Hi everyone!  Today is my first day officially off the Lemonade Detox.  I'm not quite able to eat regularly, so today, I'm doing veggie juice, and tonight, I get to have an actual meal.  YEAH!!!  Okay, so to the results:

 

*  My mental state:  I believe that the detox has sharpened my senses and perspective on a lot of my day to day issues.  My mind seems much clearer, and I am able to focus better.

*  How I feel:  My energy level during the detox seems to have gone up, and I feel like I am strong.  On the downside, I get really tired around 8 or 9 pm.

*  My weight loss:  The weigh-in before I began the detox, I weighed 238.8 pounds.  Then I went to dinner that Saturday night and had this hugely insane 7 layer carrot cake.  I couldn't even eat it all . . . Lord knows I tried, LOL.  When I say it was fabulous, it was FABULOUS!  Anyway, back on topic, LOL.  So, the morning of the detox, I stood on the scale and it read 242 pounds.  This morning I stood on the scale and it read 224 pounds.  This means I loss 18 pounds!!!  Now, if it will just stick, hummmmm.  We'll know over the next few weeks.  I don't know if these weights are correct because my scale isn't really accurate, but I know the difference is correct because I weighed in on the same scale.

*  How I look:  This morning, my girlfriend said to me, as I was getting dressed for work, "You look anorexic." (Disclaimer:  This comment was not meant to offend anyone.  We both realize that anorexia is an severe and debilitating disease, so nothing negative was meant by these comments against anyone with an eating disorder.  If anyone was offended, I appologize.)  I said, "There's no way I look anorexic and I weigh over 200 pounds," LOL.  Then she explained that I look so different from a couple of months ago.  She said I look skinny.  This may not only be attributed to the detox, but there was some contribution.

 

Not too shabby.  Besides, I know that I am strong enough to endure not eating for that long period of time.

 

Have a fabulous day!

 

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When I wake up tomorrow morning, my 10 day detox will be officially over!  Yeah!  I'm very excited about that.  I think I might run to the store to get some orange juice so that I can get my digestive system reved up again.  I'll drink that and veggie juice during the day and have a sensible dinner.  I'm so glad that I will actually be able to chew something, LOL.  Like I said, I'll be having grilled chicken and veggies.

 

Also, tomorrow marks the end of the Biggest Loser competition at my school.  I have no chance of winning, but I'm still pround of what I and my coworkers have done.  There's this guy who has lost about 60 or so pounds.  He works out three times a day . . . I just can't do that.  He'll probably win anyway. 

 

Okay everyone, have a fabulous evening!

 

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It's hard to believe that I have done this for nine whole days.  Granted, I experienced each and every one of those days, but now that I'm looking back on them . . . it doesn't seem to have been that long.  ONE MORE DAY!!!  Oh yeah!  I am so hoping that tomorrow doesn't drag on and on.  You know how when you are looking forward to something to come up it seems to take forever to come?  Yeah, I'm hoping that doesn't happen tomorrow.  Regardless, I just have to get through that and it's all downhill from there. 

 

My coworker who is doing this with me is going to do the maintenance plan for 30 days.  The only difference between this and that is that you can eat one small meal a day (like chicken or fish and veggies).  I don't think so, LOL.  I did the detox to cleanse my body.  Granted I enjoy the weight loss part of it, but my body is cleansed.  I want to lose weight without being deprived of food.  I want to be able to eat whatever I want (as long as I count points) and enjoy it.  I'm NOT going to drink lemonade to lose weight.  I just won't do it.  The maintenance plan seems too much like a diet, and I don't like dieting.  I like living a healthy lifestyle with the occasional treat.  So, my coworker is on her own with that one. 

 

I am going to have to update my workout schedule because I have decided to do a rotation that some of the other Firm Believers are doing for the next 90 days.  Today was the first day.  I just completed my workout.  Lord knows I didn't feel like doing it.  I walked around the house in my workout clothes for at least two hours, LOL.  BUT, I finally got it done.  The hardest part to working out is pressing the "play" button.  Once I get started, stopping isn't even an option.

 

In other news, there is suppose to be a Shrimp Festival in a little city right above Jacksonville named Fernandina Beach.  I've never been, but my girlfriend has several times and says that the food is absolutely wonderful.  I definitely want to go.  I know there is only going to be so much that I can eat, and I'm not going to stuff myself.  I plan on going to dinner later on that evening.  Then, we're going out to the beaches to do this pottery thing.  You know those places where you go and make pottery?  Well, we're going there right after the festival.  Then following dinner we're going to the club!  I wasn't able to do anything last weekend, so this weekend I am cramming everything in, LOL.

 

Also, I took my measurements Sunday morning.  I usually take them on the first of the month, but since it falls on a Thursday, and I am not going to take the measurements first thing in the morning before work, I went ahead and did it then.  I am going to post them on May 1st.  I also took my pictures this morning.  I've already cropped them on my computer, so they are ready to go.  I think that I look awesome on those pics!  I can really see the difference.  I'll also post them side by side with my start pictures.

 

Okay, I've got to shower and get ready for bed!  Have a fabulous evening!

 

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Two more days, two more days!  I think the weekend has been difficult.  Difficult not because I am hungry, but because I felt like I couldn't go out if I couldn't eat.  The reality is that I could have gone out, but who wants to go to the movies and not have anything to snack on?  Who wants to go out to the club and not be able to have an alcoholic beverage?  And going out to dinner is simply out of the question, LOL.  So, for those reasons, I just stayed at home.  Yesterday, after my weigh in, I did my workout, and a little later on I went swimming.  Today, I just lounged around the house.  I didn't do much of anything.  It was a rest day, so I didn't have to workout.  I never thought I'd be so happy to see a Monday come, LOL.  After tomorrow, I'll only have Tuesday left.  Oh yeah!

 

On Wednesday, I can't just go right back to eating as usual.  I have to gradually start back.  I'll probably do veggie juice and orange juice throughout the day, and have a lean meat and veggie for dinner.  Then I will build on that for the next few days.  On Saturday, I'm going out to dinner, LOL.  I'm definitely ready.  That following Sunday, I will start back counting my WW points and stepping up my workouts.

 

Alrighty, have a fabulous Sunday afternoon.

 

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Thank God I'm over halfway there, LOL.  No, it hasn't been a bad day.  I haven't really been hungry, but the thought of actually chewing something is enticing (did I spell that right? LOL).  It's really great to have someone doing this with me.  I don't feel so alone.  I think the hardest part will be for me to last through this weekend.  After that, it's all downhill from there!  I'll only have Monday and Tuesday left.  YAY!

 

I did today's workout yesterday, therefore I didn't have to workout today.  I thought about going to the gym, but decided not to.  I feel like I need to rest my body.  I have another workout scheduled for tomorrow after weigh in.  DId I say weigh in?  Ah yes . . . the infamous weigh in.  I'm actually looking forward to it.  I have some idea of what the WW scales will read, but my scale isn't very accurate, so I won't speculate as of now . 

 

So it seems that this school year is ticking down and coming to a close.  I'm excited that it is almost over, but a little nervous about my job situation.  I don't currently have a job when I get there.  I'm really praying that something will open up for me.  I have faith that it will.  Meanwhile, this summer I plan on trying to do some summer school and/or tutoring.  I need to make money just in case I don't have a job when I get there.

 

Alrighty, I'm off . . . have a fabulous night!

 

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I'm half way there!  This is going to be short and sweet.  I'm still following through as I should, and I worked out as well.

 

Short and sweet, like I said, LOL.

 

Have a fabulous day!

 

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Today has been my hardest day yet.  I wasn't starving, but there was this lingering feeling of wanting something, ANYTHING, to eat, LOL.  The funny thing is that I'm not craving junk food . . . I just want a piece of grilled chicken, LOL.  That's sad that of all things that I want, it would be something healthy.  Maybe it's not sad, but rather it's progress!  I must say that this detox has given me an opportunity to think about so many things, OTHER THAN FOOD, with food being taken out of the equation.  I am actually more productive and focused on life in general.  Weird, huh?

 

Today, I also worked out.  I know that it is a scheduled rest day, but I went ahead and did tomorrow's workout today, and I will probably do Friday's workout tomorrow so I won't have to workout on Friday.  I like to have my Fridays off . . . unless I choose to do an extra workout.  We shall see.  Oh, I did the laxative last night and it was pretty gentle on my system this time.  I only let the tea bag stay in there for three minutes, versus the recommended 15.  TOM is tapering down, so that water weight should be coming off fairly soon (keeping fingers crossed for Saturday's weigh in).

 

Okay ladies and gents . . . tune in for tomorrow's episode of "Lemonade Detox."

 

Have a fabulous day!

 

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Two days down, eight to go!  Okay, so last night I took the herbal laxative tea before bedtime . . . BIG mistake.  The laxative must have been EXTRA strong because around 2 am my stomach was churning.  When I got up I took the "salt water flush."  When they call it a flush, they mean a flush, LOL.  It was okay because I didn't go to work today, but tomorrow, I can't be running back and forth to the bathroom, LOL.  So, I am going to be discontinuing the laxative and salt water flush unless I feel I need a little help "eliminating."

 

Today went pretty well.  I'm almost afraid to say that I was not hungry at all today (for fear that I'll be starving tomorrow).  I had a slight headache, but it wasn't strong enough for me to need to take anything.  Also, I worked out today, as scheduled.  I went back to the health food store and bought some more syrup and also some cayenne pepper pills.  Drinking the cayenne was too much for me.  It burned my throat as it went down.  The pills will have the same effect as the actual pepper.  So why not?

 

Okay, I'm off to other things!  Have a fabulous evening!

 

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Hello everyone!  Today is my first day on the detox program.  It hasn't been a bad day.  I must say that when I got hungry one time earlier, drinking the lemonade really did solve that issue.  I'm trying to brace myself for tomorrow.  Since I really haven't been that hungry today, I'm afraid that I'll be STARVING tomorrow, LOL.  The lemonade itself really doesn't taste so bad.  The hardest part of drinking it for me would be the cayenne pepper.  I really don't like spicy food, so I definitely taste every drop of it.  I might take my coworker's advice and get the cayenne pepper pills.  I also get to drink a tea tonight, so that will be a great respite from the lemonade.

 

Okay, so I TOTALLY underestimated the amount of maple syrup I am going to need to do this, so I went to the health food store today . . . again.  They were closed.  So, I am going to have to ration out what I have to last me through tonight and tomorrow at work.  I'll go back to the store tomorrow after work.

 

As far as working out goes, today was a rest day.  I am going to try to "kick it up a notch" with my workouts.  Why, you ask?  I just found out the date of my 10 year high school reunion!  I am very excited, and I want to go.  I also want to look, and feel my very best!  So I am going to be giving it 100% effort.  I have 60 days or so until the reunion, so I still have a good bit of time to make a difference.  So, what I am going to do, in addition to my scheduled workouts, is to do some type of workout (around 30 minutes) every weekday morning.  Best case senario, I am going to wake up early and do a walking tape or my gazelle, and worse case senario, I am going to do a walking tape during my planning period.  Regardless, I need to really kick butt these next 60 days.

 

Okay, so that's all for now!  Have a fabulous evening.

 

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