Since it is Day 1, I thought it would be sweet to record how the day went hour by hour.   It gives you an idea of what I ate and for me, the emotions I experienced.  Also a tool for me to self-reflect on myself and what my bad habits really were before starting this.

5:45 a.m. — Had my Yerba Mate tea.  It tastes a lot like green tea just a little bit smoother on the bitterness. I’m using this as my coffee substitute right now and so far it works.

6:45 a.m. — Starting to feel hungry but not starving.  I’m in a decent mood.

7:45 a.m. — I was ready to have my raw cacao pudding that I made the night before.  I had a few bites before the 3 year old demanded my attention.  The pudding has avocados, raw cacao powder, almond butter, dates and water and let’s just say my taste buds really had to adjust.  Raw Cacao powder has a very strong after taste.  I think the only thing that makes it right to me is maybe going overboard on the dates. I added about 8 dates when the recipe only called for 3, oops?  Dates are a natural sweetener and smoothed out the harsh after taste.

9:30 a.m. — I didn’t have a chance to eat again and I was so hungry I couldn’t wait until I arrived home.  So, I may or may not have pulled out the pudding at the B61 bus stop and chowed down with a plastic spoon …

11:30 a.m. — I got home and took a long nap and when I woke up, I finished the rest of the cacao pudding.  This time I enjoyed it!  As with all new things, it just takes getting used to.

12:30 p.m. — I was feeling hunger pangs again and brewed some Rooibos tea and did work to keep my mind occupied.

1:25 p.m. — Lunch time!  We made a basic quinoa salad which was super delicious especially with some extra lemon.  I had almost 2 cups worth which I knew would last me awhile.  However, I have an extended afternoon so I packed up some extra quinoa in a half cup bowl and an apple.

3:30 p.m. — I was already feeling hungry and thought I should have a snack … but I didn’t.  I drank water instead and waited it out for awhile.

4:15 p.m. — Decided to have my apple. I’m not entirely certain that apples are allowed during the cleanse.  I need to look at the list of allowed foods to find out.  I figured since I’m still in the pre-cleanse phase, I can make it work.  It. tasted. fantastic.

5:15 p.m. — I was already itching for another snack.  I realized quickly that I had a bad habit of picking off the kid’s snacks when we got home from school.  I almost reached for a mini hot dog with ketchup until I remembered I’m on a cleanse!  The habit might be stress related or just pure habit.  Maybe stress related cause I try to keep the girls in a routine before their parents get home.  Again, I just went for water.  Water seems boring but it helps.

5:30 – 7:15 p.m. — I was busy focusing on the girls and getting things done which made it easy for me to forget about what my belly thinks it wants!

7:20 p.m. — I finished off the quinoa salad I packed in the small bowl before my commute.  My commute is about an hour give or take which is why I was saving the quinoa for the end.

8:03 p.m. — I felt pretty relaxed.  A part of me wanted to nibble on something but overall, I felt ok.  What I did feel was exhausted.  I would have loved to go straight to bed but I had dinner to look forward to!

8:16 p.m. — While walking out of the train station, I caught a whiff of someone’s french fries.  French fries are my guiltiest of guiltiest pleasures.  It’s a fried potato, and it’s so easy to eat, and waiting to be dipped in a sauce!  What’s not to love?  You totally crave the saltiest things when you start eliminating toxins from your diet.

9:30 p.m. — Dinner was served.  We had kelp noodles for the first time with Organic chicken, yellow and red bell peppers, broccoli florets with some Ponzu sauce.  All stir-fryed to perfection.  Like potatoes, I love anything that comes in noodle format.  It’s the carb gods that speak through me!   Even though these were made of kelp, they were still delicious!  Not to mention that my sister is a fantastic cook so I’m lucky my dinners won’t ever be bland.

After dinner, we went straight to work on preparing dinner for the next night and a new breakfast item.  Almond Butter Pancakes with a Yukon syrup to substitute maple syrup.  I probably didn’t get to bed until 11 p.m. which means I’m only getting roughly 5-6 hours of sleep.  This part, I need to work on because Dr. Junger does stress the importance of getting at least 7 GOOD hours of sleep.

Overall, I was able to realize that I am a walking snack machine.  I’m sure I tend to look like Brad Pitt in the movie Ocean’s Eleven who is constantly chewing on something! I realize this now, and I grab a glass of water instead.

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