Day 25

One of the really interesting aspects of this fast has been the experience of talking to others about it and hearing how they think they would react to juice fasting. Admittedly, until I started, I was pretty nervous as well. But, most people have a litany of excuses as to why they couldn't pull off a fasting feat, and you realize as you do it, that most of them are just that.....excuses. It's an interesting foray into the minds of American adults and the fears that they have adopted, often through misleading media and faux science. As my boy Upton Sinclair says, the first step is to conquer your own fear.

See if any of these sound familiar:
I get weak when I don't eat....
I'm constantly surrounded by food....
I get headaches....
I have to feed my child all the time....
I'm such a pig, I couldn't not eat for a month....
I love food too much....
I work too hard, I couldn't get my work done.

All of these may feel like they are true. Until you actually do it though, you will never know.
Since I have started the juice fast I have been exercising more than ever. I work out several times a week and as I've lost more and more weight, I've been able to exercise in ways I previously couldn't (pull-ups, jogging etc).

I work with food all day. When I'm not cooking professionally, I cook at home. And when I'm not cooking food, I'm reading about it, buying it, or growing it in my yard.

I sometimes get headaches too, but more likely it's from too much caffeine or a body addicted to/reacting against a trans fats, residual pesticide, corn syrup or some other chemical poison that we drink down without even thinking or noticing.

Now I can't comment on what it might be like to juice fast while nursing, but as far as non-nursing children go, there is really no reason why their eating has to make you eat. Other than raw fruits and veggies, most of what young children eat isn't that tempting anyways.

As far as being a pig, there are very few people who are more indulgent with their eating habits than I have been. I have always been the one to order the biggest portion, mop up the leftovers, and never consider leaving an unfinished plate. It,s just a simple matter of self-discipline and desire.

Don't even get me started on loving food. Of course, we all love food. And, that love can continue, a fast is temporary and occasional. Food will be there when you finish.

Now, admittedly, I have not been working while I've fasted, but most days I feel like I have more energy than I did when I wasn't fasting. I can't imagine anything would change while I was working. I also seem to be more mentally adept. Better memory and more focused. I do start work next Monday at a new job, so we will how it goes with the first three days of work/fast combo.

Anyway, now that the pep talk is over, here are the stats:

Current Weight: 178

Juice of the Week: Tie
Carrot, Apple, Xtra Ginger, Beet Greens, Strawberries and Plums
Carrot, Apple, Beets, Cucumber, Celery, Pea Sprouts

Feeling good. It's nice to not be carrying around that extra 27 pounds of flesh. As my friend Mike likes to say: Imagine going to the grocery store and buying 27 packages of ground beef and sowing them to the inside of your jacket as you walk around. I also imagine carrying around a 2 year old child on your back all day and night. Not easy or fun. It sounds kind of like pregnancy, except without the bonus of having a child.

Anyway, my energy levels are really high these days. The night before last, I couldn't sleep until 4:30 in the morning. Not because I had any caffiene or too much sugar. Just too much energy to sleep. Woke up the next day at 8:30 and never looked back. I think for me at least, some of the euphoric feelings are related to being proud of my accomplishments and some of them are diet related.

For any of you interested in the intestinal progress/process, I've decided to go pretty laissez- faire. As a few people have said to me, your body is pretty adept at taking care of its waste system, if you aren't putting any food in, you probably aren't producing much solid waste. And on that note, I'm out for now...