I've just finished a seven day Master Cleanse (or the Lemonade Diet) as a way to give myself a jump start for the New Year. What did I learn?
1) Cravings are in my head. Hunger is in my belly. When I start craving food if I check in with my stomach, I'm usually not hungry. Rather it is the images and smells I can conjure up from memory that are driving me.
2) If I wait and go do something else, the craving will pass.
3) I learned from Oprah's show recently that another good thing to do is ask the question "What am I really hungry for?" For me it turned out that sometimes I just wanted a break from the work I was doing or, I needed to do something with my hands instead of my brain.
Fasting brings awareness of how use you food in your life.
Now it turns out for me, coming off the cleanse is harder than doing the cleanse. Once I start to eat food again, I can conjure up delicious tasting pizzas, cheese sandwiches (always things high in fat I've noticed) that I must have. NOW!
What is my strategy to avoid the "pigging out phase" I'm so vulnerable to?
Jo in her blog suggests the following:
I love her word "savour' because when I'm in an eating frenzy mood I am usually
- multi-tasking (reading, watching TV) and not paying attention to what I'm eating, or
- just tired and trying to get energy (I should just nap)
In either case I am certainly not savoring the food.
So I am practicing savoring my food, and so far so good.
Are you interested in a fasting?
Here are some other cleanses to consider In addition to the Master Cleanse.
Rebel Belle is doing the Raw Diva Detox (free on line).
If you want to do a more intense cleanse, there is Dr. Shulze's Cleansing programs. I did his 30 day detox after I was diagnosed with breast cancer in '94. It is good but not for the weak of heart nor at a time you have a tough work schedule.
