1066 All Stars

Food Diary

Breakfast - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, water, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Lunch - 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Dinner - Oven baked chicken breast with boiled potatoes, baguette topped with cheese, veg (approx. 600 calories), 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets

Evening - water

Snacks - Fibre packet with water

Free Foods - 1x apple

Drinks - 8 glasses (circa 3l) water

Exercise - 45 minute walk

Thoughts

* The penultimate day at it started poorly with a monster headache. It took me by surprise as I have not been affected with one all week despite them being a common daily feature for me before the plan. Thankfully my morning routine seemed to banish it and I was soon back to full strength.

* Weekends are often a challenge. After a long working week, I can be lacking in energy, my mood low and negative which comes out in how I act around the kids. Headache aside, my energy (and therefore mood) were noticeably improved today compared to recent weekends. Whilst I felt physically tired towards the end of the day, I did not have that sense of mental fatigue that so often accompanies a Saturday.

* The absence of the work routine made water consumption more haphazard, a lack of day time drinking somewhat crammed into the last part of the evening.

* Dinner was interesting today in that I had to work had to get my calorie count UP to 600 calories! It is amazing how many good, varied meals you can make under this threshold.

* Some real snacking urges tonight, probably a combination of it being both the weekend and the end of the plan. That and the fact that there is a half finished box of sweet, sugary chocolate just waiting for me in the ktichen. I am looking forward to Monday so that I can relax a little, perhaps a cheeky biscuit and a cup of tea. But the discipline and routines that have been established are sustainable and something I would like to continue.

* Measurement and weigh in day tomorrow. The moment of truth. I am hoping for 10st 12lbs but whatever the scales say in the morning, I have been thrilled with the results of the plan. But I'll go into more detail about that in my final blog.

Food Diary

Breakfast - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, water, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Lunch - 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Dinner - Pasta with chopped tomatoes, herbs and chilli, chicken breats and salad (approx. 600 calories), 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets

Evening - water

Snacks - Fibre packet with water

Free Foods - 1x plum, 1x apple, handful of blueberries

Drinks - 8 glasses (circa 3l) water

Exercise - 30 minute walk

Thoughts

* Apparently the cleaner at work got wind of my attempts to increase my fluid intake and decided to sabotage my efforts by binning my water bottle overnight. Luckliy I had a spare, foiling the nefarious plans of this unseen evil doer.

* Day 7 and so I am nearing the end of the challenge but with this being a Friday, there is a natural pull to stop and move on. I will resist of course, there are still two days to go but the weekend will throw up new challenges as I give up the routine of work for the disorganised chaos of a House With Twins.

* I have commented on both weight and mentality during these updates but have yet to mention my third goal, skin improvements. I still have visible blemishes but overall I have definitely noticed an improvement to my complexion. My skin feels tighter and drier (in a good way) which leads me to think that with time, patience and sticking to the principles of this plan, the unslightly marks could indeed be managed away.

* Despite yesterday's dinner coming in at under 600 calories, I am experiencing real food guilt today, probably based on the fact that dinner was a pizza. It feels inherently naughty, no matter the calorie count and I was sorely tempted by an emergency weigh in this morning to check the damage done. However the pack makes it clear that your weight will fluctuate throughout the plan and so I will wait for day 9 until the next check up, as instructed.

* Similarly after tonight's dinner I feel anxious that I have miscounted and accidentally over indulged. The anxiety isn't fun but the underlying thought process is interesting; I don't want to over eat, I am actually enjoying being on a more calorie controlled, healthy diet.

* I caught myself today sub-consciously walking round rubbing my stomach, flitting between anxiously checking if my flab count has gone back up and congratulating myself on how much trimmer I feel.

* I noticed one other unexpected side affect today. I used to really enjoy cooking, often consulting receipe books and planning meals in advance. With the onset of mental illness, stress at work and a hectic family life, I left it behind, relying instead on frozen chicken or sauces out of jars.

Today I realised that I was really looking forward to my dinner because I had spent some time thinking about what I was going to have. I then started thinking about digging out my old cookbooks, perhaps even letting the kids join in to choose something they like, or a dessert I could try.

Therapy helped me to reconnect with writing. The Clean 9 may just help me reconnect with cooking.

Food Diary

Breakfast - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, water, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Lunch - 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Dinner - Half Pizza Express pizza with salad (approx. 600 calories), 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets

Evening - water

Snacks - Fibre packet with water

Free Foods - 1x clementine, 2x plums, handful of grapes

Drinks - 8 glasses (circa 3l) water

Exercise - 60 minute walk

Weigh In

Last weight - 11st 1lb

New weight - 10st 13lbs

Thoughts

* I did it! Day 6 of the plan and I have achieved my weight target of sub-11st. I had been hoping for 10st 12lbs (no, I'm never happy), but this weight is fine. I have been here before but never so quickly nor in a way that feels so safe and sustainable.

* I was more tempted to eat today, frustration and boredom seeing my free foods polished off well before midday. It is an interesting insight to my usual routine, mood and general dissatisfaction clearly a strong influence into when and what I eat.

* My daily headaches remain conspicuous by their absence. Is this due to the increase in water? An improvement to diet? A reduction in sugar and caffeine maybe? Or perhaps even a benefit of the supplements? I don't know, but I like it.

* Yes, that is pizza in the picture. And yes, it really was under 600 calories. And no, calorie controlled does not mean boring.

* For the first time today I really missed dessert.

Food Diary

Breakfast - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, water, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Lunch - 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Dinner - Pork chop, pasta with chopped tomatoes & herbs and veg (approx. 600 calories), 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets

Evening - water

Snacks - Fibre packet with water

Free Foods - 1x apple, 2x plums, handful of grapes

Drinks - 8 glasses (circa 3l) water

Exercise - 60 minute walk

Thoughts

* A disappointing start to the morning. After going to bed annoyed about a couple of things, I woke up in a low mood. My mind started to focus on negatives such that all the positives raised yesterday were dispelled. Instead I became fixated on my stomach and the perceived lack of movement. I am anxious about the weigh in tomorrow, desperate to see some movement on the scales but as an eye ball test, I don't think I look any different.

* This mindset extended its negativity tentacles to my day 3 and 4 meals as I began to regret the jacket potato, thinking it is too calorie and carb heavy to be good for me as an evening meal. My Mental Healthy thinking then took over as black and white thinking and catatrophising tell me that I have ruined the plan, it was a waste of time, I am destined to remain at this weight forever, and on and on.

* As with mental health, balanced thinking is the key. I have followed the plan, I have improved my diet and I have continued with exercise. If I don't lose any weight then I must accept that that is so. Worrying or procrastinating about it is unlikley to trim any extra pounds.

* And besides, I have noticed benefits. Of my 3 goals, I deemed matters of the mind the least likely to achieve and the hardest to judge and yet it is here where I have a tangible sense of improvement. Whatever else happens in the remaining days, it is important not to lose sight of this in my rush for self judgement and damnation.

* I feel generally more tired today. I suspect this is in part due to my 1 hour lunchtime walks. I enjoy them but I am perhaps pushing myself a little too hard, my legs in particular beginning to protest, and so may reduce the time or intensity for the last few days of the plan.

* I remain surprised by just how full I feel after my lunchtime shake. I have drunk 300ml of skimmed milk yet I feel like I have polished off a 12oz steak and chips with extra lashings of stomach filler.

* It is now five days without tea and other than the routine of drinking it (breaks in the day, evening after dinner) I haven't missed it that much. I look forward to having a cup when the plan is over but this has been a useful exercise in demonstrating that I can easily reduce my intake.

* Talking of routines, Wednesday would normally mean crisp day. Suffice to say, I didn't miss them.

Food Diary

Breakfast - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, water, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Lunch - 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Dinner - Medium sized jacket potato with turkey steak, grated cheese and side salad (approx. 600 calories), 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets

Evening - water

Snacks - Fibre packet with water

Free Foods - 1x apple, 2x plums, 6x red grapes

Drinks - 8 glasses (circa 3l) water

Exercise - 60 minute walk

Thoughts

* An unusual feeling this morning as I woke up feeling full! Apparently my 600 calorie food-fest of the night before had stuffed me to the gills to the point that I almost didn't want my shake first thing. I did consider waiting until I got to work but I'm a believer in having breakfast early to kick start your day so I glugged it down.

* Mood and energy is again vibrant. I have had no headaches today, the only pain a recurrent neck / shoulder ache that results from long term issues of posture and anxiety. I just feel more awake, to the point that my sight even seemed clearer, bizarre as that sounds. It feels like a shroud has been lifted off of my mind that I didn't know had been there.

* Let's see how I feel at the next weigh in but with each day of increased energy and improved mood, I find myself slowly coming around to the thought that maybe, just maybe, weight loss will turn out be the least important benefit to me of the Clean 9.

* With the experience of day 3, morning hunger was more easily managed. I added some grapes, as much for the mental benefit of feeling like I am eating as anything. There were no serious pangs, no moments of naval gazing or soul searching, even through to late afternoon with the, er, interesting tasting Fibre packet coming as an afterthought at 4pm, used only because it was on the plan rather than to satiate any desire.

* As per the previous day, a vigorous lunchtime walk was followed by a tasty shake. It is surprising how much I look forward to it but it is a very convenient 'meal' for work and I can be confident that it's packed full of stuff I need, not garbage found in a processed ready meal. I would be quite happy to continue using it as a breakfast and / or lunch replacement after the plan has finished.

* Speaking of which, I am becoming more conscious of what we put in our bodies, to the point that I silently 'tut' in my mind when I see those around me eating unhealthy snack foods. Embarking on this plan has, in the short term at least, helped to make me more accountable to myself of what I am eating. It will be a challenge to maintain going forward as I try to balance cost and convenience against health and well being but ultimately it comes down to a choice of who I want to be and how I want to feel.

The lesson, as ever, is a simple one;  you can change.

Food Diary

Breakfast - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, water, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Lunch - 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with skimmed milk)

Dinner - Medium sized jacket potato with turkey steak, grated cheese and side salad (approx. 600 calories), 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets

Evening - water

Snacks - Fibre packet with water

Free Foods - 1x apple, 2x plums

Drinks - 8 glasses (circa 3l) water

Exercise - 60 minute walk

Weigh In

Last weight - 11st 3lbs

New weight - 11st 1lb

Thoughts

My thoughts are a little scattershot today so this might jump around all over the place.

* I woke up feeling pretty good this morning. I didn’t feel hungry and the shake was well received (the switch to skimmed milk offering no noticeable change to taste), although I did have a small headache, perhaps a reaction to the absence of sugar and caffeine.

* Day 3 weigh in shows 2lbs lost so far. It is difficult not to be disappointed having seen other people achieve drops of 5lbs or so. I expected more, given that I have already achieved this weight with my own eating and exercise plan.

* This disappointment manifests in a few different ways. The first was a fleeting thought of just chucking the whole thing in, wondering if it was a waste of time. Then, I started to think back on the weight I put on over Christmas, the ‘if only’ brigade telling me that if I hadn’t have eaten so much I might already be under 11st. Finally, my mind tells me, ‘hey, you should have eaten more over Christmas, then you might have seen a significant weight loss now and not have been such a miserable git.'

* This mindset also projects forward. Day 3 means the introduction of a proper meal, something I had been looking forward to. Now, that enthusiasm is tempered as the extra calories will potentially cause my weight to standstill or, even worse, increase.

* …and breathe.

* Some context. To start with, these statements are needlessly judgemental. At a starting weight of 11st 3lbs, I am only a couple of pounds above my short term target of 11st. I simply don’t have that much weight to lose which makes it unrealistic to expect the pounds to come dropping off.

* Also I must remember that this is day 3. I have no intention of judging my other goals (skin, mind) until day 9 therefore it is unfair to start judging weight on day 3 in isolation.

* Weight is also just a number, it should be seen in the context of measurements which have seen subtle drops.

* Finally, I must repeat one important fact to myself; this is not a weight loss plan, this is not a weight loss plan, this is not a weight loss plan…

* I was nervous about making it through the work day with its time triggers of when I would usually eat. There were some early morning hunger pangs but these were easily resisted. They were almost like an echo or memory of my daily routine, my body expecting to eat because that’s what I usually did, even though I wasn’t truly hungry.

* I did start to get hungry late morning, the free foods coming to my rescue. There does come a point though where you have to make a choice. You can either sit with the ‘woe is me' feeling of being hungry or just accept that there is nothing more to eat right now. A reminder then that part of this plan is about breaking old, unhealthy habits and establish new, healthier alternatives. The shake for lunch, when I would usually have my biggest meal of the day, was tasty and satisfying and in fact allowed me to fit in virtually an entire lunch break of walking as I could have the shake at my desk. I actually found myself looking forward to it, knowing I was having something filling but not fattening.

* Despite everything noted above, I am really positive. I have a tangible sense that I am taking control of my health and wellbeing. Whatever number the scales may conjure, I feel pretty good about that.

* A noticeable positive; my energy levels and concentration appear much improved. I am often tired during the day at work but today I felt energised, right through the afternoon and into the evening. It will be interesting to monitor if this is situational or recurrent.

Food Diary

Breakfast - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, water

Lunch - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with semi skimmed milk)

Dinner - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets

Evening - 120ml Alove Vera Gel

Snacks - Fibre packet with water

Free Foods - 1x apple, 2x plums, lettuce and tomato side salad

Drinks - 8 glasses (circa 3l) water

Exercise - 45 minute walk

Thoughts

* Phew! Day two completed which means the hardest days of the challenge are behind me. From this point on the Aloe Vera Gel intake reduces and I can introduce an honest-to-goodness real meal.

* A tough start to the day. I woke up with a blistering headache, no doubt not helped by being up 4-5 times in the night with the kids. Preparing their breakfast, I was desparate for something to eat, reaching a compromise with an apple from the free food list.

* A mid-morning return to bed saw the headache pass, thankfully. The rest of the day was largely incident free, save for some fierce hunger pangs and a mild feeling of light headedness. I am certainly glad to have started the plan on a weekend, rather than try to manage these symptoms at work as I felt my concentration levels distinctly below par, a videogame review I had planned being shelved until tomorrow. Energy has been variable, at times I have felt low energy, othertimes surprisingly sprightly.

* Water intake was a little harder today but I achieved my 8 glass target. Again, I still feel thirsty bizarrely but there comes a point when you simply can't face another glass.

* By the way, you need to pee. A lot.

* Shopping done, my working day should be broadly unchanged. Fruit and side salad will replace bars or rice cakes and I'll have the shake for dinner. It remains to be seen whether any hunger pangs surface at work and what affect this may have on mood and concentration. I will need to be sensible and balance my desire to restrict my food intake during the plan against a practical need to be able to perform my duties.

* Meal plans for the week are roughly sketched out with jacket potatoes on days 3 and 4, chicken and salad on days 5 and 6 and turkey and salad (or veg, TBD) days 7 and 8 with some rice or pasta. We then end with a (supermarket bought) Pizza Express, half of which brings me in under the 600 calorie limit. To be honest I'm not really sure how to calculate the calories although I will broadly follow the recipes in the booklet. I will be conservative though and if anything suspect I will come in under the daily allowance. I will also be swapping out the semi-skimmed milk for skimmed, as recommended in the booklet.

* Weigh in and measurement day tomorrow, check back to see how I fared.

Food Diary

Breakfast - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, water

Lunch - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets, 1x Therm Tablet, 300ml Lite Ultra Shake (with semi skimmed milk)

Dinner - 120ml Alove Vera Gel, 2x Garcinia Softgel Tablets

Evening - 120ml Alove Vera Gel

Snacks - Fibre packet with water

Free Foods - 2x plums, lettuce and tomato side salad

Drinks - 8 glasses (circa 3l) water

Thoughts

* I did it! Day one completed. Half of the two hardest days down.

* So, how was it? The morning was fine. The novelty of it seemed to overshadow the realisation that I wasn't technically eating anything and to my surprise I remained relatively full until mid-morning, which saw my first use of the free food list. Lunch was equally manageable. The shake provided a change from the gel and was again surprisingly filling.

Early evening however started to bring the first real hunger pangs and an urge to snack. I had been trying to resist the free food list, despite it being given the all clear in the info booklet, wanting to keep the first two days of the plan as 'pure' as possible. A small lettuce and tomato portion allowed me to kill two birds with one stone, allowing a snack whilst also using up some fridge contents.

* There were certainly some difficult moments. The Christmas food has yet to be finished so there are still crisps, chocolate and sweets knocking around the house which I tried my best to palm off on the kids. Morning temptation was largely manageable, save for a wistful look at the crisps as I portioned them onto the kids plates. Evening was another matter, snack desires in full force as a day of nominal physical eating started to play on my mind.

But I managed it. Snacking urges were resisted, cravings offset by some timely free food intervention.

* Having young children in the house undoubtedly makes it harder. Not only have I got to cook their meals and provide snacks, they constantly want interaction, which makes it harder to find the time to plan or simply to rest and conserve energy.

* Speaking of which, I started to feel particularly tired early evening. It is difficult to judge if this is due to the plan or simply a continuance of a weekend pattern whereby I often find mood and energy low on Saturday where the grind of the week catches up with me. My general mood has actually been pretty good, perhaps an uplift from the sense of trying something new and taking charge of at least this aspect of my life.

* Similarly an afternoon headache and accompanying bout of neck pain are par for the course for me most days, the latter swiftly dispatched with a timely dose of Aloe Heat Lotion.

* Water intake was actually easier than I feared. I have got used to drinking around 2 litres at work from a bottle but it turned out to be far easier to manage from a glass. Plus of course the absence of snacking meant that any urge to shove something down my gob could only be filled by water. Bizarrely though I still felt thirsty all day.

* Exercise was a bit less than planned but I think a day of parenting more than makes up for it and I'll soon catch up when I get back to my normal routine next week.

Taste Test

Okay, enough of my waffling. What you really want to know is how the stuff tastes.

* Aloe Vera Gel - very difficult to describe. It has quite a thick texture but is easy to swallow. If anything, it's like a deeply flavoured fruit. Not something you would bring out at dinner parties but frankly I've drunk worse.

* Lite Ultra Shake - we mixed with semi-skimmed milk, rather than the skimmed milk recommended in the plan which means a few extra calories with the trade off that skimmed milk is like barely flavoured water. The shake itself is fine. The vanilla flavour is relatively bland although mine was a little bitty. Perhaps I didn't shake my shake quite enough. It didn't seem to completely agree with me, my stomach roiling for a few minutes (although nothing more sinister), but that may simply be due to the fact that I rarely consume milk in this quantity as much as anything else.

* Fibre packet - mixed with a small amount of water, taste was barely noticeable. 

* Garcinia tablets - they're bloody huge! Tough swallow aside, no problem.

* Therm tablets - normal tablet.

So that's it. I'll be back tomorrow with some thoughts on day two with a look ahead to my day 3-9 meal plan. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some gel to drink.

Previous week

With Christmas and New Year slowly fading to a distant memory, this week has seen an attempt to get back on track, ready to tackle the C9.

Knowing that I was starting such a restrictive plan, there was a temptation to food splurge, to have one final week of indulgence. But instead I tried to maintain a balanced eating and exercise plan, with just the odd wobble.

Food Diary

The McDonald’s was unplanned but kept to a modest amount whilst the fizzy drink and popcorn is somewhat of an indulgence but, hey, Star Wars.

I had hoped to reduce my tea intake down to virtually nil by the end of the week, phasing out perhaps a morning, afternoon or evening beverage. I cut out the odd one here and there but frustration and boredom conspired against me so that Friday was pretty much back to normal.

I am nervous but excited to get going with the plan, the weekend set aside for a day 3-9 shop and purchase of some snacks from the ‘free foods’ list.

Goals

Before we get going, time to reaffirm my hopes for these 9 days. These can also be recorded in the information booklet included within the pack.

For a goal to be truly effective, it should follow the SMART principles – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed.

Skin – tackling my greasy, spotty neck, shoulders and back

Mind – restoring energy and concentration

Body – breaking through the 11st barrier, perhaps slimming down to a 32” waist

For context, it is worth remembering that I am two and bit years removed from therapy for anxiety and depression. I am well aware that issues of the mind are not fixed by a magic pill and that depression in particular can leave you feeling low energy, unmotivated and lacking concentration.

Whilst these issues are not and will not ever be permanently behind me, I am able to recognise the signs and can confidently state that I am not currently afflicted with depression. On that basis, I am hopeful that changes to diet and routine can make a genuine difference to my mindset.

It is important to keep in mind that anxiety is caused by my own thoughts and actions, not external factors, and I am therefore responsible for addressing these behaviours. Perhaps though the C9 can go some way to clearing away the cobwebs, giving me the energy needed to tackle the malaise.

Weigh in & Measurements

These can also be recorded in the information booklet included within the pack and should be taken on days 1,3,6 and 9.

Weight: 11st 3lbs

Chest: 39 inches

Biceps: 10 inches

Waist: 35.5 inches

Hips: 37 inches

Thighs: 21.5 inches

Calves: 13.5 inches

After a previous day weigh in at 11st 4lbs, a pleasant surprise this morning to find I had reached my starting weight target of 11st 3lbs.

Most of the other measurements mean little to me at the moment although it is strange to see my waist come out at 35.5 inches given that I wear a comfortable 34 inch trouser.

Smile For The Camera!

Okay, time to capture this for posterity. Warning, images may contain flab!

So this is me. Handsome fellow, huh?

I would consider myself to be in reasonable overall health. I am overweight but not grossly so, the areas of particular concern around the chest or ‘moobs’ whilst the stomach would benefit from a bit of tightening up.

My skin issues flare up across my back, neck and shoulders, to the extent that I have been reluctant to get my hair cut due to embarrassment at what would be revealed, and concern over what might be clipped.

On the bottom half, my thighs are a little chunky, although my regular walks have definitely contributed to a slimming down here.

I have little in the way of muscle definition but then hey, a guy can’t have everything, right?

First 2 days

These will very likely be far and away the most difficult part of the plan as there is effectively no intake of ‘regular’ food. I will detail each day in full as I go but broadly speaking, days 1 and 2 will look like this;

Breakfast

• 2x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels

• 120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel

• 1x Forever Therm Tablet

Lunch

• 2x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels

• 120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel

• 1x Forever Therm Tablet

• 1x Scoop Forever Lite Ultra

Dinner

• 2x Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels

• 120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel

Evening

• 120ml Forever Aloe Vera Gel

• 250ml of water

Snacks

• 1x Packet Forever Fibre

• Snacks from the ‘free foods’ list

Exercise

• 30 min minimum of low-intensity exercise

Fluids

• 8 glasses water (2-3 litres)

Next Steps

Blimey, this is really going to happen, isn't it?

I'll check in each day with a report on what I've had to eat and drink and how I'm feeling whilst on days 3,6 and 9 I will share my weight and measurements.

And don't forget, if you would like to take the plan yourself, search on Facebook for Aloe Vera Dreams or follow @AloeVeraDreams on Twitter.

Just a few days to go until the start of my Clean 9 plan so time to dive in and see what awaits.

What's In The Box?

First impressions are very positive. It's not a basis on which to form an opinion on the efficacy of the product clearly but the pack is well presented in a clean, clear, professional looking package that gives you a degree of comfort that you are in safe hands.

The Clean 9 pack contains the following;

• 2x 1 litre bottles Forever Aloe Vera Gel
• 1x Vanilla flavour Forever Lite Ultra shake mix
• Food supplement kit, including 54 Forever Garcinia Plus Softgels, 18 Forever Therm Tablets, 9 Forever Fibre Packets
• 1x shaker
• 1x tape measure
• 1x information booklet & planner
• 1x brochure