I am what I eat. I eat what I am.

So first, let me explain my reasons for doing this program. My husband and I recently lost a family member to lung cancer and though I don't think her cancer was directly related to her diet I do seem to see a prevalence of cancer in our society. And frankly it has me scared. My husband and I both have friends on both sides that have relatives or even multiple relatives that are dying of some kind of cancer. Its too many and its terrifying, especially since its seems to be a function of developed nations and not of anywhere else in the world. There are places where cancer and heart disease and diabetes don't exist, but not in the developed world. Here its a plague. It is estimating that 1 in 2 people in America will have cancer in their lifetimes. Fuck! The variables in our lives that are not the same as in the developing world are diet, pollution and exposure to technology.

Well I live in Los Angeles, So there really isn't much I can do about pollution and exposure to technology but I can change my diet.

Since our family member was diagnosed I have made a huge effort to make my life healthier. I lost 10 lbs, I started eating far more fruits and veggies and I exercise about 4 times a week. Since that time, last July of 2010 my skin tone has improved, I sleep better and my clothes do fit a lot better. There seems to be a lot more balance in my life. But now that we have lost a really important part of our family I find that I am driven to go even further in improving the health of myself and my husband. We have big plans for our life and bad health can't compromise them.

So we have cut way back on coffee and alcohol and have started having organic produce delivered to our house. I personally have started learning to cook and I have cut out dairy and meat products from my diet entirely. My husband has also reduced his intake of meat and dairy. And I bought a juicer and learned to love kale. Unhealthy things like chips/soda/candy are not now and really haven't ever been a daily part of our diet. I do like chocolate but I can live with out it for a bit. and I do have a sweet tooth.....

When I found the Clean Program I felt that it was a good fit. The diet does things that we are doing already like cutting out dairy and cooking with more vegetables and other organic produce.

Our ultimate goal with the program is to shed the toxins that we have built up over a lifetime. Like when I drank 64 ounces of pepsi everyday for a year in high school. Or all the hormones and fat and toxins build up that my liver has been struggling to process from the milk and meat that I ate for years.

And also I would love to lose the last 10 lbs that I put on while in college. Lots of meals eaten at the vending machine at 2am and unfortunately all stubbornly sitting on my thighs a year later. I would LOVE to fit into that size 6 pair of Rock and Republic Jeans I bought last year at the end of this. My waist is fine and so are my lower legs but those thighs, no matter how many squats and lunges I do I cannot get rid of them.

So we start tomorrow! We will be doing 4 days of the elimination diet since we are pretty much there already and have been cutting out most of the things on the exclude side of the chart (posted below) and then starting on the full fledged program after that starting on Sunday morning.

Today is also our 2nd Wedding Anniversary and we are going out to a Mediteranean Restaurant for dinner where I will be doing a little indulging, some wine and probably a piece of baklava.

Tomorrow I will post my weight and measurements and the menu for the day!

The Elimination Diet Chart

The Clean Audit

You are supposed to answer these questions at the beginning of your Clean Program so here we go!

1. Do you have headaches more than occasionally?   YES! At least once a week, occasionally so bad I have to take 3 advil for and lay down. 


2. Do you tend to get colds or viruses each year?  Don't we all?


3. Do you have BM less frequently than after every meal? Seriously? Does anyone?


4. Do you have bowel movements that are not soft and easily passed? Ew and yes


5. Do you have diarrhea more than very rarely? Yes and again ew


6. Do you get itchy or watery eyes and nose at certain times of the the year? Yes, my nose is almost always congested, something my doctor has labelled something like non allergen rhinities. Basically there is nothing they can do for me. 


7. Do you have allergies or hay fever? No, I was tested for all kinds of allergies for my clogged up nose but tested negative for everything. However my husband has bad allergies every year. 


8. Do you often get congested or mucusy? Yes, see my nose above, but I also get really congested after eating almost anything, I have to clear my throat a lot and it always seems like I'm coughing up crap in my lungs. 


9. Do you get bloated after eating? Yes.


10. Do you have extra pounds that won't come off with diet and exercise? Yeah about 15 lbs that have settled in my thighs that I can not get rid of. 


11. Do you have puffiness in areas of your face or body? yes, my stomach, though technically pretty flat is always a little puffy. 


12. Do you have dark circles under you eyes? a little, not too bad though. 


13. Do you get heartburn? OMG yes, horrible heat burn


14. Do you have gas more than occasionally? Yes, especially in my stomach, its always a gugly storm down there, also I get terrible indegestion


15. Do you have bad breath or body odor? I don't think so...but thats hard to judge on your own. 


16. Is there a thin white coat on the back of your tongue when you wake up? I don't think so but I'll check tomorrow. 


17. Do you get cravings for certain kinds of food especially sugary, starchy or dairy foods? Yes cheese and sugar. and lots of salt. 


18. Do you have a tendency towards restless sleep? Yes


19. Do you have itchy skin, pimples or any other troubling skin condition? Yes, my skin is almost always broken out. Its been better lately with cutting out dairy and increasing fruits and veggies but still. 


20. Do you get pain or stiffness in your joins or muscles? yeah, my shoulders and knees are always tight and painful


21. Do you have low moods or a foggy mind? Sometimes


22. Do you find that you are forgetful, have difficulty concentrating or can't find words? Yes


23. Do you feel apathetic and tired? Yes, sometimes


24. Do you have higher that average sensitivity to odors? OMG yes. the faintest smell of mildew gives me a migraine. and I can not tolerate B.O. 


25. Have you noticed an increasing sensitivity to toxins in everyday life, such as feeling more nauseated when you smell dry-cleaning fluid or fill up your car's tank with gas, noticing stronger effects of certain food additives, or having reactions to cleaning or personal-care products? Yes, cleaning fluids and any kind of spray paint give me migraines. 


26. Do you use multiple prescription medications? No, though if my doctor had there way I probably would be, I'm trying to take a more holistic approach to the whole thing. 


27. Do you use many potentially toxic chemicals in your home or work environment? No, not really. Occasionally at work I'm exposed, but they are short bursts and not often


28. Do you have musculoskeletal aches and pains or symptoms suggestive of fibromyalgia? hold on, gotta look this one up. Uh...yes, I feel I can say yes to that one. 


29. Do you have tingling or numbness on one side? Uh not really. 


30. Do you have strange reactions to medications or supplements? Nope


31. Ho you have recurrent edema? hmmmmm gotta look this one up too. I don't think so. 


32. Have you noticed a worsening of any troublesome symptoms after anesthesia or pregnancy? No, but I did get REALLY REALLY sick after I had anesthesia after I got my wisdom teeth out. but thats the only time I've had it. 

Day 1 of the Elimination Diet.

Wednesday April 20, 2011

Weight - 157
Measurements (later, sorry slammed today)
Hunger levels - totally fine until about 8pm and then I was starving, but all day I was pretty energized


So I did fabulous until.....I got a job for the day. I'm a freelancer so sometimes I don't work for weeks and then all of a sudden I'll work 16 hours in a row. Today and tomorrow are those days. However I was mostly good.

For breakfast I had a cup of Banana tea and then a 32 oz carrot/apple/kale/spinach/ginger juice from Whole foods and a Kale Salad for lunch. I just had water all day and I snacked on almonds in the afternoon when I got hungry.

I will admit that I totally fell apart once I got home and still had about 2 hours of work to do. I was starving and really busy but I managed to stop at whole foods again to pick up somethings for dinner. I purchased sauteed mushrooms, brussel sprouts with garlic, and something labelled yellow squash which was actually potatoes (doh). I called my husband and he made some frozen veggies in the freezer and some brown rice. We topped the whole thing off with some Braggs amino acids (like soy sauce only good for you) and chowed down.

Once we were done with dinner I had to finish some work and ended up drinking the last glass of wine in the house. Though I will admit that its sitting next to me right now and I'm not all that interested.

When I came home my husband left me a bowl filled with Tiare (gardenia) flowers and a note saying happy anniversary. They are my favorites and their heavenly scent reminds me of our wedding and honeymoon in Bora Bora. I'm pretty sure he stole them off a bush. LOL.

Anyway see you tomorrow!

Day 2 - In which things don't really go as planned.

Thursday April 21

Weight - no time
Measurements (later, sorry slammed today again)
Hunger levels - totally fine all day. Even when I got home at almost 9pm from work and hadn't eaten dinner


Menu
Breakfast - Carrot, Apple, Kale and Cucumber Juice
Snacks - Decaf Lemon Zinger Tea
Lunch - A raw food prepackaged meal from Whole foods
Snack - Almonds and and Apple. j
Dinner - Nothing, I totally just got home and went to bed, but I wasn't hungry so its ok




So today again was insane, I did however manage to make good food choices because I planned a head of time and brought much lunch and a bunch of snacks. Something that I've found in the last few months of trying to eat better is that if I start the day out well with fruit or veggies that that is all I crave all day. If I start the day out with a Cheese Danish then all I want to eat is chocolate. You are what you eat, you eat what you are right?


Something else I've learned today is that if I don't plan ahead of time people suffer. My husband keeps opening the refridgerator full of fresh organic produce and is just totally lost. He is totally able to cook meat and frozen things but when it comes to prepairing fresh fruit and veggies he is a little lost and just goes hungry. Which he is pretty skinny to begin with so he gets hungry quickly and doesn't function well if he isn't fed immediately. 


Tomorrow Fresh Produce Delivery Day!

Day 3 - Work work work - Explode

Friday April 22, 2011


Weight - 157
Measurements (later, sorry slammed today, today I promise)
Hunger levels - totally fine until about 6pm, and then I was starving and so was my husband who ate a hamburger today. lol


Menu
Breakfast : Water and an Apple
Lunch: a Greek Salad with no cheese or Tomatos, which was sort of unsatisfying, amazing how you get used to Kale and Spinach and then Iceberg lettuce tastes like nothing. 
Snack: two Raw granola bars made out of sesame seeds and dried fruit. 
Dinner: Artichoke, Sauteed Brussel Sprouts, Green Beans and brown rice


So today was my third day of totally crazy work. I should mention that my job is always well stocked with just about any food you could ever want. I literally sat 5 feet away from a bunch of pasteries and cakes and donuts, I really wasn't tempted at all. 


I watched a bunch of documentaries about the Gerson Method for healing and Dr. Gersons Daughter said something like she thinks that obesity is so bad in this country because the food has been so processed and over cooked that it is really devoid of nutrients, so people are constantly hungry and will eat a whole bag of cheetos not because they are hungry but because their body is looking for just a little zinc, or Vit A.  I've found that I don't even crave that junk when I'm eating plenty of raw veggies and fruits. I think its because my body has enough vitamins, minerals and enzymes to process effectively. I also find this is true as far as coffee and water go. If I drink coffee all morning I don't get nearly enough water. 


About a month ago we signed up for an organic produce delivery service through L.O.V.E. Delivery in Los Angeles. We've observed that if we have plenty of fresh stuff we are less likely to go to the grocery store and buy and eat crackers and chips and cookies. We are more likely to eat fresh. A little expensive maybe but probably the same prices as we were spending on groceries anyway just without the junk food. We are healthier for it. 


Anyway see you tomorrow!

Day 4 - Finally a day to deal

Saturday April 23, 2011

Weight - 155.5
Measurements (Finally!)
Height - 5'5"
Bust - 36
Underbust - 34
Upper Arm - 13
Waist - 29.5
Hips - 41
Upper Thigh - 25 
Calf -15.5
Ankle - 9


Exercise : Pilates Plus Pasadena Boot Camp!



Hunger levels - Just fine all day. 


Menu for Today
Breakfast - Apple, Carrot, Kale, Broccoli, catelope and Celery Juice a big glass of water and some organic non caffine blueberry tea
Snack - Almonds and pine nuts
Lunch - Two Slices of catelope and some roasted beets with olive oil and Garlic
Snack - Almond
Dinner - Brown Rice, steamed brocoli and califlower, spinach, letucce, cucumber salad with red wine vinegar


Today is much more manageable, I have a class for about 5 hours and then I'll be home to figure out dinner!

Day 5 and 6 In which I almost lose my husband to this whole thing

Sunday April 24th, 2011 - Monday April 25th

Weight - 156
Measurements
Height - 5'5"
Bust - 36
Underbust - 34
Upper Arm - 13
Waist - 29
Hips - 41
Upper Thigh - 25
Calf -15.5
Ankle - 9


Exercise : None today is Easter so everything is closed!

Hunger levels - Just fine all day.




So this morning we got up late and my husband was hungry. Real hungry, like too hungry to talk hungry. So we headed over to Trader Joes to get some more food becuase he does't last long on just produce. When we got back I started making Salmon with Homemade pesto from the Clean Program recipes but he looked like he was going to pass out at any second so I cut up a fuji apple and slathered some almond butter on it. He was not convinced but ate it anyway and started feeling better while I made the Salmon which turned out totally delicious. We had that for lunch and saved a piece for him to take to work for lunch tomorrow with some brown rice.




I'm doing this post a few days after so I don't remember exactly what happened but we sorta hit a stride. Things didn't seem so hard. We were going to start the regular clean program today but instead decided to wait until tuesday since we weren't perfect the last few days. I'm still cooking completely organic mostly vegetables and juicing a lot. I'm not entirely sure that my husband is going to last. I've come home a couple of days this week and he has looked starving and hasn't been able to talk he was so hungry.




He isn't really sure what to do with all the stuff in the cabinets, instead of crackers and frozen food, the fridge is full of organic veggies and fruits and the cabinets are full of things like nuts and spirulina powder and maca powder....I see him in the kitchen looking in the fridge like "I don't know what to do with this." So I've been trying to cook all three meals during the day and he has grilled some chicken to take to work with him. I'm not really eating chicken these days, or beef. I am eating some fish but thats about it.




On Sunday we took a trip to Trader Joes to get some staples like Almond milk and a variety of nuts. I have been LOVING the pine nuts. Too bad they are $8 a bag. We also bought some wild caught fresh salmon and some fresh chicken breast along with some more carrots and apples ( good for juicing) and a bunch of stuff for lunches this week. While I'm not working this week I'm going to try and take lunch to my husband everyday since otherwise we are never going to get through all the fresh stuff!




Anyway next post we'll be starting on the 2 liquid/1non-liquid meals for three weeks!




See yah next time!

Day 1 of the Clean Program!

Tuesday April 26th, 2011

Weight 155 (I'm just going to update this weekly now)
Measurements (same as last week) (will update this weekly now too)

First day of liquid meals!

Menu
Breakfast - Berry Protein Shake
Lunch - Kale Salad and Quinoa with Roasted Veggies (Delicious)
Dinner - Spinach and Dulse Soup ( This was ok, weird cold though....)

Exercise : Pilates Plus!

So today was ok, we made it to the end. I did some snacking of nuts during the day. Lunch was tasty but I was not in love with the Spinach Dulse soup. The dulse was interesting I had never had it before, I could see it being good as a snack, and I bet this soup is good warm, the cold was not for me.

My husband and I both came home today and felt like we had extra energy. Bonus!

Day 2 - Someone is Hungry Again

Wednesday April 27th, 2011

Menu
Breakfast - Berry Protein Shake (pretty good, very seedy)
Lunch - Portabella Mushroom sauteed with the pesto leftover from the Pesto Salmon on top of baby spinach
Snacks - Almonds and an Apple with Almond butter
Dinner - Becky's morning Shake which was TOTALLY DELICIOUS. And my husband sauteed some organic Green Beans a few hours before dinner.

So my hunger levels have been fine. I've been good about snacking during the day. Its been harder on my Husband. So today he had two lunches. He ate Chicken Breast and Brown rice and then I showed up at around 1pm with a second lunch. Seemed to work out ok, When he got home he made some greenbeans too. The Quantity of food that he seems to need during the day is significantly higher than my needs but I think he feels back about being hungry. The Clean program doesn't seem to be concerned with the amount of food you take in, in fact it doesn't want you to be hungry, If you are hungry you eat, just make sure its a organic good for you food and not within the 12 hour window at night when your body is digesting and cleansing overnight.

I have to say the 12 hours overnight have been completely manageable. We've been waking up early and working on things for a while and then eating around 8am. I've been making shakes in the morning and sending them with my husband when he goes to work. It works pretty well.

And on to tomorrow!

Day 3 of the Clean Program - Bowling and Beer

Thursday April 28th, 2011

Today we got up early, I went to pilates and my husband did some work. When I got home around 7am I made the Favorite Green Shake, which my husband liked just fine but I had a hard time choking down. I ended up drinking about half of it but then couldn't do it anymore and dumped the rest and finished the remainder of the morning shake from the night before. 

My body is a little tired, I've been pushing it on the pilates, Yesterday around 4pm I had a bunch of energy and went to an extra pilates class for the week which would put me at 5 classes this week which is a lot and  I'm feeling like I need a nap. 

For my husbands 2nd lunch (he's like a hobbit now) I brought broiled Salmon (yum) with Baby spinach salad and Califlower Rice, I also made Sauteed Brussel Sprouts which I LOVE. I was pretty hungry by 1pm and scarfed down lunch, When I got home I at two small apples with Almond butter and a bunch of water. 

We had a work function at a bowling alley and I knew that would be hard to deal with, everyone would be drinking and my husband doesn't have a lot of control when Beer is in the room, especially when its free. So we got to the bowling alley and I just drank water the whole time which was find I was thirsty anyway and not really hungry but my husband had three beers and some Caprese Salad, BAD. LOL. All night he was like "I'm sorry I blew it." I'm not mad though, its a pretty big commitment and more than once I considered going over to the buffet and grabbing a slider or some see's candies. I'm pretty understanding. 

Anyway we got home and it was sorta too late for dinner and I wasn't really hungry anyway so I just decided to wait until the morning after Pilates. We watched "I love you Phillip Morris" and passed out. I have to say that I'm definately sleeping better and have way more energy.