When I said week 2 of the Resolution Challenge would be hard, I had no idea what I was in for. This was the strictest week in our detox, and our food list was probably the most limited I've ever held myself to in my entire life. Even my coworkers who are on the Whole30 cleanse feel sorry for me!

As dire as it might sound, there actually isn't a lack of good meals to be had in this detox. I have a new found love for the many uses of cauliflower and coconut milk, and am even trying my hand at the recipes being passed around. No, the lesson isn't in figuring out what to eat. It's in practicing restraint, patience and understanding my body in new ways.

The afternoons are by far the hardest for me. I like to call it the 2:00p.m. monster. That void between lunch and dinner, especially when I'm still at work, is when I'm weakest and most liable to cheat. Before, the afternoon meant sneaking absentmindedly into the kitchen for a snack, like chips, popcorn, or whatever yummy treat happened to be leftover from meetings and parties. Now, I'm trying to transition it to tea time, or at least replace the snacks with coconut water. When I'm out of this week, apples and other fruit would usually do the trick, but I can't even have that right now. Patience. Restraint.

Keeping energy levels up on such a limited diet has been the interesting part of the Challenge this week. I treated myself to an infrared sauna wrap at City Sweats  over the weekend, but afterwards I couldn't tell if the feverish feeling I felt was advanced post-sauna detoxing, or if I was really getting sick. I consciously skipped workouts even though my mind was trying to tell me to go every day, so I could let my body rest. More patience. More restraint.

One major bright side of detox life is the extra time I'm spending at home. Saying 'no' to virtually every social or blog-related event has freed up most of my evenings for me to take care of my body and mind. After work, I've been spending more time in the kitchen playing around with new recipes; cuddling with Spike; and getting tons of reading in.

One of my goals every year is to get smarter about my finances. This year, I'm actually making strides towards that!

This extra time at home allows me to read more on money management, and this week in particular I've been designing my budget. All of this to get my mind off of the cravings that live more in my head than in my hunger. I mean, a chocolate bar donut will never not sound delicious to me, but it's nice to think about something else for awhile :)

This week, more than ever, I'm grateful for the community. I honestly don't think many of us would have made it had it not been for this group to check in with and share recipes or struggles. When I was having a weak moment, I'd read about another gal's bad day and collectively we'd lift each other up. If you're ever going to undergo a detox, I highly recommend making sure you have a good support group going through the same experiences with you!

Onwards & upwards into week three from here...