The Master Cleanse

So I decided that I had to write at least one post about the master cleanse that I am doing. I first heard about this a few years ago from a friend that I went to university with. She was doing it, and I thought it sounded crazy and not like something I would ever want to do. Oh how our feelings change. Then I heard about it again a month or so ago from a friend who was living in Japan. She had done it before and was preparing to do it again. She said that it did wonders for her skin and acne. That was when I decided that this was something that I HAD to try. The idea behind the cleanse is to remove toxins from your body that have built up over the years. Those toxins are what make us sick and cause us to feel tired and run down.

Let me tell you a little about what it is. It was developed by Stanley Burroughs. It has recently gotten attention on the TV show "Glee" But they changed it a bit. The recipe is 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/10 tsp cayenne pepper and 10 oz water. You drink 6-12 glasses of it a day. This should be done for at least 10 days to clean out the system. I am someone who loves food and does not like to skip meals, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to stick to it.

I kept putting it off and putting it off. Then after Golden Week (my vacation in China) I decided that no time was going to be the perfect time, so I just had to do it. I started the first day that I got back from China. Today is actually day 7. I'm going to do it for at least 10 days. Your tongue gets this white coating while you're on it and then turns back to pink when all the toxins have been removed. I'm going to see what color my tongue is on day 10 and I might do it longer.

Like I said today is the seventh day. I have been so surprised that I have not been hungry. I was afraid that while I was doing this I would feel like I could eat my hand, but that is not the case. I feel pretty good. Some people say that you will feel pains in your joints as the toxins are removed, but I haven't really had that either. This whole not eating thing has been much easier than I thought it would be. It is amazing the things that your body can deal with.

The hardest part of this cleanse is the time with friends that I miss out on. So much of our social time with people is spent eating. Since I can't eat, I can't go out to dinner with friends or go to friend's houses for dinner. And if I am with friends and they are eating and I'm drinking my lemonade, I look a little strange. Not that I care that I look strange, but my friends have commented that it feels weird for them too. That has been the hardest part, the isolation and making my friends feel weird. But I know that I am doing this for a good reason and it won't last forever, just a few more days.

I haven't seen all of the results with my skin that I was hoping to see, but I feel like it has improved a bit. So I'll keep at it and see what happens at the end. I'll try to write again after the cleanse is finished and let you know how it went. Wish me luck.