Chris and I started a juice fast this past Monday. This is completely Chris’ idea! We watched Fast, Sick, and Nearly Dead and he immediately wanted to try it. Our plan is for a 10-day fast. Our goals are weight loss (I want to lose 10 lbs.), improved health, and kick-starting a healthier diet. You may be wondering about the need for a healthier diet – you cook vegan for chrissakes!! But we have been eating out (we eat omni out in the world) a lot recently and we both have felt rather sluggish as a result.
Prep
Diet – no prep. I had read about eating more raw and unprocessed foods a couple of days before your fast, quitting caffeine, etc. But we have been off caffeine and high fructose corn syrup for a while so we just took the plunge.
Information – I checked out a few books on juice cleanses from the library – none really thrilled me but I did obtain a few good recipes from them. I found much more useful stuff on the web – particularly – Spabettie – lots of fabulous recipes and info over there.
Groceries – Wow! Juicing is an expensive proposition. I went through all the stuff we already had and built a 5 day plan around them. We’re on Day 4 and we’ve gone through a 5 lb. bag of carrots, a huge bin of spinach, a bunch of kale, a cantaloupe, a pineapple, 3 oranges, 3 beets, a few bell peppers,lemons, limes, and lots of celery.
I hit our local produce stand this morning and bought a ton of stuff for only $14!! Melons, bell peppers, and squash. I may go back later this morning for more stuff – my back and backpack couldn’t handle anymore on my first trip. And my mother-in-law is visiting today and will be bringing corn, cucumbers, and beans.
The Fast, So Far…
Monday – Day 1 was a little rough, Chris and I both had periods where we had major headaches. But, by the end of the day we both felt fine. Monday also happened to be the start of my new job as a dog nanny and the first day of school for the kids. The kids and I are walking to the school in the morning, and I walk to the doggie job twice a day. Total walking 4.6 miles. Lots of new things to start on one day – we went to bed early that night.
Tuesday – Day 2 – no problems until a meeting in the evening that I had forgotten about. The meeting happened to be at Chris’ work so he had food there to feed the kids dinner. I, howeve,r spent 3 hours in a small room with nothing but water. When I got out of the meeting I discovered Chris had promised the kids Krispy Kreme. Eeek – I am powerless against Krispy Kreme – especially when I’m starving and tired. I had one doughnut – and immediately felt ill. Food fail!!!
Wednesday – Day 3 – Adjusting to our new schedule, body adjusting to all of the walking and playing with the dog. I also spent time in the morning digging out where I want to put gravel and another raised bed. Another early night.
Thursday – Day 4 – So far, so good. Chris and I have lost 7lbs. each. I’m not missing food. The kids are still eating well, I’m keeping it quick and easy so I’m not around the food for very long. Tonight we’re going to Chris’ brother’s house for dinner. I might eat, I might not. I’m definitely planning on juicing before so if I do eat it will only be a little bit.
Wrapup
Life is good. Chris and I both have a lot of energy. We can actually see the results already in our bodies. Neither of us is feeling deprived. We’ve talked about what we want to do after the fast – and right now we’re thinking juices or smoothies for breakfast, eating raw or dinner leftovers for lunch, and keeping it vegan for cooking at home. Chris has also mentioned extending the fast to 15 days – we’ll see how we feel as we get close to the end of our 10 days.
