The detox diet was a success! And I must say, I am so happy to be able to enjoy a cup of coffee every morning now. It’s the little things, right?

The Hormone Diet book was really an eye opener. As someone who eats healthy the majority of the time and works out quite a bit, I have learned so much.

To be honest, I thought the whole organic craze was a bit overboard. I often wondered if the higher prices really made that much of a difference with regard to health. My rebuttal was always, “Organic and gluten-free are relatively new crazes. My parents and grandparents didn’t do it, and they are healthy!”

Right, they didn’t to it. But there also wasn’t a plethora of unhealthy fast foods, packages goods and processed meats. Animals weren’t injected with massive hormones to beef up their size and increase revenue of each sale. The food industry has really gone south in terms of quality, and an educated consumer MUST be conscious about the foods they are eating.

The last four days of the detox were “reintroduction” days to foods. With all I had learned, you would think I finally understood artificial sweeteners are bad. Not so. But experience set me straight.

On yogurt day, I inhaled packaged, flavored yogurt…only to be in the restroom, ill within 20 minutes. Looks like this gal can ONLY eat plain, non-fat yogurt now. Amazing how 14 days completely cleansed my system, and my body is quick to reject anything unhealthy (although, I am sure that won’t stop me on my cheat days).

The detox is over, but I am keeping with my healthy regimen. It can be difficult at times, but by no means does it mean starvation. Just discipline. I have adapted my serving quantities with regard to fruit, veggies and complex carbs. Simply having the scales of this delicate balance tipped a bit can throw off weight loss very quickly.

I’ll keep you posted along the way.

On a happy note – my wardrobe just tripled in size. My clothes fit again – and I feel great!

The 14-day inflammatory detox diet has been a very interesting experience – to see how quickly the body can expunge itself from toxins and get back to health is phenomenal.

This journey has been about more than the food, though. In addition to lean proteins (consisting of poultry and fish), vegetables, fruits and healthy fats like eggs and nuts, I have been taking quite a few pills to balance my system:

1)   EndoMune Probiotic – you’ve no doubt head about probiotics and the importance of balancing the good and bad bacteria within the digestive track. This has been extremely important when detoxing, as your body is getting rid of less than desirable ingredients. I think a daily probiotic is good for everyone, every day in order to increase immunity and absorption of essential vitamins and minerals.

2)   Multi Herb Dextox supplement along with a Fiber Cleanse supplement – Along with eating the right foods to cleanse your system of toxins and inflammatory-causing agents, a multi-herb detox supplement was recommended by the Hormone Diet. Additionally, a fiber cleanse supplement also would assist with promoting bowel movements to further detoxify the system.I selected formulas from Nature’s Secret – both capsules are included in their 2-bottle packaged cleanser.

3) Multi vitamin – though this wasn’t  suggested until the second phase of the diet, I went ahead and continued my multi-vitamin. It’s recommended to choose a vitamin with 800 to 1,000 UI of vitamin D3. I selected One ‘n’ Only by Pure Essence Labs. This is a high quality vitamin that include additional nutrients that women typically lack.

The above are the main supplements I have been taking during the detox. I most recently added Flax Oil to my smoothies.

Still going strong! I finally got some exercise in on both of these days. I opted for cardio followed by circuit training on Day 7:

30 minutes on recumbent bike

3 sets of the following circuit:
- 20 squats
- 20 pushups
- 20 bicycle crunches

After two weeks of no exercise and killer allergies, that was much more intense than I had anticipated. It felt amazing, though! On Day 8 we had gorgeous weather in San Antonio – so I walked for approximately 40 minutes through Eisenhower Park. So lovely!

On a very happy note, the weight continues to come off slowly each day. I’m getting close to breaking through my plateau weight – and I am so energized about the thought of being able to redefine what a realistic goal weight might actually be. As someone who doesn’t have much weight to lose, it’s really about toning and reshaping the problem areas of my body. Quite a challenge that I think might become a reality in the near future.

Tomorrow I will dive into the type of supplements I’ve been taking during this 14 day detox journey, and the additional supplements I plan to start including once my detox is complete.

Almost half way there – and I cannot even tell you how much I would love a glass of wine or a cup of coffee! Fortunately, my insatiable sweet tooth has been met with fruit smoothies that are incredible. Frozen fruit makes all the difference for making a delicious treat – especially as we’re waiting for the weather to cool down in Texas.

Word of advice – if you’re using bananas, peel and cut them BEFORE sticking them in the freezer. Lesson learned.

Mixed Berry Smoothie (thanks to the Hormone Diet)
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup blackberries
1/4 cup blueberries
1 cup water
1 scoop of vanilla Whey Protein (make sure it’s 100% isolate – no concentrate allowed)

Mix all in a blender and blend to perfection – it’s amazing! To make the smoothie even healthier, add flax seeds.

My sinuses have still been killing me, but I am hopeful I can finally start working out today. For someone who works out at least 4 times a week, I am desperately in need of a solid workout. At least the weight is still coming off, otherwise I’d feel a tad bit guilty.

My meals for Days 5 & 6 were more or less a repeat of everything I have had from days 1-4…except for the smoothies. Those were a special discovery for which I am so incredibly thankful. My next step is to master a Mango Smoothie – it’s a whole new world, now.

It’s very clear that I need to get to the grocery store and buy more fruit! Day 3′s menu was lacking in fruits and veggies – and simply a repeat of many of the other meals I had earlier in the week. I do believe I am in serious need of some recipes because I am quickly becoming bored with my meals. The Hormone Diet book has TONS of tremendous smoothie recipes comprised of fruit and whey protein. Many of them include yogurt, so I’ll need to wait until after Day 14 of detox in order to partake in their glorious goodness. So ready for some cheese, too!

On a positive note – I’ve lost another 0.5 lbs. So I’m close to 4.5lbs in only 4 days – crazy, right?!

Unfortunately, my sinuses are still pestering me. Four days straight of being dizzy and congested – although, it’s highly likely the nagging headache is not being helped by lack of caffeine and lack of wheat. My energy seems a bit low too – for someone who works out 4 to 5 days a week, I haven’t worked out in two weeks! Ready to get back to punching bags in the Krav Maga studio.

Breakfast: 4 egg whites, Whey protein shake
Snack: Almonds, v8 low sodium
Lunch: Chicken & Apple sausage, black beans
Snack: Almonds
Dinner: 6oz organic chicken, brown rice
Snack: Whey protein shake