Starting Over Again

Well, I am sad to admit that I caved in and ate.  I made it 12 days and then got some emotionally intense news and I did what I usually do in these circumstances.  I ate.  One of the things I really wanted to learn from this fast is how to not be such an emotional eater.  I wish so much I was one of those people that went for a run when they were upset or went outside and mended the fence or something equally calorie burning and  useful.  But oh no, that's not my modus operandi.  I eat.  It's so frustrating because I can eat so healthfully for so long but then let an emotional crisis hit and I head for the pizza, soda and chocolate ice cream with almonds.  UGH!  I decided to give myself 24 hours to eat those things that I had really been craving and then I would get right back on the Juice Fast.

I am starting again tomorrow morning so I already have my refrigerator stocked with massive amounts of greens and have made 3 quarts of juice for tomorrow.  I have to admit that I feel so sluggish and awful now that I've eaten.  It tasted so good but it sure hasn't made me feel good.  I'm actually anxious to get back on the juices and start over again.

Here's to new beginnings, health and weight loss!

The Battle is in the Mind! Day 11.

5:00 am:
I woke up exhausted this morning.  Literally bone tired and moaning at the thought of getting out of bed.  This is highly unusual for me as I'm a morning person.  I love waking up and watching the sunrise while having that quiet time before the children wake up and my day starts with a vengeance.  This morning I resembled something more akin to zombie woman.  I stumbled downstairs and literally could hardly keep my eyelids open.  I'm sure I was hysterical to watch.  I kept waiting and waiting for the "good morning sunshine" energy to kick in.

10:00am:
I have really come to realize how much fasting affects you mentally.  This is such a wonderful lesson in what the mind thinks the body becomes.  I am struggling to be happy and positive about this fast and it's really manifesting in my body.  Today I am going to focus on the wonderful benefits of juicing and finding the excitement about the healing my body is doing.  Really, it is amazing how self-healing our bodies can be if we would just get out of the way.  I keep repeating to myself that as soon as this is finished I can eat literally anything that I want to.  I have the power to control this.  This is just a temporary time-out for healing and lessons in practicing self-control.

5:00 pm:
I did something today that I have never done before in my whole life.  I took a 2.5 hour nap.  See, I told you I was tired!  Wow!  The most amazing thing was what happened when I awoke.  I was really craving a green drink.  Yep, you read that correctly.  I really couldn't wait to come downstairs and make myself a cool and refreshing juice.  I downed 1.5 liters of kale, cucumber, parsley, celery, carrot and apple juice.  My cells are now singing the "Hallelujah Chorus".  Things are starting to look up today.  I feel tired, but healthier and more excited about continuing this fast than I have in quite a few days.  Life is good and God is great!

Oh, and I have fabulous news to report.  My daughter, Faith, has decided to start her own fast.  She's going to be drinking Green Smoothies and Green juices.  She made it the whole day and didn't even complain.  I am so incredibly proud of her.  She's such a trooper!

Remember moms just how powerful our actions are in influencing these precious children that God has placed in our care!

I got this link in my email yesterday.  It's a great article on some of the benefits of fasting that I thought some of you would enjoy.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-weight-loss/#axzz1qMCT

Detox has Entered the Arena

Well, today is Day 8 and I can officially say that detox has entered the arena!  I woke up this morning with a massive headache, a very white coated tongue and nausea to match.  I feel like I've been hit by a moving truck from the stomach up.  My brain is foggy and I just want to crawl back into bed and refuse to move.  Not exactly an option since I'm a mom, but it was wonderful just imagining doing it for a mere minute.  Ahhhh...oh yes, back to the blog post...

I have upped my green juices as I have realized the last few days that I am not drinking nearly enough.  I really enjoy nice warm things to eat and drink and am not a real fan of cold and raw.  You know those people that will go in and grab cold leftover pizza from the day before and thoroughly enjoy it?  I'm not one of those!  It must be heated in the oven to crisp and bubbly perfection before it will enter my mouth. Alas, I must be a glutton for punishment to chose a raw, cold juice fast then!  Seriously, I do believe it is the best way to give my digestive system a much deserved rest and time to heal while providing my body with a cornucopia of easily assimilated nutrients.  I don't have any tried and true recipes yet as I'm pretty much just looking into the refrigerator to see what veggies have been there the longest and need to be used first.  I have realized that I definitely do not want fruit juices at this point.  I am having a hard time drinking anything that is remotely sweet.  I'm really yearning for savory juices that have garlic, ginger and/or cayenne pepper in them.  That is really satisfying me the most.  I even juiced some tomatoes, cilantro and garlic last night and then topped it with a smattering of cayenne.  It really hit the spot.  Huge surprise on my part.  I am definitely NOT a V-8 or tomato juice lover.   It just tastes so different when it's organic and fresh.  YUM!

My hunger is still through the roof!  I am very anxiously awaiting that glorious moment that I've heard of, from the oh so many YouTube videos aficionados that I've watched, when you really don't even want to eat real food.  Really?  That happens?  Hmmmm....I'm still waiting to be convinced!  I must admit though that I had a real victory yesterday at the church potluck.  I took my bottle of green juice and very much expected that I would have to continually run the dialogue through my brain over and over again as to why I am doing this.  What I am hoping to achieve from this.  How humiliating it would be to stop after I've publicly announced my  intentions.  But nothing nearly as dramatic ensued.  Lunch was...well, pleasant.  I wasn't tempted in the least to stop.  I had great conversations and I got to talk to a man that has been newly diagnosed with cancer about natural healing modalities.  Overall, it was a wonderful afternoon filled with God and friends.

Weight loss to date: 12 lbs.

Well, until next time, keep looking up and eating and drinking to the glory of God.