Breaking the Cleanse (Day 2&3)

Just a quick update.... It's been surprisingly hard to break this cleanse. Drinking the orange juice the first day was fine - I thought it was going to get the "hunger" feeling going, but it didn't. Yesterday, day 2 of breaking the cleanse, I started to drink the broth from the vegetable soup we made the night before and immediately my stomach started to not feel well. So I stopped. I ended up having a mug full for dinner much later that night. I ate a few vegetables and a few blackberries that were in the fridge. It still made my tummy ache, but I feel the longer I wait to eat, the harder it's going to be. Still losing weight - 126.2lbs this morning. My sister-in-law also said she continued to lose weight after the cleanse was over.

So far this morning I've only had orange juice, but hoping to have more soup for lunch!

Update: Day 3 and Day 4

I decided that I would have lunch after going to the gym and running errands. I've been drinking fresh squeezed orange juice that is quite pulpy and quite filling. Well, that turned out to be a small mistake. I went to the gym and started on the stair climber (the one that has actual steps that move) and it was much harder than usual. I felt slightly light headed, but once I get to the gym, I'm going to finish. I usually do a mix of 3-20 minute workouts on different machines, or some variation to make the hour go by. After my hour, I didn't feel very well at all. But I had a few errands to run before I could get home and chow on some soup. But after feeling nauseous in Barnes & Noble, I walked over to the Trader Joe's next door to find a salad, but unfortunately, all the salads either had meat or dairy, things I'm supposed to avoid for as long as possible. And especially while breaking the cleanse.

Went home and unfortunately, the thought eating soup wasn't appetizing. Don't know why because it smells and looks delicious. So I ate a few blackberries and sliced up a cucumber, which I ate about half. I did have a few bites of the soup and eventually ate a few handfuls of GoLean Crunch cereal (dry). It was divine. Which I'm sure isn't a part of breaking the cleanse, but I needed to eat something I could stomach. And I proceeded to hop into bed around 8pm.

This morning, I'm feeling pretty good and continuing to lose weight (124.5lbs). But today I'm supposed to go back to "normal" eating, but according to the book it is preferable to begin a raw food diet, which I'm not sure is going to happen, but my goal is to avoid processed foods, artificial anything, and meat for as long as possible. Well, the plan is to cut meat out forever. Seriously, watch, "Food, Inc." and I'm sure you'll feel the same way.

The Master Cleanse - Breaking the Cleanse

Today is my first official day "off" the cleanse. I've been drinking fresh squeezed orange juice and more spring water all day. Surprisingly, it hasn't been tough only drinking OJ and I even busted my butt on the treadmill for over an hour today.

Tonight Rob and I started cooking the vegetable broth/soup the book says I can drink (and eat a few vegetables) tomorrow night for dinner. It looks and smells delicious, and it's probably the healthiest thing I've ever eaten. We decided to cook a huge pot of it so I can have it for the next few days. Most of the ingredients are organic and all are fresh - black beans (not from the can), broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, fresh ground pepper, thyme, rosemary, basil, and oregano. I am still majorly craving vegetables, specifically cucumbers.

The Master Cleanse - Day 10

Today is the day! My last day on the Master Cleanse! And I am ready for it to be over with. Not because it hasn't made me feel lighter, cleaner, better, etc. but because I am tired of making the lemonade, tired of drinking only lemonade, and definitely tired of the salt-water flush in the morning. I know it's early, but I'll add stuff as the day goes along. However, I don't expect anything exciting to happen.

I'll give you the rundown of my weight loss. I didn't lose a lot, but that's ok with me. I see the difference with the few pounds I did lose.

PHASE-IN weight (I'm 5'7")
11/30/09: 136.4 lbs; Body Fat: 22.6%
12/1/09: 134.7 lbs

MASTER CLEANSE weight
12/2/09: 133.3lbs
12/3/09: 133.5lbs
12/4/09: 132.8lbs
12/5/09: 132.9lbs
12/6/09: 132.8lbs
12/7/09: 131.2lbs
12/8/09: 130lbs (!!!!)
12/9/09: 129.4lbs
12/10/09: 129.3lbs
12/11/09: 128.6lbs; Body Fat: 20.3%

And I've lost an inch to an inch-and-a-half off each thigh, hips, waist, and bust.

Above anything, my goal isn't to lose pounds, but to lose body fat. Because I know that pounds may increase as muscle increases. I want to tone up, so I realize that will involve gaining muscle. I'm happy with gaining THOSE kinds of pounds as long as my body fat percentage is decreasing. By the way, I use the Weight Watchers WW-87 Body Fat Glass Scale that I bought at Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

More updates later!

I debated a while today about continuing the cleanse through the weekend. But have decided against it. My mind just isn't there. Tomorrow I'll be breaking the cleanse by drinking fresh squeezed orange juice all day. We did make a run up to Whole Foods and got TONS of fresh veggies - carrots, celery, onion, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumber, zucchini, lentils & black beans - to make a delicious pot of vegetable broth & stew for my dinner Sunday night. The second day will be drinking the OJ & having the broth for dinner with maybe a few veggies. Third day will be more OJ & veggie stew. The fourth day I can resume "normal" eating. But I can tell you I will not be returning to the crap I was eating before, even though I am planning on attending two holiday parties! I'm actually craving vegetables. Who am I?

The Master Cleanse - Day 9

I seriously can't believe I have to do this for one more day. I am so sick of this lemonade, but I've made it this far, no way I'm going to quit on my last day. The only mildly unpleasant thing I've noticed is the past few days I've been waking up early in the morning with stomach cramps, and I'm pretty sure it's from the tea I drink before bed.

Also, I've already started reading on how to break the cleanse, which is very important. The original book, "The Master Cleanser" gives these instructions for breaking the cleanse: "FIRST & SECOND DAY AFTER DIET: several 8 ounce glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice as desired during the day. THIRD DAY: orange juice in the morning. Raw fruit for lunch. Fruit or raw vegetable salad at night."

Interestingly enough, he then adds, "For those who have characteristically lived the unnatural way of meat, milk, refined and devitalized food, it may be best to change over as follows, gradually adopting the raw fruit, nut, and vegetable diet: FIRST DAY: several 8oz. glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice as desired during the day. Drink it slowly. SECOND DAY: Drink several 8oz. glasses of orange juice during the day - with extra water, if needed. Some time during the afternoon prepare a vegetable soup (no canned soup) as follows... THIRD DAY: Drink orange juice in the morning. At noon have some more soup... For the evening meal eat whatever is desired in the form of vegetables, salads, or fruit. No meat, fish, or eggs; no bread, pastries, tea, coffee (shedding a tear), or milk. Milk is highly mucus-forming and tends to develop toxins throughout the body." By the way, I am also a firm believer that milk does the body more harm than good.

I left out the recipe for the vegetable soup because it's pretty standard. Brown rice can be used, but no meat or meat stock. I most likely will stick with the second recommendation for breaking the fast because I want some damn food. However, I won't be adding rice or salt or anything like that. No need to bloat back up right away.

ONE MORE DAY!

The Master Cleanse - Day 8

Major "yay!" moment for the day was seeing the scale dip below the 130lbs mark. I honestly don't remember the last time I've seen that number! I'm not sure how long it'll last once I actually start eating again, but I'll enjoy the looser jeans while I can.

My husband told me this week that he'd make it easy for me. Go easy on the cooking. HE LIED!! I understand, man's gotta eat. But it's the late-night-after-the-dinner snacks that are killing me. So, what was his late night snack of choice tonight? Bruschetta on the bread he baked last night - toasted with extra virgin olive oil, topped with roasted garlic, tomatoes, avocado, and sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Really? Now that wasn't a myriad of great smells at all. Nope. Not at all. I actually got angry for about 5 minutes. Guilty party below.

Moving on, I think I've found a really great workout regiment I can stick to. We have an "OnDemand" function with our cable. If you go there, find Sports & Fitness, and then ExerciseTV, there are tons of free exercise videos. There's everything - yoga, strength training, circuit training, cardio, pilates, dancing - you get the point. I found this kick ass workout by Jackie Warner. It's a 45-minute total body circuit. And it totally kicked my butt today, but in a great way. So, goal is: do this workout every other day, alternating with a minimum of 45 minutes (I usually do an hour) of cardio 6 days a week. Whoa. Big challenge, but I'm going to give it a go! I like to have structure when it comes to my workouts. Gotta workout effectively! And really, adding weights (which I do maybe twice a week) is the only way to reshape your body, even beyond the cardio.

Overall, I'm feeling good and even had this delusional thought to extend the cleanse. The book refers to doing it for 40 days. Now I'm not going to get that crazy, but who knows? Eh, definitely not THAT crazy.

The Master Cleanse - Day 7

Not much to report. I always say that & then type a ridiculous amount.

The book was right. Again. Yesterday was much more difficult than today. Compared to yesterday's dinner time, today was a breeze. Even though Rob cooked up some delicious smelling (and I'm sure tasting) vegetarian chili and baked bread from scratch (he doesn't even use a bread maker). It's really only dinner time and the evening in general when I want to start eating and snacking.

For me, the cleanse so far has been mind over matter. I'm not especially hungry, but yeah, I want to eat. But I want to eat HEALTHY stuff. I feel that my body is cleaner and the last thing I want to do is put junk back into it. And I believe it's creating a heightened sense of smell too. The other night Rob popped popcorn we had in the cabinet (Butter Lovers or some junk like that) and I thought for sure I'd cave because popcorn smells so good. But when it started popping, it smelled so gross to me. Not how I remember popcorn smelling! We read the ingredients and it's all chemicals. And that's how it smelled! Funny thing is, all the food that Rob has been cooking for dinner has smelled mouth-watering! That's because he cooks with fresh veggies and ingredients. My plan is still (and more so now) to adopt a vegetarian diet after the cleanse. There's a few books on my list to read. Rob has read them both and they are highly recommended - "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan and "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. Also, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" is where he got the recipe for his pizza dough. His pizza tastes better than any I've had.



This morning was also a good weight loss day which keeps me motivated.

The Master Cleanse - Day 6

I'm over the hump and I am so ready to be done with this. Honestly. Right now I just want to CHEW food! As the book mentioned either day 6 or 7 was going to be a heavy detox day. I'm hoping that was in fact today, and tomorrow won't be as bad. It also didn't help that Rob cooked some DELICIOUS smelling Thai food for dinner and right now frying slices of potato for homemade potato chips! If I don't cave tonight, then I think I can make it the rest of the 10 days!

Although the purpose of this is to cleanse and detox the body, I can't help but be motivated by the weight loss. I should have waited until after the new year to do this cleanse because now I'll have to fight out what to eat at Mom's while there for Christmas. However, this cleanse has made me hyper-aware of how food controls a lot of what I do. And the associations we have with eating. Rob's home & we're watching a movie = let's eat. We're out running errands = let's get Pinkberry. I'm so bored at work right now = fried zucchini. Oh, and maybe a peanut butter chocolate milkshake. I realize that I eat so mindlessly and usually when I'm not even hungry. Hopefully this revelation will make me think twice about eating out of boredom, or stopping when I'm almost full. I guess we'll see!

The Master Cleanse - Day 5

HALF WAY THERE!!!

Today was day 5 of the cleanse. Honestly right now, I'm just bored. I'm tired of drinking this concoction. The book says that boredom is a detox symptom, but I'm not sure how they figure that out. I couldn't drink all of the lemonade today because I just couldn't.

Right now I'm enjoying a cup of organic mint tea (Master Cleanse approved). It taste so good and I know it's because ANYTHING would taste good right now. I do kind of feel like the real challenge begins now. Rob is home and he'll be cooking. And I'll want to eat it.

The Master Cleanse - Day 4

Morning weigh-in: 132.9lbs (up .1 from yesterday=wrong direction). As a side note, a few days before I started the cleanse and as mentioned before, I did a phase-in where I basically only ate fruit & raw veggies. I did have some of Rob's homemade pizza, but that was only one night. On the first day of my phase-in, I weighed 136.4. By the first day of the Master Cleanse, I was down to 133.3, which I used as my starting weight. That 3lbs difference was from eating fruits/veggies only.

I know it's only noon here, but I have to be at the restaurant soon until closing. Today will be another test to my will-power. Although I'm not craving any food right now, that could very well change when I see something yummy being made. And since I'll be there most of the day, it could be challenging. However, I'm finding that the longer I do this, the more it motivates me to stick through it.

This morning I tried a glass of the "lemonade" using limes. I didn't really care for it because it didn't have as much flavor as the lemons do, so I'll stick with lemons from now on. Other than that, nothing new to report. All is as it should be. I'll try to update tonight.

UPDATE:
Work was uneventful. Of course all the food looked delicious, but I didn't crave it like I had been. And I find that I'm having a hard time finishing the juice for the day. I normally make 64 ounces of the lemonade and it really does take me all day to finish it. The book recommends drinking 6-12 10ounce glasses through the day. So I guess I'm drinking a little more than the minimum. But it really does fill you up. ALMOST HALFWAY DONE!

The Master Cleanse - Day 3

Morning weigh-in: 132.8lbs. That's the right direction!

I was expecting today to be much more challenging than it was. It was uneventful & it probably helped that I didn't have to smell food all night. I went to the gym and did my usual hour of cardio which consisted of a 3 mile run on the treadmill, stair climber, and the elliptical. I like to mix it up. Keeps your body guessing and your metabolism up. And I don't always do those three things in that order, just today. I also strength train/circuit train a few times a week. I'd love to get into pilates as well. Maybe I'll look at the class schedule...

Book was right, salt water flush was much easier this morning.

I did have an interesting conversation with a friend today. I really value his opinion because he does research on food and how it affects your body. He is a vegan (no meat or animal byproducts like eggs, milk, etc.) and is probably the healthiest eater I know. Just from abiding by a vegan diet alone, he has cured ailments his doctor wanted to prescribe him medicine to "treat." And besides that, we've talked other aspects of his health that have improved by changing his diet. I asked him about the Master Cleanse. Although he said that he's done it before, he doesn't necessarily think it's a "good" thing. He said I should check out what the Mayo Clinic has to say about it since they're obviously a reputable source; this is what they say about detoxes in general: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/detox-diets/AN01334. I do think it is good to do your research when doing things like this and I knew before getting started that there were opposing views on the need to detox. But I'm still determined to finish.

I did purchase organic mint tea today; both books say it is fine to have during the cleanse. And I also bought a batch of organic limes - I think I will try "limeade" tomorrow for a change; the books also says that's fine.

The Master Cleanse - Day 2

Not a whole lot to report.

Today wasn't too bad & I didn't really start drinking the lemonade until this afternoon. I didn't lose any more weight from yesterday; I actually gained .2 lbs. I'm definitely not worried about it. It only became somewhat challenging at work, of course. All that greasy food... Cheeseburgers, spaghetti, garlic bread, Mahi salads, oh my it all smelled and looked SO good. And then Bebe had to go and post pictures on Twitter of all the delicious sushi she was eating! Why did I have to look?

At one point I called Rob and told him I was done with the cleanse and I wanted to eat. Being the great husband he is, he encouraged me and reminded me that I wasn't actually hungry, just having cravings. As much as I wanted to satisfy those cravings, I didn't. I'm SO glad now that I didn't. So yeah, if you do this cleanse, have a good support system!

Peter Glickman says in his book that usually Days 2, 3, and 6 or 7 are the hardest. Hopefully day 3 won't be so bad tomorrow since I won't have to be around food.

About to drink my tea before bed while watching Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Master Cleanse - Day 1

Today is my first official day on the Master Cleanse. Even though the day is long from over, I wanted to write a little update. Really, there isn't much to report. I woke up this morning and weighed myself. Can't believe I'm even posting this, but starting weight was 133.3lbs with 21.9% body fat. I then did the salt-water flush. (Drink 1 quart of distilled water mixed with 2 teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt.) Results as expected.

So far, at almost 3:30pm, I've only had 3 glasses of the lemonade and it doesn't taste bad at all. I made a day's worth this morning without adding the cayenne pepper. I add the pepper individually to each glass before I drink it. Although, when I go to work tonight, I'll just add it in the bottle I'm going to take with me. If you add too much, it's definitely a bit harsh to swallow. Also, in the book somewhere it mentions drinking it through a straw so the acidity of the lemon doesn't erode the enamel on your teeth; I've been doing that.

Honestly I'm not hungry at all and even did an hour of cardio at the gym. I believe the small phase-in I did helped. I haven't experienced any cravings today (which the books says is part of the detox process). Oh, and there's a difference between actual hunger and a craving. You'll crave whatever your body is detoxing. If I ate pizza last night, that's probably what I'd crave. Don't know if that's true, but it sounds good.

Not sure how work is going to be since I ALWAYS eat while I'm at work. I work at a restaurant for crying out loud and our fried zucchini is to DIE for! And today happens to be this North Manhattan Beach Open House thing, where all the businesses in North MB "showcase" themselves. So I know today we'll be handing out samples of our food to the folks walking by. That'll be a true test to my willpower. I'll update tonight.

Oh, when I went to Whole Foods today to purchase more lemons and organic grade B maple syrup, one of the cashiers said, "you're doing the master cleanse!!" Ha!

UPDATE:
With the North Manhattan Beach Annual Holiday "walk about" going on, it was really tough to stick with the cleanse. We were giving lots of samples of our food. We also had live music, and there were lots of people hanging out, drinking wine, and sampling food. It all smelled so good. But luckily, I was pretty busy, so not only did I not really have time to eat, I didn't have time to drink much of the lemonade. One of the cooks offered me something, which I had to turn down. I was so sad and it made me wonder if doing this cleanse is worth it. But I can't give up after only one day! Onto Day 2...

The Master Cleanse - Night Before

Tomorrow is day 1 of the Master Cleanse, but technically I will start it tonight. Every night, including the night before day 1 of the cleanse, you drink a cup of herbal laxative tea. It helps gets things going for the salt water flush in the morning, if you know what I mean. There's no particular brand of tea that is recommended, but look for Senna in the ingredient list. I have two different brands of tea that meet that requirement - Yogi Tea Get Regular, which I'm pretty sure I bought at Whole Foods. And Triple Leaf Tea Dieter's Green Herbal Tea that I bought at Cost Plus World Market. I'll most likely go with the Yogi tea because I like the taste better, but honestly, it's a laxative tea, how great is it going to taste? Also, you can't add anything to it for a better flavor.

Peter Glickman, who wrote "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days," the supplement to "The Master Cleanser" also maintains a website that is highly useful for finding information and answers to frequently asked questions. And with the discussion board, there's support and motivation from others doing the cleanse as well - http://therawfoodsite.com/index.html

He also provides a handy little chart to help track your progress. It does come with the disclaimer that, "This worksheet is NOT meant to replace reading the book." I agree. To also help track my progress, I have an app on my iPhone. Once I select, "Get Started," it will track my progress day-by-day and has a weight loss graph. Honestly, I'm not sure how helpful it will be, but I guess it's worth a try!
I mentioned previously about "phasing into" the Master Cleanse for a few days. I looked and can't actually find anything about that in either books. I guess it was something thought up by someone else? Either way, it's the phasing out of the cleanse that's more important.

The book mentions that people with a lot of meat and dairy in their diet will have a harder time...eliminating. I am truly hoping to get the junk out of my body and move onto healthier eating habits afterward. Ultimately my goal is to eliminate all meat from my diet. Thankfully Rob is already a pesco-vegetarian (sometimes eats fish, but no other meat) and can help me with the transition. I rarely eat red meat, but I do like chicken and turkey! However, after watching "Food, Inc." last night - I don't know if I even want to eat any meat again. Wow. We just don't realize what we're putting into our bodies. Today meat is so highly industrialized, it isn't what it used to be. I highly recommend renting, "Food, Inc." - http://www.foodincmovie.com/

Ok-enough of that. I'll update tomorrow! Day 1!

The Master Cleanse

I think it was sometime last year (or earlier this year) that I attempted to do the Master Cleanse, but failed miserably. It's a hard thing to commit to when you're flying everyday and the "lemonade concoction" needs to be made fresh daily and you have no set schedule. And forget about doing a salt water flush before stepping on an airplane. No way, no how. This detox takes a lot of focus and planning.

It's the holiday season, and over indulging is expected. I'm guilty. So I decided that before Christmas, I'd give the Master Cleanse another go. I also want to do it again after the new year before our trip to Tavarua (!!!!) where I'll be in a bathing suit essentially all day, everyday.

I've gained a few pounds from the pregnancy that I haven't been able to get rid of even though I've been exercising almost daily. I guess it really does come down to the basic equation of calories in versus calories out. I want to use the Master Cleanse as a way to purge the junk out of my body and jump-start a healthier lifestyle of eating. And if I can lose those few pounds in addition to detoxifying my body, it'll be a win-win situation.

To begin the Master Cleanse, I bought the original book, "The Master Cleanser" by Stanley Burroughs and the followup, "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days" written by Peter Glickman. The follow-up book is more current and covers a lot of the questions people have had through the years of doing this cleanse. Peter Glickman has done the cleanse several times and gives his own personal account how doing the Master Cleanse has improved his health and medical problems he no longer has. Also, I personally know several who have done this cleanse and have had great results. This would be one hell of a long post if I went into the crap we put into our body and how it really can mess us up (i.e. processed foods, fake sweeteners, the chemicals/hormones in meat and dairy, etc.). Stepping down from soap box. We're all guilty, no one is perfect and I believe moderation is key.

Ok - here's the breakdown/ingredients of the Master Cleanse:
Lemons/limes preferably organic
Organic Grade B Maple Syrup
Non-iodized Sea Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Herbal laxative tea bags (oh fun)
Spring or purified water

There are NO substitutions to these ingredients. The syrup has to be Organic Grade B, it has to be FRESH SQUEEZED lemons or limes (no juice from a bottle), the salt has to be non-iodized.

The cleanse should be done for 10 days or more, but 10 days is my goal. At night, you drink the laxative tea. In the morning, you'll do the salt water flush. Two teaspoons of salt mixed with 2 quarts of water. And chug. I found this to be difficult when I was doing it before so I had to chug to cut back on the gag reflex. Because of the salt, your body can't absorb the water, so it goes right through you taking everything with it. That's all I'll say about that.

According to the original book, you should drink 6-12 glasses a day of the lemonade concoction. I won't go into all the details, but basically each glass should have 2 tbsp. of fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice, 2 tbsp. of they Organic Grade B maple syrup, 1/10th tsp. cayenne pepper, 8oz spring water - it has to be non-fluoridated water, so probably no tap water. And then there's a whole other process of breaking the cleanse. You don't want to just dive into a huge steak dinner after 10 days of cleansing, or ever really...

I'll update at least once a day while I'm on the cleanse, and I'm hoping to start on Wednesday. I'll also officially weigh myself and take measurements and (ugh) photos before I start. Today was my first day of phasing into the cleanse. Raw fruits and veggies only. It's been tough, especially since my husband is chowing down on Trader Joe's macaroni and cheese as I type.