 1/2 weeks until my trip to California and I'd like to make some big changes in my diet before then. I've been reading/watching a lot of raw food blogs/videos and think that Green Smoothie Girl's approach is one that I can live with long term.

These are the 10 Points she advocates for weight loss:

1. Drink 8-12 glasses of water daily (between meals, not during) starting with two glasses of water when you first wake up.

2. Drink 1 quart of green smoothie daily—this is the minimum, you can drink as much as you want!

3. Eat 8-10 raw vegetables and fruits daily (with most of those being vegetables including plenty of greens).

4. Eat freely of whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds—soak them whenever possible for maximum nutrition.

5. Eat 1 oz. or more of coconut oil daily.

6. Add kelp, dulse, nori, or seaweed to a green smoothie, soup, or salad every day.

7. Take a good probiotic daily, and digestive enzymes with any meal that isn’t mostly raw.

8. Avoid processed sugar, white flour, animal flesh, and coffee/soft drinks (including diet drinks) or other stimulants using NutraSweet (aspartame) and caffeine.

9. Eat three meals daily that are 60% raw or more. Try to avoid snacking but if you must snack as you’re transitioning to three meals a day, have a green smoothie.

10. Break a sweat once a day, 5-6 days a week—do both aerobic and weight bearing exercise, and push yourself.

To read more about it check out her website: http://www.greensmoothiegirl.com/weightloss.html

I will be doing Bikram Yoga 5-6 days per week. I also want to try to do The Firm Vol 4 (45 min weight workout video) 2 mornings during the week and swim at least 1000 yards on one of the weekend days. And, of course, I usually take my dog Buddha for a 30 min walk weekdays and to the park on weekends.

I will record my weight and food choices here. I will discuss my yoga progress and insights to my practice on my "Ellen's Yoga Journey" blog.

I am very excited to see how much weight I can lose and how my body responds inside and out to this regimen. Wish me luck!

Starting Weight: 217 lbs

DAY THREE

WOW... I haven't written in such a long time. So much has happened. The good: I have completely weaned myself off of Diet Soda - which was no small feat considering I have had at least one a day for the last 25+ years. I got about a migraine a week for 6 weeks but then nothing after that. Aspartame is REALLY scary stuff. For those who haven't sworn off it yet do a simple search for "aspartame side effects" - the result is frightening.

The bad: I went back to my junk food, meat and cheese eating ways and was drinking regular soda and/or sugared tea for the last several months. As a result my weight ballooned up to 236 - the highest it's EVER been.

So I finally decided enough is enough. I need to do something drastic but I also need a real, permanent solution. I decided to do The Master Cleanser for the next 4 weeks until I visit my family over Thanksgiving. I haven't been back to San Diego in 2 1/2 years and I could not bear to face those I haven't seen in so long. I want to use this fast as a time of contemplation and also as a clean sweep, if you will. I hope that this will be a springboard into better health and vegetarianism FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!!

I started on Sunday 10/26/08 and will end Saturday 11/22/08. I hope to lose a minimum of 40 and possibly up to 56 pounds in that time period.

Today is day three and I am down 6 pounds so far. That and I have just gone through the first 3 days of my period along with brutal cramps. So the next 25 days should be smooth sailing - knock on wood. ;))

How did I let this happen? I've been wracking my brain for the answer. Food has become my comfort and my coping mechanism. It is truly an addiction and that's why the drastic measures are necessary. I feel like I literally need to stop cold turkey. Again, I need to approach this like trigger foods are a drug that I must avoid at all costs because I am *truly* only a couple bites away from a relapse. It isn't a diet this time. It is a new way of life. I WILL NOT FAIL - PERIOD.

And so I am going to do this pretty much by the book. No modifications to the recipe. I will let myself have one 16 oz fresh squeezed juice if I *really* need something different. I will let myself have Green Tea and herbal teas ans I will continue taking my Yoga Body supplements. But I will use the traditional MC this time around - just lemon juice, Grade B maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. No more trying to reinvent the wheel.

Day One Weight: 236.0

Day Two Weight: 232.0

Day Three Weight: 230.0

Total of 6 lbs lost so far!!!

Crankiness and really jonesing to eat the first day. Crampy and headachy the second day. But today I feel pretty good. Kind of like I hit my stride. I did take medication for the cramps because it would of been completely hellacious otherwise. No workouts yet but I have been taking my dog, Buddha for a walk every day.

I am not going to put up before pictures because I am absolutely horrified at the size I have become. But I do have faith that THIS TIME I will stay the course and finish the full 28 days.

Anyway I am off to do the Salt Water Flush, since I didn't have time in the morning.

Aloha, Goodnight, and God Bless,

Ellen

GETTING BACK IN THE SADDLE

Well I totally jinxed myself with all the talk about not usually being able to make it past day 20. Because on Day Twenty I fell off the wagon. Super Big Time. And I stayed off for a couple of months. But now I am ready to get back in the saddle again.

This time I've decided to do 2 weeks using a modified Master Cleanser. I will also have Green Tea, Hibiscus Tea, etc... because I've found that the teas really help me to add variety.

I am going to do the Salt Water Flush every day because I think that really helps as well. I will be sure to add probiotics back in when I'm finished because I realize that this can disrupt the balance of intestinal flora at the same time as it clears everything out. I will try to post measurements within the next day or so.

So.. tomorrow it begins again in earnest. I hope to wipe the slate clean and start fresh with new eating habits after the initial 2 weeks. Maybe I'll even complete a 92 day fast in the future, but for now this is my plan. Wish me luck.

Aloha & Namaste,

Ellen