Cleansing Update

My cleanse is going really well so far. I have been doing the Sacred Heart Cleanse. I haven't cheated once or even been tempted. It's only been two days, but those first two days have always been the hardest for me.

My soup is really good. A little bit spicy. Okay, a lot spicy. It's a good thing I like spice. I ended up adding a bit of chicken broth to one of my bowls. It tasted really good at first, but then just tasted like salt. I couldn't handle it.

One of my friends keeps trying to get me to fall off the cleanse wagon. He just invited me over for homemade curry chicken (yum!). I turned him down flat. But he also wants to go out for dinner tomorrow night in Kitsilano. I'll probably go, because I like pretending that I am a posh bitch. It's going to be hard. I told him we had to find a restaurant that makes good salads. I'm supposed to only eat fruits and veggies tomorrow. I should be able to order some kind of salad that doesn't involve too much cheating. I'm more worried about my indecisive friends who will change their minds about which restaurant to eat at. There are so many good ethnic places in that area that don't serve real salads.

Today has been a little bit harder than yesterday because I am supposed to just eat soup and vegetables. I am managing, but I am really looking forward to fruit tomorrow. I just went shopping in preparation. I can't wait.

I bought a thermos in preparation for this cleanse. I'm impressed with how well it works. At lunch time my soup is still hot. At dinner time it is still warm.

My roommate is on vacation with her boyfriend, so I have decided to take this time to clean our house. Each day I'm going to do a room. Yesterday was the living room. I am so excited about how clean it is. Today Is going to be the kitchen. Well, it will probably end up just being the dining room. I think I need to split them into two rooms/days to give them the proper clean that they deserve/need. The roomie and I are pretty tidy people, but the house hasn't had a proper clean in a long time.

I also became blonde again! I'm pretty excited about this. I feel more myself when I was blonde. I tried out the ombre look for the past nine months to give my hair a bit of a break from the dye. It was kind of blonde for a long time. But now it is really blonde again. Which I think is more me.

Sacred Heart Cleanse

Last week, a friend told me about a cleanse she was doing before she goes on vacation. She said it wasn't that difficult and she was seeing results and improved energy. It's called the Sacred Heart Cleanse. I'd heard of it before, but never tried it.

It's apparently used for heart patients to lose a significant amount of weight before they go in for surgery. That's probably not the case, as there is no research to back this up. It's totally just a gimmicky fad diet. But I am going to try it anyway. 

I need something to focus on for a bit to get me back on track. I don't think I am too off course, but I haven't been keeping track of my intake or using Weight Watchers like I should. I just want to do something a little bit hard core for a few days (or a week in the case of this cleanse) and then I will get back to tracking normally.

I've been debating leaving Weight Watchers. I love the program (especially the free fruits and veggies), but I'm not sure it is worth the money considering My Fitness Pal is free. I won't be making any decisions until I get back from Mexico next month.

About the Sacred Heart Cleanse

It's a bit of weird one. The idea is that you eat a ton of your specially made soup and then you get to have one food group a day to go along with it. 

1. Soup and Fruit (no bananas)
2. Soup, Vegetables (avoid beans, peas, and corn), and a Baked Potato for dinner
3. Soup, Fruit, and Vegetables
4. Soup, Bananas (at least 3), and Skim Milk
5. Soup, Beef (10 to 20 oz), and Tomatoes (up to 6).
6. Soup, Beef, and Vegetables
7. Soup, Brown rice, and Vegetables

Ok, it's a bit weird, right? Silly comes to mind. I'm not going to follow this plan exactly because I think it is a bit crazy. But I am going to eat as much soup as I want and try to eat mostly fruit and veggies. Basically NO SUGAR!

Different websites list different ingredients for the soup. For some reason they all call for a lot of salt, which just seems ridiculous to me.

What's in my soup?

• Cabbage
• Beets
• Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Green Peppers
• Celery
• Chilli Peppers
• Garlic

It's actually less of a soup and more of a stew since I used to many vegetables. I actually have to add water when I am heating it up. I used my food processor for most of the food (but I had to stop eventually because I didn't want to annoy my roommate).

You are also allowed to drink black coffee, tea, unsweetened juice, cranberry juice, skim milk, and water. I had two coffees today with skim milk. I was pretty proud of myself for not having any sugar or sweetener.

One Month Away

So, I leave for my trip to Mexico in exactly one month.

In one month I will get to watch my best friend say I do, while standing next to her. It will be a day that will live on forever in pictures. I want to be the best that I can be. That is why, I am going to kick my ass into gear and do everything I can to look as awesome as I can.

I'm already making good choices. I'm sitting at my local starbucks drinking an iced coffee with no sugar or sweetner in it. It was planning on adding sweetner, but I've decided to try to train myself to like it without. It's not so bad. I'm actually kind of enjoying it.

I've got 30 days to make this happen. It's doable. I don't have unrealistic expectations. I know I'm not going to transform my body dramatically. But a month is enough to make some progress. I've already accomplished a lot over the past few months. My clothes are so much looser, and I am I finally ready to buy clothes in a smaller size.

Tomorrow is going to be a bit of a challenge. It's the shower. There's going to be so many delicious treats. But I am bringing a vegetable platter, so there will also be healthy options. I'm thinking that I should be able to make it to my tabata class before the shower, which will make me feel a lot better about the day.

Once I get back to living at my place, I will be able to get into a better routine. I will do a good grocery shop and get even more back on track. I've actually been eating remarkably well while housesitting. I have had the odd binge on food I probably shouldn't be eating. But nothing like other housesitting stays where it basically turns into an entire binge week. Nope, this time I brought my magic bullet with me, so I am getting my morning smoothies in. I also have been making my salads and bringing them to work.

I'm still on track to win my latest diet bet. I'm pretty excited about my shopping spree when I have finished all of my bets. I have $150 right now that I am going to use towards new clothes. Plus I still have two more bets to finish. I might do more. We'll see how it goes. I really like the program. It's pretty fun.

Housesitting Nightmare

Question: When is the best time to get your roof done?
Answer: When you go out of town and hire somebody else to come live in your house to watch your dog.

And that's exactly what happened to me. They didn't even tell me they were getting the roof done. They just wrote it down on a piece of paper which I read after they had already left.

There is sawdust everywhere. I mean everywhere. It's on absolutely every surface in the house. Not to mention the noise level.

I feel bad for the poor blind dog who is missing her family and has to deal with these crazy sounds  and smells in her sanctuary.

I have things I that I need to do today. I have to do my finance work for school. I need to create a video for my friend's shower that is TOMORROW. I need to apply for jobs. And the list goes on. There are so many things that I have to do today. But I am not able to concentrate on any of them.

I'm planning on hitting up a coffee shop soon, but right now the roofers are actually inside the house, so it's not like I can leave.

FMM: A Little About Me

1. Have you ever experienced love at first sight? 
I don't think so. Crush at first sight, yes. Although one of those crushes turned into a love.
2. What channel is your TV on most?
I don't usually watch regular TV. I watch everything from the internet.
3. Share one quality that you’re proud to have.
I am really good at remembering personal details.
4. Describe your idea of a great evening.
Games night! Those are the best nights.
5. If your friends were asked to describe you in three words, which words would they choose?
Random, kooky, and intuitive.
6. What is your favourite holiday?
I do love Christmas. The only good thing about the winter.
7. If you could change one thing that would make your life easier instantly, what would it be?
I would have no cravings for junky food.
8. What is one healthy food that you crave? 
I used to hate pineapple, but now i crave it constantly.
9. Do you wear socks when you sleep?
I tried sleeping with socks and moisturizer on for awhile, but the socks always get kicked off while I'm sleeping.
10. Share at least three things for which you are thankful. 
I'm happy to be so close to graduation, being able to work for my parents while I am looking for a job, and that the weather has been hot enough to swim in.

Don’t forget to come back and link up with alltheweigh.com in the comments. Happy Monday!

It's a Miracle!

Wholly guacamole, I passed economics!

I really wasn't expecting that. I'm so excited that I don't have to spend the next five Saturdays at school. I am pretty much finished with school, except for the one online course that I am taking right now. Wohoo!

The final grads aren't up yet, but the program head emailed me letting me know that I was in the clear and that I could drop the Saturday class if I wanted to.

I feel like my life has just become infinitely better. It's a beautiful day. I still get weekends. I am working (for my parents). Now I just need to look for a job and everything will be peachy.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going for a run.

Leaving Funky Town

I have been in kind of a funk lately.

I wish I didn't let the little things bother me so much. I need to work on that. After being let down easy by a guy I finally thought I had clicked with, that through me into a bit of a depression. It wasn't his fault. He did the right thing. Besides, I was already headed towards an unhappy place because of my school woes.

My school still hasn't told me if I passed my economics class or not. My whole plan had been to drop out of the next session as soon as I got my grades back. However, they never came. So on Saturday, I had to start economics again. Which means even if I did pass the course, my money is gone. Oh well. Maybe I will actually learn something this time? My four-hour class on Saturday was actually quite useful. My teacher is much better at conveying the material in an easy to understand way. I was surprised at how many familiar faces were in the class. A few had dropped it early on. Others wanted to improve their grades. I just want to graduate.

I ended up going to Kamloops for a few days. My original plan was to get back to my healthy routines up there. I figured that with just over a month before the wedding, my friend would be on board... not so much. We definitely over indulged ourselves during my stay. So many treats and goodies. It was fun. Worth it.

However, my body didn't necessarily agree with me. I made it back home safely, but not long after I got home I started getting really intense stomach pains. It felt like someone was wringing my stomach like an old cloth while an accomplice stabbed me in the gut. The pain was constant, but it would intensify for a few seconds every few minutes. I could barely sleep that night, but felt a little bit better in the morning. I would still get random intense pangs, but the in between was more bearable. In the afternoon my stomach pains were replaced by a headache and a fever. Today has been a lot better. The stomach pains are back, but they have been pretty dull.

I think I had food poisoning. It could have been the leftover pizza I had or the green eggs and ham. I've never had food poisoning before so I'm not 100% sure. I also didn't have any of the gross symptoms associated with it. But everyone I've talked to has suggested that, including a nurse and a paramedic.

I've started housesitting. Normally I don't eat very well when I am housesitting, but I think I will be okay this time. I brought my magic bullet with me and stocked up on lots of veggies. Although, the house is stocked with chocolate. I can't believe it. Almost every cupboard and drawer has some kind of chocolate stashed in it.