Chomping on Cashews!

I've finally cracked!

Its the 16th day of the "fast , otherwise known as the "lemonade" cleanse, and Ive finally cracked! Im sitting here, chomping my way through a jar of raw cashew nuts!!

Follow your instincts

"What happened to your resolve?" I hear you ask, or maybe like most of my friends, you think that its about time that I stopped this fast. To be honest, it felt as though my body was saying "enough is enough!" Last night I felt cold, tired and not at all well. I put it down to a new herbal laxative tea that Id tried and which was having a noticeable effect on my insides! It wasnt funny, I can tell you! So last night I followed my instincts and I treated myself to a hot bath and a couple of small bowls of homemade chicken broth (from the freezer)...and I felt much better.

Comfort Food

This morning, after a good nights sleep, I thought that I was feeling OK. Then I burst into tears at the words of a beautiful email , and have felt exhausted for most of the day. I had my usual "lemonade " for lunch. Then this afternoon I succumbed to chicken stock/soup. Delicious!
And now Ive simply given in to the lure of the raw cashew nut! It will be interesting to see if I feel better or worse as a result. Clearly, I needed some food to "comfort" myself.

Emotional Detox

Of course, Im not really telling the whole story here. Whilst I was clearing the "clutter" in my body, I 've also been exploring my emotional balance. Ive been working with an amazing lady called Josephine Airns. Josephine does Resonance Repatterning. In other words, she looks for the conscious and unconscious blocks to my natural abundant vibration and then we work together to clear them.

It is powerful and emotional work,and I have made amazing and very fast progress, no doubt we reckon to the detox in my body. I have literally cleared the space within for the transformation without. Of course, with any transformation there can be a "wobbly" transition period. Think of the poor caterpillar that becomes liquid before he can transform into a beautiful butterfly! The last couple of days could be described as me "wobbling", as I clear old beliefs and blockages that up to now, have been buried by food.

Benefits of Fasting

This fortnight of fasting has achieved a huge amount in my life. I have been more focused on my goals, had higher levels of concentration and gained greater clarity about what is really important. I have also lost nearly a stone in weight and can fit into my jeans again. And I have learnt how good it feels when my body is happy.

Eating Consciously

I feel that the important thing now is to trust that I am the best person to look after my body and to know what it needs most. I have noticed, even today, that I will go for food if I feel cold and/tired and I will go for food to avoid doing a task. Now I recognise this, I am able to make conscious choices. For example, the cashews had to wait til every item on todays "to do" list was crossed out.

Last night, when I felt tired, I realised that my old choice would have been to treat myself to something like a Thai or a chinese takeaway as a way to distract me from my tiredness. I know now that it is better to recognise the tiredness and to choose an early night and a light supper rather than to "pig out".

Raw Food or High Protein

I am still confused, going forward, about whether to stay on 100% raw food or to follow Leslie Kentons "low carb, high protein" diet. For the moment Im planning to move off my "lemonades" for a while (even the best stuff can get boring) and drink more home made soups, gradually moving back to salads. Ill be a lot more conscious of what I eat, whatever it is, and I confess to enjoying the idea of some meat and fish in my salads. But for the moment Im hooked on Chicken Soup. There must be a reason for the old wives tale about Chicken Soup!

I recommend the Stanley Burroughs Master Cleanse

Ill be back to report on how Im progressing and what Im eating once Ive completed my research on both options. For now though, I can definitely recommend the Master Cleanse from Stanley Burroughs as an excellent way to detox.

Go for it!

A whole day without thinking about food!

Break through

Ive just realised that I didnt update my blog yesterday. I just didnt get the chance! Now that is a breakthrough for me ! It means that I went a whole day without having a moments thought about the fast. In fact Im starting to wonder how I ever had time to fit food into my day!

Finding Clarity and Purpose

Im feeling better every day too. I feel lighter , full of energy and purpose! My work involves me speaking a lot about how we need to clear our clutter. I believe that underneath our clutter lies our true essence and when we get back in touch with our real selves, the magic starts to happen. In the same way, food has been cluttering up my thoughts. Its been a distraction from my true purpose and clarity.

Just as a smoker lights a cigarette in the middle of a tricky job , so I will have run to the kitchen for something to nibble. The art of concentration and focus has been lost. Its time for me to rediscover it. Increasingly , I am finishing outstanding tasks, facing up to things I didnt want to face and perservering with tasks outside of my comfort zone.

Ability to concentrate on a task

At the weekend, I spent a total of eight hours working out how to post out my monthly emailed newsletter via Aweber! Normally my web designer does it for me for a fee but I wanted to learn how to do it myself. I was well outside of my comfort zone. I am a speaker and not used to detailed work on a computer that takes hours to complete! Ok to be honest , I threw in the towel at 2am on Saturday night ...only to pick it up again Sunday evening. When I finally cracked it, I found that it was something easy that Id missed along the way. My amazement is that I stuck at it! I didnt have the normal distraction of a meal to cook and eat.

Penultimate day of Fast
Today is the penultimate day of the official ten day fast. I am a little bored of the drink but I am nervous about being able to control my portions when I start eating again. I am not in a rush to return to normal eating. Why would I be? I am feeling fantastic , energised, focused and clear, and I am losing weight. Mind you ,its not very sociable ...

The real challenge

If I carried it on for 30 days, it would mean that I was still on the fast when my sister and husband come to stay for the weekend. And this is where I meet my major challenge. The very idea of not joining in the celebration of a family meal together seems wrong. Anti -sociable . unloving. And yet, this might be the very root of my problem with food: that I would rather eat and fit in, than choose what is best for me and my body. I wouldnt want to rock the apple cart.
Mind you, there have been evenings when I was the only person not drinking alcohol and that was OK . It was wonderful in fact.

The challenge for me would be honouring my desires , even when they may not fit in with others. Actually the real challenge for me would be QUIETLY honouring my desires! That is no doubt the route to improved self esteem and the freedom to be all I that I wish to be! Wow!

PS If you d like to hear me talk about clearing clutter, and hear one of my coaching tips, check out my video and vote for me in http://www.britainsnexttopcoach.tv/contestants/Marie-Claire-Carlyle
Thank you! xx