Whoops!

I just realized I left out an important transgression.

A few days into the cleanse, a good friend reminded me that I would be at her house for an after-dinner get-together later on in my cleanse. I assured her that while I would snack responsibly, I fully intended to have a glass of wine.

Our fun night happened this past Friday. Upon arrival, we searched for the largest glass possible. (I suggested a fishbowl.)

Then she offered up a Tito's vodka soda instead and I held out my giant glass.

Twice.

I didn't know until the next day that Tito's is handmade from corn (rather than wheat or potatoes) and has no added sugar or gelatin.

Trenny, you are a genius.

Done! Now What?

My 21-day cleanse ended yesterday.

There is no way I'm stopping now. I intend to continue this wacky, wonderful plant-based diet. I like how it makes me feel inside and out. Eliminating the cycle of guilt (eating your emotions rather than facing them, then feeling like garbage about it) has been a godsend.

I feel happier knowing I was stronger than those countless wide-open sleeves of Girl Scout cookies within easy reach.

Some friends have started the cleanse and they've called to tell me how good they feel. It's a beautiful example of the butterfuly effect!

(Skip to the next paragraph if you don't want a short physics lesson.)

The phrase refers to the idea that a butterfly's wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. The flapping wing represents a small change in the initial condition of the system, which causes a chain of events leading to large-scale alterations of events. Had the butterfly not flapped its wings, the trajectory of the system might have been vastly different. While the butterfly does not "cause" the tornado in the sense of providing the energy for the tornado, it does "cause" it in the sense that the flap of its wings is an essential part of the initial conditions resulting in a tornado, and without that flap that particular tornado would not have existed.

Are you still with me?

Here's my plan. Beef, pork and chicken are out for me. I may eat fish for special occasions. Alcohol is in. I don't drink enough of it for it to make a big difference. I'm going to continue eating gluten and dairy free, because I feel so much better with them out of my diet. I will eat sugar in moderation -- not the refined stuff, though. Truvia and agave nectar will be my friends. No caffeine, except the small amounts in some of my favorite teas.

One more thing because I know you're all wondering. Yes, I lost weight ... close to 10 pounds and counting! My dear friend Missy pointed out that for each pound of lost fat, imagine a pound of Land o' Lakes butter.

9.25 pounds is a lot of butter. 37 sticks!

Days 14-21

Yes, I did.

The broken oven made me do it.

My daughter was bringing over a friend for the first time, so I did a little extra cleaning to make a good impression. House spic and span, I went the extra mile thinking how nice it would be if they walked in to the smell of baking cookies.

I threw on my apron and went to work making the best mint chocolate chip cookies ever. (This recipe involved browning butter for the dough -- you get the idea.)

I made it through the entire prep without a single snitch of dough. I turned the oven on to preheat and ... nothing. MY OVEN BROKE. That meant that the rest of the preparation involved trekking back and forth in the snow from a neighbor's kitchen. Just ridiculous! While I remained strong, the oven thing was really eating me.

My mom came for dinner and brought delicious vegan italian chili with Breadsmith bread for everyone else and brown rice for us. (She's also doing the cleanse.) I enjoyed dinner so much! Still, my oven was broken and those cookies looked so good.

Perhaps that's why the minute everyone left the table I scooted into my basement laundry room with a cleverly concealed cookie. These were not small cookies, either -- each was about 4" in diameter. I broke off a small piece at first. It was divine and the rest didn't stand a chance.

And you know what? The world did not end! The scale still was down in the morning. I was right back on track.

Breakfasts were typically:

Fruits and Steel Cut Oatmeal

or Almond Buttered Toast

It is essential to really give yourself a variety of scrumptious fruit choices. They taste especially sweet and delicious when you're cleansed of sugar. (I probably would have strayed to the cookie jar much sooner without them!)

Again, it is so important to make your plates look good! Try to enjoy each bite and avoid multi-tasking while eating. Sometimes I even light a candle to remind myself to slow down and savor my food.

If I am unavoidably distracted, I walk away and leave my food for later rather than shoveling it in to finish the meal. It is always a treat to come back for more!

Lunches and dinners included:

Rice Noodles with Broccoli and Peas
Side of Fresh Tomatoes with Dill

Baked Sweet Potato "Swimming" in 17-Bean Soup
Side of Fresh Cucumbers and Spicy Hummus

Green Peas and Rice Mixed with Collard Greens

I added some chili flakes for a little zip! For the rest of the fam, I added shrimp and soy-aki sauce. I have to admit I felt a little deprived because their plates looked and smelled better. So I ate a few forkfuls of Ava's noodles. Whoops!

I've eaten lots of Rice Pasta with Tomato Basil Marinara, Polenta, my Fabulosa Beans and Rice rolled in Corn Tortillas, and many variations of Soups.

While you're eating all this good food, don't forget the WATER!

This is my very own 2-quart container. (I purposely left the Ruby Red Grapefruit label on because it looks tantalizing.)

I don't drink it straight from the bottle; I keep a cup on my dining room table and every time I walk past I take a giant guzzle. It still surprises me when I finish the entire thing.

My mom gave me a great visual that drives home the importance of drinking water and avoiding dehydration. Think of a poinsettia plant around the holidays. How sad, withered and droopy it looks when neglected. But serve up a healthy dose of agua and watch it perk right up!

The leaves green up and unshrivel, and the blooms become stunning and vibrant. We need water to remain stunning and vibrant! And it's especially important during a cleanse when your body needs to eliminate all those accumulated toxins.

Exercise is now a daily event. There were some missed days, and psychologically it really affects me. I now wake up early so I can accomplish my workout before the craziness starts. Darrell has taken on the responsibility of getting the kids ready for school and I get home just in time to kiss their sweet little cheeks before they get on the bus.

One more thing. I have continued cleansing my environment. I eliminated a laundry basket-sized load of paperwork and set up a really efficient filing system, so a backup of this magnitude never happens again. (Man, that still feels so good!) I cleaned out two more closets. And I am rocking on the basement.