Maybe I'm Amazed...

On June 4 I finished a 15 day juice fast. YAAAAY!  There are a few things about this that I still can't believe, things that amaze me about me.  The first thing that amazes me is that I chose such a long fast.  I could have chosen a 3 day, a 5 day, or a 10 day fast.  But no.  I chose the 15 day fast.  The second thing that amazes me is that I did it!  I was almost completely perfect during the fast.  I never cheated and then said to myself that the whole day was blown, nor did I just stop the fast altogether.  That is, perhaps, the most amazing thing of all.  Altogether I lost 13 pounds.  I have kept off all but two of those pounds, and that is after going on vacation!

So, how did I cheat?  They are all related to having taken antibiotics while on the fast.  The antibiotics made me sick to my stomach, very sick.  One day I had two Taco Bell bean burritos without sauce or cheese, just onion, beans and tortilla.  The second and third times I had rice noodles in my clear broth.  The fact that I jumped back onto the plan, without berating myself or thinking all was lost is amazing.  I have never done that before!

There are also situations where I amazed myself by saying "no" to something I really wanted.  Numerous times at Starbucks I said "no" to my soy chai latte and breakfast sandwich or a scone, instead having tea.  (I love those scones!)  One of the biggest things was not eating cherry pie after my writer's group meeting.  It was my first time with the group and meeting the hostess.  I turned down her cherry pie.  Cherry pie is my favorite dessert of all!   But, I turned down an offer of food at the home of a person I just met, pushing aside all worries of being polite and doing what was best for me.  Amazing.  I have grown.

I have always said I lack all discipine.  Well, when I look at situations like this, it blows my definition of myself as a person without discipline right out of the water!  I DO have discipline.  I just don't always use my ability to discipline myself in the situations that might be helpful to me.  I need to think more on that and figure out why that is.

So, on the whole, how was the 15 day juice fast?  It was okay.  My energy level waned significantly during the time I was on antibiotics, but overall my energy was fine due to the greens, I imagine.  I had a few days of detoxing which gave me a headache and made me dizzy.  I slept well during the fast.  If I am really hungry, I can't sleep.  I felt hungry the first few days, but not super hungry the rest of the fast.  On some days, I felt a like there was a hole in the pit of my stomach to be filled, which I knew was hunger for food, but it wasn't uncomfortable and didn't take up all my mental or emotional space.

I think one of the biggest benefits of the fast, other than losing 13 pounds (YAAAAY!!!), are the facts that: #1 never again can I say I don't have discipline, that crutch is gone, and #2 I am now more aware of my food related desires and my actual needs.  I have always been pretty mindful and aware of myself, I am pretty self observant, but I am now aware at a new level.  I will be using my new self awareness in my daily life.

The third benefit, and definitly a big benefit, is that I hurt so much less.  Fibromyalgia pain is always present.  It never goes away, ever.  To hurt less is a gift!  I had that same gift when I was a raw vegan.  This tells me, and it is part of my new self awareness, that I am not eating as many raw fruits and veggies as I need to eat.  I have been complacent.   I will take better care of my nutrition in the future.  I will also do mini-fasts in the future on a regular basis.  I might do a 3-day fast every month, for example.  I will also be juicing every day.  You can actually feel a bit of a buzz when you drink a good green juice, a bonus.

If you want some information about the juice fast, leave me a comment.  I welcome comments, so please feel free to share your thoughts.

Now, go get yourself a juicer!  LOL

All the best to you and yours.
Jun-ri