Day 19-21 Standard Process Purification

Is it really over already? Is it FINALLY over?

Those are my two thoughts. I can't believe day 21 is here and I can't believe day 21 is finally here.

My final words on the SPPP.

Struggles: fatigue, tired of food selection, difficulty with special occasions
Success: 'feel' better, sense of accomplishment, big learning opportunity

During my prep, I listed three things I hoped to accomplish while on the SPPP: energy, overall better health and weight loss. I can say I did accomplish a bit in every category. While I experienced fatigue, I can now realize it was different from my lack of energy before the SPPP. While I took naps, especially during the last few days, I no longer lay around or move as slow as a snail because my body is working better. I also had a physical and discovered I have low blood pressure. That can be a huge contributor to my fatigue. I will be slowing adding things back into my diet and see if this has an effect on my BP.

Secondly, better health has been accomplished. I feel lighter and it isn't because of a huge amount of weight loss. My stomach doesn't feel heavy and doesn't struggle to digest. I just feel better!

Lastly, I hoped to loose some weight. Some is the key here. I have not lost any past the original 7 lbs. I am ok with that because I haven't been able to exercise and that will help me loose more.

Where to go from here? Not back the way I came :-)

Day 17 & 18 Standard Process Purification

Day 17 and 18 have been tiring again. I bought some protein bars and added handfuls of almonds as well as the chicken but it hasn't made a difference. What happened to the good feeling? I see the doctor next week and I can't wait to ask him how to proceed. I have heard of other people who visited their doctors every week and I could definitely see why that could be helpful.

I used this recipe for some great butternut squash.

Roasted Butternut Squash

3 c. cubed butternut squash
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. smoked paprika
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/4 t. pepper

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Toss all ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Spray a cookie sheet and spread squash in single layer.
• Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Turn squash and bake for another 20-30 minutes, until desired crispiness.

Day 15-16 Standard Process Purification

Life is busy! Job, kids, husband, eating, exercise. My mind is full.

I keep forgetting to take my green food pills! Last night I started to go to bed and remembered so I took 5.

Food:
Like mushrooms? Like artichokes? I have a delish recipe for you! I ate this for dinner on day 15 and lunch on day 16. I think it was even better the second time around!

Mushroom and Artichoke Soup Allrecipes.com
I did not have to make any changes for meat but I did use veggie broth since I did not have any vegetable base (I don't even know what that is!) and I used all fresh mushrooms) I also recalculated it for 12 servings versus 50. My modifications are in blue.

This picture is the bottom of my bowl. This soup has a lot more substance to it but I had already eaten most of it when I remembered to take a picture.

Ingredients

• 1 (14 ounce) can canned quartered artichoke hearts
• 3 tablespoons and 2-1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound thinly sliced shallots
• 3/4 small red onions, chopped
• 3/4 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons and 2-3/4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon and 2-3/4 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 3 cups water
• 1 can vegetable broth
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1-1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1-1/2 portabella mushrooms
• 3/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 3/4 pound carrots, sliced
• 2 tablespoons and 2-3/4 teaspoons capers
• 2 tablespoons and 2-3/4 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Place artichokes in a food processor, slice thinly and set aside. It works well when using a 3 millimeter slicing disk.
2. Using a extra-large stock pot saute onions, garlic and shallots in olive oil and set on low. Cook for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle flour over onions and cook for 1 minute. Stir in vinegar and cook for approximately 3 minutes, in order for vinegar to evaporate.
4. Stir in water, vegetable base, salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, thyme and sliced artichokes and cook for 25 minutes.
5. Add dried mushrooms along with the water they soaked in, fresh mushrooms and carrots. Let cook for 15 minutes.
6. Stir in capers and parsley, season with salt and serve.

Protein:
I have added an extra shake to my diet and I have had a couple protein bars and added a handful of almonds a couple evenings. I am feeling better. So if you are doing this purification, heads up you may feel a big downturn for protein after a couple weeks.

The End:
I can't believe I only have five days left. I haven't done this without cheating but I have really changed a lot of habits and said no MANY times to things I wanted to eat. I just started reading the book Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst amazon.com. I will talk more about my plans for the future and how this book is helping me make those plans.

Day 14 Standard Process Purification

I am in the down swing. It is really harder to hang on to the complete, pure SPPP eating. First, I am questioning how healthy this is for long term. I am so tired! I will be adding the extra protein into my diet to see.

Secondly, I am tired of raw veggies. I went out to eat lunch with my husband and ordered a salad. It had a small piece of grilled chicken, two slices of egg and a small scoop of crumbled blue cheese. I ate it up! I was so happy to have something different to eat! I am now looking at my green, green salads and thinking, ugh, not again! A couple of new recipes are needed and a few less raw veggies. I know it says half raw but I am rawed out. I purchased portabella mushrooms and have a soup recipe that looks yummy. So look out for that to come.

This is my desk and this is my arsenal.

I have three cups I refill with water and my hot raspberry tea is a nice addition to the water. Plus it is FREEZING outside. I feel cold to the core!

Day 13 Standard Process Purification

I do not believe I am eating enough protein. My father has special diet restrictions and is required to have 80 grams of protein a day. He is bigger than I am but I have only been eating one SP smoothie with two rounded scoops a day which has a mere 10 grams of protein.

I have been getting so tired. I mean, come home from work, do only the absolute necessary duties, lay on the couch and let the kids run wild type of tired. I have taken several naps and I NEVER take naps. That is not normal. I thought it was because either my cycle or because I have become a little physically active with my restricted diet but now I think it is because I need protein. Lucky for me....I love my smoothies. Here is a picture of one of my smoothies. It is a little brown from the lack of fruit and the spinach but it is oh so yummy. I can handle having another smoothie a day. I am not struggling with the 2 veggies to 1 fruit so I will see if this helps me feel better.

No special recipes for today. I added 3 oz of chicken at dinnertime. Lovin' the zucchini and red cabbage stir-fry.

Victories for the day: Family played games and ate popcorn. I snacked on some strips of red cabbage and cauliflower.

Had a friend gathering at McDonald's after church tonight and I could have eaten some greasy something but instead I ordered a delish salad. I did have ranch dressing but did not use the entire package. I peg it a victory. I no longer want to live all or nothing but to celebrate the times I choose better than worse.

Day 12 Standard Process Purification

I am beginning to think the reason there aren't many personal blogs about this purification is because people don't finish it! I read a new blog yesterday and by day 10 or 11 the person said they were going to start adding things back into their diet like beans, low-fat dairy and such. This is difficult and I am realizing it in not natural. I am weak.

Monthly, I participate in a food give-away. We load food into cars and on average give food to 400 families. Yesterday I loaded yogurt. Each family received 2-6 packs of Dannon yogurt; not hard. I couldn't finish it! After about 1 1/2 hours someone had to take over for me. He looked at me and asked if I felt well because he said I didn't look good. He asked me to please sit down
because he was concerned I would pass out. In truth, I was REALLY tired. I wanted to sit down and I had to take a nap last night.
Cars begin lining up 4 hrs before give-away!

Our bodies are made to crave food needed to survive. Because of our access to processed and fast foods, our body have become addicted to those foods but I still believe under those layers, we crave what we need to function. There are foods that do not fall within the label of 'healthy food' that I want to eat. But I also want things like almonds, oatmeal and beans.

I am going to keep up with the SPPP but I will be making sure to have 2 smoothies a day. I need the protein.

Day 11 Standard Process Purification

Wow, I thought I would do this blog so that a person who was considering the purification would have some personal insight or someone doing the blog might find some recipes to help them along. I am just failing this thing!

Today is my birthday. I had my smoothie for breakfast and had planned to eat some more of the Emerald City salad for lunch when a person came into my office and said they were taking me to lunch. If you are in the business world you will especially understand my next statement. I couldn't say no to this person. I tried but they have authority over me and help keep me employed so I went to lunch. I did eat a salad and it had chicken on it (yeah day 11!) but it also had some dressing poured all over it. (I thought it would be on the side) He then informs me that he is taking me back to his house because yesterday was his wife's birthday and they feed me chocolate cake with ice cream. I feel like a slug! These things keep happening! So if this blog does anything, maybe it will help someone make better plans than I did!

What I am still learning:

1. I have to continue to work on emotional eating. Life happens and I have to be prepared to not use food as a comfort.

2. Eating bad one day is not an excuse to eat bad all the time. Even if I have a day that I pig out, I don't have to spend the rest of the week eating that way!

3. And to piggyback on #2, eat healthy most of the time and those slip-ups won't matter as much. I have been asked often what I am going to do after this is over. Well, I hope to remain mostly vegetarian for lunch, I will be adding bread and meat back into my diet but I enjoy my smoothies of a morning and these salad have been good but just a little excessive :-) I FEEL better eating all the veggies and my hormones are so much better. This really has been great!

4. I have to find motivation to keep going. At this point I feel like I have had more days eating bad than good and I just need to quit the program, continue eating healthy but add some grains and stuff back in! I have to keep going and become that disciplined person again. I have 10 more days and I really want to make those the best!

Breakfast: the usual
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken, chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream
Dinner: Lentil soup (see day 3 for recipe), Emerald City Salad (see day 8 for recipe)

Day 10 Standard Process Purifiation

Breakfast: Shock! A smoothie!
Lunch: I ate at a restaurant owned by the chiropractor who suggested this program. I had a salad (forgot to tell them to leave off the cheese and croutons. Only a little cheese and gave away the croutons to husband and son), tomato soup, unsweet tea
Dinner: Salad, stir-fried zucchini, red cabbage and onion
Snack: Smoothie
Workout: I kinda forgot about working out during this process and I used to run 3 miles/3x weekly! Just too much snow and ice! So tonight me and my BFF went for a long walk. I had to tell her we needed to slow down after about an hour. I just couldn't do it. I made the comment I didn't know if it was because of the program or if I was really out of shape and she said it is definitely the program because she didn't feel like we had done anything! I do not know how others continue running during this because I can not!

I was at work extra late tonight and when I picked the kids up I started making them sandwiches. I was so tempted to just make one myself because I did not have energy or desire to make anything for myself. But I held strong!

I started thinking about that donut I ate.......

It was a plain yeast donut, which is normally one of my favorites. Guess what. It didn't taste that good. And while I was eating it, I thought it tasted like lard. I kept thinking, enjoy this, you haven't had one is so long but I didn't enjoy it!

As I was headed home from work today, I passed the same donut shop and in all my stress I thought I should just stop and get one. In my former life...you know, 10 days ago....I would have stopped for one. Today, I drove on by because I no longer desire to eat it. That is a big change I am happy about!

Day 9 Standard Process Purification

Warning: This post is a bit negative. If you are having a good day, you might skip it!

Day nine. Only one more day until protein. How am I feeling? Like I am losing it. In the past 24 hours I have eaten a donut...yes I am weak... and some ice cream which was 100% emotional.

When I started this blog, I knew that I would not have any followers and I was ok with that. My goal was to provide a non-doctor, daily look at the cleanse even if someone looked at it 1 year after I had done this. Right now I could really use someone to be there to say, keep going. Don't give up!

I am trying to remind myself that work today was stressful and this brain of mine will produce that little eat-inducing hormone when under stress. And, this is my normal week within my female cycle that causes me to be tired and hungry. But in truth, I am tired of vegetables. I have attempted to make different combos of salads and experiment with main dishes to keep things interesting but it comes down to the fact that I want bread and sugar stuff and chili and pancakes and...

To be honest with myself, I would have to say things started to come apart after I allowed myself to cheat for my Sunday birthday dinner. Then Valentine's came and I felt cheated and here I am four days later and ready to quit. I did not anticipate this. It is really hard to have others in the house eating everything you can't have. What am I going to do in two days, my birthday?

What is going well:
1. I still feel much better.
2. Considering my female cycle, my hormones are much more level.
3. I had lost some weight.
4. I really like my morning smoothies.
5. I really like the recipes I have found and can see keeping these after the 21 days.

Breakfast: Smoothie
Lunch: Emerald Salad (see yesterday for recipe), 1/2 cup brown rice, cut pineapple
Dinner: 1/2 cup rice pasta (I know, only supposed to have 1/2c rice a day), green beans
Snack: Small Smoothie, sweet potato chips (recipe in earlier post), Ice cream :-(

Now I am going to bed. 'Night all!

Day 8 Standard Process Purification

Day 8

I had a pretty boring food day. Started taking the Green Food supplement and decided not to finish out the Cleanse pills.

Breakfast- The usual.
Lunch- Salad- no salad dressing
Snack- Apple
Dinner- Sweet Potato, 1/2 cup brown rice, cucumber, cauliflower
Snack- fresh pineapple, Emerald City Salad- without rice

In the words of Rachel Ray- yumm-o! I wasn't sure how I would feel about this salad but I love it and can't wait to have it tomorrow (obviously since I had it for a snack) with some rice.

Emerald City Salad From: Dr. Cindy Blog

2 1/4 cups of water or stock

1tbsp butter (I used coconut oil to fit JB’s diet)

1tsp sea salt (I salted to taste)

1 cup wild rice

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1 minced garlic clove

1/2 cup chopped fennel bulb

1/2 diced red or yellow bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped red cabbage

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

2 cups finely chopped dark greens (I used Swiss chard)

Cook rice according to directions. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and salt in a large serving bowl. Add fennel, red pepper, cabbage, parsley and then the greens. Once rice is fully cooked, cool until it quits steaming but is still warm, and then spread like a blanket on top of the greens. When the rice cools to room temperature, toss rice, vegetables and dressing together. Taste the salad and adjust seasonings, some extra salt and/or lemon may be required.

What I am feeling:
In yesterday's post I talked about the dilemma with dinner. Well, I have such a caring husband who asked what I really wanted to do and I said I wasn't comfortable with going so he and his mother went for lunch. How sweet is that!

Now, for the unsweet part, they went to the store tonight and brought home two flavors of ice cream and a dozen fresh baked yeast donuts....ummm. They did, however, bring me a fresh pineapple! But the donuts come from a locally owned shop and I LOVE them. And to put salt on the wound, there is a meeting at work tomorrow and my job is to stop and pick up donuts!!! Oh, well. I will just have to be extra strong and remember my goals. I am feeling healthier, losing a little weight and looking forward to the days ahead.

Day 7 Standard Purification Process

Day 7

Today should be the last day for the Cleanse pills. Much to do about NOTHING! I was so worried as I started this cleanse that I would have such a hard time with 21 pills a day. NOT!!! Of course, I forgot to take them yesterday but that had nothing to do with any ill effects on me. :-) I do have a day and a half left because of forgetting. I am going to go ahead and take those pills due to my going off the planned diet.

I probably did not start this cleanse at a helpful time for me. Today is Valentine's Day. Friday is my birthday. Have you ever realized how focused we American's are on food? What are you doing for Valentine's Day? Well, we are going to dinner and then maybe a movie (popcorn!)..... What are you doing for your birthday? A big group of friends are getting together. We are going to eat and play games.... I am trying to think of a major holiday that isn't food related with family meals, picnics, candy and the list goes on. And we wonder why we are an obese nation. I have failed tonight. I have eaten two pieces of mini Hershey candy bars. Ahhhhh!!!!!!!

When I decided to do the cleanse, I knew these two events were going to hit in the middle, especially my birthday. I was ok with that. I have to learn to live healthy in all situations and learn that a holiday isn't an excuse to eat food horrible for my body. What I didn't count on were the awkward feelings I have with my family and food.

When my grandmother called me about yesterday's dinner, I didn't tell her I was doing the cleanse. While at her house yesterday, I did tell her and she thought that was just great! I could have told her I would have only veggies and fresh fruit and she would have been fine with it! Bad me!

Now, my husband has informed me that his mother is coming in to spend a night at our house and she wants to have some "good food". As our conversation continued, I realize he has told her about my program and they really want to go to the Chinese restaurant and I will be holding them back from this huge buffet. He says, "Can't you just order off of the menu." I agreed to do something if they really want to go there. His statement, "Good. I'll tell her."

**Let me stop here to add a disclaimer. My husband has been 100% supportive, doing all the lentil soup cooking and my mother-in-law is a wonderful person. If I were to "put my foot down" they would support my decision but I have issues of being a person pleaser.

Menu:

Breakfast: Today's smoothie was with less fruit and added spinach. I have probably been a bit heavy with the fruit because of the taste. I have found I really like it with less fruit.

Lunch: Leftover green beans, big salad

If you are following this blog as a way how to eat, I am not sure if green beans are ok for the plan. I had them as leftovers from yesterday and while eating them realized just because they are green beans and a vegetable, they may not be allowed because they are beans. So check with your doctor.

I ate my salad today without dressing. I like the balsamic vinaigrette ok and the lemon/olive oil was good but I found I really liked this salad with nothing. I added lots of 'wet' veggies. Cucumber, tomatoes and onion all gave it great flavor with out it being dry lettuce.

Snack: 2nd half of smoothie. I did not finish it all this morning so I ate the rest for my slump time.

Dinner:
Brown rice pasta
Marinara
roasted asparagus
salad

Tomato Marinara

Ingredients
3 lbs tomatoes
1/2 cup EVOO
12 garlic cloves
2 T fresh basil

Directions: Roast in oven at 400 degrees for 40-60 minutes, stirring infrequently. This allows tomatoes to caramelize. Let cool, use blender to puree and serve.

I was SO excited about this recipe. My kids fell in love with it on Saturday night and were asking to lick the blender bowl! A definite make again and again until they tried it tonight and my daughter decided she really didn't like it. I will work on it and see if there is anything like salt that may make it more desirable.

What am I feeling:
I woke up earlier this morning than I have in a long time. I still feel the energy but I am starting to slip with my eating. Tomorrow is another day and I will stick to the plan. Mark my words. I will stick to the plan.

Day 6 Standard Process Purification

Day 6....Day 6!!!

Well, today has been interesting. First, I weighed myself today and was down 5 lbs from day one. I've tried to understand how just a couple days ago I saw a pound gain to see a 5 lb drop today. I can only think that water has something to do with it. Even if there is a variation of 2 lbs, that still means 3 lbs and I will take it!

If you have been reading, today is the day I was going to my grandmother's for my birthday lunch. What a day of learning!

I made my shake this morning as usual...note to self....do NOT brush your teeth before eating a fruit shake. Between the bad taste and the rush to make it to church, I did not finish the shake and drank it after I got home.

I realized at noon I had forgotten to take my morning SP Cleanse supplements and did not have them with me. So upon returning to my home tonight at 7:30pm, I haven't taken any. I will take 7 and start over in the morning.

My water intake has STUNK!!! I drank about 20 ounces at lunch and haven't had anymore. I will drink more tonight but if I drink too much I will be waking up a lot during the night.

Menu: Here is the menu.

Lunch: 3 oz chicken breast (pan fried), 1 1/2 cup broccoli/ cauliflower, 1/2 cup green beans, 1/2 cup cooked spinach, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup beef-n-noodles, tossed salad with french dressing, strawberry shortcake

Snack: fresh veggies (carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower, radishes celery)

Dinner:
1 cup broccoli and cauliflower
strawberry shortcake :-)

What am I feeling:
B.L.O.A.T.E.D. This is one more educational moment for me. I have been feeling better and I know it is because of eating non-stop veggies. But now that I have stepped back into a meal that wasn't even as bad as I had been eating, I am seeing how my body responds to food and how important it is to fill my body with food that is natural and nutritious.

In my attempts to change my eating habits in the past, I have felt discouraged when I would have one day of eating bad and then throw in the towel. Since I planned today, I felt fine knowing that tomorrow I will start eating healthy again. I have my meals planned for the week and it is okay that I ate out of sorts today because, for the first time ever, I really understand tomorrow is another day! This is going to help me when the 21 days are over.

The other big thing I noticed was after I finished my meal, I didn't snack around while cleaning the kitchen. Every other Sunday, I eat a big meal, start cleaning up and snack on leftovers. Even after eating that food for lunch, I had no desire to have more 'bad stuff'. I believe this shows how my body has changed. Yay, little victories!

I am excited for this week of food because I found some awesome recipes thanks to the discovery of a new website! I will of course share those and let you know how they rank. I am still amazed at how excited I am for a vegetarianish diet!

Day 5 Standard Process Purification

Day 5

Supplements: SP Cleanse- 7 capsules 3x/day, SP Complete- 2 scopes, Whole Food Fiber- 1 Tablespoon

Water: I have no idea! With it being the weekend, I just drank water. I don't believe I got in the minimum of 64 oz. I did buy one of those reusable, hard plastic cups with the straw because I find I drink water much better if I have a straw. So just a suggestion if you are having trouble getting all the water in, it might be worth a try.

Menu:
Breakfast: My smoothie mix was not very good this morning. I forgot to put in the pineapple juice and it was kinda hard to get it down! I am glad my doctor told me about adding the juice because it has made a difference.

Lunch: Salad with this dressing idea- just olive oil, lemon juice and a little salt. It was a nice change from the balsamic vinaigrette.

Snack: banana

Dinner:
1/2 cup brown rice
salad
Sweet Potato

Snack: second smoothie made with some fresh spinach. I know it added vitamins but you can not taste them!

What am I feeling:
Today is a Saturday and has been hard. During the week I am so scheduled so today required a lot more will power. BUT I did not eat any of the Jelly Belly jellybeans we purchased nor did I succumb to the overwhelming desire to lick the peanut butter left of the spoon after making the kid's lunch!! Funny how fast food hasn't been a temptation for me but things like peanut butter, bread and cheese are. I really thought I would miss fast food but the only thing I really want is some pizza.

Day 4 Standard Process Purification

Day 4

Supplements: SP Cleanse- 7 capsules 3x/day, SP Complete- 2 scopes, Whole Food Fiber- 1 Tablespoon

Water: 60 ounces

Menu:
Breakfast: My smoothie mix and about 1 cup of additional fruit

• 1 cup frozen fruit (pineapple, peaches, strawberry, mango)
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 2 rounded Tbs. of SP Complete
• 1 T Whole Food Fiber
  
• pineapple juice
  

Lunch:

Leftover lentil soup
1 cup mashed cauliflower
1 banana

Snack: none

Dinner:

1/2 cup brown rice
salad - lettuce, spinach, broccoli sprouts, 1 inch cube of avocado mashed, a few black olives with dressing (recipe on day 1)
Beaker's Vegetable Barley Soup Allrecipes.com Some modifications made to fit SPPP.
-I did not care for this soup with my modifications and will not make again.

Ingredients

• 1 quart vegetable broth
• 1 quart home canned tomato juice
  
• 1 cup uncooked brown rice
  
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pour the vegetable broth/juice into a large pot. Add the rice, carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves. Season with garlic powder, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, curry powder, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 90 minutes. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Snack: 1 stalk of celery, second smoothie

What am I feeling:
I woke up feeling AWESOME! I am starting to see the energy results others have talked about. Strange how that one night made the difference.

Today was difficult because I had meetings all day (from breakfast until late afternoon) out of town. I put the soup in the crockpot this morning to have supper ready when I would drag myself in (which didn't happen, I was still energized!). I drank my smoothie during the hour drive. When I arrived at the conference area there was a breakfast before the meetings began. I passed up all the bagels and pastries and chose to have a bit more fruit and a bottle of water. I packed my lunch and was happy to have that instead of the roasted pork, chili, chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, pasta salad, coleslaw and sugary desserts! I could NOT believe all the starchyness! I truly enjoyed my lunch.

I struggled getting all my water in due to not wanting to run to the bathroom every 10 seconds during the meetings. I was the only one who visited the bathroom in between every meeting. :-)

I have to say I am not disappointed with the food I am eating. I have had such a variety and it is very filling. I have had to eat the sweet potatoes, lentils and rice every day because those help me feel satisfied and I think help me keep from having bread/carb withdraw. I have not seen any weight loss and I have done some further research. I am consuming too many lentils and rice. SPPP website says "1-2 servings of lentils or 1 serving of wild or brown rice per day". BIG OOPS!! I will cut back but it will be hard! I know it is only day 4 so I may just be too anxious about the weight but I need to keep checking. I also haven't started working out but that will start tonight!

Day 3 Standard Process Purification Process

Day 3

Supplements: SP Cleanse- 7 capsules 3x/day, SP Complete- 2 scopes, Whole Food Fiber- 1 Tablespoon

Water: 80 ounces

Menu:
Breakfast: I have quit using the recipes from SPPP and this is what I am doing:

• 1 cup frozen fruit (pineapple, peaches, strawberry, mango)
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 2 rounded Tbs. of SP Complete
• 1 T Whole Food Fiber
  
• pineapple juice
  

Lunch:

Steamed kale and tomato
1/2 Brown rice with little bit of butter and sea salt
Veggies

• cucumber
• carrot
• avocado

Snack: orange

Dinner:

Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple, and Red Lentil Soup Allrecipes.com Some modifications made to fit SPPP.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 4 cups vegetable broth
  

1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.

Snack: A second smoothie

What am I feeling:
I am feeling tired today. I haven't had the dreaded day 3 headache I have heard about but I do feel extra tired. I even laid down for a micro-nap. You know how it is with kids! Other than the fatigue I feel just fine.

Day 2 Standard Process Purification Process

Day 2

Supplements: SP Cleanse- 7 capsules 3x/day, SP Complete- 2 scopes, Whole Food Fiber- 1 Tablespoon

Water: 60 or 70 ounces

Menu:
Breakfast: I discovered last night SPPP suggest 2-3 smoothies a day. So today I have made 2- one for breakfast and one for afternoon.

Triple Delight Smoothie Standard Process recipe Modified

• ½ cup fresh pineapple chunks
• ½ banana
• ½ cup frozen peaches
• 2 rounded Tbs. of SP Complete
• 1 T Whole Food Fiber
  
• Ice cubes or cold water
• pineapple juice concentrate
  

Lunch:

Leftover Lentil Soup- Yummy!
Raw Veggies

• Radishes
  
• carrots
• 1 slice avocado
• cucumber
  

Snack: Apple and orange

Dinner:

Baked Asparagus: I drizzle with EVOO, sea salt, pepper and bake until tender
small Sweet Potato- little butter, sea salt
Kale chips allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Snack: 1/2 c brown rice

What am I feeling:

I have to say I am surprised at how well I feel. I have not felt nauseous or extremely tired, 'course I feel tired most of the time any ways!

I really thought the cleanse pills would. *ahem* cleanse me and that I might be rushing to the bathroom to save myself from embarrassment. But the only embarrassment I have had is taking my coat off at a meeting yesterday and having a woman run me down because my dress was stuck in my pantyhose. Nice.... THAT is from having to pee every 30 minutes.

I do want more food although I can't say I am craving anything. Sweet Potatoes have been a life saver!!! And tonight I had rice after my dinner because I was still wanting something of substance in my stomach. I made chicken for the family and I DESERVE the medal for self- control. Do you know how easy it is to pick up a little piece of chicken you are cutting up for your child? I held strong though and have not cheated!

I learned some disturbing news tonight. My grandmother is hosting a birthday celebration for my uncle and me THIS Sunday! Okay, that isn't disturbing but does put a kink in my plan. I thought it was next Sunday which would have put me past my 10 days so I could eat chicken. She was calling to find out what type of meat I want and sides and dessert!!! I told her I would call her back later because I had some thinking to do. My grandmother finds so much joy in cooking and feeding her family. She is a true southern type woman. I cherish every moment I have with her and you never know if this could be the last one. So I have made a decision. I will be going off of the program for Sunday lunch. I can hear some of you scoffing and saying, "Sure, make a sacrifice." I truly don't want to and here is what I requested. Chicken breast, broccoli/ cauliflower, toss salad and veggie tray. And for dessert, strawberry shortcake. I am going to make a huge salad, have some broccoli/ cauliflower and add a few strips of chicken to the top. Then for Sunday night, right back on the wagon. I am not going to beat myself up over this. Just life. I am not going to use it as an excuse to gorge myself on bad foods but as a learning experience for after the program is done. And I am going to enjoy the time with my family.

Day 1 Standard Process Purification

Day 1

Supplements: SP Cleanse- 7 capsules 3x/day, SP Complete- 2 scopes, Whole Food Fiber- 1 Tablespoon

Morning supplements: Not loving the SP Cleanse capsules. I only got 6 down since I had just eaten most of my smoothie. You can still taste whatever they are made of in your mouth and I have had a weak morning stomach since I was a child. I will try and take all seven later in the day.
Afternoon supplements: All 7 went down with no problems.
Evening supplements: No problems.

Water: 64+ oz recommended- As of 4 pm I have consumed 80 oz. And I thought this would be hard :-)

Menu:
Breakfast: Triple Delight Smoothie- Standard Process recipe with modifications

• ½ cup fresh pineapple
• chunks
• ½ banana
• ½ cup frozen peaches
• 2 rounded Tbs. of SP Complete
• 1 T Whole Food Fiber
• Ice cubes or cold water
• 100% pure pineapple concentrate

My doctor suggested I add some fruit juice to my smoothie as well to help mask the taste of the protein. He said to find a concentrate that is 100% juice. I'm not sure how much of the pineapple concentrate I used, I just poured some in. I could definitely taste the banana and the protein. Not a bad taste, not a good taste. I was not however able to finish the entire thing. I will finish later.

Snack: As a mid morning snack I finished the remainder of my smoothie. Tomorrow I will only eat half for breakfast so I can take all seven cleanse pills then have the remaining for a mid morning snack.

Lunch:

Salad

• lettuce
• spinach
• cucumber
• avocado
• carrots
• radish

Salad Dressing Dr. Narson Recipe

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Cold Pressed Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• few capers or olives
• 3 garlic cloves
• cayenne pepper for taste
• 1/2 t deli mustard
• 8-10 frozen dark grapes

Mix well in blender

Snack: Apple and carrots

Dinner:

Salsa

• 1/4 avocado
• onion
• tomato
• jalapeno
  

Spinach Lentil Soup Allrecipes.com Modifications made to fit SPPP

• 1 cup Shredded Carrots
• 1 Large onion
• 1 T olive oil
• 6 cups water
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• spices to taste (garlic, cumin, chili powder)
• 1 1/4 cups lentils, rinsed
• 1- 10 oz package fresh spinach, torn

Saute carrots and onion in oil until tender. Add water, tomatoes, lentils and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in spinach; simmer 5-10 minutes longer or until spinach wilted.

What am I feeling:
I admit I was really scared to start today. In my research, I had found that some people have really upset stomachs on day one because of the cleanse pills and some even vomit. I HATE vomiting. But that did not happen to me and I am not dreading tomorrow.

4 pm: I do feel like I need more to eat. That feeling of when I want to find some cheese and crackers or a hamburger :-) I will not give in!

9pm: Well my day is done. I filled a void tonight by making sweet potato chips. I just thinly sliced, added some olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt and baked in the oven until tender or crisp. SPPP suggest only 1/2 a sweet potato a day and that is all I had but it filled the void I felt for bread.

Preparing for Purification

I am in the process of beginning the Standard Process Purification Program. Today is the day before the BIG one! I have scoured the internet to find information on the SPPP but have found few personal blogs that give an unbiased view. So, in hopes of helping someone else, I am going to do my best to post my experience each of the 21 days. I will share recipes I find and information I discover.

What is the SPPP? This is my understanding:

1. Supplements: You are given a regimen of supplements to aid in the detoxification as well as nutrition enhancement.

2. The No's: No grains (bread), sugar, caffeine, alcohol, nuts/seeds, dairy, meat (until day 11)or processed foods.

3. The Yes's: Lots of veggies and moderate amounts of fruit, lentils, brown rice and after day ten, wild fish and lean chicken (aka- white meat). They suggest eating as much organic as possible.

4. Water: Drink lots of it.

Why am I doing this? I have a list of things I hope to accomplish while on the SPPP.

1. E.N.E.R.G.Y. I have started feeling so sluggish and no matter how much I sleep, it is never enough.

2. Feeling sick - I went to my M.D. and after a battery of test, they could tell me nothing. I went to my Chiropractor and he was able to pinpoint many of my problems to my liver. Reading through the symptoms of a malfunctioning liver was like reading my medical diary. Big Boo! This picture is of me on a regular night after something causing some problems in my stomach. No, I am not pregnant! But I not longer fit into my clothes because my stomach is HUGE!!!!

3. Weight - Who wouldn't like to loose a few pounds? I know I need to loose more than I will in just 21 days but I am looking for this purification to put me on the right track.

Preparations:
I have literally spent two weeks hunting for recipes. I have compiled a 21 day meal plan as well as a shopping list. Next, knowing this would be more expensive than my normal grocery bill, I have compiled a pricing guide with a few of my local groceries. Unless I see something on sale, I will know where to find the best buys.

I also quit drinking caffeine a couple days ago. I have read where stopping the caffeine intake abruptly can cause horrible headaches!

Tonight I will be doing some grocery shopping. I would like to get a week's worth of food ready. Because I am starting on a Tuesday, it is a little harder than if I were to start on a Monday and have the weekend to prepare food. However, I am a little scared about this having heard about people who vomit on the first day and I need to start before I talk myself out of it.

See you all tomorrow!