Day 10

Morning

I let myself sleep until 6:30 this morning…just needed it. Besides, I knew it was a pony tail day, so I didn’t need much getting ready time. :) Shortly after crawling out of bed and moving around, I realized I have re-aggravated an old back injury. Damn! (Years ago I pulled a piece of a spinous process off of my spine and it was incorrectly diagnosed. It calcified back to the spine but never properly healed so I struggle with it from time to time.) I’m thinking I did the power yoga too soon and not enough stretching last night. The good news is it isn’t debilitating (which it normally is)…I stretched quite a bit this morning and used my heating pad. Otherwise, I followed my morning routine, except that I made my juice before getting ready and drank it while putting my makeup on so I could take an anti-inflammatory for my back. Even after getting up at 6:30, I left the apartment only 10 mins later than normal and traffic was kind to me today, so I still got to work at my normal time…5 mins early actually. On the way to work, I was listening to KXT and Tutti Fruti came on. Now, a couple of weeks ago, I probably would’ve changed the station and thought, “Tutti Fruti at 8 in the morning?! Really? Why?” I can happily answer that now – because it’s fun! I sang along with Little Richard and we had a good ole time. That made me think about fun music that I own and love, so I popped in some slightly more intelligent, fun music – Ben Folds – and he entertained me for the remainder of my drive. Pretty darn good commute this morning.

All of this got me thinking…where is my breakdown? I always hear about people getting extremely irritable or sad or angry or something when going through a cleanse as the body is ridding itself of toxins. I haven’t had that. I’ve had some fidgety, restless moments (quite a few actually), I’ve gotten tired earlier than normal, but nothing major. Am I doing it wrong? Or is it because 2010, for me, was pretty much an emotional breakdown all year and I just don’t have any of that left?

Oh yeah...forgot to address the Magnesium Citrate...it finally started working this morning...really well actually. :) Also, I'm down another pound. Yay! I can't wait to fit into the "other" jeans in my closet...you know the ones...those you used to wear and can't bear to get rid of because it would mean you've succumbed to weight gain and so you're stuck with the three bigger sized jeans you rotate now.

Lunch

I had miso soup (added zucchini and skitake mushrooms) with my salad today, as well as a few gluten free crackers. I got full really quickly. Not sure if it's the jeans I have on (kind of tight in the waist) or just that my digestive system has been through a lot this morning. :) Why can't I remember to take the stupid digestive enzyme pill before I eat?! I took one at the end of the meal anyway...it's not like anything has had time to digest. I don't know what to do to get myself to remember to take those! Maybe when I look at my Organically Grown "bracelet" from now on I'll be reminded to take that supplement...
I think I'll have some decaf chai tea and a piece of dark chocolate for dessert now...

Snacks

Amazingly, I didn't really get hungry in the afternoon...I only had 3-4 gluten free crackers dipped in hummus.

Evening

There's nothing like a good dinner with a great friend! I met my friend at a local vegetarian restaurant. He's quite the carnivore so it was interesting watching him study the menu. He finally found something he was willing to try, and really liked it, I might add. I had falafel. Yummy! It came on pita bread and with ziziki so I guess those are two small cheats (there wasn't much sauce and I didn't have much pita). Wait! No cheats - not using that word because it induces guilt and nothing good comes from guilt (especially over something like this!). Instead I will reflect on all the healthy changes I've made over the past 10 days and be grateful.

After dinner, I made another Whole Foods trip. Time to restock the green juice veggies. Would you believe it? They were completely out of cucumbers! I needed 8! I guess I'll have to make yet another run tomorrow at lunchtime. I managed to get everything else I needed, including nutritional yeast. This weekend I'm going to make my first vegan cheese! The checkout girl got me pretty excited about this as she was relaying some of her favorite recipes. She even told me about a vegan cheese they carry that melts and is great for nachos! Can't wait to make that...with black beans maybe...

When I got home I checked my mail and found a nice surprise. I had completely forgotten that I ordered a couple of books from Amazon - Rawlicious and The China Study. I've had The China Study on my reading list for years but have never gotten it because, I think, I didn't want to have to face the truth regarding our collective eating habits and I didn't want to make the necessary changes to create a healthier lifestyle. I guess, like most folks, I figured it was just too much work and we're going to die eventually so what's the point. But now I know the answer - the point is quality of life! Feeling alive and vibrant and clear-minded instead of bloated and groggy or headachy is completely worth making changes, no matter how gradual. Just my opinion...Anyone can find "facts" to support their point of view (vegan or carnivorous), but no one can take away one's personal experience and how healthy eating habits make them feel, which is truly amazing. I already feel lighter and brighter after only 10 days! No wonder all the Vegan books I've read have testimonials from people feeling dramatically better and in many cases ridding themselves of illness.

My back is still a little sore up so I took a hot bath and did some stretching before meditation and bed. Pretty tired tonight...