Wow! I can't believe I'm into day 7 of the master cleanser. I have to admit, there have been some trying days, but I'm determined to see this through to week's end. It seemed in the first few days, everything that could take me away from my lemon juice mixture attempted to crop up. But isn't that the way things go, when you're trying to make changes that are for the good?
The hubby and I were discussing this very thing when one of our cars broke down this past Sunday, leaving me miles away from my next 10-ounce glass of cleansing. :-( It just reiterated the fact that life can be funny. When you're out there doing all the bad you can do, life hands you lemonade. When you're doing your best to do good, life hands you lemons.
Who was it that said, "Life's a bitch?" LOL
So, anywho, yesterday was my first day back on the plantation and despite me thinking it would be difficult to stick to my fast, it proved easier than being home. How could that be? Might be because I'm not cooking for other folks stuff I can't eat. It could also be because once I've settled into my desk I'm not yanked out of my seat to head to places like the movies--where the popcorn (which I never eat) smells heavenly--and burger joints--where greasy, fried burgers and artery-clogging fries seduce my nostrils.
But it's all good, especially since I've even managed to lose 4 pounds--4 pounds, 7 days. I just have to keep reminding myself when chewable foods present themselves, along with their savory flavors and smells, that as long as I got my all-natural, tangerine-flavored gum and peppermint tea as "snacks," I'll be fine.
*silently praying for Saturday morning and a salad*
After battling a dry, unproductive cough and wheezing since October, in early November following unsuccessful antibiotic intake, my doctor diagnosed me with asthma. Me? Asthma? I quickly blamed it on the heavy pollution I inhale each day as I wait in "rush" hour traffic to and from the j-o-b. But that got me to thinking: Why isn't my body fighting back?
Outside the occasional migraine, I haven't been ill in years. So, you know, this kind of diagnosis has me bent and searching for a way to give up the inhaler. That's when I ran across someone who'd done the Master Cleanser aka Lemonade Diet. Following hours online researching everything I could and stopping into my favorite health-food stores for advice, I decided to use the Thanksgiving break to try it out.
Here I am Day Two, and so far so good. Though I must admit being surrounded by the smells of popping corn at the movies yesterday, did nothing to help my body's acquired longing for food, food, fatty foods. But I did it. I didn't touch not one kernel.
So, what's my diet like these days--for the next 10-12 days at least?
- 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice from an organic lemon
- 2 tablespoons of organic maple syrup grade B
- 1/10 of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- 10 ounces of water medium hot
- morning: 2 level teaspoons of uniodized sea salt in quart of water for salt-water flush
- evening: herbal laxative tea
- occasional to fight bad breathe due to detoxification: peppermint tea
The lemonade diet mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water is drank 6-12 times per day. The book noted that it would rid me of hunger pangs, and on the second day as I put a roast in the oven for everyone else, I couldn't agree more. Though I could be cheating myself because I'm not a huge meateater anyway. But still, as someone who has never purposely fasted before, I know this is going to take all the willpower I can muster.
At the end, I plan to prove to myself by doing this that nothing else is beyond me. Stay tuned as I chronicle each day of my fast. If you've ever done the Master Cleanser, are doing the cleanse or find yourself interested in doing it in conjunction with me, leave a comment. I'd really like to hear from those who have done the cleanse.
Mmm . . . Could it have something to do with the unnatural preservatives and hormones being placed in our foods, despite claims to the contrary? Kill them through the foods they eat. Kill them through the liquids they drink. Kill them through the air they breathe. When you're done, you've killed off a nation.
Testosterone Tumbling in American Males
FRIDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- The testosterone-fueled American male may be losing his punch.
Over the past two decades, levels of the sex hormone in U.S. men have been falling steadily, a new study finds.
For example, average total testosterone levels in men aged 65 to 69 fell from 503 nanograms/decileter (ng/dL) in 1988 to 423 ng/dL in 2003. Read more . . .
