Last day of the master cleanse

It's my last day finally of this master cleanse, I can't stand to drink this lemon/maple syrup/cayenne pepper mix anymore.  The past several days i definitely have not been drinking the necessary amounts, and after exercisng my body feels weak.  This morning i awoke to a nightmare. I had some dental surgery, and the only way for my insurance to pay for it was for me to have my mouth wired shut for an additional two weeks.  They had already wired it shut before i could give the approval.  I tried to explain i could not go another two weeks without eating, that would be a month without food! definitely i am ready to get off the cleanse. i awoke this morning and realized my phone was not charged and my dog had woken me up at 530 am. too late to do the salt water flush, and last night no herbal tea laxative.  slightly frustrated but not chancing it this morning. day not starting off the greatest till i realized it was may 19th, interesting how a memorable day like that can turn your bad day around.

16 years ago may 19th was this termed friendship day with my group the lucky 7, where we were rebellious, fun, filled with laughter, crushes, and hope.  7 girls in one car, teepeeing crushes houses with toilet paper, rotten apples, signs. and getting caught!

mc day 6

60% completion and finishing the weekend out. on average  i have lost 1 lb. a day. hit a slight road block today. one thing i admit, i slightly cheated but only with hard candy/jellybeans, which is generally around the salt water flush time. it's the only way i can get through this. today, minimal of the lemonade mix, blah. i prefer water, but still not too much hunger. i realize i am an emotional eater. was reading body for life by bob greene and watching him on oprah, i do not want to admit that. eat to make me feel better. treat myself with a small piece of candy when i walk the dogs, have a stressful client, or am exhausted.  and now no food (mostly). with four more days left and them being work days, i know i can do this!

day 4 going strong

4th day of the cleanse. last night had major back pain, lingering this morning.  i have read that when doing the cleanse old wounds arise to further heal. when was this back pain from?  hunger still minimal, more of the social aspect. wondering how the weekend will go, trying to convince the chef fiance to do the cleanse with me to minimize food temptation. i like to think of completing each day as percentages, today 40% completed.  the hardest part is actually the morning, with the salt water flush and excretion. only 6 more of those to go!

day 3 of the cleanse

day 2 mc was horrible. woke up with a headache at 4:00 am that lasted the whole day. everytime i bent down during the day, the pain would exacerbate.  i needed to read people's experiences on the message board.  i was reminded the first two days are the worst, and headaches are signs of toxins leaving your body. which comforted me. i slept early as i wanted the day to end. my fiance tried to worsen my my mood by asking me to get food for him. i reminded him i am not touching food if i can't eat.  i told a friend today of doing this cleanse, she had done it before and asked why now?  no special reason why now.  i had put off doing it in january as a kick off, procrastinated when a friend did it in november and february. my fiance wanted to do it a couple weeks ago, but i had to wait for my birthday to pass to ensure full celebration. she asked if i was documenting this via writing.  day 2 was not the day to ask, b/c i was full of pain and tiredness.

day 3- i woke up feeling better today.i felt thinner, i looked on the scale and lost three lbs. already!  This was further incentive to stick with the plan of 10 days. yesterday i talked to a friend who has done the cleanse for 40 days, i was in complete shock, i never met someone who conquered this feat. she assured me most of the results were seen within 10 days. ironically hunger has not been much of a problem, more tiredness. but today i feel good.  i actually have the urge to write today and feel invigorated to conquer what's in store.

master cleanse day 1

another journey i am starting on, my annual master cleanse. the last time i did this was january 2010, i skipped the year i was 31! but doing it twice within a year made up for it.  i began this when i lived in hawaii in 2006, and have generally kept it.  each experience is different.  many times i make it all ten days, other times i have to end early.

this time seems different.  i am getting over a cold this weekend, in which i temporarily lost sense of smell and in actuality could not taste either.  therefore the foods i ate, almost no point what i put in my mouth, b/c there was no pure pleasure. perfect time to start.

this time i am doing it to jump start my weight loss, it seems this is the only thing that has worked past several years. but also a purging, a cleansing of built up stuff inside, and a metaphorical conquest. wish me luck

4 day celebration

Tourists are all around me.  I decided to spend my birthday weekend as a tourist.  I took two days off to truly feel I could celebrate my birthday this year, which landed on  a Monday.  I have come to realize the essence of having your birthday off every year.  It truly should be considered a holiday.  

Each of the four days were special.   Each lived with passion, fun, and excitement, as a vacationer would.

One of the days was pure heaven.  A friend of mine Pam had invited myself and Anthony to a BBQ, but this was not any BBQ.  It was held at Waimea Gardens on the North Shore, serving as a thank you luncheon for volunteers of the Kokua Foundation.  Jack Johnson and his wife founded this organization, which focuses on bringing gardening and nutrition to the elementary schools.    I had a feeling Jack would be there, after researching no current world tours existed for that day.  And he was!  Less than 40 people attended, and I felt truly honored to be there, writing name tags on coconut leaves next to Jack Johnson, the world famous singer songwriter.  We sat next to his wife and child, as he did a brief acoustic set.  I thought how thousands of people would want to be in my shoes at that moment, spending massive amounts of money.  But instead this was free and it felt like a backyard BBQ. 

Later in the day as I walked to the waterfall in Waimea, I was surrounded by several butterflies.  Although Anthony and Pam did not join me in my swim under the waterfall, I felt it was something I had to do.  We boogie boarded somewhere along the North Shore later, as turtle passed by.  How quintessential Hawaii could you get?

On my birthday, we continued to embrace the tourist lifestyle, starting the day off at the Dole plantation, completing the largest maze in the world.  I have always wanted to make a stop here, but nobody ever agreed to accompany me.  But since it was my birthday  weekend, I could do anything with company.  We went, the dole was a tourist hub in the middle of nowhere serving soft serve pineapple whipped ice cream, fresh pineapple, and pineapple sundaes.  We satisfied our food cravings after in Haleiwa with a pit stop to Giovanni’s shrimp truck, surprisingly filled with Japanese tourists.  Anthony wondered “how did they find this place?” They research their guides, voted number one food truck.  Eventually we landed in shark’s cove, disregarding the no swim sign, we snorkeled and played on the beach until the clouds moved in.

Tourists truly capture as much into one day as possible.  I tried to do the same with my weekend, allowing one full day of rest.

It culminated the night of my birthday, we decided to do a dinner cruise.  One hour before arrival time, I heard thunder and saw gray clouds.  When I tried to call and cancel, I was denied.  The receptionist said “it’s clear over here.”  So we went, sprinkles of rain fell onto our fancy clothes, and we tried to cancel again.  “We’re still sailing in this weather.”  No turning back as we stepped onto the boat.  Shortly after boarding,  other passengers shifted to the left side of the boat.  Quickly a cloud was gathering.  I couldn’t imagine what they were taking pictures of.  “Look a water sprout!”  I questioned what that was, as I eased myself to the side peaking above and between their heads.  What stood before me truly left my mouth agape, in the near distance was literally a tornado in the water.  We were sailing towards that?  The other travelers were filled with excitement, while my fiancé and I were slightly filled with terror.  No turning back. 

And the trip ensued, and so did the storm.  Incessant thunder, lightning, and rocking.  There was a female passenger in front of us who appeared to be having a panic attack.  A staff member was informed.  Their solution was to give this woman a big group bear hug, and then later booze her up with a tropical cocktail.  She didn’t drink it.  A fellow passenger who was a stranger, tried to convince her “there’s no need to worry, I’m a great swimmer.”

I was surprised the dancers, musicians, and staff kept their composure and balance.  It was hard to walk the boat without appearing you were drunk, but to dance?  The rough weather was briefly acknowledged, the emcee saying “you are a great crowd despite this rainy weather.”  They did not exacerbate our fear or show it on their faces.  They kept the show going. 

As we held onto the boat and focused on staying alive, somehow the other guests enjoyed themselves.   Anthony asked me, “how can these people be having fun?”  I said “They’re on vacation.”  Despite the storm, they still participated in being photo crazy, learning the Tahitian rhythms with their hips, and formed an extensive conga line.  

Before the boat docked, we talked with the cruise director exclaiming our disappointment, especially because we had tried to cancel earlier.  We were rewarded with two free tickets to a future cruise.  Maybe we dance and live more as tourists that day, lightning and thunder free.

I generally try to appreciate and celebrate my birthday, but something about this year felt different.  There was more enjoyment, even though I did not eat one piece of birthday cake, blow out a birthday candle, open many gifts, or throw a big soirée.    I truly tried to take time off guilt free and live in the moment doing activities reserved generally for tourists.  Most of the activities were free, or I had some type of coupon for.  Happiness doesn’t have to be expensive.  Happiness is in the moment.  As I sat on that dinner cruise, I could have cried due to my birthday ending in disaster.   But I knew I had to take this in stride, it would serve as a hilarious SNL parody in my head when recounting this tail to others.  And this boat ride will pass.  I just had four glorious days, this two hour boat ride does not have to taint the rest of my glorious memory. 

birthday weekend

turning 32, something feels different about this year than others.  i am really relishing turning 32.  to celebrate i took 4 days off to turn it into a 4 day celebration....i think simply the process of choosing to celebrate versus dread morphs the whole birthday perspective.   each day has been special doing things i have been putting off and wanting to check off my list..

friday -dim sum and boogie boarding

saturday- hanging out with jack johnson and a mini kokua, swimming in a waterfall, being surrounded by butterflies and later turtles.  boogie boarding in the north shore. and partying it up in waikiki until almost closing time.

sunday- a full day of rest and relaxation, to find out some relief that osama bin laden was finally caught and killed, after searching for 10 years.

today- on tap shopping, dole plantation, boogie board, and relaxing in the north shore

time to celebrate