the truth about my 10-pound weight-loss

it really sounds amazing, that i actually lost 10 lbs. [11 lbs. to be exact] in 10 days on the mastercleanse.  but the truth is, most of it was [excess] water weight and that the loss was inevitably temporary, unless i decided to NEVER eat again.

here are the facts [about my experience]:

1. the truth is, it was quite logical that i lost that many pounds.  i was drinking a maximum of only about 1000 calories a day on the lemonade.  so it was but natural that i lost weight.
2. about 2 days after the last day of the cleanse, my tongue finally turned pink and i noticed that i had noticeably clearer skin.  up until now i have rarely used face powder.  i just put on sunblock, [and line my sparse brows] and i'm ready to face the world. well, come to think of it maybe SOAPure Castile Soaps had something to do about why my skin looks better. ha ha, shameless advertising, i know!
3. the moment i started eating, i started to gain weight.  ha ha! nothing surprising there too!
4. it's been 9 days of regularly eating, with no serious effort to watch what i eat.  and i think i've stabilized at 159 lbs.  i hit 159 5 days ago and have stayed there  since.  so yes, what they said about gaining half of what you lost is quite true for me. =D
5. i eat a lot less than what i used to because i take care not to wait till i'm stuffed to stop eating.  when i feel almost full, i stop.
6. i also eat more slowly now.  you gain a lot of respect for food when you miss out on it for 10 whole days!
7. i also pass up on food that do not meet the standards of my tongue, lol.  i don't waste the calories on food that does not please my palate.
8. i don't feel as energized as i did on the detox.  that's the part i miss most about the mastercleanse.
9. i read somewhere that you can repeat the mastercleanse after 2 weeks rest, well i tried to repeat it a few days ago because of all the parties that the christmas season has brought and i wanted to do it for only 3 days.  unfortunately, my attempts were futile.  i was too busy to dedicate time to make the juice and in the end i had to give up as i ran out while still out.  the mastercleanse requires effort and serious planning.  
10. i have also started to exercise, walking mostly, because i do want to keep the weight down.  i will have at it more consistently by january.  my goal is to JUST MOVE EVERYDAY.
11. i WILL repeat the mastercleanse on january but only for 7 days tops.  and i will do it monthly until i reach my goal weight of 130lbs.

i will not be posting [i think] until the holidays are over. so crazy busy these days.  :p

happy CHRISTmas everyone!  

the salt water flush and why i hated it

WARNING: the info bellow will be TMI for some or many, depending on your level of interest.  but it is important information, nonetheless.

some of you have asked what it is and how you do it.  well first of all i learned too late that you are supposed to do it starting the night before Day 1 of the Mastercleanse.  and you are supposed to do it every morning upon waking up. i did it twice, i think on day 3 and day 7 and i did it at night [i'll tell you why in a bit].

what is the saltwater flush?

in brief, the salt water flush is 25-32 oz. [that's 4 glasses!] of warm water with 2 teaspoons of non-iodized salt mixed into it.

why do it?

to flush out toxins, the ones that have stayed with you since you can remember.  it is the other half of the mastercleanse, the other half being the lemon juice + maple syrup + cayenne pepper in water concoction.

how do i take it?

drink the concoction straight up, in as few gulps as possible.  make sure to stay at  home [or a toilet you are comfortable using] within 4 hours after drinking.

you are supposed to drink it as you arise in the morning but that time schedule is very impractical if you have to work and your day is already busy at 6am.

how will i feel after i drink it? [why i hated it]

well in my case, it was absolutely horrible even while still drinking it, think: drinking seawater.  i had to pause some moments  in between because i felt like puking the whole time.  and after?  you will feel bloated and icky. =P  plus, i think it was the reason for my temporary gains on days 4 and 8, i retained some of the fluid. =(

what happens after i drink it?

within 4 hours, you will be rushing, and i mean RUSHING, to the toilet.  i actually rushed and rushed within the first hour.  the feeling is akin to when you have LBM, because you WILL be having LBM, so loose you are practically peeing from your butt. =P and your first "go" will be the most satisfying as you will be like a leaky oil tanker so it is best to sit and STAY there for longer than you think is long enough. [thank goodness for iPad!]

must i do it, really?

it is optional, the other option being - drinking organic herbal caffeine-free laxative tea.  in my opinion the laxative tea is a much better option since you can drink it before you go to sleep. and drinking tea is a pleasurable action. =D

so what do i advise?

first of all it is key to 'flush' in the first 3 days and to start the night before Day1.  this is because by Day 4 and after there will be nothing much to flush out as you have been eating nada for too long.  the first time i did it i was happy with the results which was why i decided to do it the second time.  but the second time i passed practically nothing so it was definitely not worth the suffering and effort.

the next time i do the Mastercleanse i will make sure to drink laxative tea the night before Day 1 and do it every night until there is nothing to flush out anymore. =D

[i buy Smooth Move organic herbal caffeine-free laxative tea at healthy options. i have the chocolate flavor but there is a variety of flavors you can choose from if you prefer others.  1 box has 16 bags and costs about P200++]

from google pics

Life after Mastercleanse

it's been 2 days since the day i ended my 10-Day Mastercleanse.  and i'm happy i'm back to eating again. =D

i've noticed that i do not snack mindlessly anymore and that i eat more slowly now.  well, 10 days of not eating does that to you, i guess.  you try to do a slow-mo of each bite to savor the taste of every morsel that touches your tongue. ha ha, such is my never-ending love affair with food!

i also am a bit more discriminating now as tastes have become sharper, i've been finding a lot of restaurant food either a little too salty or too sweet, or in other cases, bland and tasteless.

i've been eating all kinds of food since yesterday, enjoying every bit of the company [my kids mostly] as well as the fact that i no longer have to shun food.   the funny thing is [well, it wasn't so funny at 4pm yesterday] my tummy had a difficult time adjusting and i had to run to the toilet about 3 times!  i felt queasy and for some moments, it hurt a lot.

i deserved it though because i did not follow the instructions of easing into eating again.  i was supposed to take just orange juice on the first day, then soup today and wait till 2 weeks to start eating meat.  "hell no!' my hungry brain screamed inside my head!  so instead, i jumped right into eating and had cheese [dairy is a huge no-no at the start].   luckily, the suffering and discomfort didn't take too long as i am A-Okay today. =D

i also feel satisfied a lot sooner than before, so i try to pay attention to how i feel and stop eating when the "i'm almost full" signal switches on.  this way i stop just at the right time and eat just the right amount.

i know i have to move more because i do not like restricting myself when it comes to good food.  and a little of this and a little of that can mean a lot, so i've been thinking of how to move more without the pressure of going to the gym, waking up at 5am to run, or having to pack and unpack a gym bag every single day!

i remembered i had the 30-Day Shred by Jillian Michaels and so just a while ago i just went and tried it again.   The first time i tried it about a few months ago, i did not get past level 1, heck i did not even accomplish level 1 with perfect passable form.  i had to stop doing it because my weight was killing my knees and my feet.

tonight, i was able to do just 1/3 of the level 1 routine which isn't surprising given my state of being super unfit. but at least my knees do not hurt and my feet did not get shots of searing pain.  maybe i'm not so heavy anymore. =D

let me tell you a bit about the 30-Day Shred and why i like it.  this video has 3 levels which you are supposed to successfully accomplish in 30 days.  each level lasts for 20 minutes only and you are supposed to do it everyday.  this was designed by Jillian Michaels [one of the trainers on the Biggest loser] for busy people who do not have time to exercise.  the routine calls for a combination of cardio, abs, and strength training exercise which you do alternately and successively with practically no rest in between.  hence my being able to only do about 1/3 of the whole thing.

i had an asthma attack in the middle and had to stop for about 7 minutes before i pathetically tried to follow the moves again.  but i ended up sweating like a pig afterwards which was what i was after.

now, my legs are shaking and i'm expecting some soreness tomorrow.  but i feel great! =D

Mastercleanse Days 9 & 10

I'm now officially a graduate of the 10 day mastercleanse. =D Yipee!  But that doesn't mean i will not be doing it again.  I actually intend to do it periodically as it definitely is a good way to purge impurities from my body.


i'm glad i did this and i'm also glad that is finally over.  i can now take on the next challenge of maintaining my current weight.  for record purposes, here is an update:


Day 1 - November 28 - 165.8 lbs.
       2 - November 29 - 162.4 lbs.     -3.4 lbs.
       3 - November 30 - 160.4 lbs.     - 2 lbs.
       4 - December 1   - 161.2 lbs.     + 0.8 lbs.
       5 - December 2   - 159.8 lbs.     - 1.4 lbs.
       6 - December 3   - 158.4 lbs.     - 1.4 lbs.
       7 - December 4   - 157.8 lbs.     - 0.6 lbs.
       8 - December 5   - 158.2 lbs.     + 0.4 lbs.
       9 - December 6   - 157.2 lbs.      - 1 lbs.
       10 - December 7 -  156 lbs.        - 1.2 lbs


this means i lost 9.8 lbs. in 10 days!


November 29 - Starting narrowest waist measurement - 36 inches
                         1 inch above belly button measurement - 38 inches


November 30 - Narrowest - 35 inches, no change in the belly


December 3 - Narrowest - 34 inches, belly 36.5


this means i lost 2 inches around the waist and 1.5 inches in the belly area.


i've read that after the mastercleanse you more or less gain back half of what you lost.  so if it's true, it will put me at 160 lbs.  i hope not.  i was and still am hoping i can stay in the 150's this time.


i have yet to update my salt water flush experience [it was ugly] and my observations, opinions on how to do the mastercleanse in a better way.  i will do it in the coming days.


for now, i think i will just bask in my achievement. =D  finally, i won a major battle! against cravings, the urge to munch and the desire to binge, which did not feel like a battle most of the time. ;)


i wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Mastercleanse Days 7 & 8

busy, busy days!

here's what i can add to my mastercleanse record of experiences:

Day 7

i started to drink the juice too late, at noon.  maybe i wasn't hungry, maybe i was tired of the juice already.  wrong move, i felt a bit weak and lethargic.  i made up for it in the afternoon and guzzled down glasses of it and regained my energy.  note to self:  drink up every so often, do not wait till you get hungry, it will be too late.

Day 8 [today]

i'm up to here *grabs hold of the throat and pushes out tongue in disgust* with the juice.  since yesterday, i've had difficulty trying to finish the minimum amount of 60 oz. per day.  i normally had to have 90 oz to keep from feeling hungry.  and now, no hunger pangs, not much juice.  i have no idea if this is okay or not.

i can't add much as i said at the start, today is busy.  i'm still busy. even at 11 in the evening!  see ya tomorrow, Day 9!!!

Mastercleanse Day 6

Today was easy in the sense that i didn't do much of anything that was work-related.  i attended my daughter's family day activity in school and then came home with them early afternoon;  cooked my thankfully-not-over-cured-ham, which i was supposed to cook two days ago; and set the table for a dinner of take-out roast chicken [Chooks-to-go, the kiddos' favorite!]

It was also easy food-wise.  until now i marvel at my ability to say no to every food item that came into my path today.  For example, the lunch buffet, which i had to get for Ate Kat and my son and daughter, was: steaming hot rice, chicken cordon bleu, baked macaroni, pork barbecue, and an array of other dishes i opted not to get.  Oh and did i mention there was lechon also?  i sat with them, fed my daughter, Guela while Ate Kat tried to feed my son, Maxie.  I watched as all the other families partook of the delicious fare.  I sipped my juice contentedly amazed at how my mouth kept from bubbling over with envy.  =P

Didn't i want to eat?  of course i did.  Did i not find the sight and aroma of food tempting?  of course i did.  so what gives?  i had not eaten for 6 whole days!  i must be starving! but i wasn't.

as i try to reflect on my self-control, i am reminded of moments in the past when i see skinny women naturally pass up all the delicious food in front of them and contentedly nibble on greens or sip on hot tea.  and i think to myself, so this must be how easy it is for them.  so this must be how they feel when turning down food being offered to them. without batting an eyelash.  a friend told me this afternoon, as i was telling her about my disbelief at my own self-control, that i was simply determined.

maybe i am.  just that.  determined.  maybe i really am really sick of a bulging belly.  maybe i am really already tired of having to drag around my heavy body.  and maybe i also am sick and tired of looking at the mirror and hating what i see.

i wonder now if i can carry this through.  i actually dread when day 10 comes.  when i have to start eating again.  i honestly never thought i would come this far.  but probably the shame of giving up and failing again [for the nth time] was as much of a motivation to push on.

i know when i started this Mastercleanse i said i was doing it to detoxify my body of all the toxins i've accumulated over the years.  but one strong factor was that it promised weight loss.  and that it was a very good jump start to finally lose some serious excess weight.  i chose this among other ways because i found that everything else i did: exercise, no-rice diet, no sodas just did not work out the way they did when i was much younger.  so i needed a big change, a sort of major-start-over strategy.  hence this.

i still have much to lose in terms of weight.  and i know that one wrong move will mean regaining everything i lost so far in no time, and put me back to square one.  but i do not want to go back there anymore. ever.  right now i feel strong and in control.  what if after this cleanse i will lose all will power and just surrender to my weakness - after all, i am actually one of those people who LIVE TO EAT.  Food is the highlight of my day.

i guess only time will tell.  Day 7, bring it on.

Mastercleanse day 5

Hello Day 6!  it feels great to see you!  =D

Again, i wasn't able to update about Day 5 last night because i came home really late and was too tired to even start up the pc.  It was a day that started at 6am and i had accomplished quite a lot, thank you very much!

So let me start this post with a summary of my weight stats!

Day 1 - November 28 - 165.8 lbs.
       2 - November 29 - 162.4 lbs.
       3 - November 30 - 160.4 lbs.
       4 - December 1   - 161.2 lbs.
       5 - December 2   - 159.8 lbs.

and today, Day 6, i weighed in at 158.4 lbs.  Congratulations self!  Welcome to the 150's! [again!]  The lowest i've been since being on this journey, if i remember right was 157 lbs.  i squandered all the effort i gave to it on the vacation that followed last summer. food trip galore! =P

well i plan to not be as idiotic this time and finally find the perfect balance for myself. [crossing my fingers and  pleading with the scale gods, ha ha]

So, even if i've not been doing a good job of my supposedly day-to-day account of the mastercleanse experience, i really have to say that it is something that changes how you look at food, the act of eating, and your ability to control the urge to eat.  it's difficult to put it into words but i find what i go through, during the process of opting to pick up my jug and drink the juice instead of eating every plate of food i come across with or is presented to me, amusing, enlightening, and purifying all at the same time.

many times during the day, i want to stop for a moment and write down my realizations and discoveries, but the problem is i don't have the time to sit down and write.  anyhoo, i will have to content myself with what comes to mind when i do have the time.

till then...  Day 6, i'm ready for you! =D