I've been doing a 12-day cleanse for the past 7.5 days. "Cleanse" is sort of a pretentious word, but whatever. I've done this one a few times before (once-a-year-ish) with various combinations of friends, and this time it's with Joel, Lori, and Rebecca. Yay. Doing most things is more fun with company, and this is definitely no exception.
Say what you will about cleanses, but this one's not that strict or crazy (no cayenne-lemonade juice fast) and it's not really a weight loss thing either, at least in my experience and opinion. And the best thing is that both times I've done it I have benefitted just because it forced me to cook almost all of my meals at home and put a lot more thought and effort into eating healthfully...with the eventual realization that it's not that hard and *can* be delicious. To state it simply, the rules are: no sugar, no dairy, nothing fermented (like vinegar), and no flour (of any kind).
I made the poor choice of scheduling this one over my sister's birthday, but I did okay and managed to fly under the radar. She was accommodating and made sure the meal was mostly cleanse friendly. The most epic cleanse fail (saying "epic fail" was for you there, Kerry) so far has been soymilk. Last time I did it I drank SO MUCH SOYMILK. Even though it says to have it in moderation. I assumed that the "plain" soymilk was unsweetened, but this just reinforces that you always have to check. It's sweetened with cane sugar. FAIL. I haven't been drinking hardly any this time around, but relished the thought of having an occassional soy latte. So much for that.
The best thing we did so far this time around was have a meal all together on Sunday night and a "soup exchange" at the same time. Eating together and hanging out made it feel less deprived, and going home with three or four different dishes to eat through the week made it so much less of a mental obstacle. I hardly have to think about what I am going to eat for the rest of the week, thanks to Lori and Joel's soup and hummus, and Rebecca's curried chickpeas. We should do this all the time.
I have been dying for an update! Epic fail, hey? You're so 18 for life. I should have cleansed. DANGIT. Maybe I still will. I hate that I live alone in the wilderness. I can't teamwork with you all. SORROW.
ReplyDeletehow long do you feel like it keeps you eating healthy post-cleanse?
ReplyDeletei'm wondering about this vs. a more phase-out approach
Good question Lisa. I have no idea how long it sticks, but I know that phase-out approaches don't typically work for me, so I like knowing that I can stick to it for 12 days and remind myself of a few things that I will hopefully take to heart, like: cooking is easy! eat more vegetables!
ReplyDelete