5

*Photos courtesy of our Super Saturday tradition - a day out at Okeeheelee Park

Day 5 dawned well. No headache this morning and the neck/shoulder/back stiffness I'm so used to waking up with was noticeably absent. I've read a lot about how what we eat can affect joints and various aches and pains. This is pretty tangible proof that I needed to do this cleanse - constant pain is something I've come to live with, and the lack of it is very very welcome. It is also a good motivator for the "after" phase of this cleanse. I took the girls out to a park we love yesterday and let them get some sun on their skin. I had some very noticeable up and down moments. What I feel now is no longer really hunger, not stomach rumbling or anything like that.

It's mostly momentary feelings of missing food and the part it usually plays in a day out, or a weekend that is relaxed and fun. I notice myself thinking about what I'll snack on when I get home, then immediately reminding myself that that's not actually going to happen. I've made several meals over the last couple of days so the kitchen is no longer off limits. I do notice that I look inside my pantry with a very different perspective as of this morning though.

For someone who is sort of known for "healthy" eating, I sure do have a lot of snacks in there. I'll have to do better to create a no fail environment when this fast has come to an end. Speaking of the end, I still feel completely resolved to going the entire 10 days, and have even considered going longer. I do have a bit of a hard stop though because we leave for a trip to attend a wedding on the 15th. If I were the bride (one of my closest friends) I might feel a way about someone showing up and politely declining the plate of food I just payed a bunch of money to provide :0) Actually, the real reason is that with the liquid limitations and what it takes to make the lemonade, it's not really practical for a cross-country plane trip. I'm thinking that if I do extend it, I'll go for 12 days at least and then be really strict about what I re-introduce over the period of the vacation. Probably start out with raw foods only until wedding stuff is in full swing.

Results so far? Loving the way my skin looks - already down 9 pounds, and sleeping very well at night. I haven't had any epiphanies or significant moment of clarity yet, but I'm looking forward to that based on past experience. Starting today, I'll be doing some aggressive exercise too (Pilates) to firm up the areas that are looking a little less wobbly than they were last week. Today was also the 2nd day I did the salt water flush - more on that in another post...

In the meantime I'm indulging some major startitis and casting on for whatever moves me at the moment. I think my new resolve is not to let UFOs stress me out anymore unless they are for a gift deadline. So much easier to dive into my stash and put some things on the needles whenever the mood strikes.






I'll spend some time today on my Slouchy Copy Cat Hat.


Really happy with the color of this yarn. I'm using some mods posted by Carlybee on Ravelry.

Happy stitching all!