The Cleanse, Day Seven

I have now completed one-third of the Quantum Wellness Cleanse.  The following are some observations I have made over the course of the week:

1)  I can differentiate between true hunger and craving.  The craving always has an emotional element to it that I wasn't always aware of.  Now that I am unable to fulfill my cravings, I am forced to deal with the underlying emotion.  Whether it is stress or irritation or boredom or anxiety, I am forced to acknowledge it.

2)  I can tell when my body is ready for sleep, which is usually around 9:30 or 10:00.  Pre-cleanse, I always felt like I had to eek out as much "adult" time as possible in the evenings, rarely going to bed before 11 pm and often much later.  With children that wake me during the night and that NEVER sleep past 7 am, I simply wasn't getting enough sleep.  Now, I get enough sleep AND the sleep is of a higher quality.  I wake up feeling rested.  Even at 6 am.

3)  My skin is clearer and brighter.  At first, I thought I was probably just imagining it, but then my husband mentioned it out of the blue when I wasn't wearing any makeup and that just about made my day.

4)  I have WAY more energy and my moods are more even-keeled.  My patience with the children has been restored ten-fold and I *think* I am being nicer to my husband, but you'd probably have to ask him to know for sure.

5)  I find it interesting that the things I used to help me "cope" with life, i.e. coffee to wake me up in the morning, alcohol to help me relax in the evening, were actually making my life harder to deal with.  They may have, at some point, been a temporary fix, but it always became this vicious cycle of my body suffering because of these substances and then craving them to make me feel better again.

6)  I am not a fan of vegan cheese.  The texture is icky and it smells weird.  If I'm gonna eat cheese, I want it to be the real thing.  If I can't eat the real thing, then I'd rather eat something else entirely.

7)  I have lost 4 pounds.  This means I weigh one pound less than I did when I married Stephen 4+ years ago.  Now, anyone who knows me well knows that my body is NOT what it was on my wedding day.  This makes two things very clear to me: 1) the number on the scale don't mean diddly, and 2) it's time to hit the gym, yo.