What Doing a Detox Taught Me

Here I am. Day 8 of a 10 day detox.

And no, I haven't cheated.

Unlike Hubs, who is a dirty cheater.

Though, I guess I should be thankful that he is the type of dirty cheater who cheats with a beer and a basket of wings, and not some hoochie homewrecker.

SIGH.

For the past week, I have followed the plan created for me by Lisa at Whole Health Designs. I won this plan so I'm under no obligation to talk about it. But, since it has made such a huge difference this past week, I want to write about it and tell you what I've learned by going on this detox.

Oh, and for those of you who thought that being on a detox meant you just drank weird things like water with cayenne pepper, that isn't true. The type I was on involved actual food. I wouldn't last 10 minutes on a plan if I didn't still get to eat.  The food on my detox plan kept me full. It didn't stop the cravings for things that were bad for me, but if I was honest about how I was feeling, I was never hungry on this plan.

Being on this plan really showed me some of the incredibly bad habits I had fallen into. The ones that, combined with a lack of exercise over the last almost 4 months, made me want to cry when I stepped on a scale the day before this detox started.

These are not exactly earth-shattering revelations. But, I fell into bad habits and this detox was just the swift kick in the butt that I needed. Here's what I learned:

1. I was not drinking enough water. Not by a long shot. Unless I was at the beach or at zumba, I really wasn't drinking much at all.  But, with this detox, I made sure that I drank a big glass when I first woke up and kept my glass filled all day. This also helped in between meals when I usually would have grabbed a snack.

2.  I was using way too many convenience foods. With the boys in soccer 3 nights a week and Hubs often working late, it was easy to turn to the drive-thru or to grab some sort of meal from the freezer section of the grocery store. While those types of meals have their place, in the past week, I've been eating so much fresh produce and the meals did not take very long to make.

3.  I was adding way too many "extras" to my food. Y'all. I'm the type of person who thinks that the only reason you eat salad is so that you can eat the dressing. And when the dressing is done, you push the salad away. So, the idea of a salad without dressing?  BLECH. Whether it's dressing or cheese or butter, I was adding unnecessary calories to my foods before.

4. I was eating more than I thought I was.  When I'd go to get a snack for the boys or when I'd be making them a meal or when they didn't finish a meal or when I was simply passing through the kitchen, I was snacking.  I wasn't thinking about it because it wasn't a meal, right?

5.  I wasn't planning our meals. I used to be so good at menu planning. And then I failed in a big way. It was so much easier to eat healthy when the meals and snacks were all planned out for me.

6.  I was pretty much taking crap care of myself.  From not eating breakfast because I thought I was too busy getting the boys ready for school and then off to their respective schools to grabbing junk food and calling it a meal, I wasn't putting any effort into making sure that I ate well.

I actually do feel a lot better after being on this plan for a week. Aside from being cranky from the no wine rule.

Does this mean that come Thursday, I will only eat "healthy" and "clean?"

Um, no.

I've missed chocolate and wine and cheese and bread... SO VERY MUCH.

But, I am going to put more thought into my meals. I'm menu-planning and going to incorporate more fresh greens/veggies into our meals- and not add as much of the "extras."  I'm going to take the time to eat breakfast.  I'm going to continue drinking lots of water. And I'm realizing that I HAVE to take good care of myself so that I'm able to take care of my family. And so my jeans fit.

Btw, I also learned that there are waaaay too damn many commercials on tv for bad food. It's just cruel. 


Oh, and? After I get through these last 3 days of the detox, I'm headed out of town to visit a friend and attend Bloggy Bootcamp. I reserve the right to eat and drink whatever the hell I feel like during that time. I have healthy foods planned for when I get back. 


Have you ever tried a detox?

*UPDATE: I weighed myself the morning of day 9. 9 pounds lost, y'all!