Daily Account of my 10 Day Cleanse/Fast
I have decided to start a 10 day
Master Cleanse. Wednesday will be my start day, officially, but my cleanse really
started four days prior (on 4/1.) I’ve been avoiding caffeine since Sunday and
trying to eat as clean as possible. I’ve also been eating extra protein to
prepare my body for the fast.
I have multiple reasons for
deciding to do this powerful and challenging cleanse/fast, both physical and psychological.
Physically, I am very inflamed from various injuries I’ve incurred in the past
6 months. I wake up in the morning very stiff (especially my ankles) and often
go to bed with swollen joints. There's also a few issues with my complexion that I'm hoping will clear up: I have noticed my skin has been breaking
out more often than usual and I’m hoping it will clear up and even out
my skin tone. Besides that, I've noticed the circles under my eyes getting darker. On my left shin, I have an old scare that I’m hoping will lighten or even
clear up.
I’ve also been noticing an
increase in sugar cravings and comfort foods (I wonder if this is tied to
increased inflammation and breakouts, hmm). And the more I give in to them, the
more difficult it has been to control them. The Master Cleanse has been one of
the best tools that I’ve used to correct sugar cravings/addiction, as well as a
powerful tool in overcoming food addiction in general. I feel like it’s more of
a fast, because of psychological aspect. The time you have to spend with
yourself, nurturing yourself with things that are not about food: reading,
meditating, walking, yoga.. etc. It’s so easy to forget and go back to old
habits of food, caffeine and alcohol to seek comfort when we’re frustrated,
tired, sad, bored or lonely. It is a good habit to check in every once in a
while.
Now here’s my debate: Do I do a
pure master cleanse? Or do I incorporate a juice? Every Master Cleanse
authority will tell you not deviate from the standard cleanse. But I have other
ideas ;)
I was just doing a little
research on some of my favorite juice ingredients. I’m looking for ingredients
that won’t alter the purpose of the Cleanse. The two main points to focus on
are: 1. Inflammation 2. Sugar. So I’m using ingredients with the lowest
glycemic index, and high anti-inflammatory properties. I found an awesome
search engine from
Self Magazine at
http://nutritiondata.self.com. (not gonna lie, pretty impressed! nice job Self!)) Here
are some of my juice options:
- Wheatgrass-
my first and most obvious choice because of its detoxifying and energizing
qualities (GI*= 1).
- Kale-
Well known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Also a great source of Iron
and very low glycemic index (GI*=1).
- Cucumber-
Adds a little sweetness without overpowering (GI*= 3). Also detoxifying.
- Ginger-
known anti-inflammatory and detoxifying agent. No glycemic load (GI*=0)
Just as a reminder, here are the ingredients
for the Master Cleanse:
- Lemons-
Very mild Anti-inflammatory properties are a plus, but mainly used for enzymatic
cleansing qualities. Low Glycemic index (GI*=3).
- Maple
Syrup (grade A or B)- The only ingredient that at first glance doesn’t make
sense because of the very high glycemic Index. However, its main use is as a
source of calories and invaluable energy, as well as many minerals like magnesium,
potassium, calcium and iron.
- Cayenne
pepper- The most powerful anti-inflammatory in the whole bunch! It also
works synergistically with the enzymes in the lemons to cleanse and detoxify.
Think you’d like to join me?
Email me and find out how a cleanse (like this or others) can help you. It can be difficult
and dangerous to do this without the proper support, so don’t be afraid to ask
for my help!
*GI-
glycemic index.
4/4/12: Day one (officially)
I woke up this morning feeling a little guilty about the Ben
and Jerry’s Ice Cream I had last night. I had decided last minute, that if I’m
not going to be able to have ice cream for a while, I should grab some while I
can. I normally allow myself the occasional indulgence, but last night I felt
like I was cheating. See, I had promised myself that my cleanse really started
on 4/1, and I was supposed to eliminate all sugar and processed junk since
them. Yesterday was not a banner day for me. But, I can honestly say, I can
leave that behind me and move forward.
Since I decided to incorporate juice into my fast, I start
my day with a juice I had made yesterday. It contains: Apple, cucumber, kale,
parsley, lemon and wheatgrass. It was leftover and I didn’t want it to go to
waste. But today I’ll make a fresh batch for tomorrow’s “vitamin juice.”
This am I weighed myself and was surprised I’d lost 3 pounds
since Sunday (water weight?) I was not as inflamed as yesterday (maybe because
I slept better?) so that could have contributed to the weight loss.
Pain and inflammation
scale (1-10) 7 – stiff (especially ankles,) muscles soar and a little
tender (especially hip flexors)
Sleep- 9.5 hours.
Woke up to phone ringing (would have slept longer I was exhausted). Woke up
once during the night. Feel very refreshed this morning.
Fast Forward (cleaver pun ;)
Got through the rest of the day pretty well! I wasn’t
feeling hungry or deprived, in fact I was very motivated and energized. I did my usual workout and didn't even have so much of a headache. That surprised me a lot. I’m usually most miserable
the first 2 or 3 days (takes a little time for the toxins to clear out and your body to get used to not eating/digesting.) My theory: Maybe I’ve psyched myself up so much
about the benefits that I just kind of got over it.
4/5/12 Day Two
OK, I’m hungry! I woke up ready for some breakfast… and then
realized I was still fasting. So instead I got myself excited about having the
juice I made yesterday. What did I juice?
- Apples- Didn't plan on it, but I had one left, so I figured what the hell (GI=3)
- Cucumbers
- Kale
- Parsley- pretty good anti-inflammatory and great for detoxifying (GI=2)
- Ginger
- Wheatgrass
- Lemon
I gobbled that right up first thing this morning. Now I’m
sticking to the lemon/maple syrup juice the rest of the day.
It’s noon now, and my stomach is growling. But otherwise, I’m
alright. Not actually “hungry,” just trying to get to the point where my body
catches up to what my mind already knows. Still feeling good, but not as
energetic as yesterday, but that could also be the fluorescent lights - no,
seriously, has anyone else noticed their energy or mood change when trapped
under them for a while?
Pain and inflammation
scale (1-10) 6 – still stiff (especially ankles,) muscles are not as soar
even though I worked out pretty hard yesterday.
Sleep- a little
less than 8 hours. Woke up on my own about 10 minutes before my alarm- that
doesn’t mean I got out of bed! I waited for my alarm, hit snooze a couple of
times before I finally decided to get out of bed. The big motivation… getting
me some of that green juice!
Have a 10 hour work day today, then planning on meeting up
with a friend later after work. Guess we’ll see how the day goes!
4/6/12 Day Three
I did end up meeting up with friends last night after work.
I was fine though, had the most spectacular sparkling water and lemon wedges
thanks to my barkeep Lourdes. I expected it to be more tempting with food and
beverage options galore dangling in front of me. But I am proud to say held my
own (insert pat on the back here.)
 |
| Most delicious sparkling water with lemon ever! |
Pain and inflammation
scale (1-10) 6 – still stiff, I did notice my left side body was tighter
than usual and my knee was bothering me. I am so very in need of some good
stretching and yoga. Also noticed, the scar on my left leg is lighter AND the old
scar on my right shin has completely faded!
Sleep- only slept
about 6 hours before I woke up naturally. Feeling alright though. Would love to
squeeze in a nap!
In light of making this a more holistic and balanced experience, I wanted
to make sure I got some time in for yoga. I worked with Natalie today, and got
to really work out all that tightness in my left side. Incidentally, My knee
feels better! After yoga, I decided to be brave and stick around for a booty
kicking workout with Paige- I wasn’t sure if I could hang considering I had
also done yoga. But even after warning her I might leave early, I stuck it
through and surprised myself!
 |
| Beach yoga! Not quite today, but in 3 weeks I'll be there! |
Just goes to show how amazing the human body is. Once it’s
aligned to work properly, it can work through anything. I think that it helped
doing the
Metagenics Cleanse a couple months before and eliminating most metal
toxicity. I also think that preparing for a few days before starting has helped
me tremendously in being able to jump right in and avoid the fog and fatigue of
the first few days.
I’m going to have an extra glass of juice since
I worked out a little more today, but otherwise sticking to the plan. I have
noticed that my cravings have gotten better since yesterday. At the end of a
long day, I usually look forward to a good dinner or at least a snack. Now I
find myself having to fill that void. But I’m filling the emotional space of food with
other things… taking care of myself by doing my nails, making my space more
comfortable by cleaning my room, socializing with my friends etc. This fast has
been so helpful for me in making that realization.
4/7/12 Day Four
I was just thinking and I have to say, I’m extremely lucky to
have such supportive friends! Having people I my life that I can talk to about
what I’m going through (cleanse or otherwise) is a huge part of what makes me
able to do this fast and get so much out of it. I just wanted to start by
saying thank you.
Aside from my friends, this diary has also helped provide an
added support. Most times I’ve done cleanses, I’ve done them with a group or
lead others. This time I’m doing this alone, and as I expected, it is much
harder. As I mentioned, my friends have been supportive and helpful, but it’s
always nice to share the experience with; someone to both commiserate and
celebrate with. I suppose that’s true of life, but it truly is motivating to
know you have someone on your team.
Pain and inflammation
scale (1-10) 5- Actually woke up this morning, and in my grogginess, didn’t
notice that I walked, as opposed to
hobbled, to the bathroom. There’s very little noticeable swelling in my ankle
(yay inflammation reduced!)
Sleep- slept
around 8 &1/2 hours. I was exhausted from my long day yesterday, so would
have definitely loved to stay in bed longer rather than get up and go to work,
but what else is new?
I didn’t wake up particularly hungry, in fact I didn’t “eat”
for about an hour & half after I woke up. I had a wheatgrass shot (I had
some extra time and was near a juice bar, so figured why not) and my juice.
That was around 8:30AM. I honestly wasn’t hungry till almost 1PM, when I
decided to have my lemon/maple syrup drink. Interesting, I think.
In yoga yesterday, with Natalie’s help, I was able to figure
out why my knee has started to hurt again. Not only is my left hip and
IT band tight
(pulling my knee out of alignment) but my whole left side is tight! This might
be aggravated by my lower back or hip problems, issues that I had been seeing a
chiropractor for these things in the past (and should really start again). But
this has given me motivation and direction of what to work on. I think I’m
going to go to the gym after work tonight (if they’re open, hmm,) do a gentle
warm up, some abdominal work and try to stretch a whole bunch. I’d like to
start stretching daily, maybe at night or in the morning when I wake up.
We’ll see tomorrow how that goes!
4/8 Day Five (half way!)
Let me start off with a confession… I didn’t go to the gym
last night. Instead I took a nap; an uncharacteristically long 2 hour nap. And
it was splendid. I was exhausted and my body really needed it. Even I have to
remind myself: during a cleanse you need extra rest. Our bodies are doing extra
work by both metabolizing differently as well as trying to eliminate toxins; so
rest is very important.
After my nap I did a little yoga and stretched. It felt
tremendously good! I think I’m going to try to start making this a habit.
Question is, first thing in the morning, or at night before bed? We’ll have to
see how that works out.
|
| reminding myself, beach yoga in Nicaragua in 2 weeks! |
So today is Easter Sunday (happy holidays to those who
celebrate.) I had a great quite day at home. I made it to a spin class (yay
me!) It was definitely a challenge, but what spin class isn’t? I was careful to
listen to my body and not push myself too, too hard. It felt great to get a
good sweat on!
 |
| I have 6 bags to donate! |
I spent the rest of my day cleaning my room and sorting
through my clothes deciding which to donate. My very good friend, Touline, came over to help and brought
with herself a bottle of wine. I poured my lemon/maple syrup drink into a matching
wine glass, and we got to work! We took one dinner break, as she ate her veggie wrap, I juiced myself a fresh green juice. Once we were finally done, it was so gratifying to see how much I was able
to clear out… and without her help and sternness, I would not have been nearly
as productive. Thank you, Touline!
I also realized, without being on this fast, it would have been so very
tempting to go grab dinner and another bottle of wine somewhere. In a way,
cleansing my body has helped me focus and cleansing the clutter around me as
well!
Pain and inflammation
scale (1-10) 4- I think the stretching last night helped. I was able to
flex and point my foot with some limited range of motion, but more freely than
before. My knee feels better also. Although I did notice if I keep it bent for
too long, it does start to stiffen and hurt a bit.
Sleep- Since I
napped so long and so late in the day I didn’t get to bed till pretty late
(around 2AM.) I woke up around 9AM feeling pretty good.
I have noticed that I’m not urinating as often as before and
it’s not nearly as watery. That’s normal as the body gets used to the extra
consumption of water and releases the stored water in the extracellular
compartments (this is when you’ll notice less bloating.) I’ve lost another 7lbs
since I last weighed myself on Wednesday. It’s probably mostly attributed to
the water weight.
It was a nice day off today, tomorrow back to work/reality!
For the last 5 days check out the Home Stretch!
