100 Issues for 100 Days: #7

#7: The Cleaner

Yesterday was the last day of my Master Cleanse. For six straight days, I consumed a 1.75 L mixture of water, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. As I told my friend Shannon, it was motivated by two main reasons: I've been drinking a lot since I was out of town & I was trying to push back buying groceries for as long as possible. Eventually, it became a battle of wills that lasted until I ran out of maple syrup.

The first few days were hard. I fast-forwarded through food commercials and until I started chewing gum, not having something in my mouth was the hardest part. On Day 3, I started to adjust to the hunger but not chewing on something had taken it's toll and I did cheat a bit. I was hanging out with some co-workers and I ended up having a few garlic fries and a piece of zucchini. I don't know if that resulted in the sluggishness I felt on Day 4 but that day in particular was the hardest. After work and an evening meeting, I came home and crashed around 9:30. The next morning when I did my Salt Water Flush (SWF), I could feel it all throughout my body. I felt cold and wrung out but once i was finished, Day 5 was full of energy. Days 5 & 6 were the best of the process. I felt energized and even went out again, this time to see my friend's band, The Get Back at Pier 23 in SF. And although I cringed a bit when the waitress described the menu to the table next to me, I stuck to my guns and didn't even have a drink. Yesterday, I went shopping in anticipation of the end of the cleanse and walked through the farmer's market without trying one free sample. I also managed to do two loads of laundry and unpack some boxes (yes, I still have boxes even though I've lived here 3 years).

Basically, if I decide to do the Master Cleanse again, I'd make sure to get plenty of rest, stock up on gum or mints and use at least 2 1/2 tablespoons of sea salt when flushing. If you're considering this, know that the SWF is a bit gross and takes awhile to finish. You basically poop liquid but if you get it all out, you feel energized after. A co-worker, who does this regularly, asked me what I learned from doing this and I'll tell you what I told him: I learned that I'm hungry! I really like food and eating and I'm going to use this as a way to reset the clock a bit. Ease back into eating and drinking well. But I'll never forsake food, it's just too delicious.