I've been doing cleanses ever since I learned about them in the early 2000's. The first was the lemonade cleanse that was essentially me drinking nothing but maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, and cayenne by the jug load. There's a religious piece to it that I wasn't terribly interested in - you do the cleanse for a minimum of 10 days and the timeframe ties back in to Jesus and the time he fasted or something of that nature. I did it specifically to lose weight quickly. I lost between 15 and 20 pounds with most weight being slowly regained, but I noticed my skin looked better, I had more energy, and it was a great jumping off point for me to stick to a healthier diet. Lots of people still do this cleanse and have similar results, but anything so drastic doesn't really support long term efforts on getting healthier if you're not willing to adhere the additional suggestions provided in most of the literature.
Showing such extreme results a number of coworkers, desperate to lose weight, were quick to take the recipe and pretty much start it the same day. One of the women, I later learned, was diabetic and this is the type of diet that diabetics typically have to consult with a doctor to ensure it doesn't lead to complications like making them faint from the spike in sugar and having to get rushed to the hospital.
I did the cleanse several other times with similar, but less pronounced results, and I never felt the same kind of rush and dedication that came with the first go round. More research and living a more stagnant lifestyle - I was living in NYC the first time and I think the walking and exercise helped keep my hunger at bay - the results were just not as easily repeated and when I didn't get the same quick turnaround on weight I quickly lost steam and interest in essentially starving myself.
Fast forward to 2018 and having gone through a really successful rotation diet that was full of flavor and healthy foods, then giving up on the rotation diet and gaining weight, getting the bloat and inflamation back in my system, I came upon a course offered by DailyOm. It's a cleanse that can be done using one of 2 tracts - the easier is simply feasting on a raw diet for 7 days. The other, more challenging tract is eating raw dishes for 2 days, juice fasting for 3 days, and then finishing off with 2 more days of raw dishes.
The weight loss was a great benefit, but I had to find a way to reset my system primarily to improve my health. I watched as my hair was going grey, my skin looked terrible, and allergic reactions were just getting out of control. It's an emotional journey through our relationship with food and the journaling is really the best way to get to some intense truths and realities. It's hard, but if you're looking for a way back to the healthy mindset this is a jumpstart that my just serve you as well as it served me.
The first go round I decided to follow the recipes exactly - even if some of the foods were one that, in the past, have caused either allergic reactions or some pronounced reactions because I'm still sensitive to them. Wanting to determine if the reactions were still active I went all in and kind of hoped that it would be smooth sailing. It was a quick reintroduction to the fact that despite avoiding certain foods for years, I had not lost the sensitivities and for some foods the reactions had grown even stronger. I adjusted at the time, but forgot to write down some of the information which meant when I did this a 2nd time I made some of the same mistakes.
If you decide to try the cleanse there are a few suggestions and tips I'd like to offer straight off the bat... I've only done the juice fast cleanse tract so not all of these will apply if you choose the other.
1. take their advice about cutting out foods slowly from your diet. Take a few days to do this and read ahead so you're fully prepared.
2. Enemas should start on day 1. There is A LOT of great information provided but some of it can be both overwhelming and confusing. Enemas are best in the morning - I tried do the enemas before bed and then took a 30 minute detox bath. For some reason doing them in the morning was more helpful to me and the evening just didn't provide the same results as the morning. They recommend holding in the 2nd round of enema for 15 to 20 minutes, but I realized my colon is still incredibly sensitive and it was just not comfortable or possible for me for that length of time.
3. Good, masticating juicers are expensive as hell. But you need one and the better it is the easier your life is while going thru the process on days when you feel particularly despondent. I found one on FB marketplace, but craigslist has them too. It's really what you can afford.
4. I do the juice fasting because I like the extreme route - it's challenging and it is incredibly gratifying to close out day 3 of the fast.
5. If you do the fasting route I highly suggest you make triple or quadruple the broth recipe. You will drink a lot of it and the more you have on hand - or the less you have to make repeated trips to the store to make more and more batches - the easier it is to get thru the tougher moments.
6. Determine necessary substitutions before you test out possible food allergies - dealing with a headache, sinus pain, stomach cramping from a food allergy absolutely compounds the already challenging cleanse. Be dilligent and do some extra research.
7. Here are my substitutions:
lemon - i only used lime
celery - I used fennel root instead
apples - I used either jicama or papaya
grapes - I used either strawberrys or kiwi
kale - depending on what is available at your store look for other similar greens
oranges - strawberries or kiwi
8. I suggest investing in the food containers that give additional life to your food. It will help save you a lot on food going bad.
9. I found out that I do not like raw parsley and if you're like me either leave it out or look for an alternative.
10. Do not use old seeds or nuts that have been sitting in the back of your pantry for years. The fresher and better preserved the better.
11. Aldi and vitacost are a great place to start for preparing your food.
12. Work on cutting out as much lotion and other things you put on your body. I didn't wash my hair for 4 days other than the detox baths that had some apple cider vinegar. By the time I did wash my hair it felt better than it has in years.
13. If you are feeling like giving up because it just seems too overwhelming I highly suggest going outside and doing some light gardening with your shoes off. It's an easy way to reground yourself and get some vitamin D in your system.
If you're a competitive person just look at this as a big challenge. My 2nd time around I had some setbacks that made it impossible to get thru the last day. The hunger hit me much worse this time and after going back thru food logs I realized some of my mistakes - changing the enema schedule, staying up really late, doing a lot of exercise, not using the proscribed salt, and not listening to my body when it became clear some of the foods I was including in my day to day recipes were taxing my system.
I'm in the elimination part of the cleanse and tomorrow no meat or carbs. Wednesday no meat, carbs, or cheese, and thursday no meat, carbs, cheese, or caffeine. This time I'm adding water kefir and doing all necessary substitutions to start. If you're needing more information or inspiration I'd love to help out! It's a hard, but satisfying challenge that anyone can do. Good luck!!
