El quinto día

So let's talk brekkie (that's breakfast... shortened... just in case you didn't get that upfront - which you should have, but just in case...).

Before the cleanse I would wake up craving my Harvest cinnamon cereal with soy milk. On weekends, I'd usually opt for exercise and then treat myself to an egg / veggie sausage / toast brunch (complete with cheese and maple syrup). Five days into this cleanse and I don't wake up hungry (noticeably anyway). The diet I'm on calls for 'groat oats'. I never heard of these before - but apparently they are what comes before the Quaker Oats Guy (note: Quaker oats dude is rumored to be Pennsylvania founder, Quaker William Penn - but apparently it's just some old guy dressed in Quaker gear. Seems a bit silly). Groat oats are little oat seeds that need to be boiled and then simmered for some ungodly amount of time (approx 8 hours). They give off a "oat cream" that settles on the top. I had a bowl of groats... and it was ok. But if I am going to be realistic about an overall diet change, it's not going to include the time-intensive groats. So I stick with my (already rolled) Quaker oats (cooked with water), with some golden raisins, agave nectar and a dash of cinnamon. It is actually pretty good and filling. I'll add a banana if I'm feeling sassy.

Agave nectar is actually a great sweetener if you are looking for a sugar replacement (http://www.allaboutagave.com/). Anything that's made from the same plant as tequila has my stamp of approval! Use it in replacement of honey, in dressings, over rice cakes... anything really! It's actually pretty good shit.

 

So yesterday I stomached beet  + other veggies in liquid form. Again - in terms of overall lifestyle change, not sure I will be juicing such a concoction again (in fact never - I hate beets). My juicing would probably fall into the lines of oranges, apples, bananas, berries... sweet sugary stuff :) The compromise? Finding juice recipes that have a twinge of sweetness but still have healthier components (like veggies). Until I get a juicer, I'll be drinking Odwalla "Superfood". I had always veered away from the stuff because it's green - and anything that looks THAT green must taste like grass. But actually, it's really good - sweet good (due to the fruit) but still has some of the healthier components like wheat grass, barley grains, and spirulina. Try it - you'll like it. I noticed this morning that my little Odwalla beverage also packed 130 calories. That got me thinking - what's my normal grande soy chai from Starbucks costing me in added-weight? As it turns out - between 150-200 calories a cup. And that doesn't include the second coffee I tend to go back for in the afternoon due to low energy levels.

Today's lunch - a simple "salad" of cherry tomatoes, avocado and cashews sprinkled with balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper. I've noticed that I munch a lot (on nuts / carrots / fruit) but overall, my meal portions have gotten smaller. I've also noticed that the thin tire around my hips diminishing which is AWESOME. I was wondering how that got there...

As for my biking to and from work - I can tell I'm getting faster. I am using higher gears and getting home in record times. Of course, it helps that I'm naturally competitive with other cyclists and traffic lights. Every time I leave work I think to myself, "let's take this ride easy Beth - sit back, enjoy, relax, it's beautiful out and your legs are tired... just take it easy". That works until I spot some dude going slowly up ahead of me and I switch into, "just pass him before the next turn, it will make for a nicer ride to not be behind him", and then it goes to... "that light is about to turn orange - I have 10 seconds before I can safely cross the intersection - click gears, head down and PUSH!" Yeah - so I'm getting faster on my bike. Awesome.


Today I noticed at lunchtime that I hadn't been taking my normal hourly pee-break. What's going on? Am I retaining water? Am I not drinking enough? After grabbing my first glass of water for the day (mind you, I had already had a tea and a juice)  - I set out to find some answers. Apparently, my body will (has) adjust(ed) to the increased amount of fluids and I'll learn to hold water longer. Yippee! No more weird looks from all those coworkers I pass on my way to the bathroom. That said, I rarely know what my internal organs are up and did a bit of research on my little kidneys... suffice to say, I hope I never have to deal with a kidney failure of any sort - nor kidney stones for that matter!

Dinner tonight was not your average cafeteria fruit salad. I understand why Eve picked the forbidden fruit - because it tasted so damn good! Tonight's dinner was fruit salad - fresh pineapple, pear, orange, grapefruit, grapes and apple. Yum. This diet actually tries to veer you away from eating lots of fruit and suggests that you don't eat anything 60 minutes prior or 3 hours after you eat fruit.

Avocado / Cashew Salad: 1/2 - 1 avodaco, a handful of cashews, cherry tomatoes - sprinkle some balsalmic vinegar with a dash of S&P. Add chickpeas if you're feeling frisky.


* On a quick unrelated side note - my dog as started to opt for the top of the bed (right where the covers and the pillows meet rather than at the foot of the bed where he knows he is to be. Little bugger. He's too cute - I can't say no to him! He enjoyed the fruit salad too! :)