master cleanse

ahhh so last day is here. I feel like today was kind of a waste, I made the SWF but started gagging on it & even vomited a little, so I only wound up drinking maybe 6 ounces. Of course, it had no effect on me & since I ran out of senna tea the other day, I had no eliminations at all today. I finished my maple syrup today which is a shame b/c I am feeling hungry & would totally make some more lemonade to drink if I had more syrup in the house. Overall, ready to wrap it up & enjoy my OJ & soup tomorrow. I admit I am feeling a little bored of this cleanse…my first time around I was SO excited & would literally jump out of bed to get started on the SWF. Maybe it’s b/c this time around I know what to expect? Anyways, it’s my belief that cleansing is never a wasteful experience though, so I will surely be back at another point. Happy cleansing to all those still in the process!

The past 2 days have gone much better. I was able to finish my paper for tomorrow- my last paper I ever have to write for grad school! I just found out I ran out of senna tea, so I won’t be doing a lax tea tonight. I was using a package I already had & apparently there was only 8 bags in there. Too late to go get some now. Hopefully the SWF tomorrow will help clean whatever leftover junk is inside. I feel like I really haven’t lost a lot of weight at all this time around- maybe 5 lbs. I looked thru my old entries from my last cleanse & my weight loss was around 9 lbs at this point..wierd. I am feeling more hungry today & am thinking about all the things I would like to eat when I’m done…I know, I know everything in moderation. Sadly I am constantly having to combat breakouts & this time around I haven’t seen any improvement in my skin at all.

Already at Day 8, thank goodness. I don’t know if my body is fighting this cleanse or maybe my mind is not 100% behind this cleanse, but overall it has been a rough week. Days 4-5 I felt ok, my energy was up & I actually got stuff done. Then on Day 6, I started to feel a little sluggish but wrote it off b/c I drank less lemonade than usual that day (6 glasses). Yesterday (Day 7) was absolutely terrible. Again I woke up with the worst headache that would not go away no matter what. I have a paper due on Monday & I literally couldn’t even look at my laptop screen for more than a few minutes my head was pounding so bad. The headache tapered off throughout the night (again, I didn’t sleep that great). Despite feeling like crap, I am trudging forward. I am having 2-3 eliminations from the tea alone & then another one from the SWF. I’m not having any major food cravings. My desire to eat has more to do with making myself feel better than to satisfy a craving. Hoping my last days on this go better.

Today was much better. The senna tea woke me up at 6am, strange b/c I drank it a little earlier last night thinking it would hit me before I went to bed. There seem to be no rhyme or reason as to when it hits me. The important thing is it hits me, so I guess I can’t complain. Today I felt much more alert & mentally there, I even felt like I had a big surge of energy at one point.

...or maybe should just call this Day of the never ending headache from hell! By far my hardest day so far. The senna tea woke me up at 3:30am- after that I could not get back to sleep & developed a terrible headache. That pounding headache has lasted throughout the whole day & basically left me feeling incapable of doing anything. I pushed myself out of bed this morning so I could do the SWF (thinking for sure I would feel better after that) but it was no real help at all. I have an overall feeling of nauseousness as well & had to force down the lemonade today. I did get my period today as well so I am thinking all my aches & pains just feel worse from that. I am really hoping this all means I am stirring up some toxins that will hopefully be eliminated.

Last night after I drank the tea I also had some emotional stuff come up. I have had a really tough couple of past months & thinking about it all sorta hit me at once. I had a very strong & random cry but maybe that’s a good thing b/c I do want to release all my emotional junk as well.

I realize that one of the things that comes along with doing multiple cleanses is the tendency to compare them. This is only my second cleanse, but I am already thinking back to my first one & how much easier my first days on it were. I do remember feeling really sick the first night, but I don’t think I had this much discomfort…and I went for 3 weeks. Now here I am on day 3 wondering how I will ever make it to Day 10!! I think I really just need to stay focused on my reasons for doing this & have faith that it will get better. My family is being less supportive this time around which isn’t helping my motivation much.

I slept pretty bad last night. I woke up a few hours after drinking the senna tea & then was back & forth from the bathroom to the bed for an hour. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well at all & woke up this am with a headache & a dull, achy feeling all over. Today my energy level has been really low & my brain feels foggy.

So 2 years ago, I did my first Master Cleanse & wound up going 21 days. I had only originally planned to go for 10, but I kept on pushing thru as I saw more & more detox symptoms. I just got back from a year & a half in Italy & I have to say I definitely indulged while there…maybe a little too much. I have gained some weight & completely fallen off my once-religious exercise routine. Since I have been back in the States, I have been eating very crappy & generally feel gross! On top of that, I am at a crossroads trying to figure out what to do next after having finished grad school. One of the things I loved so much about the cleanse last time is the mental clarity it brought me- I definitely need some of that right now.

So, day 1 hasn’t been so bad. The salt water flush this am was disgusting, just as I remember. I have been sipping the lemonade throughout the day, but am still feeling so hungry. I feel a little tired & weak, but generally okay.

It’s been 6 official days I’ve been eating regularly. I came off with: 1 day of nothing but oj (simply orange), 2 more days of og in am, homemade veggie soup in afternoon & evening (also some plain rye wafers to go w/the soup). So far, I have gained back only 1.5 pounds. My stomach seems to have shrunk. I get full much more quickly. I literally made myself sick the other day b/c I ate too much. I ate like I did pre-cleanse (3 big meals). I have always been able to eat alot. The food just would not budge from my stomach, it just sat in there all night! So my advice to those coming off is to start really slow & only eat when you feel hunger, not just b/c “it’s time to eat” (which is what I did). I’m noticing alot of things I thought I wanted to eat (like chinese food), I really don’t want at all. I still feel good, but I have noticed my sinus/allergy problems hit me hard this past week. Still taking it easy with the medicine. I haven’t touched coffee at all. Sticking with green tea for my morning boost.

Yesterday was my first official day off the cleanse. I drank OJ & it tasted so good! Today I had OJ in the morning & then made a big pot of vegetable soup. I put all kinds of veggies & beans in there & used very limited spices. I drank a little bit of the broth & ate just a few veggies earlier. I got full so quick! Later on, I had another bowl & again, got full very quick. It was a strange feeling to actually chew b/c it has been 22 days since I’ve chewed anything. I’m going to stick with just the soup for tomorrow & then move onto other food on Tuesday (the 4th).

Today is my final day on the cleanse. I am feeling very ready to move on. The other times I was planning on ending (days 10 & 15) just didn’t feel right, but now all the cues my body is giving me is telling me now’s a good time. My tongue is much improved. A quick piece of advice to others starting/currently on the cleanse. Please don’t let other people’s negativity affect you & your decision to do this. I had a coworker tell me tonight “this is how anorexia starts”. I was very insulted by that & tried to explain my reasons for doing this (not weight loss!), but that didn’t seem to change her stance. So be it…I feel great & am extremely happy I did this. On to OJ…