Master Cleanse: Day 9

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”

- Abraham Lincoln

I’m almost there! One more day of lemonade and it’s home-free! I have to say, all of the people I’ve talked to have said that the first three days are the hardest. For me, yesterday (Day 8) was definitely the hardest.

Maybe it’s because it was Monday. Maybe it’s because I’m weird. Either way, being almost done makes me crave the food I’m already planning to eat after the cleanse.

Things haven’t been all bad though. The beautiful picture below was taken from South Mountain in Phoenix over the weekend during a lovely Saturday morning hike. The weekend was surprisingly easy despite the usual temptations. I even went to the movies and managed not to dive into the bag of popcorn my boyfriend bought.

From my experience, here are 11 tips to succeed on the Master Cleanse:

1. Plan Ahead: Make sure you look at your calendar and pick 12 – 14 days (with the ease-in and ease-out) when you don’t have a lot of events going on. Nothing like snacks and drinks at a networking event to kill your cleanse!
2. Make a To-Do List: My saving grace during the first few days of the cleanse was having a to-do list. Before I started, I brainstormed all the things I could do with my extra time not spent cooking, eating, grocery shopping or cleaning dishes. During the first few days when I’d start to think about food, I’d do something on my list. When I finished it, I felt accomplished and fulfilled and no longer craved food.
3. Have a Support Group: One resource said don’t tell too many people you’re doing the cleanse. I disagree. Tell all the people who care about you that you’re making a commitment to yourself to do this and that you want their support. Not only is it nice to have people cheer you along, it’s also a great way to keep yourself accountable.
4. Buy in Bulk: Buy (almost) all your ingredients beforehand and in bulk! This is one thing that I did not do my first time around. I went through probably 6-8 small/medium lemons making ~10 drinks a day. This meant I had to go to the store Day 2 to get more. Also, you go through a LOT of maple syrup, so buy the biggest bottle you can find.
5. Start On a Weekend: For people who work outside of the home, start your cleanse on a Saturday. I work at home so I was able to start on a Monday and still have some flexibility, but if you don’t, you could be setting yourself up for failure. The extra two days will help you gauge how much you’ll need to drink throughout the day so when you go to work monday, you’ll be prepared to fight off any possible temptations.
6. Drink it Up: Normally, I workout and lift weights, so I tend to eat somewhere between 1,800 – 2,000 calories daily. When I found out each drink was only 113 calories, I thought I was going to be drinking 15 – 18 glasses a day. For the first few days, I let myself drink as much I wanted whenever I was hungry. This prevented me from feeling deprived. Even on my hungriest days, I didn’t ever have more than 10 drinks.
7. Keep a Journal: For those who do the cleanse for any sort of mental or spiritual purposes, journaling daily is a great way to really understand your experience. Every day your body is changing, so it’s important to write about the emotional and physical changes your body goes through.
8. Get Pronamel: Or something like that. With all the acid you’re consuming, if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing, it can become painful. By Day 6 I could definitely tell there was something up with my teeth. I grabbed some Pronamel mouthwash and it made all the difference in the world.
9. Be Active: At first I was concerned I wouldn’t get enough calories to workout, but in fact, I had more energy most days and I felt great during my workouts. I focused on low-impact alternatives to keep me feeling toned as opposed to building muscle. Pilates, swimming and StairMaster are all great options!
10. Don’t Cheat: You don’t want to have to follow-up telling someone you finished The Master Cleanse with, “but I cheated this one time…” Stick to your guns and do it right!
11. Stay Positive: When all else fails, remember: It’s only 10 days! You won’t die, and when you’re done you’ll be able to say, “Hey, I kicked ass and I did it!”

Want to check out my previous Master Cleanse update? Here’s my experience up through Day 4.

Now get out there and cleanse away! Want to learn more about the Master Cleanse or my experience? Shoot me a message and if I can’t help, I’ll point you in the direction of someone who can.