Whole Food Cleanse - 3 week challenge - FINISHED!

For the past 3 weeks, I have been participating in a Whole Foods Cleanse.  Today is my first day 'back to reality' but I have decided to slowly re-condition my body back to reality (which admittedly will be a changed reality from before the cleanse...and that's a GOOD thing).  The Cleanse was a huge success -- for MANY different reasons, which I will go into more detail about below.  But first, the background:


My friend and fellow Nov 2007 mommy friend, Heather, is the one that proposed and guided us through the Cleanse.  Heather's full time job is working as a trainer/nutritionist in Arizona (check her out HERE).  Even though she lives in the southwest, she will work with you no matter WHERE you live.  I have purchased a meal plan from her in the past, and she is great about catering to your specific needs/wants and matching up a plan to your lifestyle.  READ - DOABLE!  Nobody wants to be set up for failure right off the bat!!  Having worked with Heather in the past, I know she's a tough cookie....but I also know that her plans WORK (if you have the willpower and drive to stick with it). 

 See?

And the best part is that I have maintained this weight loss!  (I even dropped a few more pounds from my June 2012 update...and then during the holidays put them back on, oh well.  My lifetime goal is to stick around 130).  Because I am not focusing on weight loss anymore, my new goals now are to tone and increase muscle mass.  But I digress...you want to know about the Cleanse!

So, when Heather proposed to our group of 'Healthy Moms' that we do a 21 day/3 week cleanse -- I know we all panicked a little bit (or at least I know I did!!).  She suggested a contest for the cleanse -- a meal plan was up for grabs (for FREE) -- if we just 'applied' and stated our cause on WHY we thought we should get picked to do the plan.  Naturally, the competitive side of me decided to jump in and apply....I didn't really think she would pick me because...well...I've already DONE one of her plans and, well, I just didn't think she'd pick me....

So, imagine my surprise when I woke up Monday morning only to discover that SHE PICKED ME.  And not only that, but she picked ANOTHER mommy friend (another friend who has also rocked her weight loss in the past following one of Heather's plans).  Fear, competition, excitement...you name it -- they all set in!  Not only was I going to be in competition with myself...but with and against a friend!!  The rules were simple:  follow the meal plan, provide photographic evidence of workouts and food choices (from the plan) and post updates/progress once a week.  Basically -- BARE YOUR SOUL.  Luckily, it is a private FB group so all my other FB friends were spared from seeing countless pictures of my sweaty face or my lunch for that day.

I knew going into the Cleanse that there would be some pretty strict restrictions:  no coffee, no processed foods, no alcohol, no dairy....I was determined to not let these things scare/deter me.  It's just food, after all -- and I reminded myself that I am in control of MY body....not FOOD.

Heather put together a very specific meal plan, complete with recipes and exercise recommendations/levels of exertion for each day.  My job was to follow the plan and NOT CHEAT!

I am happy to report that I DID IT!  21 days without coffee, alcohol, wine, CHEESE, milk, or anything processed.  The first few days were ROUGH -- although the caffeine withdrawal wasn't as bad as I was anticipating...but it was still bad.  Smelling a fresh pot of brewing coffee each morning at work was temptation at its finest!  As were the girl scout cookies and other sweet treats that my coworkers snacked on or shared in the break room   It was hard not to break down and 'just have one'...but I managed (somehow).

I grew to like tea (decaf). At the end of it all, I don't think that carrots or blueberries or strawberries or even almonds have EVER tasted sweeter to me.  Without any of that processed sugar entering my body, I was finally able to taste things how they really OUGHT to taste!  It was pretty impressive!

And my first cup of coffee this morning?  I'm still sipping on it....it just doesn't taste the same anymore.  And to be honest?  I'm not really that upset about that!

21 day cleanse results:
Pounds lost = -3.7 lbs (~2.8% weight loss)
Inches lost = -3.5
BF% lost = -1.5%

So there you have it.  I bared my soul and "big" nose (and all my stats -- SCARY) to you all.  Maybe somebody can make fun of me again just to make themselves feel better.  Go ahead...I'm tough...I can take it!  But first, I challenge YOU to try something similar! Just try to cut out some of the processed foods from your diet....or at least pay attention to what you are eating and what is processed and what is not -- I promise you...you will be shocked!