What day are you on and How are you doing: General Check in

[Ginger]

Day 10 is over. Whoo Whoo! Only 20 more to go. Seriously, sometimes it's much easier to fast that to figure out what to eat. Did the WF today, and I'm too bloated again. Oh well. I'll probably wait till the weekend to drink it again. At least it broke the boredom of lemonade.... speaking of which, I only drank 5 glasses today. I just wasn't hungry. Gotta do better tomorrow. I finally had some energy today. Usually I'm much more energetic at this point. I cleaned the parrot cages and did some vacuuming, but then started feeling a little nauseous. So I took it easy for awhile. Then I went to an Irish music concert. I was worried I'd have to run to the loo, but did fine.

[Kellster25]

I can't believe I am actually typing this...

Today is technically the last day of my MC, and I'm feeling slightly anxious and nervous about ending it. This discipline has been so good for me. I've even started liking the morning SWF ritual/clean-out. I feel like I have just gotten the hang of this, and now it's over..

I mean I think it's "time" for it to be over. I feel great. My glands are back to normal, my tongue has been pink for a few days now. I am just anxious about slipping into old habits.. I am going to read the After the Fast thread and get some recipes and information on raw foods so that I have a "plan" for my first shopping trip.

I work as a nanny and spent the entire day re-organizing their kitchen & made a four course meal for the family, but still have no urge to jump into it.

Am I just enjoying the "high-energy", minimal food/drink concern of this MC too much? LOL a few days ago I would have killed for one of the oatmeal cookies I baked... Today, just not interested..

Do I do the SWF tomorrow morning? I left my MC book at my boyfriends...

Thanks y'all, you guys have been awesome!!

Kellie

[firsttimemastercleanser]

Day 9 for me! Big respect to futrdoc and Ginger and anyone else hoping to go past 10 days!

I mean, I've loved "being healthy", feeling light, and prancing around like a deer, but there are some things I wont miss. Namely the SWFs, and more importantly the social reclusiveness. The only way I can get through these cleanses is to shut myself away from people... I've realised how much of my social is wining and dining with friends. In fact I would say it was pretty much all of it, I'll normally eat a meal with a friend at least once, and more often twice, a day. Ahh, I'm so looking forward to that again (with a healthier eating regime of course!).

Ginger, "Seriously, sometimes it's much easier to fast that to figure out what to eat." pretty sums up my thoughts completely. Fasting is a lot less scarier too (for someone like myself who's been in a binge/restrict cycle since such a young age). Apart from lusting after food during this cleanse, a big thing for me is the want to "eat out" and I was really scared I was going to attack all the takeaways upon my finish and turn into a giant pizza. Luckily, yesterday eve I remembered this amazing organic cafe nearby, so will treat myself to one of their friggin' awesome salads once I finish

[peanutterb]

Morning Everybody!

I'm happy to be awake and alive this morning. Give thanks.
I slept great last night and woke up very early this morning but refused to open my eyes.
I'm now waiting for my swf to work, Thank God, because yesterday was horrible without it.
Today is going to be a good day.

A tip to make sure you drink at least 6 lemonades
Drink more earlier in the day. Try to get your six out of the by 6 pm. That way, after that you don't have to worry about it.
Another tip is when you see it's between 4 and 6 and you haven't had at least 6 lemonades yet, make a batch that has however many more you need to make six. Then walk around with that until you finish it. Even if you have to chug it or add the last bit of it to your lax tea.

Fasting is easier than eating. because you don't have choices to make and mistakes to make and temptation to get to you. But when you do go back to eating, think about it this way, start off slow because your body is fresh and brand new for a week.
Then treat it like a small child. And only give it what you'd give a small child for another week.
Then after that, you can have what you want, but in moderation. So when you want a slice of cake, cut it in half and have that. That's something I learned when I went a month or two counting calories, I could have whatever I wanted, but only a bit at a time.
That's the best way to break the fast - taking it slow - because you won't shock your stomach eating too much too fast and you won't jar your metabolism, and you'll give it time to catch back up and you will keep your mind making healthy choices
brb bathroom

ok so yeah. where was I?
I always miss the discipline and focus I had on the cleanse, versus when I'm eating. And also miss the flat stomach and the free, empty feeling. So when you do go back to eating, eat smaller portions. Eat out of a bowl or a teacup to keep your portions small. Chew everything slowly, count to 30 if you have to. Then wait 20 minutes after eating to see if you are still hungry or not. Leave the table/ kitchen and do something else. I find if I'm around food I'll keep eating. It takes 20 mins for your brain to say it's full so wait that time and see.

About wining and dining - I didn't do much my first cleanse but my second and third I was able to be more social. I love food and being around food so I'd go out with friends who were eating and my fav thing was to cook for my boyfriend. And last cleanse I discovered freezing the food I cooked for after the cleanse so that made cooking even more fun.

I had to learn alternate social events to going out to eat or for wine while cleansing so I started going to the movies more, to plays, for walks with friends, and to the gym and stuff like that. It was good to find non food and non money activities to do with friends. I still do those things even when I'm not cleansing.

Kellster - it's up to you whether to do the swf on your last day or not. I do not but I see reasons why you'd want to.

futrdoc - go for 14. go for 14!!

firsttimemastercleanser - I dare you to go 11 days. I double dare you.

ginger! congrats babe! keep going, keep strong. soon it'll be day 15 and then day 20 before you know it. I read somewhere that it takes 21 days to break a habit so that's my min goal this cleanse. Got alot of bad habits to break.

sierramagic lol @ the blooming onion. I'm totally with you. I can't even stand the smell, much less the look of cheese. I had a dream on my first cleanse that it was gobules of fat and ever since that's all I see/ smell. Thankfully I'm vegan.

Today's Challenge - Apologize. If you do something wrong today, be the bigger person and say you're sorry. If you've wronged someone in the past, go tell them. Coming clean is good for your spirit and is a way of cleansing as well.

Have a great day.

[TallTravel]

I can't believe I am actually typing this...

Today is technically the last day of my MC, and I'm feeling slightly anxious and nervous about ending it. This discipline has been so good for me. I've even started liking the morning SWF ritual/clean-out. I feel like I have just gotten the hang of this, and now it's over..

I mean I think it's "time" for it to be over. I feel great. My glands are back to normal, my tongue has been pink for a few days now. I am just anxious about slipping into old habits.. I am going to read the After the Fast thread and get some recipes and information on raw foods so that I have a "plan" for my first shopping trip.

I work as a nanny and spent the entire day re-organizing their kitchen & made a four course meal for the family, but still have no urge to jump into it.

Am I just enjoying the "high-energy", minimal food/drink concern of this MC too much? LOL a few days ago I would have killed for one of the oatmeal cookies I baked... Today, just not interested..

Do I do the SWF tomorrow morning? I left my MC book at my boyfriends...

Thanks y'all, you guys have been awesome!!

Kellie

A few years ago I came off a 21 day MC and went very slowly to handmade juices, then handpicked a spectacular plum for my first " solid " food. I picked it because it was full of water, and I loved chewing it for a long time. I then picked a great citrus a few hours later, again full of fluid, and switched to a very green salad the next day.

For me, the key was " gradual ". Not sure if this helps, but a lot depends on the goals you have for your " after life " if you know what I mean.

[kydoula]

Thank-you so much for the support guys! I REALLY needed it! Day 6 was so bad- way worse then the last time I did the MC. Yesterday was wonderful though, so good in fact I can't believe I considered quitting! lol I am going to finish, and just do the tea on Sat instead of the sw. I actually went grocery shopping last night, AND bought a huge chocolate cake b/c my oldest son got all A's on his report card
I couldn't bring myself to bake a cake-that would really be pushing it! lol Anyway, my family chowed down on cake and told me it was horrible with every bite-they are finally getting how to interact with me while I do the MC! lol
Thanks again!!!!!

[jc_doinit]

Just into my 5th Master Cleanse. Day 3 and so far have lost 12 lbs. Before everyone gets excited, I put on a lot of weight very fast in the last 2 months so I assume that has a lot to do with how fast it comes off.

My previous cleanse's have all been 10 day, and none exceeded 15 lbs lost in total. This time I am shooting for at least 14 days but hopefully longer.

Over the next few days I will try to share some small insights I have gained in doing this and other fasts over many years. Hopefully this will help make the journey easier for others.

Most of all, do what works for you. The one thing I know for shure is everyone has a different experience on any type of Fast/Cleanse. It quite often is different than your expectations. Keep busy as much as possible with things you like to do. The more you take your mind off the Cleanse, the better. The more you think about being on the cleanse, the more you will want food and break it.

Also, at least some aerobic exercise is advised. Walking, jogging, swimming, etc.. will help greatly. Also, drink lots of water in addition to the drinks. The more you drink, the better the cleanse as the bad stuff moves out of your body faster.

[Ginger]

Good job Firstimemastercleaser. I looked at your before and after photos. And good luck in the future.

[firsttimemastercleanser]

Thanks Ginger! And good luck to you for the rest of your cleanse, going for 30 days is quite the inspiration! I no longer feel like a bloated whale (the heaviest I've ever been)! Oh yes, though my boobs are now practically non-existent (why do I always lose weight from my boobs first when there's hardly anything there in the first place )

peanutterb, thanks for writing out yet another thoughtful post, gosh you have a lot of will power to cook with your boyfriend, I would think that would be torture! you're right though, cooking can be very therapeutic and fun, and I reckon it could be a very positive thing to do on the cleanse. So many people shy away from food completely on the cleanse, then when they are faced with it again they don't know what to do with themselves (and most probably end up bingeing). If you're cooking during the cleanse, you can learn to take pride in what you're putting in your body, and you regain some of that control.

As for going on for 11 days, I was considering it (before my hunger lurgies persuaded me against it) but my best friend is having a birthday dinner on wednesday. Accounting for all the "breaking the fast properly" days, I could still potentially do one more day but I would rather have Tuesday as a day of normal eating so that I can be controlled and realise that I can be healthy and reasonable with food, and not binge. This is an important lesson for me to learn. As opposed to my first normal day to be Wednesday and me pigging out at the party... yes, i know it's an excuse, but at least it's a reasonable one (well i think it is )

Oh also, question for all the long-term cleansers out there (by those I mean those who have done 20+ day cleansers etc.), is there a huge difference in how you feel on Day 20 (or whichever number you stop on) as opposed to on Day 10 (aside from extra weight loss etc.)? Or do you kind of feel the same but just take comfort in knowing your body has had a more thorough clean?

[peanutterb]

Hey JC_doinit ! Welcome! Best wishes on your journey

firsttimemastercleanser - I also checked out your photos. nice work.

As for not doing 11 days, that's a solid plan you got there. at your friends party, get a small plate or a teaspoon and eat like a bird. and NO ALCOHOL.

And on day 20 of my 2nd MC I felt like I was floating. i was so happy, clean, free, efficient and in control. I wish I could've gone on longer but my mother was coming in town and I was scared she'd notice I wasn't eating and hold me down and force feed me.

Cooking while on the cleanse is more fun to me. because I appreciate the smells and textures more. I do force my bf to tell me how everything tastes. I practically grill him. "How do the carrots taste?" and "What about the celery?" and "the olives?" and "do you like the texture of the potatoes? not too hard not too soft?" I'm 67% sure he thinks I'm a weirdo.

But you made a good point about being around food on the cleanse being helpful to you after the cleanse. Hadn't thought about that before. I've worked at restaurants during all my cleanses so I could never get away from food.