Once upon a time, ages ago, when I was a size 14/16 – I didn’t diet. I didn’t exercise. The only change I made was drinking apple cider vinegar (Affectionately acronymed ACV.) I would drink it three times a day. First thing in the morning, I would drink an 8 ounce glass of warm water with 1-2 teaspoons of ACV. I would eat breakfast as usual and have another glass. Then I would have lunch and after – one final ACV with warm water. Until I got accustomed to the taste, I had mixed it with honey, gradually reducing it until I felt comfortable using no sweetener at all.  (Has anyone experimented with adding an IP friendly sugar alternative?) I felt fuller and went to the restroom like clockwork. I did it consistently for a few months and lost ten pounds.

The benefits are similar to Laura’s lemon water. I tried lemon and warm water for a month or so until I had to go out and purchase lemons for the third time that month. I was tired of having to purchase more or have my leftover bulk go bad. Also, I read about the acidity and needing to drink from a straw to protect tooth enamel. I’m much too lazy to shop and chop lemons on a regular basis, I decided to return to my old standby.

This time around, I’m drinking ACV twice a day and three times a day on weekends. It has been too much to do ACV three times a day and juggle work and protocol during the week. To compensate I use a little over two teaspoons of AVC on those days. I started again after my Birthday Binge Blues. It helped get me back to regular after the most harrowing bathroom experiences of my life. It felt like I was giving birth – bingeing never again! Regardless of overeating, I definitely recommend ACV as there are a multitude of benefits.

The person that had first told me the wonders of ACV was a cancer survivor, and health & fitness guru. He saw that my eczema looked like a big red rash over my face – the worst I had ever seen it. I had tried a strict vegan diet and my skin was freaking out. The three glasses a day helped clear up my skin as well. He specified that the ACV should be introduced to the system slowly. Start with one glass a day before moving on to two and then progressively to three glasses a day until your body adjusts. As drinking the three glasses right away could work too well. ACV is powerful stuff. Also, he mentioned to drink ACV roughly an hour before and an hour after eating when possible. (From experience, after getting used to the drink, some days I don’t have time to wait or only wait 30 minutes.) And his last tip was to make sure to use the Bragg’s organic raw and unfiltered brand of ACV.

There are many uses for ACV, here are 25 others including adding it to salad dressing if it is too strong: http://mamavation.com/2015/01/25-ways-apple-cider-vinegar-will-change-life.html

I love the fact that everyone in our little community tries different tactics and we modify, modify, modify! If like me, daily lemons or smooth move tea was not your thing, I definitely suggest giving ACV a try. And if that doesn’t work with your body, keep trying to figure out what works for you – just don’t forget to share it with us!