So today is my final day of the Master Cleanse. I am tempted to add more days only because the past 3 have been such heavy duty detox days. I had cold-like symptoms with runny nose, sneezing and sore throat. That has since cleared up after a rough night of eliminations last night.
But, I have the Freedom Tri tomorrow. My first triathlon 2 years ago. Memories...
And it would be good to eat so I can go back to my workout routine. I have been resting quite a bit this week. Plus it is 4th of July week...
But I am going to miss this sense of calm. My arm pits don't stink after workouts either! Isn't that amazing? Who would have thunk it? I love not being controlled by food or drink. I can look at a Starbucks now without turning inside out. I can look at foods now without them speaking to me. My sense of smell is super heightened. My skin is super soft and clear. No energy crashes. No digestive issues like farts or heartburn. I have had the most deep and intense dreams. My emotions have been easier to control. My tongue is almost pink again. This is going to sound odd but I even felt like my vision was sharper. So many benefits that I can not help but wonder how much better it gets.
I will weigh myself tomorrow to get the total weight loss...but as of now, I have lost 6.5 pounds. My focus will be to keep this weight off. So by no means can I go back to the unhealthy way I was eating before. I will try to eat as many raw foods as possible and limit my meats and dairy. I have my clean slate...and now I just have to keep it pretty.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Time for a Reboot
After all the hooplah of Ironman Texas, I realized I picked up quite a few BAD habits.
One of them was my Starbucks addiction. I started out with a Tall iced coffee on occasion. Then it was starting to be every weekend. Then it was the upgrade to the Grande size. Then it was daily. Soon I up to to the Venti size. I would have one before a workout then another one after the workout. I needed my fix just to function and to get things done in the remainder of the day. Now I was drinking them twice a day.
And I obsessed about when I could get one every day. And at work when I would crash, I would fight the urge to do a terminal drive by, where someone drops me off at Terminal B at the airport and wait for me to run in and get my fix.
My sleeping patterns were off and I was dealing with chronic fatigue but there was no slowing down. I had an Ironman to train for.
My eating habits had fallen on the wayside. I was feeling like a hot mess. You know, like the kind a puppy dog leaves as a gift after a long day home alone.
So I felt like it was time to go back to the Master Cleanse. The detox I did 3 years ago. Now that the dust has settled, it was time to do some internal cleansing.
At first I felt resistance...and an odd attachment to my unhealthy lifestyle. Was I really ready to let it go? And was I REALLY willing to drink only lemonade for the next 10 days?
There is a social interaction with food that I also have to give up in addition to just chewing and tasting food. My Starbucks rituals with my dear friend Jessica. My lunch hour with friends at work. Mom's home cooked food. Random dinner dates with my buds. These are times of bonding that I cherish.
Then again, all that I love would still be there waiting after my 10 days. For some time now, I had been feeling a need for a clean slate. A strong desire to start fresh. I have had many attempts at trying to clean up my diet with no luck. Already this year, I attempted a vegan challenge and a raw food detox. And both times, I did not make it very far. It would be easy to blame it on my need for Starbucks but in reality it was really my weak discipline muscles that did me in.
Yeah, my discipline muscles were in a dire need of a tough workout and this would have to take my complete focus. Charlie was leaving town so I could do this without smelling food everyday in my home. I could do it now...or later with the torture of food smells in the house. And I really did not need to wait any longer. That Starbucks addiction was doing some serious damage to my pocket book.
Right now seemed like an ideal time.
Finally, I had a flashback of some recent advice I recently gave a dear friend. When you want something bad enough, you make it a priority. You just do. You make sure your life revolves around this strong desire and not the other way around. You have to if you want to find success.
Right now, I want to have a clean diet free of addictions. I want to train for my next Ironman with a diet as healthy as possible and see what kind of results I can have. I must make it a priority to see this happen. It is that important to me.
And then it just clicked with me...I was finally on board this crazy train.
I follow the original Stanley Burroughs Master Cleanse program to a T. Which means I do not cheat...at all. I get the exact ingredients. I do the exact measurements. I even do the salt water flush in the morning and the laxative tea at night and every night. And...I do not take a single bite of food or chew anything. Not even gum. I did all my research and read 2 additional books on the subject (one by Peter Glickman and another by Tom Woloshyn) Mentally, I knew I had gone all 10 days before...so I was not going into this cleanse blindly.
So here I am almost finished with day 7. The first four days were brutal. Headaches kicked my butt. Cravings and urges to quit and jump in the car and go to Starbucks were screaming at me. But yet, I persevered. Days 5-6 were kind to me. But at the end of day 6, I started to go back downhill. I am now fighting another round of detox symptoms. My energy is low, my throat is sore and my nose is running non-stop.
It is kind of nice to know that it is not me getting sick, but my body trying to rid itself of something toxic. It makes the symptoms more tolerable in a twisted kind of way. What keeps me going is this consistent even burn of energy. The awareness I have of the world around me. I feel more emotionally stable. The benefits are outweighing the uncomfortable symptoms.
Plus, I love the fact I have dropped 5 pounds. That alone is worth its weight in gold. Although I know it is not a permanent weight loss, it gives me the motivation to not go back to eating the way I was before I started this journey. And the boost I need to keep the health kick going!
One of them was my Starbucks addiction. I started out with a Tall iced coffee on occasion. Then it was starting to be every weekend. Then it was the upgrade to the Grande size. Then it was daily. Soon I up to to the Venti size. I would have one before a workout then another one after the workout. I needed my fix just to function and to get things done in the remainder of the day. Now I was drinking them twice a day.
And I obsessed about when I could get one every day. And at work when I would crash, I would fight the urge to do a terminal drive by, where someone drops me off at Terminal B at the airport and wait for me to run in and get my fix.
My sleeping patterns were off and I was dealing with chronic fatigue but there was no slowing down. I had an Ironman to train for.
My eating habits had fallen on the wayside. I was feeling like a hot mess. You know, like the kind a puppy dog leaves as a gift after a long day home alone.
So I felt like it was time to go back to the Master Cleanse. The detox I did 3 years ago. Now that the dust has settled, it was time to do some internal cleansing.
At first I felt resistance...and an odd attachment to my unhealthy lifestyle. Was I really ready to let it go? And was I REALLY willing to drink only lemonade for the next 10 days?
There is a social interaction with food that I also have to give up in addition to just chewing and tasting food. My Starbucks rituals with my dear friend Jessica. My lunch hour with friends at work. Mom's home cooked food. Random dinner dates with my buds. These are times of bonding that I cherish.
Then again, all that I love would still be there waiting after my 10 days. For some time now, I had been feeling a need for a clean slate. A strong desire to start fresh. I have had many attempts at trying to clean up my diet with no luck. Already this year, I attempted a vegan challenge and a raw food detox. And both times, I did not make it very far. It would be easy to blame it on my need for Starbucks but in reality it was really my weak discipline muscles that did me in.
Yeah, my discipline muscles were in a dire need of a tough workout and this would have to take my complete focus. Charlie was leaving town so I could do this without smelling food everyday in my home. I could do it now...or later with the torture of food smells in the house. And I really did not need to wait any longer. That Starbucks addiction was doing some serious damage to my pocket book.
Right now seemed like an ideal time.
Finally, I had a flashback of some recent advice I recently gave a dear friend. When you want something bad enough, you make it a priority. You just do. You make sure your life revolves around this strong desire and not the other way around. You have to if you want to find success.
Right now, I want to have a clean diet free of addictions. I want to train for my next Ironman with a diet as healthy as possible and see what kind of results I can have. I must make it a priority to see this happen. It is that important to me.
And then it just clicked with me...I was finally on board this crazy train.
I follow the original Stanley Burroughs Master Cleanse program to a T. Which means I do not cheat...at all. I get the exact ingredients. I do the exact measurements. I even do the salt water flush in the morning and the laxative tea at night and every night. And...I do not take a single bite of food or chew anything. Not even gum. I did all my research and read 2 additional books on the subject (one by Peter Glickman and another by Tom Woloshyn) Mentally, I knew I had gone all 10 days before...so I was not going into this cleanse blindly.
So here I am almost finished with day 7. The first four days were brutal. Headaches kicked my butt. Cravings and urges to quit and jump in the car and go to Starbucks were screaming at me. But yet, I persevered. Days 5-6 were kind to me. But at the end of day 6, I started to go back downhill. I am now fighting another round of detox symptoms. My energy is low, my throat is sore and my nose is running non-stop.
It is kind of nice to know that it is not me getting sick, but my body trying to rid itself of something toxic. It makes the symptoms more tolerable in a twisted kind of way. What keeps me going is this consistent even burn of energy. The awareness I have of the world around me. I feel more emotionally stable. The benefits are outweighing the uncomfortable symptoms.
Plus, I love the fact I have dropped 5 pounds. That alone is worth its weight in gold. Although I know it is not a permanent weight loss, it gives me the motivation to not go back to eating the way I was before I started this journey. And the boost I need to keep the health kick going!
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