I had been meaning to read Woodstock resident author Kris Carr's "Crazy Sexy Diet" book for a few months now, but when I saw her speak at the Woodstock Writers Festival, I decided to buy a copy, get it signed, and give this vegan diet my best shot. The book has a lot of great information on how to transition into a vegan diet. Carr's voice is very chatty and girlfriend-to-girlfriend and a bit racy sometimes, but if you can accept this, it makes the information easier to remember.
The 21 Day Adventure Cleanse was an interesting ride. She asks you to give up coffee, all meats, dairy, gluten, sugar, and alcohol. I invested in a $99 Breville Juicer, and drank one large green juice every day after my green tea for about 9 days straight. I cheated and had coffee on Day 10. I also had a delicious tilapia on Day 10 too. It was date night, and I couldn't resist! I continued on adding a little gluten and here and there until Day 19 when I finished the diet to prepare for my role as a cupcake judge for the Gardiner Cupcake Festival 2012. Yes, a cupcake judge! I took a bite out of 27 cupcakes so that is 27 bites, which probably only equal to 7 cupcakes right? The day after I went back to the diet for a day because I felt like I had regressed a bit.
The results: My skin looked really good during the cleanse. My energy level was great, but I found I had more mental energy and less physical energy. I only lost 2 pounds, which was surprising since it felt like all I was eating was vegetables, nuts, tofu, and spelt bread. I discovered that I can function okay without coffee, and feel calmer without it. (I am back on the coffee now though!) I really missed fish. It was easier to say no to cold cuts and processed food, but harder to say no to crab cakes and tuna. The CSD will help you figure out what you can and can't live without.
The good thing about the CSD is it is a challenge,and might make a normal diet plan eaiser to stick to. Green juices are time consuming, but they make you feel good! I'm still enjoying green juices 3-4 times a week now and eating less meat and less processed food. Cutting out dairy was really helpful. I'm back to enjoying a Greek yogurt once in awhile, but not eating a million cheese sticks like I used to. (I have stopped buying those low calorie cheese sticks!) There are also great vegan recipes in the book that I found helpful. Since completing my modified version of the Crazy Sexy Diet, I have fallen off the vegan band wagon so I'm going to try revisit it in June (tomorrow). Have you tried Kris Carr's "Crazy Sexy Diet"? How did you do?
