Ode to Orange Juice, And Other Thoughts

I tried blogging earlier today, and I just kept getting a blank page. So - here's the whole day's update for you!!

Day SEVEN!!!

I woke up this morning overjoyed that I was going to be drinking something NEW. Fresh Squeezed ORANGE JUICE! I went through 7 oranges by 11:30, and 11 today. It tasted *fantastic*. I took some with me on all of my errands this morning - orthodontist appt, ballet, target. . . but, i was fading so fast -the orange juice was not sustaining me at all. By the time I was checking out of Target, I was shaking and felt really dizzy. (It's amazing that the lemonade really does give you all that you need - that was apparent today!) I was almost worried about driving home. I decided on the drive that I was going to need to eat something. I made myself some more orange juice when I arrived home, and then went about preparing the vegetable soup for supper. The smell was intoxicating (a bit misleading, since it was incredibly bland!) and I finally partook of solid food at about 2:00 - with the vegetables not even completely cooked. I decided - why wait?? ;-) I'm feeling pretty good now, although weaker than I did all week. . .? I'm thrilled that I've slimmed down a bit - my face is looking pretty good - not completely clear, but I have hope that it will continue. My organs are certainly a lot cleaner than before and I'm hoping that as time goes on, I'll continue to see the benefits of my cleanse. Milo and I will be doing another one in the not so distant future, and I am **SO** happy to hear that so many of you are looking into it! I know that you won't regret it. My one lesson that I learned is to be careful of who you tell . . . some people are so interested and supportive, and some just think I've completely lost it!!

Last day's stats:

Weight: 111, not a lot lighter, but slimmer!
Face: I'd say 70% better.
Teeth: I never measured, but they've continued to get healthier!!

COMPLETELY WORTH IT. And now - I know that I can do *ANYTHING* that I decide to do. That was worth it all by itself.

You're *Not* Going to Tempt Me!!

I had the opportunity to run out by myself this eveing. . . I thought that since we're leaving for Florida in a week that I should get the stuff I need for the girl's Easter Baskets. Rite-Aid was having an incredible sale on Easter treats. I walked up and down those ailes, and you better believe that I bought a couple of bags of my delectable mini eggs. Don't worry, friends - they will sit absolutely untouched until Thursday night - after I've eaten dinner at the Country Club - I *AM* high society now, you know!! ;-)

Thanks for the Support!

I just want to thank all of you who have been supportive. This is going great, and I'm so happy that I did it, but it's also been quite hard at times. A couple of days ago, I experienced probably my hardest time. I was wondering if this was going to be worth it, I was feeling 'lonely' in my experience, I was quite hungry and really just doubting the process. I ended up talking to someone who said 'I can't believe that you haven't cheated!' but in that 'I *really* can't believe what you're saying' voice. My usual personality would just be more motivated, but it made me so sad. I realize that I set myself up for that, in a way, by being so open with my love of food and my constant eating since about the day I was born - but it really, really got to me. Anyway, I can honestly say that all of you who have been super supportive have tipped the scales for me completely. I'm over the hump - day six - and actually, I think I came up with a great plan to end this thing. . . *Ready??* I think Milo's ready to jump on board! **SO**, I'm going to end my fast sometime before Thursday - it will be either tomorrow or Wednesday morning, depending on if today ends up being a 'detox' day or not. If yes - I'll start the fresh squeezed orange juice fast until Thursday. If not, then I'll cleanse Wednesday too and shorten the OJ fast. AND THEN. . . Milo and I are going to do another one together sometime after his basketball season is done. . . Maybe in 6-8 weeks we'll start it. That makes me feel so much better because I don't want to 'come this far' and then quit, but I was reading in one of the books, that the second cleanse takes a couple of days to get where you ended last time, and then just picks up from there. I'm down with that!! And the thought of doing it with somebody else is just a huge relief. Especially Milo, because right now, he hasn't curbed his eating in *any* way. He's eating in front of me constantly. Not just meals, but snacking, too. It can be brutal at times, and others don't really bother me. (That's one of the signs of detoxing along with cravings, irritability sometimes, fatigue, several bms, and more. . . )I'm definitely over the feeling of being hungry, I'm happy to report - but I still love the smell of food and the ritual of eating it. I've read that a lot of people who have done this cleanse decide to go vegan after they are finished. I'm not there yet - although Milo and I did talk a bit about it last night. It's just such a huge change. I think that as of now, we'll just go back to only buying the best ingredients and trying to avoid processed foods as much as possible - along with as many fruits and veggies as possible. . . just some food for thought. . . HA!

Trouble in Paradise?

I realized this morning that I have to eat out on Thursday. There's really no way around it. Thursday is day 9. See, here's the problem . . . Almost all of Madison's swim team swim at a country club during the summer. It's probably not possible for her to swim there, too - expensive and really not necessary. But, it's looking like she'll be the only young kid to swim on her normal team over the summer now, and practices are in the middle of the day. (2-4 p.m!) Swimming at Lochmoor (country club) is supposed to be so fun, they have tonnes of parties for the kids and work so hard without realizing it for all the fun they're having. So, we told Madison that we'll at least look into it. We had an appointment to meet with the Directors and have dinner there last week, but (1) I had forgotten and started the cleanse and (2) Milo ended up having to work. So, we rescheduled. For this Thursday. While I'm still on the cleanse. Darn!!! We can't reschedule again or we'll look flaky and we really won't be able to join then! There are such crazy strict criteria. So again - you're probably thinking - no big deal, only one day - right? WRONG. There is a process of getting off the cleanse that I didn't realize. Two days of just orange juice. They say if I jump right back into food, it will take away some of the progress I made, and also that it can really upset your stomach. SO. . . maybe I can do the orange juice for one day instead of two - but even that puts me at stopping on Wednesday - and that's only 8 days. . . Before I read all about the cleanse, I would have been thrilled about this, but now I hear about how great the changes are on the 8&9th days, and I don't want to come this far without having that. At the same time . . . if we really are considering having Madison swim here, it would be rude for me to go to this country club (bringing my own lemonade!!) and decline to eat the food that they have prepared for me. . . seriously. This is where we make our first impression and we have to be nominated. . .

On another note . . . I took the sacrament at church today (I don't consider this cheating.) and the taste of that bread was delectable! Oh, my. So good.

Set Your Clocks!

It's been a *long* day! But, here I go. . . tomorrow is hump day! Woohoo!! I've felt pretty good today, and I was busy enough to have had the energy to run a half marathon!! I'm pretty tired now, though - and I'm sad because with the time change I'll get an hour less sleep. I'm ready to run to bed now so that I can maximize any of that precious time that I can!

Day Four stats:
Weight: 113

Face: Not much change right now, but my skin is softer!!

Can't wait until Monday! I'll be "almost" finished! I can do it, I can do it!!

On a High!

So here I am, well into my *fourth* day. . . I'm doing really well!! I've now read the books about this cleanse that my friend generously brought over last night, and I feel very reassured that this is a great thing to do for my body. Everyone could really benefit from this. . . (you interested???) However, I found that I'm one of only 7% that reports true hunger during it. I really have felt hungry. But, not starving. Just last month, I was fasting for 24 hours, and after the 24 hour mark hit, I was FAMISHED. I haven't felt anything like that. Maybe I will when I know that it's time for me to eat again. . . My skin is getting softer. . . I like that a lot! And, another 'side effect' that I hadn't considered is a little embarrassing to admit, but truly fantastic. I have a few teeth in the back of my mouth that are in desperate need of attention. The gums around them have receded, and it's just a nasty situation all around. This morning, while I was brushing, I noticed that my gums are pinker there, and moving back up my teeth! I want to try to measure it today and then check it again at the end of the cleanse, but there is no doubt at all that they look healthier! *AMAZING*.

Thank Goodness for Friends. . .

I had a friend call me today - said that she'd been thinking about me and meaning to call for a while. . . *anyway*, it turns out that she has done the cleanse, and she called me in a moment that i felt like maybe stopping. . . we talked for a while, and I found out that she's done this cleanse several times!! I said that I was starting to feel bad - a little shaky and kind of sad. She asked if I was drinking a lot of water on top of my lemonade. *WHAT*?? No - I told her that I had thought that all I was supposed to drink was the lemonade or the teas. . . ANYWAY. . . it's now an hour later - and 16 oz of water later - and I'm back to feeling like this is the best day yet. Thank goodness!!!

Smooth Sailing

HOORAY!!!!! Today is by far the easiest so far! I'm so happy about that! I have a little feeling of hunger, but I also haven't had much 'lemonade' this morning. I'll have to make some more right now. I'm making lunch for the girls, and while it smells great, I'm not tempted to cheat! Hooray . . . Two more days and I'm halfway there. Woohoo. . . (There's just a little celebrating going on over here!!)

Yuck

The salt water is most definitely the hardest part of this adventure. . .

Warm Fuzzies

One of the signs to look for toxins leaving my body was a white coating on my tongue. And, actually, the clearing of the tongue is a sign that the cleanse is over. WELL. I most definitely have white fuzzies on my tongue tonight. It's actually a strange feeling. Quite tingly. Ewwww.

Day two is almost over and here I am. Completely alive and well. What do you know? There were a few times today, however, that I thought that maybe 48 hours was enough. . . ha ha. Just 8 short days left. . . I can do it. . .

Here's my day two stats.

Face: Actually, less acne. Once again, I don't know for sure which to give credit to. The honey/cinnamon treatment every night or this cleanse. But, just for the record - it IS clearing.

Weight: 115. I've lost a whopping pound!! Just so you know - I'm really not in this for the weight loss. A lot will come back after the cleanse - losing some of the *fat* on my hips, now THAT I'd be happy with. The biggest reason for me to do this is just that I haven't felt like I've had optimal health for quite a while. I'm doing so many things that I feel are healthy, and still don't have the results I'd like. I'm hoping that this will make my body a little more of an even playing field. I can do all sorts of things that are healthy, and sprinkle a few chocolates and late nights in there without being too devastating.

Off to drink my tea. . .

Over the Hurdle

Alright. I'm doing well! I'm noticing some joint pain, though - Milo has told me that this is where I'll feel it first - so . . . I guess I'm on track. I just showed a LOT of will power, though - We were moving our couch in the front room right now and there were three *mini eggs* underneath it. I quickly picked them up and shoved them into Milo's hand. Proud of me???? I am!!

It's a Cultural Thing

So - this is my biggest hurdle. Everywhere we go, we eat. At least, *I* eat. Food is *everywhere*!!! Watching a movie? You need popcorn. Visiting a friend? They offer you something. Going on a date? You get DINNER. Talking with your kids afterschool? You sit in your *kitchen* and share a snack. Having a nice, hot, relaxing bath? You have a spoonful of cookie dough or a bag of mini eggs on the side while you read a book. (well, that's how *I* do it. . . )

Overall, it's been alright today, maybe a little easier than yesterday with the exception of about an hour this afternoon. I was so hungry, and I had to go GROCERY SHOPPING. It was complete torture. Every thing looks *so* good!!!

Things are moving a lot more than yesterday, thanks to the salt water flush. Wow. It's a Doozy! Day two is starting to come to a close. I'm (thankfully) going to be gone during dinner - I'm taking Lillian to skating. I'll sip some tea while I watch the gorgeous girl skate and not feel like I'm missing out at all!

Dreams

So, I had "cleansing" dreams all night. I dreamed that my parents came to visit, along with my sister Amber and her kids. We had all of these fun things planned, but I was still having to do the cleanse! They were wanting to go to great restaurants, I was cooking delicious meals, yet I couldn't eat it!! It was torturous!

This morning has gone really smoothly so far. It sure helps to not be in the same room as everyone eating! I stayed upstairs and got myself ready while the girls were eating. Just now I'm starting to feel some hunger pangs, but I'm hoping that they'll pass quickly. . . I didn't think of doing EFT (emofree.com) yesterday, but I think that I'll try to apply some of that today. I'll let you know how it goes.

Alright. Off to do my salt water flush. NASTY. Can't wait. . .

Success

Day one is over, I made it! I'm just finishing my tea and heading to bed right now - about an hour earlier than normal. This is a nice 'side effect' that I didn't consider! Maybe this will help in all sorts of areas!! Let's hope. . .

Still going (somewhat) strong. . .

So, this afternoon was harder. I *REALLY* felt hungry. The girls had some friends over and everyone was snacking the whole time. Then, they stayed for dinner - and I think that having them distracted me mostly, but cleaning up afterward was brutal! There was food left in the pot, and I just wanted a little bite. A teensy little bite. . . I was getting kids ready for bed, and I came back into the kitchen to find Ella sitting on the counter, eating leftovers straight from the pot!

But, here I am. Untainted by food all day long. It's been 23 hours. . . almost as long as a fast. Just nine more days!!!! I'm finding that I really should have done the saltwater bath, though. Things aren't 'moving' the way that they are supposed to on day one. Maybe that's why I've felt hungry. . .

I have some more lemonade to drink today, and I'll drink more of my tea before going to bed. I have a feeling that tomorrow may be a bit harder than today. Wish me luck. . .

Alright. . .

This is getting tough already. I don't know if I'm actually hungry, or if I just really want to go through the comforting motions of putting something in my mouth, chewing and swallowing it. . . I've had two glasses of the lemonade now - the second had less cayenne pepper and was *much* more palatable. I'll try to work up to the recommended amount, but for now, I will enjoy it a little milder. Vivien wanted to know what I was drinking. I let her have a taste of it, and she said, "OOOOH! That's really good!" then she took another sip and said, "That's really yummy, hon!" (She's pretending to be my mother!) So, she's now drinking her own little cup of 'lemonade'.

Off We Go.

Here I am. Day one, after breakfast. I'm quite hungry. I have decided not to do the salt water drink this morning as the tea I drank last night was quite effective, and I don't want to completely shock my body! I may do it this afternoon. . . I'm sipping (slowly!!) my first glass of 'lemonade'. not really liking the cayenne pepper, but it's not too bad. From what I've read, I will get used to it, and even really like it.

The girls have *another* snow day today!! We had a HUGE dump of snow overnight and from what I've heard, the roads are TERRIBLE. So, we'll have a quiet day today, and I will hopefully ease into this new routine without too much kicking and screaming by the little Hilary that's sitting on my shoulder!!

I'll be back!!

Cleanse-Eve

Alright. I've made a crazy decision. . . I'm going to do an all-body cleanse. It's called the 'Master Cleanse' or the "Lemonade Cleanse" and it's a really strict liquid diet for at least 10 days. I've done colon cleanses before - with great results, but i feel so sluggish and my skin has been so horrible and even after training for the triathlon, and still running quite a bit (ok - so i've been lazier lately. . .) i still haven't lost the weight (I know - it's not a lot - but it's enough to make me hate it!) that I gained last Easter when I became so disgustingly addicted to Mini Eggs!! And, since they've been available again, I've decided that now is the BEST time for me to do this. I've done a bunch of research, and I'm really very excited about the prospect of having this be successful!

I'm beginning to get a little nervous about this new endeavor - which is why I've decided to blog my journey. I figure that it will give me some accountability, and journaling what I am experiencing will surely be beneficial for me *somehow*!! I made a big, but healthy dinner tonight, along with a batch of sugar cookies. I think I'll eat a few tonight before I drink the first of my yogi 'Get Regular' tea, and get to bed. Tomorrow, I will likely have a hard time drinking a QUART(!!!!!!) of salt water when I wake up and then all of the (special blend of) lemonade that I'd like! I will do my best 'reporting' at least twice a day - and I'll try to include some stats as well. . .

Here's the first stats post:

Face: several zits - but I'm also doing the honey/cinnamon thing, so I won't know which is working best. HOWEVER, at this point, I don't care what clears them up, I jut pray something does!!!

Weight: 116

From what I understand, I will lose a little weight at the beginning, and that will be all water weight - put back on after the diet. But, the last few days I should be losing fat. Won't that be lovely if it could slide RIGHT off my hips??? Sounds *good* to me!

Alright. Any support will be welcome! Anyone else up to this with me????