Arbonne 28 Day Healthy Eating Challenge - Vegan Style
I have decided to take part in a cleanse. Yup, that sounds scary! I am inviting all of you to follow me along on this journey. Why on Earth could a vegan possibly need a cleanse? We are all super healthy right? Yes, that is true, but we do get older, busier, and less inclined to exercise. I am on the verge of menopause, and that doesn't help.. I remember my sister telling me she gained about 5 pounds due to menopause, and I thought that wasn't bad... Until it happened to me...
I decided to take part in the Arbonne 28 Day Detox Healthy Eating Challenge.
Arbonne is a multi-level marketing company, which began as a beauty/cosmetics company and now also offers a nutrition line. I was attracted to Arbonne initially because their products are vegan. Once my sister Linda became involved, she convinced me to try the 28 Day Detox Healthy Eating Challenge (or some such name). No big deal, right? Well, this long, long time vegan (29 years) is giving up a bunch of her favorite vegan staples for 28 days. The list is such:
- Gluten (bread & pasta...ouch)
- Soy (pretty much everything)
- Dairy (definitely not a problem here)
- Coffee (ugghh)
- Corn (exists in EVERYTHING)
- Vinegar :(
Alas, I am excited about this challenge! I have taken it on with my husband by my side. He will be my silent partner in the project. For example he was nice enough to take my "Before" pictures. EEGADS!
Well, this is me. 48 years old and 3 kids. I feel pretty good, just getting a little soft. I need a spark of motivation and that is what I hope this challenge will do for me.
DAY 1
Wake up early to go to the gym. Matt and I drink our first shot of Digestion Plus. We pour the packet into a couple of ounces of cold water, cheers, and down the hatch. It is not actually that bad, but definitely a little Earthy. Off to the gym, I go. I weigh in at 121 lbs, which is about 10 lbs heavier than before I had kids. I am also clearly a bit doughier. After an hour on the treadmill and stationary bicycle, I head home to shower and make my morning shake. I use 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder, water, unsweetened almond milk, and some pureed strawberries. Yum!
Meal plan for the rest today:
- Midmorning snack - Apple with Peanut Butter
- Lunch - Salad with Vinegar Free Dressing
- Matt's Salad Recipe- Lettuce, Onions, Daiya Cheese, Pepperocinis, Toasted Pepitas
- Dressing - Blend together in food processor, add a little water if necessary
- 2 T Tahini
- 1/2 Lemon - Juiced
- 1/2 Orange - Juiced
- 1 clove Garlic - Minced
- Salt & Pepper - to taste
- Afternoon snack - Mixed Nuts
- Dinner- Chickpea Masala over Brown Rice
DAY 11
Almost half way through our healthy eating challenge. This past eleven days has been busy and hot! Hubby and I have maintained our focus on our eating. We even took our challenge on the road over the weekend.
Over the first week, I felt pretty good. I did not suffer coffee withdrawals as I presumed I would. That might be due to the Energy Fizz drinks we are allowed during the cleanse. We have been consuming two per day and that seems to take the edge off. I admit, I have felt a little bloated now and then. This is potentially due to the fiber powder we add to our morning protein shake. I have never taken nor required additional fiber in my diet, and I think my body is telling me that. However, I will continue with it. Don't want to screw up and have to start over... D'oh!
This is our typical morning shake.
Admittedly, I didn't exercise as much as I had planned to this first week and a half. I hope to step it up next week during the actual cleanse portion of the challenge. As a long time vegan, the eating has been a pretty easy change for me. I thought it would be a lot harder to give up soy and gluten. It is challenging for sure, but I don't feel myself craving it. I also don't notice any miraculous difference either. I have heard some people give up gluten and all their problems go away (cue dramatic music).
Frankly, I feel fine..good even, but not a whole lot different as of yet.
Over the past few days, we have enjoyed some really lovely food.
This is my own creation. Gluten Free pasta with Zucchini and Mushroom sauce:
- Gluten Free Pasta - 2 boxes, cooked to al dente
- Coconut Oil - 1-2 Tablespoons
- Onion - 1/2 yellow, chopped
- Garlic- 1 clove, minced
- Zucchini - 2, sliced
- Mushrooms - 1 cup, sliced
- Beyond Meat Crumbles
- Canned Tomatoes, 2 cans
- Coconut Aminos - dash
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Parma! cheesy topping
Saute the onions and garlic until soft. Add zucchini and mushroom and a splash of coconut aminos. Pour in 1 bag of beefy crumbles. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add canned tomatoes and season to taste. Toss in cooked noodles and mix together. Add Parma! topping and chopped parsley (if you so desire). Bon Appetit!
Lunch Salad with Daiya Cheese and Vinegar Free Tahini Dressing
GRAND FINALE
The cleanse is over. All in all, I lost 6 pounds. I am pretty excited about that because, as it turns out, they do not recommend exercise with all those toxins floating around in your bod.
Week 3 is the actual "cleanse". This consists of a liquid packet (I do not know the ingredients) which gets poured into 20 oz of water that you drink throughout the day. It tastes okay and was not as cleansey as I thought it was going to be. That said, the bathroom was definitely my friend during the week. The food remains the same during week 3. We continued on with all the restrictions looking for ways to enjoy ourselves.
We discovered the Almond Matcha Latte at Allegro Coffee Roasters. Yum!
I admit, Matt and I strayed from the strict rules of the cleanse occasionally. We enjoy peanut butter immensely and found no need to avoid it. We also ate tacos at least 3 times a week. The tacos, themselves, were actually cleanse appropriate, but 3 times a week was probably excessive..
So, here I am now.. A few pounds lighter and determined to keep up with the healthy eating. We are back to eating all the foods we love, but now including some new ones that we discovered along the way.
The hardest part was giving up coffee, so we decided to break the cleanse with a cup of the good stuff. Straight espresso. This is not my usual drink of choice, but it was wonderful!
Delicious espresso shot from Allegro Coffee Roasters
AFTER
