If I Can Do 17 Days...

If I can do 17 days on the Master Cleanse (down 14.2 pounds, thank you very much), why can't I be more disciplined about writing? After all, I love to eat, but I didn't for 17 days - amazing if you know me and my capacity for food. And I love to create stories, yet I struggle to sit at my keyboard and get more than a sentence out. I'm not stuck. I know what happens (mostly, a lot of my story works itself out in the writing) but I've barely managed 5 pages this week. That's not how I wanted to start this new year.

I know what to do. Sit down and write. It's simple! Simple to say, not so simple to do. Do you struggle with this too? Tell me I'm not alone.

Master Cleanse, Day 10

Today is day 10 of the Master Cleanse, the number of days considered the minimum necessary to achieve some level of benefit from the MC. The first time I did the MC, I went for 10 days. This time, I had planned to go for 21, but an upcoming trip is forcing to me to cut it at 17 - that will allow me a few days to break the fast in the right way and transition back to solid foods.

What is the Master Cleanse? - Basically, it's a juice fast designed to shut down the body's digestive processes so toxins can be eliminated. This is done by drinking a senna tea in the evening, a salt water flush in the morning (32 oz of water with 2 teaspoons of celtic sea salt) and then 6-10 lemonades (10 oz of water, 2 tablespoons each fresh lemon juice and grade B maple syrup) and water throughout the day.

So, how am I doing? - This cleanse has been far easier than the last one. I've worked out 9 of the 10 days so far (well, 8 0f 9 as I haven't worked out yet today, but I will) and have had amazing amounts of energy. Sleep's been good, dreams have been very entertaining, cravings have been minimal. That's not to say I haven't had cravings, but they've been pretty mild. Nothing so strong that I thought about quitting. The best cure for a craving or a feeling of hunger is to drink more lemonade. A few sips and those feelings are gone. Overall, I feel fantastic!

Detox symptoms? - Everyone's detox symptoms vary. So far I've had a couple of minor headaches, and the hiccups (actually, I don't know if that's a symptom of detox or not) and I've been cold. I'm normally a cold person anyway, but it's been worse these last 10 days. The "coldies" are a fairly common symptom. I also have the coated tongue associated with the MC. The coated tongue is a sure sign your body is detoxing and as it clears up and returns to pink, you can see yourself getting "clean."

Results so far? As of this morning, I'm down 9.6 pounds. While the MC isn't a diet, the weight loss is definite side benny. The other major benefit and a big part of why I do this, is that my brain is now reprogramed not to want all the crap I spent the holiday's eating. Instead of craving cookies or sweets, I've been thinking a lot about the fruits and vegetables I'll get to eat when I break this fast. In fact, I plan to incorporate about 75% raw foods into my diet after this as part of my plan to continue losing weight until I hit my target.

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you want to know!

What your dream pet says about you...

I'm over at Fictionistas today talking about what your dream pet says about you. Surprisingly accurate! Come play!

For those of you interested in the Master Cleanse I'm doing, I'll have more of an update on that tomorrow, but it's still going well!

Plans?

What are your plans for tonight? Anything big going on? A party? A gathering of friends or a blow out bash? I've spent New Year's Eve in Times Square, the rockin' streets of San Antonio, the bead-trashed avenues of New Orleans, on a ship in the Bahamas, the beaches of the Cayman Islands...many different spots. But tonight, we're staying in.

I'll probably be in bed by 10 pm. With a book. Hey, it's my New Year's Eve, I can do with it what I want. Not to mention Hotrod will be snoring by 11 PM at the latest anyway.

In other news, it's Day 3 of the Master Cleanse and I'm down another pound. (2 days, 6 pounds for those of you playing along with the home game.) I got out for another 35 minute walk yesterday - man, that feels good! It's so nice to be out in the sunshine.

So, tell me about your NYE plans.