Getting back into the habit of tracking my food intake has been alittle more challenging than I anticipated. Unless you’re really conscious of it, it’s easy to forget that extra piece of bread you ate waiting for food, or to dive into a shared appetizer at lunch before thinking about the calories involved. Even just taking the time to update the site every day is something you’ve got to actively plan for, otherwise it just doesn’t get done. It’s just too easy to say “I’ll catch up tomorrow.”

The fact that my weigh-in’s have steadily risen since I returned, despite the fact that I’ve been eating pretty well, hasn’t helped my motivation either. I’m sure it’s all still residual effects from my vacation eating, and I expected something along these lines, but I’m ready for the numbers on the scale to stop rising now. If my body isn’t willing to cooperate, I see alot of gym time in the near future.

From Wikipedia:

• “The Master Cleanse, also known as the Lemon Cleanse and the Maple Syrup Diet, is a dieting program created by Stanley Burroughs in 1941…The Master Cleanse claims to be a way to cleanse the body of toxins and remove the cravings associated with drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and eating junk food.The cleanse involves drinking only lemonade made from fresh lemon or lime juice, maple syrup, water and Cayenne pepper. No solid food is eaten for the entire cleanse.

  In 2006, the cleanse received media attention as a result of being embraced by some celebrities. The singer/actress Beyoncé did it for 14 days and lost 22 lb (9 kg) for her role in the 2006 movie Dreamgirls. Other celebrities include rapper Trina who did this liquid diet for 13 days and Howard Stern’s co-host Robin Quivers claims to have lost 73 lb using the Master Cleanse. Similarly, Jared Leto says he lost the weight he gained to play ‘Mark David Chapman’ (he gained 62 lb) all from the master cleanse.”

It has all the elements of a fad diet as it makes outrageous health claims, contains anecdotal evidence, and was supposedly used by celebrities as some sort of secret trick. It really just sounds like a gimmick to me (the exact kind of gimmick I want no part of in my quest to create a stable, healthy lifestyle). Of course, this is where the plot thickens.

My brother is a huge proponent of this cleanse. Having previously done it himself, he’s convinced that following the 10 day regimen will do wonders for my health, kick starting my metabolism and giving me a healthier lifestyle. For the last month he has been set on our setting the next 10 days aside to “cleanse”, and I’ve been really torn on whether I should try and participate. On one hand, I have my commitment to do this the right way. I set certain goals, and I’ve been meeting them without the aid of some diet fad. On the other hand I have the sincerest intentions of my brother, who absolutely believes this isn’t a gimmick at all.

In the end, my love and respect for my brother win. His concern for my health was one of the primary forces that led me to create this site to begin with. I reached out to my family for their help and support, and this is what Johnny brought to me. I owe it to him to set aside my skepticism and give it a shot.

A few weeks ago, I set-up http://russ.mywastedlife.com for my buddy Russ, who’s also trying to lose weight. He seems to drop weight faster than I do but his diet and weight seem to be alot more erratic than mine, so he’s not always losing.

I’ve got a hundred dollars that says I can lose 15 pounds before he does.