What I Learned From detoxing
A few weeks back my friend Katrina from Tone It Up challenged me to their 5-day Detox. It was right before the fourth of July and seemed like a good time to detox my body before summer entered in full swing. Tone It Up offers a really great detox program that maps out your food for the week, as well as workouts, so there really isn’t any excuses to not do it. I’m not typically big on dieting or extreme anything, but when you can still eat (and it’s yummy) I’m down to try it. The days leading up to detox I texted Katrina like a madwoman to make sure I understood the detox, the “rules,” and asked a million questions about substitutions. I ended up tweaking the meal plan to fit my preferences and I’m proud to say that I am still SOMEWHAT following the plan.
The most challenging part for me is cutting things out. Alcohol, processed sugars, and carbs with dinner. I love wine, I love a good dessert, and I love rice. I can cut it out for a week, but anything beyond that is going to slowly kill me (the irony of that statement…).
So here is what I did for the week I detoxed:
+ Start the morning with a morning smoothie. I did the TIU shake during my detox but now I like the Melissa Wood spirulina smoothie to start my day.
+ 2 hours later I’ll either eat 2 eggs or avo toast. I also have my coffee around this time.
+ When I get hungry I’ll snack on apples and cinnamon, cracker and hummus, or nuts.
+ For lunch I’ll have a salad with chicken or a tuna bowl.
+ I usually need another snack before dinner and I’ll refer to my snack list above.
+ For dinner it’s either fish, chicken, or a veggie bowl. I’ll do quinoa, veggies, etc. on the side.
+ All day I keep a large ass water bottle next to me so I can keep track of my water intake. This is really great to eliminate bloat, flush your system, keep your skin clear, and overall promote good health.
My thought process today is I try to follow this as closely as possible Monday – Thursday. On the weekends I like to live a little and enjoy some wine and sushi. Of course, if on Tuesday it’s someones birthday, I will 100% be breaking my “rules.” Life happens and it’s not realistic to live like this (at least for me) 24/7 and I’m totally okay with that.
I can’t lie and say that this detox didn’t appeal to me partly because my belly still has a little baby fat. I lost my baby weight pretty quick but my trouble area has always been my stomach so I’m not entirely shocked that I still have a little chub there. The detox sounded like a way for me to gauge if it’s my diet that needs adjusting, as I work out 3 times per week and still wasn’t losing the fat, or if it’s my diet.
Safe to say it’s my diet. I like to indulge, but you already knew that 🙂 I took photos the day before I started the detox (the top row) and then 1 week after (bottom row). The bloat definitely decreased and my ab definition was more visible. It felt good to see a difference, as it’s not an easy thing to restrict yourself, but I will go on to say that this is not the type of thing I live for. Yes, I care about my appearance but it’s not my top priority, and if I feel like I need a glass of wine and some chocolate on Thursday then you better believe I’ll be having it!
I read a quote somewhere (can’t find it, ugh) that basically said the extra fat you carry is just a reflection of living – bearing children, a celebratory glass of champagne, a trip to Italy, cupcakes enjoyed with family, whatever! This really stuck with me and I’m honestly not concerned with weight.
For the record, I don’t own a scale.
How I Feel Now:
I feel really great. The biggest takeaway from doing the detox that has made a difference for me is the morning smoothie instead of full-on breakfast right away. For years Paul has so graciously prepared me a full breakfast first thing every morning because he has to leave for work, but since cutting that out I feel much better. The smoothie energizes me and I feel like giving my body some time in the morning before eating my eggs really helps my stomach with digestion. I do eat my eggs or avo toast a couple hours later and I don’t feel fatigued or weak like I thought I would.
The moral of the story is this: everything in moderation. Life is a balance (I feel like I say this in literally every blog post), so find what works for you by listening to your body.