*After The Cleanse*

[Betty09]

Boots - Yes I have detox days still - I had one yesterday and the day before actually. I just felt sluggish, weepy, irritable and sleepy. Oddly enough, today I have sooo much energy (kind of like on the cleanse). My detox symptoms weren't as severe as a typical cleanse detox day, but I took note of it, and definitely noticed an increased level of energy two days after.

Haven't eaten the guava yet. LOL Is it supposed to taste tart? I tried one when I bought it but it didn't taste like it was ripe. Maybe it is supposed to taste like a sour green apple. I'm trying a different Farmer's Mkt in Irvine tomorrow. It is closer to my house and I'm hoping a little larger. Too bad I couldn't send you any of the ftuff I find at the mkt. It would probably perish huh.... unless I vacuum sealed it.... there's a thought...

P.S./ my pants look like garbage bags on me ! LOL maybe I shoulda bought new clothes instead of my new juicer...NAH!

[Res]

I definitely had detox symptoms for probably 3 weeks into my raw experiment! But at least I had raw comfort food to help. lol

Well Day 23 and I've decided to throw in the towel. This is my last day and I'm close enough to the weight loss I wanted -but way beyond (in a good way) the health issues I wanted to deal with. I'm a happy camper and knew it was time. It'll be there again if I need it.

So, I'm here legitimately. Bought some organic grapefruits, blueberries and oranges. Picked up a few bags of raw nuts and was eyeing the avocados in a lusty sort of way. So my plan is fruits slowly, maybe some miso later and just taking it slow. I'm going to dust off my dehydrator tomorrow. I already have a bag of almost soaking. The Matthew Kenny "everyday raw" is pretty fabulous looking. I've read through it 3 times so far.

Amazon.com cracks me up. I shop there a LOT but Googled something raw and they came up as a hit. I've been/was buying organic raw agave nectar from them until they hiked up the price but didn't think about raw nuts, frozen organic berries etc. Crazy.

Betty: The Raw Cacao butter would probably be really difficult to make, hence the high price. I have raw organic cacao nib and whole cacao that I love to nibble on but wouldn't want to try to wring any butter out of it. The block for $17 would probably last quite a while depending on how many desserts I make. But you only use an ounce or two so it may be worth it. We'll see. I can't wait to "we'll see!".

I hope everyone is doing well and TGIF!

[Res]

Happy Happy Saturday:

Grapefruit never tasted so good. Almonds soaked overnight and are now in the dehydrator. Carrot juice will be standing by for tomorrow and it's just a beautiful day here in rainy southern California.

How's everyone today?

[Mysticalchick]

Hi all! I have ended my cleanse and had some yummy OJ yesterday - today I am eating some organic veggie soup that is soooo good! LOL I can hear my tummy awakening as I eat it.

I popped into Safeway and was surprised at how many organic choices they had in various sections. At least I have an option if I can't get over to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I've definitely seen the connection between what I eat and how I feel (while I only intellectually understood it before) and am making some significant changes to my diet.

Looking forward to learning and sharing with you all!

[Res]

Hi Mysticalchick and welcome back to the world of food!

[Boots]

Welcome RES - - "legitimate" at last LOL. SO - what are you going to make first? Inquiring minds are anxious to know!! I really REALLY want my dehydrator!! The shipping notice said the estimated arrival was today, but the tracking info hasn't changed since the beginning so I'm thinking it may be in limbo-land & Trader Joe's - after saying that cashews would be in yesterday, now says they will be there tomorrow - grrrr LOL

Welcome MYSTICAL - It is SOOOOO cool how the cleanse "resets" all our food habits isn't it? Ahhh - that first sip of OJ ..... Congratulations on finishing your cleanse!!

BETTY - Whooo Hoooo on being a "baggy pants lady" - I'd pick a juicer over pants any day!! How has your weight changed since ending the cleanse? Mine is exactly the same - funny, I don't think I've ever had a two week period with such consistent numbers on the scale - it tells me my food in traveling through just the way it should LOL

L2L - Hope you're feeling better today and your "yuckiness" was just a detox day and not the flu!! My yesterday was definitely detox, cause today I feel great!

GINGER, TOOLEGIT, - How's it going in raw-land?

I had a great workout at the gym today - best energy and sweat since starting the cleanse - felt really good. Then I went to Whole Pocketbook and Trader Joe's and I've just been looking through Ani Phyo to see what I want to make next. Finished up my sunflower pate - think it got better with age. It was really nice having it in the refrigerator - I am LOVING collard wraps & pea shoots. Organic red peppers were $7/lb at WF (insert screaming smiley here).

Hey - has anyone been brave enough to open a young coconut? Natalia Rose's instructions say to "put hand not holding cleaver behind back and keep it there" - ACK!! LOL

Have a great Saturday everyone, and Happy Un-cooking!

[Betty09]

Res-Congrats and welcome for reals

Boots-my weight has been the same too except since Thursday it's been 2-3 lbs higher (period will be here in a few days). Not too shabby

Farmers Market was nice today. It stopped raining in Irvine just in time. No figs but I bought weeds to make green juice in the am. We'll see how that works. It's weird buying dandelions to eat when we used to weed the garden to get rid of them. I got a bunch of avocados too and a 20lb bag of oranges for $5. Pretty cool!

Also I had some sushi and wine last night. My tummy was ok. This am my tummy was ok too. I was tired most of the day but I know it's from the wine (ok maybe 3 large glasses was a little excessive for my clean body). I wasn't hungry today though.

Happy weekend!

[L2lose]

Thanks Boots for the mention. It's confirmed this is not detoxing. Caught something and it's draining but I did enjoy my first real meal after the cleanse. I had spring rolls (not fried) and a plate of lettuce, mint, thai basil for lunch . It was great! Picked up some beets with greens, lettuce, parsley, spinach, and a pineapple so I have enough greens for smoothies to last a few days. In the past I've always added almond milk to my smoothies which adds a certain 'smoothness' to the entre. I'll try the original recipes from Green for Life .

[Mysticalchick]

Okay, I have to say this. I am terrified of eating food again because I sucked so hard at making the right choices for myself. That's why the MC worked well for me and I was happy on it. NO CHOICES = NO mess-ups and therefore no beating myself up about it.

Today I had organic veggie soup, some hummus and organic crackers and that's it. Yet, I feel all compulsive and bingy as if I eat more, I will go off the deep end. I know I will have to learn to make better, healthier choices and I am so thankful that I got off sugar (which was huge for me) but I feel lost somehow. As if I eat one thing, I'm going to gain all the weight back again.

Anyone understand that fear?

[Boots]

Okay MYSTICAL - Getting on a soap-box here - LOL.

First, breathe {{{hugs}}}
Second - PLAN! Plan what you are going to eat for a week AFTER you have eaten so you are not hungry.
Third - You are NOT the you you were before the cleanse!! You took a major step towards creating a clean body and clean responses to food. You have created a beautiful canvas on which YOU will decide what you want to paint - and in what style. Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to discover how you can give yourself the love and support you deserve - nutritionally.

What are your goals? Why do you want to make healthier choices? Why did you undertake the cleanse? How do you want to feel? Please know that these questions are asked because they are places for self-discovery and self-transformation Change is hard, moving forward is hard - it makes perfect sense to be scared, but being scared is okay - it's just scary {{hug}}

Okay, so if the structure of the MC really helped you, give yourself another structured experience! Choose a plan that feels healthy to you -lay it out here for accountability and companionship - and stick with it! You did a 12 day cleanse, how about trying Raw for 12 days, or raw til dinner, or .... How much do you know about what works well for your body? (For example, I know I do better eating more small meals than fewer large ones). Have you ever kept a food/mood/energy journal? Are there any particular nutritional rules/eating plan you want to follow?

Eating is both a pleasure and a requirement and you are the only one who can figure out what will work best for you at a particular time - and figuring that out is an exciting adventure that you can enjoy. Truly {{{hugs}}}

I won't apologize for the passion - LOL - but just tell you that you touched a chord. I started the physical process of completely transforming myself almost 6 years ago - I was morbidly obese and didn't even know how bad I felt. I've been basically at my goal weight for over 3 years, and more importantly, I know what it is like to feel GREAT. My way of eating is to consciously eat whatever I want, and I hit it about 95% of the time If I can be of any support to you, just let me know.