Day 20: Salad and Scallops

No sugar cravings today which was good. Nils brought me a yummy salad for lunch. My favorite with pecans and apples. NOM! Saw Fame today at theater and liked it well enough. Nothing special, but although I enjoyed the smell of popcorn - I didn't eat any. :)

Nothing too eventful. I got a little too hungry in the evening (yep it's a pattern) and so ate more wheat products then I would have liked, but nothing too terrible. If this heat ever passes I want to up my cardio a bit. All these fruit carbs need to be making muscle!

2 glasses of water w/ lemon
BK: Juice from last night that Nils didn't drink.
Snack: Almonds
Lunch: Medium salad w/ apples, candied pecans and balsamic dressing
Snack: Almonds
Dinner: 1 slice of wheat bread w/ 1 tbs almond butter and 1 tbs honey. 1 cup Soba noodles w/ garlic powder and olive oil. 10 pan seared scallops.
Midnight snack: Up late and had 2 handfuls of muesli, 1 nectarine, 1/2 cup rice milk w/ stevia.

Day 19: Craving that sugar!

I haven't really had any sugar or other cravings on this cleanse. Not even during my TOM. But for the last two days I've wanted sugar BAD. Chocolate especially. I had a small amount of that I made 2 days ago, but today I didn't. It felt wrong to give into the craving 2 days in a row.

On a positive note I had excess energy today! First time since I started the cleanse that I haven't been tired. I would have exercised but it's over 100 deg here right now so it's not really doable.

Water intake and salad intake has improved since I got email clarification on what to do.

Drank 2 glasses of water w/ lemon
BK: Salad w/ nectarine and balsamic dressing
Lunch: Salad w/ apples, peaches, pecans and balsamic dressing
Snack: Apple and peach w/ honey and pecans
Dinner: Scallops w/ a citrus glaze that turned out only okay. Going to try it again sometime.
Dessert: Juiced broccoli, pineapple, strawberries, cherry juice, agave, kale

Day 18: More salad!

Having done a tiny bit of interneting I found someone I could email Liver Cleanse questions. I sent an email and received a response back in the same day. Here is the email:

Hi Cybil,

I was passed your inquiry to try and assist you.

I am seeking clarification about Dr. Cabot's Liver Cleanse. I recently started week 4 and although I feel better I am not losing weight (though that is NOT the reason I went on the cleanse) and I want to make sure I am doing this correctly. I am allergic to legumes so am having trouble with the protein portion of the meals.

Firstly, the liver cleansing diet is not about losing weight as it is designed to help cleanse the liver - weight loss is a bonus. Also we have had many people who do not lose weight till they end of the program and even after the 8 week period - just depends on their metabolism too.

Having looked at your blog, yes you do need much more salad - every day at least one raw salad.

Yes more vegetables - vegetables every day - preferably steamed and yes vegetables in your juice will constitute part of your vegetable intake each day but ensure you have salad or other vegetables each day to give you the fiber to help move the waste material out of your body with the help of regular water every day - up to 2 litres of preferably filtered water each day to help move the toxins from your body and to keep your body hydrated too.

Aim for more protein with most meals. If you can not have legumes, have raw, unsalted nuts, seeds, eggs, poultry and fish/seafood.

Enjoy good fats such as olive oil, avocados, coconut milk/cream, nuts, seeds, fish and so forth.

Don't skip meals and aim to have something every 2 -3 hours in this initial stage, so as to keep your blood sugar levels stable, to reduce cravings and then poor food choices.

But I am mostly trying to discover if I need to drink the raw juice and water every morning if I am already having a raw juice and fruit shake for breakfast.

The idea is to have 2 glasses of water upon rising to hydrate the body and to have a glass with lemon juice to help cleanse the liver and to enjoy a vegetable juice but what you can do is have the lemon juice in with your first 2 glasses of water and either have the vegetable juice as you breakfast or have it later in the day or even in the evening if this suits your lifestyle better - the important thing it to have them sometime during the day.

Also what are the differences in week 2 and week 4. Is it just not to eat meat other than fish and to cut out excess oil?

The first 2 weeks of the program and the last 2 weeks of the program are basically the same. They are to gradually lead you into ( week 1 and week 2) the actual liver cleanse ( mid 4 weeks - week 3, 4 ,5 , 6,) and gradually lead you out of the cleanse ( week 7 and 8).

The difference, primarily, with the mid 4 weeks is the absence of poultry and eggs.

The crux of the liver cleansing diet is no dairy, no red meat, no deep fried foods and no preservative and processed foods.

All the best to you.

So there you have it. My questions answered. I think I am going to start trying to have the morning juice in the Am and then have another juice in the PM with a salad for dinner if I can make my lunch at home. I still am having some trouble with the protein for the 4 weeks. No poultry and eggs leaves nuts and seeds.

The cheap organic peaches I got from Fresh & Easy are now mostly ripe. I cut them up and froze them. They will hopefully get me through most of the winter. I have 2 gallon size bags! I love Fresh & Easy. I go later in the evening when they are removing the stock for the day and get some really great deals. Last time it was 75 cent cartons of strawberries. This time, apples, peaches, carrots, and oranges - ALL ORGANIC. Nice. :)

Really watched my water intake today and tried to keep the carbs from grains lower. I so easily slip into pastas and rice when given the chance. So the water in the AM is really important. So this is what I'll make sure to do. Also the salad with every meal. Going to do this too. I have discovered that I ADORE salad with fruit and nuts. Or fruit and balsamic dressing. So darn tasty.

BK: The rest of my juice from yesterday AM.

Snack: Apple, pecans, honey (this has become my favorite sweet treat)

Lunch: HUGE salad w/ peach and apple

Snack: Leftover soba noodles w/ olive oil and salt. Maybe 1/2 cup of cooked noodles.

Snack: Almonds 3 handfuls

Dinner: Nori paper w/ avocado and the rest of the orange sushi eggs. Nectarine on big salad. 1 large peach while cutting up peaches to put away...I had to bite all of them you know to see if they were better for raw eating or to freeze for juicing!

Day 17: Tired today

Being lazy today and craving chocolate of all things! I haven't really craved any sugar since I started the cleanse. Looking back at my last few days of meals I am light on the salads so I best up them. My grocery box comes today so then I'll have salad fixings again. I ran outta stuff on Monday.

BK: shake w/ more veggies than usual. I am trying to get more veggies into them. Beet, ginger, cherry juice, broccoli stem, apple core, one carrot. Really pulpy so I had to water it down into two. Will have the other half tomorrow. I know you aren't supposed to let the juices sit around, but whatever.

Lunch: Craving chocolate BAD. So I took my 85% dark chocolate, melted it down w stevia and poured it over almonds that I pan toasted and golden raisins. Licked the pan and ate two small chunks. Probably all in all 2.5 servings of chocolate. Yeah and that's ALL I had for lunch!

Snack: Pecans, honey, and nuts.

Dinner: Sushi lots of it. 3 rolls w/ 1/2 cup rice. Note to self - the avocado in the spicy tuna turns brown and makes the tuna look gross. Don't pre-make the spicy tuna with avocado in it.

Salad. NEED salad. Starting tomorrow salad big time and I'm watching the damn chocolate.

Day 16: Workout Day

Today was a workout day. My bootcamp trainer came over and worked me HARD. I had more energy than last time we were together, but I still wasn't stellar. I also woke up late and worked out after 10min of throwing clothes on. Good workout though!

Got on the scale post workout and pre eating and was down like 4lbs. We'll see if that holds. I'll weigh myself on Thurs. We can hope! I am NOT doing this cleanse for weight loss, but Dr. Cabot says that people average 22lbs lost after 8 weeks. At this rate I'm not going to lose a thing. Typical. I've only ever been successful with weight loss when I low carb or go to 1000 cals a day. And I can't live on 1000 cals anymore. Too much muscle to feed.

BK: Nothing

Snack: Needed something substantial post workout so had tuna and brown rice tortilla. Peach AND nectarine in rice milk w/ pecans and muesli.

Lunch: made sushi again. yummmmy!

Snack: Apples and walnuts w/ honey

Dinner: White fish w/ spinach

Day 15: 4 weeks begins

So today started the 4 week section of this cleanse. How to do this section is a little vague in the book. I wish there was a clear cut "and this is what you are doing differently for the next 4 weeks". All I can tell is that there is no meat other than fish, less oil if you can help it, and maybe less grains? Hard to say on the last one, but looking at the meal plans that's what it seems like.

Also I have a question about the morning. Now since the beginning of this cleanse I am to: "First thing on arising drink 2 large glasses of purified water with the juice of a fresh lemon, lime, or orange to cleanse the lover. Fifteen minute later have a raw vegetable juice made of carrot, celery, and parsley." I don't know about you but that's A LOT of beverage if I am also juicing my breakfast. So which is it? Do I do all three is I plan on having a juice for breakfast? Whatever the answer I haven't been because it's too much liquid in a 30min period of time.

BK: skipped it. I wasn't hungry.

Snack: Apples w/ pecans and honey

Lunch: Tuna on brown rice tortilla w/ grilled broccoli

Snack: Peach and Plum fruit salad

Dinner: Soba noodles w/ olive oil and salt. Salad.

Not as many veggies today.

Day 14: Day of the Lobster!

So my friend and I went to Lobster Fest and it was SOOOOOOOOOO good. I bought two lobsters and couldn't finish them. Ate one and most of the second, but had to get some help. Is my tummy getting smaller? Hard to say, but in the past I could have powered 2 lobsters no prob.

I have a confession. I had about an ounce of Coke Zero when I was super thirsty and had no water. AND I had a tiny bite of churro. I know! But it was fresh and I've never had one that was deep fried like that...not an excuse...but a reason to cheat. Tiny bite. I didn't feel guilty at all. But I wanted to confess so there.

BK: Wanted to keep it light so I could chow on the crustacean. Juice only

Lunch: Two soft shell, steamed, fresh Maine Lobsters. drooolll....

Snacks: Went to a friends house and played board games. She was kind enough to make sure I had snacks I could eat on my cleanse. So I ate too much of them because damn they are good, but whatever. Day of decadence! Apples, walnuts, brown rice syrup for dipping, tail mix w/ almonds and dried cranberries. See nothing off cleanse, but probably too much of it all at once.

Dinner: Was still hungry when I got home so had a big salad