Day Five

Steak, egg whites with spinach, tomatoes with basil

The One Where There's a Lot of Beef

Boom!  Spaghetti squash with homemade bolognese

Steak salad

Lookit all that beef!

I seriously enjoyed eating today.  I snacked on a little bit of spinach and beef left over from breakfast at one point.  I had some mild cravings for something sweet, so I had a cup of tea with a little Splenda.  One more day!

Day Four

Sooo, the only picture I took today was this one:

Look!  Wonder Soup!

This was my lunch, which was the same as my dinner.  The rest of the day I was busy drinking smoothies!  I recommend freezing a few bananas the night before for smoothies. I tried to add a little something different to each one (cinnamon, vanilla, unsweetened cocoa) to add variety.  I also had a late night snack of a fried cinnamon banana, and that was amazing.

All in all I felt FABULOUS today.  I felt like I could run a marathon.  Weakness and fatigue were gone, no cravings, no hunger.  Bring it on Day Five!

What you might need to know about this day:

Milk.  Tastes.  Amazing.  That is all. 

Day Two

Veggie Day!  Today you get to start things off with a baked potato!  You can also have up to a tablespoon of fat.  I had a teaspoon of butter on the potato.  I also added garlicky spinach and a scoop of my sauteed veggie mix, as well as some fresh chives.  It was divine.  This day was much easier for me. 

Breakfast

Fancy vinegar makes everything awesome

Spaghetti squash stir fry

I also made a big pot of Wonder Soup.  I had extra homemade vegetable broth, so I threw together some butternut squash soup as well.  I wasn't sure how good this would taste without any butter or cream.  It looked sort of like baby food.  But man, with the magic broth and some extra leeks it was sooo good!

The broth is everything

Here are some recipes:

Butternut Squash Soup

2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large leek, washed and sliced thinly
Homemade vegetable broth-about 5 cups

Lightly spray your pot with cooking spray.  Saute the leek until tender.  Add squash and broth.  Simmer until tender.  Puree in batches in a blender or food processor.  Sprinkle with nutmeg if you like it sweet, or pepper and fresh chives if you like it savory.

Spaghetti Squash Stir Fry (serves 1)

2 cups cooked spaghetti squash
2 cups frozen stir fry veggies
1 cup sliced sweet peppers
1" piece peeled ginger
1 garlic clove
2 tsp sesame oil, divided
2 tsp soy sauce

To cook the squash, microwave the whole squash for 2 minutes.  Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds.  Turn upside down over a plate with 1/8 cup water in the bottom.  Microwave for 8 minutes or until tender. Heat 1 tsp  of the oil in a wok or skillet.  Saute the frozen veggies for 2 minutes, then add the fresh veggies, ginger, and garlic.  Remove from heat. Toss with cooked squash, soy sauce, and remaining sesame oil.

Day One

So, today you will eat nothing but fruit.  No bananas or mangoes.  Sounds like it will totally suck?  Yup, it will.  The level of suckage is directly related to how bad your eating habits were before you started.  So if, like me, you've been in a six week holiday junk food free-for-all; you need to be prepared for a world of suckage.  But take heart!  This is the worst part of it and I promise that on the other side you will feel amazing!  Just count down the hours until you can eat a baked potato!

What you may need to know about today:

• Your body is detoxing!  It may feel like crap.  Headaches and mild nausea are normal.  You may get grumpy.  At one point I threatened to ground my children for eating pizza in front of me.
• Water, water water!  It will help.
• Cook and freeze your fruit.  Sprinkle cinnamon on it or splash it with vanilla.  Variety is good.

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

• Last but not least, EAT!  Keep your stomach full!  In addition to these meals I snaked all day on raw apples, pears, kiwis, and frozen grapes.  I actually skipped coffee but found I could handle unsweetened peppermint tea.  Good luck!

Prep day

Putting in some time prepping your fruits and veggies for the week will make a HUGE difference for you.  Here is a quick rundown of what I did tonight:

• 3 kinds of fruit salad
• cooked spaghetti squash
• Sauteed spinach with garlic
• peeled carrots for roasting
• peeled and chopped carrots, celery and sweet peppers to munch on
• made a big pan of sauteed veggie mix (asparagus, mushrooms, onion and garlic)
• Washed and froze some grapes

Now, I just have to remember to feed the rest of the family

The official cleanse articles all recommend that you have a late snack of a potato or a banana the night before you begin the diet so that you will have energy to get through the day.  I ate two slices of leftover pizza.  Meh, same thing.

Tomorrow night I will put together a big salad and a pot of soup for day two.  For now, I'm done!

Don't forget to save your scraps!  Good night!

Menu Plan

Monday

Breakfast:  1/2 Cantaloupe
                 1 cup berries
                 Tea

Lunch:       1/4 pineapple
                 1 cup berries
                 Tea

Dinner:     1 apple and 1 pear, poached with cinnamon and vanilla
                1 cup berries

Snacks:    Apples, Pears, Kiwi, Frozen grapes.  Tea, tea, tea.

Tuesday

Breakfast: Baked potato topped with spinach, onion, garlic and mushrooms sauteed in 1 1/2 tsp olive oil
                 Tea

Lunch:       Green salad with fresh herbs topped with sauteed veggie mix* and lemon juice

Dinner:     Asian style spaghetti squash
               Garlic spinach

Snacks:    Carrots and celery in salsa
                Roasted broccoli with salt-free seasoning
                Carrots and parsnips roasted with thyme
                Kale chips

Wednesday

Breakfast:  1/2 canteloupe
                 1 cup berries
                 Tea

Lunch:       Sauteed veggie mix wrapped in Boston leaf lettuce, drizzled with Balsamic vinegar
                 Apple

Dinner:     Portobellos stuffed with spaghetti squash, spinach and roasted red pepper.  Balsamic drizzle.

Snacks:   Any from previous two days.

Thursday

Breakfast:  Smoothie (2 frozen bananas, 2 cups milk, ice cubes)
                 Cafe au Lait (1 Splenda packet)

Elevensies: Smoothie (1 frozen banana, 1 cup milk)

Lunch:       1 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt with 2 mashed bananas and a splash of vanilla

Dinner:     Wonder Soup
                Banana
                Tea

Snack:     Frozen banana, blended with unsweetened cocoa powder or vanilla
               Banana slices sauteed in scant bit of cooking spray, sprinkled with cinnamon.

Friday

Breakfast:  3 oz sirloin steak, grilled
                 Spinach and 2 egg whites
                 Tomato basil salsa

Lunch:     Salad with 4 oz grilled sirloin, sauteed veggie mix and lime juice
               Whole tomato

Dinner:   Spaghetti squash with homemade bolognese

Snacks:  Any of the veggie snacks from Day 2, though honestly you will probably not be that hungry between meals.

Saturday

Breakfast:  Buffalo chicken and veggie bowl
                 Tea or coffee

Lunch:      Leftover stir fry from Day 2, with cooked chicken

Dinner:    Italian pot roast with carrots, parsnips, and green beans

Snacks:  Eat up those veggies!  You can also have hardboiled egg whites.


*Sauteed Veggie Mix:  Asparagus, onion, garlic, and Baby Bella mushrooms cooked in a scant bit of cooking spray.


If you are interested in checking out the last day of the official GM diet cleanse, you can read the details here.

I plan to roll into trying the Eat Clean 30 challenge after this.  The amazing thing about this cleanse is that when it is over your taste buds will have junk food amnesia so you will be all  'HOLY COW UNSWEETENED OATMEAL WOOOOW SO AMAZING!!!'  I love it!

Shopping Day

Time to start planning your great cleanse adventure!  Are you ready to hate fruit, then hate vegetables, then love fruit, then love vegetables, then wonder why junk food ever even appealed to you?  Are you ready for hourly trips to the bathroom (or as we call it around here, The Vacation Room)?  Then let's go!

The first step is to plan your meals.  I would recommend doing a search for GM diet recipes and picking ones that really appeal to you.  I will include my plan for the week in the next post.  Be sure to take into account any special occasions going on that week.  It helps to eat at home as much as possible.  Then, we shop!

Woah, that's a lot of kale.

Things you may need to know about this day:

• Planning is a pain in the ass.  It takes time.  You might not be able to fathom eating nothing but fruit for a whole day.  Trust me, it's worth it!  And you can do it! 
•  Budget a little extra for groceries this week, if you can.  You can do the cleanse on frozen fruits and veggies to save moola, but if at all possible spring for fresh produce and herbs.  Fresh herbs make everything amazing.

• You might get embarrassed at the grocery store.  People will look at you funny.  'Did you see how many bananas that lady just put into her cart?'   Just take a deep breath and practice saying, 'Yes, I AM buying all of these parsnips.'  This problem goes double if you do the cleanse in the beginning of January because OMG A  DIET IN JANUARY SO CLICHE!!!  If the scrutiny gets too intense, you can always do this:

  

  There, all better

  
  

    

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

GM Diet Plan Overview

I created this blog for anyone who is interested in stalking me while I attempt the GM diet/cleanse.  This will actually be my third time doing this cleanse.  You can read about the original diet plan here:

http://www.gmdietworks.com/

I follow a modified version of the diet.  The original cleanse promises that you will lose 10-17 pounds in a week. I usually lose around 3-5 pounds.  Primarily, I use the cleanse to rid myself of that bloated, tired, post-holiday-or-vacation malaise that kicks my butt every January and September.  Even when I have only followed the first three days of of the diet; I have noticed great results.  It helps to reset my appetite, diminish food cravings, and increase my energy levels.  So lets have at it!

The basics:

I use a six-day diet plan.  Each day you eat certain foods in unlimited quantities.  You avoid alcohol, processed food and sugar.   The original diet calls for only black coffee or tea; but I usually add a splash of almond milk and a Splenda packet to my coffee and still get results.  It is very, very important that you drink at least 10-12 glasses of water a day.  The plan includes a "Wonder Soup" that you eat in limited quantities throughout the week.  The original plan includes the soup only on days four through six.  I have eaten it once a day throughout the week and still gotten results.

I have found that preparation and variety are very important when following this plan.  I devote a better part of a day to planning and shopping; and another to food prep.  After that, the fun begins.

DAY ONE:     You eat only fruit.  No bananas or mangoes.

DAY TWO:    You eat only vegetables. Start the day with a baked potato combined with a healthy fat.

DAY THREE: You eat fruit or vegetables.  No bananas, mangoes, or avocado.  Up to 1 Tbsp healthy fat.

DAY FOUR:   You eat up to 8 bananas and four glasses of milk (I include yogurt, and sometimes add a salad.)  You can also have the Wonder Soup.

DAY FIVE:     You eat 20 oz lean beef and 6 tomatoes.  I include other vegetables. Increase your water.

DAY SIX:       You eat lean meat and vegetables.


Exercise normally while on the plan.  And get ready to cry into your watermelon.

Up next:  Shopping!  Planning!

Wonder Soup (Monkeysparket's Version)

Homemade Vegetable broth*
Onion, diced
Garlic, minced
fresh Rosemary
3 cups kale, shredded
2 carrots, sliced thinly
2 parsnips, sliced thinly
package baby Bella mushrooms, diced
1 cup green beans, chopped roughly
Any other veggies you like
1 Tbsp tomato paste

Saute onion and garlic in a scant bit of cooking spray until soft.  Add broth, veggies, and herbs.  Skip the salt, but pepper is OK.  Simmer it until all veggies are tender.  Stir in the tomato paste.

*While you are washing and prepping your veggies for the week, save all the peels and tops and scraps.  Add a big bunch of washed leeks and a handful of fresh herbs (I love rosemary).  You can add a few whole carrots, celery stalks, and/or onions if your pot doesn't look full enough. (Do you love my professional-sounding recipe?  I should do this for a living!) Cover with water in a big pot and simmer those bad boys all day.  Strain out the scraps and use the broth for Wonder Soup and to make Butternut Squash Soup later in the week.  If you don't feel like doing all that, you can use low sodium canned broth and the universe won't implode.

One last thing!  I have to give a big shout-out to All Cleansed Up.