Day 1, Friday Breakfast: A banana Lunch: Kiwis and strawberries from the Fruit Salad cart at 37th and Spruce Dinner: Quinoa with onions and mushrooms sauteed in olive oil and garlic, steamed peas, a dash of cold–pressed EVOO and basil pesto. Plus, a clementine for dessert. Snack: Black olives Drinks: Water (lots) and Whole Foods fresh–squeezed orange juice What I did: Slept in, career fair, office hours, grocery store, worked on a paper How I felt: After the first day, I'm more tired than usual, though,it’s likely from my week, not my lack of protein. I feel a little nauseated after eating a few things I normally avoid and constantly make fun of my health–nut housemates for loving (read: quinoa). Otherwise, I feel well and my biggest hurdle is figuring out what I’m allowed to eat — not keeping myself from eating all of that leftover Valentine’s Day candy sent from home.
Day 2, Saturday Breakfast: Honeydew melon Lunch: A smoothie (strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, peach and fresh–squeezed orange juice) Dinner: Snap peas, sliced cucumber, broccoli and mushrooms with red pepper hummus Snack: Black olives Drinks: Water (lots) & fresh–squeezed orange juice What I did: Worked on a paper, visited the Morris Arboretum, saw a movie How I felt: I felt a lot better today than I did yesterday in terms of nausea and energy levels. However, I definitely felt hungrier and the raw veggies weren’t quite cutting it. I’m not going to lie, I wouldn’t mind a steak right now.
Day 3, Sunday Breakfast: Strawberries and kiwi Lunch : Black olive hummus with wheat–free gluten–free crackers Dinner: Steamed peas and strawberries for dessert Snack: Grapes Drinks: Water (lots) & fresh–squeezed orange juice What I did: Shopping for groceries, meeting, work How I felt: I felt pretty tired throughout the day and a bit headache–y at the end. Nothing a few strawberries before bed couldn’t solve!
Day 4, Monday Breakfast: A Clementine Lunch: Cucumber slices and mushrooms with basil pesto Dinner: Homemade lentil soup (lentils, split peas, cold–pressed EVOO, garlic, onions and spices) Snack: Grapes Drinks: Water (lots) & fresh–squeezed orange juice What I did: Class, gym, work How I felt: All day, I felt very energetic and healthy. I woke up before my alarm and had a great workout after class. Unfortunately, the night ends with me feeling extremely nauseated. Truth is, I’m not the best cook.
Day 5, Tuesday Breakfast: An apple Lunch: Kiwis and strawberries from Fruit Salad Dinner: Steamed broccoli and cauliflower with frozen fruit for dessert Snack: Banana Drinks: Water (lots) & fresh–squeezed orange juice What I did: Class, lunch with friends, more class, work, meeting How I felt: I woke up before my alarm feeling awake and great (second day in a row, and this never happens to me). I even survived two three–hour classes without coffee — quite the feat. But honestly, at the end of day five, I do feel healthier.
My conclusion: Restricted to just the basics, I whined through the temptations of dinners with friends and leftover Valentine’s candy. While losing eight pounds in five days didn’t exactly suck, I still think Kate Moss’s whole “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” thing is crap. I want chocolate.
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