Cleanse Day 4 and 5: Nothing Much Changed

So I have this problem with weekends. The problem is, you see, H is home, and it's his time to sit in front of the computer. So even though I'm pretty much saying this to and for myself, I'd like to apologize for getting so behind in the blogging.
But there's another reason for that. I don't have much to report.
Day 4 of the cleanse, I tried again to get some exercise. I managed to do 30 minutes on the exercise bike, but then I felt pretty weak. Nuts and grains just weren't giving me the calcium I needed, and by dinner time, the faint feeling had turned into a full-on headache. I was a real bitch by the time H. got home, I'm sorry to say. I picked on every little thing. But he's a good guy, and instead of getting mad or defensive he sat down, put his arms around me, and asked what was wrong. I said "fuck it, let's have spaghetti for dinner."
Because, as those of you who know me are aware, spaghetti makes all my problems disappear. Seriously. Pasta is my #1 comfort food.
I stuck to the cleanse as much as I could, though: the sauce was all fresh vegetables, a little bit of olive oil, no canned tomatoes. The pasta was whole wheat, and I didn't put any cheese on top. But I still broke the cleanse, and for that I felt bad.
H. came home with alcohol, too: a case of beer and a bottle of port wine. He was so excited to have port in the house, saying it's what "sophisticated people" drink after dinner. Needless to say, I'd never tried it. And I'm proud to say I didn't try it that night, either. I could give myself a break on the whole wheat pasta, but if I'd had some alcohol I'd have to declare defeat.
The next day, day 5, I pretty much gave up. Things don't "keep" very well in our fridge, so if we want fresh things, we have to buy them right away. I was so sick of going to the grocery store. I think, in the 5 days of the cleanse, we'd spent almost $100 on fruits and vegetables!
So like I said, I gave up. For breakfast I had a bowl of Frosted Flakes and a cup of coffee. Oh coffee, I'd missed you so much! The sweet, full, nutty flavour! The scent, so inviting, like meeting a long-lost friend on the street, and they give you a big hug and tell you you look great....


So, after (close to) 5 days of cleansing, what have I observed?

• After not having sugar for a few days, a bowl of cereal hit me like a ton of bricks. I was a little kid again, running and jumping and singing.... impossible to calm down until I crashed on the couch and fell asleep.
  
• I have dry skin, and before the cleanse, the skin on my palms was peeling. After the cleanse, all my dead skin is gone.
  
• I also have dark circles under my eyes, and after the cleanse, they're pretty much gone too.
  
• The last time I saw my mom, which was a few days before the cleanse, she said I looked a bit "puffy", like I was retaining water. After the cleanse, I can see what she meant. My face and body, even though I didn't lose much weight, feel thinner. Flatter, maybe.
  
• I really like dairy, but I don't need it to survive. Cheese should not be my go-to food.
  
• But was any of this because of my diet, or because I was drinking so much water? I'm inclined to believe it was the water.
  

I'm not necessarily a "strong" person, but I couldn't stand feeling as weak as I did. So I think in the future, instead of dieting, I'm going to incorporate more fresh fruit and vegetables into my diet. I'm also going to make sure I stay hydrated, and make more of an effort to cook fresh foods for H. and myself. Tonight I'm making a big batch of pasta sauce. Last night we had salmon, corn on the cob, and fresh carrots. H. has commented that he really enjoys the "home-cooked meals", and I do too. It's not as hard to cook fresh, healthy, satisfying meals as I thought it was.
Now if only we had a dishwasher, my life would be perfect.