MY DIY Detox Diet

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I've had some pretty indulgent weekends lately due to life being in general awesome and my desire to just totally go with it. I have no regrets and I am sort of floating.

But, let's be real, wine and steak nights can't be every night (God, can you please work on this?). So, in the interest of my own nutrition, fitness, and SKIN, I've decided to implement a few temporary changes until Thanksgiving. I may love them and keep them up between Thanksgiving and Christmas, too (but let me be clear: I make all kinds of exceptions for family gatherings, so T-Day and Christmas will both be enjoyed to their fullest!).

I started this past Monday and have been going strong, for the most part, other than two glasses of prosecco and some delicious brie cheese at an impromptu college reunion with girlfriends last night. I am going to go ahead and give myself the stamp of approval on that one!

The Rules:

• No coffee. This one actually shouldn't be too difficult for me to commit to. I do love a good cup of morning joe, but I frequently forget about it and skip it altogether. Apparently I am not addicted, because when I do skip it, I don't find myself missing it.
• No Not much booze. This one will be a little harder. Living in Chicago in the winter tends to make this even more difficult, because there isn't much to do socially that is outside or active - it all seems to revolve around food and booze. I will have to make two exceptions to this rule, though: (1) a girl's weekend in Milwaukee, and (2) a special date night with my husband. Maybe I should change this rule to "no drinking during the week, and no drinking at home?"
• No dairy. I cut this out completely for a few weeks before my wedding, and I swear it did wonders for my skin. With nixing coffee, it may be pretty easy to omit dairy, other than my favorite thing ever: CHEESE. God, give me strength to avoid cheese. 
• No gluten. This is another one that I swear contributes to the condition of my skin. I have started developing skin reactions to gluten, so I am planning to avoid it for a while.
• No sugar bombs. Am I allowing myself to eat foods with sugar in them? Sure. But my idea here is to avoid what I call 'sugar bombs-' foods which are pretty much created to deliver sugar into your system. This includes candy, doughnuts, cookies, etc. I don't eat much of it now, but I did stock up on some macarons recently, so I obviously have a sweet tooth. Sidenote: Dark Chocolate should always be allowed...
• Drink water. Like, lots of it, and all the time.
• Take vitamins. I have historically been very bad about this. I get all excited and stock up on vitamins but then fail to take them. I will be forcing myself (seriously, the flavor is not enjoyable, ya know?) to down a multi-vitamin, rhodiola (controls cortisol and helps focus, can be a natural alternative to ADD medication), primrose oil (for my skin and hair). Any other suggestions I should add? Keep in mind that I am awful at swallowing horse sized pills...

The Plan:

• Morning drink still consist of Mio. I can't quite give that up, so for now, I'm going to let it fly. If I need a little more pep in my step once I get to work or when 2:30 rolls around, Green Tea with fresh lemon will be my BFF.
• Breakfasts are high protein, low carb. This is what I have learned keeps my body the fullest for the longest. I am planning for two over easy eggs and a side of one bacon slice, or a cookie dough quest bar for when I'm on the road (okay... probably cookie dough quest bar most days of the week...). 
• Lunch consist of a tasty salad with protein, or a salad with a side of protein heavy soup. In the event some crunch is needed, I've found some 100 calorie packs of SnapPea Crisps at CostCo and they seriously hit the spot.
• Snack time is synonymous with fiber time in my book, and will consist of either an apple or red peppers (if lunch included some good protein), or a shake with Perfect Fit Protein and Psyllium Husk Powder (if lunch was light on protein). 
• Dinner tends to vary, partly because of time and preferences, and partly because my husband works from home so he tends to want to eat out for dinner after being stuck inside all day. I shoot for one natural protein source (chicken, fish, beef, turkey, etc) and a healthy helping of either salad or vegetables. When time is short, soup or chili works, but I would rather have those homemade to avoid over doing it on sodium (makes me feel crispy... anyone else get that?).

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

• What's your go-to "bounce back" plan?
• Do you try to detox your body? How?
• Have you ever tried a juice cleanse?