Day 10 - WAHOO!

I did it! I accomplished something amazing. I am feeling pretty pleased with myself right now. There have been times in my life that I would have thought this was impossible. It's not!

I have made the decision to stop, not because I don't think I could continue on, but because I feel like nothing much is happening, like I've hit a plateau. I believe if I kept going, that would change, but due to circumstances, I could only go a few more days and then I'd need to stop anyway, so I don't think it would make much difference. But, I'm already looking towards the future and planning to do a 15 day cleanse, probably in two months.

I have lost 12 pounds! I know some of that is simply due to the fact that my intestines are basically empty, and that will change when I resume eating food, but it gives me the momentum to make dietary changes that will help me continue on a weight loss track.

I figure that if I can accomplish this, anyone with reasonable health can, too. It's such a good feeling. Tomorrow I will enumerate the changes I've noticed and my "ease in" plans.

For now, I'm just going to celebrate a GREAT accomplishment. HOORAY!! YIPPEE!!

Day 9 - Mental Clarity

Before I forget, this is Cristi's husband, Mike. Hi. Pleased to meet you.

I've lost about 12 pounds since starting the cleanse. That really feels great. My wife is saying, "You are so skinny!" As a matter of fact, I have been a little surprised when I look in the mirror. What?!?

I remember years ago knowing a man who lost a lot of weight and kept it off. I know it was great for his health, but I liked the more portly version of him. (I don't miss portly me.)

In the last 6 weeks or so, I've done two other cleanses (Dr. Christopher's 3-day juice cleanse). Between those two cleanses, I lost about 12 pounds, too. So in the last 6 weeks, I've lost almost 25 pounds, or about 4 pounds per week (with spikes up and down).

My energy is up. I have been working out (3 days this week). I don't feel tired or slow. I actually feel a little more effective in my work outs than usual, but I noticed my heart rate was higher than normal doing the treadmill.

Now on to my reason for writing: I wanted to tell you about the mental clarity. It's remarkable. The fog is gone. Normally, I function under a cloud. It is not so much a boost in cognitive skill as it is being more decisive. Being more clear. Under normal circumstances, I weigh my decisions too long. Now, I feel this sort of freedom and elation. I am planning better, thinking things through. It's fun.

I don't know if I have felt this clear-headed since I was a teenager.

I am thinking about extending my cleanse beyond ten days. I have some writing I am planning to do next week, and I am thinking, "Wow, I wonder if this clarity will help me write better." Hmmmmmmm.

I am enjoying the clarity so much, food is not so tempting. Actually, food has not been very tempting for the whole length of my cleanse. I have been surprised by that.

Day 8 - Cruisin' Along

I forgot to mention that yesterday (Day 7) I noticed my tongue was REALLY white. I brushed my teeth several times, scrubbing my tongue and getting some of the gunk off, but then within hours it would all be back. Here's a most lovely photo so I have something to compare to when I've reached my goal. I had read that a white tongue is evidence of major detox going on, and the goal is a pink and clear tongue. I don't know if I'll make it clear to that point on this particular cleanse, but I think I will definitely see improvement. Others have said it would take them 20 days to get a nice pink tongue, but due to life circumstances, I can't go that long right now.

Today has been a "par for the course" day. I think I'm going to try the salt water again tomorrow morning even if it mostly ruins my day. After that I may try just doing the laxative tea in the morning as well as at night.

I went to the health food store to get more tea, and wouldn't you know it, they had samples galore. Even right there at the check-out they had chunks of watermelon and pineapple with toothpicks in them to easily grab. I wasn't tempted, but I still don't enjoy having to look at it and work to push out of my mind what that would taste like right now. Oh, well. I'm still a really lucky girl in not having to prepare or even smell food in my home right now. Woe isn't me.

Day 7 - Things Are Moving

I'm amazed that it's been a whole week since I ate food. Simply amazing!

Things are really starting to move now. I no longer have any real headaches, but I do have plenty of abdominal cramping to make up for it. Last night it all started at 3:45 a.m. - three trips to the bathroom in about 40 minutes. Thankfully I was able to go back to sleep. And I think I've made at least 5 or more trips for more elimination during the day. And it's really good to remember that any pressure in them there parts is NOT "just gas".

I prepared food for a group of people today. I haven't had to do that because my daughter is away for a few weeks and my husband is doing the cleanse as well. It's interesting how I feel fairly detached from the food. Thankfully there weren't any potato chips! But I must admit that I really have had no cravings. That's remarkable and totally unexpected. But I'm grateful. 

Tonight I'm going to drink the tea just as I'm crawling into bed so I can hopefully get a little more sleep before things start mooooooooooving.

I'm ready to hit Day 8, and I hope to go until at least Day 14.

Day 6 - P.S.

P.S.  Tonight I actually feel a little bit thinner. I'm not weighing until I've gone 10 days, but finally something is starting to feel different. Yes!

Day 6 - Modify

I had planned to use the salt water flush again this morning, and then re-evaluate whether to continue with it or not, but the fact that I had "gone" 4 times between 6 and 7 a.m., and my abdomen felt kinda yucky, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. If I'm going to continue on, I need to make that modification, otherwise I would be completely useless the entire day, and feel awful to boot.

So, I'm continuing on sans SWF. And I'm okay about that. Maybe some folks don't end up feeling like they've got an intestinal bug, but that's how I end up feeling. Even with just the senna tea, I don't feel well enough to drink any lemonade until about 11 a.m, and even then I'm kind of forcing it.

Do what you need to do to stay with the program!

Day 5 - 1/2 Way, Baby!

No salt water flush this morning, as I would be attending church and didn't want to have to make multiple runs to the bathroom AND have a stomach ache all morning long. However, I don't seem to be having any trouble "eliminating" plenty just using the senna tea. I'll re-evaluate whether to keep using it starting tomorrow morning or whether the senna is doing enough of a job.

Today the boredom hit - boredom with the absence of all things food-related. I looked at a couple of bags of chips in my daughter's kitchen, and I wasn't tempted to eat them (didn't have to use mega amounts of self control), but I realized I was missing EATING.

I have had a couple of experiences in my life when I simply couldn't eat. One was when a doctor had inadvertently nicked my colon during a fairly minor surgical procedure, and all heck broke lose. I was hospitalized for nearly 3 weeks, and the majority of that time I could not eat a darn thing. A good part of those days I had no appetite and was zoned out on morphine, so it didn't matter much. But when I started to feel a little better and still couldn't eat, that was rough. I distinctly remember my family bringing in a bunch of take out Chinese food and having a feast when I was finally well enough to indulge.

Years later, I went through a very difficult time following a major surgery, where my digestive system seemed to just give up. I'd try to eat, but my body would react very negatively, and finally I had to be put on TPN for nearly 4 months to keep some nutrients flowing through me. That, too, was a really awful period of time where I really couldn't eat.

I have to remind myself that right now I'm CHOOSING not to eat. There's a big difference between making that choice and being too sick to eat. Instead I'm making a choice to be more healthy.

And that's all good!

Day 4 - A Little Rough

Today started out on the rough side. Things were already moving before I took the salt water, but then things REALLY started moving. Which, I suppose, is a good thing. But the after effects were that I had quite a stomach ache and didn't even feel like having any lemonade at all. I forced about 1/2 a glass down but didn't like the way I felt, so it was noon or later before I started to drink. And it was 2 or 3 in the afternoon before my stomach felt somewhat back to normal. Ugh.

So, there you have it. I didn't follow the "day 2 & 3, plus day 7 hardest." I waited for Day 4 to feel crummy. (I've always been one to sort of do my own thing anyway, so I guess this fit right in.)

I'm anticipating church tomorrow and not wanting a repeat of today, so I think I may skip the salt water flush this one day. I'll probably do it again on Day 6 and see how it goes, and if I feel that bad again, I may just stop it and do another cup of senna tea instead.

Day 3 - No Wandering

Tonight we tried to go to a movie, but it was sold out. Instead we walked around the beautiful BYU campus, strolling along the little stream and waterfall. I laid back on the grassy slope and stared up at the wispy clouds in the sky. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement and looked over to see a mother duck with 7 darling ducklings. They waddled around finding bugs in the grass and it was the cutest thing.

Then I started to feel the rumbles in my abdomen, and by the time I realized it was urgent, we were quite a distance from an open building with a restroom. Uh oh. Not so good. This hadn't happened the previous two evenings, so I wasn't really thinking about the possibilities. We (very quickly) made our way back to the closest open building, just in the nick of time. Whew, that was close!

Then as we drove home, the same deal started again. Thankfully we were only a couple of minutes from home, but I think I've learned my lesson about wandering too far from a restroom. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the timing, it just is what it is.

I've already chugged down my senna tea and am off to bed. I have a feeling that 2 o'clock alarm may go off again tonight. It's a great night NOT to be in a tent far from the restroom!

Day 3 - Sorta Ho Hum

I read this would probably be a hard day. The only thing I'm really feeling today is a bit of boredom. I read that was a detox symptom, but who knows?

I wasn't as pleased as punch to wake up at 2 a.m. with stomach cramps and a run, yes RUN, to the bathroom. But, I guess when it's time to rid your body of toxins, its TIME!

We're heading to the movie theater tonight. That will be my first big test of willpower. Smelling popcorn will be difficult, but I think if I have my lemonade just before walking in, and then a little after leaving, I should be okay. I can't be a complete home-body forever!

Tomorrow I'll post a picture of my nifty new glasses that I got at the dollar store. Makes sipping my drinks a little more pleasant and fun.

Cheers!

Day 2 - Check!

Another day down and I'm doing good. Went to the store to get more lemons (and limes - hubby made me a limeade when we got home. Yum!) and strode right on past the pizza and all the other goodies that jump right out at you. It really wasn't as hard as I thought, but then again, that was Walmart. If I were to walk through a health food store and see "healthy" foods that I love, that might be another story altogether.

I haven't done what I would consider a whole lot of "eliminating" and wonder if that's still going to happen as I go along. Time will tell.

Off to have my cup of senna tea (and maybe enjoy some mint tea, which is the only "legal" thing you can have in addition to the lemonade.)

See you on Day 3!

Day 2 - Headache

I'm not nearly as hungry as I was yesterday, but I have more of a headache going on. It's nothing horrid, but a bit uncomfortable. I suppose drinking more water would be a good thing. It's the three thousand trips to the bathroom that make me wonder if I want to drink even more!

Time to use some EFT on this headache!

Day 2 - Nifty Set-up

Yesterday (Day 1) we had our supplies scattered here and there. I was getting everything cleaned up in the kitchen when I had the thought to collect them on a tray and have things look nice. Just because we're not "eating" doesn't mean we don't like things looking good!

I found a nice tray and a basket for the lemons. My we go through them fast! Having everything organized and together makes doing the cleanse a lot more pleasant. I'm even thinking about heading to the dollar store to find some fun glasses. If all I'm going to do is drink, drink, drink, then I may as well have something fun to drink out of. The "lemon glass" in this photo came from the dollar store a couple of years ago. It's perfect, wouldn't you say?!!

Make it pleasant. Make it fun. It helps!

Day 2 - Again?

I woke up and the first thought I had was, "Am I going to drink all that salt water AGAIN?" My husband had my "mixed drink" all ready for me, and I slugged it all down in about 5 minutes' time. It really isn't that bad except for the fact that it's a lot of liquid in your stomach first thing in the mornin'!

Interestingly enough, my tongue is white as white could be and feels kind of pudgy. DETOX! I even tried giving it a good scrub with the electric toothbrush, but nothing changed. I suppose that's a good sign; it means something really is going on rather than just going without some of my favorite foods for no reason, right?

On with the day and the yummy lemonade. I really do like it, so I can't complain. And I especially like a few licks of the maple syrup off the measuring spoon! Legal cheating, I'm told.

Day 1 - I Made It!

It's nearly 10 p.m. and I've succeeded for the day. I just drank my last lemonade and will drink the senna tea before too long. I can honestly say that it hasn't been bad. I've had a few moments of hunger, especially around lunch time and early evening, but a glass of lemonade did the trick. I have had moments of a mild headache, as well, but nothing terrible. It's been gone for hours now anyway.

Hooray! I'm patting myself on the back. I think it's best to just go day by day, thinking about getting through each one separately because looking way ahead seems a lot tougher. I know I can get through tomorrow, so all is well!

Day 1 - Much Better

It's now nearly 5 p.m. and I'm feeling a whole lot better. Took a nap, drank when I was hungry and things have calmed down. I've had the slightest headache today, but nothing terrible.

I hear that days 2, 3, and 7 can be the roughest, so I'm gearing up for tomorrow.

Now to figure out what to do with myself when it would normally be dinner time . . . .

Day 1 - Hungry!

It's noon and I've had two glasses of lemonade so far, and now I'm HUNGRY. I suppose I'll go whip me up another one (maybe with a ham sandwich hidden at the bottom??!!). They say to drink 6 to 12 glasses a day. I'm quite certain I won't be doing only 6 because I don't want to walk around feeling like I'm starving, and I know they don't suggest that either.

I'm also already starting to experience some headache symptoms. Gee whiz! I didn't think that would start so soon. More water would probably be good to keep the toxins flowing.

Day 1 - Lemonade

Many years ago, my father in law passed away, and one of the things we "inherited" was his little electric juicer. What a handy little thing to have for an event like this!

I juiced two lemons, enough for both my husband and I to have our first glass of lemonade, with a little left over. I mixed in the syrup (remembering that a little lick of the spoon was considered "legal" - yum!) and sprinkled in the cayenne powder. I then added the 8 oz. of water, stirred it up, and down the hatch it went.

I think it was rather tasty. My husband thought it was a little hot from the cayenne, so I'll put a little less in for him but will probably increase mine as time goes on because I like it hot!

Taking cayenne capsules doesn't have the same effect on your body as having the powder pass through your mouth. Go with the powder, and if it's hard, start with just a little tiny pinch, gradually increasing it day by day until you're adding at least the 1/10th of a teaspoon. Cayenne is good for so many things, it's worth the effort to make it your friend!

Day 1 - Let the Cleansing Begin!

I woke up feeling ready to go for it! I drank down the quart of salt water even though I'm not fond of liquid in my stomach this early, and certainly not a whole quart. But it wasn't bad, really. And, as I remarked to my husband, "It makes you really look forward to the lemonade!" So that's a good thing.

Time to squeeze a few lemons . . . .

Gearing up for Day 1

Although I didn't do the "ease in" properly, I've still been mentally gearing up to start the 10 days of lemonade tomorrow. This is my first Master Cleanse. I've done 3 day juice cleanses before, but this will be a new, and hopefully awesome, experience.

I just drank down my first cup of Senna tea. I think, since it's so hot this time of year, that I'll make it up earlier in the day and refrigerate it and bring to room temp before drinking it. Hot tea on a hot night before bedtime just isn't my "cup of tea"!

I'm very curious what the salt water flush will be like tomorrow. I've done prune juice and Dr. Christopher's Lower Bowel Formula, but never the salt water. I'll report the results, but without too much detail. :-)

Off to bed to dream about how good that lemonade is going to taste tomorrow . . . and the next day . . . and the next day . . . .!