day 5: the work week re-starts

timeline: how long to go?
it's day five and i think i'm past the halfway point. i say this with slight uncertainty because i'm not sure if i should go 7-8 or 10. there's been some debate on the master cleanse forum i frequent as to whether the 10 day minimum must be strictly followed or not. there are plenty of people who cleanse for less time, and plenty who go 10 days, 20, or more.

this being my first cleanse, my initial intent was 7-8 days. i scheduled it for a time frame that seemed to work with my schedule, at least at the time. in reality no timing would be perfect. now looking at the end of the cleanse, i'm concerned i won't be able to see friends before i go out of town for the entire summer if i don't end it sooner than 10 days. if i do finish it sooner, i'll still do it again -to full term- in the future. i'll not feel any sense of failure if i get to 7 or 8 either.

my experience vs others'
i don't know what i've done differently, now or prior to the cleanse, that would differentiate me from the others i see posting on the forum. so many people on there complain about feeling cold all the time, having major aches and pains (besides hunger pains), acne, intense body odors, and are fighting to stay on the cleanse because they can't take it anymore. i'm not bemoaning them at all - i would be having a hard time staying to course too if my body exhibited those effects! however, it is not. i feel fine. i almost wonder if i'm not doing something correctly or if the cleanse somehow isn't working. maybe i'm speaking too soon, and the rest of it will be hell. i don't know, but i'm not complaining!

weight, weight, don't tell me
i couldn't resist a homage to my new favorite npr show in podcast form! anyway, the weight issue that concerned me yesterday was resolved by the scale this morning. i'm down eight pounds from yesterday, for a total loss of six pounds since starting the cleanse. i always drink more than the 6-10 recommended glasses daily so i'm not surprised i haven't lost more (the expected amount is two pounds per day). but six pounds gone? i'll take it!