Put this in the “good to know” column.  I worked so hard gardening and landscaping around the house this spring I felt sure I could eat a little more because I was certain I was working it off.

Here is what actually happened, an example of just one day:  I hauled nineteen 40-pound bags of brown mulch in wheelbarrows up and down the hills surrounding my home, ripped them open and distributed them, heaving and dumping, heaving and dumping.  Well, I celebrated my hard work by eating some special things, like gluten-free dressing as a side dish for my chicken. And a little Trader Joe’s turkey gravy.  Had to be healthy if it’s from Trader Joes, right?

What a reality check!  I had gained a pound on the scales the next morning, in spite of all my near-back-breaking work!  This was an excellent lesson:  I need to get to the point of cardio in order to lose, or even maintain if I’m going to eat like that!

The truth is, I don’t do well with this type of food, even if it’s gluten-free. I am better off just to avoid bread products entirely.  And having the gravy…well…it was a moment of weakness; what can I say? Sheesh, I’m on my own back about it!

All this served to reinforce my need to stick with mostly vegetables, raw or crunch-cooked, small amounts of nuts and seeds (which I usually overdo), and maybe 3 ounces of hormone-and-antibiotic-free chicken or turkey, and free-range of course. And fish, as long as it is wild-caught and not farm-raised.

This thirty days will be about seeing how I can decrease my desire for, and assess my need for, animal protein.  We’ve all heard the stories about eating for your blood type, and that Type O blood indicates you come from ancient ancestors who subsisted mostly on meat. It’s in our DNA, they say. So, as a Type O, this month will be an interesting experiment.  How will my energy levels be?  Will I have a sense of wellbeing, or feel a sense of lack?

With all this in mind, here goes: Day 1 of 30

Breakfast:  I decided to do a juice fast for the first part of my first day.  I used two juicers side by side to grind down a quart of carrots, celery, beets and beet greens.  Because I was spending time in the kitchen working up homemade dressings for the next week and doing some writing, I didn’t have my juice until about 12:30, so I also got in a partial fast to start off my experimental month.  Later I’ll be monitoring my blood sugar levels with a glucose meter but for now I want to get some pure nutrients down my throat.

Mid-afternoon:  I brewed myself some liver-detox tea (recipe forthcoming). Warm herbal teas definitely take the edge off hunger for me and help with my detox.  Then I had a smoothie with protein powder (plant based not whey) collagen powder for my skin, then added spirulina, chlorella, turmeric, cinnamon and nutmeg for flavor.  This carried me through ‘til dinner.

Dinner: Grilled chicken patties (humanely raised). Crumbled on a very large salad of romaine, spring greens, heirloom tomatoes, garbanzo beans, red onion, and homemade lemon vinaigrette. Ate at between 6:00 and 6:30, then had nothing further to eat before bed. Just water with the squeezed lemons left over from the vinaigrette. One hour later I did some exercises: went up and down stairs 10-times (got my cardio going then!), 5 mins Pilates floor work, 5 mins lunges, dumbbell exercises for flabby bingo wing arms. I bet I lose some weight tomorrow!