Florida Keys

It's been a while since I last "blogged"...this is primarily due to the recovery of the master cleanse(and for the record, I have recovered and plan on trying again in the immediate future!) For the past four years, right after tax season ends, I usually take a trip to get away from the office. This year, due to an excess of work and the fact that Amanda was in a play at the Natchez Little Theatre, we did not go anywhere right away. However, right now, I'm sipping on a Bud-Light Lime, listening to R.E.M. poolside, and in total relax-mode. I've been on a road trip the past week, traveling all over the state of Florida. I've been in plenty of bars, eaten tons of seafood, played with alligators, swam in the ocean, spoken with drag queens, and watched lots of baseball(Go Eagles! S-M-T-T-T!), but most importantly, I have relaxed. I've let all of life's worries slip away for a while. It should be a necessity for people to step out of their lives at least once a year. I'm not a doctor, but I would prescribe this as medicine for the soul. That doesn't necessarily mean a vacation every time, but one should take time out of their busy lives to just relax and reflect on that point in their lives. Time flies by...I remember my parents telling me this when I was in high school. I thought that they were crazy. Now, I just wish I would have listened more.

Anyway, I've driven down to Key West, the southern most tip of the United States. Florida is a beautiful state...hot, but beautiful. Amanda and I have laid out on beaches all along the way(I laid under an umbrella :0 ), and the best beaches I have seen are in Pensecola. Large, white beaches. Key West, however, has the clearest water I've seen in the state. Key West also has other things that are unique to other places. First, wild chickens. Yep, chickens and roosters that wander the streets and attack the people(almost like the gangs in big cities!) Second, six toed cats. Supposedly, they are descendants from Ernest Hemingway's cats, who once resided here. There are also lots of rainbow flags. That goes back to the statement I made earlier about the drag queens. Key West has a New Orleans style feel with the party atmosphere. Duval street looks and feels almost like Bourbon street, minus the stench and threat for your life and valuables from the locals. I am usually very paranoid, but I haven't felt threatened the entire stay here. All in all, I would recommend this place for anyone who wants to get away and relax, AND have some fun. Hopefully, I'll get the opportunity to get back here one day.

Tomorrow, I pack my car back up and start driving North again. We're going to stop in St. Petersburg(near Tampa) to watch a Rays baseball game tomorrow night. I love baseball! Afterwards, we'll continue driving north hopefully to be home Wednesday. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself, but as Dorothy once told me, "There's no place like home!"

Today would have been Day 10

That's right...would have been. I decided to end it. Amanda and I were invited to a graduation party on Saturday. When we arrived, I was soon asked to help grill the chicken wings and sausage. It would have been hard to say no, due to the fact that the guy who asked has helped me on numerous occasions. So, I cooked around 60 wings and three packages of sausage. After grilling, I sat and drank the lemonade while everyone ate crawfish, chicken wings, and everything else you can imagine(all the while drinking cold beer!) When we left the party, I still was on the cleanse, but I knew that I had enough. When I came home and Amanda drove off for play practice, I began eating some saltine crackers (I know...a whole week of no eating and the first thing I grab is crackers...I didn't want to get sick!)

So, three days after coming off the cleanse and I still feel great. I am back eating regularly. This morning I was up around six and felt like going to the gym. I have gained back two pounds from the fifteen I lost, but I expected this. I have began weight watchers with Amanda, and so I hope to not only maintain the weight lost, but maybe lose a few more pounds.

I have had a few people ask about trying the cleanse. I think it is definitely worth it, but you must have a strong will power. I didn't last the minimum ten days and hold anyone who can go the ten days in the highest regards. The lemonade gets really old after a few days. There is always people eating around you. You'll begin craving foods you never thought you would. But the rewards make it all worthwhile. To get the basics on the cleanse, go to www.themastercleanse.org. I am happy to answer any questions on it and also have two books that I am willing to lend out(I have already promised them to two people.) I do plan to continue to write in this blog. Come to find out, I actually enjoy it!

Start of the weekend...

Here we are, Friday night...usually, I'm ecstatic; however, I'm just not feeling too good. If you thought I was sick of that lemonade yesterday, today I think it's the most vile thing ever created. You can have up to twelve glasses everyday, and are suppose to have a minimum of six. Today, I've only had four. I may never want to see maple syrup, cayenne pepper, or lemons ever again, and definitely not mixed together! I have four more days left. Compared to the six already passed, it doesn't seem too bad, but it feels like an eternity. Too make it worse, I have to go to a crawfish boil tomorrow. Everyone will be eating and drinking(beer!) and having a merry time. If you think that I'm sounding bitter, well, maybe I am.

I weighed myself this morning and the total weight loss is around fifteen pounds. My pants are lose again. I'm on the last hole on my belt. I do feel better than I did before. I truly do believe that this cleanse is a good thing. I don't believe I could do it without the support of my wife, Amanda. She's the one who reminds me to follow through with what I start, to be fair with myself, and to know that it all will better soon. She's my rock.

I would also like to thank everyone again who has read this blog and has given additional support along the way. Having the support of my friends has comforted me in knowing that I am not alone. As many of you are right now enjoy food and drink, I head to the kitchen to fix one last glass of crap. Good night everyone. Have a blessed weekend.

Hump day!

Day five is coming to a close, which means that I am half way there. I'm not going to lie...right now, I would really love some nachos. The lemonade is getting old. It still fills me up and takes away my hunger pangs, but I think I'm beginning to know what a dog feels like. They eat the same thing day-after-day-after-day. Blah. I think the real challenge is ahead of me. I only have five more days, but the weekend is here. It's a time when I usually go out to eat, and at some point, have a few beers. I won't have work to fill me day, so I'll have to stay busy. I do think my tongue is not quite as white as before, so that means the toxins are coming out. If I can hang in for another five days(and another three after that to slowly adjust back on food), then I can enjoy what everyone else is taking for granted...chewing.

Finally, a good day

I'm tired, and so I'm going to keep this short. The fourth day was the best, by far. Had very few cravings, all of which were quickly stopped with the lemonade. The herbal tea made me get up early, but I have not taken a nap and have had full energy all day. We had a poker night this evening and David Gammill cooked fried fish, hush puppies and french fries. I sat through twenty or so guys eating this all around me, and never once attempted to eat any. To me, this is a great accomplishment! I would like to thank everyone who has been supportive and taken the time to read this. You will never know how far a simple statement of encouragement goes on a quest such as this. Tomorrow marks the half way point for the minimum ten day requirement. I have changed my goal from twenty to ten, not because I do not think I can make it, but for the fact that I am a groomsmen in a good friend of mines wedding on May 23. I do not want to miss all of the festivities because of this cleanse. However, I do think that I will try this cleanse again; maybe even later this year. I encourage anyone looking to become healthier, find some additional energy and shed a few pounds to try this. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

They say Day 3 is the hardest

Well, day three is coming to an end. I definitely had cravings. Through out the day, I dreamed about ribs, pizza, tacos, Chinese food, pasta, a can of cold, unseasoned green beans (basically anything that I could chew and it would fill my stomach!) I am only drinking the minimum number of lemonades each day, which is six ten-ounce glasses. Anywhere from five to ten minutes after the lemonade, my cravings cease. I'm going to try and increase the number of glasses of lemonade tomorrow. Also, if I drink water in between the lemonade, I maintain the full feeling.

My tongue has turned white. This is one of the detox systems mentioned in the books. All I'm going to say is that it is not very pleasant. I found, though, that brushing my teeth(and tongue) several times throughout the day helps dramatically. Day four promises to be much better; my body is suppose to adjust to the diet, and the cravings are suppose to be gone.

The hardest part of this whole ordeal is the fact that food surrounds us at all times. If it's not being advertised on television, someone on the television show is eating. I sat in a meeting at the Elks lodge tonight, drinking my lemonade while the rest ate spaghetti. Everyone who knows I'm on the diet finds it humorous that I can't eat, so they love to ask, "Hey, let's go get some lunch." I stated in earlier entries that losing weight was not the reason I was doing this, and it's still not. However, I think the reason has changed. I was hoping to try and purify my body. Now, I think it has become a test on my will power. I only hope that I can pass the test(especially since I have fifty bucks riding on this!)

Day 2

Woke up this morning and took care of business...then went right into the salt water. I was really not looking forward to it, but it did go down easier than the day before. I felt that my energy level had increased and the cravings I experienced yesterday evening were not there anymore. Yesterday, I psyched myself in order to prepare for what the book called one of the hardest days, but was pleasantly surprised on how easy it actually was. For the most part, I felt great. I did fall asleep after work for about thirty minutes and when I awoke, all of my cravings came back. The hunger was not there, but I was actually considering stopping the cleanse and heading out to get as much food as humanly possible to devour immediately. I remembered reading in one of the books that when this occurred, one should drink the lemonade and wait around seven minutes for the cravings to cease. This did help, and for the rest of the evening, I have felt fine. Since the final lemonade, I have had a glass of water to drink to keep the "full" feeling at all times. My tongue has turned white, which is a detox symptom, but I have not felt any of the other symptoms mentioned in the materials I have read such as headaches and burning in my stomach. On a different note, I weighed myself this afternoon...and...I lost five pounds from yesterday! I was extremely excited about this, and I believe this will help to keep me motivated. This cleanse was not about losing weight, but it is a definite plus. I do not expect to keep that number everyday, but every pound counts. I am about to hit the sack and I'm at the twenty percent mark of the minimum amount suggested for the cleanse and ten percent for my personal goal of twenty days. I think I can, I think I can....The books also named day three as a hard one. Hopefully, it will be similar to today. The days after three promise to be craving free!