21 day vegan cleanse

***Living With Grace is now Fat Girl at Heart


Hello and happy Monday to you all! I don't know about you, but I sure as heck was not ready for the weekend to end. I was in much need a nice, calm, relaxing couple of days and that is just was I got!

I awoke earlier than planned (8:30) on Saturday morning and made my way to the farmer's market. I had never been before, but had heard many awesome things about it, and knew I had to give it a try. Luckily, the weather was beautiful, sunny, and crisp, which totally helped me get out the door. Trust me, I could have lounged around in bed all day if needed!

As awesome as the market was, I must admit that I expected a little more from it. There were so many booths filled with goodies, treats, and fresh veggies. It was so much fun to browse each booth and compare prices. Not to mention, I felt good knowing that I was supporting my local farmers! (Prices are a bit steeper than grocery stores.) And that is where the slight issue comes in. Sure, Texas is filled with land and farms and all that fun stuff. But Austin-- not so much. Pretty much all booths consisted of the same veggies and there was not a single stand that had fruit other than peaches. Also, I was in search of all gluten free, vegan foods, so my options were limited. Maybe I am being to hard on those farmers. Hehe! All in all, I had a great time and it was a fun experience. I'm sure I will be returning.

Ok, so remember the other day when I mentioned that I was going to be starting a vegan cleanse on Monday (today)? Well, the day has arrived and I have begun! I spent my Saturday buying a plethora of fruits and veggies, raw nuts, and vegan knick knacks. This was my kitchen after my shopping trip:

My plan is to document here on the blog, each day, my thoughts, expectations, how I feel, and the way my body and health are changing. Because today is not over yet (durr!), I'll make sure to have a post later on this evening after everything is all said and done! As for now, I'll go ahead and tell you that so, far, this has not been as horrible or difficult as I expected. Here is what the cleanse mostly entails:

21 Day Vegan Cleanse - Daily Routine

source

Wake up
Potty, brush teeth, etc.
Meditate 15-20 min.
Drink glass of water with lemon and cayenne
Drink glass of "green juice" - stay tuned for details/recipes
Lunch @ noon - 80/20 or 60/40 ratio of raw to cooked foods
Mainly raw and all vegan snacks
Dinner - 80/20 or 60/40 ratio of raw to cooked foods
*Sleep for 8 hours
*At least 35 minutes of exercise
*Author (Kris Carr) also suggest adding dry brushing, netti pots, enemas, vitamins, etc.

I can already guarantee there will be quite a few modifications to the "diet"/cleanse (I prefer the term lifestyle) she suggests. I don't plan on the doing the enemas, maybe the netti pot, and dry brushing occasionally. Hey, some is better than none, right?

My Questions and Hopes

While I don't have many day to day issues with how I feel, I am intrigued to see how much better I could feel. What if I can feel 10x better than the way I feel now? What if all this time I think this is as good as it gets when in reality, it can get so much better? What if I have a gluten allergy (like many others do), and I don't even know it? What if my skin glows and I never get another zit again? What if I have so much energy that I don't know what to do with myself? I have so many questions and wonders about what this cleanse is going to bring to my life.

My hopes are that all of the above will occur, and that I feel so amazing that I decide to make this a permanent lifestyle. I hope that this is easier done than said, and that my body only craves good things for the rest of my days on earth. I hope that I learn about my body, and what we, as humans should be consuming. Most of all I hope that this inspires someone else to give it a try!

Me Before Cleanse


I weigh 134 lbs. (yes, a lot of that is solid muscle... hehe!)
I have break outs from time to time
My skin is more dry than I would prefer it to be, and is very sensitive
I get about 6-8 hours of sleep a night
I consume meat and dairy on the daily

Please excuse the attractive bathroom/myspace pose pic, but it's the only full-body shot I have available.

My Concerns

I think the hardest part of all of this is going to be going without fluffy carb-a-licious bread and cheese. Also, I'm not sure how I'm going to do without my beloved crawfish. I also am concerned about how many calories I will be taking in, but apparently it will be enough. I am just keeping my fingers crossed and will only do what is in my best nutritional interest!

I hope you all follow me along this journey. I would love to hear your input and thoughts!

Have you ever done a cleanse before?

Have you ever gone vegan or gluten free?