Yesterday morning I woke up exhausted, even though I'd managed to get almost 8 hours of sleep. As soon as I was upright, a brain squeezing headache took hold in such a manner that I couldn't even open my eyelids all the way for a good two hours.
I tried the warm water with just lemon. It was okay, but nothing I'd drink for taste and I grew bored with it after half a mug. I definitely will not be revisiting the cayenne; the lemon is questionable.
For my green juice, I used the apple (shudder), cut the cucumber by half, and added romaine; it was a bit of a nicer blend, but was still a lot to consume so early in the morning. The novelty had already worn off and I was annoyed to be getting up early to prepare something I wasn't really digging or hungry for, as well as to clean that damn juicer again. Irritable with a capital I, that's me.
The headache persisted with a vengeance and, while I was driving to work, nausea hit again as it had on the first day of the cleanse. Oh no, I thought. I do not do nauseous. I had powered through the first day because I thought it was a fluke, but here I was on day 3 suffering an even worse headache, more nausea, and exhaustion that was making me wonder if I was going to stay awake for my 45 minute commute. I did- barely, and then struggled with a surprisingly fatigued body to make it through the ten minute walk I take with ease every single morning. How could I even consider purposeful exercise when this is the way I was starting the day? I think I may skip the juice tomorrow and see if it makes a difference.
By lunchtime the symptoms were muted and I ate some of last night's dino kale salad with cauliflower, sweet peppers, and carrots. Surprisingly, the salad was just as good the next day; the avocado dressing didn't oxidize overnight and the kale stayed crunchy. The dino is growing on me, but, curly kale; I still love you.
As a side note, on the way back to the office from an off-site meeting I wound up in a car smelling like french fries; no fair, people.
Like a pest, my headache returned for the drive home; I'm glad the nausea stayed at bay. Thankfully there were leftovers (from yesterday and the day before) so that I was able to eat quickly, then
Then the strangest thing happened; I got a second wind and went for a run. It wasn't a very long run and I don't suppose I maintained very good form (if there is such a thing in running; am I thinking of bowling?), but it was a bonafide
Onward.
It sounds very much like you are experiencing caffeine withdrawal. Do you usually drink coffee, tea, or soda and have stopped due to the cleanse? Those are all the classic symptoms of withdrawal and they will persist for a few days. Nausea (even vomiting!) migraine type headaches, exhaustion, caffeine is a powerful drug and the withdrawal is no joke.
ReplyDeleteGood good luck and it sounds like you are doing everything that may help. Try some aspirin or ibuprofen to help if the headache persists (but don't add caffeine if you want to be free of it!).
<3 VF
Hi Dawn, Would you believe that I have coffee/soda only a couple of times a month- if that? Same with alcohol. That's why this has me so perplexed! Thanks for your support :-)
ReplyDeleteTry the lemon concoction cold. I did that to give variety when I did a cleanse. It really make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Noelle! If there's anyone who knows anything about preventing nausea...
ReplyDeleteAbby, you are detoxing! it is totally normal and exactly what you want to happen. You feel like shit for a little bit them you feel awesome! It is different for everyone how much they need to detox or what they are detoxing from. Good news is you are already vegan so you have it much easier than most. For you it sounds like sugar is prob the biggest withdraw you have (me too)! Make sure you drink a ton of water throughout the day. It really helps you feel better and flush out those toxins.
ReplyDeleteI never drank the lemon Cayenne concoction (I hate that combo and didn't have time for it anyway). Remember it is about doing the best you can do! You are doing great! Try and drink mint or ginger herbal tea in the morning or when you feel nauseous.
Maybe research a juice place near you where you can grab a green juice a few days a week so you don't have to clean the juicer everyday.
Keep up the good work, You can do it!!
Abby,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear you had another semi-hard day. Keep at it girl, it'll only get easier as your body starts to excel with health. Sugar and bad fats are a very powerful thing as you are now witnessing.
I love to run! Running is so rewarding in so many different ways. You’ll sleep better and will feel less stressed over small things like parking in the city. Sometimes it's hard to find the motivation, but push yourself. After the first five minutes, you’ll wish you were on a bridge. I love to run with a loud gym-mix of music. It really makes all the difference.
Again, the best of luck, Abby Bean!!
While it typically is used in a slightly different way, ginger is alway good for digestion and upset stomachs. Perhaps adding a bit of raw ginger to your juice in the am, or adding it to dinner in one way or another!
ReplyDelete"Irritable with a capital I, that's me." Can't wait to hang with you again! I have a feeling there is a good chance you are going to put someone in a headlock before this is through!
Stay the course, stay strong! You are doing amazing!
Jessica, THANK YOU! I have been drinking massive amounts of water, but that's normal for me. I'll def try the tea suggestion, but thanks for acknowledging the time factor. I think maybe I should re-watch Rush in order to reaquaint myself with withdrawal symptoms ;-) THANK YOU FOR YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT! It means so much.
ReplyDeleteMVG- You're the best cheering section!
Anon- good call on the ginger, although I'm not a big fan. I thank you for your support, but I'm still saving some "I" especially for you and Louise.
Make sure you're eating enough calories. Cleanses always make me nervous because they can be entirely too low calorie. There is a reason folks lose weight on them... it's not magic, it's eating less calories. In some cases, eating FAR to few. You need at least 1200 to prevent your body eating away at muscle. More, if you're at all active.
ReplyDeleteRaw foodists eat so many nuts and frugivores eat loads of bananas to help make sure their calories are high enough. You're daily intake seems like so not much food. Of course, I'm a constantly ravenous marathoner so who knows if I'm just nutsy. ;) I know I'd be wanting to chew off my arm on that little food! LOL.
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny because I just asked my very fit friend (^anonymous) why I'm not hungry. Seriously, I'm only eating about 2/3 or what they suggest but I'm really not hungry at all. I suspect that I generally eat a 6 scoop ice cream sundae not so much out of necessity, but out of pleasure (swoon). Perhaps the overload of nutrient dense food has my body in culture shock!
Detoxing, for sure. You're just at the beginning stages when the detox is hardest. Don't give up. It looks like you're eating well, just not what your body may be used to. And there's probably more than a little stress involved, which can also give you headaches. Chop chop!
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I'm chugging along!
ReplyDeleteI'm loving this! So inspiring! And yes, this crappy feeling is what you want because when that clears up, you'll be feeling pretty phenomenal. The dry brushing Kris talks about really helps with detox since that practice clears out the dead skin clogging you up and stimulates your lymph system. Try adding kale, lemon and ginger to your juice recipe - the kale will help with your energy (chlorophyll is a great blood cleaner) and the lemon and ginger will offset the bitterness of the kale and help the nausea. After a little while your palate will change, and the cucumbers will taste sweet! At that point you might want to reduce or eliminate the apple, since that can spike your blood sugar, and see if that helps the nausea too if you're still having it at that point. Parsley and garlic in green juice are also great for flavor...garlic helps boost your immune system and might be good to aid your recovery from sugary foods (it's an anti-fungal and sugary diets make the body yeasty - blech). Also try taking a probiotic if you haven't already.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to watching your progress and getting recipe ideas!!
P.S. adding a small amount of ginger probably won't affect the taste of the juice much.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, WoE, for these great tips. You are a wealth of information! P.S. I have actually been dry brushing! Very cool.
ReplyDelete