Independence from the cleanse

We've been in Denver for a few days now, having a family reunion with Patrick's family and celebrating his mother's 80th birthday. It's been a great joy to get to know his siblings and their kids more, not to mention having more time with his own two daughters and his two grandsons and his mom. Great folks.

The interesting part has been the fact that we decided to continue our Ejuva cleanse for a couple more days while here. We got some extra herbs and brought our cilium shake mix and even have a juicer to use, so we're set. It's triply being around SO much good food. They are feasting on bacon, quiche, steak, salmon, pancakes, grilled veggies, corn, alcoholic beverages of all sorts, etc. and we are either watching while drinking juice, or eating our simple fruit or green salads. For me, I haven't been craving "real" food, but it's kind of a head trip to be around it and not partake when I am a great lover of food. I am too committed to the great results I'm getting to want to stop just yet.

We are both bummed we didn't have the time scheduled for the 4 full weeks the cleanse is designed for before this trip, but…what to do? We did 3 full weeks and now 2-3 more days here and it's going fine. We are stoked we could do it at all this year and it's been a great process. Nice to see the body still have decent energy, or sometimes great energy, while eating very little. I always marvel at this, actually. How can I feel so good and eat so little when normally I eat like a cow? (The truth is, I notice I don't have as much endurance on the cleanse and there are those low energy times. Not much protein consumption happening). But still, I feel pretty great overall with such a clean, pure diet.

I also love how doing the cleanse together brings us closer. We bond over making almond mild (super tasty), preparing our apple-catelope juice together (another sweet favorite), or discussing our energy level or bowel movements. It's awesome to have support in this often exhausting or trying journey and to have somebody to celebrate the wins with as well.

And so yesterday, we started coming out of the 3rd phase and back to the 2nd. We added a second meal. We had a small fruit salad with the family as they indulged in pancakes and eggs, etc. for brunch. It was yummy and filled our little stomachs. Coming out of the cleanse can be the hardest part. It's so tempting to indulge in salty, greasy foods again, especially when it's all around! I am looking forward to my favorite foods again but also want to remember the benefits of eating so clean and not let that slip away. Moderation, I always say. Pray for me!

Happy 4th!