Master Cleanse Day 10 I made it! So can You!!

[Guest]

Good Morning everyone,

I've been reading the message board lately and it has helped me get through. Thanks to everyone.

This is day 10 for me, and I am feeling great.

A little history about me. I've always been in good shape and weighed about 120 lbs. I'm 5'7. In November 2002, I was in a car accident. My neck injury was so severe, that I could barely move. Over the next 2 years I gained 40+ lbs ( I don't even really know for sure, it got so depressing I stopped weighing) I would look in the mirror, and sort of flit by it really quick because I didn't even recognize myself.

Finally, I saw a chiropractor (the doctors did nothing for me at all) and this chiropractor literally fixed my body. It took a while but before long, I could actually move again. I was back exercising and on my way back to being "me". But for some reason, my weight was stuck at 140lbs and would not go lower. It has stayed there for 2 years stubborn considering how hard I have been working.

I've tried everything. And then, my sister suggested to me, "Why not do the Master Cleanse". It was the only thing I haven't tried. What better way to RE-SET my body to its natural state.

I am now on Day 10. I feel WONDERFUL, and am planning on continuing on.

There have definately been some HARD days. Like Day 2 with the Caffiene withdrawal headache. It was so bad I thought I was going to vomit. I ended up taking a tylenol, and I am glad I did because if I hadn't, I would not have been able to continue with that kind of headache WOW!

During the first 3 days, I kept my lemonade in my favourite portable coffee mug, so I could feel like I still had something to carry around :) I drink my lemonade hot and I kept it close to me whenever I'd start to feel hungry, I took a few swigs... perhaps during those first 3 days, I had more than my daily alottment, but it helped me get through to day 4 where my appetite was almost completely gone.

Another tip I can offer you;

My husband has been doing the cleanse with me and he was getting sickof the lemonade drink. I suggested to him to make a lemonade smoothie.

Make your lemonade mixture without the water.
Pour it in a blender.
Add ice and water and blend away.
The longer you blend it, the creamier it gets.
He loved them and it helped him stay on track.

By the way, my caffiene headaches lasted 2 days then were completely gone.

During Day 5 and 6 I began having "Food Dreams" Where I would take a bite of something totally forbidden... and then I'd wake up all upset thinking I'd ruined my fast, only to find it was a freaky dream.
It's funny how our bodies play tricks on us. :)

Day 6 and 7, I began to have serious lower back pain. I am mentioning this because I had some difficulty finding information on what it could be. It felt like my lower back was out. Every nerve was aching, and falling asleep was tough. I didn't resort to pain killers but took a lot of hot baths and steam showers. I also went for a massage - which was heavenly! It seemed to help though the condition continued for approx 3 days.

From what I can see, and have read, lower back pain can be caused from toxins in your colon, or dehydration. I upped my water intake and faithfully did my salt water flush every morning along with laxative tea at night and once during the day. To help flush the toxins out. It did subside and today there is no pain what so-ever :D

I did, through out the cleanse have some skin erruptions (minor break-outs) but those have cleared.
My skin feels so soft, it's wonderful.

As for weight loss... I didn't weigh myself in the beginning because I wanted to focus on the fact that this was a cleanse and not a 'quick fix' to lose pounds. That being said, I figure I must have lost around 15 - 20 lbs. I have leaned out in the places that were troublesome for me. I have also continued to exercise throughout the fast. It's important. I do 45 minutes on the eliptical, it's nice and gentle and good to keep your body oxygenated and blood flowing in, out, carrying toxins out of your muscles to be eliminated. Even light exercise... Just do it! You won't be sorry you did.

Also a quick note on Day 7... Up until day 7, I barely noticed the changes. Then I woke up on day 7 and I could see, my eyes were sparkling I looked leaner and my head was clearing up. What a wonderful feeling. That is DEFINATELY something to look forward to.

Day 8 I went to the movies. That was hard because my boys were munching down on popcorn and I could smelll it. They were good about it though and held it away from me...( either that or they were afraid I might leap out of my seat, attack them and eat ALL of their popcorn including the bag.. heh.)

Day 10 - Mothers Day, I worked in the yard all afternoon and had a ton of energy. I also made a nice dinner for my mother in law and my boys... It smelled very good, but I truly had no desire to eat any. What I have learned is how much of our society and our activities are based around food. Get togethers, social events, bbq's. Interesting.

So today is day 11 and I am supposed to start with juice though I'm not sure I am ready to stop. I'll keep you posted.

Most of all, Remember, why you started drink your lemonade hot or make a lemonade smoothie!!! YUM!!

Cheers to all
Jules









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[winterwatson]

Good Morning Jules.

Day 11 for me too. It was really encouraging to read your post this morning. I was only planning on doing the cleanse for 10 days but my tounge is still not clear and I am still eliminating a lot.

I have had severe digestive problems in the past and the master cleanse has been a big help. But I've never had my tounge become pink and clear like Burroughs says it should be when you're completely cleansed.

Up till now I've really enjoyed the cleanse. I love the lemonade and I feel great. But I'm ready for food. What usually happens at this point is I get so bumbed out that I "have to" stay on the cleanse, I get resentful until I can't take it any more. I get in a hurry to get off the cleanse and then I over eat. I need help. I want off but I know I'm not ready :(

Also, I totally agree with you about day 7. I don't usually notice any results till day 7. That's when I start to loose weight and feel better. I have probably lost about 10 pounds which is right for me. I will be eating raw after this cleanse, hoping that will help keep my weight down.

-Winter

[Guest]

Hi Winter,

Just a word of encouragement, intead of thinking that you "have to stay on the cleanse" how about thinking, look at what the cleanse is doing for my body.

As I was walking this morning, I realize just how much my emotions are linked with food. I found myself thinking that perhaps I need to make that connection. The one where I am truly hungry, and the one where I am just reaching for something out of habit. The power of your mind and thoughts is enormous. If you think you can do it, tell yourself you can do it and lastly but most importantly acknowledge the fact that on day 11 you ARE doing it, your subconscious will listen and that will definately help.

Another little tip - When I find myself craving something I use this phrase in my mind. " I don't want it" whenever a fleeting thought of Nachos.. mmm or something bad crosses my thought process... I say to myself quite strongly, " I don't want it" then I move on to another thought or activity. Try it, it may work for you too. :)

As for the pink tongue, mine is still white as well. I almost think of my tongue as being similar to my skin. When pimples erupt stuff comes out (Gross but true) ... Your tongue porous also and just a great outlet for toxins etc to leave your body. Wow! Just a thought. I also Brush my tongue with an electric tooth brush every morning, I figure I may as well keep the "ducts clean" :)

As for gaining the weight back. Eat sensibly. Bottom line. Do some exercise (I know people hate to hear it) but if your metabolism has slowed due to the fast, than your best defense against regaining the weight is Exercise.

Do weights!! I ordered a great weight workout you can do at home, it's called Ripped, here is a link ( I hope I don't get in trouble for posting this) I do this 3 - 4 times a week and it is the BEST.

http://www.rippedworkout.ca/

I personally don't like going to the gym and doing weights there, so I do it at home. Doing weights builds lean muscle mass. Muscle mass burns fat. I also do 45 min on my eliptical machine at home 5-6 times a week. If you do this, eat right (stay away from junk food) you will keep your weight off. Guaranteed! If you go back to eating fattening foods, you are guaranteed to gain all the weight you've lost back. Sorry but that's the truth :)
At least that is what I plan to do.

Another little trick, eat 5-6 smaller meals per day 200 -250 calories each. That will help keep your blood sugar regulated.

I'm still deciding whether to continue or stop today (Day 11) I guess I'd better decide soon!

I hope this helps,

Good luck to you,

Jules

[freddiejoquilts]

Hi Jules and Winter,
I'm on day 10 today and seeing your posts has helped me because i'm not sure to keep going or not but especially what you said Jules has given me some umph to try to keep it up! Thanks. Especially since I still have a white tongue, and I'm tired today and even some chills. So I'm guessing there's still detoxing going on. Something weird happend just a little while ago...I was nauseated drinking my lemonade that I usually love...and that's when I read what you said about drinking it hot or as a smoothie. will have to try that.
Did you 2 decide to stay on the cleanse?

[Guest]

Hi FreddiJo,

Yes, I did decide to stay on the cleanse. My husband stopped on day 10 and is well on his way to eating again. But I personally don't feel ready. I am still noticing detox symptoms and I would like to get the MOST out of this fast as I can, considering how difficult the first 3 days were. I am now on day 12, and I am not feeling anywhere ready to stop.

On day 10 I was thinking about food alot. I usually host all the family get togethers here at my place, plus it's bbq season, but I am getting so much out of this cleanse that I'm going to stick it out. Not sure just how long, I plan on listening to my body and right now my body is saying "thank you" :) heh. It definately deserves this rest.

I'm also enjoying my "clear" head. I read the post that Peter put up regarding the different stages of fasting. I found those fascinating and am looking forward to what happens during the later stages :) Read over it and it may inspire you too!

So in response to your question YES :) I'm staying on the cleanse YAY!!! :)

Good luck to you...

Cheers!

[ladydee]

Hello Jules, and Everyone -

Thank you so much, Jules, for this positive, informative, and inspiring "diary" of your first cleanse.

This is end of MC5 d3 for me; my others, since Jan,. have been 15, 16, 10 and 30 days. This MC will be 10 days, min. and like you, i'll then decide, or let my body tell me, abt the rest.

The most difficult aspect for me is post-MC when i lose all discipline and overeat, compulsively. (i don't eat junk food nor meat, etc. but frozen yogurt and pastries run when i approach.) So - i'm still working on curing my "food addictions." This thread will inspire me during the cleanse and after.

Good luck to everyone. 8)

[winterwatson]

Freddi and Jules.

So great to hear where you're at. I too decided to stay on the cleanse after reading Jules' reply. Here's a great story, but please forgive me, it's been a very long day.

Day 12 for me.

I was nervous about staying on the cleanse past day 10 because I got double booked for what would be day 12. I thought about weening myself off but would still have to drink OJ on day 12. My concern was that I had a 6am call for a small part in a film. I really great gig but I had to be there from 6am to 7pm and totally on the other side of town. And to make things even more crazy, I had to perform as the guest artists at 8pm all the way back to the other side of town. I didn't know how I could stay on the cleanse.

Well, I decided, better to stay on the cleanse than hurry off and go into overeating. So I drake my lax tea the night before (oh, did I mention I had a rehearsal till 10pm the night before). I made another lax tea in the morning and put it in my to go coffee cup. I premade 6 glasses of lemonade (I don't like premade lemonade, a freah glass tastes much better and feels better.) I packed up my juicer, my remaining lemons, an extra bottle of cayenne pepper and loaded up with lots of bottles of water.

Had to leave the house at 5am. The shoot was kind of a nightmare. So much food and all everyone else did was hangout and eat when we weren't working. Everyone asked about the cleanse and was concerned that I was doing such a long day with no "food". But I felt great and as I watched everyone stuff themselves and get sleepy, I was so glad I stayed on the cleanse. I was awakened to the awesome thing I was doing for my body.

As I hunched over, akwardly juicing my lemons for a fresh glass of lemonade, one of the woman said she was really proud of me. And I said, I'm proud that I didn't give up.

I flew from the shoot to do the concert. Before driving off I juiced another glass in the car and downed it before the concert. I did one of my best performances. One guy in the audience, who knew I was cleansing said he couldn't believe I was on day 12. He was really impressed at the energy I had.

Well now I'm totally beat. Tounge is still white. You know, if I could get through this day on the cleanse, so can you. Now I feel like there really isn't any real excuse of not being able to cleanse do to life happenings.

Happy Juicing.
Winter

[Guest]

Good Master Cleanse Morning to all,

Hello Freddie and Winter, I loved reading your stories. It's so nice to know that we are not alone in this.

I'm on day 13 and I find it interesting as I progress that my desire for food and cravings are becomming less and less.

I will be leaving town for about 5 days, so, like Winter, I am packing up my juicer etc. and taking them on the plane with me ;) heh. So what if it looks odd, ok REALLY odd :) I'm also thinking about how much money I'll be saving by just taking along my lemons... Yet ANOTHER perk of the MC!

Wow, Lady Dee, you're an old pro at this :) My advice regarding the over eating, perhaps, if you find yourself overeating try overeating the healthier foods, they generally carry less calories. Fat free snacks etc. Also, Clean out your cupboards!! get rid of the temptation! If you fill your cupboards with healthy things and ONLY healthy things, when you do get the uncontrollable urge to binge, there'll be no junk for you and you'll end up eating better just for the sake of convenience :) I'm no expert, but that's what I do.

Winter,
Good for you for sticking it out on what could have been a disasterous day for you. I've been on movie sets before, and I totally understand what you mean by "sitting around eating" I mean really, you're bored, and there is nothing else to do. So KUDOS to you for your obvious strength. :) The extra energy is an added bonus durning the cleanse that's for sure.

I just wanted to mention to all, I've been reading some posts where people mention staying up real late etc. I would suggest to you going to bed early, getting as much sleep as you can during the night. Our bodies do most of their healing throughout the night when we are sleeping so take advantage of it :)

Like I mentioned earlier, I'm heading out of town for 5 days, hopefully, when I return, I'll STILL be doing my cleanse ;)

Happy cleansing to everyone and best of health.

Jules

[Guest]

Hi everyone,

I thought I'd update everyone on my progress. I completed the fast a few days ago. Since I felt so good on the 10th day, I decided to carry on. I went for 21 days. I can't remember the last time my head felt so clear. It's an amazing feeling.

I never imagined that I'd go for so long when I first started the cleanse. I figured that 10 days would be near impossible. My clothes were fitting better and better as each day went by and I am loving the feeling of being lighter and "clean".

I decided to end the fast at the point where I just couldn't stand the thought of another lemonade. At that point, I figured my body was telling me it was time to eat again.

I would definately recommend the cleanse to anyone who just wants to "feel better".

I am already looking forward to my next cleanse which I think I shall begin, in about 6 weeks.

Cheers!

[Guest]

Hi Jules, do you do weights while on MC?

[Guest]

Hi Val,

Yes, I did do weights while cleansing. Not heavy but lower weights, higher reps. I worked my legs (buns of steel 4) It's a great workout where you use your arms and legs. I would continue doing your "regular" workouts while on the cleanse however, I would caution against starting up a weigh lifting regime while cleansing, if you've never lifted weights before. Rather I would gradually add it into my lifestyle after I'd finished. Again, that's my personal opinion :)

Take Care

Jules :)

[DABABS]

This is my first MC and I am enjoying making it to Day 10! The time went very fast! My detox symptoms were mild at worst and I didn't experience any euphoria, spiritual awakening or clarity as others have, but I've always been very much in touch with my body and thoughts/feeling so I either don't get it or already had it !

....Reading some of the other postings made me chuckle as I too have the food dreams and on Day 3 almost tackled a women on the street for her licorice...didn't:)

I was always planning on a 14 day cleanse but after the first 3 days thought reaching Day 10 would be a great goal. So now here it is and after today I'll take one day at a time, although I'm feeling good about 14 days. I've learned to fill my days with people and activity rather than food...which is not to say I don't miss eating and food everyday...and boy, I plan to celebrate chewing and tasting good food again...I think I've planned my daily menus for the next month at least.

Everyone around me has been very supportive even if they didn't understand it completely. Some worried it was too extreme but after I explained it and my reasons for doing it - they seemed to be comfortable with it. By the way, weight loss for me was a distant 4th - although a great motivator. I don't think I could have been successful if weight loss was my main or only reason of doing the MC.

I have to thank all of those around me for their support and good wishes. Some that probably didn't even realize they made a difference.....I met a lovely women at the local health food store while I shopped for all of my lemonade items before I started the cleanse. As soon as I told her what I was doing, her eyes lit up and she smiled a wide and knowing smile saying, " I did the MC for 40 days. You can do it! When I eat I will think of you - I know it sounds crazy but a wise old woman did it for me and it really did help!"

I plan on going back to the store on Day 14 to share my acheivment with her as well as the Whole Foods check out clerk who commented about me having a lemon party (It was all I was buying) - he too had done the MC and wished me well. Who knew there were sooooo many of us around. Are there any MC'er in Chicago that would like to get together to walk on the lakefront and share stories?

d

[Jules]

Congratulations D!!

Sounds like you made it through with flying colours.

I'm really glad to hear you didn't tackle that lady with the licorice... come to think of it, I'll bet she's glad too :)

I think I started to notice clarity of mind throughout my cleanse. Things just made sence and were very clear to me. Issues I've had floating around my brain for a couple years now, came to the forefront and the solution seemed easy. That's one of the things I loved about the MC. You're lucky to be so in-tune with everything already. :)

I hope you DO go to day 14, I know that once I made it to day 10, and my hubby quit and I kept going, I found it empowering before I knew it, it was day 21... So keep up the GREAT work, you'll make it no problem. Just keep away from licorice eating passer bys ... heh

I'm not in Chicago but a lake front walk sounds dreamy! I hope you find some MC'ers out there.

Cheers to you D !!

[Guest]

Hi!

I am finishing day 11 today. I feel great! I had aimed for 10 days, but have decided to continue. I will take it one day at a time from here on out. I would like to make it to 21 days. Although, I have one question after 21 days do you feel stronger? I ask because I am scheduled to make a 10 hour hike up a mountain in early July and wonder if I will have the strenghth after a 21 day master cleanse. If I make it 21 days I will end on June 21st. The hike is scheduled for July 7th. Any thoughts or feedback from anyone on the timing?

Before the cleanse I had severe cravings for carbohydrates. If I keep on the cleanse can I permenatly stop these cravings after I end the cravings? How long do you need to stay on the MC to adjust your body to stop the cravings?

Thanks,

r

[Guest]

I start my MC tomorrow. I will be documenting the entire process from day one to day last. If anyone needs some encouragement, or is feeling like handing out encouragement to someone worrid about the whole thing, please stop by.

http://www.chrismewhort.com/cleanse

I hope this isn't considered spamming... I just wanted control over the documentation of the entire thing... Hope to see some of you there, and maybe even do the MC alongside some of you!

[Jules]

Hi Everyone :)

Welcome aboard.

Congratulations Regan on making it to ten days!!

Regarding the carbohydrate cravings, I went for 21 days. And I finished on May 25th. I am in AWE of just how much control I have re-gained over my carb cravings. It helped alot. Especially during pms... which is when I would totally crave sugar for whatever reason. I truly think that the length of time I was on the cleanse made a difference in getting rid of those cravings.

I Do have to say though from my personal experience. I did lose weight, that being said. I have noticed that my muscles are smaller and my strength has diminished to some degree. I would attribute it to loss of lean muscle mass during the cleanse (which I was prepared for). However with regards to your question about your 10 hour hike, I would monitor how your body is feeling. Only you can be the judge. As far as strength is concerned, I am definately weaker and am currently in the process of re-building my lean muscle. So for any exercise which requires a good deal of strength, it may be too soon to hike for you if you do a 21 day cleanse right before it.

That being said, my husband lost 30lbs in the 10 days he's always been very muscular and plays sports etc.
This past weekend he told me that he can now run and run and run during his soccer games, whereas before, he would get tired and his ankles and knees were hurting. Those symptoms are completely gone.

From the muscle perspective, he too, has lost some of his muscle mass. It's easily regained through incorporation of a weight lifting program, but the small muscle loss is definately worth the benefits you get from the cleanse.

I hope this helps. Pay attention to how you are feeling, and allow that to be your guide. Be proud of yourself for making it all the way to day 11 already!

Chris:

Welcome to the Cleanse. Thank you for posting your online journal. I know anybody here appreciates reading what others are experiencing while on the cleanse and it can be inspirational!

Cheers and happy squeezing :)

Jules

Cheers!

[LadyLemon]

These are excellent testimonials, thanks all! I was looking for some inspiration and found it here. I'm on day 1 of my 3rd cleanse. Detoxing today like crazy so luckily I can take it easy.