Juice Cleanse: Day 7

I've officially completed one week of my juice cleanse.

How do I feel? Actually, just OK. Just OK. There are some great things that have happened, I'll share those below. But I am certainly still in detox mode and have ups and dips which is to be expected. Plus, this week is my week to cook for the family and since I'm the only one juicing...its not super hard but I do look at the food and think how delicious it would be to take a bite. But, not delicious enough to negate all my hard work!  It is easy? No! I mean I think, from what I've read it gets easier. But right now, its not. There are days and moments where I'm on top of the world and then days where I'm just blah. Today is just a blah day, I also notice that I have a down daily between 3-4pm and I normally rest, under covers from 4-5pm daily.

Today is just day 7 for me, but below are all the changes that I've noticed in no particular order.

I must add, earlier I wrote that this is not easy, but I must add it is truly worth it.

Here are the benefits I've reaped thus far:

• Edema is Gone: For some reason and it has been consistent for the past months. My ankles were swollen especially after sitting down for a long period of time. Well, I'm happy to say edema no more! I think the processed foods lead to lots of salt in my system, which is of course, no good. By juicing I eliminated that and had no swelling by day 3, even when i do sit practically all day. Winning!
  
• Healthier Eating for the Family: Since I'm the master chef this week I though its best to begin to make incremental but permanent changes in the way that my family eats. I'm not talking replace all our meat with tofu, I'm talking changes that everyone would enjoy and hardly notice. For example, today I made hamburgers. Normally a hamburger meal would consist of hamburgers and fries. For some reason, that is the American tradition, not sure how we got hooked on that but it needs to stop. Not saying I won't ever make hamburgers and fries again. But it certainly will be homemade baked fries and healthier variation of a burger.  Today, I made cheeseburgers with a side of salad.  I also added some of the romaine lettuce to the burger itself. Everyone had their choice of buttermilk ranch, dressing or sun-dried tomato dressing.  Next time, I'll use a whole wheat burger bun instead of white and also make my own homemade dressing. Small changes, better nutrition.  The juice cleanse made me really look hard at what my family is eating and make changes for the better.
  
• Toxins Leaving the System:  All the research I've done about juice cleansing indicates toxins will leave the body as a part of cleansing process. Boy, were they right! The primary reason I started this cleanse was to get my acne under control.  I am sure that there is something in my diet that is triggering my flare ups. On Day 5 after I brushed my teeth, I also used a tongue scarper like I normally do and lo and behold, what did I taste on my tongue? The taste of antibiotics. Thing is, I have had an antibiotic in a year! What that means is that the antibiotics were still lingering in my system and my body was purging it. How awesome is that?  Also, just yesterday I put my normal face cleanser on and there was a much more intense tingling a slight sizzle! That has never happened before, ever! I use Cetaphil, which isn't natural, but fairly benign. What that tells me is that the toxins were being pushed out of my skin and there was an interaction with my cleanser causing the sizzle and tingling I was feeling. It was odd at first, but it just served to let me know that the cleanse is working.
  
• Improved Joint Movement: My joints feel 10 years younger! I didn't even realize it until I caught myself moving differently.  I have knees that hurt when bending, so I don't bend much but they feel so much better, its amazing.
  
• Increased Water Intake: Its important during this time to drink lots and lots of water. And a great benefit is that I've increased my water intake significantly. 

Here are the not so fun things...

• Withdrawal: The first day and second I went through withdrawal. Not from eating, but from eating sugar and lots of high-calorie carbs.  I craved it like a mad person, it was hard to resist, but I did.
  
• Chilly:  I am cold 90 percent of the time. Also a very common effect of cleansing. I sit with a blanket and try to keep warm.
  
• Missing Food: Yes, I do miss eating all the yummy things I ate before. A LOT! But most of that stuff is no good for me and will probably not regain a constant presence in my diet ever again.
  
• Progress: While its great knowing I completed a week, its not so great knowing I have 22 days to go. I ask why am I torturing myself? And I know its not really torture. I started to get to the root of a problem (my acne) and discovered how much I needed to do this. My body is still repairing, healing and releasing toxins so I know I'm not done, by body isn't.  So if I set out to do just a 7 day fast I would have interrupted the progress. My face still isn't clear and that is the goal.

What I look forward to over the next weeks:

I'm not sure how much stuff in my system is left to purge, but I think by Day 21 I'll have clear skin and I believe by Day 14 it will be much better than it is now.  I look forward to adding berries to my juices, which I'll start on Day 12!

I look forward to having a sense of accomplishment once I complete my 30 days! I created a chart that I can check off each day and to keep motivated.

Here's to one week completed!