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!