The Apple Cleanse

OK, as my last post eluded to I decided to complete a 4 day apple cleanse.  This is something I have wanted to do for a few years now.  Not only for the health benefits, but also the mental benefits.  I chose to do the apple cleanse because it was simple and realistic.  I did not want to do a long drawn out cleansing diet that would last a week or more and I also did not want to eat nothing and drink just water.  This cleanse was the best of both worlds; it was unrestricted with how many apples you can eat and I had the option to drink other beverages than water.  I definitely knew I would do my best to limit the volume I would be eating, but figured that couldn't be that difficult seeing all I would be eating would be apples.  I found several websites laying out exactly how to perform the apple cleanse and most all of them had similar information regarding how to go about it and why to consider doing the apple cleanse.

Why?

The apple is very nutrient dense and contains high amounts of soluble and insoluble fiber.  One type of fiber that apples posses is pectin, which has excellent detoxification properties.  Pectin thickens into a gel like substance in the body and will not bind to water.  It not only will help lower cholesterol, but it will also remove acids from the intestine.  Pectin has also shown to aid in removal from metals throughout your system.  Apples have high amounts of water in them which aid in keeping you hydrated and removing unwanted materials with the excess water.  Apples are also alkaline and aid in balancing the pH in your body.  All in all, apples make for an excellent detoxing food!

How?

It's very simple.  Follow these 5 easy steps:

1. Eat a light dinner the night before you plan on starting your cleanse, preferably a salad with fruits and vegetables, and a glass of water.
2. Eat nothing but apples for the next 3-5 days.  You can eat as many apples as your body requires.  When you are hungry, eat an apple.  You can also drink apple juice or cider, as long as they do not contain any added sugars.  Drink plenty of water throughout the day, preferably warm water.
3. Drink 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil the night of the final day of the cleanse.  This will help prepare your system to begin eating food again.
4. Avoid excess tea and coffee.
5. Begin your first day off the cleanse with a light breakfast with simple foods.

Day 1:

First, let me start with the night before day 1.  I did what was not recommended to do and treated myself to Cold Stone Creamery the night before, for a last hoorah.  The only reason it was recommended to eat a small dinner was to not shock your system that it "may be too hard" to not eat as much the very next day.  But frankly, I didn't care.  I woke up and I obviously wasn't hungry, but as I fed my daughters breakfast, I kind of wished I was going to be having a bowl of cereal with them.  I jumped on the scale to get a starting weight and I weighed in at a solid 180.4, about 5 pounds heavier then when I raced IMWI.  Sarah and I had plans of going to Y in the morning and I had intentions of doing the 9:15am spin class, so I did not have any apples before.  I went directly to the Y in a fasted state, of sorts, considering how much I ate the night before.  After spin class and showering, I wanted to remain in a semi-fasted state and tried pushing off any food for as long as I could.  I ate my first apple around noon.  I also went against recommendations and had tea, but it was a detox tea which was caffeine free, so I figured it wouldn't hurt.  We did our grocery shopping as a family and by the time I got home around 2:30, I had eaten 3 apples.  I also bought some apple cider and made myself a warm glass of apple cider to have while I put away groceries.  I had another apple as I put away groceries and then got ready for my afternoon nap, as I had to go back to work that night.  I got to be around 3pm and then woke up around 9 to go to work.  This was when I broke one of the rules of the apple cleanse, I had a 16oz cup of coffee.  If I wasn't on 3rd shift, I would have no problem giving up coffee for a few days, but I thrive on coffee to kick start my night.  Other than that, I packed a lunch pail full of apples, not knowing how my hungry I would get at work, but again tried pushing off any apples for as long as I could.  I didn't eat an apple until about 11pm and then had about another 1-2 apples while at work.  During my break around 1230am, I had another detox tea.  I didn't have another apple until around 5am and then 2 other at 7 and 8:30am, while I drove home.  After getting home I had another detoxing tea before bed and then went to bed around 11am.  Right before going to bed on Saturday morning I weighed in at 177.8.  So far, I am not minding the diet.  It is very tolerable and I am surprised at how satiated I am staying, simply by eating nothing but apples.  I feel pretty normal, maybe a slight headache, which is supposed to be normal, as this is a sign that your body is processing unwanted toxins from inside your body.  I have definitely wanted to eat other foods than apples, but I like apples so it's not too bad.  This is exactly why I chose the apple cleanse, because I thought it was very doable.  As of today, my plan is to continue eating just apples through Monday night into Tuesday morning at work and then eat a normal light dinner on Tuesday night.

Day 2

I woke up a couple times in the middle of the day (my night) on Saturday.  This isn't out of the ordinary for me, as I often wake up during my sleep for various reasons, but not only did I wake up, I woke up hungry.  I fought it off and just tried to get back to sleep.  I was able to kind of fall back asleep, and finally woke up around 6pm.  I felt good not as hungry as I was in the middle of my sleep, probably because, I tried not to think about it.  After getting dressed and such, I made a cup of hot apple cider, and tried putting off eating anything until I felt it was necessary.  I had my first apple around 7-7:30.  I then made my pot of pre-work coffee and did some light work on the foam roller and about 10-15 minutes of light stretching.  I then had a couple of small apples cut up with cinnamon on them.  I am not sure if cinnamon is technically "allowed" on the apple cleanse, but I figured since it helps control and stabilize blood sugar, it shouldn't hurt.  I then left for work and was feeling rather satisfied.  I packed a lunch pail full of apples to help get me through the night.  I didn't eat off them and only had an apple when I couldn't bare the hunger.  I think during my 8 hour shift I ate a total of 5 apples.  I also forgot my large water bottle full of apple juice at home, so I stopped at a gas station and bought a couple of small bottles of organic apple juice.  After work, I planned on getting a short 5 mile run in on the Wiouwash State Trail.  Knowing that I am restricting my calories to some degree, I did not go out with any planned intensity.  I actually set an alarm on my Garmin to go off if my heart rate goes over 155bpm, which is my predicted theoretical aerobic heart rate zone.  The run was awesome, I was comfortable and relaxed.  I am thoroughly enjoying the fall trail running.  I am not a "chi running" kind of guy, but if I was, I would guess to say that my trail runs have been exactly what chi running is about.  After my run, I ate 2 apples and drank a bottle of apple juice.  I came home, had another cup of detox tea, showered, and weighed in at 176.4.  I ended up getting to bed shortly after 9:30am.  I got to get some sleep, I picked up a 4 hour block of overtime, which means I'll be at work from 6pm-6am.  Yippee!!!

Day 3

I woke up again feeling pretty hungry before I wanted to really get up, but once again, just put it in the back of mind and fell back asleep.  I actually woke up around quarter to five and got ready for work and was out the door around 5:15pm.  As I did the past couple days, I wanted to put off eating any food or juice as long as I possibly could.  Tonight, that was until 8pm.  I ate my first apple of the night at 8pm.  The rest of my 12 hour shift went pretty smoothly and ate probably about another 7-8 total apples.  I must say, I have been staying very satiated then I imagined with this diet.  I figure I have been eating and drinking around 1,000-1,500 total calories, with pretty much zero fat and zero protein.  So all that considered, I honestly haven't felt any different, other than I pee constantly and I am a hungrier more often.  Other than that, there has really been no mental challenge with this cleanse/detox, as I had initial anticipated.  After work today (now into Monday morning), I went home and rode my indoor bike for about 30 minutes at a very casual pace.  After showering, I had my final apple with a mug of hot apple cider.  I also took down the recommended 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil.  That went down super smooth and also wasn't as bad as it may seem.  I weighed in today at 173.0 pounds, 7.4 pounds less then I was on Friday morning.  The last food, other than apple products I have eaten was about 84 hours ago, on Thursday night.  My plan is to put off my dinner until as late as I can tonight, so probably around 8pm.  So, in the end I will have gone a total of 96 total hours away from food, 4 whole days.  My dinner tonight will consist of a spinach salad with an avocado, carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, and extra virgin olive oil.  Not a real heavy meal and light enough to ease my way back to food, yet at the same time, diverse enough to satisfy my craving of real food.  After my Monday night dinner, it full steam ahead with my new approach to food.  I realistically will not go 100% ketogenic, which would require me to consume no more than about 30-50g of carbohydrates.  To put that into perspective, that's the equivalent to 1-2 bananas a day.  That is also taking into consideration that the other food you eat does not contain any other trace amounts of carbohydrates.  My goal simply is to limit my consumption of processed carbs and try to increase the amounts of healthy fats I eat on a daily basis.  So, foods such as, avocados, olives, salmon, chia seeds, nuts (not peanuts), nut butters (not peanut butter), sardines, full fat yogurt, full fat cottage cheese, full fat cheeses, and olive oils while become staples in my diet.  I will still consume carbohydrates in the form of fruits and vegetables, but that is pretty much it.  No more pastas, grains (maybe an occasional wild rice), breads, bagels, or simple starches such as white potatoes.  That is going to be the most difficult, the grains.  I love oatmeal, I love breads, and I love pasta.  I will still eat it, I won't lie, but I hope to eat it sparingly, such as once or twice a month.  I really want to give this a true solid effort and not cut corners.  Come January, I really want to know for a fact whether or not this is something I want to continue and if it works for my body or not.  So, wish me luck!

Off Season Diet

March of 2012, weighing about 175-180

I have always wanted to do a short 3-5 day cleansing diet.  I know that I eat a pretty clean diet, at least cleaner than most.  But,  I do have weaknesses.  Especially, over the past month.  It seems as though I have been making up for lost time since finishing the IM.  My diet has been more of an "eat what I want, when I want it," type of diet.  I have had beer, lots of processed foods, breads, crackers, granola bars, cereals, sweets, and ice cream.  It has been a complete 180* shift from what I was eating - and even then, my diet while training for the IM wasn't what I intended.  It was kind of tough, since I was always hungry.  I was constantly eating.  I tried to eat healthy, nutrient dense foods, but sometimes, a simple granola bar, or bowl of cereal was just easier.  But now, my training volume has dropped off the face of the planet.  I went from 15-20 hours of training a week, to about 4-5 hours a week...tops!

My post Ironman trip to Mexico, still hovering around 175

Back in 2009, and about 155, with a marathon PR of 3:03

Also, since I started working 3rd shift full time, my body has changed.  Not terribly, but the difference has definitely been noticed.  When I started with Winnebago County, I weighed in the range of 155-160 and now, I'm in the range of 170-175.  That's 15 pounds heavier!  Over the past year to year and a half, I have really wanted to get back down to that 155 range, which was lean and fast.  Weight can have a significant effect on running and biking times.  It's estimated that simply losing 10 pounds can result in a decrease of 15-20 seconds per mile in a 5k, which can knock off nearly a full minute, with everything remaining constant.  That crosses over to nearly a 10 minute decrease in a marathon time, with no change to your fitness, just weight lost.  For cycling, it's a little more difficult to estimate, but it's said that for a 160 pound rider riding up a 5 kilometer climb at a 7% grade, it would take an estimated 30 seconds longer for every additional 5 pounds of body weight added.  So, in other words, if a rider were to lose 20 pounds, they could do the same 5k climb a whole 2 minutes faster!  It's pretty obvious that there is a direct correlation to weight and speed in running and cycling.

High Cliff Triathlon, 2009

In attempt to drop my weight back down to the 155-160 range, I will begin a rather strict diet that will not only allow me to drop the excess weight I have put on over the past 2-3 years, but also fuel my body appropriately to be an efficient endurance machine (hopefully).  I will start with a 3-4 day cleanse/detox to clean out the system prior to initiating my new diet.  Starting on Friday, October 4th, I will start an Apple Detox.  It's pretty simple actually.  Eat nothing but organic apples, drink warm beverages, and drink either apple juice or apple cider.  I can eat as many apples as necessary to stay satiated, but there should be an fasting element to it.  At the end of the 3rd or 4th day, it is recommended to drink 2 tbsp of pure extra virgin olive oil to assist with processing whole food again.  I am choosing to do this cleanse/detox for a couple reasons.  First, it is something I have always wanted to try for the mental aspect as well as the health aspect.  Second, it will aid in starting a new style of eating for me.  Lastly, it will give me a head start with getting used to the lower daily caloric intake.  I have definitely been used to stuffing my face every day.  The past year I have eaten like a grazing cow, just throwing what ever is in front of me into my face.  And that needs to change.

Another from the Fox Cities Marathon, 2009

After completing the fast I will begin eating a higher fat diet than usual.  My plan is to not follow a strict diet each and every day, but to eat generally less food in volume, but much more nutrient dense food.  I will basically eliminate carbohydrates completely and increase fats and protein.  If I were to guess, while I was in the bulk of my Ironman training i ate about 70% carbs, 15% protein, and 15% fat.  My plan, now, is to be more around 15% carbs, 20% protein, 65% fat.  Why in the world would you eat so much fat???  Well, the human body burns fat as its primary fuel source at lower intensities, including low intensity exercising... i.e. running, biking, and swimming.  Many ultra runners and serious endurance athletes follow this type of diet, also called a ketogenic diet.  I want to at least give this diet a shot and be able to say I tried it.  I will not follow it to the letter, as many ultra marathoners do.  But, rather follow it closely, while still supplying my body with sugars when it needs them, such as before an intense 5k or short duration of a race.  My goal is to ultimately turn my body into a lean, light, fast, efficient fat burning machine.  A typical day would look something like this...

Breakfast (eaten late in the morning after a 12-16 hour overnight fast) : Avocado, with a few eggs
Lunch: Nuts, vegetables, fish filet
Dinner: Salad with sardines

Pretty basic, eat clean, eat unprocessed, and know what the hell your eating!

I want to give it a serious attempt before I quit.  I want to do it for 3 months, I figure that will allow me to develop an honest opinion on it as to whether or not I feel any different or if it is even worth it.  That will bring me to the new year, January 4th, 90 days.  It will be a new challenge of sorts, but a fun one - and what better time to try something like this than now.  I have no concrete plans for the future that I need to be concerned with, so if I fall flat on my face and find out the diet isn't for me and my fitness suffers, oh well.  I can at least look back and say, "hey, I tried that once."