Start weight: 132.6 lbs
End weight: 126 lbs
According to what I have read, my weight loss was less than what most women experience, however, I think that's due to the fact that I fumbled my laxative routine during the night before Day 1, Day 1, and Day 2.
As far as weening off the diet goes, here is how that played out in a short summary...
Suggested Routine:
- Day 11 - An orange juice diet, to allow your stomach and body to once again become used to a different type of nutrient source, and, because it's liquid, it won't be as much of a shock to your system.
- Day 12 - Orange juice in the morning, some fruit for lunch, and a vegetable soup with some 1/2 rye crackers for din din.
- Day 13 - Orange juice and/or fruit in the morning, small salad for lunch, and a vegetarian (mostly Raw) meal for dinner.
Once Joey and I got started on our road trip to St. Louis, I immediately kicked off my slow transition back into solid foods. I remained faithful to the first day's rules of drinking nothing but Orange Juice and water. However, I failed somewhat on the second day and ate a salad for dinner instead of the vegetable soup because the restaurant in which we ate at (that was playing the Grizzlies Game the NBA Finals), didn't have vegetable soup. So, for the next day, I ate lightly with mostly fruit, a small salad with some hummus and fresh vegetable deliciousness, and a delicious vegetarian meal at a South American restaurant called Mango. It was quite delicious! So overall, I didn't carry out the suggested routine, however, I'm still here and I still felt extremely healthy coming off the diet, so I'll give myself a break there.
The downside to not following the weening process carefully is that your body can become constipated pretty easily, being re-introduced so quickly to solid foods. I can attest to this. However, it doesn't take long for your body/digestive system to "clock in" and back into a healthy and consistent routine.
How I felt after the cleanse... was it worth it?
I have to say that after the cleanse, I felt like GOLD! Physically, I felt fresh and energized and was much more aware of what I was putting into my body and how that food will ultimately affect my body. Once my body eased back into solid foods, I was able to digest foods MUCH more easily (something I have struggled with all of my life), and mentally I felt Ah-mAzing! I had just proved to myself that I could handle this challenge, still be productive during my everyday routine, and learn from the experience, making changes to better my everyday diet and outlook. I was very proud of myself after I finished the cleanse which was, in my opinion, the best benefit of all :)
Having said that, I do want to include that I did decide to change my diet completely after I finished the cleanse, which very well could have contributed to certain aspects of my experience afterwards. I decided to change my daily menu into a pescetarian one, with the plan to eventually ease into a vegetarian diet. This really wasn't a difficult transition for me as I have never truly craved meat, nor felt a real desire to add it into my diet, but it was simply always served to me, so I ate it. This is not to say that I don't enjoy eating meat... I DO; a delicious Slaw-Dog grilled to perfection makes my mouth water simply thinking about it, however, it's not a hard decision to find an alternative to any of my favorite carnivorous recipes. Also, I have always felt the burden of hypocrisy as I chewed my meat knowing that if the animal I was eating were in front of me, would I slaughter it in order to enjoy it's addition to my meal... No, but why would I let someone else do my dirty work for me and simply put that animal's life out of sight out of mind? I just can't do that anymore.
So, to get back on topic, I had a great experience doing the cleanse, and I even plan on doing it again at the start of next summer. Most likely I will be continuing the trend every summer, as a way to detox and begin again a new adventure of healthy eating. It was definitely not as difficult as I imagined it would be, thought it was a challenge, and it was a great personal goal to achieve.
Was it worth it? In my opinion, YES! Do I think I could do the cleanse while working? Yes, totally. My energy was a little less than normal, however, it was a very slight difference, and if you're consistent with your drinks, you will be fine.
The Complete Master Cleanse, by Tom Woloshyn
Ok, so let me break this review down into three parts...
- Was it a helpful guide to the process?
- Was it informative?
Also, the diet was a creation of Stanley Burroughs, who Woloshyn gives credit to, but, in my opinion, not enough. It seems as though the emphasis of the book is on Woloshyn's work and his personal opinions and less about the actual process of the cleanse. Woloshyn focuses a lot on other alternative medicinal practices, such as Vita-Flex massage and Color Therapy (his areas of concentrations) and spends a good deal of time and devotion to them.
Once finished with the book, I had only marked a couple of chapters in which I returned to quite frequently. This is also because it does not take a 200 page book to explain the process and benefits of The Master Cleanse... only a chapter. In comparison, Burroughs book, The Master Cleanse (which I have not read, but would like to in order to compare and contrast the content), is only 50 pages, and most of what you really need to know can be found via the internet. I will say, though, that for those chapters that I frequented, I was not unhappy with the plethora of information given, ranging from basic steps to what to expect from the process... really intimate information about the physical effects to expect from your cleansing "adventure" which I found to be a very comforting as a guide.
- Would you recommend this book?
I would have to say that if you're wanting a truly in-depth account of the cleanse with all of the details of every bodily function you may encounter, then I would recommend this book, along with an extra 100 pages that you may or may not find relevant and an author who tends to be a little self-serving. However, if you're interested in knowing the basics and focusing JUST on the cleanse, then I would recommend Burrough's book (I've read good reviews), or simply exploring the Internet and it's discussions on the cleanse. The Cleanse = Awesome, Woloshyn's book = Mediocre.
I think that about covers it...
However, like I said in a previous post, if I left anything out, or if you have any questions that I didn't quite answer, then just leave me a comment below, and I'll answer it to the best of my ability!
I'm going to be using a lot of upcoming posts to catch up on things around here, so be prepared to back-track and hang around the thick of the summer for a bit longer... nothing wrong with that, right? I left my camera in Lindsey and Blake's car, so it's up in St. Louis with a lot of awesome summer pictures as well, so hopefully I'll get my sweet friend back soon and I can share those memories with you!
Have a beautiful weekend!
