Confessions: A Former Model's Food Diary
No Sugar, No Gluten, No Dairy... My 10 Day "Shred" Begins...
Throughout my teenage years I struggled with bulimia - I started modeling when I was 10, and my obsession with food, restricting and purging became a big problem. My face was always bloated. Blood vessels in and around my eyes were burst. I was in NYC for an event with my agency, and in my hotel room, my mom heard me throwing up after I turned the shower on. It wasn't long after, by the grace of God, I managed to stop the cycle of binging and purging.
In college, counting calories, diet pills and exercising 3 hours a day became my obsession. When my drinking and partying escalated from 2011 -2014 I lost a lot of weight. I liked that, plus how alcohol made me feel. I began my sober journey in 2014.
Controlling food was considered an "old way of thinking" - so since 2014, I really haven't made any attempts to control my weight (except during my alcoholic relapse in 2015). Health and nutrition have become top priority.
When I was in India for 30 days, I learned I was addicted to sugar - not uncommon for those in recovery. From a scientific perspective, the sugar can act as alcohol in the blood stream, curbing cravings, and maintaining similar cellular and brain function. Nonetheless, India was a great detox.
I've had issues with digestion since I was a baby, and in search of a holistic way to heal my gut (in addition to a regular yoga practice), I found Juice Plus. A brilliant, and simple way to flood my body with fruits and veggies every day, so that my gut could heal. This amazing community I fell into does a "Shred" once a month to help reset bad habits. I've avoided it until this month - thinking that it'd trigger my old ways. Truth is though, I knew the amount of sugar and caffeine I'd been consuming was only contributing to me feeling sick, tired and sluggish. So I gathered a team to do it with me, and committed to the 10 Day Shred.
Day 1: I weighed in at 129lbs (super close to my heaviest ever) I made it 24 hours without my morning coffee! I got in my 30 + fruits and veggies, and had the most delicious smoothie/shake I've ever tasted for breakfast - Vanilla Complete, rice milk, ice, strawberries and bananas. I had edamame and mung bean noodles with arugala, tomatoes and a little oil for lunch. Watermelon for snack. Pork, rice, beans, fresh salsa and a shake for dinner. Starved at 10pm, at had a handful of dry roasted edamame before bed. For exercise I walked the dogs twice for 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon.
Day 2: I had my 30 + fruits and veggies, an a chocolate shake with a little coffee in it for breakfast. Rice and Tuna for lunch - a childhood favorite - Another shake and my leftover pork, rice and beans for dinner. I can't eat much before yoga and I taught at 7pm. At 11pm I was ravished and had a handful of dry roasted edamame again, with an organic fruit twist, (my first "processed" item during the shred). While I'd love to stop eating after 6pm, {insert excuse} my bed time and late teaching schedule make it difficult. Snacking after dinner is probably my most difficult habit to shred, aside from caffeine.
I'm still REALLY proud of myself, though, because normally I have an entire second dinner before I go to bed, and a lot more caffeine throughout the day... I also walked my doggie twice for 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon.
Day 3: I had a little coffee. I'm having it with rice milk, though, instead of creamer - my 30 + fruits, veggies and shake. I'm really in love with the shakes. Pho for lunch after teaching yoga. Steak, salad with balsamic vinegar, and crab legs with ghee for dinner. Watermelon for desert. I didn't have a chance to eat dinner until 7pm, and I had my watermelon late at night. I'm still working on not eating late, but at least it's all been really healthy choices so far. I jogged 1.5 miles to the grocery store before dinner, and I walked my little dog twice for 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon.
Progress not perfection! I have a week left of shredding to go. So far I feel fabulous, and it's been a lot easier than I imagined. Stay tuned for my results (+ results from those shredding with me) and our review :)
XO - Yogi Brittney
Throughout my teenage years I struggled with bulimia - I started modeling when I was 10, and my obsession with food, restricting and purging became a big problem. My face was always bloated. Blood vessels in and around my eyes were burst. I was in NYC for an event with my agency, and in my hotel room, my mom heard me throwing up after I turned the shower on. It wasn't long after, by the grace of God, I managed to stop the cycle of binging and purging.
In college, counting calories, diet pills and exercising 3 hours a day became my obsession. When my drinking and partying escalated from 2011 -2014 I lost a lot of weight. I liked that, plus how alcohol made me feel. I began my sober journey in 2014.
(This was 2012-ish, I weighed a little over 100lbs, at 5'6")
Controlling food was considered an "old way of thinking" - so since 2014, I really haven't made any attempts to control my weight (except during my alcoholic relapse in 2015). Health and nutrition have become top priority.
When I was in India for 30 days, I learned I was addicted to sugar - not uncommon for those in recovery. From a scientific perspective, the sugar can act as alcohol in the blood stream, curbing cravings, and maintaining similar cellular and brain function. Nonetheless, India was a great detox.
I've had issues with digestion since I was a baby, and in search of a holistic way to heal my gut (in addition to a regular yoga practice), I found Juice Plus. A brilliant, and simple way to flood my body with fruits and veggies every day, so that my gut could heal. This amazing community I fell into does a "Shred" once a month to help reset bad habits. I've avoided it until this month - thinking that it'd trigger my old ways. Truth is though, I knew the amount of sugar and caffeine I'd been consuming was only contributing to me feeling sick, tired and sluggish. So I gathered a team to do it with me, and committed to the 10 Day Shred.
Day 1: I weighed in at 129lbs (super close to my heaviest ever) I made it 24 hours without my morning coffee! I got in my 30 + fruits and veggies, and had the most delicious smoothie/shake I've ever tasted for breakfast - Vanilla Complete, rice milk, ice, strawberries and bananas. I had edamame and mung bean noodles with arugala, tomatoes and a little oil for lunch. Watermelon for snack. Pork, rice, beans, fresh salsa and a shake for dinner. Starved at 10pm, at had a handful of dry roasted edamame before bed. For exercise I walked the dogs twice for 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon.
Day 2: I had my 30 + fruits and veggies, an a chocolate shake with a little coffee in it for breakfast. Rice and Tuna for lunch - a childhood favorite - Another shake and my leftover pork, rice and beans for dinner. I can't eat much before yoga and I taught at 7pm. At 11pm I was ravished and had a handful of dry roasted edamame again, with an organic fruit twist, (my first "processed" item during the shred). While I'd love to stop eating after 6pm, {insert excuse} my bed time and late teaching schedule make it difficult. Snacking after dinner is probably my most difficult habit to shred, aside from caffeine.
I'm still REALLY proud of myself, though, because normally I have an entire second dinner before I go to bed, and a lot more caffeine throughout the day... I also walked my doggie twice for 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon.
Day 3: I had a little coffee. I'm having it with rice milk, though, instead of creamer - my 30 + fruits, veggies and shake. I'm really in love with the shakes. Pho for lunch after teaching yoga. Steak, salad with balsamic vinegar, and crab legs with ghee for dinner. Watermelon for desert. I didn't have a chance to eat dinner until 7pm, and I had my watermelon late at night. I'm still working on not eating late, but at least it's all been really healthy choices so far. I jogged 1.5 miles to the grocery store before dinner, and I walked my little dog twice for 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon.
Progress not perfection! I have a week left of shredding to go. So far I feel fabulous, and it's been a lot easier than I imagined. Stay tuned for my results (+ results from those shredding with me) and our review :)
XO - Yogi Brittney
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