This is day 6 of my 28 Day Detox Program through Arbonne (no gluten, dairy, processed sugar, or soy—and drastically reduce caffeine until I can get to none). This first week has been challenging, to be sure.

I have not cooked from scratch in many, many years. I now have to cook from scratch. Yikes! That takes planning, thinking, finding stuff—like the right ingredients, measuring cups and spoons, pots and pan—somewhere in the back of my cabinets (I bought a new baking dish because I didn’t think I had that size—then I found one way in the back—ugh!), and time. Time! I’ve spent lots of time in my kitchen over the years, but this is crazy!

Cleaning up. I don’t have a dishwasher—I didn’t really need one with just me. But now I have mountains and mountains of dirty dishes—and then, clean dishes.

I’m sure I actually have heard my dish drainer groaning and crying.

And, then, there are the reactions of my body to the detox. Not so good! Headache, foggy, irritable—very irritable—downright angry!

The thing is… there also have been rewards.

The Arbonne group with whom I’m making this journey is amazing! Major support and help on Facebook group with tips, menus, recipes, shopping lists. In town Arbonne group is giving support online and on the phone. And we have weekly dinners together.

Deciding that I will probably maintain the clean living lifestyle after the detox. If my body is reacting like this to the absence of things that I normally put into it, then maybe they are things I never want to put back in.

I have assurances that the detox funk will end very soon, and I will begin to feel better than I did before the detox began.

Oh… and there’s the weight loss and inches loss—2 ½ lbs. and a total of 4 inches in 5 days (weighed and measured this morning). I like it! Now, to see how the rest of this getting healthy journey goes.