2010: What day are you on and how are you doing?

[C Mack]

... So then last night I dreamed I was cheating on the cleanse by eating a piece of chocolate silk pie with a lemon bar on top of it....who was it, Connie?, who put the idea of lemon bars in my head!?!

um... yes perhaps it was. sorry!
(hangs head dejectedly for causing unneeded stress to a fellow cleanser)

[seyahk]

Hi!

5th Day
This is my first post and my first cleanse I have been reading this message board the last couple days and it has been a HUGE help! I am trying to make it to at least ten days and sometimes it feels impossible while other times are a piece of cake (oooooooh cake....). Days 1 & 2 were the hardest especially day one, I was pretty cranky and hungry both days. Day 3 was pretty good, felt really calm and happy. Yesterday was great in the morning but later on I got extremely hungry (I don't think I was drinking enough LA and may have mis-measured the MS). Also, nights tend to be harder for me in general (even when I am eating normally I am always ravenous at night). I eat pretty darn healthy in general and I have not experienced the many of the detox symptoms it seems are the norm - so I attribute that to my pre-cleanse diet? Not sure. Tongue is a little white - no headaches, no achy-ness or congestion. I have had some very vivid dreams and tend to sleep more (not really from tiredness but mostly because it is easier to go to bed early rather than think about food....). Cravings I do have for stuff I would never eat normally(see cake above). I have always exercised 5-6 days a week and have continued all of that while on the fast (running, weights, pilates) which suprised me, I planned to take it easy if I felt like it but have plenty of energy.
It has been tough with friends and social eating for me - people get sort of angry/annoyed if you don't eat with them, even if you are happy to hang out without eating. Tonight I am going to "dinner" with some friends and am dreading it - I have just decided to tell people that I am having a "competition" with my siblings to see who can go without eating out the longest - I just don't want to deal with explaining the MC to anyone....
Wow, sorry this is so loooong! Just one more thing though - I am concerned about getting off the cleanse and gaining the weight I lose back... I was watching some Youtube videos and there were a few people whose follow up videos said that they had gained the weight back plus some.... Is this most people experience who have done this before? I am hoping that working out will help me avoid losing any muscle mass and bring my metabolism down but I still am a little worried about it. Anyone have any thoughts?

[Benni]

Hi Seyahk; Welcome and Good Luck. It is wonderful to have someplace to come to chat with others on a shared experience. Not to mention the wonderful, and supportive people here. I also read a lot on the Forum, and watch You Tube before starting. Those that regained the weight simply did not re-evaluate their relationship with foods, or attempted to adopt a more healthy relationship with foods.
On any diet (not referring to MC as a diet), when you lose weight, and go back to your former way of eating, the weight will come back. Why would one go back to eating the same foods that caused the weight gain in the first place ?
I did CSD last year, off and on. I lost a lot of weight, about 50 lbs. I then bounced around with gaining and losing the same 5-7 lbs, but would never allow myself to gain more than that. I learned to prepare 'whole foods' in a tasty and appetizing way, label reading is also important. Once in a while I had Wine or a few Beers, even Ice Cream, but I did not make those indulgences a lifestyle.
Don't let those people turn you off doing the MC, and sticking with it. What happens after the MC, will be all up to you.
During the Cleanse will be a good time to plan what, and how you want to, and can change about your eating habits when it's over.

All the best to you. Enjoy this journey to being a healthier and happier YOU.

[C Mack]

I would agree with Benni about gaining back weight. I have kept mine off when eating properly (then proceeded to gain it back when I started grabbing the giant size bags of pretzel m&m's ).

There will of course be a small gain - consider that your intestines are practically empty during the cleanse where normally they are fuller in a neat plug flow system as you eat, digest and releave yourself of foods.

Also - I think there is an entire section of the forum, or at least a nice thread about MC and weight loss - check it out!

Good luck Seyahk!

[seyahk]

Hey Benni and C Mack .....if those are your REAL names haha. Thanks for the replies! That helps a lot! Being a girl that enjoys fitting into my skinny jeans, I get so paranoid about this! Also, my mom and dad used to do the MC when they were younger and have said that they feel like it messed up their metabolism (not eating junk food or not exercising for 20 years - haha) This cleanse also really gets a bad rep and sometimes its hard to look past that Definitely true though about having to be vigilant about eating healthy, the processed foods that make us fat and unhealthy in the first place aren't going to all of a sudden become nutritious and healthy after the MC. And it never even occured to me that of course there is nothing your stomach while on the cleanse so immediate "weight gain" when you start eating regular again. Duh! Thanks again!

[girassol]

hello there fellow mc i'm on day 4 & this is my 1st time. i've been wanting to do this clense for years but never thought i would be able to hang! i'm glad i didn't get any of the symptoms yet. i did start to get a lit'l headache yesterday but it cause i just needed 2 drink some more fluids! anyhow... i love how i'm feeling except for my teeth & tounge feel slimy other than that i'm doing just fine have a wonderful day/evening everyone much love

[Lahontani]

End of day 11 and I have the coldies. Am drinking my chocolate smooth move extra hot to try to warm me up. I have lost only 1/2 lb. since I started weighing myself, BUT I look MARVELOUS!!!! My skin is glowing, my hair is shinny, my face has thinned out a bit! I feel like just walking around and smiling at people, if only I weren't so cold...and if it weren't so late at night.

Sweet dreams, lemonheads, see you in the morning!

[banana12]

Ohhh boy. Spending the night at home which is filled with delicious treats and family who I can't tell about the MC(they'd forcibly make me eat something). Slight cravings cause I woke up and can't go back to sleep!
So tonight I have to go to a family birthday party at a restaurant for dinner. I've already told my family that the past couple days I've been really sick and have no appetite (partially true, and it helps that my mom was sick last week with no appetite so she thinks she gave it to me) so the problem is going to be how can I eat/pretend I'm eating without killing my cleanse or looking anorexic to the family members that haven't seen me in years. If this was a big party with my close family members it wouldn't be a problem because everyone would be too busy looking after kids/having a good time to notice, but this is going to be kind of a stuffy event with sit down, order, and eat because we have nothing else to do. I'm planning on getting lemon water and salad or soup to nibble on/pretend to nibble on, if I can. Help!

[Doctor Bunsen]

If you eat anything, you are breaking the cleanse. Just cancel on them or tell them you are having a blood test tomorrow and you're not allowed to eat anything for 24 hours before. I'm on Day 34 and I've just been avoiding everyone or meeting up AFTER DINNER for the last month or so. It has been working well except when my friend stayed over here and freaked out on me for "torturing" myself. I also made the mistake of telling one of my classmates about it and she's getting mad because I'm losing "too much" weight and I am often tired when I get to class because I have been staying up too late the night before so that makes her think I am killing myself too.

I guess I only have a week left now so I can be like "SEE? I AM NOT ANOREXIC!" to all these people. I am not even close to being underweight. I am sick of all this "fat pride" BS brainwashing everyone into thinking people at healthy weights are "too thin" or anorexic. Being overweight is NOT healthy and I refuse to believe that anyone can be truly happy being obese.

A few nights ago I had a dream that my father was forcing me to eat an orange and then brought in a tray of toast with loads of butter on it. I started vomiting and he was like "I KNEW IT! YOU ARE BULIMIC!" Then I woke up. Phew!

[banana12]

Ok, disclaimer: Obviously I'm breaking my fast. I'm just looking for tips on how to hide the fact that I'm not eating a lot, and what foods I should eat in a restaurant situation that won't cramp me up too bad. I plan on cutting up my food a lot and chewing anything I MUST eat for a very, very long time. And talking a lot. I'm hoping to get a salad with dressing on the side and only eat some lettuce and tomato.

I'm on day 4, and before this came up (can't get out of it) I was planning on going 14 days, so I figure that going 10 days after I break it a little should still get the job done. Of course I'll be listening to my body and all that to see how it goes. Just wondering if anyone has had experience dining out soon after breaking the fast. Thanks!

Oh, a weird thing I noticed: As of today I don't stink. At all. Nowhere do I have any B.O. I don't know if this is because for the past 4 days I detoxed pretty hardcore, including an epsom salt bath and dry brushes, but I feel pretty fantastic....as of today haha