Post Fast Day 1

What happened to 30 days? Just like so many others, I didn't make it either. And I am just fine with that. First let me explain why. I juice fasted for many reasons, curiosity being a large one, but more importantly to break a nasty habit and to lose weight. They say it takes 21 days to break a habit so habit broken. And I lost a final 37 pounds. Since I have run a few times, my body is starting to get hungry again. I don't want to damage my body or send myself into shock. I like the new look, although my clothes don't fit, and feel much better. I have started drinking soy milk which has a lot of protein, and I believe that to be triggering my body to want more protein. If I am supposed to be healthy and trying to change my lifestyles the last thing I want to do is hurt myself by working too hard with out the right nutrients.

I went to lunch at a place down the street from work and had a small salad and water. I paid eight dollars with tip! One of the joys of fasting was how easy it was for me to save a little. For dinner, I made some raw veggie spring rolls which I probably will be very sick of by the time I have really broken the fast.

In addition to breaking the fast, I ran 2 miles, and played basketball for a whole 4o minute game. I am feeling wonderful and surprised I can handle all the miles and exercise. Keeping the weight off will be a challenge, but I think I am ready for it.

Day 21

This is the 3 week mark, a goal I am proud to have finished. Today is Sunday, my busiest work day and as soon as I made it to church, everyone is noticing the weightloss. I love the fact that I look better, but I hate telling people how I have been doing it. People look at me and think I am crazy. Maybe I am. After Sunday school, I headed home for a quick mango, pineapple, and pear juice, my new favorite, before heading off to our championship game. We are playing St. Francis, the number 1 seed who has beaten everyone all year year and has a record of I believe 24-1. They have beaten us by 20 points the two times we played them. It doesn't really matter, I am proud of my boys and their year, and they should feel so proud of themselves for making it this far.
As it turns out, my boys didn't want to give up. They played better defense then they have played all year and St. Francis couldn't handle the pressure. The Grace St. Luke's 5th grade boys are the new Bishop's Tournament champions. I know winning isn't everything but it really feels good today.
I have been struggling with ending the fast most of the day. I know I will make it through the day and all my afternoon programing, but I think I am ready to eat again. I am hungry and I have been saying, whenever I get hungry, I need to eat. Is this what hunger feels like? I will decide tomorrow if it is time to break the fast.

Day 20

After such a bold victory yesterday, I woke up to juice and a third round playoff game. I will spare you all the details, but we beat the #2 seed in double overtime. I couldn't believe the game although we kind of took over in the second OT. I don't know if my heart could of handled another buzzer game winner. I have had so much energy. Right after the game, I went and caught the last few minutes of one of the youth I work with's Bball game and then decided to hit the track. I ran 2 miles with out any breaks! I even managed to do this in about a 17 30 pace, which isn't very fast, but much quicker than I anticipated.
I love running and it has been years since I have been able to be serious about it. Today has given me the confidence that I will be able to get back into the sport. But what if this is too soon? I am a little nervous that I have run two days in a row on the juice fast. I told the girl that I am seeing and she was actually pretty scared. She doesn't think my weight loss is healthy, (she likes the results though), and wants me to wait until I start eating real food before I run. I have to wonder if she is right.

Day 19

What a day! I woke up to go and buy some running shoes. Instead of trying them out, I made a trip to the Vietnamise grocery store around the corner. The store has such a fantastic selection of produce and it is less than half the price of all the other grocery stores. I had a blend of an oriental pear, apple, and mango juice for lunch. It was one of the best juices I have had since I started my fast.
This evening, I witnessed one of the greatest basketball games of my life. The 5th grade team that I help coach was down 16-2 at the end of the first quarter. They clawed their way back to be down by 1, 34-33 with 11 seconds left. After a missed shot and a rebound, we shot the ball with only fractions on the clock to win the game. Everyone rushed the court and I nearly fell over. My heart was racing more than after any race or game I have ever played in. I felt so energized that when I got home, I decided to test out my new running shoes. I ran 1.75 miles with out walking which although it took me almost 20 minutes, I haven't even been able to run that far with out stopping in years. I got in a rhythm and just like years ago when I was a pretty serious runner, I found myself getting in sync with the sound of my feet hitting the pavement. Tomorrow I am going for two, but I think I will head to a track to go a little easier on my body.

Day 18

Thursdays are my Fridays. The last day of the week when I try to have all my work finished up. I still can't believe how productive I have been today. But the best news of all today is my GI track is back to functioning normally. I'll leave out the details. I had a glass of Soy Milk today. I have been nervous about the whole protein issue so I decided to break down and grab a carton. I will begin my running program this weekend so I need to make sure I am healthy. I also made an appointment with an Internist although she didn't have an opening until March. My dad has been pestering me for 3 years now to go and get a physical and although, I know I am healthier now, it can't hurt to get checked out.

Day 17

What is spiritual enlightenment? I still have no clue. I am not sure what I was expecting except at day 17 I certainly don't think this is hell, yet I also am quite certain that I have not been enlightened. But what I have found wonderful is this new ability I seem to have to concentrate. All week, I have been focused, determined, and very efficient. I have accomplished more this week in three days then what I would think possible in a full week.

Yet this might not be due to my fasting. I have my 3rd boss in almost three years, but the parish gets the impression that Mark will be here for quite a while. Things finally seem to be leveling out at church as my coworkers and I are beginning to feel functional again. Still, I have had no caffeine in these 17 days, which if you had asked me when I had started, I would be surprised I would even be able to work. I wake up fairly easily and although I need to wake up an entire hour before I want to be at work now, (juicing takes a little longer in the morning than an ego, bagel, or no breakfast), I feel refreshed in the morning and able to tackle the full day.

On the health side, I haven't lost a little weight in a while. I got on the scale tonight and back at 202lbs. My weight has increased? I haven't had a BM in about a week, so tomorrow I will start to be a little more regular with the laxatives. I do feel pretty healthy and I am starting to understand what people mean when they talk about this feeling of youthfulness that starts to hit around this time of the 30 day fast. I honestly do feel better than I have in years, and I haven't even had any solid food!

Day 16

I now am rolling downhill! I have been filled with so much energy at work today. I reorganized everything and then just started knocking out tasks. I love the way I feel, or I did until about 4pm. All of that energy died instantly and I felt as if I ran into a brick wall. I went to my 5th grade B-ball team's last practice which honestly was a relief since I am looking forward to regaining that time. I was completely out of it and exhausted. By about 9pm I started to feel a lot better. I haven't had any of these supposed cleansing bouts so I wonder if this was my first. I have been doing a much better job of straining the juice so that no fiber is in what I drink. Oh and I had my first bowl of vegetable broth. I don't think I was supposed to get the canned kind as opposed to making my own, but it sure tasted good to have something warm. I also came so close to drinking alcohol. I don't no why but I really miss a good beer.

Day 15

The halfway point. I felt like I would never make it. Part of me wanted to give up after two weeks. Its hard now to quit because I feel so good. I look better than I have in years and that seems to be translating to success in many different areas. I have been more productive at work. I have a better grasp on what I am trying to accomplish. I have trouble picturing myself doing this all over again which essential is what I am doing. I know I will loose more weight but it hasn't really been coming off me that much anymore which is probably a good thing. I had a late basketball game tonight, a 9pm game which I always hate. I ran a lot but I couldn't find my chi. After hitting the first bucket of the night, I felt like I couldn't make the ball go through the rim no matter what I did. It still felt great to get out and run around.

Day 14

Super Bowl Sunday! What a day. Not only are two of my favorite teams playing but it is such a festive and fun event. I worked all day. Today was one of my longest, about 13 hours without a break. That wasn't hard. Being at our Youth Group Super Bowl party with all the delicious looking treats everywhere and not eating was difficult. I bought my first bit of processed vegetable juice or V8 for my own consumption at the party. Everyone was sipping on the Dr. Peppers and munching on chicken and sausage gumbo. Everywhere there was food and treats and snacks from cookies to cheese dip. I would normally be in heaven and at many times I thought about breaking the fast.

However I feel better. I look better. My head is clearer. I know this is good for me as difficult as it is, the results are already here and making a difference. This may not be a cleansing experience. It really hasn't been as spiritual as I expected initially either, but I now it is good for me and helping me to regain control of my body.

Day 12 & 13

I hate doing this but I have been slacking and have fallen a few days behind so I am combining two days. To be honest. These days have not been special. Instead of my normal activities on a Friday & Saturday night, I have been a little more reserved. I did take my mom to Beale Street on Friday night. I haven't had a problem at all with being at bars and drinking water. I suspected that I would hate going out and just always want to be home watching TV or something of that sort. I have been having a blast out. We went to the International Blues Competetion and got to hear a bunch of great musicians.

I have been losing weight at an unbelievable rate. Most people think its unhealthy, but all are pretty prowd of me. I have been in such horrible shape for so long. But I don't feel I have really been cleansing. Everything I read about this healing process, I just don't feel my body is healing. It is almost if I sense the damage I have done is permenant, and no amount of juice fasting well heal me. I feel healther but am nervous this is only temporary. What if, I can't keep the weight off? What if it all comes back?

Day 11

I stepped on the scale this morning when I woke up. 203 pounds!! I haven't been this light sense my belly was growing in the opposite direction my freshman year of college. It's been about 8 years and I am finally back. I still have a little way to go, but I am getting to feel better and more confident than I have in ages. Today was a great day. I worked, accomplished a whole lot, went downtown to the International Blues Challenge, went to a Bela. Fleck and the Flecktones show, and only drank 3 juices all day. I was in several smokey bars on Beale Street and for the first time in my life, I wish they would pass that resolution in Tennessee that wouldn't let people smoke in public places. California, Colorado, and other states have. Why not clean up Memphis a little?

I feel like I am getting in a routine now. I am used to the juice diet, although I am looking foward to getting off of it so I can start a new routine of health and fitness. I want to run a marathon. I used to be a runner and now I have an urge to try to get those runnin legs back. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Day 10

I feel like Day 10 is a monstrous milestone. If you had asked me months ago if I could go 10 days with out solid food, I would have laughed, but I feel great and can't believe I am here. Day 10 has been pretty wonderful. If you can't tell, I wait until the next day to write as I feel like my mind is clearest earlier in the day.

Day 10 brought a tremendous amount of productivity to the table. I was able to finish my newsletter which usually takes me a day and half in about 3/4ths of a day. I am responsible for creating an eight page newsletter which forces me to be creative in writing, fresh ideas, and creative as far as computer graphics go. I was blown away how quickly I was working and how much I could accomplish. I worked until 8:15pm and only had two juices all day. When I did get home I made a concoction of beet, parsley, carrot, apple, and ginger. Someone online swore it was their favorite, but far from mine. However, I know I was able to restock up on some nutrients that my body needs.

I am feeling a little more emotional than usual. I feel like I am sheltering some feelings while letting out too many others. I got really worked up about something right before I left work, which although I still feel justified about, I just feel a little more vulnerable. Is it because I am fasting? I wonder if I more sensitive than usual right now?