Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Clean Program

The jury's still out on whether this is a "little joy," but worthy of sharing:
     As I've mentioned in previous posts, my husband and I are eternally grasping at a healthier lifestyle, in spite of out inherent love for rich foods and our couch.  We completed the 60 day Team Beachbody Insanity workout, and while I discovered improvements to my cardio stamina, the number on the scale unfortunately did not budge.  This was mainly due to my inability to stick to more rigid eating habits.  I incorporated healthier items into my diet, such as whole wheat pasta (a sacrifice for a Sicilian girl!) and more vegetables, to no avail.  I needed a serious overhaul.
     My in-laws found The Clean Program online, which is a 21-day body cleanse program.  I did some research on their website, and decided to try it out.  The cleanse diet starts with a 5 day "elimination diet" designed to rid you of unhealthy sugar and carb cravings.  The website offers a three page, categorized list of all the foods allowed during the diet.  Essentially the elimination diet cuts sugars, gluten, and bad carbs (i.e. white flour based products) from your diet.  From the foods on the list you create 3 main meals.  After the 5 days, you start the main part of the diet: 21 days of 2 liquid meals and one regular meal, as well as optional snacking to stay fueled (choosing only foods on the elimination diet list).  The Clean Program offers cleanse diet packages with 2 powders for the liquid meals, and various supplements to help cleanse the body.  We chose to purchase only the 2 powders.  My in-laws didn't purchase anything, they just made smoothies based on the elimination diet ingredients.  I figured by paying money for something, I'd be more willing to stick with the diet.
     So far I have survived the 5 day elimination diet.  The liquid diet is set to start tomorrow.  I won't lie, cutting out so many foods once considered staples of my diet (because of sugar and/or gluten levels tomatoes, strawberries, and whole grain pastas/breads/crackers are off limits, as well as all dairy and soy products), but with a little creativity and a lot of motivation, I can happily say I'm prevailing thus far.  And I'm even seeing slimmer stomach results!  I'll continue to post on my progress with the rest of the cleanse.
     If you're interested in the diet, here's the website:
www.cleanprogram.com