I am down 10 pounds from what I weighed 1 month ago. And yet, I haven’t darkened the door of a gym, and I may have used my treadmill twice.  I haven’t given up wine, or even martinis (yet).  Even more amazing, Downtown Dad is down just as much, if not more!  All from following the Beauty Detox Plan, which for us, also includes not eating any wheat, dairy, potatoes, or corn, and severely restricting any refined sugar. And, my 22 year old daughter has joined us this week and has already seen her acne clear up markedly. Sounds a little restrictive, but honestly it hasn’t been.  We are not hungry, we eat delicious food, and we are rewarded with better health, less pain, and bonus – less weight!

So speaking of reward… today, we are rewarding ourselves with a cheat day. Today we will not drink our lovely cup of hot lemon water followed by a glowing green smoothie.  We will instead have hot, dark, fragrant coffee, smoky sweet bacon, and fried eggs.  Later in the day, we will forego our customary fruit and protein smoothie or green salad for something we have felt deprived of. And this evening we will join friends at a lakeside resort for fried walleye, cole slaw, and for me, the horribly delicious, but poisonous rum and cokes.  And, as Jimmy Buffett says, ‘come Monday, it’ll be alright’ because we will wake, slightly sick, and vaguely unwell, ready – no, eager – to resume our raw, mostly vegetarian, clean eating.