oops

not so much

okay so i might've let you to believe i'd blog the entire experience this time. oops. i did intend to blog it, but i spent much less time online when i did the cleanse. this one was cut short as i had a friend invite me to a passover seder with her family that landed less than a week after i started the cleanse. my planned 10 days was cut down to 5, and in the end, the dinner was canceled. sill, here's the sum up.

summary time

overall this cleanse went well. i felt good after getting over the hump which is the first few days. the salt water flush was unpleasant as ever, but i discovered i didn't have to add as much salt as the book recommends, nor drink an entire quart of it. instead of drinking the Yogi "Get Regular" tea this time, i tried Traditional Medicinals "Smooth Move" which has more senna leaf in it. it also tastes so much better!

i received many comments from co-workers, friends and family. i got the usual "no food? are you crazy?", "that seems really dangerous" and "why would anyone do this to themselves?" i went into it fully expecting those reactions, and had many retorts at the ready.

what i found interesting about this cleanse physically was that for a few days immediately after (while still off solid foods), my body was still getting rid of toxins. my weight kept decreasing (final number: 186) and my appetite was small. speaking of appetite, since the passover seder didn't happen, i hesitantly accepted another dinner invitation. i explained to the host i couldn't eat meat or fish, drink alcohol, keep out most carbs, and had only a small appetite. his partner either didn't hear the news or understand it, because he was just shy of completely offended that i barely ate his food. i kept telling him all of the food smelled very good and that i promised i would eat and drink more next time. that didn't seem to matter - he was hurt and angry with me.

anyway, i'll shoot for doing another full-length, no-interruption cleanse at some point, perhaps in the fall...
what's funny is a friend i never would have expected to go on the cleanse, saw me on it and is now doing it himself. besides saving a little money on food, he wants to lose a little weight and reduce his appetite long-term. i think the cleanse will do just that.

cheers!

here we go again! round 2: 2009

it's that time again
well the last few months have been busy for me, and in particular the last two weeks were slammed. looking ahead, things are slowing and my calendar is about as clear as it could be. of course that will change, but this time 'round i know better than to overbook myself with social activities.

am i in the mood for another cleanse? well, no. my appetite has been strong in the past few days and i don't really want to give up food. however, will i have another opportunity to do one in the next six months if i don't do one now? absolutely not! so there you have it... i solidified the decision yesterday, buying nearly $90 of maple syrup, lemons, organic cayenne (intriguing!) and pre-cleanse soup. there's no going back.

today i am exhausted, having stayed up too late last night. i'm awfully hungry, but combating the hunger drinking quite a bit of water, soup and now herbal tea. it isn't as bad at work as it will be at home later on. my appetite tends to go bananas (mmmm bananas) when i walk into the kitchen.

i have been weighing myself for the past few days, and i'm wavering right around 197 lbs. so stay tuned. the actual cleanse starts tomorrow!