Cleansing

We all have that picture in our heads of the terminal cancer patient, frail, thin,weak, but for some it's a different story, at least early on in diagnosis. There is little talk about terminal cancer patients wanting to lose weight, generally it's the opposite.

So what about those of us who want to lose weight? For myself particularly this has been difficult. I was 8 months pregnant when I fractured my femur and was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. After 2 weeks I left the hospital recovering from a c-section, a right hip ORIF with insertion of rod and pins, insertion of a portacath in my chest for chemo. I had already started chemo and had finished 5 rounds of radiation to my spine and pelvis. I had a newborn baby to care for, complete with night feedings, and a toddler who's life was just turned upside down. Do you think I  was about to start a workout out regimen? No.

So what's the problem now? A multitude of things has caused me to gain weight at an alarming rate. My limited mobility and recovery from multiple surgeries over the past 2 years, being treated with steroids, having my ovaries removed causing me to be menopausal, fragile tumour filled bones, top it off with some emotional eating, et voilà. In two years I have gained almost 60lbs, but how to reverse it?

Well I decided to try a juice cleanse to see if it might kick start my weight loss. I went with pulp&press, a relatively local company with organic juices neatly organized into different cleanses. I jumped right in with the "complete cleanse". Here's what I thought; 

Day 1- I didn't find any of the juices very tasty but...no pain no gain. I found it nearly impossible to drink the recommended 8 glasses of water, plus herbal teas, on top of the 6 juices which are best if taken 2 hrs apart. Needless to say I was NOT hungry, but for a tiny craving around 3pm. I did eat a half banana at dinner just to be eating something with the kids, but I honestly don't think I could have eaten any more than that. I felt fairly energetic all day.

Day 2- As my hubby suggested, I decided I would drink my juices faster, instead of slowly sipping them. This method worked a bit better since I could chug the juice and then have time to drink water and herbal tea in between. There were a couple more flavorful drinks today but don't fool yourself, this is no "Booster juice". And no, the lemon sorbet does not taste like a dessert. Still no hunger during the day, energy not bad either. It was Halloween night so I may have eaten a mini chocolate bar 😬

Day 3- Started the day with a wicked migraine. I get these a lot so it's hard to say if it's from the cleanse or just my usual migraine. Once I recovered from that and rejoined the world of the living I found that the juices tasted better, today's probiotic "Bliss" was delicious. "Eclipse", the charcoal drink is actually not bad at all, better than most of the first day juices. Once again I did not experience any hunger or lack of energy.

While I didn't drop 20 lbs overnight I feel less bloated. I should have measured myself beforehand but I didn't think of it.

Keeping in mind that I've been on opioids for over 2 years to treat my pain, which causes constipation. I think this may have dulled the effect of the cleanse. I did however purchase a second cleanse that I plan to do in about a week and I'm hoping to see better results. I'll keep you posted!

So, bottom line, the cleanse is well organized and easy to follow, I didn't feel hungry or tired during the cleanse. I had a migraine which may or may not have been related. I did not lose weight but this may have to do with my medication. I do however feel lighter, brighter, and ready to conquer the day! 

Should you try a cleanse? I would say it's only worth it if you plan to also make some permanent changes in your life. Don't think you can binge and eat crap all the time, then do a cleanse and go right back to old habits...it's not worth the money spent. But if you want to make some serious changes to your lifestyle and use the cleanse to kick start your healthy habits or use the cleanse once in a while to "reboot" your system, then yes,I think it's worthwhile.

So stay tuned for the next cleanse, and let know in the comments if you've done a cleanse before and how you liked it.