The 21 Day Detox Diet!

Well based on peer pressure from my personal trainer I finally decided to try this 21 Day Detox Diet he wrote about in his book "I'm Too Cute to Sweat"

The basics of the diet are you eat nothing but fruits and vegetables for 7 days take a day or two off and get back on for a total of 21 days so in total 3 weeks.

I have a Soror who posted about "detoxing" so I asked her for her version of a detox and she told me so I merged the two into the following:

Strictly fruits and veggies and fish- Feel free to boil, steam, or bake and use a juicer!
The goal is to:

1) Do at least 5-6 days on 1-2 days off! If this is your first detox like this do what works best for you

2) Remove all bad carbs from the diet-candy, soda, cake, chips, etc. for the entire 21 Days-use your days off for other things like nuts, milk products, etc. (or not)

3) Start everyday with a glass of warm water with lemon in the morning and end each night with a glass of the same.

Carrots, raspberries, and pineapple!

Well I can say I have spent more days off than on lol I really did not realize how many processed/carb snacks I rely on! Between protein bars, crackers, popcorn, etc it adds up so quickly! Its crazy! So the one thing I will say is this diet has helped me to refocus on my Weight Watcher Healthy Eating guidelines that do say you should take in between 5-9 fruits and vegges per day. As I was posting in my AKAs workout group I have not had an apple since like...last year! CRAZY! SHAMEFUL! Boasting about exercise and eating loads of crap! No wonder I can shake these regained 25-30 pounds!

But this isn't a pity party of a self bashing sessions its a great wake up call. I am down 3 pounds even though my detox has not been perfect but I can say I do feel lighter and feel better.

Let's get to the nitty gritty detoxing is gonna cost ya! As you all know I made up my mind to spend my money on things that will help me on this journey. So I don't see cost when it comes to my health.  My personal trainer twice a week, my 2 gym memberships (sometimes 3), my new $120 sneakers every 6-8 months, my Massage Envy membership..to me are all a part of the price to do business because for years (and to be honest now) I find plenty of money for my Sorority, Junior League, to travel, to eat out and party, and eat out and party some more so I dare not say a word about spending money to help me live my best life ever in regards to my healthy lifestyle. Be that as it may it will add to your grocery bill thats the bottom line.

FRESH FRUITS & VEGGIES

I do seek lower cost options when I can such as hitting up the local produce market instead of going to Giant or Safeway. I spent over $40.00 a week and a half ago and that is a lot for me but look at what I got! I typically spend less than $10.00 and leave with 4 bags so I did leave with like 8 bags. I bought apples, bananas, beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, what Jamaicans call cho cho but also know choyate squash its like a water dense potato, oranges, grapes, kale, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and garlic. Whew! It was a big haul!

I also bought a juicer! This morning I finally jumped into the juicing portion and it was good! First off I bought a cheaper but decent juicer . Its a Black & Decker and it was abut $30 at Walmart! I was willing to spring for a $100 one but turns out I found this deal and it works fine.

Some pros and cons and general observations about juicing.

It can be messy! * You  need time to actually do it * You need to know what fruits & veggies work best. Carrots great, Raspberries not so much! (See below) LOL

I did get a lot of recommendations from people of combinations I should try but this morning I was in a  rush and I promised myself I was going to do this blog update. I made a carrot, pineapple, and raspberry mix. I used fresh carrots, canned crushed pineapple, and fresh raspberries. The pineapple and raspberries didn't seem to work too well. I felt like most of it ended up be trash. See pic!  

Cool lol

Would I recommend juicing? Sure! I am glad I didn't spend $200 for the machine because this $30 one works just fine! I am guessing the more expensiv machines may juice more difficult fruits better? But I think for my use this works. Its easy to clean up and pull apart and get to work. One warning! If you have acid reflux skip juicing. I get a touch of it from time to time and as I was drinking this morning on the way to work I felt it acting up. Maybe the canned pineapples were the problem. Here are some other recipes if you get a juicer and try them out let me know how you like it and share any tips you uncover! Juicer #1 & Zesty Cook

One product tip! Buying fruit in this quantity can be a challenge especially if you are going to a produce market or a farmers market. On the upside the food is a lot fresher the down side is the lack of preservatives means the fruits and veggies can go bad a lot quicker. So I use these Debbie Meyer Green bags to help keep all my produce fresh longer! I know I'll buy anything on an infomercial but really these work! I am sure I got these at Target but worst case you can get them online as well. It really does extend the life of your produce!

Good investment!

Ok end of my sales pitch! :-)

Aside from that all is well. I was off from the gym for a little over a week but went to my Personal Trainer yesterday. I was late so I only got in 45 minutes BUT I'll take it. It was a good workout. Ideally I'll go tonight to do something. My teaching gig at one schools is on break till next week so I have time to get to the gym vs getting home at almost 10pm! But we'll see!

In other news it was busy weekend. I went on a 3 mile walk in Columbia have not been to that park since Iron Girl! It was so much prettier than I remembered lol  I then had a Junior League of Baltimore meeting. It was not the traditional GMM instead it was a fireside chat at the incoming President's home! I had such a good time! It was nice to hear about her vision for the League and to meet some new members and reconnect with others and have some good food! On Sunday I went to my sorority's Founders' Day where our International President spoke and afterwards it was my line's AKAversary dinner! Talk about a weekend filled with some awesome women! I feel sooo blessed to be counted in the number!

I went to The MAC Store and had my face did and I am usually always rushing so I drop a few hundred and roll out but this time I said I am staying I waited an hour and a nice young lady Ashley did my makeup! Today I dug up the other times I have had it done professionally and I was surprised at the difference! Forgive the choppy side by side by side lol comparison but you get the point!

It inspired me to keep pushing I opted for grapes instead of chips today :-) Have a good week!



Upper left 2008, lower left 2009, right side 2012