The "Clean" Diet Recap

It has been 12 days since I finished Alejandro Hunger's Clean Diet (1) and I have been able to reflect and feel the changes that occurred over the tough 21 days of strict eating. 

I feel great. 

Renewed even. 

It's a wonderful thing to know your body is in a good state of health. 

(1) If you are interested in the diet, I recommend reading Hunger's book. He resides in New York City.  I also just realized that I have been misspelling Alejandro's name these past 4 weeks.  Oops.  It's Junger...not Hunger... I can be really dumb sometimes.  Moving On

The problem with time stringent diets is once they are done, most of us quickly return to our old habits and usually gain more weight and eat unhealthier than we did before.  People fall victim to this because we train our minds to stop eating the items we have been stuffing our mouths for years over a short period of time.  Over this time, we crave these foods more than any of us can fathom, yet we discipline ourselves with shear determination to stay away and stick to the guidelines to the respective diet we are on.  Then, after the diet is finished, we return to the foods we know and love, our brains go wild.  The mind is so happy to have these foods again, it craves it more than one can handle.

We have all heard of the phrase "Mouth Hunger".  The state of mind where you don't need to eat but your taste buds need to chew on something flavorful.  It doesn't even matter what is, it just craves something delicious in the mouth.  This "hunger" usually ends with Entenmann's Chocolate Chip Cookies and/or Wendy's in the system. 

After a strict diet, this craving is multiplied exponentially.

In two different circumstances, I fell victim to this treacherous ordeal (possibly an overreaction) over the past twelve days.  The four slices of pizza on the last day of the diet and a creme filled brownie seven days later made my brain happy, but my body wanted to give me a wedgie and melvin simultaneously (easier than you think).  Besides that, I have delved into a decent amount of grains and breads but still maintain at least a 51% raw intake per meal.  It's nice to have fruits like strawberries, bananas, and grapes again. 

It is also terrific that I can have a turkey or veggie burger. 

Cavatelli and broccoli is as delicious as always.

Actually, any pasta dish is superbly tasteful.

Thank God for small miracles.

So what did I take from this experience and will use in the future?  I will put it in a professional bullet point presentation (I am very professional):

• Dairy is terrible for you.  Technically, everyone is lactose intolerant.  Our bodies are so adaptable that most of us have the enjoyment of a nice glass of whole milk without feeling ill.  It's remarkable when you think about it. 
• If you are worried about getting your Vitamin D, drink coconut or rice milk or take vitamins. 
• The 12 hours of fasting from your last meal of the day to the first meal of the next day is paramount.  I have to say it was a knowledge gaining experience to discover all of the benefits from doing this simple task.  I will use another bullet point presentation to illustrate and prove my argument (This is getting out of control):
• Allows the digestive system to properly rest
• It takes 8 hours for the digestive system to fully get rid of any consumed food while during sleep (another reason why 8 hours is recommended)
• The digestive system is uninterrupted while trying to remove all of the toxins and waste from your system
• Breakfast is derived from the phrase "breaking fast"
• It aids in complexion
• Promotes good metabolism
• Promotes more hydration to vitalize and lubricate the organs
• Alkalizes the body
• Eating a raw garlic clove with an apple a day--This is really difficult to do because taste buds are so sensitive to the garlic, the body will spasm from time to time (not an exaggeration) but let's again list the benefits of doing something that literally takes 45-60 seconds out of your day (All information supplied in Junger's book):
• Eliminates bad bacteria, yeast, & parasites
• Regulates blood sugar levels
• Enhances fat burning
• Reduces hunger sensations
• Lowers cholesterol
• Relieves Arthritic pain
• Reduces bowel gas
• Before eating or having a morning coffee, drink at least a liter of water
• Drink at least 4-5 liters of water a day
• Don't eat more than 500 calories 2 hours before bedtime

There are many others but those are the ones I plan to follow and already in the middle of practicing on a daily basis. 

If you are reading this, you don't have to follow this diet to change your health and improve yourself.  This is just a difficult way to reboot the system.  It was hard, extremely hard.  I would go out to the bar's with my friends and couldn't have a beer or delve into chicken quesadillas.  Not even a bite.  The cravings are nuts.  The temptation is cruel and relentless.  The mood swings are unpredictable. 

There are ups and downs in this diet, but the positive, is complete worthwhile.  By week 3, I felt incredible.  You can actually feel your body operating on all levels.  It's a very unique feeling and something I don't want to give up.

And this leads us to the point of documenting my path to good health.  There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.  It is common knowledge if everyone eats fruits and vegetables and stop eating junk food, society's overall health will improve, obesity would lessen, disease and cancer will decrease.  So why with this common knowledge is such a struggle to convince so many to change their diet? 

Answer:  There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

I have experienced it and hope you do the same.

If anyone has any questions or concerns with improving your life, feel free to leave a comment. 

Stay Tuned

The "Clean" Diet Days 19 thru 21

I am finished! Finite! Done! However you want to say it, the "Clean" diet is over. 

The last three days were tough, so much that I cracked...big time.  I cheated on Saturday eating whole grain cereal with rice milk (Oh geesh, I hope someone up there forgives me) and I had four slices of pizza on Sunday (a legitimately bad cave in on my part).  I should be upset with myself but it ended up turning into a little experiment. 

About 2 hours after I ate the cereal on Saturday, my stomach starting going nuts.  It didn't recognize what I had put into it.  The grains from the cereal (not allowed in the clean diet) didn't mix well with my body's symmetry.  The body had to instill an incredible amount of energy to digest.

Eating the pizza on Sunday magnified this issue by 2.

This isn't a representation of my stomach not recognizing something I hadn't put into for awhile, but a substance my body doesn't need.  The point of the diet is to hit the reset button.  To reveal the ins and outs of my body by cleaning it out.

There are thousands of people who went on this diet and found out they were lactose intolerant afterwards.  Other allergies became transparent to many others because the body wasn't running on bad fuel anymore.  When you clean out the body, it will dictate everything an individual can or cannot have.  The human body is so adaptive, it finds ways to run on anything after awhile.  It wasn't too long ago where I ate at a fast food restaurant at least 3 times a week.  That is not a typo.  If Wendy's had a customer appreciation program, I would have given the eulogy at Dave Thomas's funeral.  And at the time, I felt great (I know everyone's argument is "But Derek, you were really young and could eat anything and feel fine."That is a fallacy).  I was able to run and play basketball for hours without getting tired.  Then, I started to slowly add healthier stuff to my diet after I gave up junk food for Lent. 

During those 40 days, I didn't eat any fast food, pizza, Chinese food, or candy.  I started to add fruit and wholesome meals (Example: baked chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans) to my diet.  I felt no difference to my body.  Nothing changed in my energy output or at least I didn't notice anything.

After Lent passed, I went to Wendy's for my usual order: Spicy Chicken Sandwich Value Meal (The #6), four 5 piece nuggets (non-spicy), & 2 bacon cheeseburgers (1) because I was so excited to be done with the diet.  By the way, that is not an exaggeration.  I understand a decent group of my closest friends read this blog.  If one of you could be so nice and comment on this and back me up, it would really validate and solidify the point I am trying to make.  Nevertheless, after I finished consuming this glorious mass produced, but not frozen meal, my body shut down.  My stomach started to ache.  Discomfort quickly crept in making a nap completely out of the equation.  I didn't want to move, sleep, or do anything.  It was horrible.  My skin started to tingle.  Body temperature rose.  Felt exhausted and easily agitated. 

(1) Quick Tangent:  My future wife, Lindsay, eats terribly.  She loves McDonald's Chicken McNuggets and is addicted to grilled cheese, chicken fingers, and french fries.  Trying to get her to eat vegetables and fruits is just as effective as trying to take away a smart phone from a teenage girl.  Why am I telling you this?  Lindsay does not believe me I ate worse than she does.  She is legitimately convinced this happened in an alternate universe.  She even hates it when I bring it up because she thinks I am lying.  Who could blame her?  I cringe everytime she eats chocolate for dinner (not a joke) or consumes every piece of meat dripping ribs and leaves ALL of the vegetables on the plate.  The frustrating thing is I have tried everything to get her to change.  I have presented a bunch of information proving why eating a certain way is better for your health short AND long term.  She acknowledges all of the information and is even disgusted at times, yet she won't change one bit......... Phew! Learn to pick your battles Derek, learn to pick your battles, you're in this one for the long haul (which is why I want to improve her health but, ugh, nevermind, I am wasting my energy).

Now, this was 6 years ago and I can tell you with extreme detail how I felt after I ate that meal.  I can even tell you where I was and what I was looking at when the aforementioned feelings reared it's ugly head.  I never wanted to feel like that again.  Since that day, I started to change my diet for good.  I didn't delve into organic, paleo, or juicing diets right away but did start to add fruits and vegetables into my daily intake.  Over time, I did some research.  Watched some documentaries.  Studied reactions to certain foods and read testimonials.   Then, I started doing triathlons and everything I researched became magnified.  I wanted to give myself the best chance to operate optimally during training and races.  My diet became stricter and more organic based.  Each meal, I attempted to eat at least 51% raw and even started to go to 65-70% raw for a few weeks at times.  The change in my body's overall functions were astounding.  I always felt energetic and jovial.  My performances and training improved.  My skin and overall outlook altered dramatically. 

If you are wondering if I am this disciplined all the time, you are greatly mistaken.  I still eat fast food every now and about.  Fried chicken is still delicious.  A good burger is almost impossible to resist and I will always be ridiculously addicted to fruit snacks. 

We all have our vices. I am no different.  But my vices started to become more relevant in my diet.  That's the reason I did the cleanse.  I wanted to get my body back to the point of clarity.  And it was a success.

A great success.

Everything needed to be cleaned out so I can get back where I need to be.  I forgot my ways for a little while.  A nice reminder and reset button is always useful.

I am going to write a synopsis in a few days portraying all the lessons learned from the diet while hoping to inspire any readers to change theirs, but in the meantime, I feel great and will continue to improve myself as I head into the offseason.  I am two workouts and one race away from entering a break in the action. 

Stay Tuned

The "Clean" Diet Days 17 & 18

I am taking two days off from any type of arduous training to give my body some rest.  The long run on Tuesday took a lot out of me and my left knee has been bothering me for some time.  It's nothing serious but after some hard training, it gets stiff.  I just want to play it safe.  Plus, I have a tough regiment planned for this weekend.

Friday: 6 mile surge run
Saturday: 35 mile bike ride
Sunday: 9-12 mile run

It's the perfect way to enter into  tapering mode.  I have already gained confidence from Tuesday's run.  Now, it is time to build off it.  I am looking forward to next Sunday. 

For the diet, I feel the difference now.  I have felt great the past few days.  I am energetic, alert, and nourished.  The shakes, portion control, eating mostly raw, and discipline has brought my body to a new level.  The addition of Goji Berries (1) has improved my nutrient and mineral consumption.  The feeding with different kinds of nuts have fulfilled my calorie needs (for the most part).  It's a wonderful feeling when you are energetic throughout the day.  No 2:30 feeling.  No sluggishness after eating a meal.  Just fueling my body the way it needs to be fueled.

(1) Per foodmatters.tv: "Goji Berries are grown on vines in the protected valleys of inner Mongolia and Tibet.  These distinctively flavoured red berries are a very rich source of vitamin C, having 500 times more Vitamin C per ounce than oranges and actually more than any other fruit.  They are a superb source of vitamins A, B1,B2, B6 and E and contain a full complement of protein with 18 amino acids and 21 trace minerals.  Most of all they are an excellent antioxidant making it an ideal natural whole food for reversing aging and protecting against disease." It is literally an anti-aging human growth hormone.  I have already shared my view on HGH, now I supply you with an all natural PED to improve your life.  I will warn you it is a very expensive fruit since you can only get it from the Himalayas: $22-$28 per pound. 

When you fuel your car, does it run worse or not at all? 

Neither occurs, it operates smoothly. 

Then, why is it so common to feel tired after we eat.  This is not suppose to happen.  Food is our fuel to keep us going, but in today's society, it is the antithesis.  Marketers and business people have even coined a genius phrase to give it a positive spin: Comfort Food.  After you eat a nice piece of fried chicken, you get this warm and fuzzy feeling inside. Feels good doesn't it.  You lie down.  Get comfortable and take a nice nap (my girlfriend nodding in exuberant agreement). That's not suppose to happen!  The body goes haywire trying to figure out what the hell you fed it while trying to utilize and obtain all the minerals and nutrients.  The immune system is triggered to battle anything entering the body over the temperature of 150 degrees.  Then, the digestive system spends hours liquefying the material so the body can use it.  This takes an incredible amount of energy to perform making you feel sleepy and lethargic in the process

In the clean diet, this never happens

Ever

And you don't have to do a cleanse diet to achieve this type of digestive harmony.  All you have to do is three things: 

1. Every meal, eat at least 51% raw and 49% cooked. 
2. Portion Control
3. Water-Drink lots of it

That's it.

If you do that for every meal, you will exponentially improve your overall health. 

The crazy thing, it is simpler and easier than you think.  Order a salad with your burger instead of french fries.  Eat an apple and a pear with your ham and cheese sandwich.   Drink water before you delve into your morning coffee.  Small changes will make big improvements over a period of time.  Be patient.  You don't have to do the "Clean" diet to receive this type of enlightenment.  Just understand you are adding quality and longevity to your life.

Stay Tuned

The "Clean" Diet Day 16

Day 16:

I haven't read the entire book of "Clean" by Dr. Alejandro Hunger, but I have read enough excerpts to understand the goal and process of reaching that goal.  The trials and tribulations.  The ups and downs.  Well, yesterday was the epitome of an up and down.  I felt really good.  Energetic and clean.  I understand that may sound cliche but it is the best adjective I can think of at the moment.  I was able to release a lot of toxins through my bowel movements but was plague by a ridiculously strong headache.  I don't think it was a migraine but it was strong and consistent.  Hunger mentions multiple times experiencing headaches during the 21 day cleanse is normal but don't be alarmed.  Well Doc, it is hard not to be alarmed when I am trying to work effectively with head pains.

The diet may not be the only reason I got a headache.  I have already mentioned multiple times work hasn't been going smoothly, creating a lot of stress in my life in the process.   I also slept on my neck incorrectly causing severe vertebral subluxation (1).  I am not sure what caused this pain in my head, but I am going to go with all three. 

(1) Vertebral Subluxation can be simply defined as your neck and/or spine being slightly or severely out of alignment causing contact with your spinal cord.  Your spinal cord is separated in different sections and each section contains the responsibility of transporting signals to the rest of your body.  Therefore, if the pressure on the spinal cord is severe enough, it can cause an array of problems.  You may not feel it right away but over time, it will deteriorate your immune and nervous system.  If you do have subluxation, go to a licenced chiropractor and get a schedule of adjustments and exercises.  I have seen with my own eyes  people who took medication for arthritis and migraines ended up throwing out their prescribed medicine after their subluxation was reversed.  Subluxation can be caused by a number of items: sleep, sleep posture, posture, and genetics.

So in this bittersweet day, I had a big run planned.  I was worried I may be risking my health by forcing myself running but I had to.  There really wasn't much of a choice because any inclination of getting sick was thrown out the door once I realized I was being a panzee. 

I went out the door with the highest of hopes to return (I was honestly worried I may collapse or something...I can be dramatic sometimes) and finished an 11.85 mile run with flair and exuberance.  And by flair, I mean there was a step in my stride.  I wasn't doing ribbon dancing down Terrace Avenue or doing the Ickey Shuffle...if you were wondering what I meant by flair.

This run became my solace.

My church. 

The release of serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins gave me the clarity I needed.  I have required this type of run for awhile but the timing couldn't be anymore then sublime.  With work, diet and the half marathon coming up, it gave me everything I was craving.  The confidence needed to go into the half marathon without worrying about a lack of performance has been obtained.  The concern of the diet affecting my ability to train properly was answered positively.  And the fear of my job in peril became a distance memory as I know I am good at what I do and it would be silly to think otherwise.

A few months ago, I wrote a post supplying a link to The Oatmeal's "The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run" and I was considering writing my own version because there are a few differences between my interpretation of experiences compared to The Oatmeal's.  However, if I were to write a post about the why, this run would be an excellent example. 

All of those items that were plaguing the last two weeks...silenced.  Major, major items in my life were solved with nearly 2 hours of self-masochism. 

I have hinted at my training being lackluster.  I am not hinting anymore.  My training has been near pathetic.  I didn't feel like doing the race anymore but after this run, I feel re-energized and rejuvenated.  (Laughing to myself as I am typing this) It's a little to late to be rejuvenated since the Philadelphia Half Marathon is only a week and a half but better time than any I guess.  It just feels good to have that drive back.

Plus, the best thing, and I mean the BEST thing about the run, my headache went completely away.

Good Day

In a few of my recent posts, I have left inspirational videos,  here is one of my favorites.  I hope this pushes you to the next level in what ever you need to get done.

Stay Tuned

The "Clean" Diet Days 10-15

The past few days have been tough.  Nothing compared to real problems that unfortunate people have to go through on a daily basis, but first world issues that have bummed me out.  So, that's the reason I have not posted anything recently, not like anyone is holding their breath waiting for my next one (Tiffany, you can breath now), but I have experienced better days.

Work has been tough.  My job is somewhat in peril and it is sobering to say the least.  I don't want to get into it but it has affected my workout regime.  I took off Wednesday and Thursday, ran 6 miles on Friday, played flag football on Saturday and was a complete piece of crap on Sunday.  I even cheated on the diet on Sunday.  I caved.  I needed some bad carbohydrates so I devoured cavatelli and broccoli.  It was delicious but I did feel bad doing it.  I just don't like to quit on things (shoot to my father disagreeing strongly) and I almost quit the diet whole right there and then. 

I didn't but to make things even more pleasant to my failures, I found out I was cheating on the diet without realizing it. 

Remember when I was harmonizing in the revelation I could have sushi?  I was wrong.  You can't have raw fish. 

Eff

Really?

Raw Fish?

I don't know the science of it but author Alejandro Hunger strongly urges not to have raw fish as it is detrimental to the cleanse process. 

Translation: This is a microcosm of my recent struggles. 

It is going to be difficult to properly reflect on this diet without adding the psychology altering the results.  I admit it is fabulous I can have a meal and feel energize afterwards but with the recent troubles with work, I feel it is affecting me mentally, spiritually, and even physically. 

My latest runs have been lackluster.  On Friday, I planned to do a tough 11.5 mile run but cut it to 6.  I was terribly stiff and couldn't break out of it.  I tried different things, even added some surges to try and loosen things up.  No dice.  My body restricted itself from performing at a higher level, which was extremely disappointing since I had a great breakthrough with the cleanse.  I felt wonderful during the day and feeling the two days rest would have revitalized my stride and training output.  Not the case. Quite the contrary to be exact.  It happens from time to time but I felt this one to be different.  In the runs I feel stiff, I usually breakout of it by mile 4 at the very latest but it would not go away.  With all of the stress, emotion, and lack of calories, it has affected my ability to train properly.  

Stress affects us in ways we can't even imagine.  Even today's science can't put their finger on it.  With all of the bearing pressures each day presents, it can damage our ability to perform in physically daunting tasks.  It doesn't even have to be athletic.  It could be stuff you do in your sleep.  Hell, it  affects your sleep too!  Then, you start to question things that are usually second nature.  It destroys your confidence and damages your personality.    Stress does strange things to the human body.  The best sociologists and neurologists can't figure it out because stress affects people differently and is dictated by the situation and environment. 

I usually handle stress very well but this one is defeating me.  Maybe I feel this way because this can affect Lindsay and I a great deal and I don't want to put us in that position.  She goes through enough as it is (and I am including my day-to-day BS), she doesn't need my failures to affect her success. 

The point I am trying to make is I am going through a wave of feelings and emotions since I started this diet and I can't figure out which is what.  Is starving myself of needed calories damaging my ability to feel good? Or is it stress from work?  Or both?  I can't properly answer that elementary question.  All I can say is I am going to push this, get back on track and finish this diet.  I have learned a lot and the lessons will be taken into account when I return to my normal diet. 

Now, I will leave you with this video because I am going to get on the bike and ride for an a good hour. 

Stay Tuned