Day 15, The Thanksgiving Anomaly

Is it me or do the words Thanksgiving and "diet" NOT go together?

My extended family is appalled that I "intend" to stick to my cleanse today, but what else can I do? Just have a little stuffing, they say.  But if I do, it will be all over.  I didn't come this far to give up now, and I don't want to have to do this all over again for a very long time--not to mention a time of my choosing.


Who would choose to cleanse at Thanksgiving, some ask; but I didn't choose it, I say, it chose me.

So... there must be some other dieters out there today; some other unlucky cleansers; those who can't ever eat gluten or dairy or imbibe in caffeine or alcohol. How are you faring?

Sure, it's only 8:00 am, so who knows how we'll all do; but from this vantage point, it seems possible to keep my eye on the long-term goal while forgoing fleeting culinary pleasures.

Now that I've typed it, however, I'm not so sure I agree--particularly when the even the clip art of pumpkin pie is calling my name.

I do have my doctor's permission to let loose a bit today.  I'm just not so sure I can face tomorrow if I do.


How about you?

ps. I just had to share this cookbook because it sounds so terrible. What's the point of holidays without fat?

Day 12, Pizza Day!

At this very moment I am enjoying (yes, enjoying) a slice of Amy's Spinach pizza--gluten and dairy free of course.  Unlike last week's frozen meal of Macaroni and Cheese, this one is actually yummy.

 Of course, I use the term "yummy" loosely because I haven't had wheat or cheese in 12 days mind you, and typically I enjoy my husband's homemade pizza; but the crust on this gluten-free frozen one is very "interesting", and crumbly; and I like it.

The cheese is even more fascinating--a mixture of soy mozzarella and ricotta which simply doesn't change it's form even after 12 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees.

The directions require an additional 30 seconds under the broiler to "melt" the cheese--which should have tipped me off.  I left mine in for three times that long, and still, no melting; although some of the pieces wiggled like worms under the high heat.

I put an individual piece under the broiler for an extra few minutes in an attempt to get mine to look like the photo on the box, but I had to resort to eating what appeared to be a piece of frozen pizza. The taste made up for the appearance however. I forgot how much I missed something crumbly in my mouth.

By the way, the headaches have subsided as has the great fatigue, although a sinus infection has taken its place along with some digestive issues--no doubt more "retracing" of my past.

ps. One of the readers has asked about a book for liver cleansing so here's what comes up when I type that into my Amazon affiliate link.  Good luck and let us know how it goes!!

pps. It just occurred to me that I am more than half-way through my 21-day cleanse as of yesterday!

Day 6, Comfort(ing) Food

Here are some tips for those of you who are accustomed to your Mac & Cheese being glutenous and dairy-full.

#1 You might not want to take a big whiff of the Gluten/Dairy-free Mac & Cheese before you eat it.

#2 Serve it on your favorite plate.

#3 Add lots of pepper for edge and aroma.

#4 Give it a second and third and maybe fourth chance before you toss it. Remember, it did cost $4 and took a 1/2 hour to prepare (not to mention stirring after 20 minutes.)

#5 Although homemade Mac & Cheese really requires no side dish, this entree most certainly does.  I suggest a salad of spicy greens that you can mix into the "noodles" to offset some of the non-dairy after taste.

Though I'm not eager to repeat this gluten & dairy free culinary pleasure anytime soon, I did appreciate the look and feel of Mac & Cheese, even if the taste failed to meet my expectations.

It reminds of a time when I was traveling abroad alone.  I headed into a movie theater to watch an American film, forgetting that it wouldn't be in English.

Like the gluten and dairy free Mac & Cheese, the subtitles didn't quite hit the spot, but comfort is always worth the try.



Note: if you can have wheat on your cleanse, this Macaroni with Soy cheese fares much better as a comforter.

Day 2, The Fog

Stringberg, visipix.com

 I had all intentions of accompanying my son to All School Sing this morning, but my head was in such a fog. (TMI alert~I was also afraid to be too far from my toilet.)

I opted out on taking the next dose of the detox regimen with my morning pudding since my doctor said to back off if I didn't feel well.  I'd take one with my stir fry at lunch.

By mid-day however, all I wanted to do was sleep so I skipped that dose too. I dragged myself upstairs to collapse on the bed, adding an eye mask to block out the bright sun.  Afterward I planned to take a vigorous walk like I had the day before with Jess in order to do the requisite sweating.

But I felt just as tired after my nap as I had before it.  All I could manage was a convalescent stroll down to the pond where I squatted against a rock, and wished the ground wasn't damp so that I could lie down and go to sleep.

By the time I got back up my driveway, every horizontal surface appeared as a place for reclining and I had flash backs of my semester at college with mono.

 This must be the "retracing" that I read about online.  In some yet mysterious way, detoxing apparently releases old illness patterns.  I worried what would come next.  I certainly abused my liver in my hey day, growing up on an island town where drinking was a competitive sport.

By night fall, I had a miserable headache so I skipped the last dose of my protocol too, wondering if it was the pills or the dietary restriction that were causing this suffering.  I also began to question whether or not I would be able to continue with the cleanse--which given the investment at the doctor's office, and the pharmacy, and the return trip to the grocery store, would be a very costly failure that I couldn't afford.

Note: here's the detox supplement that my doctor prescribed for me: