What I learned during the Standard Process 3-Week Cleanse!

Standard Process products required for 3-week cleanse

It is no secret - I was highly skeptical about this entire process.  I had never done anything like this, and generally felt like I ate pretty well.  My diet was low in processed foods, I ate very little breads and pastas, drank plenty of water, and ate plenty of fruits and vegetables.

On the negative side, I knew that I drank a ton of coffee - sometimes by the Nalgene-full (occasionally multiple pots).  I also drink my fair share of beer.  I was also in a bit of a rut with the variety of fruits and vegetables that I consumed.

I was told the first few days were going to be the toughest.  Maybe it was because I had been warned, but this was not the case.  I experienced no headaches due to the lack of caffeine, though I did experience a couple headaches in the first couple days when I exercised in the evening.  Soon I settled into a routine of a fruit powered smoothie in the morning, then tons of raw veggies throughout the day, and some lentils or rice with vegetables for dinner.  It is important to note that I weighed in the first day at 160 lbs (which was a high-water mark for the winter) and that I was upping my exercise regimen to roughly 2hrs per day.

The first week I missed some of the foods I couldn't have, but I felt great.  On day 8 I weighed in at 151 lbs.  I was surprised by my weight loss, but felt great, was running faster than ever and my power numbers were up on the bike.  No complaints!  As the program is written, I was allowed to add Protein sources (chicken and wild caught fish) on Day 11.  I figured once I made it to that point I was in the clear.  On Day 11 I weighed in at 148 lbs, had a fantastic strength session and another great run.  Saturday - Day 12 - I went to my parents for dinner and we had cod and the spinach, brown rice, asparagus and avocado salad, pictured below.  The cod was AMAZING!  After nothing like that for almost two weeks, even simply prepared, with only lemon juice, it tasted like a gourmet meal.  A ten day deprivation and it gave me such an appreciation for what I can have any day.  This was glorious!  My workouts were great and I was totally high on the entire cleanse and its process.

Then the wheels came off.  On Monday - Day 14 - I hit a low of 146 lbs.  14 lbs in 14 days.  By Tuesday I felt weak on the bike and in the pool.  Wednesday I was extremely weak on my workouts, and Thursday even moreso.  My aerobic capacity was really high, but I didn't have the muscle strength to get my heart rate up.  I was struggling to do simple things like stand for an hour or walk up stairs without incredible muscle fatigue.  The feeling of your body cannibalizing your muscles for energy is not a fun - it's very much like disease sweeping your entire body.  This was eye-opening, not only from a personal (training and recovery standpoint), but also from the perspective of how the hundreds of millions of malnourished people around the world function on a daily basis.

Thanks to a conversation with Chris Thomas, I finally came to the realization that, even though I had been following the program, I had been eating way too little and had lost way too much, too fast.  Let this be a lesson - when there is a disclaimer provided that you should consult a physician prior to engaging in a program, you should probably do so.  This deficit was entirely my fault.  I didn't do much workout-wise Friday and Saturday.  I also threw out the quantity guidelines and housed an incredible amount of food on Saturday.  I went to bed having never felt overly full, and feeling slightly better, but knew that my real indication would be during my workouts the next day.

Saturday food count:
Smoothie with blueberries, strawberries, mango, pineapple and banana (48 oz)
2 bananas
1 apple
3 clemantines
1.5 cut up pepper
salad with 1/2 lb chick breast, spinach, arugala, cooked beets, avocado, 5 bella mushrooms, peppers and avocado oil
cooked sweet potato
salad with spinach and 2 cups cooked brown rice, avocado, asparagus and lime juice
1.2lbs cod filets

It worked!  I performed the same bike workout I had three days earlier and was pushing an average of 25 more watts.  Didn't feel 100% but was definitely back on track. 

The craziest thing though was that I didn't gain much weight back - I ended the cleanse today at 148lbs.  This is the target I had in my head as to what I want to race at toward the end of the season and thanks to this program I have some invaluable feedback on what happens on either side of this threshold.  When it comes to pushing the bounds of elite fitness there is such a fine line between what is optimal and what is definitely not.  At 148 I feel lean and fast and strong - at 146 I was uncontrollably weak, not able to push up to Ironman effort for even 10 minutes, and was losing 15-seconds per 100m in the pool.  Those are some drastic differences. 

I thought, when I approached this cleanse I would go through it and feel ok and not really learn too much.  I did it because I had finally reached a level in my training and racing that required me to take my nutrition seriously, and I figured this would be a good place to start.  I would recommend this process for anyone looking to understand how the foods they eat affects their energy levels, mood and lifestyle, but I would highly recommend this process for any athlete looking to get in tune with their body - to find out how a clean diet changes the way you feel and perform. 

Changes I Plan on Implementing:

• Reduced dairy consumption - less yogurt and milk.  I ate these in excess and am looking to balance, not eliminate them
• Continue drinking fresh fruit smoothies/shakes in the morning - I had done this for a while, and plan to return to it
• I ate cereal for breakfast on a regular basis and plan to replace with oatmeal most days.  Oatmeal is a better source for sustained energy, over the milk and cereal I was eating.
• Plan to vary my fruit and vegetable intake - at least one new fruit or vegetable every week to aid in variety and add a spectrum of color to my diet
• Add a variety of nuts and seeds to my diet
• Eat salads at least 4 times per week

Further Reading:

Standard Process:  This takes you to the homepage for the Standard Process 3-week cleanse.  I have given you my experiences with the cleanse; this will provide you with all the logistics and details of the process.

Heifer International:  This is a charity that helps malnourished communities all around the world by providing them with start-up materials and education on sustainable farming techniques.  They takes care to provide materials indigenous to the regions they serve.

Food Allergy & Weight Loss: One of the cornerstones of the 21-day purification program is to eliminate all potential food allergens from your diet.  This was an interesting article I read over the past few weeks that answers the question of how food allergens can affect you and why someone might want to participate in a cleanse to eliminate them.



Reunited!!!!

I'll start there and see where that gets me.  Looking forward to a more informed and healthier season of racing!