Diary of a #Cleanse part 3 of 3

Day Four
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.

Diary of a #cleanse part 2

Day two:

I started my day with 4 teaspoons of  ghee melted in a half cup of almond milk. My last day of the week cat my  accounting job (YEAH!) and I packed up the same fare.

Hubby and daughter were having ham and eggs for dinner.  I asked if hubby wanted a bagel with that. He gave the whatever you want to do answer.  I came back with, "What I want to do is bite your head off - a simple yes or no would be helpful."  Bagel it was.

I was really tired and obviously cranky.  I remembered one of my classmates had scrambled an egg into her kitchari for some protein and to make it through.  I did the same and added lots of greens.  My daughter said I could pretend it was a burrito.  I opted to think of it as an omelet.  I did feel better after dinner.

Day three:

I started the day with 6 teaspoons of ghee melted in half cup of almond milk.  Sipped some water and headed to my girlfriend's house for our Friday morning 6 AM walk.  I had more energy than I'd had in days.  By the time hubby got home from his midnight shift at 9 I was on my second load of laundry, the plants were watered, the bathroom cleaned, the house vacuumed and I had enjoyed a bowl of kitchari with steamed rainbow carrots on top.

I'm pretty sure I will not achieve the goal with water but I'm trying.  I'm supposed to drink half my weight or half my ideal weight in ounces.  I'm getting close.  It's not that I hate water.  I drink water every day.  I just can't drink that much of anything.  Plus the whole moving into the bathroom is not an option I want to consider.  

The amount of water it feels like I need to drink

My energy stayed up all day and I didn't want to bite anyone's head off.  Wondering if it was a combination of cleanse and accounting rather than just the cleanse getting to me.  This is a very real possibility especially since it was my first week back after vacation.

I had more time than the previous two nights so I steamed up a big batch of broccoli and pea pods to add to dinner.

I must admit that I normally have a voracious appetite.  I can never remember to feed a cold and starve a fever or the other way around so I feed them both.  There has never really been anything to make me loose my appetite.  This cleanse has done it.  Not in a sickening type of way but in a rather boring type of way.  I know I can change it up with my steamed vegetables but lets face it kitchari and steamed vegetables three meals a day with no snacks and water is not very exciting.  I'm eating slower and can actually push the plate away when I'm full.  And I really haven't been starving.  I'm not feeling deprived in the amount of food.  I am satiated.  But, for someone who loves to cook and doesn't make the same dish twice for weeks or even months this is really rather bland.