Day 1 - starting cleansing and detox

I thought I might as well start a little journal of what I go through while on the 30-Day nutritional cleansing I started yesterday (September 20, 2012). 

The idea of doing a cleansing sounded really necessary for me since over the years I've been feeling more and more lethargic. Plus, I could really stand to lose my absolutely unfit looking pot-belly. I'd never seen myself before as being overweight or obese, but looking at my body profile in the mirror is pretty disturbing. 

Besides having several pictures taken of myself to represent my 'Before' appearance, I also went ahead and took measurements of my main concerns: the abdomen and waist (some others as well). I'd never done that before and it was a real eye-opener. 

For several years now, I've been purchasing my jeans with a 33-inch waist and figured that's what it actually measured. Not so bad I thought. Well, my tape showed 37"! And then I measured an even worse 41" around my stomach (abdomen, belly, etc.). Does the phrase 'muffin-top' apply to men too? Or is 'spare tire' more appropriate for guys?

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Now this is a nutritional cleansing so I won't be starving my body of the healthful nutrients it needs. Those I'll get with shakes and supplements. I've read about other cleansings that look far too extreme, diets of little more than fruit juices for weeks at a time. Nope, wouldn't care for that at all. This one allows some actual food once a day on 'shake' days (six days a week), and then primarily liquids on 'cleanse' days (one day a week).

What was yesterday (Day 1) like? An adjustment for sure. My body was used to consuming solid food for all three meals, whereas yesterday I had two nutritional shakes and a small meal instead, plus some minimal snacking on healthful snacks in between. And plenty of water. 

One way I knew something was working was a negative side-effect I was told to expect: a pretty bad headache that got worse throughout the day. There is an explanation for that though - it's the result of my body removing toxins. This morning I felt better, and it's supposed to continue getting better as the days go by. Still, I am feeling a little trepidation about today, but if I get another headache I am confident that it's all part of the process of detoxifying my body. I should start feeling really good before long!