Day Seven: Did It!

Yay! Here I am on Day Seven of the detox plan. I made it!

Last night I had a craving for Japanese food (I love vegetarian sushi and other veg Japanese foods) so I ordered out and had avocado maki and some udon. I thought udon was rice noodles, but now I think that maybe they have wheat in them, so it's possible that I slipped up last night. Not too egregious of an error, in any case. Not like I went out and had a roast beef and cheddar sandwich or anything like that. Anyway. The noodles were good but Kamakura has the best udon in Alameda, I think.

It may have been wheat, because I also noticed a slight craving for dessert last night, too, which I haven't had all week (cravings OR dessert). Or maybe it's just that old habits die hard and a cookie sounded awfully good right then.

So anyway, the Results and Followup:

• I'm noticing significantly less fatigue. I think this has to do both with the diet and the supplements. This has been what I notice the most, as well as...
• Reduced 'fogginess'. I feel much less brain-dead during the day, and especially after 3 pm, when I am usually a total zombie. This has made me really happy.
• I'm also both less and more sleepy than usual. Less, because I notice it less, and more, because I fall asleep like a rock at night, without my usual long, drawn-out falling-asleep process.
• I also notice that my stomach is more 'finely tuned' than normal. Usually it's just a dull yuck all day long, and nothing seems to make it any better (and many things make it worse). Now I notice that either it's totally fine and I feel great, or it's very upset and I can trace it back to exactly something I ate (too much fruit, or a double dose of vitamin C, for instance). I hope this continues to improve. That would be excellent.

I really haven't had any bad side effects from this whole thing. I wasn't even hungry unless it was time for a meal. I feel much better, so much so that I'm going to do it another week before adding in things to see how my body reacts. I also want to give my stomach another week to really refine what it likes and doesn't like. So far, I know for sure it likes rice and lots of cooked vegetables. It also likes fruit in moderation. It does not like raw vegetables much at all. Salads are iffy.

The plan going forward:

• I have a movie date with my friend Alex this weekend, which includes a long-planned trip to the ice-cream parlor. I'm on the fence about what to do. I think that as a teensy reward for doing this, I will have a small treat. Maybe one little scoop of coconut ice cream. Or vanilla, as to not mess up the system too badly. I adore coconut but sometimes it hurts my stomach.
• Then back on the plan for another week of fruit, veggies, rice and supplements. I'm actually really happy about this. This diet agrees with me very much. We'll have our new fridge, too, so I can make some more soup (and have room to store it! yay!!)
• I'll also start adding in some exercise and more relaxation.
• Then, after the week, I'll add in some eggs. I actually don't feel very much like adding back in dairy and wheat becuase I just have a feeling it will bring on the fogginess.
• I may start experimenting with gluten-free products, however. And I might have to bring home a Rice Dream bar or two. :)

I think that my ideal diet actually looks very much like the one I've been eating, being sure not to forget to have a protein smoothie in the morning. That seems to be a big key in preventing hunger and crashes throughout the day. Maybe some beans, and some other grains, and maybe some eggs. I am amazed that I don't miss sugar at all (occasional craving aside). So maybe sugar and dairy (like half-n-half in coffee) are actual 'treats' -- not regular features. Because I could not live without cheese and the occasional brownie.

I also think that an avocado a day makes me VERY happy.

So. All in all, a grand success. We'll resume our regular blog programming of my everyday life (I know you are all thrilled) with mentions of the detox only if there's something worth mentioning.

PS: Something else worth mentioning -- I don't know if it's because I was given license eat as much as I wanted of everything (fruits, veggies, rice), or something else, but I have noticed a dramatic decrease in anxiety about random body parts and how they look (arms, hips, etc.). In fact, I have completely forgotten to beat myself up about any body part at all this whole week. I've been trying to kick that habit/pattern for months, with pretty good success... but to lose it completely? Without effort? As if there were nothing wrong with me?? If you were inside my head, you would know what a miracle this is. It's not even that I noticed that I "looked better" and so didn't self-criticize, it's just that the impulse and anxiety was just completely removed. That alone makes this plan worth continuing for me. What a relief to have that stupid habit completely out of my mind for a while. I'm not even going to question why or anything, I'm just going to be grateful.