After my bathroom episode with the Senna tea last night, I thought I was done. I know it’s getting old to talk about this, but I had more flushing to do out of my colon this morning! I was shocked and amazed at how much was coming out of me. It felt great, but to be honest, a little sore. I truly believe in this process as a way to help your body heal, regenerate, and become stronger. We don’t feed ourselves the nutrients we need to properly perform those tasks. Now I have hope that my body can begin acting as it should, performing to its full potential, free from pounds worth of chemicals that only slow it down and make it work harder.

I decided that today will be my last full day without eating solid food. I feel that 7 days is good for me. I could go longer, but I think it’s done me a great deal of good in a short amount of time, and will be a great jump start to my goals. I haven’t mentioned anything about the taste of the juice, besides the wonderful apple/orange juice. I have an extreme gag reflex, and have almost thrown up a couple of times drinking the vegetable juice. There are some unexpectedly delightful vegetable juices, but we have been trying to cram whatever we can into them, without worrying about the taste. My husband doesn’t mind any of them, and some he really likes. Carrot juice, for one, is really good. Cucumber juice isn’t bad either, and does not taste like you would think. I think celery bothers me the most, besides kale, which I loathe. Celery has a very strong flavor that overpowers almost everything else. Ginger helps the taste of celery, and is also known for its stomach-soothing properties, so I like it in there. Before juicing, I had never tried kale. I know it’s really good for you, and it looks great with its incredibly rich, deep-green color, but it tastes awful. It is very bitter, and I can pick it out instantly. If I get a whiff of it, I’m done for. I think the kale available to us isn’t the best, which doesn’t help. I know there are many varieties, and will keep my mind open when I can try different kinds. Cilantro also has this affect on me. I usually love to use it in recipes, but juicing it makes the flavor pretty overwhelming.

I wanted to post this to squelch any ideas that this is an ideal, super-delicious beverage that we are drinking. Some people might like it immediately, but I’m not partial right now. I know it will take some getting used to, and there are some combinations that taste great. We just haven’t been worried about that part right now. I always drink a lot of water immediately following a juice. I have been drinking at least 50 oz. of water every day, plus the juice and herbal tea every morning and night. It’s extremely important to drink enough water while doing this, to help the juice do its job. It helps when you think you need to grab a snack, and can just drink some water instead to remember your purpose.

My husband weighed himself today and has lost 10 lbs. in 6 days. Men seem to think about losing weight and drop it, which isn’t really fair. My husband is no exception. He is an athlete and came out of the womb with a body full of muscle. He is naturally blessed in his body type, and has always seemed to tone up/drop weight rapidly. Since doing the fast I can see a huge change just in his face. It’s smaller, and he’s lost weight around his stomach/hips as well. I have seen some change in myself too, which is nice. I knew that dropping a few pounds was inevitable with this, even though it wasn’t my goal. I have been exercising to Jillian Michaels’ work out DVDs consistently for 5 months. I have gained muscles that I never thought possible. I feel great, and am getting into good shape. Inches have been lost, and I have a new-found endurance that I never had before with my running. It’s been amazing, but this fast has been the icing on the cake. Those extra few pounds of fat have melted off, showing more of the tone I’ve been working towards. I don’t regret that little bonus that came along with this adventure. My pants are loose, and that is enough to make anyone feel superb.