Today I start the Isagenix program. I may not blog here every day, but will hit the "big" days: today, of course. Day 3, when I take my first post-starting measurements. My first cleanse day. Day 9, the second set of measurements. Etc.
8 a.m. Ionix Supreme. This is a "tea-like" drink that you're supposed to take 1-2 times per day before your shake. My kit included a powder (it also comes as a liquid), you dissolve one scoop into 6 oz. of room temperature water, then drink it. (They suggest over ice or as a warm tea.) It looks like apple cider, and kind of smells like apple cider (the second ingredient is apple juice concentrate). It tastes like banana. For me, that's a problem: there are only a few foods that I have never ever in my life liked, and banana is one of them. So I dumped it in my shake (some people in the group had mentioned they do that). To be clear, there's no banana in this product. That's just what I taste. I suspect it may be the kiwi, which does sometimes taste like banana to me. (I will explore the liquid for my next order; you only need to take one ounce of liquid 1-2 times per day, and if I can do a "shot" of it, I can probably manage that.)
9 a.m. IsaLean Shake, Dutch Chocolate. (OK, I was supposed to do the Ionix at 8 and the shake at 9. Actually, since I'm supposed to be at work at 9, what I should have done was the Ionix at 7 and the shake at 8. Since I didn't wake up until 8:30, obviously none of that happened. I tried the Ionix, and then make my shake right after.) You mix two scoops of shake mix (powder) with 8 oz. of water. I was advised to add ice for a thicker, creamier shake. (Crushed ice preferred if using the IsaBlender that came with my kit. I have a Ninja so I used regular ice cubes and it processed them well.) The taste is OK -- of course with the Ionix in there I still tasted banana, unfortunately. Tomorrow I will try just adding the powder (rather than the 'reconstituted' liquid) and maybe that will make a difference. I'm not crazy about the texture; it's a little too thick for me. No doubt there will be some trial-and-error and tweaking until I get to my preferred consistency.
10 a.m. I finished the shake. You're supposed to drink it within about 10 minutes of mixing it; obviously I failed that, but at least I managed to drink the whole thing. For my second shake, I won't have the Ionix (so I can see what the shake itself tastes like -- it does smell really good) and I'm going to try blending it without any ice.
11 a.m. I'm getting a little hungry. I need to drink more water -- I should have about 7 bottles a day, apparently, and I've just finished my first one. I need to structure this a little more, I think if I schedule water like I'm scheduling shakes, I'll do better. I'm supposed to have a snack about now, but I'm going to push it back a bit. I have exercise class tonight and I'd like to have my second snack shortly before that. The base schedule I'm working with is:
8 a.m. -- Ionix Supreme
9 a.m. -- First Shake + Natural Accelerator
11 a.m. --- Snack (100-150 calories)
1 p.m. -- Second Shake + Natural Accelerator
3 p.m. -- Snack (100-150 calories)
5-7 p.m. -- Dinner
Today, though, I work out at 6:30 p.m. I also rarely eat dinner before 9 p.m., much less 7. So I need to adjust, something like this:
8 a.m. -- Ionix Supreme + First Shake + Natural Accelerator
11 a.m. -- Snack
2 p.m. -- Second Shake + Natural Accelerator
5 p.m. -- Snack
8-9 p.m. -- Dinner
That gets me closer to reality for my lifestyle. I also need to pick up some good snack options. Today I'm having the Sargento nuts/cheese snack mix, because I just bought a bunch of them and I don't want to throw them out. They're in the right calorie range, and while they're not exactly Isa-approved because they have processed products, they're still better than a Hershey bar! (I am excited to find that I can have 10 asparagus spears plus a hard-boiled egg as a snack, though. I need to go buy asparagus and eggs -- I should have planned starting after a less-busy weekend!) I also brought an IsaLean bar, which is an on-the-go shake substitute, but you can also have half of one as a snack (120 calories). I suspect that will be more filling than the cheese and nuts, so I'll have that as my second snack before my class.
12 p.m. I have a fairly solid headache. Probably in part due to caffeine withdrawal (I was advised to cut back on caffeine on the days leading up to starting the program, but circumstances didn't really support that notion!), and partly the weather. It's nothing unbearable, I haven't taken ibuprofen for it yet but if it's still hanging around at 4 or so I probably will. Exercise class is twice as difficult with a headache. Had my snack of nuts, fruits, and cheese. This is the type of situation where you want to eat each piece one at a time and chew it 100 times, so that it takes longer to eat and you feel like you've got more food! (And actually the snacks I have are a little over the calorie count, at 180, but I'm not going to sweat it.)
2 p.m. Second shake. I was going to blend without ice, but I can't seem to get my IsaBlender to work. User error, I'm sure, but I didn't feel like fiddling around with it, so I just shook up the shake mix. It's still super-thick, but the taste is much better without the Ionix in it.
6 p.m. OK, this bar is yummy! It's the Nutty Caramel Cashew. Hope it will keep me fueled through my workout.
8 p.m. Maybe not the best idea to start a massive calorie reduction diet on an intense exercise day. Fortunately today was more strength training than cardio, but still, I'm feeling pretty weak and shaky. I doesn't help that I totally did not plan ahead so have nothing for dinner, and need to stop at the grocery store.
8:30 p.m. I bought some ham lunchmeat and ate a few slices in the car on the way home. It helped stave off the hunger a bit.
9 p.m. Dinner at last! Small chicken breast, yellow and orange peppers with a splash of balsamic vinegar, and a handful of raw almonds (pan-toasted after the chicken and peppers were cooked). I almost threw up halfway through -- I don't know if I was eating too quickly, or if balsamic on an almost empty stomach isn't the best idea. I avoided it, though, and finished my dinner (eating much more slowly just in case).
12:30 a.m. Fell asleep on the couch (per usual), heading to bed now and took an IsaFlush on the way. I don't feel hungry at this point.
No comments :
Post a Comment