It's always helpful to have a plan to follow and I've been trying to follow Markus' plan. It begins with a water fast for at least two days. TWO days notin' but water! Well almost true, you do get bits of lemon juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Green tea. Being the competitive person I am, I decided to challenge myself to do the three days instead. After all, what's one more day right?!
Have you ever fasted? I mean really fasted? I've done the light version of going without something or the other. Like giving up chocolate or giving up pasta or bread or soda or any number of things. Other than that, I can't say that I have ever had the experience before so I really had no concept of what to expect. In a way this is good since it caused me to be almost hyper vigilant and I paid close attention to all of the experience mind and body.I think this is a key point to pay attention to here. I was paying attention to my body and trying to make sure I was distinguishing between what I desired and what I needed. What I truly needed.
The first 24 hours was not that bad, mostly filled with arguments with myself about the fact I really was not hungry so stop drifting into the kitchen. My home office is the dining room so setting up right next to the kitchen when you are first learning to eat again posses a bit of a challenge. One funny thing to note was a conversation I was having on the phone with a very dear friend. She had no idea about my fast and the Raw Vegan journey since we hadn't had the chance to get to that point of our conversation. It was her turn to fill me in on her life Somehow or other I managed to steer the conversation to me describing this cake my Mother used to make. It's a Texas Sheet cake and if you have never had one, let me tell you it is the gooiest chocolate cake you can ever have. With massive chunks of nuts and all topped with a mountain of creamy chocolate icing. After describing it, there was silence on the phone. My friend finally broke the silence "Janice, are you okay? You sound like you are drooling!".
Day two was a bit rougher. This is when the headaches came on in full force. I broke down and took a couple of aspirin. The headaches were so strong that they came in waves and I ended up retaking aspirin in the evening. Interesting to think about the violent reaction the body has when you deprive it of something as simple as caffeine and carbs. I suppose this should really make us pay attention since the only things I know of that can cause withdrawal are drugs.....what does that tell you? Needless to say, day two was truly brutal. I was glad I did not have to go anywhere or talk with anyone that day. A little isolation is a good thing now and then.
By Day three, my plan for doing a water diet for three days was set aside for a bell pepper a tiny bit of left over hummus and a quarter of an apple. Sorry, I gave in to the desire to chew. In retrospect, I really could have waited but the child in me won and I gave in. I think fasting, and water fasts in particular, are a good exercise to do on a regular basis and for a 24 hour period. I would recommend doing them when you can have time to reflect and be a bit introspective, so probably best for your days off of work. It's incredible how many times you say you are hungry when you really aren't.
On the plus side of water fasting, no need to worry about what you are going to cook and all the ancillary concerns that go with it. Like; Do I have enough ingredients in the pantry? Do I need to run to the market? Clean up? Oh, what's that??..... NO dishes to clean!!! NO counters to scrub down!!! NO trash to take out!!! NO waist by products!!! Hmm. Maybe we should start a campaign to save the planet and have everyone fast for 24 hours. Can you just imagine the effect of zero global waist for one whole day?!
I digress, So now I am into the juicing phase where we get a
bit more nourishment from juicing greens and a wee bit of tart fruit. Check
back with me in a few days to see how things went with Juicing.
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