vagabonding - n. a privately meaningful manner of travel that emphasizes creativity, adventure, awareness, simplicity, discovery, independence, realism, good humor, and the growth of the spirit. also read...
TRANSIENT NODES var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-15374586-2']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();
I DID IT! yesterday was the last day of my cleanse and i can happily say i got thru it with flying colors. though i was really tempted to grab a slice of that delicious patxi's chicago deep dish pizza the office ordered yesterday, i refrained. and here i am -- a little less than 5 lbs lost and i'm feeling great!
day 3 was surprisingly easy. the hunger cramps slowed down significantly, my energy was up, and i was feeling much more normal in general. i even had a nice little cardio workout and i'll tell you right now, afterward, i had the most intense endorphin high. it was awesome.
my brain functioning has returned to normal and for some reason feels more adept and sharp. i was literally a machine at work -- gettin' all sorts of shit done. it's likely because all the energy that's normally spent on digestion is now distributed to other bodily functions, brain power included. i'm certain this is one of the most powerful benefits of the cleanse.
it's safe to say, i think my body has successfully adjusted. i don't really feel too much hunger (at least not as intense as day two) and all my looney cravings for donuts and steak have subsided. it's strange -- i'm no longer hungry for them but i do miss the taste. for the most part, the juices sufficed at satisfying my hunger and even at the third day, they still tasted fresh and crisp. i later read that blueprint has perfected a preservation technique called high pressure pascalization. really cool stuff here. i'm going to especially miss the p.a.m. (pineapple, apple, mint). omg it is so good i want one now.
18 juices later and here i am. it's funny, now that i passed the three day threshold, i feel like i can go another couple of days juice-only. but i'm not gonna do that. i'll slowly start to introduce food to my system starting today. and maybe in the couple of days trailing, i'll make my own juices by copying the BPC recipes and use them as a meal replacement.
if you're thinking about doing a cleanse, some tips --
make sure weight loss isn't your main goal: most cleanses are designed to give your digestive systems a rest and release your body of toxins. though you will lose weight, most of it will be water weight and you're likely to gain back almost half once you start introducing food to your diet again.
if you have major health issues, a cleanse probably isn't for you: after going thru the shock first hand, i can tell you right now, if you have problems with your health, don't do a cleanse. the health benefits sound amazing, i know, but it's a pretty intense process and an even bigger mental challenge. make double sure that you're up to it, body and mind.
have a support system: i did my cleanse solo, but it's better to do it in a group. lucky for me, i had a whole bunch of friends and family to root me on and and listen to me bitch about how i needed steak now. documenting the experience thru this blog also helped with the accountability element and the financial investment in and of itself was also a big motivating factor. but nothing made me feel more encouraged and determined than the support given by the people i love. thanks, guys.
if i can do it, you can do it too: if you're generally in good health and are thinking about doing a cleanse, do it. it's a great feeling when you put your mind to something challenging and actually get thru it as you imagined. i love food so so much and the thought of depriving myself of it for three days was absolutely daunting. but i did it and i'm glad i did. i learned a lot about myself these past three days and i'm sure you'll experience something similar.
i know you're supposed to transition into eating solid foods again, but screw it. tonight i'm eating steak.
i'm hungry. so very hungry. a bunch of reviews i read before i started the cleanse mentioned day two was the hardest. i believe them. this day pretty much sucked.
my sleep was sorta broken last night. for some reason i kept tossing and turning and couldn't turn my mind off. i have a feeling this is because my body was in slight shock and was probably wondering why i went to bed without feeding it. as a result, i wasn't exactly a happy camper this morning, but surprisingly, i didn't feel weak. as i got ready, my energy level was like any other morning. oh, and in case you're wondering, i weighed myself when i woke up and i lost a total of 3 lbs. madness.
the juice settled a bit over the 24 hours it was in my fridge, which is to be expected. made me wonder how fresh they actually are -- i read that juices are always best when consumed within 15 minutes of extraction but oh well, gotta make due with what i have. i felt a little better when i was reminded that each juice comes with an air tight seal under the cap.
even weirder is how my mind reacted. i found myself unable to find the right words while i was speaking. a couple of times i felt myself daze out when coworkers would talk to me. at its worst, i'm pretty sure i hallucinated a couple of times and did quite a few double takes throughout the day. it was a bit like being high -- time was staggered, everything felt surreal, and i was just stuck. i kind of understand why zen people want to fast now -- this shit takes your mind to some strange places.
needless to say, i made it thru the day. drank 5 juices while at work and downed my cashew milk right when i got home. i initially planned on doing some light exercising at the gym, but opted out since i felt so weird. i should also note, the peeing still hasn't really slowed down and sorry for being tmi, but the other stuff you excrete? yea, that's more frequent too.
the important thing is that i'm 2/3 done. this is the home stretch and there's really no point ruining it by eating now. day 3 here i come!
lastly, i got this picture in an email today and it triggered one of my empty dazes. who knows how long i stared at it.
WHY I'M DOING A JUICE CLEANSE AND WHICH ONE I CHOSE
it doesn't take much thought as to why i wanted to do this cleanse -- i feel fat, my metabolism sucks, and i need to be healthier. simple as that. now, i already know a little about juicing because my parents do it as a supplement to boost their energy and i also have family members who've done juice fasts before. i could have easily gone the rouge route and used our household masticating juicer, found recipes online, and did everything manually but ultimately, i went with a ready-made online cleanse because, let's face it, i'm lazy and i don't really know what i'm doing.
there are many options online and all cost roughly the same give or take $20. thru word of mouth, various online resources, and this huffpo article, i decided blueprint was the company i wanted to go with largely because all testimonials verified the juices taste good. if i'm gonna spend a wad of cash on juices, they better taste like clouds and sunshine, dammit! blueprint's renovation cleanse (aka the one you do if your eating habits suck) is priced at $225 for 3 days (overnight shipping included). this is what i've chosen as my poison.
i'm very happy with my decision. from their clean and slick website, awesome bottle designs, handy instruction emails, cute packaging, and rad to-go cooler that came in the box, the whole blueprint experience has been nothing short of delightful.
a couple of days before i was set to begin my cleanse, blueprint sent me an email saying i should cut back to avoid my body going into shock. that means for the days leading up to the cleanse i was limited to an all fruit and vegetable diet. in their own words, "think raw. think vegan. think fruits & veggies. think hamburger - just kidding." super cute. since it was the weekend and i love food way too much, i held off on this until the day before my cleanse, which was yesterday. i had blueberries for breakfast, a spinach arugula salad with cucumber for lunch (lemon juice and olive oil for dressing), and vegetable broth with sliced avocado and cucumber on the side for dinner.
DAY ONE
today was the big day. this morning i had a hot water with lemon juice drink to wake my system and patiently waited for my package to arrive. sure enough, fedex delivered and i immediately put my juices in the refrigerator.
the regimen goes like this -- you have 6 juices to drink throughout the day. you can drink them at whatever frequency you please but you have to do it in order and should have a tall glass of water in between juices. you also have to finish your last juice 2 hours before you go to sleep.
i'm not going to lie, today was pretty easy. mostly because of the excitement and newness of the cleanse but also because it was simply fun to taste all the different juices. a quick run down on each of them:
1 and 3 (green juice)
ingredients: romaine, celery, cucumber, green apple, spinach, kale, parsley, lemon
verdict: this juice is delicious--tangy, hefty, and very healthy-tasting. just what you'd expect a green juice to be.
2 (p.a.m.)
ingredients: filtered water, pineapple, apple, mint
verdict: i think this may be my favorite juice of the bunch. it's refreshing, sweet, surprisingly light, and the mint is a brilliant touch.
4 (spicy lemonade)
ingredients: filtered water, lemon, agave nectar, cayenne
verdict: i'm sure the cayenne idea was borrowed from the master cleanse but it throws this juice a little off. i hear cayenne is very good for you, so i guess that makes it a little worth it, but this juice is pretty meh.
5 (c.a.b.)
ingredients: apple, carrot, beet, lemon, ginger
verdict: the fact that i don't like beets or ginger kinda kills it for me. this juice is my least favorite, bar none. it's not necessarily disgusting, but for me it was the hardest to take down.
6 (cashew milk)
ingredients: filtered water, raw cashews, agave nectar, vanilla bean, cinnamon
verdict: this one is thick, milky, sweet, and very comforting. as a kid, i never drank warm milk before bed but i'm sure the sensation this cashew milk gives you after drinking it is similar to that experience. it's surprisingly heavy for the last milk of the day but i suppose that's why blueprint wants you to wait 2 hours after drinking it to go to sleep.
RESULTS SO FAR
i feel great! my energy level has been consistent, at no point during the day have i felt fatigue. and hunger is most certainly there, but manageable. i should note that my entire office got mexican food and tamales catered for lunch today and i had to leave the building cuz the smells were killing me. that's one strange thing -- i do tend to notice all the people around me eating and my sense of smell is definitely heightened. i'm guessing this is a mental thing. i'm also guessing that me dreaming about steak all day is a mental thing and not necessarily a byproduct of the juicing.
another thing i should note, these juices make you pee. a lot. i can't even count how many times i went to the bathroom today. but i'm pretty sure this is normal.
everyone says days 2 and 3 are when shit gets real so i'm bracing myself. fingers crossed tomorrow isn't so difficult. stay tuned!
a year ago today i jumped on a plane from JFK to munich and had the most incredible 3 months of my life backpacking thru europe. cheers to the best trip ever and happy EPIC EUROPE TRIP anniversary to my travel buddy, emotivelle!
meet my friend, jameson. he's from ireland and can be harsh at times but he always makes me feel warm inside. he's also buddies with my friends emotivelle and fuck it. party. we always have the bestest times together drinking pickle juice and eating savory starters with cheesecake. xoxo jamo!
i took my (not so) little cousins to the sutro baths one friday in july. i didn't tell them where we were going so none of them brought sweaters and they all wore flip flops. it was a cold day and we had to hike.
"the method of romantic realism is to make life more beautiful and interesting than it actually is, yet give it all the reality, and even a more convincing reality than that of our everyday existence."
The journey is better than the destination, and for most travellers, that journey begins the moment they decide to leave. Oh! The anticipation. The light at the end of the tunnel. The saving grace to late nights at the office, long lines at the DMV, servers with attitude. Everything is...
playful quips is one of my bestest friends, caroline. she just flared up her blog and started writing posts with such evocative and relatable honesty, it makes my heart swell and smile at the same time. give her a follow, will ya?
prguitarman
kianamaiart
2087
gummygunk
baratheonpilled
titsay
turnnoffyourmind
