Isn't Food Grand?

I survived my first ever cleanse/detox program. My program lasted seven days which was just the perfect amount of time, if you ask me. For my HASAY group, I would definitely have to say that it was well worth my time and effort. Here are some thoughts and suggestions and a few parting words:

1) Make sure you a great health care practitioner working with you, as I did with Dr. Keith Smigiel, DC. Sure you can go online and buy a tub of the UltraClear PLUS but you can also just eat less and exercise more and that hasn't always worked for us in the past. Having someone who cares about your progress and is paying attention to what you say through out the week is very important. And believe me, sometimes you are quite woozy and need a clear head around.

2) My main goal was to "jump start" my metabolism and lose some weight. Both objectives were achieved. I lost 6.5 pounds and time will tell whether the rate is kicked up enough to help me lose weight quicker.

3) I could not believe that I rarely felt hungry. The medical food drinks and about two helpings of green vegetables filled me up. I missed the nightly wine, I'm not going to lie.

4) You have to keep the exercise light, like walking and simple strength training as you can get pretty dizzy.

5) No real unpleasant side effects: no gas, no smelly urine, etc.

6) Some great side effects: detailed, interesting dreams, you feel very relaxed (almost high).

7) Perhaps my favorite thing: my stomach has flattened (not gone away, but I lost the pooch)!

8) Maybe my insides are all cleaned and the toxins have all been removed; I honestly don't have any feeling or sensation about what's going on inside.

9) You will be tired of every vegetable you eat. Really, no vegetable should be eaten all day long and without any pepper, salt or other ingredients. I ate: broccoli (twice), asparagus, romaine lettuce, green beans, and zucchini squash (twice).

10) Now that I am eating real food again, everything tastes and smells divine! I am working on only small portions. But I can tell, my inner devil is trying to tempt me with my favorite fattening foods. I must stand strong, as I am on a roll, now. I'd like to lose 5-10 pounds and then I can fit into my closet full of clothes that are just hanging there, looking sad.

Perhaps most importantly, I made my mind up to do this program and stuck with it all week, no matter what. I attended a ladies luncheon where I only chowed on lettuce and packaged up the rest for Bill's dinner, I was offered a slice of pizza fresh out of the wood stove and said "no" and I even cooked a gigantic steak and potato dinner for Bill and sat with him at the table, nibbling on zucchini. I feel good about these things and helps me to know that if I really put my mind to it, I can lose the extra weight on my body.

If you have questions or just want to talk to Keith, here's his contact information:

602-485-9390 or drkeith@smigielfamilychiropractic.com

I Am as Cute as the HASAY Baby

Every week (that's 19 weeks) when I place Casey's adorable child's picture in my update post, I say to myself, "he's such a cutie pie. Those arms and round tummy are so cute, I just want to squeeze him"!

Only this week, I was sitting on the floor of my bathroom clipping my nails, facing my full length mirror, when I reached up to get the lotion.....I saw that I look almost exactly like him! I have that cute horizontal line underneath my sweet little boobs. My tummy is round and sticks out just like his. The arms? Identical, I swear. The only noticeable difference is my hair. (I took a picture of myself to show you, only Google would have shut down my massive revenue stream for that one, to be sure). The only problem is that the look is NOT SO CUTE on a 51-year old woman. But a picture is worth a thousand words and I have it pinned on my desk next to the computer to help me become successful in this old diet.

This week I am going to write everything down and share it with you next week. I have been good so far today, but hey, it's only been 9 hours.

I exercised 4 times this week, but for me, this amount doesn't even allow me to maintain weight. I know.......that does suck.

Having a period every two weeks and shedding like a 14-year old girl isn't helping either. The doctor thinks I'm just about at "the end". Yeah, now that would be cause for a celebration...of celery and low fat peanut butter, of course.

Original HASAY weight: 135 pounds
Current weight: 132 pounds

You Say HASAY, I Say Time Out

This week was a complete time out on the exercise and diet fronts. Unless you count the following creative ways to burn those pesky calories:

Lifting a 22-pound turkey in and out of the oven to baste every 20 minutes;

Chasing the 2-year old nephew around the living room so his Mommy can enjoy her meal;

Giant bear hugs to the kids home from school for the weekend (at least 50 each);

Racing to and from the airport with bags on Wednesday and again on Sunday;

Chasing the dog around the house when his mouth is full of our appetizers;

Serious lifting and lowering of large wine glasses, every day, over and over....and over; (more points if you squeeze in those abs while lowering the glass to the counter to pour more)

Stripping the beds, doing the laundry and remaking the beds to be ready when the kids return for the Christmas holiday/ Winter break;

Napping on the couch through endless hours of football on the TV (more points when the inner thighs squeeze the blanket around your legs).

Okay, so you're not buying into my new workout routine? Let's see how it worked....

Original HASAY weight: 135 pounds
Today's weight: 132 pounds (up 3 pounds from last week). Damn. Such a shame.