Breakfast of Champions

kale/carrot/apple/lemon juice

Today is day 16 of my 21 day cleanse. I've been a little surprised at the interest people have shown in it, so you will perhaps indulge my elaboration on the experience?

The point of the cleanse is to restore your body's natural ability to heal itself. Our environment and our food sources provide toxins that irritate us and build up in our systems, which can lead to a host of negative symptoms. Our bodies are made to fight and eliminate such foreign bodies, but we often make it difficult for them to do so. Our intestines are where these mighty battles take place, but with average American eating habits, our guts are so busy digesting (and consuming more toxins) that there is no energy left to cleanse itself. This is my nutshell interpretation of the whole concept explained in one whole book.

So the point of a cleanse is to give your body time to find and remove the toxins. Part of this is done by giving your digestive system ample time for digestion and the other part is by eating super "clean" foods. So for 21 days, breakfast and dinner must be liquid, punctuated by one meal per day at lunch time. The foods you can consume are limited. LOTS of water, and at least 12 hours of fasting for every 24 hour period (this is pretty easy. Not eating between 8 pm and 8 am is not a chore). No sugar, no dairy, no wheat. Try to poop a lot.

I found a Jack Lalanne juicer on ksl for half the price of a new one and snatched it up. I begin every morning with a juice. Have you ever had an alfalfa sprout/broccoli/apple juice? I have! Mid-day meals consist of chicken or fish with ample vegetables and sometimes a non-gluten grain like quinoa or brown rice. Dinner is always a smoothie, maybe blueberries with almond milk and a hint of agave syrup. I've purchase as organically as my circumstances allow.

The benefit is supposed to be more energy, clear skin, bright eyes, calm mind, better sleep, and the elimination of stuff like heartburn, bloating, and general feelings of ickiness.

The first two days were the most challenging. I was just coming off of the excessive holidays and I really felt so hungry not stuffing myself with sugar and carbs every other hour. I was going through withdrawal. By day five I as amazed at how little hunger I felt. My body needs so much less than I regularly provide it. Now, at day 16, hunger isn't even an issue anymore. When I'm tempted to eat outside the program, it's because I miss a particular food, not because I'm actually hungry. By day eight R came home from school with a chocolate donut and the smell of it was actually more repulsive than enticing. I don't crave sugar.

It's definitely been a challenge, however. I've watched people around me eating delicious-looking and terrific-smelling food. The biggest temptations for me, oddly, have been saltine crackers with cheese, and, not oddly, nachos. I slice up pizza and serve it to my kids without even licking my fingers.

So how do I feel? Well, last week I didn't feel great. I noticed a major decrease in my energy (I'm trying to train for the relay!), my weight loss had plateaued, and I was getting kind of grumpy. Why was I doing this? I almost quit. But I called my dear friend, who, along with her husband, started the program the same day as I did and she talked me through it. The book says the real benefits exhibit themselves in week three. I couldn't give up.

Today, I think I can say I really do feel good. Emotionally I have felt more balanced, which is a real blessing since DH is working late into the night most every day. I've lost ten pounds since I started, which, of course, makes me feel elated. I feel pride that I've stuck with it. I feel good. I feel healthy. My clothes fit better, my skin seems more vibrant. My whole family has colds. I don't. (shrug)

I've been amazed at a lot of people whose first reaction when I tell them what I'm doing is "I could never do that!" I've been thinking about that, and my opinion is that what they are really saying is "I don't want to do that." Phrases like, "I like food too much" are lost on me. As if I don't love food? As if I don't eat six Rhodes rolls at Sunday dinner because I just love them so much? As if I don't finish off birthday cakes by myself because I can't keep my fork out of them? The fact is, if you feel crappy enough and want to feel better enough, anyone can do something like this. Yup, it's hard. No doubt. But we can do hard things. All of us.

So I'll forgo birthday cake on E's birthday this week and on Monday I'm going to eat a saltine. Maybe more than one. :)

Oh, and add this to my list of hard and fast goals for 2012. I didn't want to include it unless I was sure I could do it. Now I'm sure:

- Eat no more than 40 desserts until 2013.

So far I'm O for 40.