So I wrote this post about the 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse way back in May, then this post at the end of May about how I didn’t complete the challenge, but that I was shifting to more intuitive eating. Well, here’s what happened after that: I gained back all the weight I’d lost on Weight Watchers, and then stayed about the same. But I was happier than I’d ever been. Just giving my body a break to actually chill out and not feel guilty about my weight for once was liberating.
Could this be me in just ten days?!
It was that mentality that I feel made me ready to complete the next stage of my journey: actually completing the 10 Day Smoothie Cleanse. And guess what? I’m on Day 9! And I know I will complete tomorrow. I have zero resistance too it. Mainly because the smoothies taste good but because I think I shifted to another step towards a permanent healthy diet.
In the end of May, I realized that it wasn’t helpful to me to power myself on guilt 24/7. Now, I’ve realized that when it comes to diet, changing it is permanent. The 10 day cleanse is just 10 days, and I initially went into it with a mindset of, “It’s just ten days, then I can go back to eating how I want, but I’ll be ten pounds lighter.”
However, a few days into it, I realized that if I wanted to not only keep that weight off permanently, but also keep losing weight, I had to eat like this for the rest of my life.
Now I don’t mean that you have to drink two green smoothies per day for the rest of your life in order to lose weight, but for me, this has been the easiest way to get enough fruits and veggies in without feeling like it was a chore. Nine days in and I actually enjoy making my two smoothies in the morning because I know how it makes me feel to drink them: no heartburn, no headaches, full stomach, energy. I would dread having to get out a banana, spinach, an apple, 2 cups of strawberries, and a cup of mango (plus protein and flaxseed powder), put it in front of me, and say, “Eat all this today.” However, with my smoothies, I am eating all of that, and it’s not work!
Some people enjoy getting out fruit and munching on it. I was doing that occasionally, but only because I had guilted myself into it, because “that’s what healthy people do.” I feel like the smoothies were a good middle ground and are something that are easy to do every day.
“You know, you’re going to have to keep drinking those.”
That’s what my husband said after I told him about the green smoothies. He meant, like I mentioned earlier, that I couldn’t just finish my ten day challenge and then go back to eating crap. And he’s right.
Fortunately for me, I had a little epiphany today. I’ve had french fries this week, and would eat them again, but then I checked in with myself (a principle of Intuitive Eating) about how I would feel about going to the gas station and getting some Cheetos. Not that I was going to do it, I just wanted to see how I reacted to it, honestly, no judgement.
And I honestly didn’t want any. I imagined eating the Cheetos, their texture, taste, appearance. And it wasn’t that they grossed me out, I just didn’t want any (french fries and cookies, those are a different story).
So What’s Next?
Top: June 2014 (sorry for the dorky safety glasses), Bottom: August 2014, on Day 9 and 6 pounds lighter
Even though at the start of the challenge, I had planned on stopping with the smoothies after the ten days was over, on Thursday morning, I’m going to get up just like I have for the past ten days, and make myself two smoothies for breakfast and dinner. This is going to be a permanent change for me. I already ordered another book with 300 green smoothie recipes for variety.
Going forward, I may have a “real” lunch if I’m invited or have a strong craving, and then stick to healthish dinners, as well as continuing to avoid dairy milk, fast food, soda, and bread/gluten. But this doesn’t mean 20% of my diet won’t be filled with ice cream, burgers, Jimmy John’s, fountain Diet Dr. Pepper, or other delicacies. It just means it won’t rule my life.
Something I started originally for weight loss before our vacation next week really has become something I can stick with for my remaining 23.6 pounds to lose (yep, I’ve lost 6.4 pounds and 6.4 inches), as well as beyond.
Images via Pixabay and author.
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