Yesterday, I completed a 36 day juice fast. I realize that 36 days is an odd number, but I somewhat cheated. See, Juicing every single morning for the entire day just wasn't feasible with the Mr's and my current schedule. We are already too busy, and I already had enough on my plate trying to get our gym bags packed, and get myself out the door in the mornings, and in the evenings after we got home from the gym, my evenings are filled with preparing the Mr's Dinner and Lunch for the next day. I also only go grocery shopping every 2 weeks since we live so far away from good grocery stores that my vegetables were going bad before I could juice them! SO, I would spend an afternoon juicing and then freeze the juice in freezer bags, then thaw them out the night before! Sure, I probably lost some nutrients in the juice along the way, but that was something that I was willing to sacrifice to keep some level of sanity! So, had to finish the juice that was in the freezer!
This juice fast has been SO good for me!
I know that it seems probably odd to you that I would do a juice fast, especially after my post yesterday. But, at this point in my life, my eating disorder didn't really have to with NOT eating or starving myself, it had more to do with having the control to use food to comfort myself, and having the control to make myself throw up, when I felt like the rest of my life was out of control. I really feel like this juice fast has been what I needed to conquer my eating disorder once and for all. It's not to say that I will never be tempted, or even fail in the future, but it has really helped change my perspective on a lot of things!
This juice fast helped me to learn to NOT use food to comfort myself or deal with stressful situations. Instead of turning to food to get me through stressful situations, I learned out to work through them in a healthy way!
It also helped change my perspective of food in general! Food is meant to provide sustenance and energy for us! Our bodies were created to tell us when we are hungry, and I'm hoping that as I start introducing food back into my diet, I can continue to eat mindfully and make wise decisions about what I choose to put into my body!
I feel better! I can't remember the last time I had a headache! I have a more energy than I have had in a LONG time! My alarm goes off at 5 AM, and it's not a struggle to get out of bed in the morning. Before, my husband would have a hard time getting me up by 6:30. Now, sometimes I'm awake before him!
Through Juicing, I found out that I have some food intolerances! I won't pretend to tell you that I was perfect through out this juice cleanse. Let's face it, you can't cook and NOT taste the food to see if it needs something else. And asking the MR. to come taste it and then tell me what it needed just wasn't working. I also one evening had a few bites of this delicious mixture of corn, cream cheese & rotel, which made my head break out 2 days later... And then, from the red, rashy stage, it turns into a scaly, dry itchy mess. Finally, 5-7 days later, it clears up! It's NOT FUN.
Juicing also nip my cravings in the bud. I no longer crave sugar, junk food, or processed foods at all. Once in a while I think, "Boy, a Mcdonald's breakfast would be good," but then I realize that I don't even really want it, it's just a bad habit. The Mr & I even talked ourselves out of going to eat Mexican a few nights ago because we knew that we would feel TERRIBLE afterwards!
I was actually able to work out during my juice fast! I wasn't sure that I was going to be able to, but I felt fine throughout all of my workouts! I never once felt light headed or dizzy. I would feel drained after my workouts, but that to be expected after any workout, at least in my experience!
Would I say that a juice fast is for everyone? No, I sure wouldn't! If you are interested in juicing, I recommend that you watch the movie "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead". When I watched it 9 months ago, it was on netflix! I don't know it if still is or not though! It's REALLY insightful!
I'm a little nervous, because that last time I was juicing I completely fell off the band wagon and went hog wild. I feel different about it this time though. I feel more in control of myself and the situation. I understand more about food & nutrition, and how my body reacts to it now! This is probably THE WORST time of year to be avoiding all things sugar, flour and casserole, but I know that if I can make it through this season then I can make it through anything! I'm also a lot more prepared this time around as far as preparing food and having TONS of delicious recipes to pick from!
Overall, this has been a very positive experience for me, and I would definitely do it again! I AM looking forward to reintroducing food back into my diet! It will be nice to actually get to EAT the food that I cook! I've already been practicing cooking without all the foods that I'm avoiding on my MR, so it's not going to be any different now that I get to join him in eating!
I STILL plan to incorporate juicing into my diet because I think it's really good for me, and helps me get some added nutrients, just not for 3 meals a day!
This Morning I had a delicious breakfast of some pomegranate seeds & a hard boiled egg! It was the first time I have EVER tried pomegranate seeds, and I'm still undecided about them! I REALLY like the juicy part, but I'm still not quite so sure about the crunchy part. It kind of reminds me of a crunchy, dried out corn kernel.
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| No! I DID NOT eat the entire bowl!!!! |
For lunch I'm having a salad with sautéed veggies, salsa, and a touch of seasoned ground beef from one of my MR's meals at the beginning of the week!
Dinner is left over salmon, and probably some kind of salad or veggies!
If you hadn't eaten in 36 days, what would YOUR first meal be?
I think cooking food that you couldn't eat would be a huge challenge! I love fruits and veggies, I eat them as snacks several times a day, but I've never tried juicing.
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