It’s day six and I’m feeling good. I went to kickboxing today. I am however, little sore, especially in the buns area. lol. But all in all, doing good. Yesterday went well. About what I expected. I had my smoothie for dinner in order to get something in my system. I was not very hungry though.

My sugar and carb cravings have subsided quite bit, so that makes things quite easier. On occasion though I do get a hankering for a piece of nice dark chocolate, especially during hormonal times. The thing about detox though is that if you commit to it, you start to see and feeel some results rather quickly. If you are in the right frame of mind you notice those results and don’t want to ruin it. That mindset is what helps you get through it. Each day gets a little bit easier.

Another plus side to doing this type of detox is the length of it. Yes, you can detox your body in 7-10 days, but going for the longer period also nourishes your body with good stuff after cleansing and hopefully help establish some better eating habits.

A long detox can also help find hidden allergies that you did not know you had. Your body gets so used to being bombarded by the allergen that it just gives up, compromising your immune system and putting your body under a constant state of stress. I helped one friend go through detox only to find after detoxing (and a long period of other seemingly unrelated health problems) that she was allergic to wheat-something she ate every day. Medical tests later confirmed that she had celiac disease. Once you start reintroducing foods into your body after detoxing, there is no telling what you might find. But think of how much better you will feel.

As mentioned in my bio, I started  studying natural heath and nutrition to help my daughters. We knew early on they had food allergies, but didn’t know the extent. At age four they were finally able to be tested and we learned that they were allergic to 27 things. Of the food allergies they are allergic to milk, eggs, wheat, corn, soy, fish, shellfish, tree nuts and peanuts. I remember going into the pediatrician office and him saying, ‘I don’t know what to tell you. Your daughters seem to be allergic to everything.’ It was rather traumatic. We were thinking, ‘What are we going to do?’ We referred to an allergist and nutritionist. The allergist was able to give us some medicine to help keep things down and bit. The nutritionist wasn’t sure what to tell us. My daughters had severe allergy induced head-to-toe eczema. They were on three oral allergy medications and steroid cream for their skin. I started thinking there has to be a better way than this. I started doing my own research and educating myself. I’m happy to say that although we have our ups and downs, my girls are down to one daily allergy maintenance medication; have not had to have allergy shots; and off the steroid cream for their skin. I’ve adjusted their diet which consists of lots of whole foods, fruits and vegetables. I create their own skin and hair care products. They are happy and healthy. I decided after a time that I wish there was someone that could have helped me. My goal now is to help others learn how to overcome physical and medical problems in as natural a way as possible. To put some clout behind what I say, I am working on getting board certified. Additionally, I want to help make people aware that Holistic Health is not some new age, hippie or religious thing. It’s about using what we have already been given in a way that benefits us. Somehow our society has gotten away from that. We think man made chemicals and pharmaceuticals are the answers to everything, but it’s not. Listen to your body. It will tell you what it needs. However, in order to listen, you have to be able to hear.

What is your body telling you today?

I made it through another day of detox. No changes today. Of course my body is getting to the point where it goes through monthly changes due to hormone issues, so it will be difficult to chart a daily progress right now. I will post any physical changes after a week now. Keep in mind that all bodies go through monthly, weekly even daily changes. Some people advocate weighing yourself every day. I don’t since it’s difficult to tell where you really are and there is no need stressing over that half pound. Now if that half pound ends up being two pounds at the end of the week, then you really need to look at some things.

All in all I’m feeling pretty good. My teeth felt extra gritty for a few days and that seems to have subsided. I’ve had an occasional headache which I’m sure is due to my allergies and lack of caffeine as I’ve have absolutely none since starting detox. I’m not a huge caffeine drinker anyway, but I do like tea and will generally have a cup of coffee on the weekends. I probably need to up my water intake as well.

I do feel bad however that I didn’t really do much exercise yesterday. After going back to kickboxing on Friday, my body was a little tired and sore yesterday. I did get in some ab work though. So at least I did something. It’s really important on detox to exercise everyday, even if it’s taking a walk. I’ll try to do better this coming week.

I did break down and have a little bit of sweet potato yesterday. Sweet potatoes are okay when detoxing, but if you’re trying to lose fat too, it’s best to leave them out. I love them sliced thin, tossed with a little olive oil and either grilled or baked with a little sea salt and chili powder. I know sounds weird but it’s really tasty. It has the whole salty, sweet and spicy thing.

Sundays are generally pretty hard on the eating front. We always have lunch after church as a family. I ended up having a salad today for lunch with the family and I’ll have my smoothie for dinner instead. I’m generally not hungry Sunday evenings anyway. Probably because I try to take time to rest and my body just doesn’t need it. I’ll let the family fend for themselves out of the refrigerator tonight as usual for Sundays. Mommy doesn’t cook on Sundays. lol.

That’s about it. Next week should see more improvement. The first week is always the hardest. But once you’re in the zone, it’s smooth sailing.

I made it through day 3 without a hitch. It is getting easier. I’m starting to feel much better. I went to kickboxing yesterday. It was a little difficult getting back into the groove, but I was able to do the whole one hour workout. I really love my kickboxing instructor. I like that it is real kickboxing and not just some turbo class. I can punch and kick out my stress while getting a good workout. Sometimes there’s a few more students than bags and we have to share so I can’t focus quite as well.

Last night I made turkey burgers for the family, they insist on their meat, lol. I had broiled portabella mushroom topped with deconstructed guacamole. I was going to have a salad too, but found that I wasn’t hungry after that. I did get in some raw veggies with the guac though, so it’s good. I also ended up having a few red grapes for desert to satisfy my sweet tooth. I’m trying to keep my fruits to just my smoothies for faster fat loss, but it doesn’t hurt. Besides, red grapes have loads of good stuff in them.

I’m down 1.75 inches in mid section today and 1 inch in gut area (below belly button). I actually have a lot of muscle so I won’t get much smaller in arms and legs and such. I carry most of my fat in my mid section, gut and buns. So I’m focusing on those parts to report my progress to you. At some point things will slow down, but as you can see a lot of what we carry is directly related to toxins in our bodies. And let’s face it, after years of exposure, our fat cells contain a lot of toxins too.

Stay tuned for my progress through my detox. Do you want to know what I’m doing? Contact me for details.

As a side note, I’ve been seeing a lot about the belly buster and the one rule diets and such, but beware of those things. Know what you are doing. Any diet will work if you stick with it. But you should understand what it is and why it works. If you do a diet then just go back to what you were doing before, you hurt your body even more. Think about it. You clean out your system then go fill it back up with junk. Eventually you will have to clean it out again. Take my word for it. Not only that, but a clean system absorbs more. Do you want to fill it with good stuff or junk?

I made it through Day 2. So far so good. I’m still a little tired, but I pretty much expected that. My body is working to get all the sludge out. I should feel more energy over the next few days. I recently discovered that I have adrenal issues though, which I am sure plays a part in it too. I’ve been taking supplements that targets my adrenals and it has helped a lot.

I am going to try to get to kickboxing today. It’s been a couple of months. I really miss it. It was very difficult trying to go during the summer with three kids in tow. Today may not be the best of days to try to return, but I have to do it at some point and today is as good a day as any. I’m sure it will take me a while to build my endurance back up, but it will be worth it.

I’ve began noticing blemishes on my skin as well. I have some bright red dots on my tummy and arms. My face also seems super oily within a hour of washing it although I generally have dry skin. That too was to be expected. The skin is one of the major elimination systems of the body. Granted it’s not the preferred method of releasing toxins, but it does happen. I’m going to do some dry brushing today. The up side is that I know my detox is already beginning to work.

I have already lost about a half inch around my middle of bulk. Of course I do feel like it’s moved further down, lol, on it’s way out of my system. I’m really going to try to work on my core during this detox.

I took the easy way out for dinner last night. The family had left-overs. Okay, part leftover and part fresh. I had a generous helping of wilted spinach with mushrooms, onions and garlic sauteed in a little bit of olive oil. Yum. I’m finding that the fiber is starting to make me feel not quite as hungry.

Off to kickboxing now. Stay tuned…

I made it through day one. It was rough. It generally is. Just getting into the right frame of mind can be difficult. I know what’s good for me and I want to do this and stick to it as best as possible for maximum benefits. We don’t have a lot of junk food in our house or anything because of my kids’ food allergies. But there is something about the human body that when you can’t have something, you want it all the more. Like, I could have really went for a veggie burger or some angel hair pasta last night, but I stuck to my guns (Texas slang). BTW, did you know that research has shown that people generally crave things they are allergic to. Interesting, huh?

Anyway, yesterday I made Cleansing Soup, also known as zero calorie soup because it uses more calories to digest it than what’s in it. That will really help with cravings and such. I can eat unlimited amounts of it and be okay. Last night I made Ratatouille. I love that dish and so does hubby, so it was easy. Plus, I get to enjoy some of the last of the good summer zucchini. The kids fortunately wanted to have what they call “breakfast dinner” of cinnamon oatmeal. So, it made things very easy for me. I generally do not like making multiple dinners for the family, but when you’re doing detox it will happen more often than not.

I also made a new batch of yummy balsamic vinegarette and loaded up with fixings for my favorite salad of baby spinach, red onion, plum tomatoes and baby bella mushrooms. Sometimes I even add some shredded carrots or broccoli for crunch. It’s very tasty and loaded with lots of good stuff for you.

So, how did I let myself get back to this point? I don’t know. It is so easy with all of the convenience foods out there. It creeps it’s way into your life and before long you’re not feeling well. It doesn’t always manifest itself in a tummy ache as some might think, but that is a good indicator. For the last week before starting detox my stomach didn’t feel right after everything I ate, no matter what it was. Toxicity can show up in many forms such as bloating, headaches, bad breath, sleeplessness, fatigue, bad skin or any number of other ways. Toxicity is also a major player in weight gain. So if you have some pounds to lose, start with detoxing your body. Detoxing helps your body work more efficiently and absorb vitamins and nutrients better, allowing you to better utilize and maximize your diet and exercise routines.

That’s about it for now. I haven’t decided what I’m making for dinner tonight yet. Probably roasted mixed vegetables. Yum. Or try some raw food recipes. Stay tuned for more detox details.