The 21-Day Cleanse Ended Today...But it's Just the Beginning!

Note:  I bought the 21-day cleanse package to save time, but you can follow the program from the book and make all the meals yourself.  

You may have read my post from twenty one days ago, as I was beginning my 21-day de-tox cleanse offered by Dr. Alejandro Junger's CLEAN program.  Well, it's a wrap!  I've loved every minute of it (truly), and am ready to take my commitment to good health and fitness to a new level.

 I thought a lot about this post...how could I possibly share all my thoughts when, even though the program has "officially" ended, I'm in such a state of flux?  So much yet to do..to learn...to share!   Living clean is going to be a gradual, life-long process, but I've decided to take my time (pretty novel for me, no?), and, not unlike tending a garden, understand that I'm a living thing that needs constant attention and care.  That thought alone is mind blowing to me -- I've always put myself last (family and work first).   But since the beginning of the year I've carved out time for me -- exercise, diet/meals, health -- and finally see that I can tend to others and to me, and everyone wins.   

Here's the only way I can capture the CLEAN experience for you -- snippits that will evolve into future posts (let me know if you have questions; I'll be happy to try and answer them):

* I did the Renew Cleanse vs. the Rebuild Cleanse, because I didn't have the typical bad habits to break (junk food, coffee, sugar), and was eating fairly well.   I just wanted to de-tox and help me get past a weight loss plateau.  The Renew Cleanse includes a shake for breakfast, a regular lunch from an approved list of "real" foods (many raw), an afternoon shake, and a light meal for dinner. Plus three Clean supplements three times a day.   No dairy.  No bread or white flour.  No sugar.  No coffee.  No alcohol.  No strawberries, which are the most fumigated with toxins.   Here's a 3-page list of all the wonderful foods that you can eat.   Plenty of great choices.

Shake at breakfast and 3pm

*  I started each day with a blueberry shake -- frozen blueberries (so no need to add ice), almond milk (it's all we drink as a family anyway, so that was easy), water and two powders:  "Nourish" a rice protein base with vitamins, minerals, etc. to support detoxification and "Move", a fiber supplement designed to support healthy intestinal movement.  Plus 3 supplements -- "Clear One" (1x/day), "Ease" and "Balance".  {These reduce the workload of your digestive system and focus on elimination, and providing nutrients necessary for repair of the gut.}  This was a change from my standard heavy oatmeal, and for the spring and summer, I'm going to continue with a fruit shake for breakfast (there are loads of CLEAN shake recipes to mix it up).  In the fall, I'm going to give Quinoa Porridge a whirl!

Mangoes were a vital part of my cleanse; so were avocados.

* At about 10am I had almonds, walnuts and pepitas (same as those nut bags that Kevin makes for us every day, but we excluded the dried fruit from Whole Foods that have a little sugar, and no healthy dark chocolate bits). 

* Noon was my "big meal"...a smorgasbord of foods that I typically have for lunch anyway, less the whole grain wrap.  These included avocado or homemade guacamole, beets, broccoli, kidney or navy beans, mango or mango salsa, a little chicken or salmon, blackberries, brussel sprouts, sometimes pea soup, sometimes a great salad from Whole Foods.   I even had "dessert" -- celery with almond butter.  And my supplements.  {Some people choose to cook fab meals with all the available choices; I was happy to keep things simple and not make a big deal of meals.}

Salmon on puree of peas

* At around 3pm I had another shake, just like breakfast.  This "shake break" has been a huge eye opener for me.  It was healthy, tasty, and filled me up so that I wasn't ravenous at dinner time.  In fact, I really didn't need much for dinner, and it has became far less important to me.

* Dinner was light -- some version of the lunch menu above.  Plus supplements.

Garlic + extra virgin olive oil = all good

* One of the cornerstones of the plan is that you have to have a 12-hour window at night that is food-free.  I typically don't eat at night, so that wasn't a pain for me.  The 3pm shake filled me up, so I was able to eat a light dinner at around 6 or 6:30, then breakfast at 7am. 

Well, that's pretty much a round-up of the mechanics of the program.  Here are some thoughts about my own personal experiences:

* I was restless at night during the second week.  I thought it was because my tummy was getting accustomed to the new, lighter menu.  But once I took the time to register on the CLEAN website and watch all the helpful videos, I saw that I was not alone.  Detoxification is turned on to its maximum strength during the night -- the body is using all its energy for detoxification (because you're not moving).

No eating for 12 hours at night for max detox

* Great support from my de-tox cyber-buddies on the CLEAN blog, and am learning so much here.  People connect via discussions, blog entries, journal entries, videos, etc.  It's a great community and I love discovering new ideas here, and will examine them on the blog as I learn more (e.g. dry skin brushing, because our skin is such an important organ for elimination -- bought my brush today!).

My Clean Program page

*While the program isn't designed for weight-loss, a lot of people do it just for this reason.  No doubt you'll lose weight, depending upon which version of the program you use, and how much you eat (my goal is to eat normally, but better -- it takes longer, but I'm not looking for a short-term "diet".  I lost five pounds.  Had I not been "dieting" since the first of the year, it would very likely have been much more.  But it certainly helped me get through the plateau in my weight loss (now a total of 20 pounds over the last 4 months).

* We're exposed to an unbelievable amount of toxins every, and they're coated with mucous in our tissues and stuck to the walls of our intestines.  I felt great about eliminating them every day and restoring the good bacteria in my intestines.  I won't get graphic here, but you drink water and pee all. day. long. 

* Heavy breathing is key to move more air out of your lungs.  And we can finally open the windows and breathe in fresh air!  {Note to self:  do more work on breathing techniques.}

* Exercise and sweat!  One crazy thing I noticed by the third week was that my sweat didn't smell after my elliptical workouts.  Wild.  I was never too tired to exercise -- just the opposite -- I was energized.

* Lemon, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper promote elimination.  Drink water with lemon, eat raw garlic, grate ginger on foods... 

* Massage is a great way to detox.  Oh yea.

Detox massages promote lymph drainage.

* I went out to eat a couple of times for business, and it wasn't a problem -- just no alcohol or foods from the no-no list. 

So even though my 21-days are over, it really is just the beginning.  I've been elevated to a new and better place.  My relationship with food has changed -- not just my taste buds, but how I see it.  This has been a great opportunity to start over with a great foundation for a wellness plan for life.  I found out about the CLEAN program from my husband, who read the book and then was ready to start a cleanse.  I just jumped in.  But I've just bought the book and will backtrack to learn more about the benefits of "restoring the body's natural ability to heal itself".  Detoxification causes a significant improvement in the power and function of the immune system, and (without sounding like an ad) the CLEAN program really is an easy way to give your body a jump start.

Are you with me?  (C'mon...even Martha is on board!)

Dr. Junger wows Martha