Post juice - Days 1 and 2

I had my first proper meal on Friday night, woo! I was so excited, it was really simple, warm chicken and rocket salad with brown rice cooked in chicken stock, and grilled asparagus, it was really tasty, but the funny thing was I put the same portion I would have done before the detox, strangely enough I was full pretty early on, I had to leave some of the chicken and leaves.

I noticed almost straight afterwards that my heart seemed to be pounding, I think I'd forgotten how much blood is needed in digestion, it was slightly alarming to hear it beating so hard, but I didn't feel uncomfortable. I resisted the peach and barley squash in favour of plain water, and took myself off to bed fairly early. No night time trips to the loo this time, and slept really soundly.

Sat morning I was awake fairly early and snoozed for a bit, my energy levels were no where near where they'd been even the morning before, and the mental clarity that had come with the detox seemed to be waning slightly, the fuzzy morning head was definitely back. I made myself a  breakfast of galia and cantaloupe melon, a sprinkling of gluten free oats, apricot and blueberries, it was amazing. I was starting to feel peckish again close to 12 so I rustled up some tuna mayo and had half of that with half an avocado and some cherry tomatoes, yum! I made myself a juice to take with me to Em's so I wouldn't be tempted to have biccies while we were gardening, that was cucumber, apple, carrot, ginger, spinach and kale, also tastey good!

While we were out I bought some corn thins, and peanut butter, I snacked on three of the thins straight out of the packet before we got back to Em's and then 3 more with peanut butter before we started in the garden. I was stuffed! Admittedly I was full after the first one and a half nut butter ones, but I kept going because they were so nice, Oooops!

After 3 hours sorting out the garden and generally having an ace time with Em, we called it a soggy quits and she dropped me back at home. I had 3 more corn thins with the remaining tuna mayo from lunch and then experimented with my gf pasta spirals, I cooked some garlic in oil, and chucked some white wine in, then wilted down some spinach with some cherry toms, and topped it off with slivers of grana padano and a good lot of freshly ground black pepper. The pasta was great, almost no difference to regular stuff, except less slimy, the sauce wasn't that tastey though unfortunately, I think a bit of stock in with the spinach liquid would probably have perked it up a bit. I was fairly desperate for something for pud after dinner, so ended up nibbling the icing off of a gf cherry bakewell from Asda, they're ok, except like a lot of free from foods, they make up for the missing ingrediants with sugar, so the frangipane is painfully sweet, so I chucked that bit away. I started to snooze on the sofa in the evening, so took myself off to bed around half ten.

Sunday morning was a real struggle, I'd woken up a few times but wasn't nearly awake enough to get up, I felt shattered. Mental clarity all gone :( there was a lot of time spent aimlessly wandering around the bedroom before brekkie, which was peach, blueberries and cherries, and two corn thins and peanut butter. I thought that might be a good idea esp. Since I'd be running at 12pm. My mood was quite low on the way to running but I was looking forward to some activity after a fairly lazy couple of weeks. The running was great and I wasn't at all hungry when I finished, apparently I impressed Chris after getting the technique pretty much spot on after 1 session and 1 practice run, it was feeling really natural as well, we got the machine up to 9.1mph and I was amazed by the energy I had. Was dripping by the end of it, but it was ace and really boosted my mood.

Trip to Sainsbo's for more fruit on the way home, and a skinny new yorker for lunch - 4 corn thins, each with half a slice leardammer, a slice of pastrami and three slices of cucumber, yum! Was pacing round the kitchen for sweet stuff afterwards!

So its skinny roast chicken for dinner - chicken breast pieces marinaded overnight in lemon juice, 2 cloves of garlic, handful of rosemary, parsley and oregano, mashed in the pestle and mortar with a glug of olive oil. I'll be putting those on skewers, doing roast sweet potato, peppers, courgette and poss. Haloumi and a tomato, basil and mozerella salad. NOM!

Juice Reboot - Final Day - 5

So, I'm feeling all energetic and stuff today which is a massive relief to the last few days of lathargic coldiness :) Snoozed for a bit longer this morning but woke up feeling pretty fresh, got my last 2 juices on the go, brekkie was a hodgemodge of  carrot, lemon, orange, half a beetroot, ginger, sweet potato and blueberries - yum! And lunch/afternoon snack were carrot, kale, cucumber, melon, apple, sweet potato, lemon and ginger, another one that's not exactly on-plan. After last nights failed experiment with the avacado I've decided to leave that out and have it as a delicious solid food this eve with a yummy salad.

Pinterest is amazing for food ideas! I've been doing reseach and pinned about 40 recipes (a lot involving chicken or salad), and I'm hoping this new regime is not only good for mine and D's waistlines and wellbeing but also gets me out of my food and cooking rut. My mouth has literally been watering with all the tasty looking treats, and going gluten free is actually relatively easy, lots of lean meat and fish and fresh fruit and veggies, and substituting flour and pasta for gluten free versions, simples :)

Also the puddings you can make look incredible!

Stomach is rumbling now, it's 3:20pm, I've tried some nuts to see if they stave off the hunger a bit and it turns out brazil nuts taste disgustingly like TCP but pecans are lush! I'm seriously looking forward to going home via the shop to get something yummy for dinner. The plan is warm chicken and avocado salad with a grilled asparagus and feta rice - nice! One thing I have to stop myself doing is rewarding myself with sugary foods for doing so well this week, that's my usual thing and I'm noticing myself thinking things like - I'll just buy some really dark chocolate instead of pudding - actually I don't need pudding at all, and rewarding myself with dark chocolate, no matter how good it is supposed to be, will only lead to sugar cravings, so for now, no sweet stuff except fruit, juices and smoothies for me! :)

I might do a measure and write up a final results at the end of the day today and then carry on with my blog after I've started back on the healthy solids, it's been really fun writing my thoughts down for the last few days.

Juice Reboot - Day 4

So it's lunchtime on day 4 and I am feeling REALLY tired, I'm guessing it's the combo of my on-going cold, getting up in the night to pee - only once last night, but it has been up to 3 times, and general lack of energy due to less calories. I have cancelled my running session tonight and moved it to Sunday when I'm hoping I'll feel loads better. I have been seriously thinking of finishing tonight, but I might just see it through til tomorrow and then have something proper for dinner - I've got my eye on steamed llightly smoked salmon, and loads of veggies in butter and black pepper, maybe some new pots for good measure :) Not too fussed on pud though, so will try and enjoy that for as long as possible before the sugar cravings kick in again, am goingto try and go with a fruit based pud if I do get a hankering for the sweet stuff after dinner.

So green juice for lunch has perked me up a bit, I think it was too much rushing about this morning that did me in early on. I did just try and experimental cashew nut and found it really hard to swallow, guess your throat gets smaller in the same way as your stomach does when you reduce your portion sizes, very wierd! Also the feeling of food stuck in my teeth was horrible.

Dinner was another modified green juice/soup, this time with blended avocado and basil, the after taste was lovely, like a really tasty stock, but the look was gloopy greeny/grey and the initial taste was fairly unpleasant so I ended up drinking half a bowl full with a straw, while trying not the heave and then eating half an avocado instead which was delicious! Pudding was made up again, carrot, peach, apricot, lemon, blueberry - it was nice and much thicker like a smoothie. The only thing is the wastage from the stone fruits was really high relative to the amount of juice I got, so given the choice I think I'd go for eating the whole fruit instead.

Energy levels were really high but my legs were aching from lack of exercise, so I did 20 mins of yoga to stretch things out a bit and that helped loads. D was shattered so we headed to bed just gone ten, but I was so awake, but then again, as soon as I started reading, I was out like a light, and only one nocturnal trip to the loo!

Juice reboot - Day 3

Today's been a mixed old day, accidentally snoozed the alarm for an extra 20 mins, so had a bit of a rush this morning. Made my green juice with melon substitute again and an orange brekkie juice and popped them in the fridge - I discovered fairly early on that they taste better when they're chilled!

Brekkie juice was devoured at work again, I wasn't looking forward to my mid morning coconut water, but its a different brand today and was loads more palatable, either that or my taste is changing. Like D's dinner and the stale bread last night, every normal food today smelled amazing, and I found myself drooling over a billboard for fish and chips. I'm seriously looking forward to solid food!

What I hadn't had issue with so far is my energy, mainly because I've been avoiding exercise. Today was yoga which was fine, a bit of lightheadedness when going from my forward bend to standing, but what suprised me was my short stomp up a hill, my pace was the same as usual but when I got to the top my heart was pounding. I chatted to our yoga teacher, who did a fruit detox while studying and said she was amazed by how little she was able to do when she was just eating fruit and how much better her practice was when she went back to normal food, so I'm hoping I'll be awesome at all my sports when I get back on solids.

Cold-wise, its still hanging on in there, still feeling all full of mucus in my lungs, which is unpleasant, still hoping that loading myself up with vit filled juice is at least shortening it! The best thing is my voice is coming back :)

So juices today were:
Apple, carrot, ginger with added orange for brekkie
Cucumber, melon, kale, apple, lemon and ginger for lunch and afternoon 'snack'
Cucumber, apple, spinach, lemon,parsley for dinner
Orange, melon, carrot, apple, lemon and blueberries for pud

Looking forward to bed so I know I can tick another day off, over halfway there! :)

Juice Reboot - End of Day 2

I was feeling really chuffed by the end of day 2, my headache had completely subsided, I was feeling a bit peckish but nothing compared to the end of day 1 and I was actually enjoying my juices. I did another green juice in the evening and managed to finish that with a straw no problem and nione of the nausea, and then did myself a delicious orange jucie with sweet potato, it was yummy.

I was starting to wonder how to adapt back to normal food after this. I brushed a bag of crusty olive bread while I was clearing the kitchen and it smelt like the most amazing thing in the world. Disturbingly I also watched Secret Eaters and the chap on that ate a meat and potato pie in a buttered white bap, and a part of me thought I could really go for that! Don't get me wrong I've got no cravings at all for cakes or biscuits which was really the aim of this, but without an idea of what I should be eatng I think the transition could completely undo all my good work, so I need to get researching :)

So after a more successful 2nd day, I went to bed later - around half ten, again I was really awake, but I read for a bit and was spark out as soon as the lights went out.

Juice Reboot - Day 2

So, into my second day and woke up feeling suprisingly 'with it' but my chest was really sore around the breastbone area. I had a good cough for a few minutes which was very productive, and pretty disgusting, and that eased the soreness. I've still been clearing my throat every minute or so, but the coughs not so bad. So I think we can definitively say it is a cold. Either that or the green juice is trying to escape via the medium of mucus (grim!).

So now it's lunchtime, I was a bit slack this morning with my lemon and ginger in hot water, I managed almost a cup before my stomach baulked at the idea of more liquids. This mornings breakfast juice was a bit late - after I got to work - but it was delicious, carrot, apple and ginger, with some bits of stray kale form lunch juice, yum! That went down well, so I was slightly gutted that it was gone so fast, especially since my next 4 meals would consist of either coconut water (yuck) or green juice. I modified the recipe for the green juice this morning, I really hate celery and the taste of it is so strong, I decided to add some melon I'd got in the fridge as a substitute, I just hope it doesn't make it too sickly. I forgot my straw as well which was going to be a necessity but I've discovered that everything tastes ok, as long as you wash it down with some lemon and ginger tea (the bag variety), so fingers crossed!

Headache level currently at a 2 out of 10 - dull ache, compared to yesterdays by bedtime was about a 7.
Energy levels currently - 8 out of 10
Concentration levels currently - 6 out of 10

Juice Reboot - end of Day 1

Ok, so after my afternoon snack I wasn't feeling amazing, still no issues with feeling shaky because of low sugar levels which suprised me, but feeling slightly nauseous and hungry. I was starting to get obsessed wth how empty my stomach felt, and thinking maybe I could supplement the juice with something solid - this is my sugar junkie mind playing tricks on me, so I ignored it.

I'd had what could be a cold or hayfever for about a week now, which has made me sound all husky, and given me a bit of a sore throat then achesty cough. By the end of the day I was having to clear my throat constantly and as a resulty ended up with a tickly sore throat.

I met up with JC for a catch up, and realsied how limiting the detox is when socialising, which for me always involves food. So i left early to go get my next juice. I made another green juice for dinner and really struggled with it, I found drinking it through a straw helped, but the smell and the amount of liquid in my stomach made me feel really nauseous. I made a carrot, apple and ginger for pudding but couldn't face all of it so I left it halfway through.

 My head by this point was agony, but I was positive that taking painkillers woulnd't be of benefit during my detox attempt, so I soldiered on :) I flaked out on the sofa, mainly because of my head, because weirdly my energy levels were fine - I think the headache was making doing anything or concentrating on anything really hard. So went for an early night at 10pm, no reading, was out like a light.

Juice Reboot Day 1

So, after watching the end of a film called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead about an Aussie guy called Joe, who was saved from premature death by a juice diet, I decided to give it a go. Not that I am fat, or nearly dead but having just been disganosed with IBS (is there even such a thing!) I thought it might be worth a shot. Docs are pretty quick to do the IBS diagnosis and I'm pretty sure it is just a symptom of something else, so the plan is to juice for 5 days and then reintroduce food back in gradually to see if it's an intolerance to something in particular.

For the week before the 'reboot' I've been going steady on dairy, meat and carbs as much as possible to wean my system off them and hope that I don't have a horrible 'hangover' from them all when I start on the juice. As of Sunday (1 day before the reboot) I was feeling really headachey and I'd had what seems like a cold for the past week. From my research this coud be to do with a breakdown of Candida, a yeast naturally occuring in the body, which can become overabundant given the right circumstances - i.e. in my case a high sugar diet, combined with the contraceptive pill, and many previous doses of antibiotics.

The side effects of Candida overgrowth are many and unpleasant, hence the juice diet.

So half way through day 1, I am not feeling any more tired, but I have got a banging headache - continuation of yesterdays I think, but otherwise feeling ok :) Have bailed on the run this eve, the thought of pounding the pavement with this head doesn't appeal.

So todays juices have been:

Breakfast - apple, carrot and lemon - very nice!
Lunch - kale, celery, cucumber, lemon, green apple - ok the first time round but by the afternoon snack I was finding it hard going.

So, bring on the end of Day 1 and Day 2!