Aint so bad

Well, it's 9:30 p.m. and I have finished my first day of a healthier me! It wasn't so bad. I have a bit of a headache, but not from being hungry...I'm assuming it's the flushing out of the sodium (pizza) and saturated fat (ice cream) I had for dinner last night in a panic. Ok, it wasn't a panic...it was clearly thought out!

I've had lots of friends ask questions about this "cleanse" that I'm talking about. I thought I'd take a moment to explain. A cleanse is often used (by us radicals) to jump-start our bodies into wellness mode again, particularly if you fall off the nutritional wagon (as I often as I do). The holidays killed me! I mean really. How many peanut butter balls, gallons of gravy, butt roasts and gumbo can a person consume until they are just...well, sick and tired of eating. That's exactly what I am. Tired. Sick and tired. So much junk over a period of time has me gunked up, sluggish, grumpy and a size bigger than I'm comfortable with. Get control, Molly!

So, this yoga woman asking for a cleanse to be designed for her was, for me...a sign from God Himself. And I can't believe I'm writing about it. I turned on the computer and saw that I have 4 followers! My heart skipped a beat. I really do have some accountability! I think this will work! I have gotten e-mails from friends and clients today asking how they can jump on the wagon too. I thought I'd go ahead and post the basic regulations of the cleanse that I designed...in the event that you want to feel as hungry...I mean, as good as I do right now ;)

-Drink lots of water!

-Eat 6 times per day. 3 cooked meals and 3 raw.

-3 cooked meals = -4-6oz brown rice, whole grain pilaf, quinoa or sweet potato

-3-5oz lean quality protein (chicken, fish, turkey, pork loin, lean beef)

- 6oz of true vegetable (corn and peas are a starch)

-3 raw meals = -Complex carbohydrate (from fruit or vegetable)

-Protein (natural peanut butter, 1% milk, cottage cheese, almonds, walnuts, yogurt, soy nuts).

-No caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar or gluten (from wheat products)

Sounds crazy? Let me share what my day looked like today (minus the crying over absent coffee). It wasn't so bad at all...once I recovered from my pizza/ice cream hangover.

Meal 1 = cottage cheese and pineapple (7am) with green tea and honey

meal 2 = almonds and an orange with a big glass of water. (10am)

Meal 3 = brown rice, pork loin roast, sauteed cabbage (from yesterday) 1:30pm and tea

Meal 4 = fat free Greek yogurt with honey and blueberries (5pm) and water

Meal 5 = grilled chicken, brown rice and roasted broccoli (7pm) and tea

Meal 6 = walnuts with half an apple (9pm) and water

Today only had 2 cooked meals, because I wasn't prepared. Chicken breasts cooked for tomorrow, check. Brown rice, check. Vegetable ready for cooking, check. Almonds bagged, check. Small yogurt containers, check. Feeling great...on my way! I got this licked!

Out with the old, in with the new...me!

Happy new year!

Like most people, I have made a resolution to to get healthy and fit in 2010. It's the same resolution I made in 2009, 2008, 2007 etc... For those of you who don't know me, I am a country girl from south Louisiana, a personal chef, educated in nutrition and own a healthy food delivery and consulting company (www.maryandmollysmustardseed.com). What? I struggle with the whole healthy lifestyle bit? Yes, daily. I love food and hate exercise. It's terrible. I've been all over America, helping the rich and famous, the poorest of the poor, working moms, busy singles and corporations to understand the basic concepts of good nutrition...lowering people's cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure! Oh, I've seen it all. I'm a real health hero, except when it comes to myself. Healthy options aren't even something I'm attracted to. If I didn't know any better, I would always choose sausage over oatmeal for breakfast. I would love a hamburger over salad for lunch and fried chicken over brown rice would be my choice for dinner. Why am I saying that? Because I think most people are like me. And in a world where people are killing themselves over poor food choices, I'm here to say hey, we can get control of this together. I need motivation. I need accountability. I need friends for the journey. Maybe that's why I'm blogging this.

A Yoga instructor has asked me to create a 30 day all natural food cleanse for her and a few clients. I thought it was a noble effort on her part, to want to start the year off right. So, I'm going to do it too. I'm not doing it strictly for a weight loss tool, or even a feel better tool (although I'm looking forward to those benefits). What I want to accomplish (along with self control) is an attitude of health and well being. An attitude of "I'm worth the effort". I have lots of great things going for me, and I want to be around to enjoy it all. Really enjoy life.

So, here it goes. Happy new year! Happy new me!