MC-Day 6

Detox and Dehydration.

Ugh. Today was another rough day. In fact, "rough" is somewhat of an understatement. I'm feeling a LOT better now (not great, but better), and it has taken all day to get here. This morning I woke up feeling weak and naseous, and had a really dry mouth. The overall feeling was similar to being hungover after a night of heavy drinking (a feeling I generally avoid at all costs).

I should have known better, but last night I doubled up on the Smooth Move tea bags. Bad call. This morning I had the worst abdominal cramps ever-granted, not as bad as when I had appendicitis-but seriously agonizing. After a quick trip to the bathroom I went immediately back to bed. Fortunately I had the day off today and there was nothing I had to get up for. Eventually I got up and moved to the couch, where I laid around until about 4 pm, until joining my hubby to take the dog for a hike.

Today Was All About The H2O

I could tell by how dry my mouth was when I woke up today that I was pretty dehydrated. The scale confirmed it this morning, too. I was down another two pounds from yesterday (that's 10 lbs in 6 days). What was most surprising is how I could get so dehydrated when all I do all day is drink lemonade and water.

My intuition told me to skip the lemonade today and just focus on taking in as much water as possible. Not only would it rehydrate by body, but I figured it would accelerate the process of washing out the toxins, too. I was right. I downed 3 liters of water, dry brushed my skin, and soaked in a salt water bath with lavender oil. By 6 pm I was feeling MUCH better.

Time For A SWF

Originally, I planned to skip both the SWF and the lemonade today and just guzzle a ton of water. But as the day went on, I started to think about just how important the SWF is to the MC program. The whole point of the cleanse is to rid your body of toxins, and giving the colon a shower is an integral part of that process. Besides, I countinue to have substantial BMs first thing in the morning from the LT. There's STILL stuff in there!

I didn't end up getting to the SWF until around 6 pm, but I figured it was better late than never. The timing didn't really matter anyway, because I was only drinking water today. This time I used 3 teaspoons instead of 2 (hoping it would pass through faster) and I tried drinking it through a straw. I'm trying everything I can think of to make the SWF go down easier (like imagining it's miso or chicken broth), but nothing is really working.

Yesterday I dissolved the salt in a shot glass and then chased it with 32oz of water. It was still awful. Today the straw worked a little bit better, but it was still challenging. Like the good little Master Cleanser I am, I prevailed, though. It was a good thing, too. I had some substantial BMs in the 90 minutes that followed. How the heck can anything still be in there? My colon must REALLY need sweeping! That thought really kind of grosses me out. Still, it's even worse to think that things may have stayed trapped in there if not for the MC.

Detox Symtoms-Day 6

Headache
Weakness
Nausea (my most unfavorite symptom)
White stripe down middle of tongue (accompanied by very nasty taste in mouth)
Skin smells funny (and not in a good way)
Inky, black poo (sorry! all part of the fun!)
Still hungry thinking about food, although hunger pangs less frequent

What I Learned About MY Body On Day 6

1. DON'T double up on the tea bags unless things are not really moving. It doesn't help move things any faster, it just makes things a whole lot more uncomfortable.
2. WATER, WATER, WATER! If I think I've had enough, I need to drink a whole lot more. Drinking half of my body weight in ounces of water everyday is not enough for ME on this cleanse. I need more!
3. Don't skip the SWF. Taking a day off from lemonade is fine as long as I load up on water. Just make sure things keep movin' out the back door.
4. When things get rough it's easy to talk yourself into breaking the fast. I have to remember that I AM the one putting myself through this-it's my choice. And that I'm doing it for the health of my body. I need to keep honoring the process and be grateful that I have resolved to give my body this chance to heal. There is always light on the other side-even if it takes 3/4 of a day to get there.

Can I Really Make It 39 Days?

Mabye, but I'm not sure. I'm confidnet that I can make it at least 10. Then I'll take it day by day. This is my first Master Cleanse and I want to finish it feeling good about what I've accomplished. Trying to make it for 39 days might be like trying to run a marathon for the first time without properly trainig for it. I might be better off transitioning to more raw food and then coming back in a few months and trying for a longer cleanse. Time (and my body) will tell for sure.