Day 3.....

Anecdotally speaking, the third day of ANY new dietary shift is a BFD. Your body is starting to get wise to the fact that you're seriously not going to be giving it what it's craving. Which is a good thing, because at three days into a cleanse your cravings are unlikely to be centered on anything wholesome. :) Once you start purging addicitive foods from your diet (and dairy and gluten are damnably addictive. How many times have you heard someone says they couldn't live without cheese? Or bread for that matter? Total junkie thinking) your body starts to go through the withdrawal process. As a woman who's been forced to withdraw from a variety of substances MANY, MANY times, let me offer my hard-won expertise on how this business goes down.

Stage 1, HOLY SHIT ACUTE WITHDRAWAL
Lasts: anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

This is it. You're learning to live without something that's no longer working for you and your mind and body are in full scale revolt. Your emotions are all over the place, drama levels are running high, and you have this internal itch that you'll never be able to scratch. Physically, depending on what you're trying to kick, there's a very good chance you feel flu-ish and miserable. For some reason whether you are trying to come off heroin or quit sugar for good, withdrawal always feels like the flu. Of course the levels of severity are subject to change. :)

Remember: You are utterly powerless over this addiction, whatever it may be. Pray for patience, pray for strength. One day at a time, yeah?

Stage 2, PINK CLOUD, BITCHES.
Lasts: a few weeks, a few months, if you're karma's REALLY good- maybe a year.

To quote Big Boi: It's like a brand new pair of reeboks or a junkie freshly detoxed. You feel the tingling all over like convulsions or the rooster pox...
Who knew you could get catch a fucking buzz from being abstinent???? But it's true, and never fails. The minute your body stops withdrawing, you temporarily enter the blissfully orgasmic state of.....hmmmm.......pink cloud pleasure mania. It's not quite happiness, although it can be easily confused for it. It's certainly not a bad thing, and you're actually hoping you can stay on Cloud Fuschia forever and ever and ever. But alas, this is not to be. This a rest and recovery station, not a permanent home. NOWHERE IS THE PINK CLOUD MORE OBVIOUS THAN IN RECOVERING FROM FOOD ISSUES. For example: You're three weeks on raw food and you feel amazing. You've lost six pounds, you're never hungry for junk, and after a long traumatic history with binge eating, you feel in control of your body and what goes into it. Could it really be this easy? Might you finally be free from this horrible shit show?

Not exactly. As soon as you start asking these questions it's time to move into.....

Stage 3, RETREAT DAMN YOU, RETREAT!!!!!
Lasts: as longs as it needs too.

And you were doing so well! Yesterday you were optimistic, upbeat, looking forward to your new life and today you are resistant, surly, and downright combative with anyone who makes the mistake of getting in your way. Your body is feeling amazing without the... (booze, sugar, dairy, cigarettes, whatever, take your pic) but you can't help noticing that your emotional self is...uhhh....pretty fucking emotional. Without the haze of a sugar high, without the release of an hourly nic-stick, you're just strapped in for the Feelings Freefall. It. Is. Exhausting. You're starting to realize that you weren't just eating because you were hungry, you didn't starve yourself for all of those years because you were dieting, and nobody who's mentally well drinks to blackout four nights a week for fun. Something big is going on inside you and it's been there for a very long time. It's utterly terrifying, and you are FULLY WILLING to eat, drink, or smoke whatever you need to MAKE IT GO AWAY.

It may sound gnarly, but this is the stage where the girls become women. Anyone can stay clean on a pink cloud, but every day you stay away from your chosen substance in this stage is a freaking miracle. You're turning within, you're wading through your inner muck, you're surveying your internal damage and decay. You've been sick, really really sick, and you don't know what's going to make it better. DO NOT QUIT BEFORE THE MIRACLE. You are brave and beautiful and as crazy as everything seems, you don't want to miss what comes next.....

Stage 4: REVOLUTION BABY (By way of Acceptance)
Lasts: as long as you'll let it. :)

You give up. You're surrendered to the reality of YOU, not what you think you should be. You need what you need, you want what you want, and all you really know is you don't want to go back to where you were. Regardless of what you're feeling, you're managing to act (and action is far more important than words or feelings) like a woman who loves herself deeply. Your body expects and wants wholesome foods and your mind doesn't argue. You engage in some serious downward dog when back in the day you would have been binge drinking. You still stumble here and there, but you KNOW it's all good. You're feeling more protected and nourished then you have in a very, very long time and you have the courage to live in the present moment and not in your fantasies. You feel your feelings and then get on with your life.

This is totally the stage where the student is ready and the teacher is appearing. You'll start meditating more, examing toxic relationships, and reaching out to new soulmates. Your creativity will be at an all time high, and you are truly firing from all cylinders. ENJOY THIS SHIT. Just enjoy it, you've freaking earned it! Healing hurts bad sometimes, but did you give up? Did you cash your check? No, you did not! You rock, in a big way, and no one knows what the future holds for you. Whatever it is, it's guaranteed to be beyond your wildest dreams.....

Into the beyond, my beloveds.

Ingenue