MC, Day 3

Yesterday was a cinch. I think Day 2 was perhaps my hardest day, so Day 3 decided to treat me well. (Although today, so far ... not fun.)

I have to mention something completely gross. Please skip the next paragraph if you don't like reading about bodily functions:

Imagine, if you will, what lemon juice (yellow), maple syrup (brown), and cayenne pepper (red) would look like when combined with water. Orange-y, kind of a mai tai color. That is exactly what your urine will look like should you ever do this Master Cleanse. Disconcerting, that.

I'm getting better with the fatigue, though I'm constantly cold. I'm wearing a cashmere sweater today and I'm still cold. And it's 80+ degrees outside! I think the rain on Monday and Tuesday made it just that much harder to accept this disturbing and sudden second bout of summer weather.

One effect of this cleanse that I really am enjoying is the ability to sleep less and feel more rested. It's paradoxical, because I started awake at 7:00 this morning and was not able to go back to sleep (I usually wake up at 8:00 ... or ... hmm ... 8:30), but once at work, my body begins slowing down and craving hibernation. Wouldn't it make more sense for my body to sleep more and then be more alert throughout the day?? I have a sneaking suspicion that this may also have to do with the fact that my house is warmer than my office, meaning that I don't have to expend any energy to heat my own body at home, but I do (in spades) at work. I ain't got that energy to spare no more!

The tongue is still chalky pink. I think the lemon juice must coat the tongue or something. Or I'm just slowly dying, either one.

I managed to drink about 1 1/3 liters yesterday, and am probably going to end up drinking 1 2/3 liters today, so I hope that I'm up to 2 liters by tomorrow.

Perhaps this is just delirium and 3 1/2 days of starvation talking, but I think that I'm going to go vegetarian for about a week or two after this cleanse. I have to wean myself off of this on juices and thin broths for a while, so I might as well try to keep myself healthy by very slowly introducing meat back into my diet. This, of course, will probably be redacted the second I see a steak. Or a can of Spam.

I am an omnivore by nature, heavy on the carnivore, ever since I was a wee young child, and I've never wanted to be a vegetarian. This is the first time that I actually feel like maybe it would be good, maybe I could even enjoy it.

The oddest craving so far: kale. Specifically, I want an Indian curry with a tomato base that has kale, garbanzo beans, and tofu in it. I've made it before (only with meat in it) and it is really delicious. I'm generally a fan of Korean curry, which is just like Japanese curry except that it tends to be less sweet and more spicy. This craving of Indian curry is puzzling. Kale, I understand. I love kale.

Hopefully I am soon able to maintain my body temperature and don't catch pneumonia.

My sister sent me this fascinating website by Dr. Michael Lam. I skimmed a few different articles, but it was really the blood-type diet that sucked me in. He specifies what each blood type can and cannot eat, and for what reasons. It was eerie how spot-on he was, for the most part, about what my sister (Type A) and I (Type B) should/shouldn't eat, because the specifics almost exactly line up to our natural preferences.

The sister, by the way, is going off the cleanse after today, her fifth day. After detoxing with juices and such for a day or so, she'll go on a health kick and eat what's good for her (and her blood type). This cleanse, it's really not for everyone.

As I trudge through until next Thursday, I'm plotting my future meals with glee, awaiting my freedom with bated breath.