The Two Week Cleanse

So, the idea of ACTUALLY making small changes in the way I live forever is a little overwhelming, because I love eating all the things and I hate exercise with a passion. For some reason the idea of drastically changing the way I live for a short period of time is much more manageable. In my head, I’ve rationalized this as a “cleanse” where I eliminate my cravings for junk food by not eating it for two weeks. I also go to the gym every day for the full two weeks, thus enhancing my desire to go more regularly. This is flawed logic, because I’m obviously not going to do this.

Here were the rules:

No junk food

Carbs in the morning only

No alcohol

Increase water intake

Decrease coffee intake to 2 cups per day

Go to the gym every day

Eat more fruits and vegetables

By day 2 of the 14 days I had broken most of the rules… but that means that for the first day, I did really well. I’m gonna give myself a little pat on the back for that one.

I had planned a trip to Halifax starting day 2, returning day 3. Obviously for the 5 hour car ride, I would need both of my daily coffees, which means I would be drinking an extra one after dinner and one before breakfast. Also, when your host makes you brownies, you eat the effing brownies. Clearly, I did not go to the gym that day, or the following day. Because gym regimens can only start on Mondays, I had to wait until the next Monday to return…at which point, I did not return to the gym. I realize these are all excuses, and they’re not very good ones…but they’re my excuses and I love them just the same.

I quit trying not to eat carbs at night, because I craved them. If you saw someone all strung out on a street corner, toasting a bagel with a lighter… that was me.

I did cut out alcohol for the full two weeks and served sparkling water with dinner instead of wine. I learned that wine is really expensive and I’m saving a lot of money. This money is then redirected to my grocery bill, because eating healthy is expensive. Have you ever seen how much an avocado costs? I’ve actually started the process to grow them. (I know I’ll get tired of it and throw them out…but I started.)

Aside from the brownie, there was no junk food, AND on average, I did increase my water intake and decrease my coffee intake. Just not on a daily basis like I planned. All in all, the two week challenge was somewhat successful. I’ll continue to do them just for my own enjoyment…and yours. The whole month of March will be spent finding creative ways to save money. Follow me on twitter to see how that goes using #momoneymarch and #livelikeaperson.