Well, here we are, coming out of HPCON Charlie – meaning we can go out to eat again. The thing is, I’m in the middle of my green smoothie detox. Tomorrow will be day 7 of 10, and I’ll be done on Friday…meaning on Saturday I’ll be good to go.
The whole experience has been pretty good, and the book predicted some of the setbacks. Caffeine withdrawal headache for me was over by the second morning, but over the past couple of days I’ve had a runny nose and my legs and arms feel like I just finished a long bike ride…and this is just what the book said might happen.
One of the most interesting effects though has been the weight loss. It’s not the main purpose of a detox, but it’s one of the benefits if you can do it right. I’ve got to admit, I’m pretty sure I was carrying a couple of pounds of recent weight – the kind that might come off easy. But when I stepped on the scale at day 5 and saw I’d lost 7 pounds, I was flabbergasted. This isn’t something one can keep up, and the book says you shouldn’t go any longer than two weeks, but then it tells you a sensible way to maintain balance. One thing I’ve certainly learned through this detox is that I’ve got to stop shoving food into my mouth so indiscriminately. I’ve got to stop settling for the quick bite. I’ve got to relax and enjoy it more.
And I’m quite excited about it actually, because I already enjoy the food here plenty. It’s just that I usually enjoy it at a hundred miles an hour.
So here I am. I’ve got the rest of the week to figure it out. I’m really liking the smoothies, and I can see keeping it up for a meal or two a day. The book I’ve read on it has plenty of recipes that target areas that you might want to go after (weight loss, energy, beauty, performance), and there are plenty of good-looking recipes in there.
The book recommends that you don’t just dive in after detox, but take it slowly for a few days. I expect making a smoothie for breakfast on Saturday – maybe even lunch. Heaven knows, I’ve got plenty of fruit yet. But what about dinner?
One thing for sure. I want to make it count.
