The Wishing Well: [Week 21] Detox Debrief

And today is officially the last day of the detox.

Oh my word, I made it.

(OK - moment of honesty, I actually wrote the above two sentences on Tuesday in anticipation for this post and so that I wouldn't indulge in the chocolate-stuffed croissants from Le Panier that were screaming my name... it felt nice to say "I made it" and in order to "make it" that meant no croissant...yet...)

This is the second year Nick and I have done a detox (I wrote about it here, here and here last year) and it was such a positive, wonderful experience. This year has been a bit more difficult - I don't feel as clear and collected and ENERGIZED and GREAT as I did last year. I feel good, but not bouncing-off-the-walls great. And I think it boils down to a few different things:

Last year was 15 days, this year we tried for the full-blown 21. Just so you know, 21 days is a LOOONG time.
This year there is a very big life-altering move happening in a mere month
This year Nick and I are on opposite schedules which meant I was on my own for dinner...the hardest meal for me.

The naturopath we do this with has been really encouraging and as I shared that I seemed to be an emotional train-wreck toward the end (on the verge of tears, or on the verge of throwing chairs at anyone who blinked at me wrong, back to tears, then just a lot of anxiety and being upset) she reminded me that detoxing can actually bring out emotions more poignantly than at other times. That forced me to take a step back and just look at what was bubbling to the surface through this process that I didn't even realize I'd stuffed down there! It's good to know that I'm feeling more anxiety and upheaval at our upcoming move than I was willing to admit. Because now I can deal with it (and NOW i can deal with it with a large pint of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream! Kidding! Sort of.)

The 'Down Low' on our Detox:
On the "no" list:
Alcohol
Dairy
Caffeine (I realized I don't miss the caffeine, but I am aching without the ritual of coffee and black tea! The smell! The taste! The ease into the morning! And dandelion detox tea is just not the same.)
Wheat
Sugar
Processed foods

On the "yes" list:
all the fruits and veggies (and most of the time, nuts and brown rice and beans) you could want! Along with our cleansing drink (benonite clay and acacia powder with 100% juice) and our protein shakes (from the naturopath).

In conclusion: glad I did it, I'm sure my poor, over-worked liver is thankful I did it and ready to adopt some of the habits we've made (not so scared of all the fruits and veggies out there) more healthy choices and as always, grace with it all. The one upside is this time last year I was panicking about going off the detox and back to normal eating and this time I'm like WHERE is the loaded baked potato with sauteed mushrooms, melted cheese and ranch dressing!

{The Last Week}

[05.17.2013]

Morning steps just shaking off the rain

[05.18.2013]

Celebrating the beautiful Kiah at her baby shower!

[05.19.2013]

Sweet potato fries...yum

[05.20.2013]

My sweet husband made me popcorn after I had a bit of a meltdown and told him if I didn't get a baked potato with ranch I was going to lose it.

[05.21.2013]
Couldn't resist the bake sale featuring Le Panier goodies. (Which are currently still tucked away in the fridge... BRING ON SATURDAY MORNING!)