The Master Cleanse

Today is day 7 on the Master Cleanse. Only 3 days to go. My body is still doing very well. This may sound crazy, but my cells feel clean! My body feels lighter, brighter and cooler, like its been rinsed in a cool spring. I am even debating the idea of continuing on the Master Cleanse longer than the suggested 10 days. The book says that this is ok...but its hard trying to avoid the evidence of food and drink that is everywhere. Last night I missed a friend's birthday party at one of my fav hang out spots because I knew I would not be able to handle the temptation. I know that seems selfish of me...but you have to understand that this particular bar serves the best potato skins anywhere!! And rare beers on draft to boot!! Plus whenever I'm there, free rounds are bought for me by my good friends who bartend there. I'd have been a lost cause!! So I had to say no to the invite.

During this cleanse, I am basically confined to my house. And when I do go out I have to keep my eyes low, my gait swift and my focus clear, so as not to see anyone eating or pause too long near a mouth-watering smell. But this is all worth it! My body feels so great and I've lost a few pounds already. I'm not sure how many pounds, but enough for me to notice in the mirror and in my clothes.

This is why I want to continue longer than 10 days on the cleanse if I can. I want to make sure that when I do go back to eating, I can keep my portions very small and my diet pure and clean. I want to milk this cleanse for all its worth. I'm so tired of being fat...of hiding my bulges...of trying to look pretty, when I feel so ugly. I am tired of it all. I am desperate to move forward in my life. I want to book acting jobs and have a boyfriend. And although some people would argue with me, I know that both these things have to do with my weight. So I'm going to cleanse as long as I can...and see how far I can take it! Because I am tired of always being and feeling so down on myself...and other people trying in pathetic ways to encourage me. I can hear in their voices the insincerity of what they say to me. Its remarkable! And I'm just not the kind of person who is comfortable with accepting other people's sympathies.

But I'm actually writing this blog because there is some info not in the Master Cleanse book that I've discovered that has made this cleanse alot easier for me. I'm not sure why they don't really give people the skinny...I guess because they want everything to seem so earthy and holistic, and they don't want to scare people away. But small things like not watching tv for the duration of the cleanse has helped me immensely. If you pay attention, you will notice that food is constantly advertised on tv. And not good and healthy food either. Not even the majority of whats available in grocery stores, which I'd call normal everyday boring food. The majority of whats advertised is candy, booze, and restaurant food...so called guilty pleasure foods. I have been so much more content on this cleanse by avoiding the bombardment of food advertisement that is on tv. The last thing I need to do is taunt my sense memory of decadent smooth milk chocolate, or cheesy, deep fried, melty, savory, slices of mmmm and heaping portions of ohhhhh!! Thats the last thing I need. And now that I have seen tv in this light, it is no wonder to me that we live in a country of over-weight people whose sense of self control is out of whack. I mean, we gorge ourselves on all of the decadences we want...all the time. We treat ourselves all day and all night...everything deserves a treat. "Oh I finished filling out my tax forms, and I deserve a treat". Or "I am out shopping with my sister and I deserve a treat". And don't forget "Its the holidays, and I deserve a treat". Or "I'm on my work break and I deserve a treat". Its amazing...we are like children!!

So I cannot endure the television...because I am re-learning how to be in control of my desires.

The other thing that helps is focusing on the things in life that make me happy...other than food. While I am cleansing (and not watching tv!) I can't read diet stuff, or even work out stuff. I want my head to be in the right place. I want to focus my mind on possibilities and positivity. And the fact of the matter is that I do not love dieting or working out... I only tolerate these things. So I bought a subscription to Coastal Living magazine and I am reading that. Because what I truly love is to be near the water and feel the sand in my toes and feel the warm sun on my skin. I love to lounge and relax and enjoy beautiful surroundings. I want to associate that kind of happiness with being healthy and with cleansing. Because I don't want to cleanse only so I get skinny. I mean, that is a part of what I want...to rid myself of all the pathetic trappings of being overweight. But over and above that, what I truly want is to be happy. And losing weight is only part of that equation. I want to feel youthful and carefree and energetic and in love...and thats the point! So reading this mag helps me to think that way. I can look at the pics and see myself there. I can feel myself there. And that is so much better to me and it keeps my mind in the right place.

I have been so much happier cleansing because of these simple things. And its so much better than putting a number on what size I want to be or constantly reading diet books that tell me what I am not allowed to have. Because when I do start to eat again, I want to be released to enjoy things as God intended us to enjoy them. I do not want to feel the pressure and stress that comes along with following a diet or exercise regiment. To me, that only leads to inevitable disappointment. I would much rather focus on the robust happiness that comes with simple things like the wind in my hair, or the sound of the waves crashing, or the sun being bright and warm, or the sound of the birds as they fly above me.

So those are my two cleansing tips. Turn off the tv and read a mag thats about whats going to make you really really happy in the right way. These things will make the cleansing process a much easier and happier experience. Not to mention making it a truly cleansing process, inside the body, inside the mind...and everywhere in between!