Detox Day 7 - Y2012Q1

One more day and I will be sinking my teeth into everything I could not eat this week.

One more day and I can say that I can look at something say no, despite how much I want it. Well, until later at least, until the impulse has subsided.

JD reserved a dinner reservation last week at Yellowfin. One of my favorite places. I like the view and the atmosphere. I already know what I am ordering. All extremely unhealthy.

They say you don't know what you miss something until it's gone. But after a while you forget what you miss, after the longing is long past gone.

Detox Day 6 - Y2012Q1

Yesterday, I recalled the nostalgic memories of my childhood birthday cakes. The crunchies in the middle were my favorite part of the Carvel cake. At the office today, the company had cake from Cold Stone Creamery for the CFO's birthday. It was a peanut butter chocolate ice cream cake, one of my favorites from Cold Stone. The cake looked delicious but it was no Carvel. I felt obliged to have a slice since everyone else was having one and some, two. I had a slight desire for a piece; however, I didn't take one. I withstand the urge and drank my Naked blue machine juice instead.

More of that childhood memory - for holidays and birthdays, cake was homemade with flour, eggs, and sugar, plain with no icing. Having store-bought cake was a very special occasion. I didn't realize at the time, but my parents had to save for a cake from Carvel. I didn't get holiday gifts or birthday gifts. I got red envelopes with "lucky money" to buy candy and toys. The amount inside was not really enough to buy any real toys. All the Atari and Sega video games, and barbie dolls that I played with, and bikes that I rode on were my friends. But growing up in Brooklyn, with Coney Island only a few blocks away and having the beach a walk from the house, the amount in the envelope was enough to get a few bags of chips on the boardwalk.

I really miss how the beach was accessible at any given time. Maybe that is where I got my purpose to succeed - the drive to work hard, to get a decent education, to earn enough to afford a house by the beach at retirement - to relive how the sun shined on me and the sound of rolling waves that made it all better.


Breakfast: soy protein shake
Lunch: vegetable curry, mixed green salad, sauted vegetables
Dinner: potato corn chowder, kim chi, guacamole, steamed vegetables, yu choi
Snack: banana, grapefruit

Potato corn chowder: potatoes, corn, green & red peppers, onions	Guacamole: avocado, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lemon juice
Yu Choi*	Steamed vegetables: broccoli, zucchini, carrots, garlic

*Yu Choi Brassica rapa - Yu Choy is grown mainly for the young leaves and flowering stalks. For centuries it was grown for the oil in its well-developed seeds which were used in cooking and lamps.

Detox Day 5 - Y2012Q1

For my commute to work, I either listen to music or spend the time reflecting my life over the past week, month, year, or my entire lifetime.

Today, I thought about discipline - self-control, will power - how I have lost it over the years. I used to be a natural at it, prior to my teenage years. After that period I had lost a substantial amount of self-control. In the early years of my life, I was very selective in what I ate. I despised sponge cake and anything sweet of that sort. The only type of cakes I liked was made with ice cream. Carvel ice cream cakes were my staple birthday cake.

Eventually, I got accustomed to eating sponge cakes working in the office environment. There was always cake at this one job for a birthday or a going-away celebration. So I put on a few pounds between the poor eating habits, stress of schoolwork, and sitting all day at desk jobs. Yes, over-eating mostly natural/organic foods still puts on weight. I've gained about 15 pounds over the last few years, mostly in my mid-section. I've gotten quite a few unwelcome comments about it. And if my father tells me to "keep fit" one more time, I might lose my self-control in dropping him off at the nursing home. The man could barely speak English but managed to learn how to say "keep fit."

This detox has given me a new-found hope - a redemption. It's nice to regain self control. It goes well with my mantra, "I can and I will."


Breakfast: carrot juice, soy protein shake
Lunch: stir fry mixed vegetables, mixed green salad with jicama and red peppers
Dinner: palak,  veg curry, Kim chi, carrot juice
Snack: apple sauce, banana

Palak: spinach, tomatoes, onions, garlic

Vegetable curry: cauliflower, gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, jalapeno, onions, garlic

Detox Day 4 - Y2012Q1

I am halfway finished with this detox. My urges are not as strong today.

I picked up pretzels and chocolate for the SharePoint training class this morning. Surprisingly, I did not have an urge to puncture the bag of pretzels and choked them down. I have an affinity for savory snacks. I can skip the sweets but potato chips, tortilla chips, cured meats (bacon, prosciutto, and such) are my weakness.

For lunch, I watched Becky eat my favorite dish from the cafeteria, Orange Chicken. I always get the Orange Chicken or the spicy wings, depending on which day I am there. I didn't even salivate at her food. Nope, not this day. Instead, I was focusing on my tasty sushi roll that hit the spot! I asked the sushi chef if he could make a vegetable roll with no rice. He looked at me like I was crazy, "no, rice! uh... okay" and continuously shook his head, mumbling "just get a salad" while he made my roll. But the salad bar doesn't have avocado and seaweed.

I was having a hard time planning dinner for Friday night since I always get sushi. Now I know what I'll be ordering, three vegetable rolls sans the rice at Ziki for sushi night!


Breakfast: soy protein shake, Naked green machine
Lunch: mixed green salad with asparagus and tomatoes, vegetable roll, soy protein shake
Dinner: stir fry mixed vegetables
Snack: banana, apple sauce, roasted seaweed

Vegetable roll, with no rice Mixed Vegetables: green peppers, red peppers, zucchini, egg plant, tomatoes, garlic

Detox Day 3 - Y2012Q1

I kept thinking about food today.

On my commute to work this morning, I thought about the wings I had last Wednesday at the Laughing Man. They weren't the best wings but it was $0.35 wings night. They were decent wings for the price. Great, I thought, now I have buffalo wings on my mind. I always do. I can live on buffalo wings. I can eat buffalo wings every day. If I were stranded, I would want an endless supply of buffalo wings.

We get lunch catered from the Corner Bakery for our team meeting every Monday. I love their mozzarella and tomato sandwich. I grab one of those every Monday. Today, I paid no attention to the delicious looking food calling my name. It was saying, "Nagi, break your diet." I tried so hard to not think about the crunchy potato chips, the sandwiches, and the soup. My peers were crunching away, and appears to be indulging more than usually. There were moon pies too! I was quietly pleading for the munching to stop, the little bit of self-control I had was dwindling away. Then, the meeting was over.

I head to my client's office, with the thought of cheese steak and fries I had at Jeno's last Thursday. It was so vivid, I could taste it. The next challenge was walking through the food court at the agency. There was a smell of fried fish, which I usually liked but it wasn't appealing though today. You know, similar to that unappealing odor on your hands after eating the cheeseburger, but that smell was pleasant prior to have eaten. Then there it was when I got to the office, the scent of buffalo wings. Someone was eating buffalo wings! Another moment of self-restraint. Luckily, I was scheduled to test connectivity to the cloud with help desk in the training room. I grabbed my belongings, so I won't return to face my demon, and hightailed out of there.

On the way to the gym after work, I thought about food again. Does this get any easier? How do people live on a vegan diet? Tomorrow is pizza night. How will I refrain from pizza? Then, there are the subsequent nights - Wednesday Pasta, Thursday Taco, and Friday Sushi. The temptations!


Breakfast: soy protein shake
Lunch: mix green salad (jicama salad, grape tomatoes, red onions, broccoli), chamomile tea
Dinner: Kim Chi, Kale and Potato soup, asparagus, steamed mustard greens, Naked blue machine
Snack: apple sauce, grapefruit, celery & carrot sticks, roasted seaweed

Kale and potato soup: kale, Yukon gold potatoes, broccoli, celery, onions, asparagus, tomato sauce, garlic

Radish Kim Chi, Kim Chi, Cucumber Kim Chi

Asparagus

Detox Day 2 - Y2012Q1

I was not hungry when I got up so I skipped breakfast. JD and I decided to get more vegetables a couple of hours later. We had lunch and then headed out to Trader Joe's. We were starting to get hungry by the time we were in the check-out line. When we arrived at Han Ah Reum, we were starving. I was so starved, I was slightly shaking. And the smell of food from the food court did not help. We shopped hungry and ended up buying too much. The fridge is now over packed with vegetables. Note to self: must eat breakfast and have a snack handy!

Let me tell you, vegetables do not fill me up. I had an insatiable appetite despite all the vegetables I threw down. Then, I noticed Yukon gold potatoes on the list of allowed foods. Potatoes will fill me up, I thought. So curry it was for dinner. I ate so much curry, I couldn't take another bite. Three hours later, I'm hungry again but I don't feel like eating. I'm sure I'll cave in before the night is over.


Breakfast: see lunch
Lunch: fruit salad, Naked green machine
Dinner: potato curry, jicama salad, avocado salad, steamed mustard greens
Snack: roasted seaweed

Fruit salad: pineapple, apple, blueberry, orange
Avocado salad: avocado, cucumber, tomato, lemon juice	Jicama salad: jicama, cucumber, onions, garlic, lemon juice
Potato curry: Yukon gold potato, turnip, onion, carrot, garlic	Steamed mustard greens
Roasted seaweed

Detox Day 1 - Y2012Q1

We went to Panera Bread this morning for brunch. This was before I decided to start the body cleanse detox diet tonight. I was going to start my diet tomorrow but decided to start this evening since JD made a dinner reservation for next Saturday in celebration of Valentine's Day. I wanted the option to have a juicy steak for my Valentine dinner, if I feel so inclined. :)

Breakfast: see lunch
Lunch: Panera Pick Two: Mediterranean veggie sandwich & Chicken Cob salad, and a cup of Baked Potato soup
Dinner: carrot juice, veggie soup, and tofu soup
Snack: apple sauce, orange, baked sweet potato

Carrot Juice

Soon Doo Boo Ji Gae  Soup: tofu, celery, tomato, zucchini

Vegetable Soup: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, celery