MC - Review

So, it's been 4 days since I ended the Master Cleanse and I feel great. Though my belly is still adjusting to actual FOOD intake, but I am loving being able to use my teeth & munch on food again. I realized that I really freaking missed & like snacks that are crunchy...a little too much actually. Last night I could not stop eating snacks...so I had a 'food baby belly' for awhile and it didn't feel too great. I woke up this morning thinking I may drink the tea tonight because it was so bad...but luckily there was no need later on, haha. And I'm so stoked to be done with the SWF...I dreaded that every morning. ick.

My cravings for 'junk' it appears have not entirely disappeared as theory may have it while doing the MC. Maybe I should've done it for longer this time. Okay I lied...but maybe next time I do the cleanse I'll shoot for a few days longer. At first I really couldn't wait to have some veggies, but now...I feel myself being drawn back to all my usual snacky foods. I guess it really doesn't happen 'over night' either, it's a whole lifestyle change. Does anyone know of a way to ALTER your taste buds into actually LOVING veggies?? I'd pay money for that, seriously. It's not my fault I don't like them...I have to drink V8 just to get some veg in me, sheesh. And poor Kapri is on the fast track to being like her mama too...greaaaat.

Anyway, I lost about 8 lbs in that 10 days. Pretty good...and so far I've only gained 2 back. My clothes fit better...and OMG...I finally fit into my 'skinny' jeans...my True Religions!! Though 5 more pounds off would make them a perfect fit. I haven't worn those since BEfore I got pregnant in Aug. 2008...can u believe that?! And I'm still going strong on Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred...finished day 16 tonight. I hate level 2. But I know it's good for me. And now I'm enjoying my first, much deserved, glass (okay, 2 glasses) of wine...paired with a piece of pita bread that I seasoned & toasted...and dipped into garlic hummus. SO GOOD. I need to find a good homemade hummus recipe.

OH, and now my youngest sister is going to start the MC in a few days because she saw how great I felt/looked after. So KayLee...good luck to ya! I think the biggest shocker for her was seeing my lack of 'chest' area on Saturday, hahaha...wahhhh!!  ;'-(   I know they're small now, especially after breastfeeding...but come on really?!! This sucks. I like cleavage...who doesn't?!! Right now, my attempts at it are failing miserably. I think I got to used to my size while nursing...it was pretty much awesome. Never gave any thought to how drastic the change would be after...otherwise I might still be nursing. hahahahhaa....yeah right, not with Kapri's chompers, OUCHIE!! But after I pay off my CC's & we buy a house, next up is good ol Doctor Chasan! hehe

I'm anxious for the weekend. I can't wait to wear my newly altered dress on Saturday to Michele & Colin's wedding...I feel great in it! Yippee, fun with friends...minus babies this time. We need the balance of both ya know?

OJ and a side of breakdown please

Day 1 of the Ease Out process, technically Day 11 of no food...I get ORANGES today! OJ for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Okay, and I sneaked 4 cantaloupe melon balls...I couldn't resist, I had to cut it open & dice it up before it went bad! Oh, and I had 2 pieces of spinach from James' salad tonight, haha. At least it's healthy 'cheats'. But really, I have to get my body used to food again, so a little here & there, soup tomorrow....life is good.

Although today I broke down. I'm not sure if it was Kapri just being super clingy, or me having too much damn work to do on the the computer, or me just being grumpy/hungry/irritable from this whole cleanse...probably just a combo of all 3...but I lost it. Working from home on Mondays was sooo great in the beginning a few months ago, probably because I wasn't BURIED in work to do - so I could focus my time equally among both work & her. Anyway...she wants her mama. Who am I to deny her that? She wants to interact & play, not by herself all day, with cartoons on...trying to distract her from the fact that I needed to work. I felt like such a horrible mommy today...I mean, really crappy...I've never felt this bad, especially as I gently pushing her off my leg over, and over, and oooover as she clung to it, or threw her toy across the room after she threw it at me & at the computer about TEN times...then finally grabbed her arm & yelled "NO hitting mommy or the computer"! Normally I calmly say "Kapri honey, we don't hit, that hurts mommy/daddy/mika/etc....we give hugs in this house, not hits"....ahhhh, I wanted to scream & cry at the same time. Instead I just cried & called James. Of course he worked a little later than he normally does on Mondays...ah, anyway...I went & laid down in the quiet tanning booth for a bit after that, haha.

Anyway, I've officially decided that we need to look into a child care place locally, just for 4 or 5 hours on Mondays so I can get my much needed work done (not house work...WORK work). Plus, I feel okay about that decision because she needs to play with other kids. She LOVES kids. It's time. Let's just hope we can afford it...I'm scared to even find out.

Alrighty, I'm done for the night...gotta finish my frozen OJ slushy, it's sooooo good!

MC - Day TEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holy crap I made it...10 whole freakin days down...like a champ I might add. And listen to this...we went to the movies to see Inception (CRAZY movie p.s., that I'll have to watch at least 2 or 3 more times) with Amanda & Steve, and James had the nerve to indulge in my arch enemy...Mr. Cheesy Nacho - O. M. G. they smelt & looked delish! But I resisted...not even one single LICK of cheesy goodness. Pat on the back for me, bravo!

Anyway, I went through the day sooo excited to just say "this is my last day juicing these damn lemons". We had planned to head to Moonlight Beach of course...car was packed, Kapri slept exactly from 10-12 as planned/hoped, sunscreen was slathered on...we headed out and BAM...thick gloomy overcast "marine layer" they call it here by the coast. Literally, it's 3.5 mile/11-min drive West from our house (where there was not ONE cloud in the sky). So, we made a quick U-turn & headed to our pool...Amanda & Steve met us there too. She went nuts with beach toy paraphernalia...too bad K couldn't play with it all IN the sand, this time at least, haha:

She also got these adorable lil sunglasses, which normally Kapri would rip right off her face, but she literally kept them on the entire time!!! So stylish:

I love fun pool days with the fam!

Look how tan our lil water baby is...Definitely has a lil of James' skin tone in there:

MC - Day 9

Must chewwwww...I cannot believe I haven't used my teeth for 9 days. I'm so excited that I can say "tomorrow" is my last day on the MC. A freakin carrot has never sounded so good.

Again nothing new to report - I've been watching a lot of 'food' shows, making myself crazy. I have a whole new appreciation for food now. Everytime Kapri throws a piece of delicious marinated chicken on the ground, I have a heart attack because I just wish she knew how lucky she was to have food to eat, hahaha. So on Monday I get to have oranges all day...and probably the lemon drink once or twice if I get starved. Then Tuesday I get to have soup...I got some veggie minestrone & split pea (random - but it sounded damn good), oh and chicken noodle from TJ's, but doubt I'll eat the chicken. Then Wednesday I get to have veggies AND fruits...dying for a banana right about now, banana muffins would be spectacular actually. Do those Wheat Thins Garden Valley Veggie chips count as a "veggie"?? I plan on eating those throughout the day at work, then a super fruity smoothie for dinner. Then Thursday is really the BEST day of the coming week...I get to eat normal, well, for the most part. I'll probably just try to eat light & not over-indulge...but Thurs & Fri I have to have a glass or 2 of wine, because I gotta prep my body for Saturday's wedding...which of course means free grub & booze. Sweet.

Sooo today James & I trimmed back & cleaned up our horribly overgrown yard while K slept for a beautiful 2 hours...even through the noise of us workin in the heat outside. I should've taken before/after pics, it's really just a whole new yard. Before, all the plants were going crazy and it seemed so dark & creepy with all the shade it created. And that damn bougainvillea tree is going to be the death of me...it should be in the weed family because it grows like one I swear. Then when it blooms and the flowers fall off, it creates literally a 2 inch thick blanket on the ground below... AND it has these pretty dreadful looking 1-2 inch thorns. The whole thing just gets huge...tall & wide. It's annoying.

Anyway, after that James left for work so Kapri & I went to run some errands. I wanted to find more beach toys, but didn't find any. Oh well, I doubt she'll care. The sand & ocean will be interesting enough as usual. I wanted to stop by La Costa Kids again to see if I could find yet another great deal on a pair of kicks for K.   SCORE:

Jack & Lily White Shoes:

(normally $30!!!...I got em for $8.99!!!)

LOVE these shoes...hopefully she doesn't outgrow them in less than a month. And here are a few pics from yesterday & today that were too cute not to post for blogspace:

Hangin with dad, playing with his iPhone:

Her random curly fro...from all the sweat during yesterday's heat

Playin with magnet letters we found in the $1 bins at Target today

And finally...channeling "Pebbles" with her hair-do today...had to avoid the sweat-soaked-hair-across-the-forehad look:

Now I'm off to go kill myself doing JM's Level 2....even though Shrek 2 is on TV & I really don't want to turn it off.

MC - Day 8

So today I voluntarily skipped out on the SWF...I decided that my body & brain needed one extra hour of sleep. I needed to be able to function well at work today...lots going on. I felt pretty justified making that last minute decision while anxiously hitting the 'dismiss' button on my cell alarm at 4am! When I woke at 5, I was refreashed & didn't feel like I was going to fall asleep at the wheel while driving to work this a.m....phew.

I even went to Pat & Oscar's to get a co-worker some yummy food...I RESISTED the urge to gobble down a buttery, garlicy breadstick...ahhhhhhh. Though on the way back to work, a different co-worker saw me & asked if I was smaller (in weight) than pre-pregnancy..awww, that made me feel so great. If you read this, you know who you are...thanks!!! haha...anyway, I was still really thirsty today again, not sure why. Maybe all these lemons are making me dehydrated? hahaha, yeah right, I'm drinking so much liquid I don't know how that'd even be possible. But the weather has gotten a lot warmer...actually feels like SUMMER for once this season.
I just gotta make it through this weekend & then I'll be done! We don't have any plans, so that's good...no temptations to endure. I plan on cleaning up our overgrown plants in the yard and hangin by the pool...maybe beach on Sunday with James & Kapri...hum....I gotta get her more sand toys!

Today I also finished Day 10/Level 1 of the 30-day shred...I HATED level 2 with a passion last time I did this... so to say I'm not looking forward to the next 10 days at level 2 would actually be quite an understatement. She killllls your legs...ugh, but I guess that's what I need since I'll be in a bathing suit all day at the MGM pool in exactly 21 days. Booyaaahhh

On an ending note...James is next to me eating a cup of frozen OJ...like a slushy, omg, can't wait til I can have mine that's in the freezer on Monday...especially with this heat!

MC - Day 7

I'm so freakin busy at work...I shouldn't have time to even THINK about food...but I do, all day. So hungryyyy...and tired, because for some reason I cannot seem to get in bed & go to sleep until 10:30/11pm, then getting up at 4am with NO ability to drink coffee is killing me. It should technically be okay to drink coffee while doing this cleanse...it gives you energy and it kinda 'cleanses' you anyway...well for most people, not really me...anyway, enough of that.

My butt seriously hurts from sitting all. day. long. Didn't take my lunch, no point really...haha, no, I would've ran on the treadmill like yesterday, but my calves hurt...so I think I'll only run 2 days a week at work, on top of my nightly JM deal. Oh, and today my mouth felt like a dry desert...I was SO thirsty all day long - water couldn't quench it.

I went to Trader Joes after work to figure out what kind of veggie soups I get to indulge in on Tuesday...cannot wait! I also gpt 1 last *smaller* syrup bottle & lemons, though I think I'll need more lemons...grrr. You'd think this cleanse would save you money for not having to buy food...psshhh, yeah right.

3 bottles of $13.99 syrup = $42

X amount of lemons = around $10-$20 (unless you have a lemon tree...free!!)

Sea Salt = $3
Smooth Move Tea = $6

That's like, $50 to $70 for 10 days...hahaha, wow. Guess $7/day isn't TOO bad, but still...it's not like you're actually enjoying a meal...or one that's even satisfying!

Side note...I've lost 5 lbs so far...not to bad ;-)  Oh, and here's a cute pic I took on my phone of lil muffin's crazy bed-head:

Before Picasa Edit:

After Picasa Edit:

MC - Day 6

So...it's the same ol story...quite the routine lately:

Wake up at 4am, SWF, make 1st 32-oz lemonade bottle, get ready, be to work by 6am...drink lemonade through out the day, home by 3:30ish, make 2nd 32-oz bottle, play/feed/bath Kapri & put her down around 6pm, catch up on a recorded show or 2, do JM 30-day Shred, shower, drink tea, check FB & Google Reader as my bedtime story...sleep, finally...around 10:30pm!! Ugh, not enough hours (or energy) in the day.

Yesterday we met up with our neighbors Mindy & Laylie & headed to the pool since our famous SD weather has finally gotten it's s__t together and gotten sunny & warm! Kapri had a BLAST as usual...she actually dunked herself face-first by accident while in her floaty...whoops...but she got back in the water as soon as the initial shock was over.

I'm hungry. That is all.

MC - Day 5

Today was a little difficult - I also noticed my fuse was a bit shorter than normal in the afternoon. Oh, and I woke up late, so I didn't have time to do the SWF, ugh...oh well. Then while at work, James also told me he went to a delish mexican restaurant called Garcia's by our house for lunch - I started salivating. The meat in their beef tacos & chicken flautas is so incredibly juicy...the rice is flavorful fluffiness and the salsa is perfection. Ah food, how I miss you. But until mid/late next week...it's allllll liquids for me:

Then we went to the Carlsbad City Hall to see James' mom receive a "Peer Award" that she was nominated for by one of her co-workers. Then of course after, everyone wanted to go to Fidel's for dinner - yet ANOTHER amazing mexican restaurant...I could seriously eat mexi food every single day of my life and margaritas are one of my FAV drinks. But, not only was I doing this cleanse, but James had eaten a late lunch and Kapri had 2 very short naps, so she was definitely ready for bed....and we had to get home so I could do JM Day #7, which I was soooo not in the mood to do. But I pushed myself & stuck with it. Damn you Jillian...since it's a "30-day shred", in my mind I feel like I cannot miss one day...it's a 30-day straight commitment (plus that's all that we have until the Vegas trip, haha).

I definitely feel 'cleansed' and lighter, not weighed down by heavy foods, which is always a good feeling. My thighs are leaner & so it my tummy...although I swear this baby pooch will NEVER go away. There's muscle under there I know it, I just need to run...cardio helps with the excess flab, so I'm going to try running on the treadmill at work tomorrow. Also, I was happy to try on an old dress that I've worn once to my friend Kate's wedding...only to find that now it was loose & frumpy on me, 9 months later. So I went to have it dry cleaned, taken in at the waist & taken up ;-)  I'll have to post before & after pics in that same dress after the next wedding we attend later this month.

Anyway - I made it to the halfway mark, only 5 days left...oh and here's a few pics of lil muffin:

MC - Day 4

Day 4 down, doing good...had lots of energy today. Did some errands, laundry, took Mika to Petsmart for some grooming time, worked from home, did JM and went on a good 3-ish mile walk with Kapri down to Trader Joes to pick up some more lemons & syrup...that syrup BTW is f'ing expensive!!! $13.99 for a bottle, which only got me through 4 days (1/3 cup in each of my bottles) - well, I think I have juuust enough for 1 of my 32-oz bottles tomorrow. That means I'll still need to buy one more, for my last day...grrrr...maybe I'll try to find a smaller size :-(

Anyway, not much new to report...thus not much of an exciting blog entry...sorry!

MC - Day 3

3 down, 7 to go - today sucked because James was home all day and we wanted to have a family day...but I couldn't think of anything to do that didn't involve FOOD! Ugh. Normally on our Sunday mornings we'd make breakfast burritos or blueberry & banana pancakes (not merged together, 2 separate batches, haha) - but that was NOT the case today...it makes me sad. And the lack of sun and warm weather in San Diego...in the middle of July no less...is really starting to get on my nerves. We can't even go enjoy the pool or beach - I just don't understand what the heck is going on. It is the summer of no sun & tons of earthquakes. Awesome.

We ended up taking Kapri to the same park where we celebrated her bday...just to get out of the house & let her explore on her own movin lil feet! Got some cute pics...she loves flowers, or as she calls them "fowwww":

Always on the go!!

Our lil muffin looooves flowers...or as she calls them "foww"

Daddy 'n Daughter Playing

I did have a few 'desires' today. After we left the park, James mentioned that he wanted Subway - my immediate thought was that incredible smell that fills the Subway store...so I quickly shot down his idea because I couldn't stand to be in there & not be able to eat a turkey sandwhich on parmesan oregano bread...ahhh...we headed home instead, haha. James jokingly mentioned that he was going to eat a juicy steak & ice cream sundae in front of me, but oddly that didn't even sound good. Then I told him that we couldn't watch any food-related shows we had recorded..."Best thing I ever ate" and "Chopped", but then we ended up watching "Hell's Kitchen", but it wasnt' too bad of a tease....I sipped on my lemonade, LOL! Then later in the night, this orange chicken PF Changs dinner we have in the freezer sounded amazing. That may be one of the first meals we eat after my clease is done.

Other than that, nothing new to report...I do feel a bit bloated today, but I'm sure that'll go away in a day or two. I've also developed a weird cough from an annoying scratchy throat, idk if it's cayenne pepper related or if I am getting sick - or it just could be a weird side effect of this cleanse. Your body is supposed to be getting rid of toxins, so maybe this is part of it. Either way...it's annoying.

MC - Day 2

Day 2 has come & gone...and I'm still at it! Finished JM Day #4, drinkin the tea....working actually as well. WTH is my problem?? Well, the OT pay is not too shabby, James is at work, the kid is aslee and all our DVR'd shows are ones we watch together. So I'm just enjoying a quiet evening. working. blah.

So today I actually felt a decent amount of energy - I did some light cleaning downstairs, laundry, errands...and while working out, I realized that I'm not sore at all - especially compared to yesterday when I could barely make it up/down the stairs without my thighs trembling in pain. Crazy how sore you can get, how out of breath you can be & how much sweat one can produce, from just a 20-min circuit training type workout with good ol Jillian!!

OH - I did the SWF this a.m. Got it all down...until the last 4 sips. I almost dumped it down the sink...when I just chugged it. Bad idea. I walked outta the kitchen to turn on some 'toons for K...and oh god, that dreaded feeling you get before you are about to puke...you're like, salivating & keep swallowing over & over - justy tryyyying to pull it together. breathe. breeeeeathe.

Not so much - 1/2 the drink came back up. DAMNIT...had to re-drink a new batch, though I only made about 16oz more. So I don't think I had the full effect as it should've. Tomorrow I'm going to make sure I drink it over the course of 30 min or so...just to make sure NOTHING comes back up. ick.

No real cravings either today. So weird. I mean, I missss food don't get me wrong...but I thought I'd be dying right now. Hum...maybe I'm just in the right mindset. Though the BBQ I smelled outside a minute ago made my mouth water a bit, haha. I think for next time, I'll start the cleanse at the beginning of the work week instead of the end. I don't have food readily available to me at work...no easy access to it like at home. And I barely eat at work normally... so I think next week should go by quickly & easily. We'll see.

Actually, it appears I'm AM a bit out of it...because I had a crap ton of edits to make in thist post just now, wow, ahhhahaha. I needa warm shower & my cozy bed. Adios.

MC - Made it through Day 1

It's 9pm...I finished JM 30-DS day #3 today, can't believe I had enough strength to make it through. I'm more sore from the previous 2 days than weak...but I'm soooo tired. I almost fell asleep while giving Kapri her bedtime baba in the rocker at 5:45!!!! Now I'm drinking my nightly 'smooooooth moooove' tea - which has got to be the most absolutely hilarious name for a tea right?! But the name does deliver a promise, that's for sure. It's a nice change of flavor from the lemon drink & water all day.

I made it through day 1 almost too easily. Is that weird? I've been stressing about "can I do it" for the last few days...I think already having gone through it before, knowing the taste of the lemon drink, knowing the steps/process, knowing the side effects, etc., makes it a bit easier than say, someone doing this for the very first time & has no idea what to expect. I drank my whole 1st 32-oz bottle of lemonade and made my 2nd bottle when I got home. Days 1-3 are the known to be the hardest....crazy to think that I have not eaten since last night, ahh.

I worked all day...and have been beyond swamped for weeks now...so the day went by fast - which is a good thing when you're hungry as hell. But the SECOND I got home, my tummy was screaming at me. It knows that home = kitchen, which = yummy snacks. I'm a snacker for sure. Parmesan goldfishes, freshly toasted herbed pita bread with carrots & garlic hummus, chips & salsa...ohh, or these delish garden veggie Wheat Thin crackers, omg yum.......wow, I think I'm craving SALT......just a tad...think that's my first real craving of the day actually!

Ugh, okay...no more food talk. Also this afternoon I took a walk with Kapri & Mika. We stopped by my mamma's house & she had a TON of huge lemons to give me from her lemon tree - SCORE! I doubt they'll stretch through the whole cleanse, but we'll see how much juice they produce (need a cup a day to split between the 2 bottles).

I'm dreading doing the SWF tomorrow morning - though it'll be nice to have some saltiness, as mentioned in my previous paragraph, haha. And I'm trying to figure out when the best time to drink it will be. I don't wanna be in the middle of playing with Kapri or holding her, then realize that getting to the bathroom is critical at that exact moment. I usually feed her breakfast around 8:30am - you're supposed to give it about an hour to kick in & 'flush' you out. So I'll drink it at 7:30 after her a.m. bottle, then maybe while she's securely strapped in her highchair, I'll be able to make a bee-line for the bathroom a few steps away when needed. Fun fun, right? Kinda TMI, but this is what 'cleansing' is about...there's no other way to get toxins & junk outta your body this quickly. So it is what it is.

OH and I already lost 2lbs exactly...in one day, but that's water weight -- so we'll see what the weight loss is after Day 10. Though it's usual for you to gain about 1/2 or more of that weight back...I think doing this cleanse once a year is good - maybe I'll make it a tradition, hum.

Wish me luck...dang this post is long - especially for not having any pics in it. Oh well, it's my form of a journal...releasing my thoughts is theraputic. nighty night blogspace.

Master Cleanse - Day 1

So I'm back on the cleanse, it's been 2 years since I first did this...I'm a little nervous, maybe because I know what to expect? IDK...regardless, one thing is for sure...I won't have a lick of food til July 20th. That's 11 straight days of nothing but this lemonade drink...ackkk! I have it at work in a 32oz container, the lemonade/syrup mixutre is staring at me. I have to go add water & have my first 8oz in an hour around 7am. I still remember the first time I had this drink - it was so. hard. to get down the first day. Anyone will tell you that the first 3 days are by far the worst, so basically I just needa get through the weekend, oh boy. At least we don't have any plans or events/activites to attend, phew.


Here's my little situation for the next 10 days:

My fabulously cheap juicer:

My cayenne pepper to take to work, and how cute is this "pinch" measuring spoon??! I have a set of 3...a "smidgen", "dash", and "pinch" - too funny:

And my plan of attack (two, 32oz bottles of the lemonade drink throughout the day, lax tea before bed, and the SWF at the butt-crack of dawn - before it actually, ugh.):

It's going to be an interesting next few days...especially since I have to prepare food/snacks for K all day - whereas before I simply stayed OUT of the kitchen all together (unless I was juicing). But the timing is right for me - just as it was last time. We have a wedding to attend on July 24th, and my MC Day 10 is on July 18...so that gives me 5 days in-between to get my body used to eating solids again. I'm also doing Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred again...literally just in time for our Vegas trip. I'm just hopeful that I can keep up with the 20-min daily workouts during the MC and mayyyybe a light run on the treadmill at work on my lunch break. It's supposed to give you more energy, but at the same time...you have no food in you....Soooo, we'll just have to see about that.

I'll probably blog again this evening about how starving I am...they say keeping a journal helps keep you on track - OH, and I also weighed myself & took measurements last night...stay tuned ;-)

Too much too soon

Well, after our oh-so fun battle with food poisoning - James & I still had appearances to keep up, haha. Last Saturday we attended my co-workers wedding...had too much wine, ugh. But it was so fun!

Then bright & early the next day...with 1 headache, upset tummy & 3 advil later...we headed off to meet up with Steve & Amanda for the Del Mar Fair Beer Fest! I'm brave. I liked the atmosphere better the last time we all went 2 summers ago...even though that time it was SOOOO hot, but I think that made it easier to 'taste' more beer. Let's compare, shall we??

Then

 
Now

Then

Now

Then

Now

Then

Now

Then

Now

Then

Now

We of course had to have our typical nachos & corn dogs afterwards...but we all heavily regretted it way more than last time. Even while comparing, we look much more 'tame' don't we?! hahaha...and I don't think our bodies/tummies can keep up like before. ick. Which is now why I've officially decided to punish clean my body with a 2nd round of the Master Cleanse....oh joy! More on that in another post ;-)