Post Cleanse Honesty – One Month Later

When I started my 6-day cleanse five weeks ago, I promised myself that I would share my honest experience along the way to help others know what to expect.  I shared my struggles halfway through the experience as I was hating lemon water and missing real food.  I wrote an honest review at the end of the journey and even followed up with my discoveries of foods that had changed for me as a result of the cleanse.  What I haven’t done is share the longer term results of my cleanse experience.

While I would love to say that my eating habits have been changed forever, that is sadly not the case.  Whether my lack of willpower is self-taught or inherited, I cannot say.  All I can attest to is that I am a weak, weak person when it comes to my favorite foods.

I have gone back to many of my pre-cleanse habits in the last month.  There are some changes that have stuck, and for those I am grateful.  But there are more habits that are so ingrained, it will take more than six days to break them.  So I now openly admit to the following:

• Processed junk food does not burn my tongue. (Smartfood White Cheddar popcorn, I curse thee!!)
• My sweet tooth is back with a vengeance that will not be denied.
• I have a love affair with all things potato.
• Meat never lost its appeal.

So there you have it.  I am weak.  Food is strong.  Willpower is nonexistent. On the flip side, however, there are a few things that stuck from my cleanse experience.

• Fake sweeteners are still out.  Real sugar is the only thing I can handle in my coffee, in yogurt, etc.
• Soda is out.  Diet tastes fake (there’s that sugar thing again) and the non-diet stuff is way too sweet.
• Lunch meat is not nearly as appealing.  I am still a sucker for thin-sliced Italian Roast Beef, but the particle meats (bologna, salami, etc.) still turn my stomach and taste funny.
• Dark chocolate only.  I’m now a candy snob.
• I still crave fresh raw fruits and vegetables.  Often.

That last one is the one that makes me the happiest.  While I’ve always like fruits and veggies, I never snacked on them.  I had probably one serving of each per day before the cleanse.  Now, it’s pretty common for me to toss some berries or grapes in a zipper bag and toss them in my purse for a snack in the car while running my errands.  I do the same for celery, carrots, and grape tomatoes in the afternoon.  At dinnertime, my veggie portion is double the size it used to be, too.  The good stuff just tastes good.

While I did not do the cleanse for weight-loss, I did lose six pounds during the cleanse.  Surprisingly, the weight has stayed off.  I attribute it more to my continued increase in fruits, veggies and water than to any lasting effects of those six days.

Now that I see the real results of the cleanse, I know it is not some magic trick that will change me forever.  But I didn’t expect it to be.  Would I do it again?  I think maybe once a year to remind myself to get back on track.  Cleanse or not, though, the biggest obstacle still remains.  My own will.