What I'll Be Starting Tomorrow

I’ve been hinting at it for the past few blog posts, that I’ve got an announcement. Actually, I have two but I’ll share one now and the other later this month.

Rob bought me the 21 Day Fix DVD set and I am going to begin it tomorrow.  Odds are, if you’re up in the wee small hours, you’ve seen the infomercial (or skipped past it to watch another infomercial).  As you know, I exercise with certain restrictions so it is difficult for me to find workouts that we feel are a good fit.  This particular set of DVDs shows a woman modifying the workouts, doing low impact moves while everyone else is leaping and jumping around.

The set arrived in the middle of the first week of repairs, when we still believed the floor would be finished before the end of the second week.  It certainly added another layer of urgency to seeing the floor finished.  After all, whether I leap and jump around, I still will need room to move and right now the only room that has any real room is the kitchen. 

So when I heard that the room is not going to be finished after all, I went into a bit of a pout.  Then Rob proved once again how brilliant he is.  He suggested that I could exercise in the living room.  All he needed to do is move the coffee table out of my way to give me a little extra room.  And he’s right!  That will work!  

For the past few days, I’ve been saying that I might begin using 21 Day Fix on the 15^th but today I can say with certainty that I will begin using it tomorrow!  I have on my pedometer. I have a Smashbook in which I’ll track my progress, including what exercises I do each day, before and after pictures, and such.  I’ve been wanting to take my fitness and weight loss journey more seriously.  I had planned on beginning to do so in January, but then I was sick most of the month.  February had its own challenges.   And, when I heard that the room wouldn’t be done last week after all, I figured we’d have to wait until the end of the month or even for April.

But no.  Not at all.  I begin tomorrow.  I’ll blog about it for the next three weeks.  Assuming I can make it through all three weeks, at the end of the blogging, I shall have another announcement for you, my dear readers.  In the meantime, I hope you’ll enjoy sharing in this part of my journey.  I’ll try to keep it interesting.  "See" you tomorrow!

Satia's State of Affairs

On Monday, the contractor said that this part of the work would be finished on Friday, today.  But I had my doubts.  I mean, look at what the room looked like this morning?  How could that be?  Still, I hoped. 

Okay.  I tried to hope.  Then the contractor asked Rob if they could stay late.  Yes.  Of course, yes. Stay as late as you need.  Then he said he’d be back on Monday.  Monday? Monday is not Friday.  Monday is next week!  Another week! 

When we were told it would take one week to do the floor, I didn’t believe it.  I assumed two weeks.  So Monday it all started and, the following Monday, we were told “this Friday,” a validation of my assumption.  Naturally, I am disappointed to hear that we will have to wait longer still, that he will not be here at all over the weekend to finish up what he said would be done on Friday.

And so be it.  Nothing I can do to change the circumstances.  Besides, I have too many good things going on to get hung up on how endless the renovations are beginning to feel.  And what are these good things?  I’ll share some news tomorrow. In the meantime, the banging is still going on even as I type this and I’m enjoying a lovely glass of wine. 

The Master Cleanse: Final Thoughts

How the renovations looked yesterday

Here I am, on my third day of ending the Master Cleanse. On the first day, I was still drinking the mixture but was able to add diluted orange juice. And yesterday, I added a vegetable soup I made myself using a recipe from the book.  For lunch, I had only the broth from the soup and for dinner I included some of the vegetables with the broth.  And I shall have the soup again for lunch today and, for dinner, I am supposed to be having only steamed vegetables but I’ve decided to add some rice to that because . . .

I still have diarrhea. Ugh.

Overall, although the Master Cleanse is clearly not for me, I can see why some people find it a successful experience. I did not feel overly hungry (although I was, indeed, hungry).  I honestly feel I would have made it through all ten days.

I do want to say one thing, however. I used ketone sticks to measure my ketone levels.  The presence of ketones means you’re burning fat.  Because I was losing weight, I wanted to see for myself if the book’s claims that after the third day you’ll start losing fat and not just muscle. I lasted four days and on the fifth day was only drinking the mixture and orange juice. The results?  I never burned any fat.  None.  All of the weight I lost, therefore, was muscle mass.  This is not a desirable outcome.   Frankly, while I say I could have lasted all 10 days, I have a feeling that, after five days of losing muscle mass, I would have stopped the fast on my own.

Losing muscle mass is not my fitness goal.  Never has been.  Never will be. So I’m glad I was forced to stop even a day earlier. Tonight I will enjoy my vegetables and rice, maybe with a little ginger and garlic.  And I may even try some more of the recipes from the book.  I still think it’s a good book but it’s clear the Master Cleanse is not for me.  

Stick around. When the room is finished, I have something new to share. Oh boy!

Ask Me Anything. Tell Me Anytihing -- The Pre-Birthday Month Edition

Master Cleanse Day 5

Lovely & gentle practice.

And thus the Master Cleanse comes to an end.

I don’t need to explain why if you read yesterday’s blog post.  Today I’ll begin transitioning out of the cleanse just as the book carefully describes.  I’ll add diluted orange juice to my diet today.  I always dilute orange juice anyway because it’s too sweet, too intense, for me.  I’ll also continue to take it easy with my exercise.  Yesterday I did a lovely Qi Gong practice and will likely do the same today.   

The renovations pretty much stagnate. Nothing has been done since Thursday.  The wood to replace the floor arrived yesterday but the contractor only moved it from the driveway to the back of the house. He never actually entered the house.  I can only hope he will return today and do something.  After the floor is laid, we wait for the carpeting before finally returning all of the furniture to the room.  And life, such as I know it, will return to normal.  I’ll be able to exercise and meditate and do oh-so-much-more with impunity. 

At this point, I’ll just be happy when I can walk through my entire house without bumping into a misplaced piece of furniture.  Cramming 1/3 our home’s furniture into the remaining 2/3 of living space has made movement difficult.  Not to mention, no dog crates which means that I am pretty much housebound until the room is done. You can only imagine how desperate I am to have some freedom, both within my walls and without!

Master Cleanse Day 4

Holly in empathy

I slept better last night. The aches in my joints seem to have subsided. But oh the dreams!  I had a dream that I was eating a bag of onion sour cream potato chips with a sour cream onion dip.  Seriously?  I’m dreaming about food?  Yes. I’m dreaming about food.   I also woke up yesterday with a snuffy nose so there went the one and only benefit I was experiencing of the MC.  Oops! Oh well.  But now now now is when things get better.  Or so says Westen. 

The author of Master Cleanse Made Easy also says that, if you experience diarrhea, which I was, stop drinking the SWF and the Smooth Move tea.  Now, let’s face it—the SWF is not a thrill but the tea is delicious.  So yay and bah humbug.  With that said, I’ll give up the tea because it’s not as delicious as not having diarrhea.

Hmmm . . . I seem to be talking in food and hunger metaphors. Not a coincidence, I’m sure.

Anyway, I was super tired on my 4^th day.  Disappointing.  I read a little but I’m not as immersed in the book as I would like so I drifted into watching movies on television.  Old movie musicals.  Perfect mindless fluff for a sleepy and unfocused brain.  Today I am on Day 5.  By day’s end I’ll have made it halfway through.  But if the diarrhea returns, according to Westen I should stop the MC.  Not sure if we should cross our fingers for the diarrhea to stay away or return.  I’ll let you decide what you’re crossing your fingers for and let you know whether I’m still on the cleanse or not tomorrow!

Master Cleanse Day 3

This is the book that I've reviewed and why I'm doing the cleanse.

On my third day, I woke up and noticed I was able to breathe.  Normally, I wake up with a slightly stuffed nose, sometimes one side completely stuffed up.  But I woke up able to breathe easily and with no need to blow my nose.  When you consider how much dust and dirt there is around here as a result of the renovations, this was quite a surprise.

This was not the only pleasant surprise. I won’t say I didn’t experience some hunger throughout the day.  However, I didn’t feel overwhelmed with hunger.  Westen encourages drinking some of the blend every time you feel hungry which is precisely what I do.  And I’m drinking a lot of water as well.  Between the two, I seem to be doing well. 

Unfortunately, by the end of the day, my joints were beginning to ache and throb.  This is supposed to be one of the numerous signs of your body’s detoxing.  On the plus side, it’s also supposed to pass.  I simply need to drink plenty of water, which I can easily do because that’s what I have been doing.

Today is my weekly weigh-in and, one of the so-called benefits of doing the Master Cleanse, is weight loss.  Bear in mind, the author of the book did say that I’ll likely regain whatever weight I lose so I am not too attached to the results.  Yes, I lost 0.8 lb (0.45 kg) but, let’s be honest, I could have lost that while enjoying salads and eggs and roasted chicken and . . . I’m making myself hungrier.  Anyway, so far the only benefit I’ve experienced from the cleanse has been a clearer nasal passage but everything says that on Day 4 it all really kicks in.  More energy.  Clarity.  And I’ll start burning fat for fuel. I’m checking my ketone levels and hope to see evidence of this last one because I know for sure I don’t feel more energetic or focused just yet. 

So onto Day 4 when I should and hope to start reaping what I’m slowly sowing . . . or sipping, as it were.