A year on... A stone on!! And a fresh start...

I've let things slide lately, and I am not proud of that fact. My weight has crept back to just over 13stone, and I've started to feel uncomfortable in some of my clothes. A telling sign is that I no longer wear button-up shirts. Ok, so not the cheeriest start to my blog post, but hey, things can improve, right?

A little over a week ago I was perusing the wonders of Facebook when a before and after pic caught my eye (and, perhaps more importantly, Scott's eye). It was of a young chap with, let's face it, a bit of a tummy. He was a similar build and shape to Scott, and, like Scott, had a gut. Not nice, but true. The "after" photo caught our attention, because the gut was noticeably smaller, and he looked far healthier. He had just gone through the "Clean 9" detox. An old school friend of mine is a distributor for the Forever Living company, suppliers of "Clean 9" so we asked for some prices for both of us. Now, it is not a cheap fix, easy-win solution, coming in at over £200 for the two of us, but we both felt very much as though we were stuck in a rut, with Scott going to the gym two or three times a week and me... not going to the gym at all. So we decided to give it a try. And at that price, we are not about to let each other fail.

Essentially, the "Clean 9" is a nine-day cleanse or detox, using a combination of Aloe Vera gel drinks, protein shakes and some supplements. Scott is at Sonisphere on Friday, so is starting his on Saturday, whereas I am off work for a week following our trip to Cornwall, so I have decided to start my cleanse today, so here it is...

Day One. Measurements have been recorded, "before" photos in a suitably matching underwear set have been taken, and instructions have been read through thoroughly. I have set myself some targets, most notably around some daily exercise. 

Flo has preschool today, so I have to get her ready before I start off my detox. First I take two Garcinia gel capsules. I really don't know what each thing specifically does, but these are duly swallowed with some chilled water. These are taken 20minutes before my first dose of Aloe Vera gel/juice, so I take Flo to preschool in the interim. I come home to drink 120ml of Aloe. Oh. My. Goodness! This stuff is vile! It is lumpy, gloopy and bitter-tasting, and after the third sip I am ready to throw it back up. Instead I gulp down half a litre of water until the foul stuff is gone. This had better be worth it. 

My mid-morning "snack" is a couple of "Bee Pollen" tablets. These are chewable, and taste like the worlds tiniest digestive, sweetened with honey rather than sugar. Not bad, but hardly a meal. 

Lunch is definitely the highlight of Day 1 as it involves a chocolate protein shake (Scott gets the vanilla). First I take two more Garcinia capsules, then another dose of Aloe. After that, the milkshake feels hard-earned, but is suitably tasty, if a little powdery. Could do with a dollop of ice cream ;)

I've yet to feel really hungry, so I head on through the afternoon with Flo, doing some crafty gem sticking, and make it through to her dinner time without any real hunger. I make some cheese and tomato pasta for her, resisting the urge to do a bit extra for me, and prepare for my penultimate shot of Aloe, this time with Garcinia before and Bee Pollen after.

I head out for a short bike ride, as daily exercise is part of the plan. Arguably, going from a largely sedentary lifestyle to one with some exercise is going to help my fitness even without the detox, but looking at the bigger picture here, if I can do this for nine days, it will feel more like a habit than a chore by the end, and should therefore be easier to maintain. 

One final shot of Aloe before bed sees the end of day one. I will confess to using some Robinsons Squash'd to make the last two doses of Aloe more palatable, but purely because the leaflet in the Forever Living box says it's ok to add cordial or fruit juice. The difference is remarkable, and I didn't even gag on the last one :) 

So here we are. I'm in bed at the end of day one with a bit of a headache, but a glass of water by my bedside rather than my usual squash. Tomorrow is going to be a good'un, I know it!

Day Two. Still a bit of a headache this morning, but I published day one of my blog to keep me motivated. Aloe Vera gel for breakfast, with another preschool drop-off set me up for the day. Much less inclined to "do stuff" today, so I finished watching Grimm on Netflix. Lazy, I know, but "me time" is a rarity. 

I was slightly daring today, and took my Aloe with me when I picked Flo up, as we were heading into Hythe to meet my brother Mike and his little girl Izzy. I decided to leave my shake until I got home... This ended up being 4pm! I still didn't feel particularly hungry, so my appetite must be changing.

One thing I've noticed with this programme is the effect on my attitude to food. I resent others eating, which is obviously not good. Scott made himself an omelette for dinner, and I loved hearing the sounds of good being prepared. I was very tempted by Flo's left-over pasta, more because I hate waste than because I actually wanted it. Thankfully Marmite stepped in and finished the lot, so temptation was gone.

This evening I have felt quite down. This is partly due to post-holiday blues, but largely down to missing the social side of eating. I'm so looking forward to sitting down for dinner with Flo tomorrow night. I will probably spend most of tomorrow planning my 600cal meal. 

Oh, and watching Masterchef is actually torture when you are on any diet, but more so when you are not eating at all!

I will end on some positives: weighed myself this morning, and have already lost 4lbs (and I know this is water, but water takes up space in my body, making clothes tighter, so I'm happy!). Still not hungry! Had a good walk around Hythe, feeling more energised. So excited about eating actual food tomorrow I might pee!