master cleanse

Ah, tomorrow is Friday. I am kind of bummed about being on the MC over a weekend, since most weekends I have at least one grand culinary adventure planned with my friends, whether it’s cooking something we’ve never tried before or traveling to all ends of New York to get the cheapest and tastiest treats. I am pretty austere with my eating from Monday through Friday – generally, I eat purely for energy and steer clear of sugar, caffeine, and artificial anything. Packing a homemade salad for lunch is the most inexpensive and healthy way to go, and it helps balance any overindulgences I partake in on the weekends. I always enjoy what I eat, but I take the greatest pleasure in eating when it’s a social event and I can share my enjoyment with my nearest and dearest.

That said, I am trying to create a plan for this weekend that doesn’t involve food. I don’t really feel like doing major exercise, but maybe if the weather is nice enough, I’ll take a few walks. I was thinking about taking in a few museums but standing on my feet all day always leaves me very tired, and I’m not sure I have the energy for that. The other major task/activity is applying for grad school. I’m down to the last two applications, so perhaps this weekend is the right time to focus and finish them off.

What are you guys doing this weekend – especially those of you who typically plan eating activities?

So today is Day 3 for me. A few issues so far: I’m not sleeping well and woke up last night completely nauseous. I had the tea and some LA about 2 hours before bed, but at about 3am I woke up and felt like I would be sick. I managed to get back to sleep, but it was very uncomfortable.

SWF is not working for me. Granted, I’m only drinking 16oz of it and not the recommended quart in the A.M., but not much is happening. I’m afraid to drink more since I don’t want to be dealing with the effects on the commute to work. I’m using La Baleine sea salt, which says it does not contain iodine on the package, but still, not much doing after the SWF. Ideas, anyone?

I start to feel a little mentally fuzzy when I don’t drink the LA for a few hours and if I’m say, stuck in a meeting, my ability to focus and contribute starts to go. Guess I need to do some pre-emptive drinking. I have plenty of energy but I’m feeling a little jumpy. I am concerned about losing too much weight on this program since I’m already a healthy weight and in the past three days I’ve dropped five pounds which puts me on the cusp of underweight. I’m not too concerned, since once I end the MC I’ll return to eating healthfully as always and return to the healthy weight range.

Anyway, glad to have this discussion forum and wish you all the best in this experience.

I started the MC yesterday morning, and aside from feeling a little light headed and loopy last night, I haven’t had any of the symptoms I feared. No headache, no irritability, and no energy crash when I don’t eat. I’m pleasantly surprised. Both the tea and the SWF I took this morning didn’t have much effect, but perhaps I need to drink more fluid (of the SWF variety) in the A.M. before I get ready for work. I am also drinking green tea in an attempt to stay warm in my frigid office, and I don’t worry about the effect this will have on the detox. I have a giant tupperware container of the LA under my desk, and my handy dandy cayenne and syrup stashed next to it. Overall, very convenient.

I tried the MC a few years ago, in college, and I lasted about a day and a half. Then again, I was in college and had less willpower, determination and certainly less of a committment to health than I do now. Also, I attempted this with a friend and I remember for the most part, we sat around for hours trying to distract ourselves from hunger while occassionally fantasizing about our favorite foods. Now, I have plenty of work to keep me occupied and productive, and my body is so tired of holiday gluttony that I’m not having any cravings.

Hmm…thought this would be a lot more difficult than it is. I’ll check back later. Best to all who are making a committment to better health in the New Year!