Master Cleanse: Day 3

Day 3 of the MC was sort of non-eventful. I began to feel that I was kicking my caffeine habit (unfortunately only until I start again). One thing that I can't stress enough is to stick to the directions in Peter Glickman's book, "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 days" if you can. Use spring water for every emulsion that goes into your body, use the cayenne pepper (even if only in small amounts), use organic lemons (this may be my rule) and drink the quart of salt water as directed every morning - which may be THE most important part of the master cleanse. Why? Because if you think about all the things you take into your body as a part of the MC (lemons, cayenne, water, senna tea)as agents that break down or mobilize the toxins in your body, then how do you get the toxins out of your body in large quantities? They must be "rinsed" or washed out with the salt water flush. Honestly, it's the part of the MC I hate most - other than missing some good meals. But it's necessary.

Oddly enough, it was around day 3 that I also started having some weird pains in my thigh, kind of like a tightening muscle. Ultimately the pain when away after a few days and wasn't terrible. But weird things like this happen on the MC.

Master Cleanse: Day 2

Day 2 of the MC was a little tougher (Wednesday). As my friends know, I'm a caffeine addict (strong coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon). As a result I started some serious detox symptoms on Wednesday. I had a low grade headache in the morning which was worse by afternoon, combined with irritability and being tired. As soon as I came home from work I took a 2 hr nap and didn't really feel better. Now here's where I'd like to make an encouraging side note. Don't be afraid of the master cleanse. The hunger you feel is no worse than what you've felt before - you just have to keep drinking your lemonade when you feel that way. And the headaches I had could've probably been avoided if I'd reduced all the caffeine I was taking into my body prior to Day 1 of the Master Cleanse. At any rate, I couldn't wait for day 2 to be over with and for Day 3 to start!

Master Cleanse: Day 1

Day 1 of the Master Cleanse (Tuesday) was not too bad. I think since this is my third time completing the cleanse that I'm used to the feeling of emptiness in my stomach. It takes time to break away from the habit and ritual of eating 2-4 times per day, plus all the snacking that we westerners love to do, but it can be done. All in all the day was fine, although I felt really groggy during the day and was a little tired by end of day.

The Master Cleanse And Why I Like It

 

I don't usually make posts about non-wedding subjects, but this one is taking up my entire week so I feel the need to share. I'm currently completing the "Master Cleanse"  (aka, lemonade diet) right now for the 3rd time in my life, and I feel pretty good. The Master Cleanse is a body and mind cleansing ritual developed by Stanley Borroughs. Essentially the program is 10 days of fasting whereby you drink lemonade only to cleanse your body of toxins. I don't think this kind of thing is for everyone, mostly because it's difficult to go without food and most people don't miss more than a meal a day - much less going 10 days with no food.  But I personally think it's a great program and I always feel better towards the end and afterward. Why? Because I have the physical desire to eat more healthy, my mind is clearer and I feel that I have more energy.

Anyway, in the next few days I'll probably be blogging more about my experience. Enjoy your weekend!

Oh and if you decide to take the plunge I recommend both of the above books (which are short, but packed with great information).

IMAGES COURTESY OF:

psychofweightloss.com

therawfoodsite.com

Free Wedding Planner (downloadable)

So you're going the "do-it-yourself" route and planning your wedding! Well check out the Pash FREE wedding planner guide:

http://www.pashweddings.com/library/free-wedding-planner.php

I personally went through this entire guide and found it to be very helpful. There are some sections that aren't really necessary, but there are some great core parts of the planner that I found very helpful and perhaps you will too! I'll be blogging in the future about a few parts of it I really liked. If you find something you think is better for wedding planning, feel free to email me at martin@mwwphoto.com. I'm always looking for something fresh to pass on to my brides.

Poladroid - How to make your digital images like Polaroids

So I just discovered this great site, http://www.poladroid.net/, which converts your regular old digital images to polaroid looking pictures. It's really easy to download and is fun to use. Not only does the finished photo look like a polaroid image, but it even sounds like a Polaroid camera when the image is being processed (which occurrs in a matter of seconds, but you have to wait - just like a Polaroid).

The program downloads in a matter of minutes and is available for Mac and PC. If you are feeling like a good samaritan you can also donate to their fund to keep the site up and running, which is FREE! Go check it out and "shake it like a polaroid"!

Engagement Session in Round Rock, Texas

There's an old hidden gem in Round Rock that I just discovered. It's a park, not far from Interstate 35, near downtown, that has some wonderful scenery for engagement photos. I can't believe I didn't find this place sooner.

How did I find it? This weekend I was scheduled to photograph a couple for their engagement session in Western Round Rock and arrived to find the gates of the venue locked, and no one to let us in. So we did what any couple and their photographer would do in a pinch - we improvised. I remembered that I had photographed a couple at a small park in Round Rock last year, and I hoped that I could remember the directions in order to get there. 

Did I mention that our enagement portrait shoot was scheduled on a day where the outside temperature never went above 36 degrees F? I asked my bride and groom if they wanted to cancel and they insisted that they get the photos done and that they love the "cool" weather (I found out later that they are both from northern states, which explains the tolerance of the cold weather).

We later completed our photo session successfully and with everyone in good spirits. We captured some great photos too!