Addictive Health- Alternative Weight Loss and Energy

The Hidden Enemy

2007-05-23T19:41:00.000-07:00

Master Cleanse- Day 4

2007-05-20T08:05:00.000-07:00

I made a decision to end the cleanse. I was unable to drink the lemon drink anymore because it was bothering my teeth, and when I began drinking just plain water, I found myself feeling very tired, lightheaded, and shaky. I also noticed heart palpitations, so I felt that my body was telling me enough. It has been a great experience and one that I will do again in the future under different circumstances. Next time I will do it with fruit and vegetable juice and I'll do it on vacation.
Some thoughts on the Master Cleanse are this. I've begun to question if this is a very healthy process. I don't know how natural it is to consume that much maple syrup and citrus. My other concerns were what the effects of shutting down the intestines and colon are. A big deal is made about using teas or salt water to stimulate the colon, but something about that never felt right. I felt great the first couple of days, but I never drank the recommended amount of the lemonade drink (5-8 glasses). When I started to drink more of the drink my teeth bothered me. When I just drank water I no longer felt good.
I know this cleanse is sometimes referred to as the Lemonade Diet, but I would never recommend it for losing weight because it will mess with your metabolism and the excitement over the weight loss will disappear quickly when the fast is over. I think it is valuable physically to take a break from food, and even more valuable mentally. Any cleansing or fasting routine will automatically reframe how you think of food, and if you want to change your eating habits that is invaluable. For me I felt bad (detox) then great, then very bad. My personal opinion is that I will do short term (3-5 days) juice fasts to renew my body and mind and longer ones (5-15 days) as a spiritual experience.
I think no matter what you do with your body the most important thing of all is that you listen to the messages you receive. Take a break when it's time to break and nourish yourself when it's time to nourish.

Master Cleanse- Day 3

2007-05-18T22:35:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning feeling very tired. I was surprised by this because I had felt good the past few days. I'm not hungry although I think of food regularly, especially since it is Friday and the weekend is approaching.
My biggest concern at this point is the lemonade drink. I've only been drinking 2-3 of them a day because the acidity of the lemon bothers my teeth. Today I had one for energy, but I've been sticking with plain water mostly.
I had anticipated that there would be difficult moments during this cleanse, but they're not ones that I had thought about. I should have thought about the lemon juice because I have sensitive teeth, and I probably should have cut down on some of my commitments so that I could have some more time to rest.
The feeling in my body and mind is cool. Last night I was able to meditate very deeply, my entire body and mind felt very quiet. I've also noticed that without the physical and mental distraction of food different things in my life that I'd been ignoring come up strong. That is a mixed blessing because some of it makes me feel bad, but I prefer feeling sad for a little while to repressing thoughts and emotions.

Master Cleanse-- Day Two

2007-05-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

Here I am on the second day of the Master Cleanse, consuming nothing but water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. I haven't been very hungry physically. I was pretty tired last night and found that I slept very solidly. I've found that my powers of imagination have become amazing. I can think of food and it is so clear in my mind, I can see it, smell it, and taste it as if it were in my mouth. I find myself thinking about what I'm going to eat when I'm done. Of course, I know that for a few days after I'm done, I need to stick to liquids and work up to really basic foods.

What I find most interesting about doing this is the psychological aspect. I know that food has an emotional component, but I didn't realize how much time food actually took up. Not just preparing and eating it, but thinking about what I was going to eat. I would say the most prevalent negative emotion isn't deprivation, but boredom. It's weird to be working and then start thinking about what I'm going to eat for dinner only to realize I'm not eating dinner. It's a bit of a let down. I believe this is the cause of some of my mood swings more than the physical part. Ah, the mood swings. They aren't too bad, but I've definitely noticed a little less patience.

I consider myself very lucky to be going through this with my wife. One of the harder parts is feeding my daughter. She's only 15 months old so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, but I swear the last couple of days she's been intentionally waving her food in front of me. And she's just recently learned how to say "MMM" every time she puts something in her mouth.

But overall I do feel much better than yesterday when I felt tired and had a headache. When I feel good I feel good in a way that can only be described as spiritual. Its like when you're in a city on a Sunday morning, you're used to all the action and noise, so when its quiet it seems weird, but it's a welcome weirdness. And that is how I feel. It's like my body and mind are taking a well deserved vacation.

Master Cleanse-- Day One

2007-05-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's funny how things happen. I was walking around the bookstore the other day and this book called the Master Cleanse caught my eye. Basically it went through all the reasons for fasting/detoxing/cleansing. It talked about how it allows time for the body to rest and restore itself. The Master Cleanse is a minimum of 10 days and consists of consuming only water with maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, and cayenne pepper. I've read these books before, but this time it was different. My body was sending me signals that it was the right thing to do.
It was the perfect time because there were no social commitments or travel. So, I decided to do it.
I began preparing right after Mothers Day by eating only live foods for 2 days.
Those 2 days were pretty easy because my body was really ready to do this. I've never fasted for more than 2 days before, so I'm excited to see how it feels.
Today is the first day with no food, and although I knew to expect some detox symptoms like headaches, nausea and fatigue it is still unpleasant to feel them. BUT, I know they'll pass and they have. I've gotten hungry a few times but it's been pretty easy to focus myself and let that pass as well. It is funny though how much more effect watching food can have on me. I was waiting for my car to get fixed today and they had Martha Stewart on and she was making a strawberry cake (I swear I could taste it).
I've heard that after a couple of days the hunger pretty much subsides. I've noticed just from the 2 days of only live food, that I slept better, but I've also noticed today that I have a little less energy than normal.
I've set aside time to maintain my motivation by using self hypnosis. This allows me to boost the feelings I expect and experience from giving my body a vacation. I'll let you know how it works tomorrow...

The Weight Loss Elixir...

2007-04-27T16:38:00.000-07:00

4 Ways to Feel Good Now...

2007-04-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

1. Remember there is only one of you...
No where else on the planet has there ever been or ever will be another you. No one else will ever have the life you have.
Appreciate that.

2. What Are You Grateful For?
Take a moment and think about one thing in your life that you are absolutely thankful for. Maybe it's a person, an accomplishment or an experience.

3. Recall one challenge you have overcome...
Every life has its difficulties. What is one that you've had in the past that you've gotten through.

4. Give someone a hug...
Simple, but it works every time.

Changing Habits...

2007-04-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

Psychological Anchors

2007-03-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

When you want to make a change in your life become aware of the existence of anchors. Anchors are unconscious signals to feel a certain way or perform a specific action. Anchors can be something we see, hear, feel, smell, or taste. Most of the time the anchors are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic (feelings).

How do they work? You're probably aware of Pavlov and his dogs. He's the guy who conditioned dogs to salivate every time he rang a bell. He did this by ringing a bell every time he put food in front of them. Eventually they salivated just from the bell. It turns out that we aren't to much different when it comes to conditioning. Smokers are one of the more obvious examples of this. An amazing thing about smokers is that they never schedule their cigarettes in a daily
planner and yet they manage to smoke the same number of cigarettes every day. What is even more interesting is that they usually smoke them at the same times, places, and in the same situations every day.

Now what happens is that the morning coffee gets linked to the cigarette and becomes automatic, then it gets linked to the car ride and becomes automatic, and so on. Now they don't schedule these or even think about them because once they get linked with a specific stimulus (coffee, car, after dinner, etc) it becomes automatic and they don't need to think about it anymore.
So when you want to make a change in your behavior begin to look for
anchors that are tied to that behavior. As soon as you sit on the sofa
do feel that you need to eat, if you get in a fight with your spouse
do you feel like you need a drink, when you see that the clock says
12 PM do you feel that you have to eat regardless of if you're hungry
or not. Becoming aware of your anchors will greatly improve your
chances of success in making a change.

Testing Again

2007-03-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Will this show up