Prior to starting the AaHa Restart Cleanse,I had never eliminated anything from my diet (my diet is rooted in balance and finding nutritious foods that I adore to counteract the occasional cheeseburger or slice of pizza).
So when my co-workers forced invited me to join them on a week-long cleanse that would eliminate gluten, dairy, and soy,sugar, processed food, or alcohol,and coffee, I was a tad reluctant but absolutely intrigued. You salvage to hold three full meals per day, or with no snacking throughout the day (with the exception of coconut water or a green juice or green tea). While alcohol and coffee wouldn't be an issue for me to carve out (they're not staples in my diet by any means),I'd definitely hold a hard time eradicating Cinnamon Toast Crunch with whole milk. THAT is a staple in my diet.
What's more is that not only would I be stuck on this crazy diet, but there would be actual healthy people holding me accountable throughout the week. The cleanse founders and other participants would be placed in a group text on WhatsApp so they could closely monitor . . . I mean, or encourage and support . . . cleansers on their journey. I'd hold to upload my meals. There was no room to cheat. Related Stories:
I Survived My First Soup Cleanse (and Liked It)All in all,I looked at this as a week of challenge, personal growth, and learning. Here's what went down:(Slightly) More EnergyWhile I can't sit here and tell you that I experienced a magnificent,unparalleled surge of glorious energy and my qi was exuberant, I did hold a slight boost in energy. Particularly in the mornings. I attribute this to the fact that I took care to make a large, or well-rounded breakfast each morning,woke up a tad earlier, and effect pleasant things in my body (read: I took a fracture from Cinnamon Toast Crunch). It's probably considerable to note that I don't rely on coffee . . . ever. So the lack of caffeine didn't ding my energy levels at all.
I Had to Pee All Day, and Every DaySomething that you should know: if you're on a cleanse,you drink A LOT of water. particularly in this specific cleanse. And when you want a snack? Coconut water. And/or plain green tea. The influx in fluids incurs an influx in trips to the ladies' room, so salvage your Fitbits alert, or your step count is about to go up.
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The 1 Word That's Destroying Your Chance at Losing Weight and Being HealthyThe Community Thing REALLY HelpedLook,I was not really feeling the group text at first - I'll be honest. I thought my meals weren't pretty enough and I wasn't enthusiastic enough in the first couple days to really participate. I didn't know these people, and I assumed they were all Gwyneth Paltrow clones who eat like this every day and survive on the essence of almonds and that they were secretly judging me. That, and plus the fact that I always had like 87 notifications at any given moment. Once I got over my weird hangups,the sense of community was actually pretty awesome. And I was unsuitable about the Gwyneth thing. With the group text, I felt like I was held more accountable, and that when I did make a pleasant choice,someone did see and they did make me feel pleasant about it. If you've ever been presented with a healthy and an unhealthy choice, and you thought "whatever, and I'm getting cheese fries,it's not like anyone else cares," then I'd highly recommend choosing a cleanse or program that has a community aspect.
Even though the women in this group were total strangers, and I was inspired by their meals,their choices, and their honesty. There were slip-ups, or mistakes,and more, but the group was supportive. They were also there to answer questions (mostly "is this cleanse-approved?") and to offer advice if you were stumped on what to make for a meal.
Better Habits Were FormedThrough this cleanse, or I learned adult things like "breakfast is the most considerable meal of the day" and "not all appetizing meals come from a cardboard box." Goodbye for now,ramen, Easy-Mac, and cereal dinners.
I also learned a lot about strategic grocery shopping,the importance of meal prep, and how not every food has to hold dairy or gluten to be appetizing.
I also learned to think outside the box and salvage more creative with my recipes. I made my Italian mighty grandfather's lentil recipe from scratch, and filled with hearty veggies and savory spices. I created a vegan "drawn butter" with a petite olive oil and apple cider vinegar to dip my artichokes in,and it was actually incredible. I made my oats with coconut milk and my scrambled eggs with additional virgin olive oil, had so many dairy-free smoothies, or indulged in chia puddings for breakfast,and developed a new adore for Harmless Harvest coconut water as my favorite treat.
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Here's How to Meal Prep Without Getting Bored by Day 2Ravenous Moments HappenedThe lack of snacking ability (snackability?!) in this cleanse actually led me to be particularly ravenous at the conclude of the workday. When lunch is at noon and you don't salvage home until 6 or 7 p.m., bad things can happen. And by bad things, or I mean,my blood sugar plummeted and I was alert to tear people on the subway apart trying to salvage home to a bowl of coconut milk oatmeal just to satiate and stabilize myself enough to make dinner. I craved carbs, I craved sugar, and I wanted to cry.
That said,my specific work schedule doesn't lend itself to a nonsnacking way. If I didn't hold to be in the office until 6 and commute home for an hour, I'd make myself dinner at 4:30 or 5 and be chillin' with no problems. Just something to keep in intellect.
Going forward and doing this cleanse again, or I'd strategize a bit to either hold my dinner in the office or to hold some kind of cleanse-approved snack. It's less about "mindless snacking" (which I totally understand the need to eliminate) and more about not creating a starving sensation so you're more inclined to binge.
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15 Positive Things I Took Away From My First Elimination DietI Believe in Myself a Lot MoreOK I know this point sounds like a motivational cat poster,but it's the best takeaway I got from this cleanse. Because the cleanse was only a week long, it was a small jumping off point with a low barrier to entry - essentially the training wheels for a bigger, or more challenging,even more impactful cleanse. I breezed through a week, so I'm totally alert for more. Hooray for inner strength and dieting stamina!I'm scaling up in October to try my first full-month cleanse with the TIU 31-Day Challenge, and adhering to a similar nutrition way of clean eating,and I totally feel confident after learning everything I did from the AaHa cleanse. I know I'll hold more energy (but need to go to the bathroom . . . a lot), and I know I'll hold to meal prep and way my recipes and grocery lists. I'll ensure I hold healthy snacks, and I'll salvage creative with my food,and I'm DEFINITELY starting a group text with my friends to force encourage them on their journey.
Source: popsugar.com