Juice Fast Day 25

Today is the last day of my juice fast! I could probably keep going, but I really feel it's time to stop. My total weight loss has been 20 pounds - let's hope it doesn't come right back on! I have a few red spots popping out on me - on my thumb, my toe, my chest - so I'm not sure if the autoimmune issues have completely gone away like I was hoping. And after the water fast I did break out all over my back. So I think it is time to stop and see how I react to regular food again! Also, my throat is starting to react funny again to the green juice, so I definitely think my body is a little in overload. Plus I'm starting to get some sinus issues as well. 

One note: I have had horrible reactions to mosquito bites since I came back from the rainforest in 1996 - so bad that once half of my back swelled up from one bite and the bites usually stay on me for months (still itching!). Over time the allergy has died down. Last night I was bit by a mosquito and I had no reaction (except for the initial biting sensation and a slight itch). No bump, no prolonged itching - nada! I've never been so excited to have been bitten by a mosquito! LOL I just had to share...

Although my mood has been like a roller coaster on this juice fast, today I was in a good mood and felt like I could take on the world! If I would have had this feeling the whole time I probably wouldn't have stopped! But maybe it's also the transition from the horrible effects of the water fast to finally having sustenance and energy. Speaking of the water fast, it really messed up my bowels, so I'm thinking I'll need to stay close to a toilet when that first green smoothie goes in!

So here's my transition plan. Tomorrow morning I'm going in to get some bloodwork to see if the juicing has had any effect on me internally, particularly on my immune function. I have to fast for the bloodwork so I won't be drinking green smoothies before. Since I want to be at home to drink my first green smoothie, I've decided to take my remaining juice and some coconut water to have after the blood draw. Then, when I get home, I will make the smoothie.

The first green smoothie will be super basic - just spinach, water, and blueberries. I want to see the reaction I have to the fiber first. Then I'll slowly add in herbs, a banana (like normal), and protein powder. I will make the smoothies in smaller batches (which I normally don't do) so I can add things one at a time and see if I have any effect.

I will probably be on smoothies 1 or 2 days. If I'm feeling OK on the second day, I might try to eat a salad. I'll just have to see how it goes. I'm also planning on eventually adding back in legumes and soy to see if I have a reaction to those items, but I will do it one at a time. I will then go back to a raw foods and green smoothie diet with a green juice thrown in a few days a week. Eventually I might try adding grains back in, but not for a while.

So that's the plan. I will keep updating the blog throughout the transition period.

Thinking juicy thoughts (for the last time),

VeggiePatti

Juice Fast Day 24

Coming off a water fast is not easy! I woke up this morning feeling pretty good. I went to grab the coconut juice first thing and the new bottle I opened was rancid - eww! So I tried another bottle and that one was OK, but I really couldn't drink much.

I had put the frozen juice in the fridge at 6 pm last night but sadly it was still frozen. So I started to make a new juice. Trying to juice was so taxing! I had to sit down several times. I had no energy and I kept getting light headed and feeling sick. Let me tell you, when your bowels start to wake back up it is NOT a pleasant feeling! My stomach hurts, I'm hungry, I have all this excess gas that I'm burping out, and I'm getting the chills/shakes. Also, I feel like I'm going to vomit. The chills and shakes are almost exactly the same as when I get exposed to a bacteria and it just needs to come out! I did have to rush to the bathroom in the middle of juicing because I thought I was going to have diarrhea, but only one small, hard stool came out. (My first bowel movement in 2 days!) I did feel a little better but I get the feeling there will be more to come later. I just wish I could stop burping! Oh, and my nose keeps running!

The one thing about the water fast is it definitely does not control pain. I have this area on the back of my leg that's painful - right where it would hit a chair when you sit. There are no bumps, no marks, just pain. During the juice fast it went away. It started hurting last night and today the pain was back with a vengeance! I also found that I was VERY irritable on the water fast. Needless to say, sadly the puppy spent a lot of time in his crate yesterday because I just couldn't handle him.

I made my juice with 6 regular cucumbers, 2 stalks celery, 1 bunch kale, 1 bunch amaranth greens (which are actually red), 1 package mint, 1 bunch parsley, and 1 6 oz package of blueberries. You really need more blueberries for the flavor to come out! And amaranth greens do not juice very well! They get stuck and clogged in the juicer. Anyway, the juice really does not taste good but I'm drinking it anyway. It made enough to last through tomorrow. I might go out to the store and get some stevia (which is allowed because it's not sugar) to sweeten up these juices so I can get through the next two days. I've never had stevia before so hopefully it's OK.

I'll update more late if something drastic happens. I can't wait to get to smoothies, but I see why I can't jump right back in! I'd probably through them all back up!

Thinking juicy thoughts,

VeggiePatti

Water Fast Day 2

So I woke up this morning feeling dehydrated and groggy and just tired. But I guess that's to expect on a water fast. And my hips are killing me something fierce since there are no greens to help with the pain. My chiropractor also warned I could be dehydrated so the rule for today is drink, drink, drink! I'm going to try to keep busy, too.

I forgot to mention that on the 21 day juice fast I lost 18 pounds - not bad! (I just hope it stays off!) I haven't dropped a pant size yet (which makes me wonder where the weight is coming from), but my clothes are fitting a little looser. On the water fast I did drop a pound so the weight is still going (although I didn't have a bowel movement yesterday sadly, but I guess that's to be expected with nothing coming in!)

I have to remember to unfreeze my juice this evening so I have it for tomorrow. And I want to wash all of my greens and have those ready. My plan is to make one more big vat of juice which should last me through Tuesday. That will give me a 25 day juice fast (with 2 days of water fasting thrown in there). Then I'll switch the smoothies for 2 days. Then on Friday I'll start with a salad (oh a kale salad sounds so great!) and hopefully if I can stomach it raw food restaurant on Saturday and I'll add some nuts back in!

I'll update if anything weird happens today!

Thinking juicy thoughts,

VeggiePatti

UPDATE:

I do not like water fasting! I don't feel good, I'm weak, my vision is all wonky, and I have no energy! I'm just telling myself I have 4 more hours to go! If I'm still awake at midnight (when I started 2 days ago) I will definitely drink coconut water for electrolytes! Although I'm hoping I'm sleeping. I definitely don't think water fasting is for me!

Water Fast Day 1

So I started my water fast today. I wasn't hungry but I know I wasn't drinking enough. I had a bunch of things planned for today but I decided not to do them to conserve energy. Good thing I did - I think I've hit the wall! The effects of not drinking enough and dehydration are starting to kick in. I'm getting some cramping in my extremities and my mouth feels like it's stuffed with cotton! I survived day 1. I'll see if I can survive day 2! Stay tuned!

Thinking juicy thoughts,

VeggiePatti

Juice Fast Day 21

21 days! I never thought I could do a 21 day juice fast but here it is!

I spoke to the doc last night and she suggested I actually do a water fast of all things and get a couple of tests. Although I could keep doing the juice fast, my food sensitivities are becoming worse as everything I'm intaking is in concentrated form, so I feel it's time to stop.

I've decided to ATTEMPT a water fast over the weekend. I have too much going on to do a long water fast, but I will try for 2 days. Then it will be 2 more days of juices, 2 days of smoothies, and then finally some raw food!

I'll keep posting through the fast and the transition back to food in case anyone wants to do a fast and wants to see a day by day what it's like.

Thinking juicy thoughts,

VeggiePatti

Juice Fast Day 20

Today didn't start out too bad. I didn't get a chance to make the juice last night because I was finishing up all the teleseminar calls from the juice cleanse program. I have to say I really liked Dr. Etti! She has some wonderful messages for empowerment, putting yourself first, and loving yourself. If anyone is struggling with these issues, you should definitely check her out!

I didn't end up throwing out the juice from yesterday - thank goodness! It gave me something to drink this morning before heading out to a client site. I took 2 bottles of coconut water and regular water to tide me over until I could get home to make more juice.

By the time I got home (late again), I was hungry, but I had to get the dogs out first before I could do anything. I actually felt like I had a lot of energy! So I tried to jog with the dogs. Big mistake! Within the first 2 steps it felt like my heart was in my throat and my lungs were swollen. I stopped and my heart was not beating any faster than normal but my chest felt really tight and I got super tired. I'm thinking it has more to do with the humidity and my EDS than anything else. So much for that plan!

When I got back I made a juice with 4 cucumbers, 1 bunch kale, 1 bunch celery, 1 bunch parsley, 1 package mint,1 package alfalfa sprouts, and 1 piece of ginger. It tasted horrible! I thought the mint would help but I can't even taste it. I definitely don't expect to juice sprouts again (except sunflower sprouts - those actually taste good)!

My EDS was acting up again while juicing. My back has been hurting from standing up so much so I put down an anti-fatigue mat. The problem is it raises you up 1-2 inches so then I have to look down and it puts a strain on my neck. Damn you EDS! No matter what I do it's not comfortable and it's causing pain. And of course when I'm in pain, my mood worsens. It took so much effort to make the juice and I was in pain after that I didn't even want to drink it (that coupled with the fact that it tastes bad). So I set it aside for later - maybe I'll add some coconut water and see if that helps.

I tried to stretch out my back but the puppy is being a pain in the ass tonight and I've pretty much had it with him. He's already seen the inside of his cage three times tonight!

I think my last day of the fast may be tomorrow. 21 days is respectable and I just get the feeling I've gotten all out of the juice fast that I can. As I mentioned before, I think I do better on green smoothies and raw food. But, I have my appointment with Dr. Ritamarie tonight and I will see what she says! If she thinks I should keep detoxing for a while more, so be it. But I just get the feeling it's time for me to start rebuilding.

I had hoped the juice fast would fix alot of my autoimmune and food allergy issues. I haven't had any autoimmune issues during the fast, but only time will tell (and my bloodwork!). And since I still had some food allergy issues during the fast, I don't think those are fixed. I may have to make juicing and smoothies part of my daily routine. I'm hoping that will help control the pain from my EDS. But as I said, I'll wait and see what she says and report back!

Until then, thinking juicy thoughts,

VeggiePatti

Juice Fast Day 19

19 days - I can't believe it! In case you're wondering, no...I don't feel hungry and I don't even miss food anymore. I'm starting to be able to drink more and my energy level is actually pretty good. I feel my body saying that the juice fast is coming to a close, however. I'm not sure if I'll just do 21 days, or 25, or still the whole 30 - I have to see when my body has decided it's gotten everything it can out of the juice fast for now. I'm a little scared about going back on regular food, but hopefully I can transition slowly. I've decided my first "food" will be chlorella tabs...yum! And then I'll transition to green smoothies and then salads. I'm a little nervous about the green smoothies, too, because mine generally have quite a bit of fruit - otherwise I don't think they taste good. But maybe my taste buds have changed! I also think I need to do another candida cleanse, which sucks because I love nutritional yeast! (Although I've heard both sides whether or not nutritional yeast actually affects candida growth.)

So today I attempted to finish the not-so-great juice from yesterday. There was a lot of it! I was sad to see that what I hoped was the last glass was not. But while I was drinking it, I missed the computer desk and it spilled all over the floor, the chair, and the computer! Luckily no damage was done! But maybe that's my sign I should dump the rest of it out! :)

I am going to listen to the last call from the program tonight and then make more juice for tomorrow. I'm going into a client site so I need to take my juice with me! And I can't wait until I talk with the doc tomorrow to see what she has to say!

Thinking juicy thoughts,

VeggiePatti