Master Cleanse Part Tres:Le Reckoning

The Master Cleanse is back for this quarter of the year! Whoo hoo!

Day 1
Unlike the last time I went on the cleansing journey, I decided this time to be a bit smarter about switching over. One of the most awesome benefits I kept from my previous cleanse was that I massively cut down on the amount of meat I was eating over all. I was religious about cutting chicken out of my diet and pretty good about pork (still have issues with eating pizza without some pepperoni and induldged in hot dogs when I shouldn't have). The amount of red meat I was eating also decreased while a lot of soy-based foods replaced them. I am sure my mother thinks I've lost my mind by changing my diet, but it's for the better, Ma!

I experienced all of the normal things I experience typically on day 2 (fatigue, headaches, hunger) on day 1. I felt a lot better after a 2 hour nap. I made my run to Trader Joes for my Grade B maple syrup and bought out the local supermercado of lemons. These lemons were like 200% bigger than normal. I think I got the lemons that got bovine injections for growth! I also swung by Jewel-Osco to pick up my standard issue bottle of Ice Mountain water to keep the hydration going.

More to come.

	Nelson V	Day 2 Day 2 was weird. I didn't have the annoying aches and chills I had last time (because I had them on Day 1) but I went on an emotional rollercoaster. I had fits of anger, depression, elation, and apathy throughout the day. I was actually able to concentrate the entire day, so that was cool. My sleeping has improved big time. Wihtout having all kinds of things running through my body, I actually fall asleep much faster and dream more vividly. When I wake up in the morning I don't have that "dread for life" outlook for the rest of the day. I wake up and it's "Hmmmm, what am I going to do with all the freed up time I'm not planning to cook, cooking, or thinking about food?" Last night I hit the studio and worked on a new song and actually finished enough of it to write lyrics to it. It's tentatively called "Rap Jam" cuz I don't have a real title for it. It combines some hippity-hoppity, reggae, fonk (yes, that's "fonk), and folk (kinda). As usual, I'll find a way to mix it up to sound different that the other stuff I write yet remain in the same vein. I was excited since I spent 4-6 hours yesterday and actually got something done! I originally went in to overdub some ovcals on preexisting tracks but my voice was very, very tight. I did't feel like dealing with it. It normally ges that way when I am stressed out or emotional of which I was both due to the cleanse. So, why push it? Time for my morning salt-water bath. Hmmm...salw-water.... Posted by Nelson V on Wednesday, April 12, 2006 at 8:22 AM

	Nelson V	Day 3 As usual, I seemed to have levelled off on my erratic emotions, thoughts, and cravings yesterday. I chose to skip the salt-water bathe yesterday due to lack of proper measuring tools for everything, i.e., the dishwasher hadn't been run and wouldn't be done prior to me drinking my first lemonade. It looks like Day 5 is the first day for it because I have to work today and can't very well be in a car stuck in traffic when the urge to splurge hits. I was feeling pretty good when I woke up. Even my posture had improved form the day prior since I was detoxifying myself and releasing those stress-related knots in my neck, chest, and back. I went on a long walk with Lola Rose and had plenty of energy to get to the park, walk around the park, and then head back. So, overall, Day 3 went pretty well. On a side note, there was a "My Wife and Kids" episode on yesterday way one of the kids' boyfriend was a vegetarian and was fasting for at least 9 days to assist his journey in reaching Gawd. They showed the kid passing out 3-4 times on the episode from the lack of solid food. It did make me laugh (kids passing out cold is funny!) but also showed how ignorant people can be about it. I told Jill, "I guess that's me, huh?" She laughed and said, "Yeah. You better be careful". As my vocal teacher had shown me, I chose this time around to quit calling the cleanse a "fast" because in a fast one does not allow food to pass their lips. I, on the other hand, am letting tiny bits of lemon enter my body, thus, technically, it's food. Plus, it was just a way to brag and boast to suit my ego I got a black 60 Gb iPod Video yesterday. Yes, I've joined the late 1990s! I have been doing A/B tests between AACs and WAV files of songs that I know inside and out. I am looking for the usual degredation I hear in the recordings (typically found in the high end). I listened to a WAV vs. a 128 Kbps AAC and honestly, could not hear a difference! This technology has been improved much more than I ever though. An mp3 at 128 kbps sounds like crap. The AAC(mp4) sounds just as good as a wav. So, I am going to give it a little bit more time before I completely decide which format my music resides in on the iPod. Posted by Nelson V on Thursday, April 13, 2006 at 8:41 AM

	Nelson V	Day 4 Gotta love MySpace when you post a comment and, well, it doesn't actually post up! This is time number two for me rewriting this accountof yesterday. All of the talk about fasting the day prior must've influenced this day. I woke up in the morning and got my usual mind-numbing conference calls. I had to take Jill to the airport to pick up a rental van for work around 10 AM. So, at 9, I jump in the shower and ge ready. Jill is ready by 9:45 AM and we leave. Since we usually prepare for these kinds of events at the last minute, in my haste to get out I left all of my lemonade-making supplies (read that "sustainance") at home! DOH! So, I basically lived off water for most of the day. I felt ok at work just drinking water. No headaches or dizziness (although my libido was through the roof...giggity......alright...j/k) occured and I was able to concentrate the entire day. Since I had nothing to do with food, I was way more efficient! I allow food to drive me instead of me driving to food (unless it's for a value meal or somethin'...). So, I need to be more cogniscent of my intention on eating. I know I eat when I am bored, stressed, or depressed. I also love to eat when I a celebrating something. What can I say, I love to eat! Anyway, I got a short reprieve by coming home to take Lola outside prior to me heading off to rehearsal. That lemonade was welcomed but not necessarily "hitting the spot" in my head. I then grabbed my already-prepared bag of goodies then headed off to practice. Rehearsal with Juan went well. He's Esteban's understudy at this point and will be playing E-Man's roles for the last two weeks of the show. He's really funny and I look forward to seeing audience reaction to his sketch parts and his improv. If you haven't cuaght the show already (or even if you have), SHAME ON YOU! Get tickets/reservations at http://www.salsation.com! LOL. Then I came home after rehearsal and had my last lemonade for the day. That was fun! Let's see what Day 5 has to offer because it's typically a turning point for me. I decided around this time how long I feel I need to go. The scale is typically "No days longer, a few days longer, or as long as I bloody can!" More to come, yo! Posted by Nelson V on Friday, April 14, 2006 at 9:43 AM

	Nelson V	Day 5 -7 This weekend was pretty cool. TFM was in full effect with great crowds and excellent improv sets afterwards. A big THANKS to everyone who came out to support me. Just a few less people on my weekly email reminder to list I got to clean my house (finally) and make it a place where I feel comfortable inside althought Lola seems to be of some other persuasion since she's shedding more hair than Ron Jeremy and leaving it everywhere. I also go to hang out with my extended family for Easter. We watched the Sopranos while we got our "Gawd on". Overall, a great weekend. Regarding the cleanse, it was rather uneventful Nothing of excitement occured. I guess the only real importance is how much stronger my voice has become because of my heightened awareness of my body. My vocal teacher is 100% correct when she stresses my head position with my voice. I can now sing without tilting my headback, however, the scalene muscles are still tight and attempt to pull it back. I can feel them strain when I lay my tongue flat in my mouth (or as flat as possible) trying to pull my head and tongue up. I am allowing my head to stay down and even kilter and keeping tabs on it. My favorite song for this check is "I-E-A-E-I-O" by System of a Down. It's all vowels in the chorus, therefore, no head movements should be occuring. More to come, I'm sure! Posted by Nelson V on Monday, April 17, 2006 at 7:26 AM

	Nelson V	Day 8 My day was good. I stayed at home all day while utilizing my work-from-home priviledges, and enjoyed my day. My senses were in peak form with a bit of my clairavoyance making guest appearances throughout the day (more on that later). In my usual masochistic nature, I flipped on the TV and began watching the food channel. I learned how Krunch Potato Chips and Cheetos were made on "UnWrapped!" hosted by that crazy OCD-having former Double Dare host Mark Summers. Talk about major munchies, bro! I was ready to throw Lola up on the grill and bust out the K.C. Masterpiece chips and have a feast! After that show, I watched a bit of Emeril. It's always during a cleanse I watch the Food Network. Last time I did the cleanse I allowed myself to salivate over the thought of eating NY and Chicago-style pizzas. When I got off the cleanse, that was my first real meal. I hadn't had Chicago-style pizza in eons and remembered quickly why ;-) It went out almost as quickly as it came in. Think I'll stick with thin-azz pizza form now on! I also watched "SuperSize Me!" on the Sundance Channel for the 5th-6th time. I was even more grateful to be on the cleanse while watching people engorge themselves on fast-food and seeing the effects it has on everyone. I am much more sensitive to the affects of food(or lack thereof) as a result of these cleanses. I promote the cleanse even more now to show people how much food affects me and, hopefully, by example, give them an impetus to review what they're doing to their own bodies by eating crap that isn't good for them (just read this blog and see what happens when you throw down with food that isn't any good for you!). The most memorable part of that movie for me is when they do the experiment of having multiple fast-foods vs. home-made versions of the same foods. The fries from fast-food do not biodegrade! When I thought about it, I was like, "I remember looking in a dumpster that had fries in the bottom of it. Two weeks later, those fries were still there in pristine condition! What the hell is it doing to my body?!" I've pretty much have sworn off fast-food fries from my diet. I may be in the market to find a fry maker of some sort. Overall weight loss has been 8 lbs. so far. The weight loss so far has been a lot more gradual than last time, which is fine by me. I can't wait to get darker and take some pictures :) Posted by Nelson V on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at 12:04 PM

	Nelson V	Day 9 Nothing major on Day 9. I am just happy to be continuing this and seeing it through. I checked my tongue to see if the film residue of maple syrup was still present. Its clearing up but won't be clear by the end of Day 10. Oh well, it's clearer than times before so I know I am getting rid of toxins. I lost an additional 2.5 lbs and almost hitting a target weight goal for myself! Got some gurggling going on in my intestines with all the water and lemons scrubbing it clean for me. I watched the Food Channel again last night and kept seeing ads for the Domino's Pizza XLP (extra large pizza). It was loaded with pepperoni on it (yum!) and looked quite enticing! I must've seen 7 of those ads in an hour. It reminded me of the fact that food companies spend millions of dollars on advertising. The TV airwaves are gluttoned with adverts from all these corporations, thus, making it difficult for the average person to escape the jaws of the fast-food industry. I will make an effort to avoid fast-food as much as possible. When it comes to pizza, that's the only kind I love. I used to be into Chicago-area pizzerias but I enjoy the chain stuff even more since it was stuff I greup on. Moderation is the key I suppose. Well, enough about food. One more day then I get orange juice! Whoo hoo! Posted by Nelson V on Wednesday, April 19, 2006 at 9:16 AM

Nelson V

Day 10 Whoo hoo! My last day on the cleanse! It was all definitely worth it. I lost another 3 lbs. since the previous day and my energy level had gone up. I must admit I really missed the activities of chewing my food, so, I bought packs fo gum to chew on to alieviate that sensation. I had bought a dozen lemons on Day 9 and was down to 6 on Day 10. Not bad! I was watching CNN Headline News throughout the day and saw this special they did on pro-ana and pro-mia sites (eating disorders) where girls get together and discuss their eating disorders in detail. I decided to visit one of them and it broke my heart to read these posts. With me being a tech guy, I read a alot of posts that I believe are just complete garbage thinking, "C'mon, no one would post something up like that." Then I would visit some of the blogs these girls would put up and some of them go all the way back to 2003! When you read me blog, it sounds like I'm anorexic myself at times. I got to thinking about the demographics and culture of girls with eating disorders. Stereotypically, I hear about white, middle-class teenage girls going through bouts of them. In fact, I dated a girl who essentially was an anorexic (she outgrew it I believe). A majority of them mask their sense of loss of control by controlling one of the few things they can that have a direct impact on their friends - their weight. Of course, validation of oneself from within is a lost art in our country, thus, it's understandable how these girls can look for outward approval for their inside acceptance. The problem is, they have already set their mind that they are ugly, unworthy of love, or too fat, therefore, no outside praise on their looks will be good enough. I completely and utterly understand that feeling because I am on the road to self-validation after a long time of looking for outside acceptance. Instead of controlling my weight, I chose to try to control other people. Essentially, no matter what happened that was good, I wasn't truly happy. Also, our society doesn't help either by plastering uncommon body-types all over magazines and TV and marketing to those same people that are most susceptable to becoming victim to the hype. I partially fault "society" but I put a lot of it on the the parents and kids since these kids need to be reminded that they have, arem and always will be beautiful, intelligent, and worthy of love. As long as they remember that, they will easily shrug off these ideals of normalcy that they get coerced into believing. I went out and bought all the stuff for my vegetable soup. I totally look forward to it. Some good habits I think I've picked up from this cleanse so far: - Eating more slowly and thoroughly. - Thinking and feeling when I am hungy and not eat just because "it's time" - Stretching my muscles more. I have a lot more awareness of them. The jury is still out on pepperoni pizza. I want to give it up, so, I will always want to but never do it. My hearts not in it right now. I did, however, buy my own pizza making kit. I plan to buy soy mozzerella and soy pepperoni and try it out. Hopefully it can break me out of the "swine pie" I love so much! Posted by Nelson V on Thursday, April 20, 2006 at 10:29 AM

Note: This was originally posted on Myspace with comments at:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&FriendID=16074757&blogMonth=4&blogDay=12&blogYear=2006