Beauty Grail

image credit: shielaz413 It’s my birthday in 5 days and I’ve organized a “Sex and The City” style celebration with my girlfriends. Problem is I haven’t exactly been a very good girl, going without exercise and good food for the past 2 months! Not only did I feel it (the consequence of an unhealthy lifestyle), I certainly saw it as well, especially in my face!

The skin doesn’t lie and mine told the story of a chocolate and ice cream eating marathon! With my “Girls’ Night” fast approaching, I decided to buy some decent foundation to try to mask the junk food-induced fine lines. Even the makeup consultant couldn’t help but describe the skin around my eyes as ”crepey”.

Crepey?! This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to look on my b-day!! I needed to get serious and tackle the problem PROPERLY - via anti aging packed nutrition.

I declined the pricey foundation and instead went straight home to revisit my Leslie Kenton Skin Revolution book which I purchased about 5 years ago. In it was her Five Day Face Lift Diet (quite similar to the N.V. Perricone MD Three-Day Nutritional Face Lift™ eating plan).

The diet promised to:

• Firm skin
• Detoxify skin
• Clear puffiness
• Smooth fine lines
• Counter cross linking which causes wrinkles to form
• Prevent irregular pigmentations
• Enhance skin’s immune functions

The Five Day Face Lift Diet menu from the book is as follows:

ON RISING

• 200 ml of spring or purified water with juice of 1/2 lemon squeezed into it.

BREAKFAST

• 2 cups porridge made with steel cut oats (not instant oats as they shunt too much sugar into your bloodstream to fast, and make it with water not milk).
• 1 grated or chopped apple or a handful of berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, loganberries, blackberries - fresh or frozen).
• 1-2 tablespoons walnuts - preferably chopped but whole is OK (optional).
• 1-2 tablespoons almonds - preferably chopped (optional).
• 1 tablespoon cold pressed flaxseed added after the porridge has been removed from the stove.
• a dash of cinnamon (optional)
• 1 cup of green tea and/or 200ml of spring or purified water.

EVERY HOUR OR TWO

• 200 ml of spring or purified water.

LUNCH

• Raw Powerhouse Salad - an inspiring medley of brightly coloured crunchy vegetables -..dressed with extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice, garlic, herbs and seasoning. Eat it with…
• 100g to 200g of omega-3-rich fish (wild salmon, tuna - fresh or tinned - mackarel, sardines, herring etc.).
• a slice of melon (any kind but watermelon which is too high in sugar) or a handful of any kind of berries.
• 1 cup of green tea and/or 200ml of spring or purified water.

EVERY HOUR OR TWO

• 200 ml of spring or purified water.

DINNER

• 100g to 200g of omega-3-rich fish, organic lamb’s liver or tofu or an omelette.
• Large mixed green salad dressed with avocado, herbs, garlic, extra virgin oilive oil and flaxseed oil, and fresh lemon juice or cider or balsamic vinegar.
• a slice of melon (any kind but watermelon which is too high in sugar) or a handful of any kind of berries - fresh or frozen.
• 1 cup of green tea and/or 200ml of spring or purified water.

EVENING

• 200 ml of spring or purified water.

SNACKS

If you want to snack, one of the following can be eaten twice a day either between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner or at bedtime.

• 50g chicken or turkey breast.
• 1 kiwifruit or a small pear or apple.
• a handful of macadamias or walnuts.
• 200 ml of spring or purified water.

Lunch and dinner are interchangeable.

I’ve had to tweak the menu a little. For breakfast for example, I ate only 1 cup of oats (instead of 2) as this made me very full already!

Have you tried this yet? Did you notice any changes?

Day 1
It’s day 1 for me of this Five Day Face Lift Diet . So far so good. I noticed that I started feeling much better except later in the day when my sugar cravings kicked in. Like the hulk, I turned mean and harassed my partner to buy me some ice cream. Thankfully, he stuck to our deal of not letting me have any. It must just be chocolate withdrawals! I just need to keep telling myself, “Only 4 more days to feeling and looking hot and sexy!” I’ll let you know the results at the end of the week.

Day 2
Would you believe that this is my second day (in a long time) of being totally chocolate and ice cream free!? Sad no? As I mentioned, my partner Dave managed to not be bullied by me into buying me the bad but yummy stuff (knowing how weak I was, I made him promise before starting the diet to not let me have any chocolate).

What I really like about the eating plan is that it’s very easy to follow and prepare. I find that the breakfast (hot oatmeal) is perfect for Canberra’s present cold season. Also, it’s very filling which lasts me well into midday (though I still make it a point to have the healthy snack option for brunch). Before the meal plan, I used to have omelette in the morning. This took more effort to prepare and I found myself hungry well before lunch.

Although I think it’s too early to notice any drastic weight or skin improvements, I believe that my midsection (my biggest problem area) has actually shrunk ( I’ve gone from the 3 month preggers look to 2 ;-). The sugar headaches too seem to be a thing of the past!