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| Photo from: www.plumpiecooks.com |
I put myself to that challenge and made a journal of my personal experience of it.
I won't go to all the gory and literally crappy details, but more on what I went through to survive these whole 5 days of not eating anything. Sure, you might think it's crazy to do something like this but think about the benefits. I wanted to have a clean slate before I start to do a real diet and I thought that the Master Cleanse is perfect because it will thoroughly clean my insides.
The Master Cleanse isn't actually a diet but a detox program. It's designed to clean out the junk out of your body for a minimum of 10 days by just drinking these miracle liquids. I did this for 5 days only due to the lack of budget -- because believe me, it will cost a bunch because the ingredients are quite expensive here in the Philippines. And you would want to choose organic stuff to make sure it's effective. So yeah, organic is expensive.
Anyway, I think 5 days was pretty good for a first successful try. I tried this before once with my sister and I literally cried because I was so hungry. My Grandma ended up buying me fast food just to calm me down (I know... I was so pathetic and my Grandma was so cute and caring). It's not really recommended when you have a weird schedule. I was in college then and my class schedule was not the same everyday and that made me hard to adjust. Plus the stress levels of school and doing a fast is not really a good combination.
Just a tip - if ever you would want to try this out, make sure that you don't have much stuff to do in a span of about two weeks. And don't, for the love of the people around you, do this at the same time as your monthly period (if you're a girl, of course), because that's a mistake I realized too late. I didn't think I would have my period at the same time of the cleanse... so imagine how much of a bitch I was during those times. Haha! Main point is, plan this ahead because you will need to be mentally, physically, financially and emotionally prepared on what's about to happen during this cleanse.
To start off, here are the stuff that's needed for the Master Cleanse
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| Photo from: www.dhealthstore.com |
SALT WATER FLUSH (SWF)
1 quart (32 oz) pure water (not distilled, not tap, but filtered)
2 tsp organic SEA SALT (not iodized because that's just crazy)
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| Photo from: www.nytimes.com |
LEMONADE
1 cup water
2 tbsp pure lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
2 tbsp organic Grade B Pure Maple Syrup (not those syrups you pour on pancakes and waffles)
a pinch of Cayenne Pepper
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| Photo from: www.naturesalternatives.com |
HERBAL LAXATIVE TEA (HLT)
I used Traditional Medicinals Smooth Move Peppermint
(don't try the chocolate flavor.. it doesn't taste good)
All these can be bought at Healthy Options and lemons in the market or grocery.
Basic instructions for this cleanse are:
Night Before: drink a cup of HLT
Day 1: 6-12 glasses of lemonade and HLT before bed
Day 2-10: SWF first thing in the morning, 6-12 glasses of lemonade during the day and HLT before bed
Day 11: EASE OUT - orange juice the whole day
Day 12: EASE OUT - orange juice and vegetable soup (broth)
Day 13: EASE OUT - start solid foods again, but more on greens, fruits, and orange juice
Of course you can drink as much water as you like.
Some choose not to do the SWF but it's really effective even though it's so disgusting at first. But it's up to the person, really. You can choose to not do the SWF and drink HLT instead in the morning.
Here's the day-to-day journal of my experience.
THE NIGHT BEFORE: I wanna scream and shout, and let it all out!
August 2, 2013
So it's my sister's birthday tomorrow and we decided to eat out tonight so that I can start with my detox tomorrow. I really need to start this on a weekend so that I know what to expect when I do this at work. The first two days of this cleanse will be the hardest I think. And it's not happening in the office. No way. I haven't bought my HLT yet so I guess doing the SWF's fine... until I drank it. It tastes awful. Just downright disgusting. The whole 32oz of it was almost consumed until I vomited the last two gulps. But I can already feel the effects of it 30 minutes after drinking. God, please don't make me regret doing this crazy diet. Good thing this SWF thing isn't required tomorrow morning. I read all kinds of things about the MC online and it pretty much gave me all the info I need and what to expect. So I hope this all works out. One hour after the SWF and boom! I'm feeling positive already!!!
DAY 1: At first I was I afraid, I was petrified
August 3, 2013
Lemonade: 6 glasses
Water: 4 glasses
I never thought that trying to drink just that much liquid a day was hard. Maybe it's because I was not used to drinking a lot of water or something. I don't know. But I got to accomplish the minimum 6 glasses. I'm having mild headaches from time to time. I guess it's withdrawal from caffeine and food. And a few dots on my face are starting to come out. My tongue is white and yucky. Guess the detox is really working. I loved the HLT Peppermint. Just the perfect cup of drink to end the day, very soothing and warm.
DAY 2: Keep holding on
August 4, 2013
Lemonade: 6 glasses
Water: 3 glasses
For the SWF, I added some lemon juice and it doesn't taste that yucky anymore, but it still has a hint of disgusting. The dots on my face have become more visible. But it's not a breakout type where pimples explode and just appear on awkward places everywhere. My headache was worse yesterday but I still have it. Hope its gone by tomorrow. BM is evolving to a more liquid form today. And damn I just got my period. What perfect timing this is.
DAY 3: I'm a bitch, I'm a lover, I'm a child
August 5, 2013
Lemonade: 6 glasses
Water: 5 glasses
SWF went well. Drink it from a glass, it's easier even without putting a spoon of lemon juice.
There is nothing more irritable than someone offering you food when they know you are on a fast. It's the bitch-please hormones talking, BTW. I don't have energy. I am always so freakin' hungry. I smell food all the time. Did my sense of smell improve big time? Like a dog's? Why do I have to smell Jolly Spaghetti at lunch TODAY? Then at home, why do we have to have spaghetti for dinner. WHY. This is how torture is spelled and slapped on your face - the fact that you can't eat your favorite food when you are inches away from it, then having chocolate cake in the ref but you don't want to touch it or even go near it, and it's the second day of your period so nothing makes sense and everything is just so annoying. What a perfect day this is.
DAY 4: I wanna be a billionaire.. so freakin' bad
August 6, 2013
Lemonade: 6 glasses
Water: 3 glasses
I'm feeling incredibly better today compared to yesterday. I have more energy, though my officemate said I was a bit matamlay. Food cravings are still present as always since it really is hard to control yourself when everyone around you keeps eating the food you like. But it's more manageable than yesterday when there was spaghetti. Today I decided to finally just do this diet until tomorrow since I'm low on funds. I don't have enough in my wallet to buy another bottle of that maple syrup. It's P795 a bottle but it's only good for 2 and a half days. So if I was to complete the whole 10 days I'd need 4 bottles! Plus a minimum of 4 lemons a day which is at around P55. If eating a lot costs so much, eating and trying to be healthy costs a lot more. I'd definitely try this again next time but maybe when I have more money than usual. Anyway, today is a good day. I'm getting used to the routine and I feel a lot better. Didn't expect to last 4 whole days, I'm kinda proud of this achievement. I also tried not doing the SWF this morning since I woke up late and I don't wanna risk having to take a dump at the office. I had 2 BMs today so I guess both options - SWF or HLT, work for me but SWF is more predictable and convenient. I just have to wake up earlier.
DAY 5: I'm a survivor!
August 7, 2013
Lemonade: 7 glasses
Water: 2 glasses
I realized that I don't drink water that often. Not just during this diet but eversince. I only drink water when there's food or when it's really hot. Though the diet recommends you drink as much water as you drink the lemonade, I don't. So I need to learn to drink more water starting now, okay tomorrow since it's too late today.
It's my last day today and I'm kind of excited to chew food! Tomorrow is orange juice day. I'm looking forward to that as well. I have more energy today, in fact I feel so energetic and I feel so eager to drink the lemonade. Maybe it's because I know today is the last day... haha! Can't wait for tomorrow!
DAY 1 EASE OUT: Ooooh! I just wanna feel this moment!
August 8, 2013
Today is the day I finally get to drink something different! I never tasted fresh orange juice this way before. It's so yummy! This detox program will really make you appreciate the little things like chewing and fresh orange juice! Haha! I may make fresh orange juice a daily habit. I weighed myself and I lost 7 pounds!!! So happy!!! Some of my shorts fit me again and my face got smaller. My belly got smaller too. I think my legs went a bit thinner as well. Anyway, WOW! I'm lovin' it! And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really look forward to the veggie soup despite my carnivorous nature. Not a fan of any green food nor fish. But hey, a person can change her habits, right? One day at a time... One veggie at a time.
DAY 2 EASE OUT: I knew you were trouble
August 9, 2013
Orange juice and veggie soup for today. Since I really don't know how to prepare vegetable soup and I have a date today, I decided to buy the Vegetable Pumpkin Soup at Zigla, a healthy food store in Robinson's Magnolia. It's really yummy I ate it for lunch and dinner. I forgot to take a picture of it (twice) though since I was too excited to eat real food. I plan to taste more stuff in their menu after becoming a fan of their veggie soup then blog about it soon! I'm still 7 pounds lighter than my original weight and loving every moment of it. I know eating junk will get me fatter again, so I will avoid most of it starting now. Easing out and finally getting to eat solid foods will also be a challenge because now that I've lost the weight and can eat again, I have to maintain it. And the hardest part is maintaining all of this.
DAY 3 EASE OUT: I won't give up on us, even if the skies get rough
August 10, 2013
So today I ate quite a lot of solid foods but in portions. My appetite really changed. I get full easily and I don't crave as much food as I have always been doing for the past years of my life. This is a start to a healthier lifestyle! I may cheat and eat something unhealthy from time to time, for sure, but after what I've gone through, I know how to limit myself and make sure not to overeat. I won't give up this moment of overcoming unhealthy eating! I feel so great. MAINTAIN, MAINTAIN.
This ends my journal. To conclude, this cleanse has been very helpful to me and I plan to do it again early December this year. I learned and realized a lot about my eating habits and will restrain from too much unhealthy stuff from now on. Just what have I been doing with my life with all the junk I've been eating?! Haha! Slowly, I'll try to eat more fruits, vegetables and fish. That's another goal I will have to achieve. I've lost 7 pounds, and I plan to keep it that way and lose a little more. Now that the detox is over, it's time for the real diet!
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