The Detox Continues...

Friday Feb 25  Detox Day 10

Ahhh…that extra 40 mins of sleep and the chiro adjustment has made all the difference! I almost feel ‘normal’. If only I could sleep for another 2 hrs! Sigh… We decided to drive into work today. G is working back and I thought it might be nice to drive home instead of catching the train.

For the first day in ages, everyone who was supposed to be in the office- was in! It made the day so much more manageable! I didn’t get as much work done as I had planned on, because I just can’t seem to focus like I used to.  I’m hoping that will change by next week.

I brought some pea protein powder and a shaker to work. I didn’t have time to make a proper lunch and I wanted to be sure I had enough protein for my mid-day meal. I added 200mls of soy milk and gave it a good shake! Man, does it ever thicken up!! With just a little apprehension, I popped the lid and took a sip.

Wow—very pleasantly surprised!! It was almost as thick as a McDonald’s thick shake and it tasted quite nice!! I think I could actually drink this stuff!  Too groovy!

I sent a msg to J to let her know that I had picked up the supplements we talked about. I mentioned that I was feeling scattered and struggling a bit with craving for steak and cheese. She suggested it might just be that there are some toxins cruising around in my body. Nothing that exercise and sweating ‘em out couldn’t fix!

I laughed and told her that I intended to give the toxins a run for their money on the treadmill tonight.  I wasn’t kidding! I increased the length of the workout from 32 mins to 40 mins and I promised myself that I would run each 8km/hr interval!

Unbelievable! I ended up running for 17.5minutes out of 40!! I have never run that long before in my life! And before tonight, I would not have believed it was even possible! Now I just need to get in to the groove and keep at it. Pretty soon I’ll be able to do intervals between 8kms/hrs & 10kms/hr!! Even my feet were burning by the end of it! Proof that I pushed myself tonight. I’m very impressed with myself.

It’s a very cool way to end Day 10 of the Detox!

Thursday Feb 24 Detox Day 9

Last night was crazy.  After the Fringe, we had to deal with a Huntsman (spider) in the backroom. They’re harmless –mostly, but still unnerving to see –especially for me. Daddy Longlegs back in Canada are about as spidery as I’m used to! Didn’t know until I moved to Australia, that Daddy Longlegs have a deadly venom, but fortunately for humans, they don’t have fangs that can penetrate our skin. 

By the time we sorted out the spider, it was 11.15pm. Then I had to go hunting for the cat who had escaped when I opened our front door. It was past 11.30 when I finally turned out the light.

The alarm went off at 5.21am. I so did not want to get out of bed. Sleep is a rare commodity these days and I’d give anything to roll over and sleep until I woke up of my own accord. Alas, today is not a day for sleeping. I crept out of bed and into the bathroom to get changed into my workout gear.  Bags packed, lunch organized, banana and sunflower seeds at the ready, I slung what I could over my shoulder and made my way to the car.

2 new people joined us for group today! I struggled this morning. I’m not sure if it’s lack of sleep, the detox diet or what, but I don’t seem to have the strength or endurance that I had 2 weeks ago! And, the temptation to simply sit down and cry half way through the squat jumps was almost over-whelming. But, I held myself together.

Craving cheese and steak today. Last week seemed pretty straightforward. I was all prepared for it to be hard and awful and I was pleasantly surprised.  But, it’s obviously catching up with me this week.  Even my skin seems worse this week. Must be the release of all those toxins. Sigh… oh well. I’m sure it will be worth it in the end.

The past 2 Thursdays have been particularly trying at work. I can’t seem to focus and I’m easily distracted. Bet a coffee would sort me out! These ‘soy dandies’ (dandelion and chicory root coffee replacement ‘tea’ with soy milk) just do not have the same pick-me-up effect!!

After work, it’s back to Crows Nest to see the Chiropractor. I have some time to kill before my appointment, so I sauntered into the local health food shop. J & I have been talking about adding supplements to my diet. L-Carnitine is an amino acid that helps with weight loss. Essential Fatty Acids (in the form of fish oils) are great for heaps of things including weight loss. And, both J & V have suggested that I increase my protein intake- as protein helps to build lean muscle mass. Lean muscle burns fat.  So, I walked out of the shop with all 3 items! My body might be healthier, but my bank account sure isn’t!!

Snap, crackle, pop! And it’s time to head back across the bridge towards home.

Figured I would give the pea protein powder a try. Added 25 g (which is actually quite a bit) to my yogurt. It thickened it to almost a malt consistency. It didn’t taste too bad, actually.  Sure was filling though.

I stayed up long enough to watch the first 10mins of Desperate Housewives, and then I headed for bed. I can always watch the rest tomorrow!

Wednesday Feb 23  Detox Day 8

Woke up feeling marginally better than I did yesterday. My hip is still giving me grief, so I rang to book in for an adjustment tomorrow.  Better to be safe than sorry. I want to be able to make the most of the next 2 weeks! My birthday goal deadline is coming up fast and I want to lose as much as I can! If I can make it an even 17kgs, I’ll be thrilled!! I will still fall 8kgs short of my original goal, but it will be way better than I could have imagined!

Work wasn’t too bad today. I ended up getting stuck on a phone call and finished 20mins past the end of my normal shift. Fortunately, I’ve got college tonight so I wasn’t late for any after work appointments! By the time I found a park, I still had 30 mins before class started.

I decided to head into the Nature Care Café for a slice of sprouted rye bread with tahini and honey and a dandelion tea with soy milk.  I placed my order and was delighted when the barista called out my order : small soy dandy. That’s going to be my nickname for my daily beverage from here on in! It sure beats calling it a dandelion & chicory root coffee replacement tea with soy milk!! 

Half way through my sprouted rye bread, I discovered a date! Oh well, surely 1 or 2 dates can’t impact my detox diet too much! I like the sprouted rye bread. It’s sort of like eating a giant bran muffin! It’s really dense and very filling! However, it doesn’t appear to feel the same about me! My guts were feeling full and uncomfortable so I left a couple of bits on the plate and hoped that it wouldn’t cause me too much discomfort during class.

Class was brilliant! The role plays were fantastic! I learned heaps from watching my classmates handle ‘tricky’ clients! Experiential learning is vastly different to learning from a book. I’m thoroughly enjoying this term so far!

After a quick stop at Franklins to restock our dwindling supply of bananas, it was home for supper and an episode of the Fringe. As much as I wanted to stay up and watch the second episode, I wisely decided to head to bed. However, sleep was not forthcoming! Instead, we had to wrestle with a Huntsman spider! Sigh…

Tuesday Feb 22 Detox Day 7  Week One COMPLETE!

Oh wow! How sore am I feeling today!!! My buttocks, back and shoulders feel almost bruised. I know this will settle in a couple of days, but man, is it ever sore today. I did sleep better after my chiro adjustment. My hip seems a little better.

I emailed V & J to see what we could do about tonight’s PT session. I didn’t want to back out, so I asked if there were exercises I should avoid altogether or do differently to make sure that I didn’t aggravate my hip and lower back.

When I rocked up to the Centre, it was full of people! J and I settled in behind the desk and went through my diet journal and my experience of the detox diet. I told her that it wasn’t as difficult as I thought it would be – once I got over the caffeine withdrawals! I miss having fruit with my yogurt in the mornings, and lunches are more complicated. I can’t just throw something together at the last minute. 

J gave me some tips on how to make lunches easier. We discussed other sources of protein (I’m really missing red meat- not that I eat it often, but I think now that I’m restricted, I want it out of spite!). J suggested that I add some eggs and more lentils and veggies to my diet.  In addition, she also thought it might be a good idea to try a pea protein powder. It’s gluten free, for one thing. And it’s in a form that is readily absorbed by the body.  I think she sold me on it when she reminded me that protein builds lean muscle, and lean muscle is a very effective fat burning machine.

J even showed me groovy app for my iPhone called gomeals! It has a large database of foods and their compositions. So, I can select a food, and it already has the carbs, proteins, etc  listed so that I can keep track of what I’m eating! Too cool!

By the time we finished talking, our hour was almost up! So, J took my measurements. Still losing centimetres! Hooray!! Progress! Since we hadn’t done any exercise, I agreed to hop on the treadmill when I got home.

I was still dressed in my workout gear when we got home, so hopping on the treadmill was easy. I’m loving the new interval program that I found! It’s brilliant.  Despite my lower back, I decided I’d give jogging a try! So, each time the speed jumped up to 8kms/hr, I stepped up my pace! And, most of the time, I was able to jog for the full 2 min interval! I was pretty darn impressed with myself!!

Then it was salmon for dinner and time to watch Packed to the Rafters!

Monday Feb 21 Detox Day 6

Hmmmm it’s Monday. The start of another 5 day work week and counseling. Normally I look forward to counseling, but I’m feeling a little apprehensive today. I haven’t been able to shake our last session. Should be interesting.

I’m impressed with myself for sticking to the detox on a weekend where we had S staying with us! For the past few months, it’s been hard enough to stick to my normal diet when she’s around, let alone one that’s much more restrictive! Only one more day and I’ll have survived my first whole WEEK!! Now that’s discipline!!

I don’t know why I worry about counseling. I should know by now that regardless of what happens, we’ll always be able to sort things out.  We started out a little rocky, but V is very patient and persistent. It didn’t take long for the air to be cleared and for us to get back on track.

As tough as this counseling gig is, I am so grateful that I have V to help me sort through my stuff.  I can’t imagine trying to do it on my own.

My hip and lower back are really giving me grief. I’m pleased that I thought ahead and booked a massage to fill in the time between counseling and my chiropractic appointment.

R is a great massage therapist! His table was so comfortable that I almost fell asleep whilst he was massaging my legs. That changed quick-smart as soon as he progressed to my gluts and my lower back. Then I was WIDE awake…and griping the edges of the table! Things did not improve when he made his way up to my neck and shoulders. I knew I was going to be sore the next day, but I was hoping that it would make my chiro adjustment easier.

My chiro was a little unimpressed that it had been almost 3 months since my last visit, but he was quick to do what he could for me. My right hip didn’t click quite as much as we had hoped, so he told me to wait until Wednesday, and if the pain was still present, to book in for an appointment on Thursday.

Between the adjustment and the residual effects from the massage, it was a bit of an uncomfortable drive home.