Day 20

Monday March 7^th  Day 20

From the moment I wake up, to the second before I drop off to sleep, the countdown ticks over slowly in my head. Thank GOD I only have to get through one more day of detox after today. I am craving carbs fiercely. I think longingly of fresh white bread, crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle. And cheese-glorious cheese! I’m even missing the lite ricotta that I used to eat on my pizzas. My resolve is not what it used to be. If this detox went for much longer, I think I would simply give up.

Tonight in my session with V, we spent a lot of time discussing what worked really well from the detox and didn’t. We made a list of the things I would keep:

1.    dandelion tea-no point in going back on coffee if I’ve already survived the caffeine withdrawal.

2.    Protein shake- as much as I protested this addition, it is a nice easy way to make sure I’m getting enough protein in my diet.

3.    Rice pasta- it tastes very similar to wheat pasta and it’s lighter on my stomach

4.    Soy milk- as much as I like dairy, I quite like the soy milk in my dandelion tea. The nutty flavour makes it easy to resist sugar in my decaf soy lattes.

Then we spent some time discussing how I was feeling about not meeting the goal that I’d set. I’ve only lost 13kgs out of the 25kgs that I was aiming for. V assured me that I was doing well. She pointed out that I was attempting to make a long term, permanent change to my life style – and not just attempting quick weight loss. I understood where she was coming from. I just don’t like falling short of the mark.

She asked me if I’d done my best. I thought about it for a few minutes. Yes, I said. I have definitely given it my best shot. And, I’m still doing it. I haven’t given up-even when things got tough.

I converted the weight-loss from kg to lbs. 13kgs works out to 29.5 pounds. I liked the sound of that!! It’s definitely something to be proud of.

J had suggested that I give yoga a try, so tonight after my session with V, I changed into some appropriate yoga gear and waited for 6.30 to arrive.  The yoga instructor S, asked me to fill out a form-since it was my first session. Then she gave me a quick run down on what to expect. It sounded ok. So I sat back and relaxed while she set up the Centre. Yoga mats, candles, soft music- it all seemed very inviting.

OMG! The Downward Dog pose nearly killed me! My arms were shaking; muscles that had remained silent through all of J’s training sessions were protesting loudly. This couldn’t be good! I hesitate to think of how I would have survived this session if I hadn’t been doing all of that core muscle work with J. As it was, I was sweating like a farm animal! All of the other participants- including J who was there with me for moral support- made it look effortless.  Unbelievable!

By the time we got to the ‘5 minutes of Bliss’ part at the end of the session I was exhausted! It took me back to my very first group pt session with J. I thought I was dying that day. But, the nice thing about Yoga is that once you finish the poses and stop stretching, your muscles stop protesting. Unlike exercise with the instant aches and pains that linger on for days!

I must admit- it certainly improved the blood flow to my brain. I felt alert and aware.  I could definitely see why my friend from college would want to have this feeling every morning. Unfortunately, my schedule is such that I can’t quite fit yoga in at this point, but I will certainly try it again down the track.

Home to dinner and to spend some quality time with G.