Day 3: "What not to wear"

At the risk of divulging WAY too much info, I'll say it anyway. When you're on the MC, don't wear one of those ridiculous one-piece unitard-thingies underneath your clothes (actually, you might just want to nix the idea entirely, MC or not). Since it's still freezing cold here in Seattle, I thought it'd be super-smart to layer up today...one-piece unitard, cami, sweater, jeans. Uhmmm... when you're running to the bathroom every half hour at work (hence photo at left), this is not an awesome outfit choice.

ANYway. Now to the good news! Down 4 pounds in 3 days. That's pretty amazing. I know, this isn't a healthy way to lose weight, but it's a really cool idea that by the end of this thing, I'll be a full size smaller, if not more, depending on how long I stay with it. Loving THAT! And yes I am fully aware that I'm vain. Seriously, I'm okay with that. :)

Outside'a that, no news to report - headache is gone, I've been hungry but just willing myself through...oh and I noticed something I forgot about from the last time I did this - my skin is softer!

I think I'll leave it short and sweet today - more tomorrow! If anyone reading this is doing the MC along with me, I'd love to hear from you...

Yours in lemonhood,

Gigi

Day 2: "Ow!"

It's day 2 of my Master Cleanse and I've had a headache since last night. I remember getting a headache last time too, so this doesn't surprise me... but it sucks, for lack of better word. According to the experts, I'm not supposed to take Tylenol or anything during my cleanse so I held off until this morning, when I caved and took some Aleve - I'm a mom, and my kids need me! I'm thinking taking meds is a far better choice than snapping at my kids all day. I'm guessing they agree...

Beyond that, I learned a lesson yesterday to add to my list of tips: Never go out anywhere without bringing PLENTY of lemonade with you! I went to run some errands and halfway through, ran out of lemonade. I got SO hungry. Ravenous. Headache started. Felt light-headed. Wanted cheeseburger. Tried desperately to justify cheeseburger and failed. I had brought 24 ounces of lemonade with me but since I was gone about 4 hours, it just wasn't enough. Next time - BRING MORE!

That said, it was super-hard not to eat anything when I got home, especially with leftover Chinese in the fridge.

I was also really tired last night - fell asleep by 9:30 - and totally didn't drink my tea. I'm hoping the salt water from this morning will do its thing!

I took a hot bath this morning - supposedly those help draw out toxins too - and am feeling pretty good, except for the headache which still lingers, even with the Aleve. Oy and also vey.

I'm off to jump on the scale and see if I've lost any weight yet - I'll update later!

Yours in lemonhood,

Gigi

Day 1: "Come to Mama."

So this is my second foray into the peculiar world of the Master Cleanse. You know. That bizarro, new-agey, can't-possibly-be-healthy-for-you, "isn't-that-the-thing-Beyonce-did?" "seriously-you-can't-eat-ANYTHING-for-ten-days?" detoxifying cleanse that only crazy people and movie stars do.

I did my first Master Cleanse (MC from here on out) about 9 months ago. The instructions say you must stay on it for at least 10 days (up to 40, I believe). I lasted 11 days. It was an incredible experience, really. Not only did it make me feel a lot better physically, from both an energy level and weight loss perspective, but it made me realize how strong I really am, and gave me a bit of a Wonder Woman complex. Stay away from food for more than 4 hours? HA right. So, 11 days of going foodless was, you could say, a may-jah accomplishment.

Oh and I lost about 15 pounds. I know. Totally.

Here are the basics:
First thing each morning, drink a salt water flush:

• 2 teaspoons of non-iodized sea salt


• 32 ounces of filtered water

All day long, drink a lemonade mixture (at least 60 ounces, more if you like):

• 2 Tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (use organic lemons)


• 2 Tablespoons of organic grade B maple syrup


• 1/10 teaspoon Cayenne pepper powder


• 8 ounces of filtered water

Every night, take a laxative tea, such as Smooth Move (I know, nice name, right? Gross.)

Throughout the day, you can have herbal tea and as much water as you like, to "mix things up a bit."

So having done the cleanse once already, and participating pretty regularly on an MC message board (www.themastercleanse.com), I went into Day 1 feeling darn confident. I knew what to expect, I had some tips from my last cleanse, and I was ready. In fact, when I took my first sip of my day's worth of lemonade this morning (I make 60 ounces at a time and keep it in the fridge), that familiar flavor just overwhelmed me and I said out loud, "Come to mama."

A few tips:

1. The salt water flush is diiiiisgusting unless you do it a certain way. Don't even bother trying to drink it cold. I tried this the first few days and gagged my way through. Drink it WARM! I don't like using the microwave (after all, this whole cleanse is about going as natural as possible), so I warm up my filtered water in a metal teapot (not letting it boil, just warm), then I add it to a giant insulated, heat-safe water bottle with a straw -- I found mine at Fred Meyer - look for a SAFE plastic (http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/17/914073.aspx). I throw in the salt, shake it up, and drink it through the straw. I tell myself it's "soup" and that works wonders. Oh, and look for Celtic Sea Salt. Tastes better.


2. If you work fulltime (like me), here are some tips for doing the MC at work. Buy a big plastic container with a lid that seals and will allow you to shake/pour (again, safe plastic please!). Mix up 60 ounces (or more) in the morning - MINUS THE CAYENNE, to be added later - and take it to work with you, along with a big cup. When you pour yourself a cup, add your Cayenne to each glass individually unless you're okay with REALLY spicy lemonade. The longer Cayenne sits, the more potent it becomes, so if you mix it in first thing, by end of day your lemonade is essentially fire water. Which I personally like, but it isn't for the faint of heart.


3. Do your salt water flush EARLY - get up earlier than you normally would and get this out of the way. You'll want to give yourself at least an hour and a half before leaving the house. Just trust me. :D


4. Join the message board at www.themastercleanse.com. The people there are REALLY supportive, helpful, and full of rah-rah-rah when you feel like you can't possibly go another second on the cleanse. Participate! Blog! Tell all your friends and family so you're held accountable! Do anything you can to set yourself up for success.


5. The biggest and most important tip of all is that you really need to be READY to do this cleanse before you start. This isn't something to do on a whim. Prepare yourself. Set a date to start (preferably on a Friday so you can have that first weekend to adjust - some people get headaches those first few days). Buy all of your ingredients in advance (Whole Foods is great - www.wholefoodsmarket.com for locations). Have a lemon juicer on hand. Make your last pre-cleanse day count -- have all of your favorite foods because you won't be eating them for awhile. Don't make plans to go out with friends if the focus will be on eating - stay away from temptation. Get into a powerful state of mind - tell youself you can do this and you will.

I think that's enough for today - I'll post again tomorrow and for the next 10 days - we'll see how far beyond the 10 I can go this time.

Yours in lemonhood,

Gigi