The Pilot’s Detox Recap

Hi friends! Hope you’re enjoying the day! I’m going to be sharing the full detox plan (what we ate and did) later this week, but in the meantime, I asked the Pilot if he’d mind chiming in with his thoughts. He kindly wrote a blog post for me, which is below. Hope you enjoy! xoxo

Hey, I hope you had a good weekend. Ours was pretty nice. I took Liv to her Saturday morning ballet class (where Gina caught up with us after teaching Zumba). We had a nice lunch together, then Gina and I cleaned up while Liv napped. After she woke up, it was time to divide and conquer again. Gina went to PB to knock out some Winter Shape-up pics, so I took the kiddo to a friend’s retirement party on Coronado. My buddy did it right with live music, catered Mexican, and a bounce house for the kids. There was even a rainbow which later turned into a double-rainbow (what does it mean??).

rainbow

It was a great start to the weekend, but Saturday also marked the end of our 3-week detox. Gina asked if I wouldn’t mind writing a post about it, so here it is (NOTE: if a change in diet makes you uncomfortable in any way, then you might want to skip this one).

So, this all started when I driving to work one morning, and some dude being interviewed on the morning talk show I was listening to described a detox he does, and the positive effects he felt. Now my curiosity is piqued. Could a change in what I eat honestly change how I feel that much?? At the time, I always felt sluggish after lunch, drained by the time I got home, and not exactly bursting with energy, in general. Plus, caffeine usually leaves me feeling a little jittery. So, why the heck not?

I talked it over with the wife (who was happy that I’d be eating a little healthier), and we came up with a game plan. I eliminated caffeine, alcohol,  dairy (except butter in the pan while cooking eggs), wheat, processed food, and refined sugar. Typically, I partake in moderation, but cutting them completely was something new. Planning and prepping everything to make it through the work day was the most intimidating aspect .

The first few days were a kick in the pants. I had headaches; my stomach felt weird. On top of that, I always felt slightly hungry (despite eating constantly).  Fortunately, those feelings quickly faded, but they were replaced by the frustration of trying to add variety to eating plans. Talking to Gina and doing some of my own research solved that problem.

All of a sudden, food had flavor again. I was never too far from spicy hummus and those little bell pepper things. Our fridge was full of fruit, veggies, almonds, smoothie ingredients, chicken, moderate amounts of red meat, etc. We stayed on top of the weekly meal planning (which was key), and quickly found ourselves on cruise control.

detox chicken

I admit, I was initially skeptical of this whole thing. I went into it with an open mind, but I didn’t expect anything dramatic. However, after about a week and a half, that’s exactly what happened.  The post-lunch, sluggish feeling was gone; actually, the sluggish feeling was just gone in general. It wasn’t like I just had some coffee, it was like I just had 10 hours of sleep. Don’t get me wrong, I still got tired from time-to-time, but not the “somebody just put 100 lbs. of chains on me” kind of tired. Also, my complexion improved, and some areas of my skin that were tinted in spots due to sweat and constant contact with my uniform completely cleared up. For the record, I was impressed with the results.

That brings us to Sunday. I decided to eat what I would normally eat before the detox. It…it was awesome.

great maple

Chorizo and cheese egg scramble, snacking on Liv’s French toast (they didn’t have kids’ sizes and she was jonesin’ for some), and mimosas from Great Maple. For lunch, we had random things from the farmer’s market and a green smoothie (yeah, I know, but it was actually pretty good). Dinner was pizza from Pizza Nova. Oh, and a beer or two followed by some wine in the evening watching the rest of the Super Bowl. Overall, it was some great food from some great places.

As far as the detox goes, I’m glad I did it. I’m going to incorporate a lot of the foods I ate during the past 3 weeks into my regular diet because I really appreciate the way I felt. If this is something you’re curious about, I recommend giving it a try (run it by your doc and all that). I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was.

So, that’s it. Detox in a nutshell. Hope you guys have a great week, and thanks for letting me share my experiences with you. Cheers!

after fancy nancy

(carousel ride after seeing the Fancy Nancy play)

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22 Comments

  1. Linda @ the Fitty on February 2, 2015 at 3:22 pm

    Sounds like just eating healthier in general! I thought when you said detox, it was going to be some cleanse with juice or something. 🙂

    Eliminating dairy is hard–good on you! I’m successful 3 days in and so far, so good.

  2. Brynn on February 2, 2015 at 3:58 pm

    Awesome post to hear all reviews if the three weeks. I’d love to know how the Pilot stuck to it; was there a goal or was this simply a test? Wondering how I can get my husband in board since he’s always feeling sluggish.

  3. Ashley @ A Lady Goes West on February 2, 2015 at 4:01 pm

    Love hearing from the Pilot! You guys make a great team to complete this detox together. Nice job! 🙂

  4. Crystal on February 2, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    Nice to hear a guy’s perspective on this! My husband and I did something similar to this together and it was interesting to compare our experiences. We ate a lot of baked salmon and drank a lot of smoothies when we did ours, haha

  5. Lindsey on February 2, 2015 at 4:43 pm

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts! It’s nice to have a males prospective on a detox!

  6. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul on February 2, 2015 at 5:23 pm

    Way to go on the detox! My husband would freak if I suggested a plan that eliminated carbs and dairy. That makes up 90% of his diet! haha

  7. Taca @ A Side Of Dessert on February 2, 2015 at 5:51 pm

    Thanks for sharing! It’s great to read both perspectives and it looks like you guys rocked as a team, way to go!!

  8. Megan @ Skinny Fitalicious on February 2, 2015 at 6:22 pm

    It’s always great to hear from the Pilot. You guys have a very similar voice. 🙂

  9. Livi @ Eat, Pray, Work It Out on February 2, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Awesome detox review, thanks for sharing! If only I could get my boyfriend to try this!

  10. Diane on February 2, 2015 at 6:50 pm

    Love his perspective!!!!

  11. Stacy @ Sweating Tulipz on February 2, 2015 at 8:42 pm

    Thanks for sharing this experience! The first few days of a new way of eating is usually the worst! Glad you made it through it and feel remarkably better! I’m excited to hear the deets of the detox!

  12. Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment on February 2, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    So nice you guys did the detox together and the experience was a positive one. Loved the guest post!

  13. Leah on February 2, 2015 at 9:03 pm

    Thanks for the post, Pilot! Loved hearing your thoughts. Wish my husband would give this a try just to see how he feels. Thanks for sharing.

  14. Missy on February 3, 2015 at 2:13 am

    That breakfast looks amazing.

  15. Jess on February 3, 2015 at 4:20 am

    Loved reading this! Guys have a great way of cutting to the chase.

  16. Nikki on February 3, 2015 at 5:36 am

    I wish my husband was as open minded as yours!

  17. brittney on February 3, 2015 at 7:01 am

    “Those bell pepper things.”

    Pilot! Nice post!!

  18. Amy on February 3, 2015 at 9:08 am

    It’s great to hear from Gina’s husband and get his perspective on detoxing! I should really try one. My fiancé follows a gluten free diet due to Celiac’s disease and I go with that with dinners and on the wknds since we eat together:) I feel great since we eat more healthy that way….but I don’t seem to want to give up a nightly beer……yet.

  19. Tracy on February 3, 2015 at 10:52 am

    I will be sharing this post with my husband as he’s not nearly as receptive to the idea. I think it would be much easier to be successful if we both followed the plan. Thanks so much for sharing the pilot’s views!

  20. valerie on February 3, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    Thanks for sharing your detox experience! I can’t wait to hear Gina’s perspective also.

    So out of curiosity – how did you feel after eating that amazing meal at Great Maple? Did you notice a difference at all? How have you feel feeling post detox since adding back in a few of your regular foods?

  21. Michelle on February 3, 2015 at 5:20 pm

    My husband would never try this. He is always supportive of me but has no interest in eating cleaner himself. Way to go Pilot and thanks for sharing

  22. Our 21-day detox plan on February 6, 2015 at 4:54 am

    […] you guys know, the Pilot and I finished up a 21-day detox together. The Pilot’s recap of it all is here! The Pilot was interested to see how changing his eats would affect his energy levels, and I asked […]

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