Tips for the Newbies...

SWF- Just drink what you can in 10 minutes or less then toss the rest. Stretching it out over a longer period of time doesn't make it taste any better. In between swigs, lick a cut lemon to rid your mouth of the *funky* taste. Massage your tummy when your done, do some light stretching and if you can lay back down on your right side wait for it to flush. Plan on taking it (the SWF) about 3 hours from when you need to leave the house. Most of us get up a little early to flush, then go back to bed until it does it's thing. I've read that a heating pad to the tummy can help too. If you decide the SWF (Salt-Water-Flush) just isn't for you, it's lax tea morning and night.

Lax Tea- Also, not delish. Add a bit of syrup to sweeten it.

Cayenne Pepper- Again, not delish. Mix your lemonades without it. Add it to indivual servings. Or do like I do, make a shot with some lemonade and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne 3-4 times a day.

Hunger/Cravings/Wanting to Cave and eat Solids- Take a spoonful of molasses or syrup. Neither taste delectable but both can mean the difference between forging on or giving up. Just down the spoonful and take a glass of water when your done. It is truly amazing how quick you'll feel better.

Your tush- Keep a few packs of flushable wet wipes on deck. You'll be spending lots of time on the pot and your tush will see lots of action each morning. The wet wipes keep you feeling fresh and they clean better than just TP. Some A&D ointment (baby diaper ointment) isn't a bad idea either, keep it from getting dried out.

Reward yourself- Whatever you do that makes you feel better, (as long as long passes your lips), DO IT. Reward yourself for small victories like making it through another day all while watching your friends and family enjoy all your old favorite. Go get a mani or a pedi, watch some trash reality tv, go to bed early, get a massage- whatever your thing is, just do it!

Bad breath- Brush often and don't forget your tongue (which will turn white and almost fuzzy). Mint tea helps, and I've heard that something called chlorophyll does too.

Support- Come here daily and read what's going on with other people. Chances are, that if you're experiencing something, someone is or has experienced it too.

How long?- Take it one day at a time. It's much easier to celebrate the 3 days that you've completed than the 7 (or 11 or 18) days you have left to go.

Weigh yourself- Whether weight loss is your reason for doing this or not, loosing a few is all the motivation most of us need to continue. Weigh daily and at the same time each day. For me, that's after the lax tea morning poo but before sipping anything, naked. Best of 3 wins (I'm a little OCD).

Plan- Make a plan for how you'll eat once you break. If you go back to eating the crap that brought you here in the first place, you'll gain back any losses and then some. Remember when you break, your body is going to initially hold on to whatever you feed it, so make it count- no crap.

Hope this helps. Anyone else can feel free to add some helpful hints.