Core Restore: My 7 Day Journey

Okay, I am going to be totally, brutally honest here. I have never, I mean never, stuck to the entirety of a cleanse. I mean pretty close, but I have never been entirely faithful to a cleanse the way it has been intended. So, when the opportunity to do Core Restore came up, I groaned (inwardly of course, and maybe a few times outwardly too).

But then I thought to myself, “Ughh- you keep complaining you want things to change, well, change something for yourself.” I have been planning a wedding- stressful, had a scary family event- stressful, career is stressful and getting our house in working order- stressful. I try to mostly do the right things, and eat well, move my body every day, etc, but I found myself recently indulging just a bit too much. And with that indulging has come cravings! Those sneaky chocolate cravings were hitting every night, and I was giving in.

So, Lyndsey says, let’s do Core Restore as a group! And I’m like, well, I am fully capable of being unfaithful to myself (LOL) but I could NEVER with a group of people. I have no choice but to be accountable.

Days 1-2

Optional fasting, but of course, I do the fasting. Fasting did include 4 scoops daily of the Core Support powder, unlimited water and herbal teas.

Ummm, I was terrified. I love breakfast, I love coffee; I was thinking to myself, there is no way I can do this.

But then I started thinking a little differently: I was like, “if I can’t do this, what does this say about me? About my state of mind?” So for the next, very hungry, 48 hours, I proceeded to say outloud to myself quite often, “Christina, you can literally do anything for 48 hours”. I was still skeptical.

I was prepping for being able to eat on Day 3, and it was an act of God to not give in and chomp on the berries I was prepping, or the chia seed pudding, or the avocado pudding. But I resisted! By the end of night two, snuggled up with the pups and future hubs, I said to Joe, “you know, I’m hungry yes, but I have literally no cravings.” Mostly, I was suffering from a somewhat killer headache that was caffeine withdrawal vs detox, or combination thereof.

Day 3

We can eat!! Sweet relief!

I had a full day of clients at Soleil so came prepared with a breakfast smoothie, prepped fruit, and rice cakes with almond butter. I had a “coffee date” with a potential employer, and went with an iced green tea without anything in it. Was so proud!! I was still suffering with a dull, low grade headache, but eating definitely helped.

I had a minor breakout along my jaw line. And that’s always fun because it is the game of “Am I ovulating? Or is this my liver detoxing?” Let me tell you, the quinoa stuffed peppers we had for dinner on  Night 3, that could have been a 7 course meal prepped by a Michelin star chef and I would have been like yup, nope, the peppers are better. A clean, whole food dinner never tasted so absolutely delicious.

By this point in the cleanse, I was still not experiencing any cravings which was just crazy to me! But such a relief.

Day 4

I was at my other job in New Britain for the day with a packed schedule: 3 new consults and several follow ups. I prepped another breakfast smoothie again and some cleanse-approved snacks. At this point in the cleanse, I did have some bloating and some abdominal discomfort. I also had some nausea. I drank a mint tea at bedtime in lieu of my typical chamomile which seemed to help with some of those symptoms. Also, going to bed early when hungry or having these symptoms is also incredibly helpful!

Day 5

This day was a kicker.

I had to deal with some family stuff for the day which was exhausting. I had drank a breakfast smoothie, and then had a non-dairy yogurt with berries for a late morning snack. The day had gone much longer than anticipated. Fortunately, I had prepped two rice cakes with almond butter and raisins.

By the afternoon, I was hangry and cranky. Stress on top of significantly reduced caloric intake= sassy Christina.

I had to share a rice cake with my mother (who was also going through the cleanse and we were about ready to lose it by this point in the day). I had been mindful earlier in the morning that it was going to be a long, arduous day. I prepped sweet potatoes for the Shepherd’s Pie (with pea protein crumbles for us veggies). And boy, oh boy was I happy I did that.

After dinner, I was tired down to my eye lashes, so Joe was on clean up duty and puppy duty. I was told I fell asleep within 5 minutes of my head hitting the pillow.

Day 6

So, by Day 6, I am feeling great!

I intentionally did not work out this week, but I moved a bunch; long walks with the dogs and tasks around the house kept me busy and kept my steps upwards of 12-15K per day. I was exhausted, but in the best way possible.

Day 6 brought its own new challenges: the first day on the cleanse with an event! I had a dear friend’s baby shower that was not an option to miss (shout out Klaudia and Baby Daisy!). I made it a point before the cleanse to have read the booklet that accompanies it cover to cover. I knew all of the “approved” foods which really helped me to intuitively eat while at an event with friends. Plenty of water for hydration! And I loaded up on salad, salmon, and veggies.

Saying no to the dessert table did not even feel like a struggle. Go me! (At this point I was feeling very proud in case you can’t tell!). That same evening, we went to a friend’s house for dinner. I thought ahead: I made the Spinach and Strawberry Salad for everyone to enjoy and brought some left over quinoa stuffing from the stuffed peppers to ensure I was full enough off of more than just the salad.

Luckily, my friends don’t think I am a total weirdo for bringing my own food places.

Day 7

Came sooner than I expected! I feel proud by this time that I have “stuck to my guns”. I did not cheat myself of this experience. Remarkably, I am still without cravings. My skin has cleared. I slept quite well the entire week (save for one night I was up but this was through and through an anxiety problem).

Day 7 coincided with Father’s Day which again brought some challenges while on a cleanse.

For part one of the day, we hosted Joe’s father and stepmom for brunch (by design), so having control over what I ate earlier in the day was much easier. For the latter part of the day, we went out to eat with my family. Again, I thought back to the booklet and just chose what would work best for me. I cannot tell a lie- saying no to the gelato bar at dinner was a bit difficult but hey- can anyone really resist gelato??

All-in-all…

I really feel the last 7 days has allowed me to get back in touch with myself.

Still no sugar or carb cravings. I resisted the coffee this morning (on would-be day 8) and stuck with green tea, though I know that will not be a forever thing for me. Coffee has a bit of a morning ritual about it that I wholly enjoy. My sleep has been excellent and my stomach has for sure gotten flatter. I did not measure using the scale; me and the scale are currently beefing, and it detracts for me, I see those numbers and I self sabotage.

We didn’t need any of that this week! So, I am going based on how I feel in my clothes, level of energy, and just overall wellness. I would recommend this cleanse entirely and I absolutely plan to do it again in the future. I love the idea of doing it a few times a year as a “reset”. And believe it or not, Joe has expressed that he will do it with me in the future, which I think will be even better to have a physical partner in crime!

I cannot say enough about the community of folks that did it alongside me and chatted it up in Slack. There were times my self resolve was not so great but then we would get a group message in Slack, someone confessing they were experiencing the same feelings as myself, and I would feel this camaraderie, and this sense that I needed to continue for my fellow “Core Restorers”.