Cleanse Day One

I'm writing this post as a way to keep busy and not notice the hunger pangs that are currently clanking around in my stomach as loud as the bells of Notre Dame. I'm doing a 3 day juice cleanse with my friend Alysia. There was no way I could do it alone! I've got to complain to someone, and who better to complain to than someone who is feeling the same way as me? Empathy baby.

This morning while I was sleeping I had lucid dreams about drinking three of my juices too quickly and being so starving for the rest of the day. What a nightmare! Needless to say, I was more than a little nervous for what the rest of the day would feel like if I was already dreading it in my sleep!

8:30 am: Grabbed the Greenest #3 juice from my fridge and began working on it while I got ready for the day. Gilmore Girls on in the background, curls in place, and make up on, I actually felt pretty good. I didn't feel the need for coffee at first, but the second I walked into work, the caffeine deprivation hit. And boy, did it hit hard! I was so longing for a cup of joe that I couldn't think of anything else. If anything, this cleanse will be a fantastic mental exercise.

10:30 am: I am seriously starving. FAMISHED. I don't think I'm even this hungry on days when I am not cleansing. This has to be a mental thing, so it's got to be possible to overcome. I grabbed a bag of dry roasted almonds and ate one. One almond. It was glorious. I never new a thing so small could feel so satisfying. JRR Tolkein said something about that I think. Small things being great, not about almonds. After the insanity of hunger passed, I was able to get some work done.

11:15 am: I cracked open my next juice, Cleanse Guru #2 (really yummy!) and have been slowly working on it. I read that you're supposed to drink a juice about every 2 hours.

12:20 pm: I just received some distressing news. My dad, grandad and sister are coming up to visit me at work and go out for a "bite to eat" before sending my grandad to the airport. I don't know how I will sit there and not eat anything while they eat what will most likely be a fantastic meal. I bet there will be fries. Dammit.

12:27 pm: I'm having a hard time focusing. I almost feel tipsy. This all has to be in my head. I've definitely gone this long without food and coffee before. And I've been fueling myself with such rich nutrients, I should feel fantastic. Why is this so hard?

12:42 pm: My colleague just made some sort of Italian food. I hate him.

1:02 pm: Do I eat one more almond?

I guess I should have said this earlier but I am doing the Vitamin Guru 3 Day Cleanse from Juice Crafters. I go to this place pretty regularly to get cold pressed juices and the guy there is super nice. People say he's the face of Brentwood. I get that. He's there every day.

1:12 pm: I feel really okay right now.

1:20 pm: Alysia emailed me that we should drink more water. I suppose she's right. I've noticed throughout this whole day that I am very forgetful. I have left two things in the printer for hours. I told someone I would be outside to let them in and never did. She had to walk so far around to bring heavy things in. I forgot to arrange for an artwork to be delivered. I can't remember words. Again I ask...is this all in my head? It's strange how powerful the mind can be. A mere 20 minutes ago I was hangry. Now I'm fairly relaxed and enjoying a Colin Hay song. Mellowww. The cleanse seems possible at this point. So to all you readers out there at the beginning of your cleanse, just know, like most things in life, the hangriness is fleeting and you will feel okay soon.

1:30 pm: Just re-read my last post. Totally bonkers. Going from feeling forgetful to feeling blissful. Philosophical musing for the day: Are bliss and forgetfulness really that different?

1:50 pm: Realized I hate the word hangry and now I'm upset. Also, I have that TS Eliot line, "Do I dare to eat a peach?" stuck in my head, but replace that with almond. "Do I dare to eat an almond?" And I'm dizzy. To quote my friend Alysia: "Oh my gosh I alternate between feeling awesome and feeling SO HUNGRY"

2:50 pm: Really irritable. The FedEx guy said the to and from zip code 15 too many times and by the end of it all I almost threw a tantrum.Considering cheating a tiny bit and having some green tea. I'm zonky! Just did minimal research and found this quote from some cleanse-y website: "Hydrating as much as possible with water and herbal tea or green tea (this will ease the dreaded "coffee withdrawal headache" if you experience it) in between each juice is also a must." I'm making some green tea.

3:15 pm: Ate an almond. I'm almost mad that I did, because it is so damn good. I shouldn't be starving. I should be getting plenty of nutrients!! What is this madness?!

4:00 pm: Despair! I hate beets and this juice is like majorly beety. Blegh!!!

5:07 pm: Crisis averted. My family came early, distracted me from hunger, and all we did is go get green tea!

5:09 pm: All I want to do is eat dinner with Shane. Curses!! It's interesting and sad to note that this might be the longest time I will go without having an alcoholic beverage in the evening. I wouldn't say I'm dependent on it, but it definitely has become a part of my everyday routine. It will be interesting to see what I do instead of, let's say, grabbing a drink with a friend, or having beer and watching a movie. I could just replace it with a juice ::shrugs shoulders::

5:30 pm: Just thinking...is there such a thing as too much juice?

6:15 pm: Got home from work and was freezing! I went straight into my bed and snuggled up in blankets with another juice. I just moved into my apartment and still haven't quite brought all of my belongings over, nor have we switched on the internet. I had been feeling really great when I was driving home, but the minute I hit the pillow, I felt completely zapped of energy. This resulted in my sleepily messaging my friends on my phone, and watching like 6 episodes of Gilmore Girls. It's weird,  I almost have that show memorized at this point, but it makes me so comfortable and relaxed. I just love them. Over the span of a few episodes I was able to finish three more juices (one was a yummy almond, dates, vanilla bean, and sea salt one!), and I had a couple more almonds. Later in the evening, around 10 pm, Shane came over and ate his dinner and we got to talk and catch up and laugh. He is so fun to be with. My eyes started shutting around 11:40 and I had a really, really deep sleep.

I made it through the day!