If you’re considering a cleanse or fast, here are a few tips that helped me through:
1. Always be sure you are in good health or have the co-sign of your doctor before starting any type of health-related routine, whether a fast, cleanse, exercise, or diet. It wouldn’t be a good look to faint or have a major emergency on the job after having done something you shouldn’t have even started in the first place.
2. Research, research, research. The Master Cleanse is not the only way to fast (and it may not be a fit for you). There are many programs out there as well as resources for various ways of doing it. Some even offer professional assistance and structure so that you will have support and know the right way of going about it. Youtube videos and fitness blogs are also a great help and can connect you with others who are doing it as well.
3. Get an accountability partner. It should be someone who is supportive, who won’t question your motivation, and who won’t constantly put you in a place of temptation. My Granny lives hundreds of miles away and she knows me. She knows when I’m just whining or when I’m really hungry. And there was no way I’d be tempted by her mac & cheese or collards.
4. Remember, it’s a cleanse, NOT a weight-loss regimen. With weight loss being a byproduct of the cleanse, there was less pressure for me. It felt like a nice perk of cleansing my body and freeing my mind, not a main motivation. With a cleanse, it’s less about pounds lost and more about how you feel emotionally and physically.
5. Have a plan for after the cleanse is over. No, I can’t go through life drinking that “lemonade” all day, every day. Eventually, eating healthy and exercising is a more realistic way to go. The cleanse only helped me to start on what I believe to be a clean slate. After the fast, I ate soups and gradually moved on to veggies, fruits and seafood. I eventually ate meat, but I’m still not a fan of eating it often. I had no desire to eat fast food and oftentimes, even the thought of anything greasy turned me off. (Same happened when I fasted from smoking—which led to my ultimate quitting—but that’s a whole other blog).
6. Keep your eyes on the prize and make no excuses. So what your coworkers are ordering pizzas? So what a prospective client wants to meet over dinner? Â I’ve actually used the fact that I was on a fast as an ice breaker. Much of the desire to cheat was mental. Keep motivating factors around you to resist the urge. For me it was photos of Naomi Campbell in a swimsuit and another of myself at a pool party my freshman year of college. Do whatever you have to do to stay focused and ignore the crazy looks or naysayers. Sometimes, it’s best to stay mum and let the results speak for themselves. Don’t talk. Just DO.