The Night Before!

Tomorrow is Day 1 of my long anticipated 19 Day Detox.  I have taken my measurements and my 'before' photos and weighed myself (something which has reminded me as to why it is I am doing this!) and I have enjoyed my last weekend with friends up in Liverpool before locking myself away and becoming a social recluse for 3 weeks.  By coincidence, I am back up in Liverpool in 3 weeks time and so will be able to celebrate my sobriety and dedication to the cause whilst hopefully looking and feeling a lot healthier than I do at this present moment in time.

A lot of people fail to understand why I am doing this 19 detox and have brushed it off as silly, stupid and pointless but, having followed Mark Raynsford both on his blog and on Twitter for the past 2 years, I am confident in my choice at participating and don't feel that it will be a waste of my money.

I have eagerly devoured the reading Mark has sent in preparation of the 19 days and I am aware that it is not going to be a walk in the park.  As well as twice daily workouts, the programme cuts out sugar, wheat, pasta, glucose, dairy and processed foods.  It also involves periods of fasting, which some people have raised eyebrow at but, having read some of the science behind it and, because I am following it within a programme devised by a professional, I feel that that there is justification and sense behind it.

A bag of cooked quinoa ready to serve with my food on 'feeds' when I am allowed some carbohydrates.

The reason this 19 Day Body has appealed to me is not just because I want to lose some weight.  It is true that I am currently weighing 10lbs heavier than when I moved to London 5 months ago and I would like to get this off quickly so that I can pick up where I left off with my health and fitness regime before the upheaval of the last few months.  I am settled into my new job and lifestyle now and have found a routine which will allow me to maintain my weight once I have lost those extra pounds. 

There is another reason that I have been attracted to the 19 Day Body Programme though and that is to change my attitiude and views towards eating.  I am capable of eating healthy and I am quite educated when it comes to food and nutrition as I was bought up by a health obsessive who controls their diet strictly (my Mother) but I have always used food as a psychological dependency.  I do not smoke or take drugs but I am addicted to food.  I spend way too much time thinking about eating and use it to control my moods and feelings.  I eat when I am not hungry and I eat whatever is infront of me.  It is this which I am hoping to address by participating in this detox.  I am hoping to reprogramme my mind to have a more sensible approach to what and when I eat.  I am hoping that by doing this I can maybe drop a few extra pounds once the programme has finished. 

Trout and Salmon with garlic and chilli ready for the next couple of days.

I am not going to lie, I am quite nervous about what lies ahead.  The exercise is not a problem, I workout regularly in the same way that the workouts are focused in this programme (interval training and circuits, kettlebells, hand weights, squats, lunges etc. are all already incorporated into my workout routines).  I am nervous about trying to find the time to fit in the two daily workouts, especially as I have to be in work by 8.00 am and I have an INSET and Parents Evening this week which both go on until 7.30 so it is going to be a long week in that sense.  I am nervous about my willpower, I really don't want to fail this and I put a lot of pressure on myself with things like this which can often have a negative psychological effect on me.



Nuts to snack on


 

I am also a little nervous about being able to resist the alcohol.  I am not someone who needs a drink but I do enjoy it and, although I don't always drink on every social occasion (and I have cleared my diary of those for the next 19 days anyway), I think 19 days is probably the longest I will have gone without a drink since I was 15 (I don't know what that says about me)!!!

I cannot promise I will have the time to update everyday but I hope that you will follow me on this journey, I am interested to see where it will lead but I am confident I have some exciting (and probably horrific) times ahead!