Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I was on Ellen!

Yesterday I appeared on the Ellen show for the first time. Click here to see my debut.

:)

In other news, I auditioned for a Ford commercial last week, which is shooting today. I did not book it as it turns out, which might be a good thing. The bitter irony of saying "I love my new Ford" today would be more than I can take.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Joshi Detox II - Week Two

Day 7 - I wake up and happily go to the gym for an hour. I am sleeping deeply and feel great when I wake up. In the middle of the afternoon we are out and I haven't eaten enough, so I buy an apple and some seeds and nuts at a grocery store to get me through till dinner. We meet friends for dinner and I order salmon with rice and veggies, and just drink water. I am craving gingerale, but other than that I'm quite happy.

Day 8 - I've slept well again, and get out of bed quite easily (even though it's a work day). Am continuing to enjoy my hot lemon drink, like every other morning since I started the detox. Try some cocoa-flavoured Quinoa cereal, but find it's way too sweet so I don't think it's a good cleanse food. Found I was hungry as soon as I got to work, so I need to have an egg or some pumpkin butter for breakfast instead. (Speaking of which, pumpkin butter is fantastic, no matter what the colour and texture may remind you of). Lunch is cottage cheese, rice crackers, raw broccoli and carrots, and one slice of gluten-free bread with a bit of honey. I really find that bananas are the saving grace of this detox, though right now I have a bunch at home that aren't ready to eat. For dinner we have a ready-made roasted chicken from the grocery store, rice and peas and carrots. Joshi says it's fine to eat frozen veggies because they are usually picked ripe, as opposed to a lot of the veggies we find in the grocery store, which ripen on trucks (thus depleting their nutritional content).

Day 9 - Another fabulous sleep. I get up and start the kettle for hot lemon, and sip that while I start getting ready for work. I learned from yesterday that I need a substantial breakfast, so I soft-boil two eggs and eat them with two slices of gluten-free toast. I also drink cold herbal tea, which we always try to have on hand. It's a nice change from water. As an addict to orange juice with my breakfast, this is a decent alternative because it's cold and fresh and fruity. I pack my lunch: chopped carrots, bok choy and celery, some cottage cheese, rice chips, and a bit of hummus. When I get to work, I make sure to drink a couple of glasses of water right away. I eat dinner out, and order a chicken curry with rice. It unfortunately has some sweet chutney, peppers and tomatoes on top, which I try to avoid with minimal success. I do not, however, touch the pita bread that comes with it. I go to a theatre opening, and successfully avoid the pink champagne. I'm hungry when I get home, so I have a delicious shake made with bananas, rice milk, pumpkin butter and ice.

Day 10 - Great sleep. Great hot lemon. Breakfast is Corn Flakes (I think this is cheating a bit because while they're wheat-free, sugar is the second ingredient) with rice milk and a banana. For lunch I have chicken, rice and bok choy. I feel like I need a treat in the afternoon, so I stop by Starbucks on my way home and get a tall decaf soy latte with a bit of honey. I think I'm technically supposed to avoid even decaf coffee, but Joshi said this would be okay as a treat. For dinner we decide to actually sit at the table instead of in front of the television, which has unfortunately become our habit, and enjoy our meal and some conversation. We eat salad with mesclun, carrots, celery, onion, broccoli and feta, with an olive oil and garlic dressing. Then we have salmon with brown rice. Neither of us is much of a fan of the brown rice, but we're trying to be good. Later in the evening I have one gluten-free cookie, which Phil calls cheating and I call delicious. One thing to note: I desperately wanted a glass of red wine with dinner.

AND THEN I CHEATED. OOPS. IT MAY HAVE INVOLVED NAAN AND RED WINE. MORE TO COME WHEN I GET BACK ON TRACK...

Friday, October 22, 2010

Joshi Detox II - DAY 5

Dear Dr. Joshi,

I'm back!

Phil and I decided to do your detox again because we really enjoyed its benefits last time (weight loss, greatly improved stomach issues, general feeling of healthiness).

Recently we'd both been complaining about our bad eating habits, and our respective struggles with the scale, so this is our attempt to get back on track.

THE BAD
This time around I felt extremely lethargic during the first few days of the cleanse, and still do. I sleep so deeply that it's hard to get up in the morning. The first two days especially I felt very warm and uncomfortable, which I imagine to be a symptom of my body detoxifying itself. Last night I was feeling a lot of negative energy building up in me, and I wonder if this is all related to detoxing.

THE GOOD
I've noticed a real change in my appetite since days 1 and 2. The first couple of days, I was feeling a bit desperate about food. I noticed all the times in the day where I would have had a sugar fix (brown sugar on my cereal, tea with sugar on the way to work, sugary treats in my lunch, perhaps a mid-afternoon pop, those delicious ice cream bars that are sitting in my freezer) so I think, of all the foods I have to avoid while on the detox, sugar is my biggest crutch. BUT the good news is that my cravings are definitely disappearing. I've started to be quite satisfied with the hot gluten-free cereal we've been eating in the mornings, and I don't feel the need to eat a spoonful of honey in the evening, just to get my sugar fix.

More updates to come...

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Engagement Shoot by Daniela Foster.

At one of the many wedding shows Phil and I have attended this year, we were fortunate enough to win a free engagement shoot with Daniela Foster photography. We met up with Daniela a few weeks ago on what turned out to be a beautiful fall day, and we roamed from St. Lawrence Market to the Sky Dome for a couple of hours. Daniela just sent me a few teaser pics, so I thought I'd post some of them here. We had a lovely time with her, and are very happy with the photos. If you're looking for a wedding photographer, you should definitely check her out!