Kevin and I originally did the SP Complete full body cleanse last April for a full 21 days as suggested. A basic summary of The Cleanse is as follows:
Day 1 through Day 10:
Eat only fruits and vegetables. You are allowed to eat as much as you want, whenever you want. You should try to eat 2 times as many vegetables as you do fruit. Try to eat a good amount of raw veggies, as they have the most nutrients in them. You can use vinegar (for cooking or for salad dressing), and any herbs or spices you want as long as they are natural and do not contain salt. You can drink water and non-caffeinated, herbal tea. If you wanted to make a smoothie or juices (out of only veggies or fruits), you can do that also. You can use up to 5 teaspoons of a lean oil (canola, olive, grapeseed) each day (for salad dressing, cooking, etc.). Salt and sugar are off limits. You cannot have regular potatoes or corn. You can only eat up to half a yam/sweet potato a day.
Day 11 through Day 21:
You can expand your horizons! You are now allowed 1/2 cup of brown rice OR 1/2 cup wild rice OR 1/2 cup lentils per day. You are also allowed three 3-ounce portions of a lean protein. Kevin ate chicken or fish. I ate egg whites (no yolks!), or would just add a protein supplement to a smoothie once or twice a day. Again, you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want. No salt, added sugar, and keep the oil to a minimum. Honestly, at that point, we weren't that worried about adding in the rice/lentils, because we'd gotten so used to eating the veggies.
In that 3 weeks time, I lost 14 lbs. and felt amazing (after getting through the first few days of caffeine withdrawal headaches or the horrible cravings for anything with sugar or salt in in it). And I found so many different ways to prepare veggies and fruits so it didn't feel like I was eating the same thing every day. Spaghetti squash and a simple marinara sauce from fresh tomatoes and veggies was our go-to dinner, as it was one of the few things that filled us up.
This time, it was not quite as positive for me. I was able to lose 9 lbs. in the 2 weeks. My soon-to-be-brother-in-law, Dave, made me the simplest yet so delicoius arugula salad.
Simply zest a little lemon over the arugula, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over it, and sprinkle cracked black pepper over that, and voila! Amazingly tasty, and ever so simple. And yes, I did take to carrying a zester in my purse to work with me so I could whip this together in my cubicle at work.
But, I think living with Kevin's mom, who is an amazing baker, the stress of everything going on in my life, and just not really striving to do this for anything other than trying to fit in my wedding dress any better all worked against me. So I admit, my self-discipline was beaten by the urge to eat pizza at one of the pizza places that inhabit every block of this city. Today is Day 15, and my mouth is watering as I smell the spice cake tha Kevin's mom has in the oven, and yes, I am waiting on the pizza delivery man. This time, I give up. And I'm ok with it. I mean, what's the difference between 2 and 3 weeks anyways?
