Our good friend, Becky Brooks, is a second time Conscious Cleanser and she has graciously offered to journal her journey on the cleanse this go around. Check out her first entry on preparing for the Conscious Cleanse and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below the post. Have a question directly for Becky or about your own cleanse experience? Post it here and we’ll be sure to get all of your questions answered.
Getting ready to cleanse by Becky Brooks:
Once again I am getting ready to embark on the 14 day Conscious Cleanse with Jo and Jules. Last time I did the cleanse, I had just given birth 3 months prior and I was excited to get myself into a healthy place with food post-baby. I had never used the word “cleanse” in a good way until I did my first Conscious Cleanse.
“Cleanse” always meant something negative to me. It consisted of sacrifice and depravity. I always felt tortured drinking a concoction or taking multiple pills. Finally, with the Conscious Cleanse I was able to not only change the way I looked at the word cleanse, but I actually changed the way I look at food. I wasn’t sacrificing or depriving myself of what I wanted, I was teaching myself new ways to satisfy my sweet tooth or fill up my belly with better, more satisfying foods. In short, I was relearning how to eat.
So here I am again, excited and nervous. I have some fears about the cleanse for sure. Last time I wasn’t completely satisfied with my weight loss, but looking back I think much of it had to do with the fact that I sometimes ate 1 or 2 Lara Bars a day as a quick way to get something to eat if I didn’t have time to prepare. I now know that a Lara Bar is a good quick fix in the event of an emergency but that a wiser choice for a quick snack would be a piece of fruit or a handful of carrots.
I also tend to overeat so I think I need a bit more guidance on portions. While I used many of the recipes from the manual, I found that it would yield a ton of food and I was never sure exactly what portions to eat, therefore I am sure I ate too much. I am hoping this go around to learn more about this whole intuitive eating thing that Jo and Jules talk about so much. I also think it’s great that there is now a VIP program because I am sure with a little more support and guidance, I can find my perfect way of eating too.
For me to be successful I need to focus on the preparation. Last time I had a 3 month old, so most of the time just taking a shower felt daunting. At the time, taking time to plan, shop prep and cook was just way over my head. I also have trouble as my husband is the cook in the family and while he is finally on the veggie bandwagon, he feels that the only way kale is good is if it is cooked with bacon. I am sure this is not the best way for me to get veggies into my diet.
One of the best things that I did learn from last cleanse that I have continued to do is drink Green Smoothies. No matter what kind of smoothie I am having I always throw some spinach or romaine, or celery or kale into it and it is always delicious.
My hope with this cleanse is that once again, I will learn a little something, a nugget of wisdom, that I can bring to my everyday life even after the 14 days are done.
