That's how I feel inside! I made it 21 days. I have lost 11 lbs. I now know that eating things that are good for me are not boring and makes me feel awesome. They recommend easing certain things back into your diet like dairy and caffeine. Don't do it all at once. This AM, I am enjoying my first cup of joe since Jan 3rd. Holy mother of dragons!! How did I go that long? I am trying an almond milk with coconut cream instead of my norm half & half. Let's just say, it's not my half & half, but it will do for now. 

This program is awesome, but let me say with the good there is also the 'bad' and the 'ugly'. 
Bad: I caved and was bad and had wine. I didn't blow up. I didn't give up the day after. I jumped right back on the program the next morning and upped my water intake. I felt great. 
Ugly: Breakouts and such! Ewe. I have a thing for keeping my face clear of blemishes. Why in all the 35 years of my life would I be getting my first cold sore?  The answer is detox or 'die off'. It can be ugly. That's why my after pics will be posted after my face has cleared up, thank you very much. 

I'm looking forward to keeping up with my new eating habits and will continue to drop the lbs that's causing me 'ol people problems'. I'll keep you posted about the progress, however, it's time to get back to our regularly scheduled programming: Healing With Reiki and other ways to heal yourself from the inside out :)

I am so close to that finish line! It seems like it went pretty quickly now that I look back, 21 days has been a significant number in my life and it's funny that it is just now hitting me. In the history of Reiki, Usui Sensei spent 21 days on Mt. Kurama and it was only after 21 days of heavy meditation, fasting, and prayer did he obtain the gift of Reiki. My lucky number is '3' and in numerology, 2+1=3. My favorite card game...21! The angel number 21 basically is encouraging you to have a positive attitude to all the changes that are happening, because new beginnings are about to happen and are ALL good. I embraced this number long before I even realized it! So cool how the universe's synchronicities work. 

I am still feeling great! My sleep has never been so lovely and consistent. AND my jeans have never fit better. I'll be doing a weigh in tomorrow...one day early and can not wait. Measurements will have to wait but I'll make sure to share my before and after photos with those measurements next week!! Someone asked me to what was the worst thing about this doing this cleanse. I answered, "Missing my morning coffee with half and half and my wine!" Then she asked what was the best thing about putting myself through this. My answer came to me very simply, "I am learning what foods my body wants and needs to eat. My habits with my meals have completely changed. My whole life feels like it's about to change and I am actually ok with it." Then I got the goosebumps, which just confirmed what I said out loud. How exciting is this?! Standard Process is seriously awesome and now I want to know about all of the supplements and herbs. 

This weekend I went to Whole Foods 365 and whoa. They had everything I needed and more. I stocked up for the next couple of weeks. I have decided meal prepping is my best friend and will keep me on track, even after I hit the 21 day mark. I got a beautiful Salmon, broke it into portions and made it 2 ways! The first portion of the salmon was fresh dill, lemon, and organic olive oil. I missed having salads last week, never thought I'd say that. I made the caesar dressing in the 10 degrees cookbook and look forward to that with lunch this week. The recipe below is for day 22 because it has local raw honey. At the end of the day, these recipes I have been using are simple. I want the veg, fruit, and/or protein to be the star!  

Honey Garlic Salmon:
2-3 TBS local honey
3 garlic cloves minced
2 TBS gluten free soy sauce
Minced ginger root
2 TBS white wine/rice vineager
Salmon 
Marinade for about 30 minutes (I use a gallon freezer bag for easy clean up) before baking in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Take the leftover drippings from the bag and heat up in skillet. Baste salmon with sauce last 5 minutes. 
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I also made a cabbage soup for this week. Veg stock, cabbage, zuc/squash, onion, and canned organic diced tomatoes. I added spices and fresh oregano, a bay leaf, and rosemary to kick it up. I'm all set for the week! 
Did I mention I love artichokes? They are in season! I prefer them steamed in lemon water and sprinkled with cayenne pepper and sea salt. MMMMM.

Alright! Last night was interesting. Remember when I said I was hungry? Well, let's just say "hangry" is a real word and so is the headache I had driving from south Austin to Cedar Park at 5:30pm. BUT, after my shopping trip last night, I prepped a couple of salads and ate what I felt was a lot. I also quick roasted a red onion with some button mushrooms. I tossed them with a touch of organic olive oil and some Cajun seasoning. It took me forever to eat it! This proves to me that I have been 'speed' eating and not even enjoying food. First light bulb, can't wait for more. 

After a fantastic night of sleep (thanks to Megumi's sleep tonic) I felt great this AM. Especially with my organic, caffeine free tea! I think I bought every kind out there! 

The abundance of all the fresh produce is insane! I had to stop my OCD brain from getting too organized as far as my fridge and food prep goes....I mean what are weekends for? I am anticipating a couple of amazon orders this weekend that will help me with this awesome adventure. I ordered a bulk of food prep containers! Stay tuned for pictures this weekend of the other goodies. 

I'll be headed back to the store for a couple extra things that I forgot while I was buzzing around being hangry. Can you believe I forgot celery? I love celery. 

Hope you all are doing great on your journey. Apparently, the countdown is working for me.... 19 more days to go. See y'all tomorrow!!