The Journey Continues...

Three more days have passed and I've reached the middle of my cleanse. I'm going to try and hold back any major conclusions or discussion of pros and cons until the end of the two weeks, but I'm going to keep blogging my daily impressions and food and exercise plan.

Day 5 - 5/2

Today went smoothly. I didn't have any strong cravings for anything and just generally felt well. One of my co-workers commented that my skin looked great - compliments are always encouraging!

Breakfast - Banana, raw cashews

Snack - Herbal tea, grapefruit

Lunch - Green salad with asparagus and sprouts

Snack - Pear, herbal tea

Dinner - Baby spinach salad with tomatoes and avocado and Chia seed water

Day 6 - 5/3

This was my first day home while following the cleanse. In addition to turning down numerous bites of food my kids were eating, I also had to endure a kid's birthday party and a family get together at my in-laws' house. I really don't like having to explain diets to people and was stressed about making sure I could continue to follow my plan without dealing with awkward questions. Luckily the kid party was one of those parties where food is just provided for the kids so I didn't have to turn down pizza or cupcakes. At my in-laws we had a "make your own sandwich buffet" and everyone was watching a movie while we ate so I didn't have to explain my plate. I also made homemade hummus to bring so I was able to assure there was something I could eat.

Breakfast - Hard boiled egg, green apple

Snack - Raw cashews

Lunch - Leftover Quinoa Thai Salad

Snack - Cucumber slices

Dinner - Carrots, cucumbers, pea pods, and celery with homemade roasted red pepper hummus and "salad" with lettuce, tomatoes, and avocado

Snack - Banana and pear slices, organic peanut butter 

I went for a short jog/walk for 1.8 miles and repeated my arm and ab workout.

Day 7 - 5/4

Today was the first day on the cleanse without any plans or routine which was a little harder than I expected. The other hard part was being out doing my usual errands, but not taking my usual trip through the Starbucks drive-thru. Part of me feels empowered that I don't feel like I *need* caffeine anymore, but I really love the taste of coffee and will be glad to welcome it back into my diet next week. 

Breakfast - Poached egg over spinach and basil with grape tomatoes

Snack - Raw veggies with homemade hummus

Lunch - Leftover Quinoa Thai Salad

Dinner - Baby spinach salad with a small portion of pork "carnitas" with homemade pineapple salsa (pineapple, diced apple, cilantro, red onion, and lime juice)