Like many women I was looking to lose a few pounds but
mostly I was looking to get healthy. The timing was perfect; our office started
a biggest loser contest for 12 weeks. I had been eating pretty unhealthy and stopped
doing regular workouts, so I figured this could be the push that I needed to get
motivated.
To begin I asked a small group of my work friends to join me
in a detox. I had recently read GOOP
CLEAN BEAUTY by the Editors of Goop (you might know this as Gwyneth Paltrow
company). The book suggested doing a detox to clean your body. The main goal was
to see if you had any “trigger” foods or foods that were actually making feel
less than 100%. This detox came with a very strict list of foods to avoid for
10 days but I was up for the challenge. I even started a Facebook group called
Mission Slim Possible, to encourage and support those who wanted to join me.
The first few days of the detox were the hardest but then it became pretty easy to stick to the “rules”. The
hardest part was when we went out to a restaurant. We don’t have a lot of
clean eating options in my hometown, so I had a lot of special request when
ordering. Yes, I was one of those people!
Some amazing things happened not only to me but also to my co-workers.
The one lady I work with had been suffered headaches/migraines almost daily. It
was to the point that I suggested she seek medical help, due to the frequency
and intensity of these headaches. The detox cured her of these chronic
headaches. She learned that her trigger food was peppers (of all things). She
rarely experiences headaches now and she lost 10 pounds in 10 days, with no
workouts!
Throughout the 10 day detox, I lost about 7.5 pounds. My
stomach became less bloated. I also learned that I have a mild sensitivity to gluten
and dairy. When I eliminate these foods (or keep them to a minimal) my body and stomach are much happier! It also gave me more
energy and was eager to work out again. The regret/mistake was that I didn’t slowly introduce things back
into my diet; as the book suggested. So it was a trial and error after the 10 days to
really figure out what was causing my stomach issues.
Today I am back to eating more normal; with limited dairy
and gluten. I try my best to stick to the 80/20 rule; 80% clean and healthy
with 20% of freedom to eat guilt free. With that said, I do enjoy pizza from
time to time.
If you like to read about non-toxic alternatives in healthy
and beauty product; I would recommend this book. It had some great information,
even if a detox is not your thing (but I would encourage you to give it a go).
As for the biggest loser, we have 2 days left until final
weigh-ins. So far I have lost 12.5 pounds. My goal was to lose 15 pounds throughout
the whole contest but I am not upset with my results. My clothes fit better
(even loose) and I feel better. It seems like a win to me!
