Hello again everyone, as the second day of our new shake regimen comes to a close I have quite a few things to update you on.

First of all, the shakes are great. They are really easy to take with you where ever you are (I had one on the road driving down to Santa Barbara today), taste delicious, and are easy to add into my current diet. I chose to have the strawberry flavor Paleomeal, which is essentially a protein powder with a multivitamin, as well as the berry flavored Paleofiber. Mixed with Organic Rice Milk it tastes like I just ate a big bowl of Special K with Strawberries cereal and am drinking the milk at the bottom really delicious.

For those of you who don’t know, our second phase of the cleanse is to in addition to our cleansing supplements that we have been taking, now add in: a cleanse powder, protein powder, fiber powder, and greens powder mixed with our chose of water, milk substitute or full on smoothie. We are supposed to have these shakes 2 or 3 times a day depending on what week in the cleanse we are at. Currently we are drinking two shakes a day.

I also wanted to update you on what happened with my birthday! Well I made it to my 24th year of life..I know, quite an accomplishment right? Anywho, the day was fabulous. I got a wonderful massage from Greg, one of our massage therapists, and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in the sun. I ended up having a BBQ with a small group of friends and I was even surprised how easy it was to have a big meal with others and not really have to adjust anything around my diet. We grilled garlic herb chicken, lots of bright peppers, onions, tomatoes, as well as a combination of purple and sweet potatoes with garlic. It was SO good! My friends loved it and I was happy. I got to have pomegranate juice, sparkling water, and lemon in a wine glass and a yummy vegan, gluten free fruit cobbler from Staff of Life with birthday candles. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Now on the down side, I wanted to address what happens when you take your halo off and stray from the cleanse. Tonight, I had a wonderful evening out with one of my best friends since we were 11 years old. We haven’t seen each other in over a year and she took me out for a birthday dinner. The dinner was great, we had a long conversation catching up that worked out well. The problem was when our other friends, who I don’t remember the last time I saw, wanted to meet us out at the bars. I was very confident and just happy to be with close friends. Well, my friend whispered to the bar tender to pour me us small glasses of champagne for a celebratory cheers. Against my will I went a long with it, seeing that I hadn’t seen her in forever and it WAS my birthday after all. Half a glass of champagne later and people blowing cigarette smoke in my face and I felt HORRIBLE almost immediately. My lungs, stomach, and body feel so sick. I tried to drink a bunch of water on the way home, but it didn’t work very well. It is incredible how sensitive we become to toxins after being clean for even this long.

I guess what I am trying to say is that we are all human and as Jocelyn says, we live in the real world. We may occasionally slip up but I have certainly learned my lesson and my advise for other cleansers is, if you can avoid it, don’t stray (and stay away from places with smoke). It’s not worth it.

Until next time,

Cassandra

Well with the first week almost under my belt I am feeling MUCH better. The fatigue and hunger cravings have gone away! I am sleeping very well and all bodily functions in check. I have been doing additional cleansing additives such as long Epsom salt baths and exfoliating in the shower, and plenty of exercise. I think today I am starting to really notice a difference. My skin is much softer and clear, my teeth have that silky “I’m healthy” feeling and I am starting to have enough energy to get a good work out in rather than just long walks and yoga.

Jocelyn was mentioning in our group meeting last week that we will be entering a “second phase” of cleansing after about the first week. I believe I have made it through my slump and am on the up and up!

I also had my half hour nutrition consultation with Jocelyn today that went great. I got some more tips on how to round out my diet. I am learning how to incorporate a variety of gluten free whole grains and some good snacking tips. She also gave me some wonderful options for a birthday celebration dessert. My birthday is on Thursday and although I am incredibly excited I am also still a little apprehensive. I am not sure if my friends are going to be responsive to a dinner made according to my new eating habits Oh Well! I am going to have a great time with or without dinner approval.

Our next meeting is tomorrow and we will be adding cleansing shakes and smoothies into our diets. I’ll let you know how it goes!

~Cassandra

Well hello everyone, just as I promised I would like to fill you in on what the first couple days of Jocelyn’s Spring Cleanse are like.

I knew for the most part what I was getting myself into, I guess I just didn’t realize how much of what I ate included things that you are NOT supposed to eat on this 28 day cleanse. For those of you who are not aware, you are required to be caffeine free (aside for the almighty green tea), alcohol free, dairy free, gluten free, processed sugar free, no red meat…I feel like I should be saying etc. but I believe that is it. Now as Jocelyn so delicately put it “enough of all the things you CAN’T have and more for what you CAN have”. The list of what you can seems much longer than than ones you can not: EVERY kind of delicious fruits and vegetables, brown rice and brown rice based items, corn (tortillas, polenta, blue corn chips, etc.), any other gluten free grain, poultry, fish, lamb, eggs, beans, nuts, I could go on and on. I realized it’s really not that difficult to find substitutes for all the stuff you might be missing all over Santa Cruz!

A challenge that I faced on my first day of the cleanse was eying those delicious Greens + bars that I know we all love so much, as my stomach is growling sitting at the reception desk. I was reluctant to ask the dreaded question, can I eat these? Of course Jocelyn’s answer was that they had gluten in them. After my mini temper tantrum I grabbed a Chocolate Almond Paleobar (Coconut Almond also OK) and to my surprise was totally satisfied. They tasted great! To all those Greens + fanatics who are looking for a vegan or gluten free option I totally recommend it. Don’t be cautious.

I have noticed that I am a little bit tired, which also could be explained by lack of sleep, but not doubt exacerbated by detoxing. I am also still adjusting to my smaller portion size, which is making me a bit hungry in the afternoons. Thanks to Jocelyn, however, she is giving us all tips for eating well and keeping to our regular schedule and general habits. For example Saturday morning pancake breakfasts.

I believe that the most precious quality of the cleanse is that we are working as a group. Being a part of everyday NOURISH life as a member of the staff I see our clients who are also participating walking in and out occasionally. I always get encouragement and recipe suggestions as well as good food finds around town. It is great to know that we are all in this together. Sharing our experiences and challenges and triumphs and being able to maybe add another healthy snack into your regiment is what this is all about. Making new friends and creating a healthy community for the long run.

I am very much enjoying this so far and aside from the drowsiness and mild hunger while I find my adjustment, it’s been great. I have been a little tempted by my friends eating habits, but I stuck to it and I am down one pound (according to my scale). The first couple days are almost over!

Stick with me, I still have 25 more days and many more events to brave through.

~Cassandra