Master Cleanse - Day 2

May 14, 2008 09:47

Despite being woken up for 45 minutes or so by the herbal tea, I slept really well last night. I could have slept longer, but by 7:30 I had to get up. At least I don't feel sleep deprived today.

My morning saline wash worked MUCH faster than yesterday. I'm still flushing solid matter, but I should be seeing the end of that soon. I am experiencing some detox symptoms. Last evening I was exhausted and had a headache, and this morning I'm fuzzy-headed and really low energy. Or more precisely, lower energy than usual. Doing things like climbing up and down stairs requires extra effort, it seems. I've had some cravings though they haven't been bad, but I have been experiencing hunger. Apparently 1 in 4 people experience true hunger while on the cleanse, but for most it goes away.

The low energy thing is the worst part, since I've got an 8-9 hour work day to get through. Meh. I wish I could just stay home and sleep.

Afternoon:

It's been a roller coaster. I've gone from feeling so low-energy that I can't think straight to feeling normal. I just made the mistake of reading some message boards of people berating the Master Cleanse... and a year ago I would have agreed with them. I guess now I'm just more open minded to "alternative" healing than I used to be.

Someone made a point of asking what these alleged "toxins" are that are being eliminated. I would think that answer is obvious, especially for anyone whose read Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food." The majority of us consume MASSIVE quantities of non-real food -- refined carbs, artificial coloring and flavoring, preservatives, chemicals, stuff used as "filler" that's not derived from any plant or animal source. Our bodies have not evolved to handle all the man-made chemicals, and it's only logical that years upon years of eating fake food does some damage. Thus, giving one's body a relief from the onslaught of chemicals is probably beneficial for an ordinary, healthy person.

Of course, the same could be accomplished by eating a diet of whole foods and grains, fresh vegetables and fruits, and avoiding processed food. Thing is, it's hard to avoid, and in my case I just don't have the willpower or experience to avoid it. Not yet, anyway. I'm doing the cleanse partly to shed a few pounds, and partly to hit my body's metaphorical "reset" button so that when I do start eating solid food again, I'll be more willing to focus on fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. I figure after 10-20 days of not eating, a piece of asparagus or a slice of pear will be downright heavenly.

End of Day 2:

I think that yesterday was worse than today in some ways, though I definitely had more problems with tiredness today. Getting through an entire 8 hour workday was a struggle, though part of that was because I ran out of stuff to do. And my fuzzy tired brain wasn't being very cooperative in inventing stuff to do. But everything I've read say that days 2 and 3 are the worst, so if I can just make it until Friday, I'll be okay.

Though I really want a huge plate of pasta right now.
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