The last 10 days of the cleanse proved to be a bit more challenging for me. Not for any other reason than I was tired of eating only vegetables. I felt so amazing. I actually didn't have the desire to cheat, I just wanted to add in some chicken. All I wanted was chicken! I had chicken on my brain!
I was able to expand my menu a bit and added in 3 cups of either brown rice, quinoa or sweet potatoes. I really became a veggie/rice eating fool. I was loving how I was feeling, I was loving how I looked. It was honestly the best and hardest thing I have done in a while. I didn't miss the alcohol or caffeine, I missed the meat. Who knew!
After the 20 days of the cleanse, I slowly introduced things back into the diet. I did not rush back out and drink coffee and honestly 3 months later I still drink decaf. For me one of the things I learned from my cleanse is my relationship with food. I am a foodie (in that I like to eat- not that I like to cook).
3 months later I am still happy with my results. I have been able to keep the 10 pounds off, I am more aware of how food affects me and what the consequences will be if I eat something I should not. This has actually been a great chance to save money. We no longer go out to eat and if we do, I typically go out to a place with a salad bar. I do eat meat, cause I like it, but I am not eating red meat as often and I eat a little less. I almost always have a veggie at lunch and dinner.
Now that we are at the holidays I can tell that come January I will need to revisit a short cleanse in order to get back on track. I am so pleased the with results. Even though I thought I might eat a small child during the process, turns out I did not! All three kids are still alive and happy as can be!