Day On, Day Off…My Experiment with Eating Habits
Day on, day off? What does that mean exactly? Allow me to explain…
I’ve been experimenting with cleanses, detox protocols, eating habits and supplementation for the past 2 years. I have done the Master Cleanse (lemon juice, Grade B maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water) numerous times for anywhere from 3 days, all the way to 22 days. Just Master Cleanse lemonade. No food. At all. Crazy.
Honestly, I get bored after drinking the same thing for 10 days. I love the Master Cleanse drink, but I wanted to mix things up a bit, so I decided to try something new when I returned from my last trip to Vancouver. I went a little overboard in Canada and had one amazing meal after another, which was way more than I’m used to eating, but it was TOTALLY worth every bite!
I got back from Vancouver on June 16th, and I felt so bloated, uncomfortable, and just plain fat. I had gained a few pounds up there from all the Matcha Lattes my friends bought me in addition to some of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had. I had to do something. Since I haven’t been able to work out as hard as I normally do from an injury, I’ve taken that as an opportunity to focus on diet and eating habits. A gift in disguise 
I felt like I ate WAY too much and just needed to not eat for a few days to give my body time to process everything. That’s when the idea struck me to try something new! I came up with the idea to alternate between drinking only the Master Cleanse lemonade one whole day and eating multiple, small, Paleo meals the next (I’m sure I’m not the first, but it felt like it at the time).
I started losing weight right away! A lot of it was probably water weight, and bloating from slight allergens like soy, wheat, dairy, and corn…all things my body does very well without.
As I write this, it has been 10 days of doing this “alternating cleanse/eating style” and I feel EXTRAORDINARY! I was 170lbs. when I got off the plane, and tonight I weighed in at 155lbs. 15 pounds in 10 days ain’t bad for experimenting
The weight loss isn’t even the best part…you want to know what the best part is?
Doing this for the past 10 days has taught me to be so much more focused and disciplined.
I feel like my body has time to fully digest and assimilate all the nutrients from the food I ate the previous day, and on cleanse days I have more energy and time to focus on productive tasks or learning. I also mix in some super food smoothies and coconut kefir on the liquid days to see how I feel. Oh yeah, can’t forget my Vanilla Shilajit Super Food Latte I wake up to each morning of the liquid days 
I feel great, my body loves me, getting into even better shape, getting more done, and I’m having fun trying something new. Life rocks!
I’m implementing Yoga into my routine each morning starting tomorrow, and going to continue on this day on day off thing until my body tells me otherwise. I’m also getting the benefits of Caloric Restriction, which I’m still investigating. Anything involving health, nutrition, and well being has my full attention as I am VERY passionate about those areas. I’m on a path towards what my friend and I call “Super Human Shape”. It’s very challenging, but we are learning so much, and having fun while doing it. I believe leading by example is the best way to lead, and if we want to teach others about living healthier lives, it feels best to teach from experience. We must be the change we want to see in others and the world. I’ll round out this post with this great story about Ghandi:
Be The Change You Want To See In This World – Mahatma Gandhi
During 1930’s, a young boy had become obsessed with eating sugar. His mother was very upset with this. But no matter how much she scolded him and tried to break his habit, he continued to satisfy his sweet tooth. Totally frustrated, she decided to take her son to see his idol – Mahatma Gandhi; perhaps her son would listen to him.
She walked miles, for hours under scorching sun to finally reach Gandhi’s ashram. There, she shared with Gandhi her predicament. -
“Bapu, my son eats too much sugar. It is not good for his health. Would you please advise him to stop eating it?”
Gandhi listened to the woman carefully, thought for a while and replied,
“Please come back after two weeks. I will talk to your son.”
The woman looked perplexed and wondered why had he not asked the boy to stop eating sugar right away. She took the boy by the hand and went home.
Two weeks later they revisited Gandhi. Gandhi looked directly at the boy and said,
“Boy, you should stop eating sugar. It is not good for your health.”
The boy nodded and promised he would not continue this habit any longer. The boy’s mother was puzzled. She turned to Gandhi and asked,
“Bapu, Why didn’t you tell him that two weeks ago when I brought him here to see you?”
Gandhi smiled,
“Mother, two weeks ago I was eating a lot of sugar myself.”
Wow – I love that Gandhi story!! Thanks for sharing it. He is amazing and one of the next biographies I’m going to read.
(The very next is a toss-up between Einstein and Gandhi 
).
I love the day on/day off concept too. I was doing it for a while and it felt AWESOME. I didn’t want as much food on my ‘on’ days and my body felt great.
I’ve been experimenting now with 2 juices or smoothies a day and then a regular meal at lunch time, which is also working. I’m liking this because it nets me more liquid, and since I’m doing major digestive detox I’d rather go super-easy on the system without being on a total juice fast.
As for caloric restriction – I met a guy at a raw food potluck here who has a 108 year old mentor. They met at the Longevity Society here. My friend says based on hundreds upon hundreds of stories that caloric restriction and maintaining low blood sugar is the best way to live a long life and have tons of energy.
The 108 year old he mentors with looks 60 (some people say 50) and is smart as a whip. His secrets are that he never had any candy growing up (his father was an herbologist and very well versed in nutrition), has been rubbing olive oil on himself every day since he was younger, and puts cinnamon on lots of stuff – especially fruit – to balance out the blood sugar.
(I’m sure you know cinnamon’s amazing for balancing out your blood sugar. I put it in almost all my smoothies
)
The 108 year old also has oatmeal every morning (with cinnamon), salmon 2x a week, and steamed (not raw) greens.
He used to be a famous chef for different Presidents too, and he would prepare their meat for them simply by smell since he’s never had any meat either.
Hey man! It’s Dolan here.
Love this blog post. I have tried fasting once a week for a month and also fasting on the new moon and full moon for one month.
Loved both. The once a week was great and the other tip is to eat 1/3rd less than you are desiring. This is awesome.
You feel so good after eating tons of energy and can digest so much better.
Keep it up and let me know how it goes.
Peace
@Rachel – Love your comment! Einstein and Gandhi are two of my favs, and I’ve been studying Da Vinci and Tesla recently
I agree with eating less on the days I do eat…I didn’t expect that, but it feels awesome! That 108yr old mentor sounds like he was a lot of fun, full of great stories, and had plenty of longevity wisdom to share. Thanks for the tip about cinnamon too! I knew it was good, but didn’t know it balanced out blood sugar.
@Dolan – Thanks man! I’m planning on doing it at least for a month straight or whenever my body tells me it’s time for something new. So far I’m totally digging it, and the self exploration it’s allowing me is phenomenal! If anyone wants to learn more about themselves in a deep sense, commit to a different style of eating for 10 days to a month and do some meditation and yoga during it all. Very simple, and extremely enlightening