Modifying

So last year's cleanse was triggered by me after I was really (!) sick for many weeks.  I just wanted to feel better and the cleanse was my ticket.  My husband and I stuck to it to the letter -- no splashes of milk in coffee (no coffee for that matter, not even decaf), no nibbles of sugar.  We were hard core.  And the cleanse worked for me.  I finally, finally felt better (though I did put on a few pounds thanks to the chips and guac and peanut butter that were cleanse-friendly).  And I have maintained many of the cleanse habits.  For example, I now only drink decaf coffee and the only caffeine I've had in a year has been in green tea.  I think I've had one beer since last year and no other alcohol.  I have eaten meat a handful of times since December -- 99 percent of the time I choose a vegetarian option and it's just as tasty.  I'm more aware of sugar content in all foods (including things like salad dressing) and substitute brown rice syrup or similar options whenever possible.

But as great as the cleanse was for me and for as many habits as I've maintained, I'm not *really* doing the cleanse this year.  Long story short -- for the last several months, I've been doing another eating program that has worked great for me (and has helped me take off those chips-and-guac-and-peanut-butter pounds).  It's fairly restrictive and I just couldn't add several more layers of restrictions on top of that.  Soooooo...instead I'm making an effort during this period to eat more whole (vs. processed) foods and to drink a green smoothie a day.  The last two days, I've combined kale with coconut water and blueberries and raspberries.  It's not half bad.

So that's my story.  Kudos to Yunah for taking the cleanse torch this year!  :)