Sunday, June 15, 2008

On a positive note, it will be better than fasting and I won't have to count any points.

A little over a week ago, Heather mentioned that she had been reading the book Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston. I believe she heard about it on Oprah.  It's a comprehensive approach to bringing about balance and positiveness to your life.  One of the things that the author suggests is doing a 21 day cleanse.  My first reaction was obvious.  What?  Give up caffeine, sugar and alcohol?  What's left? However, after further discussion - and reading the book myself - I am ready to take on the challenge.

I explained to the kids what I was going to be doing and asked them if they wanted to join me.  They ran screaming "Noooooooo!!!" from the room.  I coerced Ella back and asked her if she would at least accompany me to Costco so I could purchase enormous amounts of fruits, nuts and vegetables.  She agreed only because she likes it when the processed chicken nuggets are out for sampling.

Afterwards we headed to Whole Foods to buy gluten-free, sugar-free products that might somehow accommodate my need for snacking on crunchy, bread/cracker/cereal-like products.  There aren't any.  Every time I found something that looked good, and was gluten-free, it had sugar in it.  I stumped two workers in my quest for these items.  Both gentlemen asked me why I would take on such a diet.  They assumed I was sick.  I found that pretty interesting as I didn't think that what I will be attempting to do is that terribly crazy.  

The guy from the bakery department was determined to help me find something.  Anything.  We finally found some bread.  I asked him what it tasted like, and without skipping a beat, he replied, "Cardboard."  I told him I had agave nectar, so I could slap some of that on it and I'd be good to go.  ( I am not supposed to have molasses, honey or artificial sweeteners, but I can have agave nectar and stevia.)  He actually knew what I was talking about and told me that it would definitely help.  As he handed me the bag, I noticed that there was a packet of some sort inside the bag.  Kind of like the small, square pouchy-things that you might find in a box of new shoes.   I asked him about it and he paused, looked around then kind of whispered to me.  "Actually, this bread has a shelf like of a year.  It's double-wrapped and has some nitric something or other in it.  Just don't let it sit on the counter - mold will grow within three days of opening it."
Sounds healthy.

I did about three laps around the store finding sugar-free marinara sauce, rice flour spaghetti, "veggie" macaroni noodles among other WONDERFUL food items that I'll be indulging in for three weeks.

I unpacked the goodies on the counter to show everyone what I got.  Not a lot of interest from anyone.  I told them all that these were MY things - they had to eat their sugared, glutened, caffeined products - they weren't allowed to go near mine.  The glazed over looks I received calmed me down.  No one will touch my stuff.  I'm pretty sure the Nutter Butters will look more attractive.

I am actually looking forward to this.  It is supposed to help my body heal itself from all the toxins that have built up inside of it.  (My liver, especially, will LOVE this little break.)  

I'm pumped for this now, but know that it's going to be tough.  I bought the most beautiful fruits and vegetables I could find.  I'm hoping that will help this be a bit easier.

Tonight?  I had a final Ben and Jerry's "Chubby Hubby" pint.  The whole damn thing.  I'm sick to my stomach, but happy.  That's good, right?

12 comments:

blackbird said...

I'm sure this is going to be fascinating.

Cass. Just Curious said...

So did you start the cleanse or is it a planned start date type of thing? I'm wishing you a lot of luck on this journey...it's not one I think I could do - I'd likely try to cut out one of those things for 21 days.

Amalia said...

I'd join you but I'm too attached to my Lime and Rum drinks lately...Sending you lots of admiration and good luck vibes!

Anonymous said...

I've done this, not the exact 21-Day version from the book, but I've gone 14-days without sugar, wine or complex carbs. The bread I included was limited, but I liked it: Vasa Crispbread. You can probably find this at Whole FOods, but many supermarkets also carry it. Then I loaded up on the veggies - lots of GREEN!

One note: The first three days were HELL for me, and really tested my resolve. But I made it, somehow and after those first few days the cravings for sweets were vitually gone.

Go girl! You can do it :)

Anonymous said...

i stumbled upon your site a while back via dooce. fyi, a tasty cracker that i believe meets your criteria is blue diamond's nut-thins. they come in almond, hazelnut, or pecan, and you can usually find them at whole foods, coops, or health food stores. no yeast, no sugar, no wheat. yum.
good luck!

Anonymous said...

oh, and here's a link with more info: http://www.bluediamond.com/shop/natural/nutthins.cfm

Anonymous said...

i'm doing something similar, but it's more long-term. eat to live is a book by dr. joel fuhrman. you can follow it as much or as little as you like. it doesn't make the spiritual connection so much, but you might want to check it out.

i agree with stephanie - the first three days are the hardest. after that, it gets a lot easier.

the fat free vegan blog might help with some recipes if you need them.

Anonymous said...

wow! Make sure you update your progress, I'm interested in doing something similar.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to be rooting for you! Good for you-just get through the first 3-4 days and you'll be good to go.. it's hard to find Gluten free-sugar free-most gluten items make it up with sugar- hang in there-Ceress

are you still running? I am -slow but I keep it up-thinking about doing the Big Sur marathon and Half marathon (I'd do the 5 mile portion ) in october- should be fun-if only for it's beauty

Danielle said...

I went through my feed reader and read this:

http://www.makeandtakes.com/frozen-grape-pops

Then hit your site.

Had to go back and forward the link to you.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

OH. MY. GOD. This is freaky. I started this same cleanse on Saturday....however....I modified it. I've managed to go three days now with no meat, no coffee, and minimal sugar. I have not dropped the alcohol yet. That AND coffee???? That's asking way too much.

Welcome back!

K said...

Hi there. Stumbled across you via Dooce. I think at Whole Foods you can find a product called Vegetable Booty in the chips section that meets your requirements. I think. And it doesn't taste completely like ass, so there's that. ; ) good luck.