February 2016

So it’s Super Bowl Sunday and we are finishing up the core restore. I feel pretty good, there is a sense of relief knowing I can eat my comfort foods again and have the occasional glass of wine or dirty martini – shaken not stirred. The weight loss for me was minimal – about 3.5 lbs. The whole process was very eye opening with regard to the expense of healthy eating and the trouble finding good wholesome foods. I always knew our American diet was pretty bad, but this really shed some light on the magnitude of the problem. The shakes and pills are at their end, and I hope I’m at least 75-85% detoxed. My toxins begrudgingly left my body, but they left. I fasted most of Sunday, not for any particular reason but more because I wasn’t hungry. Once again I had some pretty intense cravings, but no abdominal discomfort or constipation.  It was hard to prepare to watch the “big game” knowing no wings, blue cheese or alcohol would pass my teeth. We had chicken and wild rice for dinner – it was delicious. We will be adopting some of the Core Restore recipes for our daily meals moving forward. The other thing we decided to do was to really reduce the amount of processed flour in our diet – to the point of buying a hand grinder, millet and amaranth. We will keep you all posted on that project.

I really want to extend my congratulations and sincere appreciation to all of you who joined us in this process. It warmed my heart to see so many fool heartedly agree to jump in and try this out. We will likely hold a Spring Wine and Cheese Retox party at the clinic – in preparation for the hot summer ahead.  I would also like to extend a big “thanks” to my Ortho Molecular Rep. Layla for all her insight and willingness to facilitate our group detox. We will be adding a nutritionist in the coming weeks at our clinic – Integrating the integration of wellness. I hope all of you who need help in the nutrition, weight loss and healthier eating departments keep her services in mind.  Sandy has years of experience and is ecstatic about being part of our Alamo Ranch community.

Lastly, I want to leave you with a quote from Oscar Wilde paraphrased as such, “Everything in moderation – even moderation.” So have fun with healthy food, smile a lot, laugh a lot, cry a little and raise a glass to life, friends and all the good things we enjoy. God bless and live well.

Dr. Sanchez

Now Patricia’s turn:

My 7 day journey will end today, and I am constipated. It’s obvious my distaste for water has caused some uncomfortable abdomen sensations. Constipation is something I rarely deal with but knowing it can be relieved by water has committed me to get over my fears and realize that drinking 3-4 Liters a day is my new way of life.  My total weight loss has ben been 5 lbs. I am very excited to know that 5 lbs in 7 days will be the jumpstart to my weight-loss journey. Unfortunately, I am at the heaviest I have been in over 7 years and this detox is just the starting point for my journey, not just for weight loss but for overall wellness. I love to cook and Teo has always encouraged my passion by purchasing multiple cooking books from sauces, french cuisines to desserts. Im looking forward to finding recipes and modifying them to a healthy calorie conscious meal. Eating clean is expensive and time consuming but I love my family and I want my loved ones healthy.  I want to teach our children that food can be enjoyable and medicinal. Its unfortunate that organic, non-GMO food is limited in our local grocery stores, I truly believe it should be the norm not the exception. I did speak with our Local HEB rep. and expressed my disappointment about the limited resources. He seemed very open to my suggestions and validated my requests to incorporate more  organic healthy items. Hopefully in the near future, we all can have variety of “clean foods” as we do with all the processed food- like substances that fill the grocery isles. This experience has been overall educational and rewarding. I have learned that prepping is key and planning is essential and to be creative with substituting foods that you have on hand. Lastly, I would like to thank everybody who has taken their time and commitment in joining us in this journey. Please feel free to log into the portal and discuss your journey and recipes…….God bless, Trish

Day 5: Woke up with a bit of a headache, not nearly as bad as yesterday’s. I am still having hunger pains and cravings – I guess that’s the meat eater in me. I actually wanted oysters just out of the blue. Once ago had a little organic green tea with lemon in the morning to get going. Energy has been pretty good, and I am looking forward to the lunch and dinner. The shakes are getting easier to drink, and I have been keeping up with the water intake. My abdomen is definitely flatter and I feel like I have lost a few pounds. I have had no gas, no bloating, no tremors and no discomfort. I am moving my bowels twice a day, and my urine amount is back to usual. I’m unsure why I diuresed so much the first two days. Sleep has been hit and miss, not really improved versus pre-program. For lunch we had the stuffed poblano peppers, they were really tasty and filling. I was joking about having a Spring Wine and Cheese Retox at the clinic – may need to follow thru on that. Really wanting to be done – as I am craving a nice steak. It is hard to take your kids for a great burger and drink water waiting for “shake time.”

Day 6: Getting close to the end – woke up today with no headache. I don’t require much sleep – so energy and sleep are about the same. I had the quinoa and raisin “oatmeal” for breakfast. Once again noticing a flatter stomach, and more sensitivity to sweet flavors. I decided to just do the two shakes later in the day as my meals and only dinner – to try to drop a few more pounds. I will push the water and keep craving my favorite foods. I’m not sure why I am craving so much, almost to the point of not wanting to eat today. I usually eat pretty healthy, but I guess I mix in enough “badness” that I balance out. Trying to eat ultra-clean all the time has proven rather unsatisfying – I want my own diet back! Oh well one more day, and it’s Superbowl Sunday to boot.

Patricia’s turn:
Day 5: I was able to get 30 minutes of extra sleep which made a load of difference. I actually woke up refreshed, except I woke up with 3 new pimples in areas that I rarely have. I skipped the morning shake and had the cinnamon raisin delight for breakfast. I substituted the chia seeds with cooked quinoa, it was actually pretty satisfying. Lunch included the a.m. shake and the quinoa stuffed peppers. Thats another recipe keeper. Today, I craved my normal Diet Dr. Pepper but I pushed through and drank water and water with lemon. I still think I’m not drinking enough water, but at least the dizziness episodes have past. Dinner included organic Chicken tortilla soup minus the fried tortillas, but 1 hour later I was craving for badness, I toasted some almonds and had some raisins for a snack with my p.m. shake. I have to say raisins were extra sweet. Which satisfied my sweet tooth. Urine is continuous and the BM’s are daily. Really hoping those are toxins trying to escape. I have lost a total of 3 pounds.

Day 6: I slept in this morning and woke up refresh and full of energy. Morning included the Cinnamon Raisin Delight with Quinoa and my Core Restore shake. I have gotten over the texture issue and I think it will be my go to snack. I’ve been with a dry mouth all day, so I figure it’s the lack of water. I have to say having a day off and being at home has messed up the normal routine. I haven’t been able to drink enough water. I had some sunflower seeds for a snack which probably hasn’t helped the dry mouth. Tonight will include the Chicken and peaches. I was hesitant to add the peaches because I’m not a big fan of sweetness with my meats, but i followed through and was pleasantly delighted. Tomorrow is the last day of the detox which for me is just the beginning. I really think this diet has revived my taste buds. Believe me, I do crave badness but having a healthy home made meal has kept the craving at bay. I really enjoy cooking, it’s the shopping and post clean up I am not a big fan of.

Day 3: Still going – and feeling pretty good. I have been drinking a lot of water and today we get to eat. I am grateful for the calories because the past two days I have felt a mild brain fog that I usually feel when I haven’t eaten. The strawberry spinach salad for lunch was really good, not filling enough but good. After the hunger pains I had last night I’m thankful for anything to eat. I drank more water than the previous two days, and have had an unusually high output of urine. I’m not sure if this is a detoxification effect or just a natural diuresis. Dinner was the spaghetti squash and meaty marinara sauce. The smell of the fresh herbs and onions cooking was amazing – unfortunately the Chianti Classico wine was not on the Core Restore menu. As we ate the dinner I couldn’t help but crave a thick buttered garlic cheese bread slice – hwaaa hwaaa. The shakes went down better today and we stuck with the original recipe for those. The toxins and mucous are definitely exiting, once again no pain or cramping.

Day 4: Woke up with a bit of a headache, I’m not sure if this was hte weather change or the detox. I had some green tea and water early in the morning and that seemed to help. Also had an earlier BM than the previous days. I have been craving bacon and eggs for breakfast, unlike juice cleanses in the past, I seem to be having more cravings for comfort type foods. We tried the chocolate banana shake – I didn’t like it all and found myself choking it down. I drank a bunch of water to get rid of the taste of the cocoa. Lunch was a small spinach salad and some left over spaghetti squash and marinara. I am feeling pretty good, no real fatigue or aches – and the brain fog lifted with all the eating. I think it was a calorie thing. The second shake was the original formula. For dinner we had the chicken and cauliflower recipe – the fresh herbs were savory and the chicken was cooked perfectly. I had another BM in the afternoon – so went twice today. I am getting the feeling that I needed to do this detox, and once again I thank my patients for encouraging me to fit this into my busy work life. Feeling good and down about 3.5 lbs.

Patricia’s turn:
Day 3: Im really not a morning person, it typically takes a hour to really get me going, but today seemed to take more effort to get going. I guess my toxins are getting the best of me. But, this mornings Mixed Berry Smoothie went down a lot smoother than previous shakes. I followed the recipe to the T, except I added my mango flavored Orthomega fish oil. Either Im getting used to the taste or the slight modifications using the blender is helping with the initial grittiness. I actually played hooky from work and went grocery shopping. I went to our nearby HEB off Culebra and 1604 and was surprised how long it took to do the grocery shopping considering the limited organic groceries they had on hand. $294.89 and 1 & 1/2 hours later Im back at the office preparing our lunch. I decided to make the strawberry/avocado salad . I omitted the onions, olive oil and balsamic vinegar ( only because those items were at home), but I was grateful to be able to chew again. I’ve really been trying to drink more water, so I’ve been adding some organic lemon slices to enhance the flavoring. Dr. Sanchez was hungry at 3, so we had the rice cakes with almond butter. It was okay, not my favorite ( but I paid $7.00, so I made sure I ate it all!) If anything It did make me drink a couple of more glasses of water to help with the cardboard texture. Ive been using a fitness app to keep track of my calorie intake, its actually a cool helpful device to assist with the calorie tracking. You scan the item and it adds all the nutritional information and keeps log for you. I find that very helpful, especially since I want to keep my calorie intake less than 1,400. By evening, I was fussy and fatigued. At one point while driving, I nearly fell asleep, its a good thing we live close by. Dinner was the Spaghetti/Marinara sauce. I love spaghetti squash, so it was a delightful dinner. The sauce was flavorful- I’m sure it will taste even better tomorrow once it has had time to enhance the flavoring of the fresh herbs. I do recommend adding more than what it is recommended. I essentially doubled the herbs (oddly you always need more fresh herbs compared to dried herbs when cooking) I added crushed pepper flakes and omitted the mushrooms (only because I forgot them). I used 1lb of organic beef, which made 6 servings of food (yay, we can have left overs for lunch). The toxins are making their way out, my first BM since we started fasting (YAY).

Day 4: Once again, the morning was truly an obstacle. I feel exhausted even after 8 hours of sleep. I actually had some dizzy spells this morning. I tried the chocolate banana smoothie recipe with the added Orthomega fish oil, I actually had to add some stevia to help with the taste. I don’t think we will be doing that recipe again. It required a couple of glasses of water to get that taste out of my mouth Lunch was last night’s leftovers (really glad Sanchez is okay with leftovers, but at this point he just wants food! LOL) We had the strawberry-avocados spinach salad and spaghetti squash/marinara sauce, (which I was right, the flavoring was much better today). I’ve been urinating at least hourly, I think that’s a record for me. I hope its all the toxins coming out, because I have had more dizzy spells during the afternoon. I had my p.m. shake at 5 for a snack. I was actually able to get home by 7:00 which allowed me time to cook dinner and tomorrow’s lunch. I made the roasted chicken without the potatoes (I’m going to have to call Orthomolecular rep. and complain, they didn’t add the red potatoes to the grocery list) Instead of the mashed cauliflower, I roasted them in the oven with a tsp of sunflower oil and salt and pepper. Dinner was really good, that’s a recipe that will be repeated. Tomorrow will be the Quinoa stuffed Peppers. I charred some poblano peppers on the stove and peeled the skin and followed the given stuffing recipe, I put them in a glass pan and put it in the fridge for tomorrow. Excited to see how that recipe comes out. I’m down 2.5 pounds, from Tuesday. YAY……..

So we started the detox as planned February 1st, even though the brochure recommends doing so on a weekend. I unfortunately worked a day and night shift in the ER over the weekend and felt starting a detox in the middle of flip-flopping shifts was a bad idea. I have done juice fasts and cleanses before, but never with a group of patients and friends. SO lets start with the shake and hydration.

Day 1: I cheated a bit and had some coffee in the morning because I drink a lot of coffee and was worried about a bad caffeine withdrawal headache. I purchased some organic green tea for the rest of the cleanse to get some caffeine and to stay awake on any night shifts coming up. The shake I thought was pretty good, a bit gritty but good. It has the smell of Jell-o pistachio pudding from when I was a kid, so it was easy to drink. I chased it with a glass of water. I was very busy in clinic Monday thankfully, so drinking the 3 to 4 liters of water was tough. I didn’t experience any discomfort, but I did get a little hungry about 8pm. I drank some water and the feeling passed. First day went about as I expected, urine had a distinct odor and was concentrated – so I need more water. My bowels did not move today.

Day 2: Feeling pretty good, no coffee to make in the morning so I had more time to get to work. I drank 8oz of green tea and had some water at about 9am because I woke up thirsty. I actually had some hunger pains growling in my stomach by 9:30am. I had my shake and pills at about 10:30am which seemed to calm the hunger a bit. I drank a lot more water and proceeded with my day. The shake tasted better today for some reason. I did feel a little brain fog in the afternoon, not sure if its the detox process or the lack of extra calories. I had a BM in the afternoon, no pain, bloating or cramping, there was obvious toxic stuff moving thru and out of my system – I apologize for the TMI (sorry peeps). All in all energy was good, more hunger pains in the evening and still a touch of brain fog. We will see what eating brings and the work of chewing. Good luck to you all – we are definitely off to a good start.

Patricia wanted to give you her perspective:

Day 1: Ok, lets not beat around the bush, the first morning shake was gritty and dare I say not quite indulgent as Dr. Sanchez expressed. Our first shake was with 2 scoops of Core support powder, 6oz of unsweetened almond milk and 2 oz of water and 1 tsp of Orthomega liquid mango fish oil. I am a member of the LP(a) club and I figured I would continue my omega fish oil in addition to Alpha base supplements. An extra 8oz of water was used to wash down my first shake. First, I would like to say I am anti-water. As a previous full-time ER nurse and kidney stone patient, water is the route of all evil. In the ER we are always running around and drinking water leads to “peeing” and nobody has time for that. Additionally, drinking plenty of water leads to flushing out your kidneys and that means flushing out those pesky painful stones. (I know, I know, thats why you drink plenty of water in the first place to flush those stones and help prevent them from reoccurring- thats why it is said that nurses are the worst patients) If you ever had kidney stones you know exactly what I am talking about……….By 2pm I was barely on my third 8 oz glass of water and my urine was dark, making me realize I really needed to step up the water intake. By 5pm I was sluggish and craving carbs. I am a woman and women need Carbs! 9 pm I am finally home, exhausted but not very hungry, just very thirsty. I had my evening shake (same a.m. mixture minus the fish oil ) however, the p.m. shake went down a little smoother.

Day 2: I woke up this morning with a dry mouth and moody. This morning’s smoothie I decided to mix it up and instead of adding the extra water I mixed 2 scoops of Core support powder, 6 oz of unsweetened almond milk and 2 oz of ice with my Orthomega liquid mango fish oil mixed it up in my nutri-bullet. It was creamier and actually tasted better, less gritty. At lunch time, I indulged myself with some organic green tea and chased it down with water. Water and work. Water and work kept me going until 9pm. We had our shake (8oz almond milk with 2 scoops of Core support powder shaken not stirred:) I served it in a martini glass, I figured I would fool my eyes. Day 2 no BM, Im really going to have to push the water. The toxins must come out!!!