For our entire marriage Bluejay and I haven't had health insurance. That is until last month. For the most part, it was no big deal. Neither of us get sick often and neither of us got injured (praise God!). But I was having some health issues. Even with regular exercise and eating healthy, I was gaining pound upon pound. It made for quite a self conscious newlywed when the scales were tipping at 60 pounds more than my wedding day. So, as soon as we were covered by insurance, I was eager to get to the doctor. As it turns out, last week I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is a common disorder that occurs when the thyroid gland is underactive and does not produce enough thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland is located in the front part of the neck, and the hormone it produces is vital to normal metabolism. A lack of thyroid hormone results in a slowing of the body's chemical processes and metabolism. So basically, my body wasn't able to metabolize what I was eating and therefore was turning it into fat no matter how healthy I ate. I'm thrilled to now be on medication so that I can get healthy again. It's going to be a long tough road to lose 60 pounds.
Bluejay and I decided to kick start that process. A couple months back, some friends of ours did a cleanse called Master Cleanse. It sounded interesting. Bluejay and I decided to take the plunge and give it a try. My thought process behind doing the cleanse was that my body needs a kick start from the past two years of junk building up inside my body. Apparently, this cleanse can "restart" your system. According to what I've read, "Every cell of your body will be bathed with restoring and feel good hormones. Your metabolism, your mood, your energy levels, and many other important bodily functions will be restored to where they should be." Which sounds exactly like what I need. Of course I'm attracted to the fact that during the cleanse we will lose 15-20 pounds, but I'm more concerned with getting my body healthy. So what do you do for the cleanse? I'm glad you asked. Approximately 6-8 times a day for ten days Bluejay and I drink a lemonade concoction made up of 10 oz. purified water and...
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed organic lemon juice...
2 Tablespoons all natural organic maple syrup...
and 1/10 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Basically it's spicy lemonade! It's not that awful to drink, but it does burn a little. In the morning and evening we also drink an all natural laxative tea.
Today marks our third day on the cleanse. Yesterday I felt hungry. Today, not as much. I mostly just miss flavors and textures: salty, sweet, savory, crunchy... yum! So I explained why I am doing the cleanse, but what about Bluejay? He is pretty much the sweetest, most loving husband and he decided to join me for moral support. And I couldn't be more glad! We are able to encourage each other when it's tough. We giggle empathetically when the other runs to the bathroom. And it would be just plain awful if Bluejay was cooking yummy meals for himself while I drink spicy lemonade! Anyways, it might be a little too much information, but I thought I'd let my readers know. I mean, why not? That's what the personal section of this blog is for, right? Hope you all are enjoying your tasty breakfasts. I will be too... in only eight more days!