SteveOH

Feelings and Thoughts

I slept a little better last night.  I did have a half a glass of red wine to relax after successfully meeting a late night deadline (the reason I didn’t go to the gym as well), to that may have helped.  I did, however, wake up with that same stupid headache that I’ve had for 3 days, and I’ve noticed my lower back hurts a little.  Like sore.  I’m not sure if it’s that I’m sleeping poorly, or the detox, but it’s there.  My throat is also still sore, as if my lymph-nodes are fighting some nasty stuff in there.  I wouldn’t doubt it.  I’ve started taking echinacea and vitamin C (my usual arsenal against the cold and flue) just in case.  I’d rather deviate a little from the detox and continue doing it, than get sick and have to stop.  That would mean a lot of wasted time.

I updated yesterday’s post showing that I didn’t make it into the gym.  If its the detox, a bug, or whatever, I feel less than confident that I can make it into the gym and not kick the crap out of my immune system.  So, until my throat feels better, I’m going to rest (i.e. no gym).  Some sources say you should do the detox on a vacation or at home.  I can definitely see why, but I’m strong enough to keep at it.  Some people may feel too crappy to be able to function.  And while I’m groggy and achy and headachy, I’ll just keep pushing on.

I did have to give in and take some tylenol today for the headache (and eat some fruit).  I know, I know, against the detox, but I was getting desperate with the feeling like crap constantly.  I also considered stopping the detox so that I wouldn’t get sick, but it seems like I’m already sick (either from a bug, the detox, or both) so if I get any worse I’ll have to stop.  If I feel the same as today or less, then I’ll keep going.  I want to at least hit day 7 of the detox as that’s when you’re supposed to get the good effects.

Resources and Tips

• Juice Fast : General Information
• Learn all about the detox diet
• Juice Fast : Who should do it, how to do it, and what it entails
• What Do You Need to Do to Practice a Juice Detox?

The links above are general information for when you’re researching.  I’ll add them to the preparation post for those who are in that phase.

Goals

• DeTox: something is definitely happening!
• Lose body fat (a plus but not required): I lost another pound today (more water).
• Start the new year more disciplined: working on it
• Get over this constant fatigue: Feel like crap.  Yay!
• Learn good habits: Stupid good habits.  Why do they have to suck so bad! LOL
• Sleep 8.5 hours: Slept better because of wine + less stress over deadline

The weight I’ve lost (3 lbs so far) are temporary and nothing more than water and an empty colon / large intestine.  What I will say though, is my skin is definitely thinner and I look more defined.  Not instant 6 pack defined, but you can definitely see muscle definition that wasn’t there before.  This is, of course, a result of being semi-dehydrated, but, I can definitely see its short-term value for those trying to lose a few lbs (or inches – yes, my waste is smaller as well) for a big event (e.g. a wedding, date, etc).

Supplementation

Everything is fine here.  As I mentioned above, I did add the echinacea (2 pills in the morning, 2 before bed) and 1000 mg of Vitamin C (1 pill in the morning and one in the evening).  I’ve also made sure to take the right dosage of CLA as well.

Diet

Today’s menu:

1. 8 AM: Breakfast: juice
2. 9AM: Detox Tea
3. 10 AM: Mid-morning: protein shake
4. 12 PM: Lunch: juice
5. 3PM: Detox Tea
6. 4PM: Mid-afternoon: protein shake
7. 8PM: Dinner: juice

Today’s recipe is a variation of the Fresh RAW v8 Juice Recipe.  It’s surprisingly good (I expected it to taste like dirt) but the beet really made it sweet.  I’m also not a picky eater / drinker, but my wife said it tasted like dirt (she doesn’t drink anything even remotely natural tasting!).

My variation: instead of cabbage and kale I added 5 leaves of Romaine Lettuce, the 1 green bell pepper and I passed on the onion and garlic (I don’t want to stink up the office).

You cannot taste the tomatoes (and I love tomatoes) as I think the carrots and beet combination overpowers it.  It is blood red though, which is fun to drink.  I also added a cucumber for fun, which I think mellowed out the flavors.

I cheated a little today and had a kiwi (the entire fruit) at around 3:00 PM after finishing my DeTox tea.  I wanted to see if my headache would go away because maybe it was caused by “low blood sugar”.  I also took 2 tylenol about 30 minutes prior because I just felt crappy and was desperate for some relief.  The tylenol took 70% of the headache away (so I might actually have a cold) and the kiwi took another 20% of it away.  I still have a headache, but not nearly as bad as it was.

Exercise

As mentioned above, I will delay going to the gym until I feel better (i.e. sore throat goes away, headache reduces a bit).

** Thanks Rob **

By Audrey Irvine
CNN

(CNN) — One of my girlfriends recently got engaged. Before we could even bask in her happiness, the conversation turned to the dreaded guest list.

Audrey Irvine was not only invited to her cousin’s wedding in 2004, she served as a bridesmaid.

Fun questions like, “So, honey, do we have to invite your great aunt, whom you haven’t seen since you were 10?”

So, who should get an invite?

Too often, women are pressured into inviting way too many people to their weddings out of a sense of obligation. Parents, prospective in-laws and grooms can turn a simple wedding into a grand affair.

And as soon as that engagement ring catches her eye, that occasional lunch acquaintance feels entitled to share in your happy nuptials.

Then you realize too late that the majority of people at your wedding don’t really know you or what has been going on in your life up until your big day. iReport.com: Share stories of your not-so-perfect wedding

This quiz is something I shared with friends years ago and feel inclined to share with other women.

Here are 10 questions couples can use to trim that guest list and weed out the people you really don’t want at your wedding.

1) Name the city I’m living in now (Good one to weed folks out, especially if you have moved a lot. Don’t use this if you’ve lived in the same place for 10 years).

2) Name at least two of my closest friends.

3) Name my current employer and my past employer (Again, if you’ve remained in the same job for 15 years, this does not apply).

4) Do I have any kids?

5) Do you know the name of my fiancé? Bonus question: Where and when did we meet?

6) Do you know where my parents are and whether they are still alive? (Imagine a friend at your wedding asking how long have your parents been married when they divorced years ago).

7) Name at least two of my hobbies.

How old am I? (My favorite is when family friends would query, ‘Are you 28 now?” Imagine their surprise when I proclaimed, ‘yeah, 10 years ago!’)

9) Where did I go to college? (Some people might not remember whether you attended college or even graduated.)

10) Name my last boyfriend before this engagement. Bonus question: if you can name the last two and why we broke up. If you get the bonus question right, that might automatically get you in.

Scoring helps determine whether you get invited.

If you score 50 percent or below, you definitely are not getting invited.

If you score barely over 50 percent, you are on the waiting list. If someone who scored better than you cannot attend, you might get an invitation. This barely acceptable person who might be invited may get you a great gift because of their guilt for scoring so low.

If you score over 60 percent, you get an invitation.

Now, you don’t have to be as extreme as I would love to be and send these questions with the save the date card. However, imagine if, over the course of your engagement, you pitch these questions to a few prospective guests just to see how they do.

In the end, what matters most is a beautiful wedding day and a sustained marriage.

Wouldn’t you like to celebrate it with loved ones who are invested in your past and present in addition to your future? Plus, it will help you avoid the embarrassing introduction of your new husband to someone who didn’t even realize until that moment that you didn’t marry your college sweetheart, whom you haven’t seen in 15 years!