#CSDCleanse Update

So it has been 10 days since I started this cleanse and let me tell you it has been a rough 10 days. Well I guess that’s a big of an exaggeration because days 2-7 were going okay, day 8 was tough and then day 9 happened. This is the day that I had a happy hour date with a friend that we had planned over a month before so obviously I had the intention of having a cocktail. Not only did I have a cocktail but I had bread and then I went out after with Neil and Edith and we shared a cone of sorbet.

I hate writing this post and am a little disappointed in myself for falling off the cleanse wagon but I think it’s important to be honest with you.

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I dreaded each morning because of how much I hate smoothies or green juice for breakfast. I mean I like them but I also want something more substantial especially after a night of non-stop nursing, which we have had a few this past week. I have always had a hard time with doing smoothies for breakfast and yet I try again and again but I’m not sure why I bother. I can never seem to make them fill me up despite adding nut butters, protein powders, avocado, coconut, etc to bulk them up. That being said I have gone back to eating oats with fruit, or fruit with nuts and coconut or veggies and gluten free or sprouted grain bread.

The good news is that breakfast was the only real diet/food related struggle I had with this cleanse was the morning green juice or smoothies. I know I had a piece of bread and sorbet on Sunday but otherwise I have been feeling really good with my high alkaline foods diet, (pretty much) no gluten, (pretty much) no alcohol and (pretty much) no refined sugars.

I have to say I have been very successful with the no coffee aspect of the cleanse has been a success and here I am still going strong. Honestly this cleanse has transformed itself into a coffee free June cleanse and I’m going strong and staying strong with this. I have to say I have lusted after Neil’s coffee in the morning but I also know my body needs a break and that I need to get back to my old routine of only 3-4 cups per week versus the 7-10 I have been having.

I debated restarting the cleanse after my bad day this past Sunday but I decided that it just doesn’t make sense to right now. We have a rare date night coming up which we plan to enjoy with a night of amazing food at Portobello. Then there is Fitbloggin which I am sure I can keep it healthy but also want to enjoy a beer or cocktail as well and then my parents come right after that. I have to say it’s bad timing for me to even attempt to do a cleanse properly.

That being said this is my plan for the remainder of the month of June (and hopefully beyond):

  • Green Smoothie or juice for breakfast 2-3x per week; for me this is so much more attainable than 7 days/week.
  • Gluten Free 4-5x per week; I know that too much gluten bothers my stomach so my goal is to avoid it at lease 4  days out the week.
  • Limit adult beverages to a max of 3 per week, while trying to stick closer to two.
  • No coffee for the remainder of June, after June keep my coffee max at 4 per week, while trying to keep it closer to three
  • Continue to eat more raw veggies, lower glycemic fruit and lots of leafy greens while limiting the amount of grains, nuts and soy.

I am planning to do another cleanse in August probably not the Crazy Sexy Diet one but rather a three-five day high raw food, juice and smoothie cleanse. I would love suggestions for one if you have any.  I am actually working on planning my own and will see how it goes. Who knows maybe I will try it after my parents head home so I can give my body a break after showing them around to all the amazing food carts, breweries and eateries in Portland.

Have you ever done a cleanse? If yes, what kind and how did you do?

Cleanse Fails & Wins

I know that I said I would do the Crazy Sexy 21-Day Cleanse but after the first 5 days I failed it. I am finding that life with a new baby doesn’t always allow you to do everything that you plan and that at times you just have to go with the flow. Now this may all sound like I am blaming it on the baby (which I am a little) but honestly it was hard to stick with reading the various affirmations, daily goals and ect.  As for the food part I only have had a few minor fails and plan to continue to follow the 60/40 plan.

Okay so things really aren’t as dramatic as they might seem, overall Neil and I both have stuck with the Crazy Sexy Diet/Cleanse with a few minor fails which include:

  • I had Thai takeout that my parents got for dinner after a crazy day out.
  • I have had coffee which honestly I’m not sorry about. I have had no more than one cup per day and most days I don’t have a cup and I’m okay with that. Neil has also had coffee.
  • We gave into our hunger and desire for our favorite dumplings from the dumpling cart Saturday (which we now regret- too much gluten!).
  • I had a gluten free beer. Neil had beer this week too at home and at a work dinner.
  • We stopped following the cleanse in the book. Tending to a fussy baby, nursing, sleeping and focusing on eating as well as possible took priority.

What I like to call the Crazy Sexy Diet Wins:

  • We have successfully reduced the amount of gluten that we have been eating. With the exception of beer, dumplings and today Neil had Field Roast deli slices for lunch we have not eaten any other glutenous foods in 8 days.  We are both feeling a lot better and our digestion has improved.  We will not be eliminating gluten completely from our diet (we both enjoy beer too much and Neil is a homebrewer) because a little gluten doesn’t bother us but we will be limiting our intake because we both feel better.
  • We have increased raw foods. We have been enjoying lots of green juices, green smoothies and extra large salads. We feel great since increasing all of these and I am so glad to get back to juicing! Also to be honest one of our favorite meals now are extra large salads with tons of veggies, a little cooked protein and sometimes a little whole grain added in <– so good.
  • We have maintained our caffeine reduction. Back when I got pregnant I pretty much stopped drinking coffee in my first trimester with the exception of a few small decaf coffees and in my second and third trimesters I had decaf 3-4 times per week and once in awhile a half caf. During this time Neil decided to reduce his coffee intake from 2-4 cups per day to one cup per day (sometimes two on the weekends).
  • We have reduced our sweets. When I was pregnant I developed this crazy sweet tooth and was always wanting coconut ice cream and chocolate chip cookies.  Well the craving for chocolate chip cookies didn’t go away once Edie was born and the first week home Neil must have made at least three small batches.  I’m happy to say that as much as I want a chocolate chip cookie right now we won’t be heading to the kitchen to bake any for awhile and that both of our sweet tooth’s have been satisfied lately with a small piece of dark chocolate.
  • We increased our workouts. I went for a walk 5 out of 7 days last week and Neil got back on track with his training schedule, biked to work and also ran a 5k. I am happy to say it feels amazing to be back on a more regular workout out schedule and I plan to keep it up!

Okay so it wasn’t a total failure. We didn’t stay on track like we had wanted to but we are keeping up the principles of the 60/40 plan of the Crazy Sexy Diet and will be maintaining our workouts.  One day I hope to really be able to commit the necessary time and focus to do the Crazy Sexy Cleanse.

 

Postpartum Update: 1 Month

We made it one whole month with lots of ups and very few downs as new parents.  It is amazing to me how fast this past month went and I love watching Edie grow and become more interactive but part of me wants time to slow down just a little bit. Today on Naturally Family you can read Edie’s one month update.

How I Am Healing: I would say I am about 90% there! So excited! I have my 6 week appointment in 2 weeks and hope that I am cleared to get back to regular activity. Once I am I hope to get back to yoga classes and running!

Activity: I have been getting out for a walk every morning with Edie and it feels great.  I love pushing her in the stroller because it really adds so resistance to my walk-it’s so much more challenging! You can follow my workouts on DailyMile.

Weight: Still no change but I am feeling good.  I have a few new pieces of clothing (although the bottoms are maternity) and I hope that in the next few weeks I can find a few more items that I feel comfortable in because I am so over t-shirts and workout pants.

Breastfeeding: Things have been going really well with breastfeeding.  We have had a few fussy moments with Edie when she has wanted to cluster feed and I haven’t had enough for her so she gets frustrated but otherwise things are going well. What’s new is that I decided about a week ago (and also per recommendation of the lactation consultant at our pediatricians office) that I would start pumping at least once per day to help my supply.  I have been pumping most days but I’m still not getting a ton which may be because Edie is nursing so frequently.  Yesterday I had a good window of time (she took a 3.5 hour nap) and was able to pump one ounce which the most I have been able to since I started.  I am hoping that I will be able to pump more over time because I would really like to pump enough to have Neil give Edie a bottle a few nights a week so I can have a little me time and he can have some bonding time with her after he gets out of work.