When

It is a plague
Poisoning my very being
With each fleating moment pieces of my soul are lost to the abyss never to
return
We never knew our love would be so determental
The seed of love planted so many years ago only to be stiffled as it begins to
blossom into what could have been the most beautiful garden we had ever known
Instead I am left with a black hole in the deepest part of my body sucking
pieces of my soul into its endless abyss tearing at the very core of this
budding romance.

How could their lies cause such a hole. How could their vindictive nature cut so
deep as to theaten the life that could have been ours.
Where, when will it end. When can I be whole again? When can we be again. When
can we go back to watering the seedling of our love again. When will I be able
to hold your body in my arms again. When?
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DAY 6 REHAB

Ever since the alcoholic epidemic I have had a drink every time I have gone out to a party club, there goes self control. if you guys haven't noticed I got backlogged and so these post are now a day behind and I have to try and remember what happened yesterday! BTW I went to the worst club ever, the lodge. When was the last time you went to a club actually set up with a beer pong table. Last time I saw a beer pong table was at a house party CRAZY!! to top that off we were one of 6 people in the entire bar 10 if you include the door dude and the bartenders. They did last call at 1050. lol So its safe to say we drank for free all night long. (all night being until 11, LAME)

I guess what I am saying is I have completely messed up this cleanse. lol I am still drinking the lemonade mixture and the tea until day 10 (friday) but I have also eaten food and am thinking I am going to continue doing that. lol Food is good. Very good.

Stick around I will keep you updated on whats left of the cleanse and, yes there is an and, Hot decorating tips. Some of you may or may not know that I have thing for furniture. Maybe it's because I am a cancer and its in my nature or... I don't know, but I am getting ready to get my own place again, YEA!!!!!, and am ferociously looking at various designs. I think design on a dime is one of my favorite shows, so bringing what I know and learn here to share with all of ya'll in little something we like to call getting ready for parties!!! yea!!! me like me like.

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OBAMA You Tube

Go ahead!! This dude really knows what he is talking about. I would love to see more informed voters!! Highly enjoyable.

What do you think????

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DAY 6 Death to a DREAM

As you slumber thoughts and images come to your head. Many refer to these as dreams. dictionary.com defines dream as: American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This dream (drēm) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep.
2. A daydream; a reverie.
3. A state of abstraction; a trance.
4. A wild fancy or hope.
5. A condition or achievement that is longed for; an aspiration: a dream of owning their own business.
6. One that is exceptionally gratifying, excellent, or beautiful: Our new car runs like a dream.

With these definitions in mind, my dream died. My wild hope of successfully completing the master cleanse is hanging on by a thread. I don't know that I am really going to make it through friday, but I must say that I am greatly enjoying the experience


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DAY 5 Alcoholic epidimic

Let me prefix this by saying that there really are good friends and bad friends. Sometimes a good friend and bad friend are housed within the same person. This having been said, My friend casually forgot I have been doing a cleanse (even though they had been around for the past few days of no drinking no eating, with the occasional slip up) and they decide to buy me a glass of Merlot, my favorite BTW. Now most of you are probably saying to yourself, "so what! just refuse it and continue the cleanse," and a self controlled individual probably would have, but did I mention I am a big fan of a good Merlot? And an even bigger fan of great conversation, while over looking a fabulous view, whilst drinking a glass of good Merlot! Let's just say thats what I had going on yesterday at the 13th floor and "no" was not really in the vocabulary at that moment.

Here are somethings I have learned while attempting this cleanse.
1. It really does work. I have lost over 8lbs and feel great. Heck I joined a gym, have been working out an enjoying being healthier.
2. You really must be in the right mindset to begin this cleanse. Make sure there is nothing on your calendar that would require you to be around food or eat food.
3. Have the support of your friends. If they are trying to influence you otherwise you may, or not, cave. It makes the cleanse a whole lot more difficult if you don't.
4. don't be hung up on thte lbs lost. I have yet to measure inches but that is more noticeable to me than my weight. My brand new jeans now need a belt to stay up. Talk about a quick fix.

Although I am going to continue through to the 10 day mark, I am already preparing myself for the next cleanse, selecting dates and planning my schedule. If you wanna do it with me next time or are doing it with me this time let me know how it is going for you.

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DAY 4

So... is it really considered sliding down the wagon if it happens again or is it completely falling off the wagon? Working in a restaurant is not really conducive to a fast. One of my boss's bought us fried ice cream, we shared it so I only had a few bites. I think that by taking a few bites I have just recreated a real desire for the taste of food, which was beginning to subside. I didn't make it back to the gym today but I plan on going tomorrow.

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Night 3

The gym was awesome. I could not believe I had so much energy considering I haven't eaten, with the exception of the minor slip back from the wagon. BTW I love the new M.A.C gym in harbor east. It is beautiful. After the gym I tested my reserve and went out to a party with my home girl Liza. proudly I stuck to my cleanse and did not drink. It is a very different experience to party with a bunch o people drinking when not drinking. The people watching was great! People, especially drunk people, offer great comic relief. The party itself was kind of a drag.

It has been three days without food and I must say that I am still hungry. lol I am almost ready to give up but I see the positive changes. My skin is breaking out but that means the toxins are leaving. I have lost 4lbs in 3 days and am continually flushing my system even though I am not adding anything new. This lets me know that whatever was stored up is ACTUALLY getting flushed out. I still have not gone back to the salt water flush, aka ocean water, but I am thinking I may go back to it in the morning. The senna tea just doesn't have the same effect in the morning. If I can get through the 32 oz in the morning it will be a terrific feat. We shall see. See you in the morning.

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DAY 3

Today has actually been much easier to stomach than the first two. I have gotten used to the "lemonade" and the senna tea in the morning is not bad either. My cravings for food are pretty low, they only really flare up when I can smell my coworkers food, if its good. I actually have a lot more energy, than the first two days. I have been getting up earlier than usual, naturally, and actually feel like working out. What I wasn't expecting to get was my period a week early. I did some online research and apparently a womans period is her bodys natural way of releasing toxins so with the cleanse dislodging all of the stored toxins in my body it triggers the onset of the period to flush it out. I just hope i don't also get my period next week for the normal cycle. That would be a serious problem for me.

I can tell the cleanse is working because I, a person who has only had 2 pimples in her life, have quite a few and have had since the second day. Although it means the toxins are moving and leaving, hopefully, I am not amused by t his at all.

Although today was easier than the past two, I still am not sure I am going to make it the whole 10 days. That is a very long time.

Well I am off to the gym try and work. I will let you know how that goes when I get home.

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DAY 2 (Another day, another challenge)

So... Today was I substituted the sea salt, ocean water, drink in the morning for the herbal laxative tea, which the book says you can do, it just doesn't have the same effect. With the salt water I felt it coursing through my body and then coming out. Aside from that change in the regimen I backslide a little. I forgot when I started this cleanse that we were having the walk-thru for our event today, meaning we had food to taste. I had five noodles, a tiny bite of chicken and half of a scallop. I am finding that the problem with doing a cleansing fast is, real life. If I was sitting in a cabin somewhere in the mountains not eating, meditating then I could see it working, there are so many temptations and smells it is so hard to remain mentally focused on the cleanse.

I told you before I am a fatty. Not meaning that I am fat, but that I love and enjoy good food. I never gave to much thought to my health, one because I had always been an athlete in pretty good shape and two because I wanted whatever tasted good. I guess that is how I have always lived my life, even outside of food. I have always wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it with little to no regard to the big picture. The lemonade is not as bad today I just have to keep using the restroom. All day long up and down. I am surprised I have gotten any work done at all today.

I am kind of fatigued. Not as bored as I was yesterday but I can taste food. I know it sounds weird but my cravings are bad. This is apparently because i had bites of food so my body is breaking that down and wants more. I want to give it more, but if I can't even go 3 days without food then I really have no self control.

This is my science experiment for myself , not just to see if a hollywood fad really works. I want to know if I can do it. Can I go 10 now 8, i am not starting over due to forced feeding, more days on this diet and what kind of effect will it have on my body and my health. apparently tomorrow, the 4th, 5th and 6th days are supposed to be much easier. Hopefully that is true. I am going to measure myself again tomorrow to see if there have been any changes.

BTW the book made me think that I was going to be chained to the bathroom but to day was pretty easy. I have been at work since 9ish and used the bathroom like 4 times and it is 430pm. That is not bad considering yesterday was like every 5 minutes.

It is said that on day 8 you achieve mental clarity. I hope that is true because i could use some of that right now.

Well I should go for now. Gotta find some self control before I head to my other job working at a bomb thai food restaurant. I know what am I going to do.???


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DAY 1

So today has been an interesting day. The lemonade mixture has not gotten better in taste. It is rather difficult to imagine continuing this for 9 more days. All in all it is has not been the worst experience. I am not looking forward to tomorrow. The book states that the worst days on this cleanse are the 2,3 and 7th. They say it is amazing how many people quit on those days. I don't know about those people but day 1 is not easy. Some of the detox symptoms include cravings, not hunger, irritability, headaches and other aches.


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Lemonade (DAY 1)

Wow it is not that bad. I found that if you let it sit the cayenne pepper gets really hot. I do really want some food. I am watching tv and every five minutes getting up to go to the bathroom. (Means the cleanse is beginning to work because I hadn't had a BM in two days.

I must say it is not the most comfortable thing but I knew going in that the first few days were going to be the hardest and I was going to be in the bathroom a lot. I just didn't realize how much I would want to eat. I am not hungry but I just saw a commercial for chocolate and all I want is some chocolate and popcorn. DON'T ASK! I told you I was a fatty. lol As I am sitting here, trying not to move to far away from my bathroom, I realize that I eat a lot out of boredom.

Boredom is listed as one of the detox symptoms in the book for the first two days and lethargy, due to the complete shift in your diet. I can feel that. I am tired and bored watching the HG (Home and Garden) channel trying to get inspired to get up and go out of my house but I am afraid to go to far from a bathroom. Imagine being confined to your house based on bodily function. I now know what people with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) must feel like.

As for the updates on my coworkers, they wanted to wait and see how I do on the cleanse before doing it themselves. I spoke with one this morning and she is kind of turned off from the idea. Hopefully the end result will be worth it and she will want to try it. The idea that it will completely cleanse your system and remove toxins is great, and something I think everyone should do at least once. (Please contact your physician before trying any of this. Every persons body is different and requires different things.)




The book states that if you start to feel hungry have another "lemonade," so thats what I am going to do. Be back soon.

Sidebar: Some of you asked me on my myspace and facebook pages about quitting smoking.
yes, I am also quitting smoking with this fast so I am not eating and not smoking. You cant detox your system while adding toxins through smoking. Wish me luck!

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It ain't over till the fat lady measures (DAY 1)

As promised the measurements before we start this cleanse. Thigh-21 Hips-41 Stomach-37(Almost the same as my hips no wonder I have no more shape.) Bust-37.5 Upper Arm-10.5. Weight 155.9.


Nothing really prepares you for 32 oz of salt water. That is a lot of salt water. I am still trying to finish it all. It taste like I swallowed pacific ocean water. I can not manage to take more than a sip at a time. no big gulps, as was my original game plan. I boiled the water first and then added the salt. I feel weighed down. The more salt water i drink the more I wish I hadn't decided to do this or announce it to the world so I could quit silently and have some eggs and pancakes. I think the only reason I might make it through this cleanse is because I am too prideful to admit defeat to the audience. So as I attempt to drink 32 oz of ocean( yuck!) I thank you, with each terrible sip.

Almost done! A few more sips to go and I have already moved to the BR. Will report more once something exciting happens.


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It's like starvation only better!

For all of you out there who created the new years resolution of getting in shape and failed here is your chance to get back on the wagon to a healthier lifestyle.

So... I have been looking more and more into this master cleanse and the more it reminds me of starvation. I know its considered fasting and also cleansing. I don't know if I am gonna make it. I haven't even started yet and I already have doubts. I am a fatty at heart. I love food and not just sushi. I love fried food and everything bad for you like pizza and recently I have eaten at least a slice every couple of days. Food is not something I can give up easily.

This having been said, I have convinced some of my colleagues to do the cleanse with me. (yea support!!) I am starting tomorrow and hopefully so will two of my coworkers. Everybody talks about wanting to live a healthier lifestyle, me probably more than anyone else, and never do anything about it. Like most Americans I am lazy and have gotten increasingly lazier as I have gotten older.

As I was researching various cleanses I found the the average person, not an overweight or obese person but an average person, has 10 - 25 lbs of dried fecal matter in their colon. That can really weigh you down. (no pun intended , lol) Some people who do not have regular bowl movements(BM), a few times a day is optimal, are just storing all kinds of waste in their bodies which, they are not excreting. Now, in most people BM's can be regulated through exercise and a healthy diet. My thoughts with this cleanse is to get rid of the built up junk in my system that way I can start an exercise and diet regimen with a clean slate.

(here is a link to a picture of waste removed from a colon. It is rather gross, hence why I did not post it here. If you want to see click on the link below and it will take you to the image.)
http://constantstateofflux.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/fecal-waste.jpg






My goals for this cleanse are:
1) Eliminate some of the toxins in my body
2) Eliminate some of the dried fecal matter that we all carry around(cleanse my colon)
3) lose Weight (20-25lbs)
4) Get Healthier
5) Have more energy
6) See if this really works and report back to you.

Tonight I am going to... (YIKES!) measure my hips, waist, thighs, arms, stomach, and bust prior to beginning this cleanse and post them here for you to see the beginning and to track the progress. I will measure again at day 5 and then at day 10. It is stated that the optimal time for this cleanse is 20 days but that 10 days is sufficient for a good cleanse.

Sidebar: I am not going to do this a lazy way. I will be playing tennis at least once a week,(That doesnt sound like a lot but if you know me I don't think I have done that in a while (Sorry ERIN, my old tennis coach)) and walking for at least half an hour, if it isn't to cold (this is February in MD but you wouldn't know it considering it is 50 degrees outside today).

Aside from food this cleanse call for no alcohol. I know a lot of people who could have a major problem with that. If you are doing this cleanse with me or starting a few days after me post comments here and we can be each others support group.
Not to be a huge advocate for the book but if you are going to do the cleanse please do not just do what I say, buy the book there are loads of little things in there that will help you with your cleanse and that I wont be mentioning (copyright infringement.) Not trying to get arrested.

I am going to be blogging about my experiences with this cleanse day in and day out. Hopefully, if it goes well, it will inspire you to also take your health into your own hands.

MASTER CLEANSE

Monday, February 04, 2008


Master cleanse
Current mood: fascinated

So .... yesterday as a good friend of mine, Elli (or so we will call her), and I were driving back from New York city when we started discussing weight. Now, many of you know that weight is not a topic of discussion one should have among friends because we are all our own worst critics and it is even worse when your friends agree with your worst critic.

We talked about how we couldnt believe how much weight we had gained throughout college and how out of shape we are. Now, I am not saying we are obese but for out body types and our past the new shape is one that is more rotund and less refined.

Elli started talking about this Master Cleanse to clear you body of toxins and break down waste stored in your body. I had never even heard of the master cleanse or met anyone who had done it. She looked at me as though I was an alien. " Didn't you know Beyonce did the cleanse to lose 14 lbs in 10 days to play the younger version of herself in DREAMGIRLS." Well no, I didn't know that. When we finally made it back to Baltimore after a long 3 1/2 hours of discussion about waste in the body I ate some chicken drank some wine and went to sleep.

In my head were thoughts of "where did the chicken go?" "did some of it breakdown and the rest is just stored somewhere?" "Has my gradual, but not so gradual, weight gain all been a result of built up waste that hasn't been excreted?" needless to say, I woke up completely disgusted and determined to gain some information about this issue.

My first finding, colon hydrotherapy. Now, this is when they take a water hose and put it in your rectum and shoot water into your colon. (YUCK!) I learned that this is a big trend in Hollywood and that celebrities such as Paris Hilton, Ben Affleck, Courtney Love, Andie McDowell, Janet Jackson, Cindy Crawford, Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler, just to name a few, all enjoy having their colons cleansed and toxins removed through Hydrotherapy. This peaked my interest. Where would you even have something like this done and how really does it work.

Thanks to google I found that there is a retreat that is a Hollywood favorite where they fast, cleanse their colons and meditate which, costs upwards of a couple thousand dollars. Not so much something in my budget nor any longer in my neighborhood. There are a few spas in Maryland that perform the Hydrotherapy as well as many in DC.

I am debating having this done but it still kinda freaks me out. I think I am going to try the Master Cleanse first. The master cleanse also known as the Lemonade diet is similar to that of a fast, considering you dont actually eat, except you have 32 oz. water with 2 teaspoons uniodized sea salt in the morning, 6-12 8oz glasses of the "lemonade" throughout the day and then 1 cup of herbal laxative tea in the evening.

The lemonade mixture is the juice of 1/2 lemon, some grade B maple syrup, and cayenne pepper added to 8 oz of water.

It sounds really gross and unhealthey but apparently its not. Here are some excerpts from therawfoodsite.com on the master cleanse
The Master Cleanse (or the Lemonade Diet as it is also called) is divided into two parts: The Agitator and The Rinse Cycle. By not eating, you enable your digestive system to use its energy to eliminate old waste. Additionally, the lemonade dissolves the old waste and the laxative herb tea stimulates the intestines' contractions to slough off old waste.

With all that going on, if you don't drink enough lemonade and water, and if you don't do the salt water flush each morning, you will have mobilized toxins which are not being eliminated. The result is you will feel tired, sick, achy and have cravings.

Most people know that citrus fruit (including lemons) are a good source of vitamin C. What many people do not know is that lemon juice is also a good source of potassium. However, that's beside the point. The idea that people cannot exist without protein for 10 days may be a dream of the meat industry, but it is not true. Fasting, as recommended in the Bible, has been recognized by many doctors for hundreds of years. The most current, visible American MD who is a major proponent of fasting is Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live and Fasting and Eating for Health. He has had numerous successes curing with diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. In Europe, there are many health spas run by doctors that practice fasting for healing and rejuvenation.

Ok guys so I am going to do it, starting wednesday morning, tuesday night I am competing in a karaoke contest and will more than likely be drinking, or tomorrow morning depending on how well I do in the contest tonight. I will keep you posted at www.AFRO.com and here as I go through my 10 day fast journey. Hey if it works out maybe I will go the full 40 days. That is uber optimistic!

Here are two photos of me. one from 2 years ago at my sisters graduation and one from two weeks ago

Photobucket
There is a bigger copy of this picture and others in my photo album on myspace.
[IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/collegechix2002/onphone.jpg[/IMG]

before the cleanse

[IMG]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/collegechix2002/befroethecleanse.jpg[/IMG]

I will post pictures when I am done and blog about the entire experience each day. Wish me luck. Oh and if you wish to do the cleanse with me I recommend purchasing the book "Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days." leave a comment let me know how it is working out for you each day. Also, send me messages of encouragement, I am going to need it.

subscribe to my blog and check back in with me each day as I struggle with the MASTER CLEANSE who knows maybe one day I will do the colonic. lol