Less Grit, More Staying Power

So we quit the cleanse.  Or the satan diet.  Or the 7 day diet.  Or whatever you want to call it.  Literally right after I posted yesterday, my husband got home and we started talking about what we were doing to ourselves and how we were feeling (awful).  I felt like a giant rubber blob that wasn't capable of moving from couch to bed.  I lacked energy reserves to function.  I wanted to consume every junk food item within a 200 mile radius of our home.  I wanted cheese.  Large blocks of cheese.  And meatloaf.  And pasta.  There simply wasn't a rationale to what I wanted to consume, other than my brain was screaming out for comfort.  We had gone cold turkey from our junk food lives and it wasn't working.  Not to mention that this cleanse was depleting us of a full and complete diet of nutrients.  So it was a double-edge sword.

After much discussion and debate we decided on a plan of action.  We were ditching this:

The "Eat Your Heart Out Diet"

Now, I am NOT criticizing this diet/cleanse at ALL.  I recognize it has a nutritionist backing, has been evaluated by a physician, etc, etc.  I am just telling you that it was not the thing for us.  So back off haters.  Nor am I telling anyone out there how to eat (or not to eat).  It is your body, so do with it as you see fit.

Our new plan is as follows:  eat as healthy as possible.  Eliminate as many meals out as we can.  (at least limit them to celebratory/special occasions) Get moving.  This cleanse did get the scales moving in our favor.  For me, I've dropped six pounds, my husband ten.  It was a great jump-start for both of us.  And I know we are both more motivated to keep the scale moving in the same general direction.  I'm scoping out healthy meals to throw together for the school year that will help us stick to the plan.  We are also going to rely on Amy's organic frozen meals.  They are super-yummy and great substitutes for nights when we are feeling too overwhelmed to throw something together.

This morning, as I type today's post, I feel much more myself.  I'm not thinking about all the food in my cupboard I cannot eat.  I'm not thinking about the coffee I denied myself (because I didn't have to today).  I'm feeling fantastic because I dragged my butt out of bed at 6:00 am with my husband and put in a 1.4 mile walk.  We ate a good breakfast together (banana and yogurt).  I am enjoying writing and have my coffee with a bit of caramel and some skim milk.  I have my energy back.  And it is raining and cool and autumnal.  So while I may not have enough grit to go completely cold turkey and finish out the cleanse, I know, with the help of my husband, we have the staying power to do this and see it through.