Day 20 - I can't believe it

I cannot believe I'm already to day 20 of 21. I know everyone probably says this - but now that I'm here, the past few weeks do not seem like cleanse. I have rarely craved desserts and have had no desire for breads or pastas! This week I've been living off of ground turkey made into taco salad...yum! And chicken and rice! I've also had salmon and lots of eggs. I still eat lots of fresh veggies with hummus for snacks and I always have fruit between meals and for dessert. I now take green tea with me in the mornings and it helps to curb my hunger. Oh, and I can't forget the yummy Progressive soups I've had!

Thinking back to day 2/3 I wanted to literally jump through the TV and eat the Wendy's chicken nuggets that I saw advertised! I also almost strangled Aaron in order to get to his chips and queso. Those days were tough, but I have prevailed! I can honestly say that I do want to try to keep this up! I have a new appreciation for eating healthy. It takes a little more work and time, but the rewards are great. I feel better, I feel proud of myself, and I have a little less of a spare tire...yay! Although I can't wait to maybe have some cheese, or maybe even a bite of pizza, I think I can say that I am going to continue to try to give my body the kind of foods that it needs to live strong and healthy.

Oh, and I hope I'm not trying to make this sound easy and care-free. It's not. There were days that I wanted to quit or I just felt tired and run down. But after about Day 7 I had a lot more energy and saw the results happen. Also, I was blessed that Aaron ate a lot of things I did, or he would make sure he ate in another room or before I got home from work if possible. I also forgot to mention that on Day 17 I woke up feeling dizzy and faint and almost passed out. I went to work late and ended up leaving early because the feelings came back. Not sure if that had anything to do with the cleanse or not, but I wanted to tell you the not-so-fun parts as well as the fun parts.

If you are interested in taking part of the 21 day cleanse, I encourage you to check out Dr. Cindy's blog, where I go the idea to do it. She's done it twice the past year and has great recipes.

Anyway, thanks for your prayers! I'll try to post some final thoughts when tomorrow ends! Oh, and starting Feb 1, Aaron and I be attempting start Weight Watchers. It worked for me when I wanted to lose weight for my wedding and we are ready to start eating more in moderation, and Weight Watchers is great for that! I'll keep you posted!

Happy Eating (or Cleansing)

Lauren

Day 17

I cannot believe I am saying this - but I am now on Day 17! Now that I'm here, the cleanse has seemed to fly by. My mom came to visit me this weekend, and it was nice to be able to go out to eat and actually get to order something off the menu. At lunch I had a grilled chicken taco salad. Of course I had no cheese or dressing or tortilla chips, but the salsa made a great dressing. For dinner, we had Mexican food. She is eating healthy too, so we said NO CHIPS! We both had chicken tortilla soup (again no cheese and no tortilla strips) and then we had a platter of fajita chicken with onions and peppers! It was yummy!

This weekend I also discovered that I've lost about 7 pounds. It's exciting, but I'm almost sure I'll gain it back before long, so I'm just going to enjoy while I can and maybe use it as a goal to maintain this weight! I am eating more now that I can have the eggs and lean meat, but I am no longer craving sugar and carbs! The protein has also given me much more energy, so I've been getting back into my running routine and I'm loving it. I'm very sore, but happy to be exercising again!

Yesterday for lunch we had veggie and chicken stir-fry and then eggs and turkey bacon for dinner - love it! They were both very tasty meals! I also went to a baby shower and won a game where the prizes were candy! Haha! That's ironic. But you know what? I wasn't even really tempted! It was kind of nice!

Thanks for all of your prayers - this hasn't been easy, but I'm proud that I've kept it up and this coming Friday will be last day! God bless and Happy Eating!

Day 13

Well, these last few days have been much easier to handle. I have never enjoyed lean meat and eggs like I have these past few days! I've had an egg and fruit every morning for breakfast and I am still not tired of it! I'm still snacking on veggies with humus...love it! I actually have been craving tomatoes and cucumbers! Also, I've really enjoyed getting to have taco salad with ground turkey, salsa, and avocado! I've also been enjoying Organic Soups and I've enjoying some Progresso Chicken soups with no msg added!

On day one of getting to eat chicken, Aaron made me some grilled chicken that I've had with organic pasta sauce and brown rice and it has been delicious! I haven't craved breads or pasta at all, and my sweet cravings now subside once I have strawberries or apples! The only thing I'm still craving is cheese, but it's not as bad as it once was. I am enjoying having my protein back and I've started my running at night again! yay! I can't believe I only have 8 more days left. It actually doesn't even feel like a cleanse anymore! Thanks everyone for your support! I'll continue to keep you posted!

Day 11 is finally here!

Hello Everyone. I'm living on Cloud 9 today! As you might have guessed, I can finally have lean meat and eggs...yay! I was finally getting used to the no-meat thing, but am happy to welcome chicken back into my diet. I woke up early to make myself some eggs...so good, and then had a chicken and rice dish for lunch. So wonderful! I know I missed blogging about a few of my days, but I did have some other great meals to tell you about. First, Amy's Organic Soups has a Lentil and Veggie soup. I was dreading lentils again, but I opened up the can and it was so good that I ate the entire thing! Yum! I also was able to handle going to a restaurant on Saturday, but just had to make it Jason's deli. There veggie soup is great, but I had to skip on the noodles that it included. I do enjoy their salad bar that is full of choices and most of it is organic! I am happy to say that I am half way through the cleanse now!

I could tell a few days a go that my clothes were fitting a lot looser and that was a good feeling. I could also tell that my stomach had shrunk. After eating 2 eggs I felt so stuffed, but ate them all anyway. And today I was so excited to have my chicken and rice that I ate the whole piece of chicken and now I am so stuffed! I guess I need to start listening to my stomach when it says it's full, but I am overjoyed to be able to expand my menu now! Also, this past weekend I finally started running again. I'm not going as great as I once was, but I finally have the energy to do it! Thanks for all your prayers! I'm exciting to see this thing through to the end, but will rejoice again on January 30 when I can indulge in some cheese!

Day 7

I cannot believe I've gone one week without meat. Actually, the meat doesn't even seem to be the big deal. I did one week vegetarian before Christmas, but at the time I lived off of mac and cheese, veggie subs, and PB&J. I also snacked in healthy things here and there, but nothing was as hard-core as this week has been! But one week down, I can't believe it and I have to say that I'm proud of myself! I'll try not to get too ahead of myself, since I have 2 weeks left! I can tell that my clothes are fitting a little bit looser, but I didn't weight before I did this, so not sure if I'm losing any weight or not - which is fine, that's not why I chose this! Today for breakfast I stuck with stawberries and blackberries and for lunch I had some great veggie soup. I also snacked on carrots, tomatoes, and apples. I'm running out of quick meals, so tonight I might try to create something yummy...we'll see, wish me luck! Tomorrow I'm excited to try some veggie soup from Jason's deli - one place I can eat at and enjoy!

I guess I've hopefully disproven the statement - "7 days without meat makes one weak". I guess you could say "7 days without meat sucks, but it can be done1"...put that on a bumpersticker!

Day 6

I was very worried last night about my first trip to a restaurant, but to describe the experience in one word - heaven. I wined and dined...well just dined at Restaurant Jezebel off of Congress in Austin. I was very fortunate that they had a vegan dish. Maybe it was the fact that it was the first restaurant food that I've had since I started this crazy cleanse, or it could have been the fact that the chef was amazing, but I swear that food was the best food I've ever had! I was able to get Risotto of seasonal veggies over brown rice, an all vegan dish, and it was wonderful! I also had a salad, no dressing and cheese. I am so blessed to live in Austin, where there are lots of places that offer Vegan friendly dishes! I swear, my stomach has shrunk though, as I finished about 2/3 of my meal and I was stuffed! So I give a shout out to Restaurant Jezebel for being the highlight of my week!

I feel like I'm on a role now and I am no longer craving meats and bread and dessert...ok, so maybe I'm still craving them, just not as much! I am, however, fresh out of any fruit I bought last week. On this cleanse, I've realized that I go through fruit and veggies super fast! I'm still waiting for Aaron to eat all the junk out of the fridge so I am not tempted to eat that cold pizza! Four more days until I get lean meats and eggs...can't wait!

Day 5

Well I've made it to day 5 and I think my body is finally getting used to it. In fact, I've been craving lentils and tomatoes...who would have imagined that would happen. I'm not going to lie, I have still been craving random "real" foods, but I think my body is finally adjusting and I've been less hungry! Tonight I'm going to a restaurant with some friends, but thank God there is a vegan menu...it will take all the will-power I have to stick to it tonight, but I am very determined. I also visited Whole Foods today and picked up some canned soups - all completely cleanse friendly - so I hope those hold me over a few more days until I can have the lean meat and eggs.

I think I've mentioned it before, but if not, here goes - I have to have simple recipes. I just do. I never have the time or ingredients or creativity, so I need simple, so needless to say, it has been difficult to make veggie dishes interesting, BUT...Aaron made me some lentils and they are great. He simmered them with a can of rotel tomatoes and italian spices. They are spicy and oh so good. I've had them with veggies and brown rice and I love them. In fact, I've had them for four meal...thanks, Aaron!

Anyway, wish me luck on my first venture into a restaurant since this whole thing started!

Day 2,3, and 4

Hey Folks,

I wanted to let you all know that I haven't fallen off the bandwagon yet! Let me tell you something - day 2 was horrible. I wanted to die. I wanted Jesus to take me home so we could feast....ok so maybe it wasn't that bad, but all I wanted was some cheese. I saw a Wendy's commercial and begged Aaron for some chicken nuggets, but after he calmed be down I was ok. In all seriousness though - Day 2 was rough: Fruit for breakfast, cucumbers for lunch and green beans for dinner. I wasn't feeling great and basically had no appetite! I had no energy to work out...shoot! But better days will come and they did.

Day 3 was yesterday. Work was busy so I couldn't dwell on food too much! I had fruit and green tea for breakfast, then a salad for lunch. I snacked on fruit again, but discovered something amazing for dinner - lentils. My husband was an angel and cooked them for me. He added tons of spices and rotel tomatoes and they were the best thing I've ever eaten - in the last three days that is. I had tons of energy yesterday and slept great - let's hope this is a new trend!

Day 4 is today - so far I've started out with strawberries and green tea and I'm going strong. I think my downfall in all of this is that I want quick and easy recipes and you have to be super creative to make this cleanse work and to not get bored. But for now, I'll stick with rice/lentil leftovers and hope that Day 10 comes soon! All I want is a piece of chicken...that's all I've ever wanted!

The only thing keeping me from quitting is that I don't want to be a quitter and I want to be faithful in what I say I'm going to do! Also, I know it's good for me, it's just not tons of fun right now. But no pain, no gain, right? Your prayers are coveted!

Cleanse Day 1

Ok folks, I told you I would keep you posted on the cleanse so here goes! Yesterday I was in San Antonio for some good basketball and good food. I decided to eat well since I knew I would be suffering for the next 21 days! So it was chicken smothered in cheese and avocados! I also could not resist milk shake on the drive home just for the heck of it! I only drank half, but oh so good! Ok anyway, the cleanse is basically veggies, fruit, brown rice and lentils for the first 10 days and then lean meats and eggs are added on day 11. Didn't seem too tough until today!

Breakfast - I woke up not feeling great and went back to sleep until 10:30! Wow! So I had a banana. No big deal.

Lunch(ish) so lunch I had carrots and avocados...pretty good! Also had an orange and some grapes. I know you are supposed to try to have twice as many veggies as fruit, but I needed sweets!

In the afternoon I wasn't feeling great so I took a nap. After I woke up I headed strait to the pringles and then realized that wasn't ok...oops. Good thing I snapped out of it in time!

So tonight I'll be making brown rice with avocados and tomatoes...and I already can't wait until day 11 where I can have chicken!

Note to self - need to drink more water! Hope I can make it, but so far it's not as fun as I had hoped, but I'm determined to finish strong!

Wish me luck! 1 day down, 20 to go!

The Thrill of Victory, and the Agony of Defeat

Competitive is my middle name. If anyone knows me or my family, that comes as no surprise. Just play board games with us. I dare you to play a sport against us - basketball, volleyball, football. No matter if it's a pick up game in the yard ora game during our "glory days" in high school, we played to win. Growing up, we were always glued to the TV during the "big game" - Superbowl, NBA Championships, World Series, NCAA basketball tournament and all of the Bowl Games you could ever want. Bottom line - we love sports and we love to win.

This brings me to the big game. Not just any big game, the 2009 BCS Championship with our team playing - the Texas Longhorns. Although there are lots of haters our there, you've gotta love Colt McCoy. A great quarterback who plays to win, but he plays to win in life, too. He loves Jesus. He doesn't just say he loves Jesus - he proves it with every game he plays. Colt's not just another college quarterback-he's good. Real good. Last year the Longhorns were one game short of a BCS title and he didn't want it to happen this year again. So what did he to - he led his team to an undefeated season and to the "big game". He's worked four years for this moment. UT dominates the first few minutes of the game. But then the work possible thing happened - our leader McCoy gets hurt and sees his dream of leading his team to a National title dissapear. As a UT fan I can't tell you what a shock this was. UT eventually lost the game, a game they had worked for all year. Losing wasn't the hardest part for Colt, I can guarantee that - it was most likely not getting to play. It was always wondering what if, and why? Why did he get hurt? Believe me, all UT fans everywhere were asking that on Thursday night. I'm sure Mac Brown and the McCoy family were thinking this too. I have no idea how I would have reacted to this situation. I'd never been in this situation. His whole team was counting on him and the Nation was watching.

What Colt did at the end of the heart-breaking thing was one of the most shocking and inspiring things I'd ever heard/seen an athlete do. He is interviewed after the most dissapointing game of his carreer and as he chokes back tears he states, "I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life. And I know that if nothing else, I'm standing on the Rock." Holy Cow. Wow. This guy get's it. He knows what life is about. Colt just experienced the agony of defeat and he didn't even get to say he did his best - he didn't get to play. He'll always wonder. But you know what - he get's it. He sees the big picture. He knows there is more to life. He knows that God is in control. Wow. And one of the best things about Colt's statement is that he didn't pretend not to be upset about the loss. He was upset, he wanted to play and he wanted to win, but he knew that God's in control and he takes confort in that. Wow.

So maybe UT did feel the agony of defeat, I know it felt that way to me. Probably to my brother too who made a 23 hour road trip to see the game in person. But Colt McCoy experienced the thrill of victory afterall - the Victory that comes from knowing Christ. What an example he was to me!

So even though I wanted Texas to win that game I learned a little lesson instead. No matter how many agonizing "defeats" we have in life - and there will be many, we can take confort knowing that we have victory in Christ Jesus - and oh how sweet that is!

New Journey Begins

Hello Friends,

2010 is a time for new beginnings and I have great expectations for this year. I just have to say I feel blessed to have been given 24 years of life! I have learned so many valuable lessons...quite a few the hard way. I used to think I knew everything. Now, I know that I know very little - and that is OK with me! The name Learning, Living, and Loving Life comes from what I want to do - Learn to live and love my Creator God who makes this life worth living and do whatever it takes to make him known! I know I'll stumble a little along the way, but that's ok!

Before I go any further I have to confess something - I'm not a great writer. Eloquence is not my middle name. I cannot guarantee that this blog will be typo-free. I will say, however, that I once took a "blogging" class in college. I don't really remember anything I learned, except that it was great for the GPA if you know what I mean.

Learning - This year, I want to learn to create good habits and self control so I'm starting off with January cleanse that will start this Saturday. I'm also attempting to work out 5 days a week - yikes! More details to come:)

Living - Another goal I set this year was read the Bible through in one year. I did this a few times years back, but I feel like I'm at the point in my life where I desire to know His Word so much more. It's January 7, so I'm just getting started in Genesis, but I'll let you in on a secret - I LOVE the Book of Genesis! The Bible stories that we learn as children teach you so much about God's promises and plan! And to tell you the truth, it's a comfort to know that the people in Genesis were not perfect! That's right folks Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, they all had their problems! What a relief! Also, a Genesis 18:16-33, the passage where Abraham pleads for Sodom is a very powerful passage...what a merciful God we have and how cool is Abraham! Anyway, I'm excited about this new adventure and hope and pray I can keep it up!

Loving - I just have to say that my husband Aaron has been the biggest blessing I could ever have. I can honestly say that I do not deserve him and my life would be incomplete without him. These past 2 years have been a blessing. He is my best friend and he makes me want to be a better person. We aren't perfect but I desire to be the wife that puts him first - something that I am working on this year!

Finally, I promise to be real with those who read this, to tell you when I mess up, not try to be who I'm not. I also will do my best to keep Learning, Living, and Loving Life.