Fourth day post cleanse

Weight: 171

I feel good. Still drinking about 3 bottles of the lemonade a day. Eating some veggie soup and oranges and a little taste of some cookies here and there.

I went running yesterday. I felt really good and energetic during my run and only had to stop because my knee started hurting.

Second day post cleanse

Weight: 172.2

I miss the stability of knowing exactly what to eat (drink) when I feel hungry. I am also really worried I will start gaining weight again.

Yesterday started out pretty good. It was nice to not take the salt water flush. I got called out to work so I made up 3 bottles of the lemonade and took them with me. It was a good thing I did as I was busy for most of the day. I also got a chance to run home and squeeze some orange juice. I did not particularly enjoy the orange juice. It was too sweet. I had intended to ease my transition to regular food slowly. But, by the time I got home at 6 pm, starving, only having had 3 bottles of lemonade and a glass of orange juice, I decided to have one of the bean and cheese burritos I fixed for the kids. I was only able to eat one. I didn't notice any kind of reaction to it, other than being full after just one. I also felt like I needed to drink more water.

Today, I had 2 bottles of lemonade - one before church and one during church. Still love that lemonade! After church I started cooking my vegetable soup. I think I made enough to last a month! I also made some whole wheat, honey rolls. I ate 2 rolls and a bowl of soup. I feel VERY full at the moment. Not a pleasant feeling. I think the rolls may have been a bit too heavy for the second day post cleanse. 

I am still nervous heading into the week. I don't want that heavy feeling after I eat, so I plan on still having afew lemonade a throughout the days.

Day 10 !!!!

Weight: 172.2

Well, it's done. I think I will miss it. I know I will certainly miss seeing daily benefits. Although very few people seem to notice that I've lost 16lb's, my clothes fit me much better. Today I wore scrub pants I haven't worn in about 8 months - and they were baggies than they have ever been. Yay! I am definitely smaller in the hips and lower body.

The day was easy and I felt good, a little tired, but fairly good. In the evening I had to take my girls to a swim party at the pool. There were LOTS of food there, it smelled very delicious, but I did not want to take a bite at all. In the evening, I had promised my son I would make a chocolate sheet cake. I already knew before the cake was done that I would have a slice.

We stayed up and watched movies, and I had a small slice of chocolate cake..... It was alright. The aftertaste was so sweet it was almost nauseating. I spent the rest of the movie trying to flush out the taste with water. I was definitely not tempted to have seconds. If nothing else, I hope this cleanse will get me to change perspectives on sweets! I hope to no longer have those crazy cravings for sweets and carbs.

I am nervous about coming off. I hope to continue losing another 30 - 35 lb's. I am so glad I did this. I think I will try it again in a few months.

Day 9

Weight: 174.2

Well, I started my period. Up one whole pound!!!  Now I am getting scared these past 9 days have been for nothing. What if I put on all that weight again?! 

I am tired so far, but again, I think I just need more sleep. Still contemplating if I should extend the cleanse............

I had a fairly unproductive day. But I did fix meals, get the dishes done and clean the kitchen. I also made it to the gym (yay!) and walked (sprinkling in a run now and then) for about 2.5 miles over 35 minutes. It really felt great to do physical activity, but my endurance for running has almost disappeared.

My main problem today was tiredness. I started looking forward to bedtime around 5 pm. My 16 yr old had a 'bad' day at school and really just wanted to have a movie night. So, after dinner, I made a chocolate cake and we watched a nice chick flick. I came really close to just taking a bite of the cake - but I didn't. It smelled good and was warm and moist as I dished it out to the kids......mmmmmmmm

Getting a little nervous as I approach the end....

Day 8

Weight: 173.2

I have felt really good today, but also a little sad that this cleanse is soon coming to an end. I keep toying with the idea that maybe I will go longer, past the 10 days, but evenings are still a little difficult. I think I would feel even better if I got 6-8 hours of sleep a night.

I still love the lemonade and honestly have never felt hungry. My mouth has gotten a bit dry and sticky so I'm trying to drink more water between the lemonade.

On a sad note, I have lost 14 lb's so far, but very few people can tell, and most of my clothes are still a little too snug fitting. I feel really determined to keep up the weight loss after the cleanse.

Day 7

Weight 174.4 

It definitely helps to stay busy. A little tired today but I'm pretty sure lack of sleep is the cause.
It's getting a little easier to resist food.

Day 6

Weight: 176

I honestly felt great today. Some people are starting to notice I look better. 

During the day, I feel so good I contemplate possibly doing this several times a year. But as I pull in my driveway at the end of the day, I long for a warm meal. I was able to resist, however, and have stayed cheat free today.

I ran/walked 2 miles pushing a jogging stroller. It felt so good to be moving my body. I felt like the cleanse was more efficient with excercise. After the run, I came home and couldn't motivate myself to do anything. I was completely drained.

Day 5 HUMP DAY!

Weight: 176.4

There's the body I know so well. I actually gained weight. I don't understand how.....but I'm going to try to not let it discourage me as I continue this long journey.  I know that losing 2 lb's per week is not exactly healthy, so I guess I should be glad about staying 176 lb's for another day......

It definitely helps to stay busy and to keep my body moving. I have noticed that I don't get the 'brain fog' anymore, I am able to stay fairly positive and focused on my tasks, and if I keep moving, keep busy, I feel great!

Well, as the day wound to a close and I was cooking dinner for the kids, I realized how much I miss eating dinner with the family. Dinner smelled delicious. Then I made these whole wheat, oatmeal,  butterscotch bars for the kids.........AND I CHEATED!!!!  It started out with an accidental lick of my fingers after the gooey bars got stuck to me when I was slicing them up, then....I just grabbed a piece and ate it, as well as having several more licks. I feel very remorseful now of course, and the aftertaste was definitely too sweet for me. Over the next hour I experienced mild abdominal cramping. I kind of like that my body didn't tolerate it.

So, at day 5, I am learning to stay positive and enjoy the positive side effects of The Master Cleanse. It is all to easy to just think about the food you are giving up and doubt the effectiveness of the cleanse. I am also learning that I need to be busy and be moving my body. I hope to make it to the gym tomorrow. Lastly, normally I would obsess about cheating and worry my weight loss chances are ruined, I have decided to not think about it anymore and hopefully be determined enough to make it the remaining 5 days without cheating...... (There is a small part of me that's anxious to see what the scale says the morning).

Day 4

weight: 176.2 

I got 9 hours of sleep last night which felt WONDERFUL! I woke up feeling ambitious and excited about the results so far. However, because I slept so long and then sat up in bed watching a show while I drank the salt water (which I was able to do without hesitations), I had a hard time getting motivated to get things done the rest of the day.

I started feeling a little nauseous early on in the day, and to my disappointment noticed that the lemonade had lost its appeal. The last 2 drinks I had yesterday, also was a bit stale tasting. I wondered if the latest batch of lemons I had bought at Walmart were bad. So I went to Lin's and got some new lemons, which thankfully put that freshness and zing back into the lemonade. I am glad I didn't start out with the bad lemons, I don't think I would have endured past the first day. I don't know  how to tell a good lemon from a bad lemon, so I will just be sure not to buy them from Walmart again :)

The kids got some chips and candy bars at the store, and for a moment, I was extremely tempted to have a bite. I held my daughters Twix bars and almost put my nose directly on it while I inhaled deeply. The smell was divine! I did the same to the Doritos. Somehow, enjoying the smell, in a strong dose like that, helped satisfy my cravings.

In someways, it feels like I've been on this cleanse forever, and this being Day 4, is a bit discouraging. I still have a LONG road ahead of me. I feel great I the mornings, but evenings are getting hard. My skin has more of a freshness to it, but... I'm still waiting for the "great", "awakening" feeling people have described while on the Master Cleanse. I know that getting more sleep would probably help immensely, so I'm hoping that within the next few days I will feel "great".

Day 3

Weight: 178.6 !!! 

I woke up feeling, tired, but good. I had contemplated not doing the salt water flush because I had a busy day at work planned and would need to leave early. I didn't want to have to rush to a bathroom while out seeing patients. But, I was down in the kitchen making banana bread for the kids and decided to try it any way. Surprisingly, I was actually able to drink the whole 32 oz, without having to pinch my nose! This cleanse must be doing something to my taste buds - I just couldn't believe I could drink it that easily.

The day went fairly well. I felt I had enough energy. Whenever I would start to feel tired or hungry, I just had to remind myself to drink the lemonade. Once I drink it, the other cravings tend to disappear. I had a big meeting at work, which includes a delicious, catered lunch. I was worried how that would go. The food smelled heavenly! Luckily, I had brought a bottle of lemonade with me. Once I drank that, I was fine. I got home from work around 6:30 pm. That's when things got depressingly hard. I was so tired. The banana bread looked soooo delicious, the dinner left overs were calling out to me. I was really tempted to cheat, ...just a little. I realized it had been just over 3 hours since I had had my last lemonade. Again, once I drank, the other fears melted away.

I think the weekend might be hard -  when we usually bake a lot. I have learned that you can only do this diet one drink at a time, and that the key to succes is drinking every 2 hours

Day 2

Weight: 180.4

Today was hard. I have been tired all day. I am also a little sleep deprived, which I am sure contributed to how I have been feeling. I decided to give the salt water flush another try. It wasn't quite as bad today, although I still left about 8 oz undrunk. I waited about 1.5 hours before drinking the lemonade - which tasted so good after that horrible salt water.

I didn't have to work today, so I was hoping for a super productive day at home. But I was really dragging my feet. Couldn't be efficient. Maybe I would have felt different if I did work. I have learned that it definitely helps to stay busy. 

I. and my stomach, craved solid foods. Occasionally, I would feel hungry, but full at the same time. The two hours between drinks goes fast. It feels like I'm drinking all day. I found myself dreaming about a taco salad from a Mexican restaurant. When I finished making dinner tonight - sphagethi and fried ham in an Alfredo sauce, I had to bend over the saucepan and breathe in the delicious aroma. But.....I didn't cheat. Not a crumb, not a pinch,

I hope tomorrow will be better. 

Day 1

Well,  I made it through today, which - I hope was as hard as it gets. I had a lot of things going on, work, kids coming back to our house, lots of snack foods to make, spaghetti fundraising dinner that I brought a home made dessert to be auctioned off, then again late night at home which consisted of divvying up a banana cream pie we were given, and having a pizza box full of deep fried bread stick sitting around that my teenage son brought home. The smell of waffles and Norwegian vanilla filled cakes baking was very tempting, but I didn't give in. Not a lick, not a bite!

Starting out this morning, I was nervous about having enough time to let the salt water flush do its thing before I needed to be at work. I had an early morning meeting to top it off. I  kept waking up every 2 hours during the night and finally got up at 5:30 am and weighed myself. 

Weight: 182.6 

I'm thinking a 10 day raw diet might not be bad either. 

 The salt water flush was TERRIBLE. Nothing I have ingested before has ever felt so wrong and unnatural. I finally pinched my nose, which helped a little, but still ended up pouring the last 12 oz down the drain. 

 The lemonade concoction was delightful! I loved the sweet fresh taste, even the "kick" of the Cayenne Pepper. I mixed a few bottles to-go. Today was one of my bigger work days. Having been in a state of constant fatigue for some time, I was surprised that I never felt the need for a pick-me-up. No diet Pepsi, no green tea capsules, and not even a candy bar. There were a few times I started feeling hungry, but when I looked at the time, I realized more than 2 hours had passed since my last drink. Drinking the lemonade every 2 hours worked great! I did not feel hungry unless I went longer than that. Again, the only time I even felt tempted to eat something else was when I had the food right in front of me, smelling it, cooking and baking it, and servicing it.

I even had the energy to walk/run a little for 30 minutes - going 2 miles.

Dandelion tea completed the day. I'm pretty proud for not cheating once today, but I know it will be a very long 10 days.

2 Days before Master Cleanse

This is me just a few days ago. My weight has reached an ALL TIME high -even higher than my 9 months pregnant weight. I would like to lose 55 lbs..... Weight 188 I mainly ate a raw diet with some grains and proteins. On the second day I had the Lemonade for breakfast. I was surprised how well I felt during the day. I was able to work hard, bake and clean all without caffeine. I'm having some lower abdominal and back pains. Mild cramping. I believe these are most like related to my kidneys, or adrenal glands. I am nervous to start tomorrow. It will be a busy week.