Chef V 3 Day Cleanse: Day 1

I decided a while back that I wanted to do a cleanse when the baby is on formula and solid foods, before I do anything else.  Then, one day, I picked my sister up to go to Longwood Gardens and she was just starting a cleanse.  I looked it up and found a deal and decided that the time has come, I can't put it off any longer and before I do anything else, I'm trying the cleanse.  

I placed my order and received a phone call the next day from a Chef V representative asking if I had any questions.  I said no (actually, in my head I was like "What the...these people are SPYING on me!" and then I said no.). 

And then the emails started. On Saturday morning, I received an email with my pre-cleanse instructions.  I was already on my way to the shore and knew I wasn't going to be 100% on the pre-cleanse.  I eliminated a lot of carbs from my diet over the last 3 weeks and the foods on the pre-cleanse list that I was supposed to eat, I already eat.  The foods to avoid, I've been avoiding about 90% of them for the last few weeks, too.

My meals for the next 3 days--Green Drink, Super Detox Shake and Detox Soup. 

7:15am: Woke up.  I had a text message on my phone (I requested a text message since Chef V doesn't deliver to my house but does deliver 7 minutes up the road to my sister's house and I wanted to make sure I picked it up and refrigerated it in time!) 

ANYWAY, the text message came at 6:41.  My husband went to pick it up for me and brought it home.  While he was doing that, I started drinking my water. I studied the schedule online before the cleanse was delivered.  (It was in one of the emails from Chef V.)

Initial thought: I'm really hungry and my blood sugar already feels low.  This is pretty much going to be awful.  It's 3 days. I can do it.  No I can't. Yes. I can...no...can't....ok just try it and I can eat something from the "pre-cleanse" list of approved foods if I get too lightheaded.

8:20am:  Green Drink.  It tastes like...spinach? Lettuce? Some kind of green vegetable. Oh, well yea it's got like...kale and chard and dandelion greens and an apple in it. I thought  (ok, hoped) it would be a little sweeter.  I like vegetables so it's ok.  16oz down and I'm hungry...No. Just lightheaded.

8:35am: I'm not feeling lightheaded anymore. Don't feel like I had a good breakfast--feeling a little weak--but I no longer feel like I just fasted too long for a blood test.

9:10am: Standing for a while and it's a little warm out and I got a little lightheaded.  This is normal for me when I don't eat and go in the heat. Cleanse related or just me?  Probably just me. And it passed quickly.

9:30: Ultra Shake. It kinda reminds me of when you dunk an oatmeal cookie into milk and then drink the milk and at the bottom it's a little gritty and cinnamon-y and watered down...I know.  You're all craving this shake now that I've made it seem so mouth-watering and delicious.  It wasn't bad as I kept drinking.

9:40am: I.HATE.THIS.

9:41am: Took out  my 28oz drink cup and filled it with water.  I have to drink 24-48oz in the next 3 hours.  Easy-peasey.

9:42am: I think I still feel lightheaded. I can do this.

9:45am: I am probably going to starve to death.   I hate this.

10:00am: Had to suck it up because there are things to do around the house. My stomach has that "drank too much water on an empty stomach" feel to it.  I've been to the bathroom twice to pee since 8:30.

11:00am:  24oz down already.  In an hour and a half-ish I can have another green drink.  I have to pee again.  Considering I have had 72oz of liquid since 7:30am today, I'm not surprised.  I still feel lightheaded or something...just an uncomfortable feeling from my stomach to my throat--probably all of that water trying to escape.

12:06pm: Seriously, I feel like I am pregnant again with these trips to the bathroom. All good, though.

12:30pm: Green drink, again.  I feel full, I have a slight headache.  I am not hungry but on a normal day, I would have had a snack or something or my usual salad and chicken and veggies would have cured the headache.  So I'm thinking that my headache is cleanse related.  I had a hard time finishing the Green Drink.  My stomach felt too full.  Between feeding the baby, making lunch for everyone else and being interrupted, it took me 30 minutes to get this drink down. I don't have any cravings other than something to make me not feel lightheaded and the slight pressure in my head.

Now...on to another 24-48oz of water between now and 2:30.

1:27pm: Hi bathroom!

Snapped a before picture on the way out.

Hoping some of that baby belly flattens out.  Actually, not enough space in this
caption box to write what I hope happens/flattens/shrinks, LOL

This is my "yea, I really hate taking pictures of myself and
I can't believe I'm actually going to post this on the Internet" face.

I will say...the before pictures are a little surprising to me because I took some a few weeks ago before low carbing and I feel as though I look a little better here. Yay!

Chef V has been emailing me with some encouragement.  What I am experiencing is normal.  She talks about how I am feeling and that I am experiencing "the Herx".  This is kind of nice--the email, not the Herx!  LOL!

2:14pm: Lightheaded. And, I have to pee again.  I read that this is normal and I would rather have to pee than other things potty related. I was kinda afraid that I was going to have to camp out in the bathroom.  Hopefully that doesn't happen tomorrow, 'cause I have to go to work. And work bathrooms aren't very accommodating when it comes to camping out.

2:25pm:  I kind of want to throw up. Not sure if it's the cleanse or the fact that I feel full and I am supposed to drink more Green Drink in a few minutes.  Maybe I should take another picture and see if I look thinner.  A bathing suit catalog arrived in the mail today. Coincidence?

2:41pm: I now know why they say to finish the drink in 30 minutes.  It's going to take all of 30 minutes for me to get this down and I have a shake to drink at 3:30.  It's not that I don't like the taste but my stomach is angry. It want something solid to soak up all this liquid.  I actually feel like my acid reflux is bothering me and I haven't had reflux issues in...7.5 months?

Trying to work up the strength to drink it.  I'm too full!

3:03pm: Green.Drink.DONE.

4:00pm: Ultra Shake. DONE.

I ate a few walnuts because I had to go to Physical Therapy. It really helped. AND while at physical therapy, I finished my 28oz of water and added 16 more. I am starting to feel better. 

5:40pm: I gotta pee!!! 

6:00pm: Green Drink.  It tastes a little better. 

7:00pm: I still have a headache but the gross feeling in my belly is better.  Can't wait to try the soup. Can't add salt to it.  Looks like baby food.

Soup. It's what's for dinner.

8:00pm: So, the soup...was AMAZING.  I would totally buy, make, eat the soup on a regular basis.  It was spicy hot and sweet and had salt. It was sweet potatoes, zucchini , garlic, ginger, turmeric, curry...some other stuff I can't remember right now...but I feel like I consumed something. 

The baby kept eyeballing it up. I think she thought I was eating her dinner.  Haha.

And now my instructions say to drink 24-48oz of water between now at 10pm and to go to bed at 10pm.  

I will end with that. I made it through day 1. I made it through making lunch and dinner for my family, watching them eat pizza and popcorn and peanuts and chocolate chips. 

I felt like I needed an app to track what I needed to do and when, much like I track when the baby eats. There were times during my day when I kept thinking it was time for her to eat and it was actually my time to eat.  

I survived Day 1 of my cleanse.