If there is one habit that I take from this cleanse and continue to practice when the 21 days are up, let it be this: the practice of conscious eating. Let me continue to put thought into my meals. Let me refrain from mindless snacking. Let me choose foods that taste good but that also nourish my body, rather than eating to satisfy some craving that can never *quite* be sated.
This cleanse has made me painfully aware of how much I snack without really thinking about it. Day Two brought the headache that wouldn't stop, but Day Three was by far the worst day of all. It was the Day of Constant Craving. I suppose my days have always been filled with cravings, but I never really saw them as such because every craving I had was fulfilled almost instantly, without thought. Sweet tooth? Shovel in some candy or cookies or pastries or whatever happens to be around. Salty/crunchy craving? Eat half a bag of chips. Beer? Sure, why not, it's almost 5 o'clock! Too lazy to cook? Takeout Thai, Indian, Mexican, Burgers, what'll it be?
I realize now that these cravings, when fulfilled, perpetuate themselves. The hunger is quieted temporarily, but it always returns. The only way to make them go away is to stop feeding them. Which is NOT easy. In fact, you're pretty much guaranteed at least a couple of days of discomfort, irritability, and a general feeling of wanting to crawl out of your skin. At least, that was my experience. I am now past the withdrawals and past the cravings and past the sudden, disconcerting twinges of anxiety where it all just felt like *too much*. I am past that. And now? I just feel really damn good. I am proud of myself, and my husband, for making it through the hardest part and I am excited to continue this journey for the next two weeks. Cleanse on!
I love having a peek into your cleanse world. This journey of yours serves as an inspiration to others and makes me wonder what I can change or improve on.
ReplyDeleteSo far, is there anything that you think you will continue to abstain from? Or will you simply include all back into your diet but in "moderation" (whatever that means for you)? I guess this means no plans to binge on day 22? Ha! I was really looking forward to that post.
ReplyDeleteI think I will introduce some things, such as gluten, back into my diet slowly to see how they affect my body/health/mood. Alcohol is a slippery slope for me, so I'm thinking if I continue to drink it will only be socially or for special occasions. I don't think I will feel the *need* for caffeine after this, but I really do enjoy the taste of coffee, so I will probably just drink that in moderation, or perhaps decaf. I'm pretty sure that I will stick with a vegetarian diet post-cleanse. I was toying with the idea of going vegan, but I think that I would still like to enjoy cheese (and maybe eggs) once in a while, just not as often as I used to. Sugar is a big one that I'd like to continue to cut out. This is not to say I would abstain from dessert at GN or pass on a slice of cake at someone's birthday. I will just be more discerning about what sweets I consume and how much/often I consume them. But, no, I don't think I will be bingeing on Day 22, even though that would make for a really good post. :-) Honestly, I think doing that would probably make me feel physically sick, put my body into shock or something. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI guess it probably would, huh! Well, I'm glad the crappy part is behind you...happy cleansing!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm not sure if you have the need for any more books, but I saw this guy on Oprah a few days ago and his food looked yummy! Since you're thinking about staying vegetarian...this might be a fun cook-book to have.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.oprah.com/menu/food/menus/20091015-tows-tal-ronnen-vegan