I Just Swallowed a Lemon Pit! Day 10 and the end of my Winter Wonderland Cleanse

Gorgeous White Winter, Thank You to the Angels for this Day
Day 10 The Master Cleanser Winter Wonderland Cleanse:

I have been conserving my energy, or rather, putting it to where I wanted it to go most. I thought I'd be posting a lot more, but each day, I "met myself where I was at" and didn't push beyond that. It's been a wonderful ride and the BEST decision I could have made! Winter cleansing is always a whole other perspective. 
As is typical when I do The Master Cleanser, I downscaled my amounts of lemon and maple syrup as the days went on, ending up with 4 tablespoons of lemon per quart and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup.
 I also downsized from 4 quarts to 3 the last 3 days of the cleanse. This is totally intuitive and going with my body - if and when you do this cleanse, trust your own guidance system.
Normally I exercise any day I'm not Flushing with salt water, but yesterday, I skipped it and honored what my body asked for. This morning, my salt water flush took only 12-15 minutes from consumption (and laying on my right side) to elimination. That tells me things are moving really easily on all levels. 
My energy is back with a force today (I got up at 6:45). I feel motivated, focused and alive. My mood is super high and I can literally feel the joy moving inside. As is typical with cleansing, I went through many ups and downs with physical energy, fatigue and lowered mood as well as being "wired," filled with energy and happy - all at different moments, and sometimes close together! My goal of gaining clarity and letting go of any old stuff that was hanging around in me is met. I feel a cleanness inside, as if whatever I needed to let go of was washed away. Mostly, I feel aligned on a spiritual-emotional level, trusting my choices and intuition.
Report: I've dropped almost 9 pounds this time around and by tomorrow, I expect it to be a total of 10. Though that was not my reason  for cleansing, it puts me back in the zone in which I feel my body truly wants to be.
Tomorrow I will introduce solid foods gently, starting off with a kale, pineapple, dill and ginger smoothie and probably having a grapefruit during the day as well. I want to pause between the foods, re-introducing the art of chewing and allowing my digestive system to rest. Cleansing is a highly spiritual and meditative journey. It takes us within to the quieter place of intuition. On a nutritional end, it always becomes so clear how much less food we really need then we think we do, and how much we use food as a filler for sadness, anxiety, fear and lonliness. As I move deeper into February, my intention is to take time each day to tune into my body, eat when I know my body is truly asking for food, pause between the bites to listen and take with me the gifts from this cleanse. My next cleanse will probably be a springtime Juice Feast, so stay tuned...
Most importantly, allow yourself to slow down and listen to what your body is truly asking for. When you think you need to fill it, first take a moment to "Just Be" and see what happens. Don't be afraid to listen to your body and quiet your brain. Let food honor you; choose it with love and not abuse. Love everything you choose and eat it with passion. Most of all, know that you are perfect exactly the way you are and love all parts of yourself. 
As Valentine's Day approaches, do something sacred that affirms your love for YOU. Self-love is the most passionate and healing of all. Sending each of you love...

Less Food for Thought

Today's Food:

Breakfast (at around 11:30):
1 Thai coconut on the porch; water through a straw and meat with a spoon

Snack:
2 bricks Two Moms in the Raw Gojiberry granola

Dinner:
Salad with Angelo's Farm red leaf lettuce, muticolored grape tomatoes from a farm in upstate, NY, avocado, carrot, purple cabbage, yellow and white corn off the cob, cuke and mushrooms with dulse, nutritional yeast, olive oil and sea salt
Dessert:
Bowl of Coconut Bliss Chocolate Hazelnut ice cream

I was re-reading some notes I took during a fabulous and inspiring talk by Gabriel Cousens last October, when he came to NY. One of the pieces that I loved and that inspired me is this statement of his:
"The less you eat, the longer you live."
I know this to be true. I feel it in every cell of my body when I am eating that way. The energy; the sense of well being and clarity are all astounding.
I dare you to take this challenge: Cut your food intake in half just for one day. Don't eat until 11:30 or noon, and when you do, start your day with some fresh coconut water or a green smoothie. Keep it simple and light and take a break in between meals. See Just how much energy you have; you will be astounded.
Gabriel then went on to say that in our society, our average daily calorie intake is 3800 calories; compare this to the calorie intake in "long-living" societies, which is 1600 calories.
Why is this? It's because the more we ask our digestive system to work, the more we tax it and tire it out; also, this can create inflammation, depending on what foods we choose to offer it. Our digestive system is a beautiful operating system; a highly developed machine, but it functions best when not over-taxed and when cared for lovingly.
Angela Stokes-Monarch, when talking about the virtues of "juice feasting" (ecstatically fasting on green juices) says, "You take the body's focus away from digestion and into elimination." This is because juicing bypasses the colon and digestive system, as there is no fiber to process, and allows the nutrients to go directly into the bloodstream, cells and organs (therefore why juicing is optimal for cancer and other inflammatory health issues). The second process is then the process of elimination, or letting go of extraneous waste.
Gabriel also says: "You can eat half as much live food and get all the nutrients you want." This is interesting to note, because if you are a raw or partially raw foodie, one of the hardest "memories" to let go of with eating is that more is best, expecially if you are feeling lonely, sad, tired or are missing something in your life. The emotional component plays such a huge role in the desire to fill with food.
So I pose this question: Do you have some spiritual, athletic or comforting "practices" in your life that keep you on your soul's path? What can you draw upon when you wake up in a funk and want to crawl back under the covers? Whether it's a regular yoga class, some journaling, or a daily phone call with your best friend; maybe one great hug a day or a big, juicy kiss; a weekly massage to look forward to or completion of a goal that is one of your life commitments and that you really want to finish.....this "act" should fill you with more self worth than food is replacing for you.
The point is, we use food (all of us) way too much and don't allow ourselves to feel lighter in our bodies so our souls can dance.
Food is delicious, luscious and important sustenance. Every morsel should be an ecstatic experience. But it should support our already thriving energy systems known as our bodies. We really don't have to eat that much to give the body what it needs. If our bodies are cleaned out, healthy and thriving, then we just need to give them the highest quality (not quantity) of food each day.
So, that's what I'm aiming for. I'm not there, yet; sometimes, I'm right there for awhile and feeling amazing, but often, I allow food to take me out of the presence of my soul.
Join me in this journey, and please share your stories....