 I’ve always been a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow’s body. I mean, if I’m 40 and gave birth to kids and still look like that, man I really wouldn't be complaining. I also like the fact that she works hard for her figure and it isn't just all ‘good genes’. Although I don’t celebrate Christmas and it isn't exactly winter in Malaysia, I always end up packing on a few pounds anyway. Maybe because it’s always raining, the school holidays are kicking in hence more frequent trips to my parents equals more eating. In any case, since I am a consistent stalker of her blog Goop, I have decided to give her ‘detox’ week-long plan a spin. Maybe I’ll end up looking a million bucks like she does and get a rockstar husband? So here are her basic rules for a week-long detox.
 Day 1 Woke up this morning with complete enthusiasm to embark on this ‘experiment’. The morning smoothie wasn’t too bad. In fact, I quite like it. By lunch time it was crudités and hummus dip. I even roasted some cauliflower for good measure. Then I went to yoga class. By the time I returned I was starving. I had some almonds. Be patient, I told myself. Soon I will be radiating with the iridescence Gwyneth promises. I had grilled salmon with a small serving of olio pasta and spinach for dinner. The salmon turned out to be pretty tasty. Oh thank God. Real food! Day 2 I had oatmeal with almond milk today. I’m okay with almond milk. But if you tell me it is just as good as my usual full cream, I will punch your face. Lunch was grilled chicken salad, and to make sure it’s ‘clean’ grilled chicken I had to make it myself this morning. I’m not loving the part where I have to cook and prep a lot for this diet. I mean, who wants to wake up at 6.30 am and grill chicken? Goodness. I went for a run and got hungry very quickly. Dinner was brown rice (rice!! Yayyyyy) with pumpkin curry and lightly stir-fried spinach. I put some chilies in it. Apparently chilies are not allowed because it’s a type of nightshade, which can cause inflammation on rashes. But I don’t have rashes and Asian girl needs her dose of chili so here we go. Day 3 Is it just me or is everyone especially annoying today? I almost screamed at my plant by the front door. Breakfast was a smoothie of almond milk with a peach and a banana. Which sounded better than it tasted. I had to wake up early again to make my quinoa salad lunch, and I’ve got to hand it to myself because it tasted really good. It’s also strange how much I don’t miss refined sugar at all. I do miss my tea though. I went for a run and some sauna, and when I got back home I was craving for some carbs so I decided to switch and have my pasta for dinner instead. I love love love Ella’s version of spinach pesto pasta from her Deliciously Ella website. I went to bed happy. Day 4 I don’t feel radiant. I just want to eat my own arm. It looks really meaty… I had a bowl of porridge today which was quite nice, also from the Deliciously Ella website. By lunch it was time to try Gwyneth’s cucumber and avocado soup. And by soup, she means a cold soup of blended cucumber and avocado, with some salt and lemon juice. It looked gross but tasted quite refreshing, and would have been great AS A STARTER. But that ended up being my lunch with a grilled teriyaki chicken. I hate you Gwyneth (I‘m sorry Gwyneth, I really don’t. It’s just the hunger talking). I went for a massage and had a happy moment when the masseuse said I looked great (come to think of it, I think she’s just playing out her PR skills). For dinner it was baked sweet potato stuffed with roasted cauliflower, mushrooms, edamame beans and avocado. My favourite! But I still find myself dreaming about Saturday night when I can finally pig out on chicken enchiladas with a fat serving of sour cream. I miss my dairy. Day 5 Last day of my detox plan!! I am strangely in an upbeat mood today. Also strange is the fact that I think my skin seems ‘cleared up’ for some reason. Or maybe it’s just psychology. My breakfast of apple, carrot and ginger smoothie went down easy, and for lunch I had some salad with a whole avocado, and made Gwyneth’s recipe for a carrot ginger dressing. Surprisingly, this dressing is absolutely delicious. In fact, it is one of the best dressings I have ever made. I will probably make this salad again even when I am not on a detox plan. Later in the evening I decided to ditch swimming and went for futsal practice, and instead of feeling like I was going to pass out during half time, I actually felt pretty great. For dinner I had grilled chicken and leftover quinoa, and because I’m a horrible person I actually had a small piece of chocolate. But who cares?? Dobby is free!!! Conclusion In this sneak peak of what it feels like to eat like Gwyneth (she claims she does this a lot in preparation to filming), I must say I have full respect for this woman. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to pull this off for more than five days I’m sure. On a happy note, I lost what I wanted to lose, my skin cleared up and I honestly do feel lighter. Don’t get me wrong, some days I felt really cranky for missing my tea and spicy food, and there was even a point where I almost gave up (this happened on Day 3). But tomorrow’s promise of an awesome enchilada dinner topped with a dollop of sour cream and 3 types of cheeses with spicy chicken filling sure is making me feel pretty joyous right now. And after that I'm going to have rice with gulai and sambal udang. And after that...
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