I slept until 5:30 which is sleeping in for me. I'm an early to bed early to rise type of woman. Sleep has not been an issue with the cleanse.
I started my day by melting 8 teaspoons of ghee in a half cup of almond milk. This doesn't bother my stomach at all. For the rest of the day though no matter how much water I drink, kitchari I eat or how many times I brush my teeth I still feel the ghee coating my mouth.
It is here I must confess that the cleanse I am doing is a modified version of the most strict cleanse offered. There are more beginning cleanses discussed in the e-book that include fruit and protein. It also gives you options if the ghee is too much. A cup of ginger tea is recommended and not increasing the ghee each day is another option. I would definitely read the entire cleanse through and not base it solely off of this diary. I'm only touching on the highlights, my impressions, feelings and family reactions.
It is Saturday so I headed off to my belly dance class. Luckily it was a slower paced class than normal as we worked with veils. I did feel a little light headed a few times but, the spins can do that to you as well. I came home and raked out the last of my flower beds much to the chagrin of my daughter who helped me only because she wasn't given an option.
After dinner I drank my 12 ounces of prune juice. I have no problems eliminating so I opted for the more gentle option. Plus I just couldn't wrap my head around drinking Epsom salt no matter what it was mixed with. I love snacking on prunes but had never had prune juice. It is thick and sweet and if I wasn't drinking it for a purpose would have cut it with water.
I followed that with a hot shower - OK a warm shower. I like my showers on the cool side so this was really hot in comparison. The first option is a warm bath but I didn't pick that for several reasons. First, the tub is in my daughter's bathroom and she cleans her own bathroom. Second, with our water pressure it would take an hour or more to fill. And lastly, I really don't enjoy baths. So, warm shower it was. After rinsing I rubbed/massaged coconut oil on my body starting with my feet and working towards my heart. I then washed with some yummy homemade soap by this fantastic soap maker I know (shameless plug). I toweled off and put on some comfy pajamas. I curled up on the couch with blankets and a heated pad on my tummy. And just in case the prune juice wasn't enough I sipped a cup of smooth move tea from Traditional Medicinals.
I went to bed earlier than usual and about an hour later the very audible gurgling started. Gurgling like I have never heard before. Many trips to the bathroom over the next hour and I was able to sleep through the night.
Day Five:
Even though it is called a four day cleanse it is really more like six. The day before you should eat a little lighter and if you are a huge coffee drinker I think you should remove that before starting. The day after you should eat light as well. I have to say I'm craving grilled chicken and a salad. My notes say I should take "digest and clear." for the next thirty days. I could not find reference to this product in the e-book but different digestive aids to help balance the digestive issues such as gas and bloating and help improve fat and sugar metabolism by boosting more bile acid and pancreatic enzyme flow.
I decided to skip my coffee for awhile and switch to dandelion root. The bitter springtime root feels right intuitively and it is a wonderful liver tonic.
I woke up feeling good and had a normal (for me) bowel movement. I sipped a cup of roasted dandelion root infusion. I'll have a light breakfast and my grilled chicken and salad for supper.
I've lost 4.7 lbs. I'm hoping this has kicked up my metabolism and I shed a few more pounds through exercise and proper nutrition.
I'm glad I did this for the experience. Will I be doing this again? I don't know. I tend to eat seasonally and listen to my body. The cleanse wasn't hard. It wasn't exciting or life changing either. I didn't lose energy or become super crabby as I've heard can happen when foods are eliminated. But, I eat very little sugar except what is naturally in vegetables and fruit and I've already greatly reduced my consumption of breads, pastas and grains. It just feels better when I stick lean clean protein and organic fruits and vegetables with lots of good herbs in the mix.
After dinner I drank my 12 ounces of prune juice. I have no problems eliminating so I opted for the more gentle option. Plus I just couldn't wrap my head around drinking Epsom salt no matter what it was mixed with. I love snacking on prunes but had never had prune juice. It is thick and sweet and if I wasn't drinking it for a purpose would have cut it with water.
I followed that with a hot shower - OK a warm shower. I like my showers on the cool side so this was really hot in comparison. The first option is a warm bath but I didn't pick that for several reasons. First, the tub is in my daughter's bathroom and she cleans her own bathroom. Second, with our water pressure it would take an hour or more to fill. And lastly, I really don't enjoy baths. So, warm shower it was. After rinsing I rubbed/massaged coconut oil on my body starting with my feet and working towards my heart. I then washed with some yummy homemade soap by this fantastic soap maker I know (shameless plug). I toweled off and put on some comfy pajamas. I curled up on the couch with blankets and a heated pad on my tummy. And just in case the prune juice wasn't enough I sipped a cup of smooth move tea from Traditional Medicinals.
I went to bed earlier than usual and about an hour later the very audible gurgling started. Gurgling like I have never heard before. Many trips to the bathroom over the next hour and I was able to sleep through the night.
Day Five:
Even though it is called a four day cleanse it is really more like six. The day before you should eat a little lighter and if you are a huge coffee drinker I think you should remove that before starting. The day after you should eat light as well. I have to say I'm craving grilled chicken and a salad. My notes say I should take "digest and clear." for the next thirty days. I could not find reference to this product in the e-book but different digestive aids to help balance the digestive issues such as gas and bloating and help improve fat and sugar metabolism by boosting more bile acid and pancreatic enzyme flow.
I decided to skip my coffee for awhile and switch to dandelion root. The bitter springtime root feels right intuitively and it is a wonderful liver tonic.
I woke up feeling good and had a normal (for me) bowel movement. I sipped a cup of roasted dandelion root infusion. I'll have a light breakfast and my grilled chicken and salad for supper.
I've lost 4.7 lbs. I'm hoping this has kicked up my metabolism and I shed a few more pounds through exercise and proper nutrition.
I'm glad I did this for the experience. Will I be doing this again? I don't know. I tend to eat seasonally and listen to my body. The cleanse wasn't hard. It wasn't exciting or life changing either. I didn't lose energy or become super crabby as I've heard can happen when foods are eliminated. But, I eat very little sugar except what is naturally in vegetables and fruit and I've already greatly reduced my consumption of breads, pastas and grains. It just feels better when I stick lean clean protein and organic fruits and vegetables with lots of good herbs in the mix.
I'm still intrigued. And I thank you for sharing this journey. I look forward to catching up with you in person to gain a greater understanding of the root-whys of such cleansing in the Ayurvedic tradition. It truly fascinates me!
ReplyDeleteGlad you made it through with little difficulty. While you say you did not have a real loss of energy you also state you slept more and were happy the class on Saturday was slower so I wonder if you really did have a loss of said energy but it was not as overt as anticipated?
ReplyDelete