The following is discussion of Day 4 of my 10-day detox. To begin with Day 1, click here.
Finally we get to a day that doesn’t really suck. If Days 1 and 2 were all about caffeine withdrawal, and Day 3 was all about gastrointestinal integrity, then Day 4 was all about settling in.
Probably the most pressing thing about Day 4 was that the food list constricted, and to the point where it starts to be a bit challenging to rustle up lunch or dinner. Removed this time were any grains, nuts, and seeds. So here is the list of things that are off-limits for Day 4: meat, dairy, alcohol, refined sugar, wheat, gluten, all grains (rice, barley, quinoa, oats, etc.), and all nuts and seeds. If you think about it, that doesn’t leave a whole lot. Most whole vegetables are fine, and fruits in general, as well as legumes / beans. After that … well, good luck.
So breakfast was an apple. Snack #1 was one of shakes (full 2 scoops this time) and another apple. For lunch I went over to Whole Foods and basically filled a salad bar container with whatever was OK to eat. Snack #2 was another shake and some carrot sticks with an incredible aji amarillo sauce that a friend at work made and brought to me. Dinner was leftover vegetable chili over potatoes. And that was that. I did have one little cheat and ate a handful of sunflower seeds. Why? Because they were there.
This is a problem with me.
Not going to get worked up over those, though. Based on what I’m doing, a handful of sunflower seeds is not going to hurt anything. I will say, though, that the hardest part of this was the no grains part. Oatmeal is such a no-brainer for breakfast when you’re trying to be good, and think about how much you use rice when you’re eating like I’ve been eating this week. Eating without those is legitimately tough.
No headaches on Day 4. And my belly is still rumbling, and there is still plenty of gas, the gastrointestinal system has basically settled. This is a good thing. I also finished the day not starving, so that’s good, too. Overall, this has not been so bad and I feel pretty good.
Day 5, though, begins the hardest part of this process – the part my guy warned me about. Days 5, 6, and 7 remove the vast majority of the list of available foods and replace “food” with “medical food” in general. I expect to be prepared to eat my arm by the time it is over. Or yours.
If you see me Friday – Sunday, protect your arms and run.
Seriously.
Day 5 is now available to read here
A Constant State of Hunger 
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