The "Aha!" Moment During the Master Cleanse

I glazed over the fact that I was fasting for the past week in my last post, but I feel like I should dive deeper into the subject because of my "Aha!" moment.

I guess the real reason I started the "master cleanse" 9 days ago was because i wanted to feel what it was going to do to my body. I also thought i might have some sort of epiphany or something. Only drinking a mixture of water, maple syrup, lemon juice and cayenne pepper for 10 days aught to make you feel something, right?

I have to admit that this has been the absolute hardest thing I have ever done in my life. Going on all day only drinking this "lemonade" mixture whenever I feel hungry is such a hard thing to do when all you really wanna scarf is some Doritos. Or even some fried tofu with green beans and garlic sauce. Or a Boston Creme Donut. Here I go again.

Halfway through the fast, when it started becoming increasingly hard, a friend reminded me that when the body doesn't have to use its energy digesting food, it can use its energy to help other areas of your body that may be otherwise neglected. This thought helped a lot...and it was the beginning of me internalizing what was going on.

A few hours ago while I was feeling a little bummed that tomorrow would be my last day on the fast and I had yet to experience an "aha!" moment, it came to me. Much like digestion, my feelings toward my "American" eating habits were also being changed by the cleanse. The past 9 days, I have only drank when I was hungry. And though I was only taking in about 650 calories a day, I felt more alive than I have ever been. I for once was allowing myself to stop thinking about food all the time and was then able t focus on other things in my life that I had been neglecting.

I tried to begin listing "for instances," but none came to me :) But I do feel an indescribable difference. A difference large enough to convince myself that though this cleanse has been the hardest thing I have ever done, I need to do it every year. If only as a reminder of this indescribable feeling I have.

When I can eat regular food on Sunday (there is a "weaning off" process that last a few days after the 10 day of the cleanse), I will admit I am going to have some guacamole...some Mexican food! But hopefully I will carry on a bit of the habits I started with the cleanse.

Some weird things that happened during the cleanse:
-Lactic acid built up faster in my legs when I was at rehearsal
-I felt more focused when I drove my car
-Oddly, I felt more energetic, and more flexible than normal
-I lost almost 15 pounds...in 9 days
-I craved Doritos like you wouldn't believe...and I also craved meat, which is weird because I have been a vegetarian for 15 years

All in all, I know that I said earlier that I wouldn't recommend this cleanse to anyone, but after tonight, I think it is necessary to recharge your body and mind at least once a year.