Day Three of the Juice Fast.

Day three, and I made it through pretty well. So my struggle yesterday both helped and hindered my progression. It hurt a little by sending me back to square one with the cravings. I had to go through the initial cravings of the first 24 again. But admittedly, they were far less this time BECAUSE of my fall from grace with the cupcake. I learned from that experience, so this time around, when I started feeling temptation, or hunger, or cravings for (today it was mini taco's...you know...those tiny ones that you can get from the freezer isle at Trader Joes?) ...Well previously, those had always seemed completely UNappetizing to me. But my housemate came home and baked a bunch up in the oven for his dinner, filling the entire house with the seductive and tantalizing aroma of mini-tacos. Yep. You heard that right. I'll probably never utter *that* ridiculous sentence out loud, but that is how jonesing I was people. I wanted to leave the house. And escape from temptation. But then Cute Boy said something that made me stand my ground. 

"You're gonna have to be able to overcome your cravings one day. People eat, and there's food everywhere." It was so true. I need to develop and master my ability to take charge over my cravings and impulses, and make good level headed decisions for myself. Trying to cloister myself off to avoid that is pointless because sooner or later, in order to have a healthy lifestyle *longterm*, I'm going to have to be able to go out into the great big world, where people eat all sorts of shit that's not good for them but tastes, smells, and feels good. And I'm going to have to be able to have the willpower to (even in that environment) make these same good choices for me. I have to be looking forward to the future, and my lifestyle choices beyond the fast. 

When consulting with my physician before beginning this juice fast, he said that the reason most diets don't work, is because they're not things that people can live with for the next 30 or so years. It's not enough to just lose the weight and momentarily improve your health, if you're not willing to also make the major lifestyle changes required to maintain those changes and continue to eat, drink, live, exercise in a way that you would be happy to make your life. So austerity is out the door for me. I have learned yet again, from past failures/experiences. In my teens and early twenties I was a McDougall vegetarian, which for those of you who didn't grow up in Sonoma County, he basically endorses a vegan diet. 

The basic idea behind McDougall Vegetarianism when I was doing it was: 

1. No Meat. Of any kind...and this includes fish and chicken for those of you who think that doesn't count. Also...no animal products, with the exception of honey. But no animal fats or lards. 
2. No Dairy. Milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. 
3. No Eggs.
4. Try to eat as many FRESH fruits, vegetables, and salads as possible. Legumes, baked potatoes, and whole grains are your friend. Eat them but always go for the whole grain unrefined version. 
5. You can eat bread and pastas but make sure they adhere to the restrictions of no dairy, eggs, etc. and make sure they're whole grain. This is going to mean a lot of package reading. Get used to this. It's all part of the McDougall lifestyle. But that's a good thing because you will become more conscious about the types of foods you eat, and actually *know* what's going into them.

The McDougall diet still stands today. I recently read an article about it, where the message seems to have been refined a bit from what I recall as a teen (but who knows...maybe I wasn't paying attention back then and missed this part?). Dr. McDougall has written a new book called "The Starch Solution", in which he still pushes his traditional diet but he emphasises the usefulness of ingesting plant based starches in our diets. This is a quote from the article promoting his new book: 

"Don’t skimp on the potatoes, corn, beans, whole grains, squash and other forms of plant-based starch. As long as you eat at least 900 calories of starch every day, you can eat whatever else you want and as much as you want.

It’s the same diet he has been advocating for the past 30 years, but after watching the rise and fall of low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets, McDougall still swears by it. The plan works because starches are low in calories and fat, he explains. When consumed at the level he recommends, they replace high-calorie, high-fat meats, cheeses and oils." 

This all makes a lot of sense to me. And from my years of experience eating this way, I can say that it really is  very difficult (almost impossible) to eat this way and get fat. So beyond the juice fast, I will most likely be returning to eating this way primarily. I will also, from time to time, as a special treat, have steak, cheese, ice-cream, whatever I like really. From what I recall, once you really throw yourself into eating like this, your taste buds seem to change and strangely, healthy things begin to become what you actually crave, and the heavier foods become less and less tempting, after you've indulged in them a few times, and found your stomach hurting for hours later. I will try to have a middle-way approach to my diet. Eat healthfully, but not focus on the restrictions as much as the desired things to eat such as fruits, veggies, and whole grains. 

The things that I have learned today are:

1. It's worthwhile to consider your relationship with food. Before this fast, I hadn't really been aware of how tied into food I was. My psyche, my social scene, and my happiness is deeply connected with food. That's not the end of the world. It's just an observation, which then makes it noticeable to me how important it is for me to develop my inner-strength and a more healthy relationship with food.
2. If you juice enough, your kitchen can smell fresh and green, like the Juice Shack, or a flower shop. 
3. One cannot juice a banana. ...But I gave it a go anyway. ;)

...oh it's also worthwhile to mention that cravings were still there today, but manageable. I did not have to take any of the anti-nausea medication, the muscle relaxer that works only on my intestines so that they stop hurting and giving me chronic diarrhea (yay TMI!), I also didn't feel nauseated today, I didn't have any acid reflux (totally amazing! Because mine is and has been bad for a very long time.) and I didn't have to take the medication that keeps my tummy acid production low..and I was still fine. Amazing. I felt good and clean from the inside. I had a bit of pain in my abdomen/intestinal area but not enough to warrant taking the medication for it. So these have all been really great improvements. The Cute Boy tells me that he thinks my skin is looking more radiant and glowy. Which is great encouragement (thanks Cute Boy!) and also just feels good to hear. 

The Juice Fast Days 1 and 2

The first 24 hours were the hardest so far. But I made it. I stuck to the juice fast. But today (day two), The Cute Boy's sister came to pick-up her pooch from our house, and as a thank you for watching Winnie, her basset hound, she brought us two chocolate cup cakes from a local bakery. ZOMIGOD! At first, Cute Boy told her he was sorry, but we had already started a juice fast. But when he turned to me and asked if I wanted to break the fast for these cupcakes, I eagerly said YES! I thanked her and then as soon as she left, The Cute Boy and I ate them. They were good, but I didn't fully enjoy it because of the guilt I had from throwing myself off of the wagon for a cupcake. And once that floodgate was opened, I had to have the chicken hotdog that I had been jonesing for during the first day. My boyfriend and roommates tried to keep me on my fast, but I refused. At this point, my hunger welled up inside of me like a lion, and I had to eat a CHILI DOG! I nuked the hotdogs, and ate one plain and made myself another one with chili, cheddar, and onions. My tummy ached as I ate. But I managed to keep down my food.

Afterwards, I cleaned up and got back on my fast. I refuse to feel too bad about eating these things today. It's true, I let myself down, but that's to be expected sometimes. Creating new habits and paths in life includes the times that we try and fail, or just don't do it perfectly. So what! Even with this little misstep, I'm still very proud of what The Cute Boy and I have been doing. During the last two days, we've juiced more fruits and vegetables than most people will eat in a week. -EASILY. I am proud of getting through the first 24 and for NOT diving into a big bowl of pasta or a cheese pizza like I was tempted to do countless times that day. I'm developing self-restraint and discipline with my food choices. This stuff all relates to deep karma for me, so it's pretty hard stuff to change. But I'm going for it!

I have learned a few things so far:

1. Stick to your goals. Don't make exceptions because it just opens the door to other *exceptions*. If you don't stick with the juice fast perfectly, don't waste any time feeling bad about it, just get back on the juice fast.

2. The first 24 hours are by far the hardest. It's like your body can't believe that you've actually begun this crazy thing. But don't worry...it gets easier. And the hunger pangs and random wild cravings do diminish. Eventually your brain will stop brainstorming about all of the nummy food that you can no longer eat and get with the program.

3. It feels good to be tempted and to have the strength to *not* react to that impulse of momentary temptation.

4. Juicing tastes great! The mixes that we've been making are approx. half veggies and half fruit, and it tastes so fresh and really good.

5. Drinking lots of water helps to feel full and stay hydrated.

6. It really does feel better. I say this while also admitting that I have been in a lot of pain the last few days from my GI tract issues, but the longer I stick with it, the better my body feels and seems to be reacting to this.

7. I think eating fruits and veggies will be much easier after this.