January was all about change in the Jones house. It started with bangs, then I quit my job, started a company and joined a nutrition class that included a 9-day cleanse. I’ve never done anything quite like it, but would definitely repeat it for the detox and kick-start to weight loss.
What was the cleanse?
Supervised at my chiropractor’s office, Peak Performance in Chicago, we used the Isagenix 9-Day Cleanse. A side effect is weight loss, it isn’t the point. But when you’re me and need to lose well over 50 pounds, the weight comes off.
I’d fallen into some pretty bad eating habits the last six months or so. Regular soda, lots of cookies, lots of pasta, lots of wine, and some Doritos. Any weight I’d lost walking the Breast Cancer 3-Day came back and I passed my previous highest weight. Ugh… Now I’m a statistic. One of those yo-yo dieters.
I’m determined that this round of weight loss will be the last and the next round of maintenance will be the last. I’m going to get strong, stay strong and be at a healthy weight.
First Two Days
The first two days of the cleanse are liquid only. You drink 16 oz of an aloe drink, lots of water, and the Isagenix snacks. I called them “super hero snacks.” I didn’t feel hungry. Honestly, I didn’t.
Middle Five Days
Shake for breakfast, shake for dinner (or lunch), and a sensible lunch. The sensible lunch for me was always a salad with protein. Snacking on apples during the day is totally allowed, so I ate a lot of apples. And drank a lot of water.
Except for one day. I got dehydrated, which make my stomach cramp, which made me more dehydrated. I had the worst headache of my life and it lingered the next day. My chiropractor did a special adjustment for the headache and I didn’t miss an ounce of water for the rest of the week.
Last Two Days
Back on the aloe drink with lots of water and super hero snacks. By the final day, I wasn’t even really snacking. I just wasn’t that hungry.
After the 9 days, you are completely off caffiene, sugar, wheat and dairy. That means I was able to reintroduce foods to see if I had any sensitivities. Lucky me – no real sensitivities. I’m still off caffeine, my appetite is smaller, I’m not craving sugar or salt like I was before. I miss coffee, but am going for decaf or tea instead. Drinking lots of water.
I noticed that my taste buds are amplified now. Wine tastes incredible and multi-layered, just like it should, but in a way I rarely notice. My fridge is filling with leftovers from eating at restaurants, because I’m just not interested in eating any more. Hooray!
Otherwise, I had energy, my mood was good (save the day I got dehydrated), and I feel a difference. I have motivation that I’ve lacked the last year to take my health and weight seriously. To change my eating habits to somehting sustainable and get out of the ‘dieting’ mindset. That’s the story.
UPDATE: Oh, I forgot that you’re supposed to do 20 minutes of exercise a day. I wasn’t that good about the exercise… one thing at a time.
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