Days 9-13

I know, I know!

I haven't blogged in days. The GOOD NEWS is that I'm still on the cleanse and my house, husband and children have received some much-needed attention.

I am in a real groove with the foods I am eating and I find it pretty easy to avoid the many tempting foods that seem to be around me at all times.

The past few Friday evenings, our neighborhood has hosted impromptu parties at the nearby skating rink. Everyone brings food, pizza is ordered, wine is concealed in thermoses -- you get the idea. My thermos held hot peppermint tea. I didn't bring healthy snacks but it was really okay, because I spent most of the time taking skates on and off Ava. She brought two pair and neither fit well but she kept trying. I avoided the food table altogether.

Another huge victory was Sunday morning, when a friend took my family out to The Original Pancake House for breakfast. Everyone ordered chocolate chip pancakes (served with whipped cream, and small pitchers of maple syrup and chocolate sauce) and bacon. I ate a hefty bowl of oatmeal before we left and enjoyed some raspberry rose herbal tea. I loved the little teapot they left at the table for me and focused on that rather than the decadent and oh-so-reachable food. (Can't walk away from it when you're in a booth!)

As the days go by and I feel healthier and thinner, it all seems well worth the sacrifices. I love grapefruit, and I really look forward to my breakfasts in the morning. I usually have oatmeal with fruit and nuts, or I go for a "donut" -- brown rice bread toast with almond butter with a side of fruit. (Sometimes I eat two donuts!)

You're looking at a bowl of steel cut oatmeal with blueberries and pecans about two seconds before I ate it. The serving is generous, and because I always drink a full glass of water before any meal it really fills me up.

Water really is a key part of this cleanse. Fill a washed 2-quart juice container with water and set it on your kitchen counter. Make sure to drink it all by mid afternoon or if you're like me, you'll have many nightime trips to the bathroom.

Here is a typical lunch of soup -- split pea in this photo -- with some veggies. Again, after drinking the water I found it so filling Darrell had to finish my carrots. (This is surprising because I typically feel like a bottomless pit.) I put some rice vinegar and EVOO on the veggies to give them a little oomph.

I always try to make my meals look nice, adding a garnish if I can. It just makes it feel more special and adds to the "conscious eating" aspect of this cleanse. I care about what I'm eating, where it came from, and how I present it to myself. And I am grateful.

Here's a little polenta for dinner topped with tomato basil pasta sauce from TJ's. I sauteed the baby bella mushrooms in EVOO. Very tasty!

Obviously, I didn't repeat these meals every day. This is just a sampling of what I did eat.

Exercise: The gym is essential for several reasons. It allows me to get out of the house, watch cable on the elliptical, and savor the steam.

Some days I even try to meditate. Meditation is one of the eight pillars of wellness presented in Freston's book and it can be difficult. I have lots of chatter going on in my head and in that steam room I find enough peace to quiet the noise.