The hubby has been talking about starting a "cleanse" on the 2nd of September. Drinking nothing but lemon water with cayenne pepper and maple syrup in it for 10 days straight. He's doing it along with some other guy friends. It sounds like it would be good to do for me as well, but I am SUCH A WIMP when it comes to fasting or not eating for long periods of time. I've never done anything like it before.
I know that it would be good for me to do something healthy for my body... I've never been one to watch what I'm eating. I eat mostly junk. I've never dieted or gone any amount of time eating healthy. All of my friends seem to eat/cook pretty healthy and organic, while I can't seem to stop eating Hot Pockets and drinking Diet Coke. I really want to change this, but the thought of completely rearranging my eating habits feels really overwhelming, so I just never do anything about it. Maybe something like this cleanse would help me kick start a healthier lifestyle? I need something drastic to shake me out of my patterns, usually. This cleanse seems like it could be just that.
I think it would help me if I knew that the benefits of the cleanse would be worth the sacrifice of not eating for a while. And, (just like Operation: Grow Hair!) I would need a healthy dose of accountability to get me through it. Like, oh, I don't know, telling THE INTERNET I was going to do it. And then letting you guys know how the progress was going.
So, here's my question for you: Have any of you ever done a "cleanse" before? Was it WORTH it? How long did you do it for? Did you feel better after doing it? Or is all of this "cleansing" stuff just hype? A fad? A waste of time?
And, would you help me get through it if I committed to doing it by listening to my experiences and cyber-slapping me in the face when I speak of quitting and eating pie?
I eagerly await your testimonies or thoughts. I'm still not sold on the idea, so I'm anxious to hear what you all think.
Word.
17 comments:
I have done a clense but where you ate certain foods. 10 days is a long time to go with out. I have a book if you want to see. I was really tired for the first week, but felt better after.
To start off... I know nothing about cleanses, and I'm like you.... totally junk food junky, but drinking lemon water, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup for ten days doesn't sound very safe. Maybe it's safer than Hot Pockets and and diet Coke, who knows. Maybe it would be good to consult a doctor.
We have a news guy here that tried that cleanse. He only made it two days. I would probably only make it two sips and then blech!
Best of luck to you, though, if you decide to do it. You must give us reports of your starvation so we can give you our sympathy.
10 days is too long for a beginner who eats hot pockets and diet coke!! You have a two year old to chase, not a good time to experiment with fainting ... try fasting first for one day and see how your body handles that. Might I remind you how faint you get when you don't eat? Geez !
A friend of mine and his wife did this two weeks ago...and they basically lived in the bathroom. He said they were super grouchy, too.
My hubby now wants to follow suit, but I can't NOT eat. And I'm nervous with him not eating, too. Your Mom is right that you have a little one to chase! I'm much more for eating lots of fruits and veggies to clean myself out...not fasting! And then, after you're done, and you start eating again? I feel like I'd put on weight, because my body had been in starvation mode for 10 days. I'm not sold...it seems a little scary to me.
It is very interesting that your past two blogs could've been taken right from my life. :)
Also, there's a 32-oz salt water drink you have to have every morning...litterally mixing salt and water. My friend made the mistake of chugging, to get it over with...and threw up all over the floor. After that he had to drink it over a 20-minute period to get it down. Blech!
I'd maybe try a cleanse, but only under the supervision of my naturapath (NOT doctor-they don't know much about nutrition).
I did a cleanse once, and I didn't do it right, so I didn't feel so great. I can't do another until I stop breastfeeding.
I think it's probably better to just start eating better...you don't have to do that all at once, I agree that things like that are just too overwhelming when you try to change EVERYTHING... just little life changes make a big diffference...
I grew up in the house of a health freak, and as soon as I got to college, ate junk for 2 years straight..I was sick ALL the time, always had a sinus infection, always was tired, my immune system was shot.
for the last few years I have been eating super healthy again, and I NEVER get sick, and if I do, I get over it really quick.
I feel amazing, I have energy to take care of the girls, and I've never felt better.
All that to say, good nutrition is sort of a passion of mine so I talk about it to everyone (haha, sorry!) but I only do so, because I want everyone to feel this good...especially moms, who usually put themselves last, eat the worst, and are run ragged.
You don't have to jump in tomorrow and start spending all your time and money on shopping for all organic food, and making every meal for scratch (I don't!) but maybe you can start small-ish like, try to cut out the foods that contain high fructose corn syrup and see how long you can do that..that's sort of what I did.
If you need any ideas, you can always ask me.
I don't talk about this because I have a chip on my shoulder for eating a certain way.
I REALLY, reallly feel SOO much better, that I want other moms to feel the same way!!!!!!
Good luck, and sorry for taking over your comment section!! :)
A friend of mine did a cleanse with salt and lemon water. She did not do it for more than a few days, but spent those few days on the toilet. I don't know how great it would be with a child. I'm pregnant, so the thought of not eating something before noon makes me crazy. I would probably not do the cleanse, just work on eating better. You can do it gradually.
That sounds like complete torture to me, and not very healthy. Where are you getting your nutrients from? Me, I love food, so if you tell me I can't eat for even a few hours, I go insane. I'm Jewish and I don't even fast on Yom Kippur, I sneak off and grab some sushi down the street--yummy eel and avocado rolls. Yummmm, but I digress. I think there are healthier ways to "cleanse" than drinking flavored water for nearly two weeks. Try ditching the diet coke for 10 days and see how you do, then take it from there! Your husband is nuts if he thinks he can do this for more than two or three days without feeling like a zombie. Your body needs nourishment! So yeah, if you haven't guessed it already, I say DON'T DO IT!
But wait Emery!!!! Does a cleanse mean no more cookies????? Hang on let me weigh out my options, lemon water or cookies....
Okay back yeah guess what weighed more. Plus the oatmeal cookie I'm eating right now is basically just the same as eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast right??
But Em really, your just a little thing I don't think you need to cleanse. BUT maybe instead of that kind of cleanse you could make yours a little different, you should try and go ten days eating only organic, or eating only healthy food or eating two extra servings of veggies. I would start there. Because my thinking is that if you fast for ten days you aren't going to want healthy food you are going to want all the junk you have been missing!
I vote Em goes totally healthy for ten days! Plus you can totally bake healthy cookies!
I've had lots of friends do the cleanse and really love it. I've never done it because it sounds gross and I just try to eat healthy so that a "cleanse" is not necessary. But, after a few days of flu symptoms, they say you have more energy and are not tired or weak at all. I don't think it would hurt to try it, and if you want to stop, then stop. Cutie-pie.
Ok- take this from someone who is geneally OBSESSED with nutrition and has done loads and loads of reading and research on this kind of thing: A 10 day fast of lemon and maple syrup water= NOT HEALTHY AT ALL! Your body would no doubt let you know this after about a day or so in the bathroom with acid diarrea (sorry to be graphic), and you probably wouldn't make it much longer than that even if you wanted to because- like your mom said- you need nutrients and (being an intelligent girl) would eat something before you went totally nuts! There are many fasts out there that are much much safer to do... But I agree with what several other people have mentioned and if you want to cleanse your body- cut out the hot pockets and diet coke. Drink nothing but water for 10 days- and if you really want to cleanse- eat nothing but fresh fruits and vegetables.... Water and fiberous veggies are the best way to cleanse! (Ooh and there are some teas that can help too but they also tend to give you the runs- eek!)... So that's my two cents.. I would do more research before fasting- there's a lot more to it than you might think!
Susie Sunshine did a cleanse last spring - theunderpaidkeptwoman.blogspot.com
I'm sure she'd answer questions for you, and she's tons of fun to chat with!
i'm soooooo happy for you! ... seth did that cleanse... he felt realllly good! but he did eat healthy before he started and he wasn't in the bathroom non stop... my friend also did it and before he ate super crappy and slept aaaaaaaaaaaaaaallll the time and had a belly that looked like he was pregnant.. he did it and got energy and lost his belly completely! crazy... he also did the salt water puke thing... anyway maybe you should try the cleanse cameron and anna are doing.. you can still eat, but i suggest you do kick the poisonous food habit (diet coke and such) and eat healthy while you do it.... believe me i used to eat sooooo unhealthily and seth helped me eat better and now i LOVE it! i can't imagine eating the things i used to eat and if i do i hate the way they taste and i also feel sick... but i dont get sick hardly ever anymore and i feel way more energy even with a 9 month old baby! ok this is soooo long... anwyay here's the link to cam and annas cleanse ask cam about it... http://www.drnatura.com/?gclid=CPCw3L2DpY4CFR3JYAod7xk1TQ
--skylana
Em, don't you remember when Brook and I did that one when we lived together. Yyeah...i made it like 4 days. And the lemon/ maple syrup/ cayenne pepper combo got old real quick. But hey, if you've got he will power- go for it. And that salt water cleanse...i recommend doing it while taking a shower so you can just chug it down. I didn't throw it up, but trust me...they don't call it 'cleanse' for nothin. Orrrr, you could just cut the junk and drink lots and lots and lots of water, eat apples, greenery (like grass or something), and FIBER. That'll clean you out.
Love ya,
Harm
um. i'm not a big fan of jumping into cleanses. although, i don't eat hotpockets, either:) i recommend just to try drinking lemon water (1/2 lemon per 10oz water) for a day. trust me, that will cleanse you like nothing else!
oh yeah, and don't stop eating food! i meant to say that you should drink the lemon water in between meals. just up your intake of veggies:)
aaaand....my nutritionist made me drink that cayenne/maple/lemon mix when i was sick to flush out an infection. i cheated i only drank about 4oz before i started gagging for my life! i'm pretty hard core when it comes to doing....anything. and i just couldn't hang with the cayenne:(
I did the Master Cleanse a month ago for 10 days. If you really read up on it you'll see that its actually good for you. The things that are in the foods we eat are actually worse than going on a limited diet (even if it is liquid). However, this cleanse is not for the weak hearted. It is hard, but extremely worth it. I lost 10 lbs, I have lots of energy and its jump started me working out every day. And, now, my husband and I are both vegetarians and we LOVE IT! All of our friends and family think we are nuts, but we feel great. Try it once, do the research, see what you think for yourself before taking everyone else's opinions on what is good/not good for your body.
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