Sianara to My Followers

I'm no God, I know..but it's time to say 10-4 to the blog. An enormous thank you to everyone that has been reading my entries and rooting for me through the week. And a very special thank you for those of you that voted, ‘No, you are my superhero.’ As for the cleanse, I give it two thumbs-up and highly recommend it to all. I'll be taking on the 5 day in a few months, maybe by then I'll have my appetite back. Byeee!

Regretting Every Bite

I shouldn't have done that. My stomach sounds like a construction site. I feel superb, but there seems to be a fight brewing in my stomach. Urgh. Back to fruit.

Back to It

Someone is growling. I got a little hungry without the BPC juices or real food. I decided to ignore the egg-toast mishap from this morning and tried a real meal once again. I went for half a mozzarella, spinach, and red pepper sandwich on wheat. I got it. I ate it. It was grrr-eat!

I Feel You

The best is yet to come. The effects of the cleanse are very evident after coming off of it. I am alert, vibrant, and unquestionably cleansed. I don’t want the bad stuff anymore. I’m craving fruits and veggies and scoff at the thought of carbs and candy. I don't want sweets, I don't want white bread, and the thought of butter on white bread makes me queasy. Quite the opposite of where I was just a week ago.

Dehydrated. Me?

I feel dehydrated. I feel stupid to admit it since I've had over 500 ounces of liquid in the last three days but it's true. How can this be? Is it possible for someone coming off of a juice diet to claim dehydration? Am I absurd? What's with this dry spot in my throat? Am I so used to drinking all day that I'm not used to not drinking all day? Other than this, I feel just fine.

Hit the Breaks

I couldn't do it. After one bite of the egg salad I felt stuffed. My body isn't ready. I'll stick to the suggested fruit menu for the rest of the day. Cubed cantaloupe for breakfast. Yum! I'm just glad to chew at this point.

Whole Foods (pun intended)

Hold the cream cheese, hold the white carbohydrates, and the caffeine. It's my first meal since Sunday night and it really did take a while to decide on. The BPC website recommends those coming off of the cleanse to munch solely on fruits for the first day back to whole foods. I thought, maybe fruit for lunch, and went for organic egg salad on whole wheat toast. After three days..I need a real meal.

On Cloud 9

In the words of Elle Woods, "I did ittt!" It's the morning after day three and I am elated. I actually went three days without eating. Wow! I feel weightless, like an air crisp that's baked, not fried. I have lost about 8 pounds and look forward to gaining some back, slowly but surely.

Blog Addiction

Hardly. The cleanse has taught me that any addiction can come to a screeching halt once you decide to commit to it. I began this blog with the intention of writing through tonight. Since I have developed a following, I'll blog it out for another day to answer questions about weight, the day after, and tips on the cleanse. As for breakfast, I'm thinking a burger, pizza, donuts..oh, the possibilities..

Shake, Shake, Shake

Shaking my booty..with cashew nut milk in hand! I'm down to the last drink and my last six hours of the cleanse. No more shaking bottles before "meals". Woo-hoo!!

Cubicle Hospitality

I’ve been on this cleanse for almost three days and no one has shown more enthusiasm about it than my cube neighbor Winston. He asks all sorts of questions and laughs out loud at my blogs, which makes this experience exceedingly worthwhile. Thank you Winston, this blog entry is for you!

The Skinny on this "Diet"

Since I have begun the BPC I have received many questions on the weight loss involved with completing the cleanse. Any good dietician would advocate, “Weight loss is a lifestyle change and cannot be achieved in short lived extremes.” The basis of BPC is not about weight loss. The program rids your body of impurities and helps get your nutritional habits back on track. You may turn skinny the week you do the cleanse but without continuation of exercise and good eating habits you’re sure to gain it all back.

Just Chugging Along

One bottle at a time. That uneasy feeling from this morning has passed and I'm doing just fine. I'm in the home stretch! Bring on the juices; solids are overrated. =)

Say a Little Prayer

I have reached day three, the last of my detoxifying cleanse. My energy levels are undeniably down this morning. I awoke with slight dizziness and the walk to work took longer than usual. Most of my physical actions are on delay. I'm not sure what the day will bring but am hopeful that I can get through the day.

Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Drinker

It's the end of day two and I have yet to chew. During BPC eating equals cheating. The program suggests snacking on avocado, cucumber or celery for those that require more than the provided juices. About 48 hours have elapsed and I have yet to slip. I've gotten an amazing sense of fulfillment out of the last few days and look forward to tomorrow.

What's for Dinner?

Juice honey. Juice is for dinner. Yesterday, today, tomorrow..it's juice for dinner.

My First Epiphany

I didn’t think I’d have an ah-ha! moment until day three or retrospectively after my days in BPC. I want salt! I have not made a statement like this in years, maybe even a decade. I never add salt to my food from a shaker or use those paper 1x1 things that come with lunch. I know the juices are a good balance of everything I need but tend to wonder, ‘Was life before BPC too salty?’

27 Going on 13

Part of the challenge of BPC is keeping busy in a no-drink, no-food type of way. While on this cleanse it's important to continue to get out and do things as I would on a regular day. I've had to dig back to my middle school days where things like reading teen magazines and three-way calling were all the rage. Tonight I've got date night at the movie theatre followed by a light ab workout.

Easy, Breezy, Cover the Juice!!

I do a lot of things at my desk..profitability calculations, e-mail, occasionally answer phone calls..my cubicle is a happening place. The juices come in 16 ounce plastic bottles with a screw top and I almost had a disaster. It could have been a green spill. Between putting my pencil down and trying to grab a calculator I almost tipped over an entire bottle of juice. Granted, it was the green stuff which is my least favorite; I would much rather drink it than clean it. Note to self: cap the bottle when not in use.

Recipe for Success

Support. Support. Support. Aside from being individually pumped about the cleanse I have received a plethora of e-mails, phone calls, and texts from people cheering me on and asking interesting questions along the way. From co-workers to pen pals, I'm glad I got so many people involved!

A huge thank you to everyone that has been part of this process! I can't imagine my successes without you.

It's My Diet and I'm Sticking to It

It is day two of the cleanse and I'm refreshed, energized, and ready for the day. Surprisingly, I'm not the least bit hungry. The juices are a calculated balance of vitamins and minerals I need to cleanse but also feel good throughout the day. I have had all the juice varieties and know what to expect, now the approach is repetition. My goal for the day is to drink more water between juices than I did yesterday.

Red Red Wine

I am officially a fan of BPC. There's no stopping me now. I do however have one critique. The option of a seventh bottle of red wine would be nice, 16 fluid ounces like the rest of the bottles. The good-for-you, organic stuff..red, of course. I would never do such a thing, but some may appreciate the option.

Message in a Bottle

The tail end of the day becomes a bit difficult. Five bottles in, hunger begins to strike. The previous juices were light and water based, leaving room for the next. The last drink is milky and thick in texture, similar to a protein packed smoothie. This last shake is made with: water, raw cashews, agave nectar, vanilla bean, and cinnamon. After a day of no eating it is incredibly filling and somehow manages to satisfy to the likes of dessert. This last drink fully convinces and assures that juice detoxification is possible without those painful hunger pangs. Who knew a beverage called 'cashew nut milk' could be so powerful?

Small Victory

Done with the green gunk for the day. Yay!

Two's Company, Three's a Crowd..

Have you noticed they never mention four? There's really nothing to mention about four. The fourth juice is a lot like water. But its got this kick of heat from cayenne, which is a nice break from the previous juices. The recipe tastes like a knockoff of the 'lemonade diet' craze that came into existence a few years back.

Just Drink It

The green juice is making me do something weird. I seem to be making 'ew you are gross' faces at the sight of it and tend to hold my breath as I drink it. I don't think I like it. Unfortunately, it makes up exactly 50% of my diet; every other bottle is this green pasture concoction. Bottoms up!

Freebie

There's a little bonus that comes along with this cleanse that the website and reviews failed to mention..free time! It's amazing how much extra time this cleanse has managed to create. My frequent thoughts and efforts to coordinate what to eat, where to eat, and who to meet to eat have simply disappeared. Seems like life over the next few days will be carefree, and most importantly..about me!

Two is Better than One

Who said second chances are not worth having? Just had my second "meal" of the day and it was delicious. A typical, more conventional juice blend: pineapple, apple, and mint.

Green Juice for Breakfast

I'm a pretty healthy person. I focus most meals on fruits and vegetables and make an effort to eat more fat at the beginning of the day versus the end. I try to eat all colors of the rainbow daily, occasionally cheating with a blue Starburst since natural and nutritional forms of blue are extremely hard to find. This morning I had my first bottle of green juice instead of the usual decaf latte with a cupcake or bagel. The ingredients read: romaine, celery, cucumber, kale (what is this?), parsely (in a juice!?), green apple, spinach, and lemon. It tasted like most would imagine..grass in a bottle. One juice down, 17 to go!

The Night Before the Big Day

It's the night before my 72 hour detoxification cleanse. I received my 'live juices' this afternoon and carefully took each juice bottle out of its cooler and placed it in the refrigerator. I have been looking forward to the cleanse for about a week but do have to admit that the thought of not eating for the next three days makes me a little hungry. I enjoyed my last meal at an amazing pizzeria called Pizza Parlor & Co. and have declared it one of my favorite resty's in New York. I can't wait to run back to it as soon as I have detoxified.

Back to Basics

Juice is where it's at..or at least it will be for the next three days. I came across the Blue Print Cleanse (BPC) a year ago while surfing the web for super foods for women in their 20's. Naturally I was skeptical of an all-juice diet thinking it sounded more like a fad than a methodical cleanse. The program offers three levels of juice mixes: renovation for those that consider iceberg lettuce a leafy green, foundation for those that consider zucchini good and a sundae bad..but oh-so-good, and excavation for those that believe that carb and sugar free desserts actually exist. I passed on the cleanse at the time due to the price tag and newness but added it to my list of things to do in the near future. A year later, here I am blogging (also a fresh experience) the night before the big day.

See http://www.blueprintcleanse.com/ for details on the cleanse!