I am Clean - Clean I am!

Day 15 - JAN 20th
152.2 #, 6.4% fat, 60.4% H2O, 1818 BMR
Zip, nada, ziltch in morning, nice rice noodle stir fry for lunch (I share) and berry smoothie for din-din.

Day 16
152.0#, 6.3% fat, 60.5% H2O, 1818 BMR
Up & off to DFW early, premix smoothie. Nuts & apple then out for spin on clown bike. Not really hungry but ate late day wild & brown rice/split pea mix. Up to market for some essentials.

Day 17
Up early but had to wait for temp's to warm a bit - mid-30's for my EZ spin around town (w/stop at Whole Paycheck). Flight back to SEA w/lunch of salad/quinoa mix. Entire flat of blueberries in PM for snack (making FO salivate); no nightly smoothie; but a lot, I mean a lot, of water.

Day 18
153.6 #, 5.6% fat, 61.5% H2O, 1850 BMR
Spousal unit informed me that she fell off the program Friday, the temptations of some irresistibles plus the presence of a visiting sister didn't help - DOH! She says she'll incorporate much of the changes she's made in the last couple of weeks - including the morning smoothies.

So I trundle along solo for the remaining days. Increased water weight noticeable on morning weigh-in. Another fine homemade berry smoothie, followed by midday lunch of spinach salad & brown rice/split pea mix. Kids in pool late afternoon - I know the body absorbs water through the skin, I wonder what the morning weigh-in will indicate. Yummie* evening smoothie.

Day 19
154.4 #, 5.0% fat, 62.9% H2O, 1871 BMR
Super hydration continues as evident in the above numbers. Morning smoothie prior to run then just an apple & some nuts after swim at Y topped off with another smoothie in the evening. It's kinda amazing on some days where the mid-day meal is missed for one reason or another that I really don't crave it; even after (or because of) a couple hours of endurance type training. The appetite certainly isn't what it used to be, nor are my bad snacking habits.

A hero of mine died today & one of my favorite quotes was, "Remember this: your body is your slave; it works for you." Of this program I'd think he'd say it was OK, "I drink 6 or 7 glasses of water a day. I also drink vegetable juice. And I have at least 5 or 6 pieces of fresh fruit everyday and 10 raw vegetables." Sounds familiar; perhaps Junger was influenced, in part, by his original raw enthusiasm for total body fitness.

Day 20
152.2 #, 5.0% fat, 63.9% H2O, 1843 BMR
Late AM berry smoothie, midday lunch of stir fry rice noodles & an apple. PM bike trainer sweat fest, followed by a late smoothie.

Day 21 - January 26th
153.2#, 5.0% fat, 63.6% H2O, 1854 BMR
Part of me kinda sorta doesn't want it to end. Another part of me wants to return to some semblance of normal - as normal as my vegetarian life was like. Though I see modifications to what the new normal might be. I can certainly foresee a lot more smoothies in my future with a lot less mindless snacking. Less gluten, may not totally gluten free...certainly less dairy, more raw foods, and incorporate the 12 hour elimination rule when & where I can. As I add certain items from the excluded list back into my diet, I'll see what kind of reaction (if any) that has.

Over the last 21 days my weight loss stabilized after the 1st week & was minimal (4#), and flucuated slightly with my hydration level; my muscle mass has remained steady (138#); and while my BMR (base metabolic rate) dipped slightly in the middle of the program it has rebounded to where it started. My percentage fat has dipped 2%, though as I've noted earlier it seems to decrease with the increase in my indicated hydration level - but that weight loss must have come from somewhere (reduced mucus?).

Overall I think the program has been a success, feeling good, was regular throughout, energy levels are high, however I'll leave to others to determine whether I glow or not.

*"Yummie" being entirely subjective I realize - as my wife seems to think some of my smoothies taste like dirt, maybe it's the hemp milk.