Cleanse Update #3

Status:  Still Hungry  :)

Day 1 is in the books.  Good news:  I survived the broccoli!  I actually almost liked it.  Many thanks to a sweet friend who suggested roasted over steaming.  I don't know how the nutritional value stacks up between roasted and steamed, but I'm assuming that roasted broccoli is better than no broccoli at all.

The evening meal as a whole was kind of - meh - even according to my broccoli-loving better half.  The real downer was the tahini sauce that was supposed to be drizzled over the broccoli and squash.  Please believe me when I tell you that it was so bad.  I just kept tweaking and adding a bit more of this and a dash of that {I stuck with the recipe ingredients} and it just kept getting worse.  I served it on the side and once everything came together it was tolerable.  I think we have to eat it one more time, so I saved just enough, but it's pretty safe to say that it won't be making its way into our regular rotation.  In fact, it's pretty safe to say that I will never make that particular sauce again.

Even though it has only been about 36 hours and even though Trevor hasn't been feeling well since Sunday, I think we will begin to feel a difference soon {besides the constant hunger pangs, that is}.  I think I'm already realizing somethings about my eating habits that have contributed to my current predicament {being over my optimal weight, low on energy, etc.}  Here they are in no particular order:

#1:  I rarely allow myself to feel real hunger and if I do, I almost always eat way to fast and eat way more than I need to in order to satisfy my appetite.

#2:  We eat in front of the TV too much.  Something that I hope will last after these 3 weeks is that we will make an effort to eat more at the table.  When it's just the two of us, it is all too easy to eat in front of the TV.  We need to switch off the tube (or phones or computers or...) and take time to think about the food we are eating.

#3:  I do not like to quit eating until I feel full.  We are trying to be careful to match the serving sizes that are part of the plan and I am usually still hungry when the serving is gone.  I am learning though, that after about 20 minutes, I do feel satisfied.  I hope to take that lesson with me after the cleanse.  Maybe mastering #2 {above, not anything having to do with the restroom} will help with that.

Moving forward - today's food seems much more appealing than yesterday.  We had a berry and pomegranate smoothie for breakfast, Kale Slaw with Cabbage and Carrots for lunch, and I'm making a Roasted Garlic and Beet Soup for dinner.  For those of you who are scared of beets, I encourage you to try them.  Especially roasted, they are wonderful.  We are very excited to try this soup.  It looks fantastic.

We have been pretty tired {maybe due in part to sickness, maybe due to cleanse} so if we make it past 8:00 tonight, I might make Cinnamon Poached Apples with Toasted Walnuts for an after dinner snack. Thinking about the evening fare helps me keep motivated to continue.

This is getting lengthy and I might take advantage of my day off to take a nap.  I'll be back tomorrow with an update on Day 2.