Contemplating the Master Cleanse

In August 2008 I stepped on the scale and came in around 118 lbs (just under 54 kg). Today I stepped on the scale and I am 126 lbs (9 stone or about 57 kg). Now due to the fact that I have been weight training and have tripled my strength in some places I know that part of this change is due to muscle, but definitely not all of it. I'm much happier with my body shape now, but I'm still so conscious of my mid-section. When I gain weight, that's the first place it deposits. When I came off my special Nutri-Chef meal plan and relaxed my eating habits, my relationship with sugar sneakily snuck back into my life. I have lost the control. It's a love-hate relationship. Sugar has me once again in it's pocket.

The side effects of sugar really affect my life. I feel sugar rushes and then smash, I get moody, I crave more sweets, my digestion goes down the drain, and I often feel the effects of stress more: bad sleep (nightmares), headaches, I don't feel rested when I wake, and often throughout the day I feel very sluggish and sleepy. Some days I've caught myself struggling to keep my eyes open and have been using chocolate and coffee to jolt me alive the rest of my work-shift. And lately, I've noticed it really affecting my vision, I squint at my computer screen alot, eyes tired, sometimes hurting a little.

The rest of my routine is pretty good, I do eat 3 balanced meals a day, I train in the gym 3-4 times a week, bang out 30-45 mins of cardio at a time, and usually drink just about enough water.

But, it's that time now for a detox. I threw my food awareness out the window when I went to Jamaica. The "all inclusive, all you can eat, whenever you want, (and even when you don't want)" set-up catered to my every sweet desire....and I pigged out! Oh Cake.... I LOVE cake, and cake was everywhere all the time on holiday. I still dream of Rum Cake. I had it after breakfast, lunch AND dinner. Yes, piggy-pie was shortly followed by sleepy-pie who fell asleep in the pool lounger and barely escaped a 3rd degree sunburn. Isn't that what all inclusive holidays are about?

My boyfriend, being a personal trainer, says that I should lay off the treats and just continue with the rest of what I'm doing, but I insist I need some extreme measures to kickstart back to the better fitter me i'm used to. When it comes to cleansing, or eating well, I cannot dabble. It's all or nothing. He shakes his head at me, thinks that not eating is not right, but I have always believed in fasting. It is not only good for the body, but for the mind and spirit too. For people who don't believe in the mind/body connection, try fasting and on day 2 or 3 trust me...you'll start believing.

I've done the juice cleanse- tick
soup cleanse- tick
super foods- tick
alkaline foods- tick
atkins- tick


And now the most extreme of all, I am preparing myself for the Master Cleanse.
This cleanse has been around since the 40's and apparently works wonders according to all the research and blog reading I've done. Now, I'm going to keep a blog about the experience, and see exactly how it will effect me. The cleanse is simple- you consume only liquid made of fresh squeezed lemons, Grade B Maple Syrup, Cayenne pepper and natural spring water. Followed by salt water flushes and laxative tea. I don't mind the taste of any of these so I hope that makes it easier. I just know the psychological cravings for demon-sugar will kick in from the moment I say GO!

I think of this as a proper cleanse, not a diet. Diets are a lifestyle, a cleanse is a short term, thank God. Let's face it, cleansing is a bitch. It is hard on your willpower, and it takes it out on your body. Detox comes out of your skin, your bowels, your sweat, your breath, everywhere. The last time I did a detox I had to take a day off work because I had terrible headache, fever, nausea and was going to the loo ALOT. And why would I put my body through this???? Well, the way I look at it, it's better OUT than IN! Right? You can say "ew gross" when it comes to detox and poop but hey man, everyone poops. It's how our body is designed to detox. If you're body can't function at it's best it WILL deposit the crap inside you, putrifiying itself and causing other disgusting dis-ease and dis-comfort. And well...that is MAJORLY "ew gross" if you ask me.

Simple and Easy do not mean the same thing when it comes to cleansing. No cleanse I have ever done has been easy. Gaining back your power over food, over sugar, over your cravings is like going through withdraw from drugs. If you want to challenge yourself with dealing with temptation, I recommend trying a cleanse. It will test you to the max, and you come out feeling enlightened, stronger, more confident, and radiant. That end result is always what I look forward to, as well as shedding a few pounds of unwanted toxins.

I've been able to share this information with some of my work colleagues and some of them are very opposed to me attempting this. Hayley, who temps in my dept is eager to give it a shot too as she is also pretty interested in health and wellbeing. So, we may give it a go together, which may be an extra little support system along the toughest days.

I intend to monitor my progress through my blog, as well as upload some photos to see if there is any physical change. But I already know that feeling more energy and feeling clean will be the best payoff for me. I'm actually looking forward to it. My main desires have always been to find clarity, focus, empowerment, and purpose. Those are the things I am always searching for and I believe that cleansing of the body physically can help acheive those goals. Once I reset, I'll be able to keep on top of food much better.

The next 10 days are busy as I have gotten some moving boxes to fill and rooms to paint. I know as long as I'm not idle I can burn through the time. You know those moments where you pause and take a deep breath before you begin something big? Well, I can tell you right now this is one of them, and there are going to be plenty more too.