master cleanse

This is my second cleanse- last time I did daily posts on 43things as well (and posted them to my master cleanse blog.) I did my first cleanse almost exactly a year ago and it had such an amazing effect on me, both physically and mentally, that I’ve decided to do it again. I like to time it just about 12 or 13 days before the start of the academic year so I can start school feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. I leave for school on the 31st, so I’ll be done cleansing just about 2 days before I pack up and go.

Anyway, today has been a surprisingly easy day (I usually find the first day to be one of the most difficult- I attempted a second master cleanse about 7 months ago and couldn’t make it past the first day!) But I’m determined to finish it out this time.

I’ve been keeping myself busy (to keep my mind off of food!) and drove into Boston today for a doctor’s appt, then went to the mall and did some clothes shopping. Now I’m home, waiting for a package from adagio teas to come in the mail. I ordered a bunch of different sampler sizes, but I’m most excited about the green tea. Stanley Burroughs allows the consumption of peppermint tea while on the cleanse, and while I didn’t drink green tea on my last cleanse, I’m going to allow myself that tiny bit of wiggle room just for the sake of appetite suppression. When I’m feeling absolutely famished, a warm cup of green tea will make my tummy rumbles go away. :)

Once my package arrives, I’ll probably have a cup of tea and then lay down for a quick nap.

That’s all for now.
Best of luck to all of you out there on the Master Cleanse; drop me an e-mail if you want to chat, are just beginning your first MC, or need help staying motivated (Lord knows I do!)

<3
Christina

I can’t believe it’s been a year since doing the Master Cleanse. I’m starting up again (by coincidence it falls on almost exactly a year to the day!) and hopefully I’ll make it through all 10 days (not that 9 was a failure by any means.)

Yesterday I went out to Trader Joe’s and picked up all my supplies: sea salt, a giant 32oz bottle of Grade B maple syrup, and 15 or so organic lemons (I’ll obviously be needing more eventually.) I had to go to a normal grocery store to find the senna tea and cayenne. I have Peter Glickman’s book, but I’m also planning on downloading Burroughs’ original The Master Cleanser and just printing it out.
Last night before bed I had a cup of senna tea, although it really didn’t have much of an effect this morning. I went to sleep early (around 9:00) because I was really exhausted. I’m trying to readjust my sleep schedule (the night before I went to bed at 5:00 am!) before school starts (I leave for MCLA on the 31st.)

My family has the same attitude they had last summer- they think I’m a total wacko for “starving myself” for 10 days, but I really think I need this. I’ve been feeling terrible lately: depressed, low energy, anxious and irritable. I know a lot of this has to do with my poor diet. Lately (within the past month or so) I’ve been making terrible food choices. I don’t know if it’s because I’m out of school and bored, or just my laziness and apathy. But I know that if I don’t fix this now, it could potentially ruin the start of my academic year. I want to go into school this September feeling great about my body and feeling happy, refreshed, and rejuvinated. The cleanse had such a great effect on my mental and physical wellbeing last year that I would be a fool not to try a second cleanse.

Like I said earlier, emotionally, I’ve been a wreck. I hope that my (lack of) will power and motivation don’t overpower my desire to cleanse. I think that making a list of reasons why I should stay on the cleanse- the health benefits, what I’ll gain from sticking to it, etc. When I come up with the list I’ll be sure to post it here. It will be a daily reminder and (hopefully) will motivate me to stick to it.

In addition to being in an emotional rut, I’ve also gained some weight and feel physically unwell. Right now I weigh 135 (5 lbs more than I weighed before starting the MC last year!), so loosing this excess weight is also a must. In addition to losing weight, I hope that the MC will boost my energy level as well.

As far as post-cleansing goes, I’m planning on drinking grapefruit juice (orange juice I find to be too thick and heavy.) Natalie’s Orchid Island grapefruit juice is my favorite.

I heard a theory that, to develop a new habit or way of living, it takes 21 days of continuously living the change you want to see become permanent in your life. I really hope that I can adopt a post-cleanse vegan lifestyle (raw foodism seems appealing and very healthy, but maybe too extreme for me right now.) Hell, I’d even settle for being able to stick whole-heartedly to a lacto-ovo-vegtarian diet. I love cheese so much.

Anyway, I have a doctors appointment in Boston in a bit, so I’ve got to go get ready. I had a two cups of lemonade with lots of cayenne this morning, and 1/16 tsp cayenne applied directly to the tongue… so I think I’ll premix two more cups to take with me and omit the cayenne because if I don’t drink it all at once, the lemonade will get crazy hot n’ spicy.

I’ll update again soon! :)

<3
Christina

So, I decided to end my cleanse today. I know the standard length is 10 days, but today felt right for me. I did a SWF later in the afternoon, around 3:00. A while ago I took two probiotic supplements to replace all the good bacteria and prepare my body for solid food.

I cooked up a veggie soup with shredded carrots, mushrooms, scallions, onions, cherry tomatoes, celery, and cucumbers, plus a little garlic powder and red pepper. I let that simmer for a while and had a very small bowl along with three multi-grain crackers covered in about a tablespoon of almond butter. I know I’m supposed to ease my way back into eating very slowly, but the normal cleanse doesn’t instruct probiotics. My digestive system will be better prepared and hopefully my body won’t reject the food.

This cleanse has been one of the best things I’ve ever done for my body, mind, and soul. I feel completely refreshed and ready to move on with a healthy vegetarian diet. My depression I feel is almost gone; I’m happier than I’ve been in over four years. I didn’t obsess over my weight while on the cleanse and my normal ridiculous self-deprecating thoughts haven’t even so much as entered my mind. I’m ready to eat a healthy whole foods diet and begin my light exercise regiment. I recently got a job at the Y, so now I have a place to work out.

This cleanse really has been a blessing. I didn’t expect much from it (or myself) in the beginning. I’m so glad I did it.

<3
Christina

So, today was the ultimate test of my will power and self-control. My mom, who works at Trader Joe’s, hosted an end of summer party for the whole store today.. at our house. And if any of you have shopped at a Trader Joe’s before, you know what the food’s like. I was surrounded by dozens of people eating veggie masala burgers, chicken lime burgers, all kinds of delicious salads, desserts to die for! But everyone was really impressed by what I’ve been doing and give me a lot of credit. I could never ruin it now. I picked and chose from my favorite foods and saran wrapped them for a few days. Although, I did take a few cookies and cake… I should probably do away with those to resist the temptation. Everyone’s heading out now. I ducked out when they broke out the ice cream sundaes and came up to my room.

I didn’t do a SWF this morning and I’m going to do it tonight instead. I’ve had a few lemonade drinks (without the pepper, again..) But all in all I think I’ve done a good job. It’s hard enough to eschew food for 10 days, I shouldn’t beat myself up for not sticking to the plan exactly. It took a lot of self discipline and I really do give myself a lot of credit.

My mind set is: if I can not eat anything at all, then I should be able to eat healthily when I do. I made my list of important foods to include in my new diet and most of them are already in the house. I’ll go pick up those last few items sometime tomorrow or on Saturday.

For now, I need to get going on my reading.
Tomorrow’s day 10, I made it!!

<3
Christina

It’s day eight already, but I still haven’t had enough courage to brave the pepper. I think I was traumatized when I overpeppered near the beginning of the cleanse! I didn’t do the SWF yesterday or this morning, so I’m planning on doing it tonight.

Last night before bed, I made some chamomile/peppermint tea and sweetened it with a little maple syrup. It was one of the most delicious cups of tea I’ve ever experienced. This may or may not be a result of my extremely unvaried diet!

I really am not sticking to the plan as well as I could. Not enough pepper, not enough tea. Although I can do a SWF like a pro now, no gagging or discomfort whatsoever! But I’m not condemning myself. Doing it this way is better than not doing the cleanse at all.

I weighed in at 121 this morning, for a total weight loss of 10 pounds! That’s a significant amount taking my 5’1’’ stature into consideration. I feel wonderful and my reflection reminds me of a person I missed for a long time. I feel happy about my body and have a better self-image.

The decrease in depression & anxiety is still going strong. I’m feeling just as great as ever! I also got a job at a nearby YMCA working at the front desk. Unemployment was a big contributer to my woes… I couldn’t afford anything!

Things finally are looking up for me after being in a rut for such a long.. looonggg time. This cleanse has really been doing wonders for me. I’ll have a fresh start for the school year, which is the most wonderful thing of all. (Not to mention, with my new clear skin I’ll look fabulous for senior pictures!! lol)

I’m going to need to come up with a plan for my post-cleanse diet. (Grocery shopping list, meal plans, recipes, etc.) I’ll post that here as well when it’s finished.

Now if I could only get my reading done…

<3
Christina

It’s hard to believe I haven’t eaten in a week. I’m doing great! They say day 7 is the worst, but I’m feeling fine. I definitely experienced the whole “tongue coating” thing today, though.. yuck. I still haven’t been taking enough cayenne pepper, and that’s my only mistake. I’m going to have to be more strict about the cleanse these last few days if I want to get what I want out of it.

My mind is fixated on the salad from Flatbread. And if you’re from around the MA/NH area, you know how delicious everything in that place is! Oh, it’s so yummy.. mesclun, carrots, cucumbers, arame seaweed, ginger vinaigrette dressing, toasted sesame seeds.. oh man I’m drooling just thinking about it. There’s no doubt in my mind that’s the first place I’ll be visiting on day 13.

I weighed 123 pounds again this morning, keeping the total around 7-8 pounds. Looking in the mirror I feel slimmer, and that makes me happy. I’m finally happy with the way I look again. And, hopefully, if I continue with a healthy diet post-cleanse, I can maintain my weight or maybe even lose a little more.

Throughout the cleanse, I’ve stayed on my psychotherapeutic meds (Wellbutrin, Lamictal). But there’s something different going on. Usually, even with the meds, I experience depression and anxiety on a daily basis. During the cleanse, though, I’ve noticed a feeling of euphoria and happiness every day! I’m much calmer and am dealing with all my stressors. It’s amazing what a detox can change in you, both physically and mentally. The cleanse has taught me the importance of a healthy diet. It really does make a difference in the quality of your life.

That’s all for now. SWF tomorrow morning, and a strong and conscious attempt to deal with the pepper.

:)

<3
Christina

It’s all downhill from here! I’m still feeling great on the cleanse. My cravings have been less and less, but they’re still there. My mom was having a big bowl of ziti and potato gnocchi yesterday and it smelled delicious! I wanted to take a bite so bad.

I weighed myself again this morning and it came in at 123. This brings my total weight loss to about 8 pounds already! This is an exciting weight for me because it brings me back to where I was last December, my lightest weight in at least 6 years.

I had another nightmare last night. I was at a party with a ton of friends and started chowing down on chips and salsa. I didn’t realize what I was doing and it didn’t hit me until I was done eating. I felt absolutely terrible for ruining it! I’m not exactly sure of the significance of these dreams, but I do know that they foreshadow how I would feel if I did actually slip up and ruin my detox.

The SWF is no longer something I dread. It doesn’t bother me anymore. Now my only challenge is the pepper. I haven’t been using it these past few days except maybe to take 1/4tsp all at once. My goal today is to include it in 3 out of the 6 or 7 lemonades I usually drink.

I’ll update again later tonight or tomorrow! :)

<3
Christina

I can’t believe I’m half way through!!! I’m honestly so surprised I made it this far. No turning back now. At this point, I’d so regret quitting early. I must say, I feel pretty accomplished.

Although, there are a few things I haven’t been doing correctly. I’ve been doing the SWF only every other day, I don’t put cayenne in my lemonade and instead opt to take it all at once every once in a while. Also, I probably don’t drink as much senna tea as I should. But, then again, I do drink plenty of lemonade and water, so I’m keeping hydrated. This latter half of the cleanse I’m just going to have to step it up and stick to the plan more diligently.

The headache I experienced on Friday is (knock on wood) all but gone! I feel fine. I feel just like I normally do every other day of my life, just like I’ve been eating (even though I haven’t been). Kinda strange to me.

My cravings have been subsiding drastically. My stupid brother baked a big vanilla cake last night.. and I smelled it, yummm. But I went into the fridge and read the frosting label, and that deterred me from any temptations that may have still been lingering. Other than that, I drive past fast food restaurants without giving them a second thought.

I went to Barnes and Noble yesterday and was browsing through the two huge bookcases stuffed full of vegetarian/vegan lifestyle and recipe books. It was overwhelming! I didn’t buy anything (yet) but The New Becoming Vegetarian struck me as interesting and informative. The same authors also put out a book called Becoming Vegan, but I don’t think I’m ready to make the jump away from dairy completely yet.

That’s all for now!
I hope everyone is doing well :)

<3
Christina

I can’t believe I’ve made it so far already! It’s day four and I feel pretty great, I must say. I’ve lost 7 pounds (I went from being around 131- this morning I weighed 124). I look thinner, I feel healthier.. it’s really nice.

I keep having dreams of me screwing up the cleanse. Last night I dreamed I drank two tall glasses of milk and grape juice and ate a bunch of different foods. It was terrible because, while I was dreaming, it felt like reality. But I woke up this morning, thankfully, and realized it’s all good.

Yesterday I was having some pretty bad headaches, right up until I fell asleep. I don’t have one now, I just hope it doesn’t come back later on today.

I didn’t do a SWF yesterday, so this means I’ll have to do one this morning. I’m not looking forward to it. My stomach’s been shrinking, and gulping down 32oz of salty water is going to make me excruciatingly nauseous.

I’ll post again later on today.

<3
Christina

After I’m done with the Master Cleanse, I feel like it may be a good thing to find myself a nutritionist. I don’t want to spend all this time and effort purging my body of toxins and cleansing myself completely just to return to unhealthy eating habits. It could be nice to have some professional guidance and support!

I already have a list of about 40 local nutritionists covered by my HMO (just the $20 copay would be due at time of visit).

Do/have any of you guys have/had a nutritionist before?
What are/were your experiences? Worth it?

Thanks!

<3
Christina