Master Cleanse Forum - Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet

Hi Nerdy and Crissy. I started my cleanse yesterday Jan 2 and I'm glad I found you guys. This is my second attempt at the MC. First time only made it to day 2 and headaches were too severe. I'm doing ok this go round and I think the support will keep me going. Don't know how long I'm going. I'll start with 10 days and go from there. I look forward to staying in touch and keeping up with your progress.
Kathy

Good morning guys. Day 3 for me and I really feel good. I know it's early but my head feels "clear." It's a weird feeling and hard to describe. One thing I noticed is that I am much more calm than normal. Before starting the cleanse, my usual behavior is to run around like crazy in the mornings trying to get out of the house and to work on time and by the time I actually get to work and sit at my desk to work, I feel a bit "jittery." Today I don't have that feeling at all. Don't know if it's related but thought I'd mentioned it.

On day one I did the flush in the morning and Day 2 (yesterday) I did it at night. Think I like night better because it works better with my work schedule. Are you guys flushing every day?

I made 32 oz of lemonade in a container this morning, minus the pepper, to bring to work. I will add the pepper as I drink it. I find that when I get a hunger pang if I just drink a whole 8 oz glass it is more satisfying than sipping all day and one cup keeps hunger at bay for about 2 to 3 hours.

Ok, that's my recap for this morning. I hope you guys are doing well.

Hi Kathy! Welcome to the MC forum! It's great having more people join us on this journey! I am glad that you are doing better as the days goes on! I find that today on my Day 3, I had a better time overall but there was still moments where I felt slightly dizzy and had to quickly chug a glass of lemonade to compose myself. I agree with you in that when I drink a glass of lemonade it does a lot more in alleviating my hunger than actually sipping it all day. I wish you further success and I am looking forward to reading more from you as you progress!

Nerdy,
I am so glad u posted, i was getting worried about u

Thanks for sharing how visualizing the results, really helps, i totally agree. Couple of nights ago, after making dinner for hub, i almost collapsed my cleanse, i had to leave the kitchen/living room, quickly. My husband said,"why did u leave"?. I told him to maintain control, he understood. I stayed there till the cravings subsided, whew.

Yes, we all need to keep our eyes on the prize, i totally agree.

So glad we didnt lose ya, I think some people just stop posting when they go off program..........hey I'm guilty of that too in the past.

Keep up the good work, we all can do this

Blessings,
Chrissy

HiYa Crissy!

Thanks for checking in with me...ya didn't lose me! School is about to start soon and needless to say, my time is going to get severely restricted. Nevertheless, I will make an effort to check in as often as I can because honestly this site is one of the things that is keeping me going: it's like having all you guys here holds me accountable and I am not going to fall off the wagon, especially cuz I know I'm going to have to explain myself! It's another motivating to keep food out of my mouth. Glad you're going great! keep up the good work!

Hi Nerdy,
Good luck with school. I've been reading some success stories on here and one person (who did a 40-dayer) bought a dress a couple sizes smaller and hung it on her door to see every single day. She mentioned that one night she was on the vurge of giving in and ran upstairs and the first thing she saw was that dress and just seeing it brought her back to why she was completing the cleanse. Visual motivation is great and it comes in varying forms. I was just on the elevator here at work and I saw myself being around my peers, laughing, socializing and enjoying my self feeling like the "belle of the ball." In my vision I wasn't wondering what people were saying or how I looked. I had amazing confidence and freedom.

Stay stong and come back here when you need some motivation; Chrissy and I will be here!!!

DAY 4

Woke up today in the middle of the night with an intense hunger sensation...it was so overwhelming that I felt so weakened and ready to cave in and eat just anything...anything at all just to quench it. I felt pathetic for some time and then something just clicked in my brain, as I walked to the kitchen to feed my hunger, I realized that I just couldn't do that! It has been a difficult first few days so far and the idea of giving all that up just for something that will inevitably make me feel even more guilty and bad about myself was not going to be worth it. And then I knew that I was going to come online and update my journal and the idea of confessing to you all my fellow cleansers was not something that I wanted to do. We are in this together and I will fight the temptations till the last day!

Funny thing happened to me as I was going to the kitchen...it hit me that there is nothing in my kitchen to eat! I had cleared out EVERYTHING that was not a lemon, maple syrup or cayenne pepper. I started laughing out loud like a crazy person because I realized that I was not going to be able to indulge in anything as there was nothing to there to eat. Of course I am going to have to battle the presence of food especially as I start going to more social gatherings for school and such, and my roommates who are both "foodies" get back from the holiday. But at least, in the meantime while the first few hard days battles are being fought, it is comforting to know that I have no choice but not to eat. After I am more physiologically stabilized on the cleanse, I'm sure it'll be a lot easier...till then...EMPTY KITCHEN Y'ALL!

You Rock Girl , u overcame. Hey wish I could empty my kitchen, have family to feed, always a dilemna

Thanks for sharing, keep the faith,

Chrissy

Crissy and Kathy: Thanks for your reinforcements! It all seems to come just at the right moment when I am feeling weak.

So an update to my Day 4 I went to the gym today for the first time since starting the cleanse. I did 70 mins on the treadmill, approximating 5.5 miles. Initially it was very hard to get going, but after the first 10 mins or so, something clicked and I started jogging pretty consistently stopping every 4 mins or so to walk and then alternating back to running. I was surprised that I had enough energy to get through all that because earlier in the day, I was not feeling quite as energetic. I brought some lemonade with me to the gym and I sipped it periodically to boost me up, especially when I felt my strength lagging. I am not sure if it was such a good idea to push myself so much but it felt good to do something physical, as I had been taking it pretty easy over the last few days.

After the gym, a friend took me to see Mission Impossible 4 (great movie by the way!) and as I walked into the theatre, the smell of popcorn drove me insane! It felt like I had never smelt anything so wonderful people, all I wanted to do was run up to the snack stand and order a large popcorn with extra butter! So did I..you may ask...NO I did not and it felt good to walk away from it and not cave in, but my friends...it was HARD. It got even harder as I drove home from the movies and I had to take a detour on a different street and guess what was waiting there at the end of the street IN & OUT BURGER! For those not familiar with these "crack-burgers" as I call them...these are simply the best chain burgers ever and I swear they sprinkle crack on them in the kitchen backroom or something because they are simply addictive! I almost made a u-turn into the drive thru!

But I made it home safely...burger and popcorn free...into my empty lemon-filled kitchen and I just wanted to update y'all on my day full of temptation. I hope tomorrow is less difficult because my will-power is taking a lot of hits lately!

As I was reading through some of other people's journals who have completed the cleanse..I came across a post by Doug777 on Ariel777 blog and it really hit home and I thought I'd share it with ou my friends and perhaps you too can derive strength from it like I did...I plan on reading it thousands of times over and over again before the next 30-40 days is up:

"Ask yourself these questions........A momentary dose of pleasure from unhealthy, debilitating food ? Or a lifetime of health and happiness from good food ? The smell and taste of burgers, hotdogs, and ice cream ? Or the freedom from disease, misery, and early death ? The ability to take control of your life and everything in it, through discipline, dedication, and desire ? Or the curse of being controlled by the very thing that is killing you slowly ? Looking and feeling better than you ever have in your life ? Or shame, low self esteem, and failure because of a disgusting, empty calorie, disease making meal that supposedly "tastes good" ? An early funeral, hopelessness, sickness, regret, pain, depression, and self degradation ? Or the rest of your time on this cleanse completed in full, followed by a permenant change in eating thats delicious, healthy, and even more filling than the junk you use to eat ? I hope this brings perspective to you, and helps you realize the little bit of hardship you go through now will be MASSIVELY BESHADOWED by a brand new healthy and happy life for yourself, and for the sake of those that love you and want you to stick around here in the land of the living for a long time to come. You know its what you want, and you know in your heart that you can do it, its right there in front of you, TAKE IT ! Let nobody and nothing stand in your way"

Your last post is dead on. When we think about the mastercleanse in the big scheme of things, it REALLY isn't that hard. So many people in the world wake up each day praying to find food or starve another day. They have to talk themselves into holding on til food comes as their bodies suffer. Then here we are dealing with the temptations of eating if we want to, or have an alternative means of nutrition which actually helps our bodies. Makes us question what HARD really is. We do the masterclenase for mostly physical gains, but really it is all mentality , perspective, and state of mind.

My day one today was pretty easy except I had headaches and limited access to the lemonade which sucked. I am really glad that my day 2 and 3 are on my days off so i can sleep as much as i want and drink as much lemonade as i want.

Fortunately I don't have to cook for anyone, but at work we get unlimited free food buffet style which is a temptation. Also, there is lots of food in my house. The first time I did the MC was with my roommate which helped and we had no food available in the apt. That was ideal, but now i kinda like the temptation and my show of strength to my family when they can't believe that I can watch them eat while I fast. Again, the MC is so mental that it changes who we are.

Thanks for all the posts guys, you all help a lot!!

((((((You are amazing girl !!))))))


Consider this, the brain needs glucose to work well as u probably know so well, since u study the brain as a major. So with your school/etc... life schedule being demanding, you need more glucose, so maybe the MSyrup helps? I commend you for staying strong.

Do you find your mind working clearer at this time? Just wondering.

I love all your stories about TEMPTATIONS, in/out burger, popcorn, oh my............... very funny
Also your last post on pros/cons of being healthy, great one.

Thanks for sharing, really glad ur still with us.

C

Shyjoe: I am glad that your first day went well! It's one of the hardest days for me and I felt like so many people succumb to that initial weak, headache and sometimes dizzying feeling. I am glad that you are going to tackle Day 2 & 3 with more control over your environment. I think it is amazing how you have handled being around an unlimited buffet style work area! That is intense dude! And at home with your family. I live with roommates at school so they're still gone for a few more days and that means I can have my kitchen clear till I'm almost in Day 7, that way I hopefully had gotten a grip on the temptations of excess food around me. Hang in there and it seems like you are off to an awesome start!

Crissy! As always, I look forward to hearing from you as you are always so gracious and positive. Thanks for the moral support...you don't know how much it means to me! This process has been quite daunting so far and I am constantly fighting the temptations. Knowing that you guys are all rooting for me (as I am for you) makes such a difference in my day as I talk myself out of potentially damaging situations. Honestly, this forum is one of the smartest thing I have done thus far on this journey as it is such a crucial part of the journey for and I can never quite articulate to you how much it means to me.

About your question about the brain...So far, I have only begun to truly feel that clarity you hear so much about on the cleanse today and yesterday...I haven't hit the books as intensely yet but within the next week as things really start kicking off with my Anatomy classes and such, that is when I can truly test just how well my mind is working. Will keep ypu posted. And interestingly, although the brain uses glucose as its main source of energy, when there is no or little carbohydrate being consumed, it utilizes ketone bodies produced by the liver to function and thus ketones drive brain metabolism primarily at those times. Also your body undergoes gluconeogenesis, which is basically the utilization of non-carbohydrate sources to produce glucose---thus muscles, fat and other tissues are used to create glucose which is then used by your brain to run. Anyways, that can only sustain for so long, before your body starts using ketones for brain function. With the maple syrup, I think that it provides us with just the right amount to glucose needed to fuel our brain for daily processes, although I'm sure that this level is obviously lower than what our body is accustomed to. Anywho...I digress! I hope your day is going well and that you are hanging in tough! Thanks again for all your support!



DAY 5

Another day of temptations awaits me! So today I drove a friend to Togo's Sandwich Store, which is basically my favorite sandwich store and I normally get the Turkey and Avocado wrap with Chipotle Mayo and extra veggies! So we get there and again the whole place smelled so decadently and my stomach started rumbling! It was so funny because it made this loud noise and my friend overhead it and said "someone is hungry!" I was so mortified! It got worse because of course I refused to purchase a sandwich and he gave me this concerned look like "what is wrong with you..you're obviously hungry and now you won't eat?!" I tried to play it off like oh..I'm not really that hungry, but then I finally caved and I told him that I was on a special fast/cleanse and he asked me if it was healthy and I said of course! I wouldn't jeopardize my health. I don't think he believed me as I tried to explain it all to him as he kept offering me half his sandwich..which was guess what? A turkey & avocado with extra chipotle mayo! It was hard to say no especially as he wouldn't let up! Long story short, I managed to escape Togo's without eating! (I feel like a convict constantly escaping the prison of food these past few days...dodging and weaving out of the way!)

Additionally, tonite, I am having some friends over for a back to school potluck and as the host, I am preparing some food and I know that they are all bringing very tasteful dishes and so I am in for a lot of mental work! My friends...I am going to need your support and good wishes today as I try to fight the urges today. It is getting easier but I am yet to have this level of onslaught of food in my house at once since I started the cleanse, especially at a social gathering. These events have got me thinking just how much of our lives revolve around food. A lot of out social interactions involve eating, whether with friends, family, colleagues and it seems like food plays a big role in our bonding process. It is very revealing to me as I analyze these situations because I am now learning how to participate in these settings without food consumption...it is not easy. The powers of the social pressures cannot be underestimated...you sometimes feel like to fit in, you too must also eat and you give in at times just to not get the questioning glances and comments...

Well, I am going to start preparing some food for the get-together tonite, and I will update you all on whether I managed to escape yet another "food prison!"

Unitl next time my friends...

(((AH SHUCKS)))

And thank you for all your support too! Having buddies means alot, I remember my last cleanse, so many good people here with support. I miss CrystalGoddess, Shiva.......they are so inspiring, maybe they will join us by chance sometime, hope so you would enjoy them alot too. You might look up some of their past posts if you please.

I love your daily temptation blogs, livens things up here abit. Comedy is healthy

The down side is you are making everyone so hungry, now stop it............ just kidding, but that sandwich sounds heavenly and I love avocado on everything pretty much.......that's why im fat.

Let us know how the potluck went, I'm rootin for ya, dont think i could make it through, you are very brave my dear.

Tommorow my friend,
Blessings to you,
C