Day 7

The end.  I made it the full 7 days.  I won't weigh myself until tomorrow morning to get the actual pounds, but even after todays 9 pound total, I would have to say this diet works.  Today was fruits and veggies all day again but now I was able to add vegetable juices.

For breakfast, I literally took a spoon to half a watermelon and went to town.  I love watermelon.  I left it on the table and every time I walked by, I ended up having another bite.  I ended up eating the whole thing before lunch.  For lunch, I grilled up two portabella mushrooms and topped it with a spoonful of salsa.  I'm loving the salsa as a topping.  Changes everything up a little.  Nothing else was very exciting for the rest of the day.  I bought some green juice from Whole Foods that was all organic and straight vegetables.  It was the grossest thing I ever tasted, I couldn't finish it.  I'm not sure how people do just juicing for weight loss.  I give you credit.  Now I know there are other combinations for juicing, but if they're anything like the one I had today, I'll pass.  I did buy a carrot and beet juice that I will be trying in the next couple days, but I don't have high hopes.  Dinner was a beet that I boiled the other day.  It was bland and I didn't really care.  I wasn't starved, nor was I craving anything.

My energy level today was really low.  It actually said on the website that I would feel weak today and they weren't kidding.  All I wanted to do today was nap.  Again, I didn't love the temptations I found being home.  I think knowing the end was here, I wasn't as motivated to avoid.  Today was the only day I cheated.  My cheating included - one sour patch kid and 2 peanut butter m&m's.  They were delicious.  And I didn't feel that badly about it.  My biggest cheat was when my husband made my favorite vegetable drink in the whole world... a Bloody Mary.  Mmmmmmm.  It was tomato juice and it had a stalk of celery that I ate, which was approved for today.  Maybe the shot of vodka wasn't but I looked at it as a celebratory drink.  I didn't end up finishing the whole thing, but I'll admit it was delicious on the way down.

Again this slight deviation from the plan didn't kill my spirits.  I lost 9 pounds in 6 days and my plan is to figure out how to keep it off.  I refuse to live my life where I can't enjoy food.  I want to eat a brownie every now and then, I want to enjoy a cocktail with my husband.  In turn, I want to stay active and eat smart.  This is the balance that I will find in my life.

So here are my recommendations if you want to try this diet:

1.  RESEARCH.  Please read all the varieties of this diet.  There are a ton of them out there.  Some plans are slightly different than others.  Different recipes for the cabbage soup, etc.  I found mine on www.my7daydiet.com.  I like the information they gave me about each day and the reasoning behind what I was doing.  

2.  Try and find a stretch of 7 days where you'll be able to commit yourself to this diet.  There will never be a perfect week where you can place yourself inside a bubble and hide from the world.  But if you really want to do it, you won't let yourself make excuses. 

3.  Have a plan for after the diet.  I'm thinking that I will be cutting out more carbohydrates and sugars from my diet.  I'm also planning on finding some exercise routines that will help me, too.  Right now I've been doing a lot of cardio but I need to mix that up.  

4.  Find someone to do this with you.  It's easier to suffer with another.  Though my husband didn't do the actual diet with me, he was extremely supportive, making the whole thing much easier.  

5.  It's only 7 days, but make sure you stay busy.  It keeps your mind from thinking about food all day.  Like I've mentioned, I found this easier to do during the work week than the weekend.  

6.  Would I do this diet again?  Probably.  Besides being tired today, I've felt really good, healthy.  A detox every couple month might not be a bad idea.  Even if its just a recommitment to myself.  

Thanks to everyone that followed along!  If you've been inspired, please let me know how it goes for you!  Maybe you did something differently and still had great results.  I'll be sure to let everyone know how I've been able to maintain this weight loss, if I can.  I'm guessing I'll put back 3-4 pounds, but hopefully that's it.  I'm still another 10 pounds away from my ultimate goal, so this was just a little boost to continue forth!

Now I'll go back to writing about crap that no one cares about.

xoxo -k.

p.s. Thank Jess, for the little inspirational quote above!  Gotta love pintrest!  I'm sure you found this quote right next to the recipe for the "best piece of chocolate cake ever"!