One Month Post Cleanse - My Whole Story (LONG post)

This forum helped me through my cleanse, so I thought I might (for once) post something and tell my whole story, which was a very positive and life-changing experience.

"How do you see yourself in the future?"

That question was what prompted my lifestyle changes because I realized I would never become what I've always pictured myself to be if I didn't do something now. A little background information: I've been struggling with my weight for years. I've tried all the diets, the latest being Atkins. I always felt pressure from my family and myself to lose weight and had become desperate (hence, the Atkins diet). I've been diagnosed with PCOS, my back hurt all the time, standing for long periods of time killed my feet (and I'm in nursing school), my first ever purchases from Lane Bryant were getting snug, and I was depressed. Learning about all the body processes in school taught me how incredible bodies are and intellectually I couldn't see how eating hydrogenated fats, fake cheese made of god knows what, and just plain fake food could be nourishing my body at all. I knew what I had to do, but I just couldn't get over the hump.

A friend told me about the cleanse a couple of months ago and I was instantly intrigued. After doing all my research, I decided this was something I could do to help me prepare my body to let go of some fat. The whole cleansing/detox process sounded like something I could do to give myself a fresh start at a healthy life.

First of all, I used to be a daily pot smoker and I smoked about a half a pack a day. I quit when I decided to do the cleanse (I had been smoking both for 9 years). I didn't do the whole preparation period of just fruit and veggies, I just went straight to it, though I was never one to turn my nose up at fruit and veggies and I've always preferred them to meat and cheese. I only went 10 days, but I am hesitant to use the word "only", as this was not an easy task. What kept me going was that this is only 10 days and I have nothing to lose if I stick to it, only things to gain. Looking back, I know there were some difficult days, but I never had the serious detox symptoms others had, probably because I had prepared by quitting smoking and coffee about a week before starting the cleanse. I was just very irritable.

The mental experience was incredible, I relearned how to think about food and how to look at what is triggering me to want to eat. I changed my whole relationship with food. Food became what gives me energy, not what soothes me. I was able to take a break from eating so I could learn what things I should be eating. I realized I need a new way to deal with anxiety, because smoking a pack of cigarettes before a big test in school was not helping my health at all, and eating junk food is only a temporary fix with long term consequences. A side note: I also realized who my friends really are. The girl I had been friends with for years and someone I have always considered a sister was hurt that I didn't include her in my cleanse; I kind of think she was threatened by my newfound sense of empowerment and interest in my health. She has since stopped calling me and we have pretty much fallen out of friendship. I just realize now how easy it is to surround misery with company and how this can camoflauge a true connection. I've noticed a lot of people who are interested in losing weight aren't as interested in the mental journey you must take to find out why you keep gaining weight. IMO, it's necessary.

Physically, the most noticable (to others) change was my weight. I dropped from 240 to 223.5 on day 10. As I transitioned back to food, I just kept losing weight. I must mention I was walking daily, at least 2 miles, and doing ab exercises with my ball (something I had not been doing at all before). People started noticing how much clearer my complexion was, and how much brighter I looked. What really sold me on how incredible the cleanse is was the fact that my HUGE wart I had on my thumb (it was actually a cluster of like 6 warts, it was gross) just went away. Disappeared within those 10 days, and this wart had been growing for the last couple years. I'd even had it burned off before, and it just kept growing back. One month post cleanse, and guess what? No wart. In fact, it's disappeared even more.

I must also mention that post cleanse, I went straight to a vegan diet (mainly vegan, sushi is my only indulgence). The main aid in the switch, other than the health benifits, was watching some of the PETA videos, reading Fast Food Nation, and Deadly Feasts. Made me realize eating meat just isn't worth it. It just isn't worth contributing to that industry when I can live a long a healthy life without meat. In fact, I can eat more food and still lose weight. I make sure I drink at least 100 oz. of water a day and I have a vegan diet outline taped to my refrigerator so I know that I need to have fruits, veggies, grains and legumes and that I also need to make sure I have adequate supply of B12 and Omega-3's from my diet.

I now weigh 213 (long term goal weight 155, short term 200), my legs have definition I haven't seen since... well... I can't even remember. My clothes all fit better, my "fat" shorts are so loose I need to get rid of them, and my "tight" shorts are falling off. I haven't smoked a cigarette in a month and a half, I haven't smoked any pot, and I haven't had one alcoholic beverage. My cravings are met with my asking myself "why am I craving" and the answer is all I need to stop myself from giving in. My only vice now is coffee/caffeine and I treat it like it is a vice and not a crutch. I enjoy produce shopping so much, it's one of my favorite times of the week.

I really don't know if all the changes I made were because of the cleanse or included the cleanse, but I do know it was the greatest mental accomplishment of my life which will benefit me physically for the rest of my life. I will periodically do the cleanse whenever I start to feel "unclean" again and I recommend it to anyone who feels like they can't accomplish their goals. I can't recommend this cleanse enough, it can change your life if you let it.

Sorry if I rambled too much, I just really want to help to inspire people like the people who were posting while I was on the cleanse inspired me. If you are thinking about giving up because all you are thinking about is food, instead of letting your thoughts about food consume you, drink some lemonade, and think about why you started the cleanse and the incredible gift you are giving to yourself. This cleanse can either be the beginning of a great change or a contribution to an already healthy lifestyle.

Don't give up, you are all you have! :)

Robin
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