Being the "foodie" that I am, I surprised myself last week. I have now forgotten what made me look up the Master Cleanse again. I mean, the original Stanley Burroughs book is in my library at home. I tried it years ago without success (Translation-made it 'til noon!). I know the theories behind detoxing your body and the side benefit of weight loss and was, understandably, skeptical.
But last Tuesday, I looked at my kitchen and realized I already had everything needed to begin. I eyed the lemons in a glass bowl on the table, knew I had pure maple syrup in the fridge (ALWAYS), and had cayenne pepper that I use, literally, by the pinch. I have no tolerance for HOT! I'm a wimp! I admit it. So I began.
My husband called and told me what craving he had for dinner and it was over by 3pm.
But fear not, my fine blogged friends! I picked up the gauntlet again on Wednesday.
For some reason, it was a different day, and a different "feeling" about starting AND continuing. Yes, I'd prayed for the sustenance I'd need to do it. I also had a long talk with myself (quietly so my hubby wouldn't commit me to the nearest mental hospital).
I reviewed my days spent either planning meals for us, watching food shows (I just LOVE "Chopped" and Nadia G.'s Bitchin Kitchen, @bitchinkitchen), and the commercials in-between are full of "we deliver/cook this/come eat here/you MUST have this". I was stunned at how many of my thoughts involved food. I was embarrassed for myself!
The result was, I decided to reboot how I looked at food. I considered how many go hungry in the world and with the proper amount of guilt, I began again.
I'd read comments online that indicated that after - Oh, however long people chose to say! - you no longer feel hunger and you don't think of food. Right.
So here's how it went and no one but my husband knew I was doing it, at first. I didn't want to hear the negative comments or be influenced in any way. I wanted to pay attention to my body and see what happened.
Day 1 - I made enough of the lemon, syrup, water mixture to last the day. (Tip #1,
if anyone ever does this, leave the cayenne out until you fix a glass or
you will be unpleasantly surprised by how hot the cayenne became in the
pitcher. Woo!
The day went well with drinking, staying busy, and drinking lots of water, as
well. Problem was....I WANTED TO CHEW SOMETHING! I WANTED
TO EAT! So, I may not have been in the best of moods, I admit.
Day 2 - Would you believe I forgot about food? There was a joke a comedian had
long ago about those women who say, "Sometimes, I just forget to eat!"
The comic said, "It takes a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!" But I
did not have the same obsession, and in one day! The fact I dropped 4
pounds was a bit of a motivator.
Day 3-6 Yes, People! I was dropping weight and so disinterested in food that I
was able to make 20 chorizo-egg breakfast burritos to freeze, a lamb stew,
AND watch my husband eat a vegetable calzone without clawing my eyes
out! It was amazing how detached I'd become. I began to wonder for how
long I could maintain the detachment and the 'de-tox'. (Tip #2 When they
say take a laxative and leave time for it to act, DO IT. No need to say more.)
Day 7 - Stopped. I had my grandson stay over a couple of nights while we took
him to Vacation Bible School. I guess he noticed I would just keep him
company while he had his meals and was puzzled as to why I wasn't eating.
Making 'turkey sloppy joes' for him, he asked if I was going to eat, too.
When I explained what was going on, he looked at me as if I'd grown another
head! He couldn't IMAGINE not eating and told me as much! I had dinner
with him. (There's a way to Ease-Out of this that I didn't do.) Being with him
at the table, sharing a meal and chatting became more important. (Final Tip -
It's essential to a child, heck, and adult, to sit down with family and/or
friends and share a meal. A real meal not eaten in the car on the way to
soccer practice or in front of the tv.)
I decided I'd proved my point to myself. The idea that I could detach myself from something as near and dear to me as food was astounding and made me feel a little better in my spirit. People claim to have this GREAT energy while doing this. Perhaps if I'd gone longer, but during this ride, I felt a little more tired, which I'm chalking up to the MS.
I will be doing it again soon. It's not just because I lost 14 pounds in total, either. I mean, that doesn't hurt the cause, but it's not the reason. It was almost like a mini-Lent. I was actually able to put my mind elsewhere. As much as I like to create old and new recipes, I was never tempted to dive in. I did it to feed those I love. I did it in gratitude that the food was available, fresh, and others enjoyed it. I realized that I don't need as much as I thought I did. I'd already accomplished that in other areas of my life in decluttering/downsizing, but this was all new! And I liked it!
Consider this section of rebooting a success! Just stay clear of me on the first day, for your own sake.
Just want to add that I don't recommend the Master Cleanse for anybody without you reading the book and seeing a doctor to determine if you can do it safely, as it was just an experiment of my own.
Now, everybody have a blessed rest of the week and weekend!
But last Tuesday, I looked at my kitchen and realized I already had everything needed to begin. I eyed the lemons in a glass bowl on the table, knew I had pure maple syrup in the fridge (ALWAYS), and had cayenne pepper that I use, literally, by the pinch. I have no tolerance for HOT! I'm a wimp! I admit it. So I began.
My husband called and told me what craving he had for dinner and it was over by 3pm.
But fear not, my fine blogged friends! I picked up the gauntlet again on Wednesday.
For some reason, it was a different day, and a different "feeling" about starting AND continuing. Yes, I'd prayed for the sustenance I'd need to do it. I also had a long talk with myself (quietly so my hubby wouldn't commit me to the nearest mental hospital).
I reviewed my days spent either planning meals for us, watching food shows (I just LOVE "Chopped" and Nadia G.'s Bitchin Kitchen, @bitchinkitchen), and the commercials in-between are full of "we deliver/cook this/come eat here/you MUST have this". I was stunned at how many of my thoughts involved food. I was embarrassed for myself!
The result was, I decided to reboot how I looked at food. I considered how many go hungry in the world and with the proper amount of guilt, I began again.
I'd read comments online that indicated that after - Oh, however long people chose to say! - you no longer feel hunger and you don't think of food. Right.
So here's how it went and no one but my husband knew I was doing it, at first. I didn't want to hear the negative comments or be influenced in any way. I wanted to pay attention to my body and see what happened.
Day 1 - I made enough of the lemon, syrup, water mixture to last the day. (Tip #1,
if anyone ever does this, leave the cayenne out until you fix a glass or
you will be unpleasantly surprised by how hot the cayenne became in the
pitcher. Woo!
The day went well with drinking, staying busy, and drinking lots of water, as
well. Problem was....I WANTED TO CHEW SOMETHING! I WANTED
TO EAT! So, I may not have been in the best of moods, I admit.
Day 2 - Would you believe I forgot about food? There was a joke a comedian had
long ago about those women who say, "Sometimes, I just forget to eat!"
The comic said, "It takes a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!" But I
did not have the same obsession, and in one day! The fact I dropped 4
pounds was a bit of a motivator.
Day 3-6 Yes, People! I was dropping weight and so disinterested in food that I
was able to make 20 chorizo-egg breakfast burritos to freeze, a lamb stew,
AND watch my husband eat a vegetable calzone without clawing my eyes
out! It was amazing how detached I'd become. I began to wonder for how
long I could maintain the detachment and the 'de-tox'. (Tip #2 When they
say take a laxative and leave time for it to act, DO IT. No need to say more.)
Day 7 - Stopped. I had my grandson stay over a couple of nights while we took
him to Vacation Bible School. I guess he noticed I would just keep him
company while he had his meals and was puzzled as to why I wasn't eating.
Making 'turkey sloppy joes' for him, he asked if I was going to eat, too.
When I explained what was going on, he looked at me as if I'd grown another
head! He couldn't IMAGINE not eating and told me as much! I had dinner
with him. (There's a way to Ease-Out of this that I didn't do.) Being with him
at the table, sharing a meal and chatting became more important. (Final Tip -
It's essential to a child, heck, and adult, to sit down with family and/or
friends and share a meal. A real meal not eaten in the car on the way to
soccer practice or in front of the tv.)
I decided I'd proved my point to myself. The idea that I could detach myself from something as near and dear to me as food was astounding and made me feel a little better in my spirit. People claim to have this GREAT energy while doing this. Perhaps if I'd gone longer, but during this ride, I felt a little more tired, which I'm chalking up to the MS.
I will be doing it again soon. It's not just because I lost 14 pounds in total, either. I mean, that doesn't hurt the cause, but it's not the reason. It was almost like a mini-Lent. I was actually able to put my mind elsewhere. As much as I like to create old and new recipes, I was never tempted to dive in. I did it to feed those I love. I did it in gratitude that the food was available, fresh, and others enjoyed it. I realized that I don't need as much as I thought I did. I'd already accomplished that in other areas of my life in decluttering/downsizing, but this was all new! And I liked it!
Consider this section of rebooting a success! Just stay clear of me on the first day, for your own sake.
Just want to add that I don't recommend the Master Cleanse for anybody without you reading the book and seeing a doctor to determine if you can do it safely, as it was just an experiment of my own.
Now, everybody have a blessed rest of the week and weekend!
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