Vices

I determined in my mind I was going to kick off the New Year right and go cold turkey on all my vices. But I had leftovers and didn't want them to go to waste, (cheap excuse) so I bumped back my start date to Monday, January 11th.

My aim was to give up these things for 21 days: all animal products, meat, dairy and eggs. All sugar and artificial sweeteners. All caffeine. All booze. All processed foods. I would eat only fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and water to drink.

Basically an overly strict vegan diet, for detox purposes both physical and spiritual.

By the end of Monday, I felt like a junkie coming off of crack. I had shakes, I was lightheaded. I had a headache that felt like Uncle Fester looked on the Addams Family when he screwed his head into a vice. I thought my head would burst and ooze out any remaining brains I had left.

I caved and had a glass of iced tea to drink. I needed the caffeine, and decided I was trying to break too many bad habits at once. I have never really learned to "pace myself." But I am only using Sweet Leaf Stevia to sweeten things, which is legal as it's only smashed up leaves, so I only broke one of the list of rules I made for myself. Not bad for me. See, I have lied to myself so many times, I barely trust me.

I made wheat pasta for dinner, and instead of using jarred sauce, I put my new Christmas juicer to work and juiced Roma tomatoes, green and red peppers, a couple of carrots, a clove of garlic and a lime for fun because one recipe said to and it sounded good.

I took the juice and poured it in my crock pot and added the pulp left behind from the juice maker with all the chunks of whole veggies. I added oregano, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. I let it cook all day. I mixed it with the pasta and let the flavors mingle for awhile.

I normally like pasta with lots of butter and cheese. (Which explains why I have lost my girlish figure... :) I wasn't sure if I could eat pasta and sauce with no cheese, but when I tasted it, it was phenomenal. I could taste every flavor of every spice and veggie without being overwhelmed by the cheese. Hooray for me.

I made a large pot of Irish oatmeal in my rice cooker the night before so I would be ready for morning. I put in raisins, apples, cinnamon and vanilla. In the morning, I warmed it in the microwave and put some organic soy milk and stevia on it. Also, better than I expected. I was sure it would be horrible and bland without a mound of brown sugar and butter, but the soy milk was very creamy and yummy.

I have maintained a vegan diet all week, all meals, no slips. I did however have iced tea, and a glass of red wine under extremely understandable circumstances. But food wise, I am still pure.

At not quite one week in to my 3 week goal, I have lost 5 pounds in 5 days. I feel better. I haven't had to take my acid reflux prescription drugs. My hair is shiny. (But I have to pee constantly. Win some, lose some.)

Does all this mean I am not craving a big juicy cheeseburger? Nope. Not yet.