Monday, May 23, 2011

[Blog] Juice Feast: Day #1

I started my juice feast today.

I've been planning to start it today since Friday. I began to feel throughout the course of last week more and more confident in my ability to follow the rules I outlined in May 18th's entry.

For my first day I have not consumed any of my exceptions.

Allowed "exceptions" to the fluid-rule list for the 30-day juice feast: cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, grapefruit, durian, pummelo (like a grapefruit) and at one point during the month I expect to eat a quarter of an avocado to ensure I get a small amount of healthy fats that isn't just from happenstance-juiced-seeds or durian (a fatty tropical fruit).
Since I'm starting on May 23rd 2011, and May has 31 days, the conclusion of this juice feast would be June 22nd 2011. I already can't wait. I'm totally craving the sensation of biting into a nori wrap filled with spinach, onion, tomato, avocado, hot pepper and kim chi.

What I hope to accomplish in my 30-day juice feast:
  • More muscle mass.
  • Loss of a thin layer of fat off of my hips, stomach and arms.
  • Increased energy.
  • Less temptation to spend days at a time preparing food and eating it (obsessively).
  • More control over my "cravings" and food-desires overall.
  • Shorter recovery time after shoveling a lot in the yard. (Already shorter than average, but hey, I love improvement.)
  • Two-day menstrual periods. (Already down to averaging three days of bleeding; why not aim for two days? I've heard of women on rawvegan diets who barely trickle any blood out because their systems are so clean there is no need to detox through bleeding!)
  • Longer endurance. (Up to being able to walk a couple miles and run a roughly two city blocks. I want to be able to run half a mile by Christmas.) (I was hardly able to walk as far as I can now run when I was a small child without being incredibly tired, cranky and uncomfortable.)
  • Learn what the juice-feasting buzz is all about!
  • Smoother, clearer skin.

Today's menu was as follows:

Breakfast: Juice made up of blueberries, mango, apple, orange and spinach.

Lunch: Juice made up of lemon, chard, peach, orange, apple and things picked from the yard: dandelions, strawberry leaves, chives, clover and sorrel.

Dinner: Juice made up of ginger, home-grown grain sprouts, lemon and apple (from the juicer) then blended with banana and cinnamon (in the blender) and then warmed to 100 degrees (on our induction hot plate which can maintain consistent temperatures.)

Snack: Green tea with a hint of the juice from dinner.

I feel very full and satisfied from these meals in terms of nourishment but I'm going crazy wanting to chew something right now.

I very much want to make a nori roll, as I mentioned above. I generally make a nori wrap every day. It most commonly consists of:

1 sheet of nori
2 handfuls of spinach
1 leaf of lettuce
2 fork fulls of kim chi ("pickled" vegetables)
2 spoonfuls of chopped red onion
1 spoonful of cold-pressed flax oil
2 sprinkles of celery salt
1 sprinkle of cayenne

And, several times in a month I like to add tomatoes and/or avocados and/or green onions and/or home-grown grain sprouts, etc.

But I'm resisting temptation. It seems like such an innocent temptation, but the whole point is to garner some self control, especially when it comes to my cravings to eat for the sake of eating. I certainly feel full. Something about juice and liquids in general makes me actually feel much fuller than solids. Perhaps because it can be consumed so quickly.

Put the pressure on. I need some peer pressure (support) to not give in and eat a nori wrap tomorrow.

~ Raederle Phoenix

4 comments:

  1. I believe the menstrual cycle cessation is due to low body fat.

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  2. Losing one's menstrual period is not something to aspire to! Juice alone will not help you build muscle mass. You will need something else. I've seen a lot of raw foodists get quite orthorexic with juicing, be careful, it's a slippery slope.

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  3. Interesting. I had never heard of orthorexic before. I just read the wiki on it.

    I don't think I'd ever get to the point where I blame myself or am angry at myself for having cravings for something. The body always has cravings for a reason, but I can see why it can be a "slipper slope."

    I've been told before, "don't go anorexic" when I was in my teens complaining about how I didn't like my weight. I'm much happier with my weight now than I'm quite thin -- I just want more muscle mass, so I don't think I'm in danger of anorexia in any case.

    In any event... I am a bit obsessed with finding the "perfect" diet. I admit that. But I think my obsession is fairly justified considering how much changing my diet has changed me for the better. I agree that there is definitely a point where it could be taken too far. I hope I have not gotten there yet, and if so, that I find my way to sanity.

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  4. Hello! Today is my day two at this thing...I did a six day juice feast and felt good about it. Now, I'm aiming for 30 days!

    ReplyDelete

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