Day 22-- The final stretch

I don't want this to be over.

Part of the reason is because I love the routine.  I love not having to think about whether I'm eating the right thing or not.  It has really reduced the stress in my life.

But even more so, I am really scared that I am only a month away from being right back where I started.

I guess the biggest fear is the weight.  I lost another 3 pounds this week bringing my total to 7 pounds which is exactly where I want to be at this point.  But I know any weight loss, especially one so small, is precarious.  Is it water loss?  When I stop doing the detox tea and two shakes a day, will it all come back?

Because I do plan on continuing most of the eating habits I have established these last 28 days, but it is not financially possible for me to continue every aspect.  I hope to find a way to continue to drink a shake in the morning, because it is exactly what I want when I wake up-- something easy to digest and drink, and a little sweet.  It fills me up and gives me enough energy to get me through the first few hours of my day when I can be most productive.  It's double what I would pay on oatmeal and berries in the morning, but it keeps me full longer so I'm not tempted at 10 am to have coffee and a doughnut.

I am also afraid that I will give ground a little at a time.  Part of what has made this detox so easy for me it that it isn't a forever thing.  I have hope that I will be able to add all of these foods back into my diet in varying degrees so that on occasion, I can have that piece of chocolate cake.  But it's so easy for every day to become an occasion.

I believe that the process of this detox, however, has helped form my mental process in these situations.  Last night we had friends over and they brought beer.  Normally I would have had a beer or two even if I was trying to cut back, because it feels special.  And I want an excuse to drink the awesome beer they brought over.  But because I have invested time and money into this process and experienced such valuable results, I stuck to the program.  I didn't even have a sip.  And the world did not end.  It wasn't even that awkward.  The night was still really fun, and I felt good about myself at the end of the night instead of guilty and overly tired because of the alcohol.

That is the main reason I am doing this blog.  I need to read it.  I need to go back and remind myself how I'm feeling now.