I began what should have been a three-day juice fast this morning by drinking 4 cups of water mixed with lime juice (something about alkalizing and hydrating). Then, I had fresh juice prepared in my trusty Jack Lalanne juicer.
I used 2 heads of broccoli, 1 large cucumber, 1 very large carrot, 8 ounces of spinich, 4 ounces of alfalfa sprouts, 6 stalks of celery, and a slice of fresh ginger. It made about 4 cups of juice and I drank them all before going to work at 9 a.m. By 10:30, my tummy was growling. I was allowed to have a 4 cup "snack" of lime water, so I drank that. But my tummy was still hungry.
At noon, I went home and made the same juice. By 1:30, I was so hungry I thought I was going to die. I started to get dizzy and my fingers felt numb (although that could have been due to the fact that the heat in my office was not working). I tried the lime water snack again, but it just tasted gross. I had unsalted trail mix on my desk and someone had brought in some Mrs. May's Naturals Cashew Strawberry Crunch. After consulting with a co-worker, I decided to say screw it. I ate the cashew crunch, and it was soooo good.
Then, I had the trail mix and finally, I gorged on granola. Since I'd messed up my fast, I decided to go to the gym instead. So that made me feel better about eating all those nuts. After all, I'd need some energy even if I was only taking a 30-minute weight and ab class.
When I got home from the gym, I heated up some cabbage soup, black-eyed peas, and made some more garlic bread. I swear it was the best meal of my life. If anything, the juice fast made me appreciate solid foods. It also helped me to realize that I can make it an entire day without caffeine. I still haven't had any Diet Coke, tea, or coffee. I usually have a Diet Coke and two cups of coffee before 10 a.m.
Not that I'm giving up caffeine or anything. That's crazy talk. But you know, if I had to for health reasons some day, I know I could. I'm not even sure why I wanted to juice fast in the first place. It's not like I planned on giving up anything when I was through. I like caffeine, alcohol, and sugar. I have no intention of going 100% raw. And I think that's okay. I eat pretty well as it is.
I stared feeling about the same way 3 days into what would have been a 7 day fast using the Master Cleanser method (with the lemon/maple/cayenne drink). I had a throbbing constant headache 1/2 way through day 2 & by the end of day 3 I didn't think it was worth putting up with the discomfort. I also was on moontime so I'm not sure how much of an effect that had on the brain pain.
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say afterwards I was very thankful to have food & made me realize how difficult it really is to go hungry.
*started*
ReplyDeletehow sad! i'm doing it with a friend, and we love the juice fast! i guess your friend's detox wasn't fun, but we thought it was really exciting. it takes a little discipline, but experimenting with the juicer is fun enough that it takes the work right out of it. i think you should try again :)
ReplyDeletebut i do think you did drink too much in one sitting. 4 cups shouldn't be necessary. try weaning yourself off of eating lots of food by eating small meals for a while and drinking lots of water, then for each juice meal, drink 1 cup...not 4!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post... Looks like solid state memory is really beginning to become more popular. Hopefully we'll start seeing a drop in solid state harddrive prices soon. Five dollar 32 gigabyte SDs for your DS flash card... sounds gooooood.
ReplyDelete(Posted from OperaV2 for R4i Nintendo DS.)
lol at above comment..
ReplyDeletehaedaches and feeling sick is a part of detoxification process. After years of abuse, when toxins come out of coruse there will be discomfort. However if headaches are REALLY bad, you should check with your professional before going on.
But I also know the definition of "REALLY bad headaches" are exaggerated by particular sensitive individuals...