What is this?

Let me begin this blog with some honest disclaimers.  I am NOT a a health coach, nutritionist, fitness expert etc.  If anything I am quite the opposite.  I am a mom, wife, photographer, and friend who tries to eat healthy based on the knowledge I have gathered over time but regularly succumb to temptation.

What are my temptations?
Coca Cola (drinking at least one can a day)
Bread and Cheese combos- pizza, quesadillas, grilled cheese
Chocolate, particularly in combination with peanut butter- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups always make their way to my house for holidays

This blog is simply my journey on what I know of the 21 Day Quantum Wellness Cleanse.
www.kathyfreston.com/kathy_freston_intro_to_quantum_wellness_cleanse.html

DISCLAIMER:  I have not read the book specifically outlining the guidelines of this cleanse.  Most of my knowledge base for this cleanse comes from family members who have done the cleanse, or "their version of the cleanse."
Here is what I know...
The cleanse asks you to remove all meat and animal based products.
No dairy
No gluten
No added or refined sugars
No caffeine
No alcohol

The big but obvious question.
Why do you want to do the cleanse?
And the obvious answer is I want to lose weight.   I will not lie, losing weight is my main hope, wish and desire in partaking in this cleanse.  I don't like the number on the scale and within the last 8 months I have let myself go.  I can't share my number on the scale, because I'm just not comfortable with that yet.   However, I can tell you that according the CDC my BMI puts me at overweight, which is truly heartbreaking to me.

Some other reasons for doing the cleanse...

3 weeks ago I took up Crossfit.  Simply put I am working my ass off each time I go to Crossfit and I want my diet to support my hard work not be counter productive
I know that fruits and vegetables are healthy, but I am not a label reader.   90% of the time I am eating for taste and 10% of the time I am making an effort to think about what I am eating.
Let me clarify this.  It does not mean that 90% of the time I am eating junk and 10% I am eating healthy.  It means that 90% of the time I am picking foods that I like.. whole wheat bread, fruits, cereal, skippy peanut butter because I enjoy the taste of these foods. 10% of the time I opt for a salad instead of french fries or I order a salad instead of the burger I want.

For me it is time to gain a better understanding of what I am putting in my body and what effects those choices have.

Another reason for this cleanse is to hopefully find some healthy recipes and alternatives that I can incorporate into my daily diet.  I don't anticipate a desire to follow this diet for the rest of my life, but I hope it inspires healthy changes to last a lifetime.

Lastly, I want to kick my habit of drinking coca cola daily.  It's glaringly unhealthy.  And it's something I know I can do.  I did it when I was pregnant and nursing with each of my children.  I'm not trying to get pregnant so this time I want to kick the habit just for me instead of for me and baby.


My purpose in blogging about this journey is to have something to refer back to.  Should someone else stumble upon the blog who wants to start the cleanse, I hope they find healthy and delicious recipes and some real life rambling of what really happens to someone whose never done this before.