Master Cleanse - Day 12

Can this really be Day 12? I don't believe it myself but it is true. Do I want to quit? Yes I do. To be planning a weekend that included breaking this fast (slowly, starting with orange juice the first day and adding a homemade vegetable soup the next day)would be awesome. But I did not start out to do a 12 Day fast. In my mind I saw myself doing three weeks and at least doing the 10 days as prescribed by Dr. Stanley Burroughs in his book, The Master Cleanser.



And can I just be myself for a minute here? You should not be doing this fast if you could not spend $7.00 to buy Dr. Burroughs book. It is not a long book by today's standards but he breaks everything down very clearly and tells you the whys and hows of what it is and why it works. Everything else you read on the web is other people's opinions and interpretations of what was his life's work. You can purchase it on Amazon.com - use the title as a keyword.

Okay, enough of my rant. Peter Glickman has also written about the diet in his book Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days but I have not read his book. Other people have said good things about it. And I don't want anyone to read this journal about my time doing this fast and to think, well, this is a great and easy diet - actually it is not. It is not easy to only drink the lemonade for 10 or more days at a time. Our world is not structured that way. Everywhere I drive I see food establishments, and grocery stores - and can we talk about the street vendors with the amazing aromas coming from their carts and vehicles? You have to be doing this for a reason and if it is for more than just the desire to lose a couple of pounds then you can do it and make it to the end.

I had many reasons for doing this fast. I have recently opened my own business after years of pouring my work and efforts into helping other businesses succeed. Last year I spent many days in poor health. Recently I saw my weight start to creep up and in the span of four months I had gained ten pounds. I knew this was because of the cold weather and my lack of motivation to go outside and walk in the cold but it was still a warning sign. And my thought process as a creative and visionary individual was more jumbled and had lost a sense of clarity. So I knew that now was a time to regain my sense of self, including the energy, drive and my love of life. So I needed this break or fast. Fortunately for me, my husband also felt a need in his life to do the same and we are flowing together and in sync.

So that is what I am here, writing about this journey. The aches and pains are gone and my sinuses have stopped clogging up and giving me headaches. Today feels like just another day but I am grateful to be alive, thankful to be in this moment and I expect great things in my future. Now I'm going to have another glass and then get to work...

The Master Cleanse - Day 11

Wow, I am amazed and thankful that I made it to this day. Especially since I am now in the process of cooking an amazing curried chicken dinner to take to a friend. (Yes, I am sipping lemonade and filling my kitchen with the great smells of onion, garlic, turmeric, cinnamon, curry powder, nutmeg, soya sauce and more.) Yes, the scents are enough to drive one crazy. But I'm doing it to give to a really good person so it is worth it.

I've lost 10 lbs during this fast but I gained a new peace and calm that I did not have before and I also have gained a new confidence in myself and in my own self control. It is nice to reaffirm that nothing controls me but my love for my God and my family. For me personally, that is a good thing to know inside my spirit.



Ok, it is 1:45 pm and I have just finished the first part of my meal. I grilled the chicken on my stove top but it released so much fat onto the grill that they almost had a fried texture instead of a grilled one but the skin was crisp and brown and they smelled great. I chopped up 4 Roma tomatoes, one small onion and a half cup of mushrooms and I sauted them with garlic. Then I added 1/2 a can of Campbell's Mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of sour cream and a cup of soy milk (I'm trying to use things in the fridge that will definitely go bad before I finish this fast). I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, a sprig of thyme and a teaspoon of the masala curry powder. This is a Trinidadian curry not an Indian curry so it is a different spice mix than you might be used to. But the creamy spicy mixture was poured all over the chicken and then I covered it all and placed it in the oven to meld the tastes together. My dog is wondering where his portion is. Wait til he hears that it is all leaving the house...



I'm looking at the cupboards to see what else I should cook now that I have the chance to get this food out of the house. I have some red and white potatoes left so I think I will chop them into rustic chunks and let them marinate in a lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, smoked salt, chopped cilantro and fresh thyme vinaigrette for an hour and then I'll roast them in the oven when I take the chicken out. That will get rid of them all in a tasty manner. Then I'll sit down with another glass of my delicious Lemonade...



The potatoes are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. At least that is how they look - I can't taste even one. I did put a little of the marinade on my tongue to make sure the seasoning was good and it was. I added some Basmati Rice (cooked with the other half of the can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup and some Red Kidney Beans, with steamed mixed vegetables with Lemon Butter as the last side.



I've packed it all up and it is ready to go. Now I'm going to have another glass of my lemonade. That is it for today. I feel good but I do wish I was tearing into one serving of this dinner, lol...

Master Cleanse - Day 9

Hello all. Day nine and going strong but I am a little discouraged about nine days and only nine pounds off - am I being a little unreasonable? I guess because I'm exercising along with my fast (yes, I do have the energy to do an hour of exercise), so I think I should see more. Oh well, getting discouraged does not solve problems and quiting before an assignment is finished is not a behavior pattern that I wish to develop. So I'm going to check the message boards to see if I can find some encouraging news there.
I'll be right back...

12:00 noon - My sinus problem is getting worse and it is very annoying. I'm toughing it out tho. There were many encouraging messages on the boards but surprisingly enough I found alot more messages of failure so I decided to quit while I was ahead

Master Cleanser Detox Fast - Day 8

For some reason today my sinuses are blocked and congested and it feels like I'm in an airplane that is descending rapidly or I'm coming down the Mountains in my car. Ugh! I hate this feeling. I feel tired and sluggish but I know this means my system is finally getting rid of the toxins. I increased my cayenne pepper intake yesterday too so maybe that plays a part here.

I'm thankful that my schedule is light today and I can catch up on my reading and read some editing manuals to keep my knowledge base current. The lemonade is refreshing today and in my break from writing I took a sinus pill and I can feel the pressure in my sinuses easing up.

Chachi the California dog is not very active today. He is getting older (he is 12)and he loves to sleep and eat treats. He does not like to go for long walks or to share confidences. he prefers to be left alone, unless you wanted to brush his coat for an hour. He is a handsome boy though...

Master Cleanser Day 7 Evaluation

It is Sunday evening and I've have been fasting now for seven days. This is my third time doing the Master Cleanse and it has been a good learning experience. I am not experiencing alot of hunger as long as I continue to drink my lemonade at regular intervals. But cooking is an activity that soothes me and relaxes me so I have really missed the act of cooking for myself and others. I don't even necessarily want to eat what I cook, but I do love the sights, the sounds and the smells of food. I have found though that I do not want to be around people who are eating for long periods of time - nor do I want to smell the cooked food of others. There is an internal message in there somewhere that I need to tap into but I don't know what it is yet.

I am glad that I will start week two tomorrow and I don't know what the day will hold. My husband has said that he could do three weeks but next weekend is a large celebration for us as it is Resurrection Sunday for our faith. Part of the celebration normally included food, with different varieties and types. Can we celebrate our God quietly with meditation and introspection instead? I know that most of my friends are not even trying to answer that question on that day. But this is a good time to hear that inner voice and I will be listening, as we go forward with week two. Thanks for sticking with me...

Another Day in Bakersfield CA

Well it is day 6 of my fast and I wish I could say it is getting easier. I hope that it does really soon. I went shopping with my husband for our groceries (consisting of lemons, limes and maple syrup). Shopping in the grocery store is hard. Especially the scent of the barbecued chicken vendors outside of the grocery store (My Lord God). I thank God for my spouse - he is hanging tough and supporting me all the way. So we are committed to at least 1 more week. So I will keep you posted.

I got a chance to read a blog posting from one of my nephews in Canada and it made me feel good to know that one of the things that I love, the power of the written word and the ability to communicate is also alive in the next generation. It is nice to think that if I do not get this thing called life right that perhaps the generation following me will do a better job. My only goal is to leave them more money when I'm gone than generations before. I dream about the day when we do not have to struggle and choose between our passion and our paycheck (American spelling - I do live in the USA).

Think I will take a quick nap.

Thank God It's Friday...

Well here it is Friday and I'm getting through Day 5. Yesterday was tough because I wanted to eat - not because I was hungry but because I was bored. And watching 2 Throwdowns with Bobby Flay on the Food Network was probably not a good idea. But the jerk rib eye steak challenge and the barbecue rib challenge were difficult to resist - both are foods that I would like to take up a notch in my cooking. I ended up going to bed at 10 pm which is early for me but I knew that if I stayed up later I might not resist temptation. So I went to sleep and another day was done.

Note to self - might be a good time to stop Tivoing the Food Network...

Today I added some lime zest to my drink. Only do that if you are using the organic lemons and limes like Dr. Burroughs insists on in his book. Otherwise you could be zesting chemicals and pesticides into your system. It tasted great and was a real treat to drink.

I still don't like going to the grocery store to buy more lemons, water and maple syrup. The grocery stores these days have sandwiches, fried chicken, potato wedges, pizza and more to tempt shoppers, and tho I am not hungry per se I am still aware of the smells, even more so now that my system is starting to be cleansed and my senses are heightened.

I have lost a couple of lbs to date but I am not focusing on that. My muscles feel good and my clothes aren't tight, I have more energy and work is easy. I'm also meditating on my personal self improvement, getting rid of things that keep me from functioning at my peak.

And by the way, the husband is doing great this week on the Cleanse. I don't think he'd want me to describe it for posterity's sake so I will leave him out of this.
But I will post pictures when we are done.

I Made It to Day 3 - Master Cleanse

Yesterday was interesting because I was making dinner for 6 and doing a detoxification fast. I did not know if I could make it - making dinner to serve others and not indulging myself. But I did it. I did not feel like eating because of hunger, you really don't feel hungry on this fast - it was more the sensation of eating and the sights and smells of the food. But my mind was made up that I was doing this to better myself and to become more in tune with my spiritual and mental self. So after everyone was gone I made up my lemonade drink for the next morning and went to bed. I was tired but restless and it took a while to get to sleep.

So today was definitely a quieter day and I was not hungry per se but I did have stomach pangs which were usually a signal for me to snack or nibble on something. I also felt really cold today right in my bones and my muscles especially my leg muscles were achy. But I don't feel like these are signs that I should discontinue the fast, I'm going to keep going and see what happens. Because I've already done it successfully in the past, I know that these feelings will soon be gone. I'm thankful that I've been able to get through this day.

Cooking for Others, Lemonade for Me...

Today will be an interesting day because I am doing what I would not recommend ANYONE do while doing the Master Cleanser plan - I am hosting a dance rehearsal (with dinner served) at my house while only on Day Two of the Master Cleanser plan. And what a dinner I am serving! I got the recipe from the Food Network website and it is for Grilled Meat and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo (but I am substituting saffron rice). The marinade alone, a mixture of EVOO, lemon juice, 5 cloves of garlic, smoked sea salt, black and red pepper would normally be enough to send me off the deep end, but by the time you combine it with the roasted corn, crimini mushrooms, grilled red,yellow and green peppers and the grilled shrimp over the rice - well you get the idea, not really something you would want to do on the second day of your fast.

So why then am I doing it? Well that is a long story but I really did want to bless the other women involved with our dance ministry and I truly believe that mentally I'm in a space where I can do this because I am not trying to lose weight right now, I am trying to get more in tune with me, mentally, physically and spiritually. And part of that journey for me involves serving others and self sacrifice. So my meat is marinating and I about about to start chopping vegetables and get the barbecue ready.

I believe that good things will happen today but I will keep you posted. this is one for the record books.

The Master Cleanser Journal

Day One

I decided to try the Master Cleanser detoxification program to help bring my body back to a feeling of health and energy. I did the "diet" a few years ago and after 14 days I felt renewed and mentally sharp in a way that could not be duplicated by other means.

My husband also decided to join me on this journey and so we are doing it together. Day 1 was yesterday and I went through the physical pains of not eating but mentally I decided to tough it out. At one point (around 2 pm) I took a nap for 2 hours so I would not have to listen to my stomach cry for food. By the time 6 pm rolled around I was calmer and more relaxed and the night time wasn't a time of testing for me but I did have a hard time getting to sleep.

I did not do much meditating or reading on this first day - I think I just needed to see if I was serious about doing this or if I was going to punk out and say - "my bad, just kidding, I didn't mean it". But thank God, I made it through the first day and things are okay. I had my Smooth Move tea before bed and sleep finally came.