About Day 2

I have so many small thoughts on whats going on.

First of all I was not starving by the end of the day yesterday. Hungry, but not starving. There was a moment yesterday afternoon when I felt like I needed food right then and there, but I think I waited too long between juices. I don't think it's wise to let more than 3 - 3 1/2 hours max pass between "feedings". I usually feel sufficiently full after 16 ounces of thick juice, but because I had waited so long it took a little bit of time for it to register to my body that I had eaten. But it did register and I was able to go about my day, which included making a snow angel with Bud.

I had a night cap of raspberry tea with some apple juice and grape juice in it. It was ok. Is that cheating to drink fruit juice w/no greens? I will have to figure that out.

One thing I'm loving is I am now using my strawberry huller to core my apples. I don't know if I'm slow for not doing it before or if I'm genius for thinking of it. I don't know if other people use them for apples but I prefer it to an apple slicer. I hate it when I use an apple slicer and it doesn't go through evenly and get the core and then there's all kinds of good apple wasted!

I started having moments of missing food yesterday. Chewing it and tasting it. But they were moments and they passed. I even had the opportunity to turn down a dinner offer from Nate's grandparents. Grandpa looked at me funny when I said I was doing a juice fast. It made me laugh. While Nate and Bud ate I did g-ma and g-pa's grocery shopping. I was glad to have something to do. I don't mind seeing food or watching them eat but on night one when they were eating dinner I was drinking my juice so I didn't really feel like such an odd ball. I didn't have any juice w/me last night so it would have been weird and hard, I think, to sit with them.

I feel today like if I made it 2 days then I can do this. There's a very good chance those feelings will change but for now I will cling to them.

One reason I think this might be easier for me than some people is, I often feel liked food is a nuisance; stopping what I'm doing to prep for it, or even eat it, figuring out what to eat, preparing a menu, grocery shopping. It's all too much of a bother for me and my husband has many a times heard me question why we were blessed with the need for food and why we can't function without it. When I was a teenager my grandma would kick me out of her sewing room until I ate something because I didn't stop for food. I still don't when I'm deeply involved in a project. It's a nuisance! But grabbing some veggies out of the fridge, chopping somethings when necessary and pushing them through a blade... now that's easy! It takes me less than 2 minutes to finish eating every meal and I'm back to doing what I want.

A reason I think this might be harder for me than some is because I've never been consistent and even worse, consistently disciplined. Using a juicer 4-5 times a day means cleaning it 4 - 5 times a day. I've already started getting a little lazy about it, though I'm haven't left it for too long yet. I've also never had a consistent schedule except for when Bud was born. That was the only time in my life I was consistent with a schedule and it was for his feedings and naps. Now I have to make sure I'm consistent with when I "eat" so my body will function. Also I'm not sure if my will power is strong enough. I've never tested myself in this way and what if I fail?

I guess all I can do is take it one day at a time whether it be an easy or a hard day.

One benefit I feel might come of this is requiring less sleep. Last night Nate and I went to bed at 10:30. I woke up just before 6:30. At first I thought it might still be the middle of the night and was thinking there was no way I would be able to fall back asleep, but when I looked at the clock I realized that I didn't have to. It only took me a minute to decide that if I was awake and felt rested I should not try to go back to sleep. So up I was at 6:30 and it thrilled me! I LOVE mornings. There has only been one short time in my life when my body was awake every morning and I was able to function and enjoy them. That was probably about 7 years ago. I've always wanted to get to that point again. Apparently all I need to do, besides go to bed at a decent hour, is to eat a healthy diet. Imagine that!

And I almost forgot to mention. 2 days of juicing, 2 nights of dreaming about food. The first night I cheated horribly by licking my fingers after preparing yummy food, which made me feel awful. And the second night I had a really yummy plate of chicken and salad (a very healthy meal) in front of me. I almost ate it because it was healthy, but decided not to because I would rather stick to my commitment of just juicing. That dream made me happy.

So here's to another day crossed off my calendar and another day to live! If you want a change and feel overwhelmed with the idea of a juice fast, try something small like a sugar fast. My sister, Christina is doing one for a month. Check out her blog to see the simple things she'll be doing to be healthier. Kristi is starting a 10 day green smoothie challenge on Monday... if you are interested, try it out. What have you got to lose?!