Week Two

AOIBHLINN GALLAGH-ER

Week two in the Operation Transformation house. And all is well! Two colonics down, four to go, but, hey, who’s counting?

The past week has been infinitely easier than my detox weeks, Caroline now has me on an 80% alkaline foods, 20% acid foods diet. To give you an idea, meat, fish, eggs, oats and wheat products and alcohol fall into the acid category, whilst many vegetables, fruit and brown rice, nuts and seeds fall into the alkaline category. This means a lot more variety to my diet, which was a welcome relief. It’s not easy sticking to it 100%, I find I have to eat a bit of meat or an egg at lunchtime, so I’m doing maybe 70%-30%.

What I have also been asked to do is have a smoothie replace one meal a day, not any old smoothie, but one with fruit of your choice, a variety of seeds, lecithin, flax oil, fruit juice and either goats/soy milk or natural yoghurt. I have to say it is delicious, and very filling. I have it for breakfast and it easily keeps me going until lunchtime. Overall I don’t find myself in any way hungry, which is a great revelation to me, I don’t need to eat around the clock after all!

On the training front, Jillian has upped the ante this week, an I was a bit stiff and achy, but I survived. I’m now doing interval training on the bike and cross trainer, and circuits of squats, lunges, push ups, crunches, tricep dips and even the plank.

Never again will I be amused at a person struggling to hold the plank position, I know your pain! I do feel a lot fitter already though, and even though I’m tired and ‘glowing’ in the immediate aftermath of the training sessions, I feel great later.  The biggest bonus of the whole programme so far is, I’m now down 13lbs on my own scales and I’m down about 1½ inches each on my waist and hips, with 1 inch of my chest and ½ inch off each of my legs. I didn’t expect that much that quickly!

MARY CRUISE

With great gusto and loads of support from my husband, family and friends I have embarked vigorously on my new life.

This is the second week and I am now so focused that I don’t feel too deprived. While the detox diet was strict (no dairy, alcohol, sugar, salt, tea or coffee) I felt that it was the only way to go. No point in messing around doing a ‘bit’ of a diet every now and again!

Thankfully this week is different with a wider variety of foods available. I am becoming intrigued by food and its composition around acid and alkaline consistency.

My weekly training in the fitness centre in Castlecomer is going well. I thought that after the first session that I would be just dead and very sore but with Jillian’s support and encouragement I am finding the level of exercise that I now can do has increased. I have now started walking. I change my route most evenings not to get bored and I find that this works a treat.

Its now the end of week two and I have just had my first colon cleansing. I was really dreading it so much at first but with the benefits in mind I decided to be brave about it. It was not as bad as I had thought and but I did feel a little queasy afterwards. By the next morning I felt ok again.

My food focus has changed and I now (for now anyway) think differently about food. My ambition is to lose four stone by Christmas so with that in mind I intend to lose 1.5 pounds a week in the first six weeks.

I just love clothes and for that reason alone I will do it. I have a hectic social life and find it very hard to find clothes that are really nice. Most larger clothes I find are swingy and unstylish. This is all going to change. Its all about to happen!! In fact I was thinking of buying a really nice smaller rigout, leaving it hanging where I could see it daily and just imagine myself in it very soon!! Not a bad idea.

WEEK ONE

AOIBHLINN GALLAGHER

One week into ‘Operation Transformation’, so far, so good.

I actually started a bit earlier than a week ago, finding out that I won a place on March 31.  I spoke to Marese from the Ultimate Health Clinic the next day and she asked me to follow the detox diet as per their website.  ‘No probs’, says I, and had a look – it consisted of porridge (made on water) for breakfast, along with a kiwi or a slice or melon and some McCambridge brown bread.  Lunch was a bowl of veg soup, made from potatoes, carrots, parsnips and broccoli, while dinner was chicken or fish with vegetables and potatoes or brown rice.  I started it on April 2, it didn’t seem too severe, my only concern was that as I am still nursing my baby so I hoped it wouldn’t affect my supply, but Marese reassured me that it wouldn’t.  I also was to take some supplements – acidophilus, evening primrose oil, aloe vera juice and colon cleanse capsules.  I only managed to take the acidophilus and evening primrose, as I had to get the colon cleanse from the clinic and the aloe vera wasn’t compatible with feeding the Babs.

The first few days weren’t too bad, I had a headache – tea withdrawals I assume, and I was fine with feeding the baby.  I strayed a little off track on Easter Sunday – I had lamb for dinner, and a small piece of chocolate cake afterwards, but on Monday it was back on the straight and narrow.

Come Wednesday and I went to Castlecomer to meet Jillian, my personal trainer (how LA is that?!!) and Caroline, who runs Ultimate Health.  Jillian weighed me, took my vital statistics and  Caroline also weighed me and examined my tummy and said I needed to do the detox for a bit longer before starting the colonics.

Another week of detox – aaargh!!! Actually, it wasn’t too bad, nor was I particularly hungry, I was just finding it monotonous.  Anyway, I got through it.  I got started on my personal training. Jillian is great and encouraging and she worked me hard but had me wanting to work hard!  The training sessions flew, were very varied and I’ve already some stuff I didn’t think I was capable of yet. As for the colonic, let’s just say it was one of the more unusual experiences of my life!  It was a bit uncomfortable and strange at times, not at all sore, and I have to say afterwards I did feel very good. Caroline made me feel very comfortable and helped me relax, then we chatted away as she proceeded with the treatment and it was over before I knew it.

So far on my own scales I’m down 9lbs, which I am really pleased with, I have a long way to go but, as my Dad says, ‘tús maith leath na h-oibre’!  Until next week!

MARY CRUISE

When I first heard from Ultimate Health in Limerick that I was one of two winners for Kilkenny’s own Operation Transformation I was just astounded. When news of my win spread to my circle of friends everybody’s reaction was the same – best thing ever.

I had tried every diet under the sun for many years. I am just great at the beginning but after a few weeks I succumb to a Chinese or whatever and bang goes the diet – yet again.

So with great guts and loads of support from my husband, family and friends, I embarked on my ‘new life’. Starting with a week’s detox – I was just so focused that I didn’t feel too deprived. While the detox diet is strict (no dairy, alcohol, sugar, salt, tea or coffee) I felt that it was the only way to go. No point in messing around doing a ‘bit’ of a diet every now and again.! This was serious stuff.

I did feel more tired at first (and I am never, ever tired) and felt headachy for the first week which is normal for detox. I then also started training in a fitness centre in Castlecomer. I thought that after the first session that I would be just dead and very sore but with Jillian’s support and encouragement I felt my way through the first week gingerly. I have now started walking which is something I never did. I change my route most evenings so I don’t get bored and I find that this works a treat.

At the end of week one. I had colon cleansing. I was dreading it so much at first but with the benefits in mind I decided to be brave about it. It was not as bad as I had thought and felt just fabulous afterwards.

My food focus has changed and I now think differently about food. My ambition is to lose four stone by Christmas, so with that in mind I intend to lose 1.5 stone in the first six weeks. I just love clothes and for that reason alone I will do it.

I have a hectic social life and find it very hard to find clothes that are really nice. Most larger clothes I find are swingy and unstylish. This is all going to change. Its all about to happen.

In fact I was thinking of buying a really nice smaller rig-out, leaving it hanging where I could see it daily and just imagine myself in it very soon. Not a bad idea!