Clean 9 day 4- muscle ache!

I can certainly feel yesterday's kettlebell workout in my quads, glutes & hamstrings. I'm walking round like an old lady this morning.

I had an absolutely appalling nights sleep last night. I woke at 1am and really struggled to get back to sleep.  By rights I should be feeling awful today but I don't & I think that may be the aloe Vera gel working its magic- hurrah!

I'm growing fresh herbs- basil, mint & coriander- in my kitchen to add flavour to my evening meals. The fresh mint tastes gorgeous in a glass of water and absolutely divine as a tea. 

I was in an absolutely foul mood this evening & desperately wanted a glass of wine and a bar of chocolate but I stayed strong. 

Dinner was a salad of free veg plus olives, cheese and avocado. 

Day 3- first weigh in- food!!!

I lost 3lbs & 3.5 inches & was pretty pleased until I saw everyone else's losses. My results were paltry in comparison. But then I took a step back & thought about it. I've lost 3lbs & 3.5 inches in 48 hours. That's absobloody amazing!!!!! 

Today we get two shakes and an actual proper meal for dinner. You know, with actual food. As such we're encouraged to crank the intensity of our 30 mins exercise up a notch. I'm going to get swinging that kettle bell.

Well today went really well. I had loads more energy & thoroughly enjoyed my evening meal of veggie fajitas- veg from the free foods list seasoned with fresh coriander, chilli and lime juice. Complete with two wraps it only cost 444 calories. 

Clean 9 day 2- temptation

Bizarrely enough I went to bed feeling bloated last night. I was feeling quite trim until I had the salad for dinner then bam, hello bloated stomach. 

This morning I've got a bit of a headache and a general feeling of fatigue and yuckiness. I do have RA though so it could just as easily be that. Plus side, I don't feel hungry.

I took my 3 year old son to Costa for lunch and watched him devour a cheese & ham toastie while I sat nursing a pot of green tea. Oh how I could have eaten every single cake in that coffee shop. But I didn't! 

A rather yawny afternoon.  Hoping that this 'energy burst' I keep reading about comes soon. Focusing on the fact that tomorrow morning is my first weigh in PLUS I get to sit down and eat an actual meal!

A 20 minute stroll and about 10 mins of housework make up my exercise today. Not quite managed the full quota today & the exercise level is supposed to step up a notch tomorrow. Must make the effort so that I get the results I want.

It's fair to say I've struggled a bit this afternoon. Bad headache and felt a bit nausious but I've stuck with the plan so hopefully the scales will be kind in the morning.

Clean 9 Day 1

Day 1 of Clean 9 is finally here & I've woken ridiculously early- starving hungry & with the RA aches & pains I haven't experienced for a while. Typical but I'm not going to let RA spoil this for me- I'm in control.

Yesterday felt like the last supper. I had a couple of glasses of Pimms and some of my foodie favourites but I didn't go mad- although the temptation was their!  I've worked hard to lose the 11lbs so I don't want to blow that. I'm seeing the C9 as a kickstart or a boost & certainly not as a fad diet.

Day 1 Breakfast- The supplement tablets are large but slipped down easily with water. The Aloe Vera gel is very bitter tasting and downing two shots of it was not overly pleasant but I managed it.

By mid morning I felt a bit light headed and slightly jittery but that feeling got better as the day went on. There has been great banter on our Facebook group page which has kept me going. 

For lunch I blended the chocolate shake powder with almond milk and a handful of strawberries. It was tasty & I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. 

Tonight I'll be having a plate of salad vegetables from the free foods list. Do you think I'll go to hell if I put a squirt of lemon juice over it?!! 

So all in all day 1 wasn't too bad & I've not felt anyway near as hungry as I thought I would. I feel absolute exhausted though- think I'll sleep well tonight!

Tasting the Aloe gel

I've read so much on Facebook about how awful the aloe gel tastes I thought I'd better give it try so I don't get any nasty shocks on Day 1.  So last night a tried a shot of the stuff. It's got a strange consistency & smell but it's not overly unpleasant & you only need a shot of it at a time. I can do this!!

My personal goals for the Clean 9

Well my C9 starts tomorrow & I'm nervous & excited in equal measure!  I've re-read the handbook about 6 million times in the hope I'll magically see extra food I'm allowed to eat. Days 1 and 2 in particular look tough. But so am I!!

With everything, I believe that planning ahead is the key.  To quote the old cliche: Failure to plan is to plan to fail. Or some such.

I've listed my goals for the Clean 9 and here they are:

1) Sleep better

2) Cut out alcohol

3) Increase energy

4) Get under 11 stone 

5) Clothes fit better

It's amazing to think that those goals are doable in just 9 days. I'm still somewhat sceptical but I hope to be proven wrong.

I'll update on my progress every day.

11lbs gone since Christmas

I've lost my way a bit the last few months & have been gaining & losing the same couple of lbs over and over. Since Christmas I've lost 11 lbs, which is great, but I actually first achieved that in February. It's now the middle of June and I'm still just 11 lbs down.

Enough!!!

Time to take action!

On Monday morning I start the Forever Clean 9 to give me a kick up the arse & kickstart my journey again. 

I'll be blogging every day as accountability is the only way I'll succeed. Later today I'm going to list my goals for the Clean 9- better get thinking. 

I'm going to say goodbye to this chubby face once and for all.