Blueprint cleanse: Day 3

Today was more or less like yesterday - I felt mostly good. Energetic, clear-headed, and just kind of clean. Not to mention skinny - I've lost 4 pounds since I started! Maybe it's water, but it is motivating.

I did feel hungry at times. I've found my definition of "hunger" has really changed. When I do feel hunger pains, it's a more of an empty feeling (probably because my stomach is actually totally empty for once!) than a pain. I have had some random cravings for food, usually when I smell it, but it doesn't seem to trigger actual hunger. It's more of a passing thought that sounds good at the time but is quickly dismissed. I have discovered that I probably eat out of boredom a lot. At times during work, I would have an impulse to go to the snack cabinet. For no reason. I wasn't particularly hungry or experiencing a craving.

This experience has been an interesting one. I do feel "cleansed". I am looking forward to CHEWING again! I don't think I could do it every month, as the Blueprint Cleanse people recommend, but twice a year would be perfect! The first day is rough, but the glowing skin and numbers on the scale make it worth sticking out the three days!

Blueprint cleanse: Day 2

11:30 AM - I woke up today and I wasn't hungry. Hmm. This is odd for me, I generally am totally ravenous by the time I leave for work (around 8:30). I drank my room-temperature water, and my body seemed to be totally cool with that. Hm!

When I got to work, I chugged back my green juice (which today didn't taste quite as unpalatable!) and supplemented that with some herbal tea and water. I should probably consider moving my desk closer to the bathroom for the next two days.

Up to this point, I had been feeling pretty good! Clear-headed, and kind of light and fresh (and also skinny, I dropped 2 lbs since Sunday!). Around 10:15, that all changed. I totally crashed - I suddenly felt as if I had been up until 4 AM last night doing Kamakaze shots. I was bone tired, mentally fuzzy, I had a headache and felt phsyically worn down. I literally almost fell asleep at my desk ("No, I'm just stretching my neck, I had a kink in it!"). I decided it was time for a caffine boost, and grabbed a green tea. That seems to have done the trick!

4:25 PM - I am still feeling pretty good! I've been quite productive today, and managed to get through some very unstimulating tasks with relative ease. I also haven't been all that hungry. One time I did smell some "phantom" food, and perked up eagerly, but once I realized it wasn't real, I settled back into work without a problem. I'm drinking the lemonade now, which is very refreshing. I can't say I am all that excited about the beet juice tonight. Hopefully it will be like the green drink and taste better the second time around.

11:00 PM - The beet juice was harder this time, but I tried chugging it, so maybe that was the problem. It's got a lot of flavor, and it can be kind of overwhelming. The nut milk was much better tonight. Although it's kind of gritty, I look at it as an opportunity to chew. Ha.

I've noticed that my skin is looking really good. I saw myself in the mirror tonight and literally did a second-take. It is literally glowing. Maybe there is something to all this...

Blueprint Cleanse: Day 1

I woke up hungry. Like, hungry hungry. I am a breakfast eater - it's my favorite meal of the day, hands down. I typically start out the day with fruit, Kashi cereal with soy milk or Greek yogurt (or an everything bagel with light cream cheese if I am being "bad"). Today, however, the first item on the menu was water, either room temperature or hot with lemon (mmm! how filling!). I drank down my water, but it didn't do much to curb my appetite (shocking, I know). I couldn't wait to get to work where my first juice was waiting for me!

When I arrived at my office, I raced to the fridge for my first juice of the day (the green juice, consisting of of romaine, celery, cucumber, green apple, spinach, kale, parsley and lemon). Tomorrow morning, I may not run quite as fast. It looks and smells like grass juice. I'm not accustomed to breakfast vegetables, unless they are in an omelet. So it was a little disappointing, but hunger prevailed and I cracked it open. To my surprise, it tasted much better than it smelled. But it was still kind of a struggle to get down. About halfway through, I was feeling a little sick to my stomach. Luckily, that passed (it may have been the green tea I was drinking to supplement the juice).

Now, I am waiting for my "lunch" juice. I'm trying to hold back until noon, but it's rough. I am drinking a water to shut my growling stomach up. Besides being hungry, though, I feel pretty good. Kind of mentally clear. But my breath is kickin'! And I read it's not good to chew gum because it makes your body think it's eating, which makes you hungrier. So I'll be hitting the Listerine pretty hard today, and tomorrow I will try to remember to bring my toothbrush.

1:00 PM - So I'm on to the second juice now (pineapple, apple and mint). I started drinking it around noon. I find that drinking them slowly curbs potential hunger. This one is actually pretty tasty.

2:40 PM - I was feeling a little sluggish a bit ago. Just kind of all-around not-so-hot. I'm kind of not looking forward to this next juice (the second green one! Noooo!), but I'm starving so I will choke it down.

4:00 PM - I triumphed over the second green juice! Yea! This one wasn't as bad as the first one (maybe because I was STARVING. I bet if I had rushed down to Central Park in a frenzy of starvation and ripped up a handful of grass, that would have tasted okay, too). Energy-wise, I am doing pretty well. I feel pretty well overall, but sometimes I get slight waves of stomach-upset. That and I am peeing a LOT. I am even considering going to the gym tonight.

7:00 PM - I drank my other juice (like a master cleanse - water, lemon, agave and cayenne) about two hours ago. It was very light, refreshing and sweet, although how people do the master cleanse and drink nothing but that for 2 weeks is completely beyond me! I'm on to the beet juice now. It's not terrible. Tastes like...well, beets. The ingredients are: Apple, carrot, beet, lemon and ginger juice. It's got a really strong taste.

9:00 PM - Time for the "dessert" juice - cashew nut milk. It sounded delicious and creamy, with vanilla and Cinnamon sweetened by agave nectar. And the first swig was delicious! So was the second. And the third. However, by the time I had made my way halfway through the bottle, my enthusiasm was beginning to wane. It was kind of thick, with bits of crushed cashews floating around in it (you have to shake this one really well). At times, I almost felt like I needed to...chew! This should have made me happy, but truthfully, finishing it was a struggle. The sweetness started to upset my now-pristine stomach. Shortly afterwards, as I was puttering around my apartment, I was trying to place the strange sensation coming from my stomach. It took me a while to put my finger on it: I was full.