3 Day Fruit Flush: Day 1

I have to start by saying how excited I am that I actually survived the day and didn't cheat......not even once although I'll admit, I was tempted repeatedly. There were several gifts of the edible kind delivered intermittently throughout the day from grateful customers and businesses - talk about upping the ante in a challenge! Seriously though, who does a detox during the holidays? I must be crazy. Nevertheless, it was a true test of my willpower and dedication (wow, can we say drama queen??). I guess that's to be expected after such a trying day.

So here's what my day looked like:

9:30 - Protein Shake #1 Not bad but I think this gives "shakes" everywhere a bad rep.

11:30 - Protein Shake #2 So far, so good..........when can I drink coffee again?

1:30 - Protein Shake #3 It might be all downhill from here - I'm predicting a snowball effect.

3:30 - Protein Shake #4 Am I supposed to chug this, or sip it? Chug it.

5:30 - Protein Shake #5 Last one, Laura, you can do it!

And now........

It's 8:01 p.m. and I've just finished what might be considered the most amazing salad I've ever had in my life. After drinking five 6 ounce glasses of chocolate protein shake nastiness today, I was over the moon at the thought of some solid food. For my strong showing in the liquid diet category today, I was rewarded with a heaping plate of lettuce, cucumbers and green pepper topped with fresh squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 of an avocado, and 6 ounces of chicken. Does it get any better? I think not. It's actually mildly depressing to look at the empty plate right now.

There were several things that surprised me today and I might have even had a minor epiphany (yes!!): First of all, I wasn't super hungry like I thought I would be. The protein shakes kept me fairly satisfied for the most part. It seemed like every time I started getting hungry it was time for the next one..........and the water fillers helped, too. I also didn't realize how much I depend on coffee to get me through the day. By about 5 o'clock, I was nearly throwing a tantrum on the clinic floor because I was missing it so badly. I almost felt like I should be wearing all black because it felt a little like I was in mourning over the loss of a dear friend. Finally, I didn't realize how much I mindlessly snack. I constantly found myself wanting to grab something, anything, to munch on even when I wasn't hungry......not to mention all the times I started making a beeline for the coffee pot or the mini-fridge for a Dr. Pepper (Diet, of course!). Hopefully this little experiment will quell those nasty habits.

One day down, two to go. Bring on the fruit!