Day 11 - Going well

Things are going well today.  We had some brocalli and orange juice for a snack and then my husband convinced me to make some of the Walleye he caught on Monday (his b-day guided fishing trip).  I baked it and served it  with some brown rice and sauteed onions with almonds.   We ate really small portions and an hour later I feel stuffed but NOT sick to my stomach so I think it's settling ok.  I've read a lot online about breaking a fast and it seems like everyone handles it differently.  Some have no problem going right back to normal healthy foods others really have to ease into it.  We're definately enjoying getting back to some good food (healthy of course though).

10 days ~ 10 lbs lost

Now I guess we'll see how much of that could be water weight...we'll see

Day 11 - Food ~ the Sustanance of Life!!!

    Today is a wonderful day!!!!  I had two glasses of orange juice this morning and then I ate a piece of whole wheat toast with just a bit of real butter.  I was only going to eat a half a piece but once I started I wanted to eat like 5 pieces so I went ahead and finished that piece.  It was sooo good.  It's been about 30 minutes and my stomach is feeling ok so that's good news.  We'll see how the rest of the day goes.

Day 10 - Rough Night

   You would think Day 10 would be an easy one to finish out because you are soo close to the end but I had to draw on a lot of strength to not give into day.  I think I should have spent more time this morning praying for strength to finish strong.   The first part of the day went fine after a little pep talk from my sister (who I'm still blaming for talking me into this ;0).  She reminded me that I am so close to the end and that if I try to break the fast the wrong way it would not be worth the pain suffered later.  But this evening I was not feeling well, headache, achy shoulders and neck and even some abdomnal pain which come to find out is from a slight infection I have due to an overdose of citrus (acidic) fruit.  Need to list that under the precautions for anyone doing this.  So I'm glad it's the last day b/c I think it would have had to have become my last day if not.  Tonight as I go to bed I am full after drinking one final lemonade about 2 hours ago and then a cup of peppermint tea about 20 min. ago.  However, I still have the headache and feel the achy "after the flu" feeling.  I wish I was having the euphoric wonderfully energetic feeling that many talk about having at this point in the game but what can I say??? I'm not everyone I guess.  I'm just proud that I've made it this far and I'm still around to blog about it :)  Thanks to all my friends out there that have supported me through this experience.

Day 10 - FINALLY HERE!

 I'm so proud that today is my 10th day and it's time to start breaking the fast.  For those who have never done a fast like this when you finish you MUST ease back into eating normal food.  If you break the fast the wrong way then you will pay with severe stomach pains (not sounding good to me).   I am so ready to eat though.  This morning we had Homeschool Coop and so I got up this morning and made up a bunch of lemonade for me and then for David to take with him.  Today of all days we had International Food Day for lunch at Coop :(  OH WELL,  nothing I could do but smell the good food.  I did get to have some 100% orange juice this afternoon though and tomorrow we'll drink orange juice for breakfast and lunch then some homemade Vegetable soup for dinner. 
   I have experienced a few negative side effects today and I'm really hungry so I'm glad that we're at the end.  Tonight I was emotionally spent and not feeling well...I really just wanted a half a piece of toast but my hubby came to my rescue, making me a lemonade and telling me to stay strong just a few more hours and we're done.  It's seems that it's always the hardest to remain disciplined when you're not feeling well and tired.  Makes me thankful for the amazing husband I have. 
    The best advice I can give to anyone who is considering this fast is to do your research, make sure it's right for you, and beware that everyone's body reacts differently.  If you have any questions feel free to ask ;)

Day 9 - A Rollercoaster Day

   Today has been an up and down day.  I woke up with a migraine (never fun).  I did sleep a little extra but since Spring Break is over I did have to get up and get my youngest two off to school and then time to home school my oldest.  I was SOOOO hungry this afternoon and I have lost my taste for lemonade.  Anything and everything sounded good...even a cracker crumb looked good....I must be getting ready for food.  However, I can't get to far ahead of myself because we still have to BREAK the fast which requires some more time.  One more day of lemonade then we start drinking orange juice, by Wednesday we'll be feasting on some homemade Vegetable Soup.
   Tonight I am doing much better, I feel full and although I would enjoy eating some food about now I feel satisfied.  I must say that this has been a great exercise in self control and I am reminded of that every day.  It's been great for me.  I realize now that if I can say no to food for 9 days already then I can say no to those foods that I don't need when I'm finished with this.  
   In the last two and half weeks of working on my weight loss I have lost 15 lbs.  It seems like a lot on paper but on me it doesn't seem like much.  Although my "big" clothes are falling off now and some of my 'small' clothes fit just fine.  I plan to continue with Weight Watchers once I finish up the Master Cleanse and I'm not going back to soda because I know that it just causes me to keep the on those hard to lose pounds ;)

Day 9 ~ 8 lbs lost

 



  

Day 8 - Busy, Busy

     Today I woke up feeling great and ready for the Lord's day.  I only got through about 1/2 of a lemonade this morning before church and so I was really hungry by the time I got home.  Both David and I were ready for our lemonade lunch when we got home and so we enjoyed a double lemonade before our Nursing Home ministry this afternoon.  I came home and took a short nap....I should have drank another lemonade before I laid down to give a little extra energy.  But anyways, I'm making up for it now by finishing off my last lemonade of the day.  I have noticed that I'm getting more and more ready to eat food and David and I are both anxiously awaiting Wednesday. :)

The End of Day 7

     Ahh, the end is drawing near, just 3 more days!  I am so thankful that my energy has progressively increased throughout the day today.  This morning I was still recovering from yesterday's toxin release and the lack of sleep last night.  However, this afternoon I was able to clean the house, clean and rearrange my bedroom, iron all the clothes for Sunday, make dinner and give the kids bathes so it turned out to be a very productive day.  I feel full of energy tonight and  aside from fighting with some allergies I am doing great. 
   Although I thought that Sundays were going to be the hardest on this thing I found last week that the day went by really fast since we were going all day I didn't have time to think about being hungry.  So I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  This has been quite an experience so far and I'm excited to be able to say that I finished it :)

Day 7 ~ Total of 7 lbs lost

  

Day 7 - Recovery

    My theme today is "I SURVIVED"!  Yesterday was brutal, it literally felt like I had the flu all day.  My shoulders and neck were so sore and my lower back ached all day long.  I had headaches, cravings, and nausea.  It was my toxin release day and apparently I had a lot of toxin to release.  I went to bed hungry for the first night even after having some tea and I was just ready for the next day to be here....however, I was not done.  I went to bed with a migraine and woke up several times during the night with an upset stomach, pain in my kidneys and head pain.  I was dreaming of drinking a Coke to get rid of the headache...Needless to say it was not a fun night but this morning I felt like a new person.  I am thankful that there are just 3 more days left.  I just want to say to all those out there that would say, "I could never go that long without eating"...I said the same thing and the truth is "YOU CAN"!!!  It is certainly an exercise in self-denial and control but once you get started there's no going back and you will finish and feel better at the end of it even if  you have to experience a day like I did yesterday. :)

NOTE:  My husband is doing this as well and even though he did feel tired on day 2 he has not experienced the same side effects that I have so not everyone goes through the same things.

Did I say Strong????

  Have you ever felt like you said something one minute to soon????  That's how I feel today.  This morning was great but by the time I hit mid morning to afternoon I was feeling tired, very sore everywhere, and having back cramps.  I feel like I'm back on Day 2 - YUCK!  I remember saying to myself on day 2 "I just want this day to over" and today I find myself saying the same thing.  I can't explain just how draining this is...my body feels like it's in overhaul.  My shoulders are sore and I feel pretty achy...kinda of like having the flu.  I guess it's a good thing to get rid of these toxins and I'm hoping tomorrow that I will feel like Day 3 again.  Strong is not the word I would use to describe today unfortunately :( 
   I did however have a double lemonade about 30 minutes ago and that has helped some...praying for a more successful day tomorrow.  Well, I shouldn't really say successful because going 6 days without eating is a success but the last several days I've maintained good energy levels and today it just hasn't been like that.  We will see....just 4 more days to do.

6 days ~ 6 lbs lost

Day 6 - No food and still going strong :)

  Well, today I woke up with more energy and have felt good all morning.  I've had a lot people ask me if I really don't feel hungry and I can truthfully answer that I don't.  If you look into it you are still consuming about 1200 calories a day just through the lemonade so your body does not go into starvation mode.  I have never "fasted" for this long and I never really thought that it would be possible to do but now I realize that it is.  I believe that it can be harder for women to fast at times.  A lot of women have sugar problems during a fast along with dizziness or feeling light headed, making it difficult to function properly.  So this is a very healthy way to do a spiritual fast as well.  You are still denying your body food and the diet is very bland but you can avoid the weakness so you are able to fast for a longer period of time.  For those who have had difficulty in the past when trying to fast over something it's an idea anyways :)
   I have a lot that I am wanting to accomplish today as it is the last day of Spring Break and then we'll be back to our regular home school schedule.  So I'm hoping this energy holds up and I can breeze through it. 

Day 5 - A Success!

      Our fifth day is complete and it's been great!  Aside from a slow start this morning things have gone well and we have hit the half way mark.  The Ladies Taco Salad Dinner was tonight and it went great!  I wasn't tempted by the food at all, I was completely full after just 20oz of lemonade (2 drinks worth). We had a great time just enjoying each other's company and preparing for our upcoming missions conference.  I'm excited that I can do this!  I can finish this!

Day 5 - A Little Sluggish

   Yes, I'm a bit sluggish this morning.  I woke up with a small tension headache so I drank my tea and took my allergy meds.  It took most of what I had to do some laundry and get ready for the day.  I've got a Ladies Dinner at Church tonight so I need to find some energy somewhere. I've had two lemonades so far and it's 1pm so it's time for another.  I was surprised that I caught myself twice today looking at the rice cakes left over from last week and thinking that would taste good for lunch (last week rice cakes were not my favorite thing).  I have had more cravings today but I'm staying strong!  Also, I was down 1 more pound this morning.   So after 4 days I've had a   5 lb weight loss.  Added to the 5 lbs I lost last week on weight watchers and I'm 10 lbs down...it's a good start.  As I think any one that's trying to lose weight would say, I wish it would come off faster but it takes time. :)  Pray for me tonight as I get to go to our Ladies Dinner....I plan to bring lots of lemonade but it might be hard smelling all that good food.

End of Day 4

   End of Day 4 -  It is 11pm on the fourth day and I feel really full right now.  I drank my last lemonade when I got home tonight and my husband and I just finished enjoying a nice hot cup of detox tea on this cold, rainy evening.   Now I am feeling good, it's hard to believe that we haven't eaten food in 4 days now.  Energy level is good too.  Pretty CrAzy! 

  Some tips for me to remember the next time I get crazy enough to do this again (they suggest people do this once a year!):

1)  Buy some straws - I prefer to drink my lemonade with the straws - keeps the citrus off my teeth too.

2)  Salt water flush - DO NOT USE COLD WATER - It's nasty enough by itself but cold water is almost impossible to get down.  I figured out on the third day to drink it almost like a tea.  Get hot water in your glass and use a straw to drink this quickly.  The other thing I figured out this morning is that if I put a listerine mouth strip in my mouth before hand then inbetween drinks I taste the strip and not the salt so much.

3) Try to drink a drink every 2 hours in order to avoid getting hungry.  It's a lot easier to maintain a full feeling then to try to fill up on lemonade (although you can do so by drinking hot tea if you wait to long and get hungry).

Day 4 (Continued)

    As I sit here drinking yet another lemonade I find that it is getting easier to say "no" to food.  It's funny how you almost forget that you're not supposed to eat food.  As I was doing the dishes earlier I spotted a pack of peanut butter crackers and thought "Oh, that would be a good snack....oh wait a minute I'm not allowed snacks."  This is something that you experience often in the first three days but by today I am into a routine with the lemonade and tea.  I think I'm actually getting used to this.  I thought the last week and half was difficult on weight watchers having to watch carefully what I eat espcially what I choose to snack on (my worst habit) but I think after going through this it will be much easier to say no to a bad snack and yes to a good one. 
   One thing that makes it easier to continue to follow this day after day is that I know that I can not just start eating food...you have to ease your body back into being able to digest food so even if I wanted to cheat I can't.  It was funny last night my husband had a dream that he accidently ate something and when he woke up he was so mad at himself for breaking the fast.  I guess it's affecting us both ;)  By the way he has lost 5lbs as well, even though he only has like 15 lbs to lose before he hits his ultimate goal weight.  Sometimes I am very envious of how a man's body works to get back to where they need to be.  Not that they don't have to work at it but once they start working at it, it seems to happen much faster for them.  Just saying!  Sorry that's my "whining" for the day.  But I am very proud of him and the work he has done to be the handsome man that he is for me.
   Well, time to get everyone ready for our mid-week service....until tomorrow.

Day 4

Today I woke up with another migraine.  Not so fun!  However, I did do the salt water flush since Day 4 is supposed to be a high toxin release day.  I drank a lemonade and then took my a Zyrtec and headache meds.  My sister packed up to go home today and I said goodbye around 11am.  Now it's just me and my husband but I know he'll keep me going through the next 6 days!  I have definately been fighting a migraine all day and my energy level is not nearly as high as yesterday so maybe it's an every other day thing ???  Just so you all know the migraine thing is not unusual as I have been getting them 3-5 times a week since the Cedar Pollen season hit.  So don't think that the diet is causing these.   
   You're not really supposed to weigh everyday because you won't lose everyday.  My sister didn't lose anything until the sixth day.  But I have been sneaking on the scale each morning and being pleasantly surprised, well it caught up with me today ;)  I'm still the same as yesterday but really that's ok, I mean who loses 5lbs in 3 days normally??? So I'm not doing awfully.  I do think as we near the end I will see more results and I'm thankful that a lot of the weight is from my stomach area.  Getting rid of that baby weight....FINALLY! 
   Tonight we get to go to church so I think this day will go by quickly and before I know it day 5, the half way mark will be here!   Tomorrow night will be a challenge because we have a Ladies Dinner planned at church (what was the Pastor's wife thinking???? ;)  But I am determined to stay the course and put off what I would like now to enjoy what I really want later!

Day 3

Today I woke up and was down another 2 pounds.  I was pretty nauseaous when I woke up (not totally unusal because of allergy drainage).  I decided against the salt water flush and just drank a cup of detox tea before drinking my lemonade.  I have had a ton more energy today.  I took my allergy meds and have avoided the migraines today ;)  We had a fun day of doing things around the house, we made laundry soap and hair bows, then we went shopping and found some cute outfits.  I've found that it's important to make sure I don't let myself get hungry before making my drink.  Drinking a lemonade every 2 hours is the way to go.  I also supplement the tea when I get tired of the lemonade.  I didn't really start  losing energy until 9pm tonight which is a huge improvement from yesterday.  We're getting closer and closer to the half way mark.  I really want to succeed in this mission so I made myself a 10 day chart and each day I get to mark off a big red square...it's a mental thing for me (LOL).  I am so thankful for my husband who has been cheering me on and encourageing me every step of the way.  He doesn't really need to do this but he's right there doing it beside me.  I just can't describe what a blessing he is to me.  My sister has been great too.  She's doing her best to make sure that I continue to stick with it once she's gone...she leaves tomorrow :(  But I have faith that I will keep it up because I know I will be letting not just myself down but my husband and sister.  Plus the weight loss has been great too...it's coming off right in the stomach which for me is the hardest to lose.  Also, I have NO cravings or desire to drink any kind of soda.  I just feel lighter not drinking it :)

                         DAY 3:  5lbs lost - just needed one allergy pill today - more energy

Day 2

I woke up this morning and did my salt water flush (16oz of water w/ 1 tsp sea salt).  It worked well.  I then drank my lemonade and got the kids breakfast.  About an hour after being up I got a severe migraine...back to bed I went.  I was glad that my sister was up, she took care of the kids and kept the sound down.  All day I struggled with the pain of the migraine.  At 5pm I gave in and took a pain killer, I was hoping to go off of all meds but that was not a practical goal.  Tomorrow I will take my allergy meds first thing to avoid this.  We all felt very tired today and another side effect is being a lot colder than normal.  I think that's because my body is not using extra energy to keep up the heat.  It was a very tough day and I wanted to eat real food many many times but  I survived the low energy day without eating just lots of lemonade and I feel good about that....oh and I am 3lbs down.

Day 1

DAY 1:

Today is Sunday and the first day of our "Master Cleanse".  I know today will be very busy with church services and having family up so I think it will go by faster.  The morning was hectic as we raced around to get 3 adults and 7 children ready for church.  My sister fixed lemonade for me, my husband and herself. Oh did I forget to mention that my sis agreed to do the cleanse with me for the three days she was here in order to get me started. :)  What a great sis!  Although she is the one that got me into this mess.   Of course I say "mess" as I haven't eaten for 12 hours.

I have been hungry periodically through the day but I each time I drink a lemonade and it fills me up for a while. I had a cup of tea tonight and tht felt good.  The services at church were wonderful today.  My husband did a great job and it was great to have my sis and her girls with us. Day 1 is in the books!

Learning Self Discipline through the "Master Cleanse"

Preface:

  It is Spring break and my sister has come to visit with her three girls.  We have planned a great week of relaxation and thanks to my sister a "Lemonade Cleanse Diet".  She has talked me into doing trying this 10 day, NO FOOD, just a special lemonade drink with detox tea, and peppermint tea (if you get hungry;)  which I will be! 
   Why? I am still asking myself this question but there are several reasons that I am willing to try this. 

ONE - I need to lose weight as simple as that, I have weight that was progressively gained with each of my four children and now that my youngest is almost 2 I can no longer blame it on baby weight.  I think this will be a great jump start and a good way to get rid of my "Coke" habit.  I am not one that is easily convinced to go on fad diets and I don't believe in starving yourself to lose weight because that does not usually work well for you and it's not the healthy and long term way to go.  But after doing my research I feel this will sustain me.  My mom, two sisters, and one brother-in-law have all done this and lost from 10 to 23 lbs.  It has been over a month and they have not gained it back.

TWO - This "Master Cleanse" is highly recommended for those with severe allergies of which I have suffered this past year.  Finding out that I am very allergic to Mountain Cedar Tree Pollen which is every where here and  hard to avoid.  I have to take two Zyrtec a day right now, if I don't I chance having an anaphylactic reaction at the worst and a bad migraine at best.

THREE - It is also highly recommended for those who have migraines and I do.

FOURTH - I really feel as though this will challenge me beyond anything I've ever made myself do and I am believe that it will teach me to have more self discipline.  How can it not when for 10 days straight you have to not only say NO to your favorite foods, comfort foods, bad for you foods but NO to ALL foods! Right?

I plan to journal each day and how it goes....pray for me ;)