Master Cleanse – Day 9 September 21, 2011

Started the day out good. I’m so over the drinks. I’m just tired of the sweetness of it.

I haven’t talked about weight. I started at 175 and was 168 today. My scale said 167 a couple days ago but I think it was playing tricks on me.

I went to a nearby health food store today on my lunch to pick up my probiotics, vegetarian bullion, French green lentils, and rye wafers. The closest I could find was a rye crispbread. And I had two potato chip samples. I figured what’s a couple chips? I’m almost done!

I got home and could not bear another drink. I did end up making it but I had a few bites of food the babies didn’t eat. And then some hummus and pretzels. I know! That is NOT easing in! But I wanted hummus so bad and was afraid to eat a raw carrot.

We went ahead and made my veggie soup. And I plan on drinking the fresh OJ as well. I’m so ready to eat!!!

Master Cleanse – Day 8 September 20, 2011

The rumbling in my tummy got me out of bed earlier than I would’ve liked. But since I’d been up since 4 with a crying baby (couldn’t go back to sleep), what does it matter? I actually felt great today despite the lack of sleep.

The biggest change today was low back pain. At first I was a little worried. But after extensive online research, I feel comfortable saying that what I’m feeling is normal as my kidneys flush out toxins. It wasn’t bad enough that I wanted to take a pain reliever. And I only felt it while standing or walking. Since I sit on my butt most of the day, it wasn’t too much of an issue.

I did have to run back into the house today to put on a belt. I decided that since I was almost walking on my pants, a belt would be  a good idea since it was raining a bit. I’ve always been amazed at how losing a few pounds not only makes your pants baggier, but it also makes them longer. I would rather longer than shorter though! My denim jacket also will button up now. I love when my clothes fit me better!

As far as bowel movements go, I’m amazed that I’m still passing some solid matter. How is that possible? So even though this hasn’t been the most fun I’ve ever had, I’m definitely glad I did it. I definitely needed a good “cleansing.”

Today, the most exciting thing I did was make a grocery list!!! I can’t believe my pants being baggy wasn’t the highlight of my day. Can you? It’s tough though to think about food and needing to make plans to eat and not let my mind go overboard thinking about it. What can I say? I love to eat! It was also interesting what sounded good to me. Even though I’d kill for some White Castle, I was very drawn to the vegetarian dishes I saw. Just thinking about hummus had my mouth watering. Even these Nori, Egg, and Potato Rolls sound like the bomb and I don’t know if I would normally have been drawn to that.

Even though I started out liking the mix, I’m so tired of it! I’m also tired of how it makes my teeth feel yucky. They always feel like I’ve eaten a ton of candy. I can only assume it’s from the sugar. It’s also been interesting that I would still be able to remove so much gunk when I floss when I’m not even eating solid food!

I’m really proud that I’ve made it this far. And now I’m nervous about easing out slow enough so that I’m not uncomfortable. I feel like once I tell myself I’m done that I’ll want to eat everything in sight. So it will be interesting to see how my body and mind handle that. We shall see. So soon! So soon!

Master Cleanse – Day 7 September 19, 2011

I now fully realize the importance of allowing a prisoner on death row to eat a last meal of their choosing. Can you imagine living out your years on prison food? I guess I can add that to the already long list of  reasons not to commit a heinous crime. Or any crime for that matter.

As day 7 comes to end, I can definitely say without a doubt that I’m bored with the lemonade as my sole sustenance. I’m not hungry when I drink it like it should. I just plain miss eating. It’s not just the act of chewing either. It’s the taste of the food as I chew it and the feeling of satiety afterwards.

A few weeks ago I had requested Peas and Thank You, a vegetarian cookbook, from the library. Of course it would finally be my turn in the middle of my cleanse. I picked it up over the weekend and have been trying not to look at it. I did a quick flip through it and the pictures of yummy vegetarian food are simply mouth watering!

Still not feeling anything spectacular. The biggest thing about today? I can definitely say that being at work is MUCH easier than being at home!

Master Cleanse – Day 6

I survived the weekend!!! I’m showering myself with praise because not giving up this weekend was quite a feat. Whoa! Granted, I could’ve asked that DH go to the grocery alone. But the babies do so much better when we all get away. So I decided to chance it and survived!

I give a million applause to anyone who does this while at home – especially if you have young children who can’t eat unsupervised. I was really eating my words over the weekend after saying the cleanse wasn’t hard. Being at work is such a breeze compared to being at home….with all that food staring me in the face. It was calling my name!

I could barely even watch TV. I had forgotten how many commercials are for food!  You don’t notice them so much when you’ve eaten solid food in the hours before watching TV. Thank goodness we have a DVR and can fast forward through commercials.

Now that I’ve decided to make Wednesday my last full day, I’ve allowed myself to think about food so I can plan how I’ll break the cleanse, or “ease out.” And now I can’t stop!

Master Cleanse – Day 5 September 17, 2011

I’ve read about it happening and it finally happened to me. I had a dream about eating. I dreamed I was at the mall and forgot I was on the cleanse and ate something. After I remembered, I realized I’d broke the cleanse so I might as well keep on eating.

Today I have endured the smell of bacon, eggs, and lasagna casserole (not all at once) and a trip to Meijer. I was even tempted by plain pretzels! It’s been rough. And as I type this, the newest edition of Whole Living is sitting next to me and there’s a picture of some fabulous looking roasted fall vegetables with lentils on the cover. I cannot WAIT to make that!!!

This cleanse is so much easier when I’m at work. I can only eat whatever I’ve brought with me. So even if someone near me is unknowingly torturing me with the smell of their McDonalds breakfast sandwich, I still can’t eat it. It’s theirs.  Even the store isn’t too bad because I still have to buy it. But when it’s in my house, right there – all heavenly smelling and yummy. That’s tough! I also realized today as we were driving past a Sonic that I don’t pass many restaurants on my drive to work!

I’ve been tired and a little irritable today but I’m not sure if those are detox symptoms or the effect of having an almost 2 year old who has a cold after her first week at daycare and was up in the middle of the night.

I did the salt water flush again this morning. Not sure if that will ever be anything more than VERY unpleasant. Tomorrow will be my last day of the salt water flush. After that, I’ll be relying solely on the Smooth Move tea to help me finish “cleansing.”

Today was just one big pep talk – that I gave myself. Here are the high points:

• I’ve come too far to stop now.
• I can eat food when I’m done.
• It’s only another 5 days. Then I can eat food.
• It’s only food.
• I want to feel this awesome high that everyone talks about when they finish (energy and lightness).

I haven’t been experiencing any side effects since day 1 when I had my headache. I did a quick Google search and it isn’t completely uncommon. And I guess I still have another 5 days to experience some.

A couple sites I’ve read suggest taking a good probiotic afterward to repopulate the colon with healthy bacteria. I still need to do some research on that and make my purchase. I’ll do that instead of daydreaming about FOOD!

I’ve pretty much decided that Wednesday will be my last full day on the cleanse and then I’ll start my ease out on Thursday. DH and I decided we wanted to go on a date Friday because our schedule is really filling up. And that puts me one day closer to trying this awesome looking roasted fall vegetables with lentils!

Master Cleanse – Day 4 September 16, 2011

A friend said that the Master Cleanse changes your relationship with food. I’m undecided about whether I agree with that statement. It’s still early in the game. Even though I haven’t eaten since Monday (which still blows my mind), I’m pretty sure I still like food as much as I did before.

I will say that the cleanse has made me realize how much time I spend thinking about food, let alone eating it. When I’m not busy planning meals or looking for easy, healthy meals for us, I’m day dreaming about my next meal. I even follow a ton of food blogs (which I’m purposely avoiding right now). I am always thinking about food!

This cleanse hasn’t been too tough so far. But I think that’s because I’ve been at work. As long as I focus on work, I don’t think about not eating. So I’m nervous about the weekend and being home. But after I survive the weekend, I’ll be back at work and home free! I plan to just distract myself with babies, housework, and errands.

I haven’t had any cravings yet (knock on wood). But I also don’t allow myself to think about food often. Hopefully I don’t jinx myself by putting that in writing.

Tonight I had to go to our local Moms of Twins Club sale. This involves about an hour standing in line to get in, then shopping time, then standing in line again to check out. I made a drink for the drive and then another to drink while in line. That went ok. But I but I was starving by the time I got done. I didn’t get home till 9:30 and I needed to drink my tea. So I just drank the Smooth Move tea. Hopefully that wasn’t a bad choice.

I’ve made my salt water flush for tomorrow. Bring it on!

Master Cleanse – Day 3

Today I got a massage! I’d had this massage scheduled and it would’ve come before the cleanse as we’d planned starting Sept. 19. So I think it’s perfect timing that it fell on day 3 of the cleanse, which everyone refers to as hump day.

I got up at 5 am to partake of the salt water flush (a quart of water with 2 tsp of uniodized sea salt dissolved in it). I thought I would prefer it at room temperature but I think next time I’ll warm it up. It didn’t really taste awful but it was hard to get done nonetheless. I’ve never been able to chug so I just drank it really fast. I got a little more than 3/4 of it down. And I felt so full! A guart (4 cups) is a LOT of water!!!

Most people report that the SWF takes about 15 minutes to work. Mine worked almost immediately. And I’d already gone before I even drank. I was definitely glad I’d gotten up early because I had to go a few times even after I got the babies up at 6:30 and we leave the house at 7.

I was very high energy most of the morning. I didn’t feel a major energy drain in the afternoon but I wasn’t as energetic as I’d been in the morning. And I definitely feel like my focus is sharper. I definitely FEEL lighter.

I started feeling cold today, which is something many people experience. My friend had also warned me about this one. Luckily, I have a space heater to keep my warm. The weather outside has also changed and they finally fixed our a/c at work. So I’m not sure if it isn’t some of those things too.

It’s a very odd feeling to not be hungry at meal times and to not be eating. I definitely still want to eat. But I know it’s just because it smells so good, and because of the habit, and the yummy taste.

So far so good. Seven more days!

Master Cleanse – Day 2

Day 2 on the Master Cleanse was much better than day 1. No headache this time and more energy. I had a few energy dips, but overall, I felt much more my normal self.

…I started this late on Day 2 after the babies had gone to sleep and I’d done the dishes and otherwise cleaned up for the evening. I was home alone and it was about 9. I decided I didn’t have the brain power for this. I don’t believe this a side-effect of the cleanse. I’m usually THAT tired on a week night.

I drank my Smooth Move tea and prepared my salt water for tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Master Cleanse – Day 1 September 14, 2011

Even though we don’t have any children in extra-curricular activities, the busyness of summer was a bit too much and didn’t leave me much time to blog. But really, now that I think about it, how do I ever have time to blog? I met up with some friends for dinner this past Saturday and some of us were discussing books we’d read. One person asked how I had time to read. I told her my lunch break and potty breaks (at home, not at work)!

Other than the twins starting day care, the big things going on in my life is the MASTER CLEANSE! It’s a detoxifying cleanse laid out in the book The Master Cleanser by Stanley Burroughs, originally published in 1976! I first came across the Master Cleanse concept after I gave birth and was looking into a cleanse to kick start my post-baby weight loss. I quickly realized it wasn’t ideal for a mom who was breastfeeding twins and tucked it away for future use. The master cleanse entails drinking a mixture of filtered water, lemon juice, REAL maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. There’s no way someone who was nursing full-time could do that. That’d want to eat their ARM!

The idea of the Master Cleanse came up again last winter when I had met a new friend. I was thrilled to find out she had done it and she knew other people who had done it. I always like to be able to get firsthand experiences. So when that same friend brought up the idea recently, we decided to do it. We had picked a time that would work for both our schedules and were supposed to start September 22. Then she called this past Thursday and asked if we could start early. I was really getting pumped about it, so I agreed. I quickly starting making half-caffeine coffee (DH never noticed) and then cut it out altogether starting Sunday. I’m really glad I started that process early because I don’t think I could’ve handled withdrawal from the caffeine and starting the cleanse.

Why I’m doing the cleanse

Over the weekend I took some time to think about my reasons for doing the cleanse. They are:

1. To flush out all those toxins, both the ones I eat and the environmental ones!
2. I’ll try anything to try and banish this eczema.
3. To break my caffeine addiction.
4. To start with a clean slate as far as my eating habits
5. To break bad eating habits
6. Kick start some weight loss

I’ve done some reading and talked to my friend about her experience. So I feel pretty well equipped to do this.

Day 1

The day started out great. I was definitely gung-ho to get started. I woke up at 5 (a half hour before my alarm) and had to go to the bathroom. It must’ve been the glass of green tea and the cup of Smooth Move tea I had before bed. My lazy butt got back into bed and then the rumble in my tummy started. From what I’d read, you shouldn’t go the minute you feel like you need to. Instead, you should give it time. So I did. It wasn’t too bad and I was able to go about my morning like normal.

I had a chiropractor appointment near one of my favorite grocery stores so I decided to go in to get more lemons. DH had only gotten one bag and they were small. This grocery store has the bakery and a coffee shop as SOON as you walk in. It smelled good, but I was ok.

Fast forward to right before lunch and I realize I’m not going to have enough fresh squeezed lemon juice OR maple syrup to last the day. So I ran home to get my juicer and the syrup. I wasn’t even to the door and I could smell food, and it smelled heavenly. It only took me a second to remember the corned beef brisket and veggies that was in the crock pot for DH and the babies. Ugh! But I was strong.

I developed a mild headache by late afternoon but it didn’t last long. And dinner time was rough. By then, I was definitely feeling sluggish. But I’m not sure if that’s from the cleanse or the lack of caffeine. I was getting up there with my caffeine consumption due to summertime unsweet iced tea!

I’m thrilled to be done with my first day and ready for number 2!

Advocare Day 21 – afternoon November 21, 2010

As of yesterday I was 171.6. I was 173 this morning but let me tell ya – I ate like a PIG yesterday. We went out for Sean’s birthday. I had a stuffed mushroom appetizer at the Pub. Then we had sushi rolls (the fattening kind) at Sake. Then we went bowling and I had 2 appetizers there. It was like I couldn’t stop eating. So I think the 173 this morning is AMAZING and also think it was mostly water considering how much salt I consumed last night.

I’ve more than made up for last night today and am poised to finish out strong. My only concern is dinner Wednesday night since we’ll be traveling to visit my family. I’m not sure what I’m going to eat. I’m definitely ready for Thanksgiving dinner!

I keep going back and forth about what I’m going to do after I’m done. I still want to lose another 40 lbs. Sean was like, “Do you really need to lose another 40? Are you supposed to weigh 130?” I told him that that’s the “recommended” weight for my height and frame. But in all honesty, I’d be thrilled with 140. I mean, how am I going to get to 130 without exercise?