As I mentioned last week, I was about to embark on a big change in my life, and I intuited that is was time for another detox. When the thought came to me I laughed that I am beginning to resemble this stereotype a little.  It’s okay, please go ahead, do have a giggle….
You may have gathered from my lyrical prose here, here and here  thatI am a fan of cleansing and detoxing from time to time. For me it’s something much bigger and deeper than just the physical aspects of detoxifying your body. It’s also an emotional and spiritual cleaning of the slate, so to speak. Detox’s allow me to repair my heart and soul as much as my body. The process makes me listen closely, pay attention and be more sensitive with myself. I tend to become more loving and accepting of myself, slow down, take rest and get cosy with my inner wisdom, heart and intuition. Emotional blockages that I’ve stored away to deal with at a later date come to the surface and are released.
Detoxing also works for me because I tend to be an emotional eater. The truth is, most of us are. If I am going through some personal challenges or am facing issues, my habit  is to eat more than I need, a unconscious effort from my body to protect me. It’s a cue that my body has: any form of stress creates a physical response to stock up for meagre times, because that’s the only stress that the body can fathom, still deeply intrinsic and instinctual from cave-woman times. Which is cute and sweet and all, but unnecessary cause, well, hello! I live in a world where food is in overabundance.
Cleansing is a life re-set on many levels. It gives us a chance to review the past and re-calibrate life for a better future. I decided to do this cleanse at the time that I was packing and preparing to move from my studio apartment to a beautiful two bedroom apartment in Bondi as a step towards preparing for a new beginning, for new times ahead. I knew that moving was a significant step for me and wanted to give myself the best start that I could. Healthy and happy both inside and out. The following are excepts from my personal diary as I went through the cleanse.
For a detailed intro on how to do the master cleanse yourself, I recommend Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days by Peter Glickman. His website The Master Cleanse is a wonderful resource that I refer to continuously as well. The Master Cleanse is by far my favourite and most used detox technique that I go back to time and time again. Every 6 months is optimum.

⥤◈⥢

Day 1.
I am doing this because  I want to feel good about myself. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally, Spiritually. Aesthetically.
Life has taken on a great many changes over this Sydney Autumn. I’m moving house. My ex has moved away. I’m moving office. My work has changed. My friendships have changed. Some significant relationships have come to a close whilst others have rekindled. I have been doing everything at once as usual and have come to realise something. I think this is how women are made. We do things with full gusto for short amounts of time. Women, by nature, are sprinters whereas men are marathon runners. We go hard and fast for shorter time spans and then require rest, whereas men tend to have a more median energy level. They can just keep going and going at the same pace forever. I’ve decide to start this cleanse just in the time between Easter and my move. There’s never really is a good time to start so might as well do it now.
So, it’s day 1. The first day is always quite easy. There’s still plenty of food in the stomach for the body to metabolise and it hasn’t quite noticed what is going on yet. The lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper “lemonade” is actually quite delicious and does stave off hunger as well as warm the body since cayenne pepper is a thermogenic. (I keep calling cayenne, Kanye pepper…)
 
Day 2.
I do this every time I detox. I become obsessed with food. Last week I won Paul Jarvis’s very awesome vegan cookbook Eat Awesome which I printed out to add to my binding folder of recipes today. And then very promptly sat down and read through every single recipe that I own. For some reason looking at and thinking about food feel satiating and calming.
It’s only the second day but I’ve already noticed how much calmer and kinder I have become. My patience is a little shorter but there is a space around my patience which creates a barrier of compassion and stops me from snapping at people! I have felt hungry from time to time today but it’s okay. The most prevalent detox symptoms at the moment are dull headaches and joint aches. Apart from that I feel quite clear and focused though a little tired. I expected today to be harder than it has been, it seems that my body really wants this break, has been craving for it even.
I did the salt water flush this  morning but must admit that I DID NOT ENJOY IT! I think I’m going to stick to the laxative teas and only do the flush if I feel like my body needs it. It’s a very strong way to flush your system out and I’m a bit sensitive in general.
So often when I cleanse I realise how much eating and our interactions with food are much more out of habit than any real hunger.
 
Day 3.
I am very surprised how easy this fast has been for me so far. The 2nd and 3rd day are normally the most challenging, but apart from a little hunger I’ve felt fine. Tomorrow morning my body will have completed its transition into ketosis and will be burning excess body fat, old unused cells and unnecessary matter for energy. This is where the real healing begins. I am having fantasies of detoxing for a whole 21 days which would be to the end of the month. We will see. I will listen to my body and let it guide me.
 
Day 4.
Uuuffffff!!!! Today has been a tough one! I woke with a thick film of white coating on my tongue – a sure sign that my body is detoxing. The morning was fine, I didn’t even feel like any of the “lemonade” until midday. Then all of my work demands suddenly became overwhelming and I kind of lost it. I cried when my real estate agent very rudely demanded that I be available to do a viewing on the studio that I’m moving out from, at 10.30am tomorrow morning, without querying whether that would suit me. I gave him a piece of my mind, whereas normally I wouldn’t react so strongly! Actually, I’ve had a few little cries today. It’s highlighting my habit of pushing myself too hard and the detox is releasing the emotions around that. It’s a big lesson for me to learn in life.
I’m pretty tired and a tiny bit hungry and hope that I’ll feel better tomorrow. I’m having symptoms much like as if I had a cold and my glands are swollen. Time to put myself to bed.
 
Day 5.
Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t eaten anything for 5 days, it sounds so weird! It’s been easier than I remember it being. Today is the first time that I went out and had people eating round me, and it didn’t bother me at all. I am extremely tired now but I have had a massive day. It amazes me how sensitive the body is and how quickly it responds to everything we do to ourselves. This is why diet and exercise and the thoughts we think and the words we say are so important. Our bodies reflect and react to it all. I can feel a lot of crap, both on a physical plane as well as emotional and spiritual being released. It’s amazing how we accumulate so many toxins from our modern everyday lifestyles and aren’t even aware of it. I am super healthy compared to the average person with their SAD (Standard American/Australian Diet) and yet I still feel enormous benefits from detoxing.
 
Day 6.
Today is the first day that I feel like all the excess water that we tend to carry around to protect our bodies from the toxins we consume and adsorb is dissipating. I feel lighter on my feet and any bloating from eating wheat (I was a bit naughty the last couple of months) has disappeared. I’m also mightily impressed with how much mucoid plaque is still coming out. I haven’t eaten in over 5 days and while it’s not solid, it’s definitely there. This can mean only one thing: excess build up in my colon, which I am more than happy to get rid of.
After a strenuous yoga session as well as a swim I’ve been hungrier than previously this afternoon. I’ve also decided to switch my lemonade from maple syrup as the original recipe suggests, to raw honey since honey contains more enzymes, despite it being an animal product. So I’m wondering if the added hunger is due to the change or because I did quite a lot of exercise. Also, I’m drinking a fair bit less honey/ maple syrup that the recipe recommends because I don’t feel I need that much.
I’ve just realised that I don’t really have a sense of accomplishment around completing days ~ I just want to see my body change into a more clean and alive state. One thing I have noticed is that it is so much easier to be present and in the moment when there’s no food in my stomach. Interesting…..
My tongue is still so white but I am grateful that I don’t have any other hardcore detox symptoms.
 
Day 7.
A whole week has passed and I feel exceptionally well. Super tired because I’ve had yet another busy day, my main detox symptoms have been headaches for most of the day, white tongue coating and body soreness, though that is partly from yoga as well. The idea is that your body tells you it is clean when your tongue turns pink again so I’m waiting for that to happen.
I’m really looking forward to eating again. How much I will appreciate each morsel! Eating slowly. Just a little. I’m fantasising about all the soups I am going to make this winter. Maybe even fish soup. Does fish soup exist? Chicken soup. Pumpkin soup. Spinach and kale soup. Watercress soup. Carrot soup. Tomato soup…… Okay! Now I’m just teasing myself!!
I’m not sure if it’s the toxins coming out or what but I’m wavering about where to make the finish line. I’ve completed 1 week now and I’ll easily do 10 days, but I keep changing my mind whether to go further or not. My head has been so fuzzy today, not clear at all, I’m hoping for more clarity tomorrow.
 
Day 8.
I’m feeling really well today. Hungry but well. It’s like I’m getting hungrier as the days go by instead of less hungry. The smells from food and the sounds that people make when they eat have become so clear, my senses are just so heightened, it’s quite funny. I could hear this guy in my office crunching away on his snacks all day today from across the room. Apart from that, I feel light on my feet and very clean and healthy and my head has cleared up. No pink tongue for me yet though.
I caught up with some of my favourite girlfriends in Sydney this evening. It was a little challenging as they were planning all sorts of social events which obviously revolve around drinking and eating and of course I want to join in but that would mean breaking my fast at 10 days.
 
Day 9.
I felt absolutely amazing this morning and then completely exhausted and falling apart by 3pm. So I have decided, despite my grand ambitions to finish my cleanse at 10 days, making tomorrow my last day. There are too many social things that I don’t want to miss out on and I need a good 3 days to come off the fast properly so I don’t harm my body and shock it too much. My tongue hasn’t gone pink yet so I’ll have to plan for another detox in the not-too-far-away future.  All in all, now that I am resting, I feel pretty great. Slim, healthy and vibrant, which is what it’s all about.
 
Day 10. 
I’m slowly weaning myself off the fast today. I’ve had two orange and carrot juices and lots of water and herbal tea. It doesn’t feel like anything has changed though. I feel good. Happy, healthy, tired easily but ready for my new life. It’s my second last night in my studio flat and I am feeling really grateful for all the wonderful times and safety and security I felt living here. Thank you No. 22! I’m almost all packed, and I’m also super excited about moving to my new home.
It’s so weird, I’m not hungry at all tonight. With the lemon and honey and cayenne pepper “lemonade” I was much hungrier but I can’t imagine fresh juice being much more calorific than honey. Hmm interesting.
 
Day 11.
I think I’m allergic to work. Or I’m having a revolt of detox symptoms: runny nose, tearing eyes, feeling really cold whilst everyone else looks quite comfortable in their summer clothes. It’s been a funny day really. I drank my last cup of lax tea this morning. Then straight away went to the toilet and had an incredible amount of waste come out which is unbelievable considering I haven”t eaten anything for 10 days. Where did it come from? I did read somewhere that when you start ingesting food again it loosens a wall of mucoid plaque that is then finally released.
I had my first real meal today at lunch: a miso pumpkin soup from Iku. What an exiting experience! All those flavours swimming together making magic in my mouth! It was a sensational experience and I savoured every mouthful. I’ve also started taking probiotics this morning to return the good flora and fauna to my stomach that may have been washed out by the cleanse. Okay, so it’s not called flora and fauna but you know what I mean.
It’s my last night in my very first own apartment before I move to the beach (where I belong!).