Today is the big day, our last day of solid food before embarking on this crazy fast. I’m anxious and really nervous. My nerves stem from reading about how irritable people are during the first three days of their fast. My husband tried to ease my fears by reminding me that we fast once a month for religious reasons, and have been doing so most of our lives. This should be a piece of cake, right? The problem with that is that I can hardly make it through one of our monthly fasts. Between being pregnant and nursing babies, I haven’t had many months out of the last 5 years where I have actually completed a 24 hour fast without food or water. I could easily look past how awful I might feel as my body does it’s work getting the junk out, but I worry about rubbing some of that irritability onto my children. Poor things, they will probably get the brunt of my grumpiness.

All joking aside, I know that my body needs this. I know that the majority of people could benefit from this, but won’t. Either from lack of knowledge, or preconceived notions, there are going to be people that think we’re crazy. I’ve accepted that. I have been reading and digging and looking at juicing for over a year now, and I feel completely comfortable with it. One thing that was brought to my attention when I mentioned the juicing was, “I would rather get the whole food, and not just the juice into my body.” That’s great. So would I. And I plan on doing so. The pulp left over from juicing can be used in numerous ways, which I will share as I experience them first-hand. Juicing is a way for all of those nutrients to hit the blood stream instantly. Whole foods don’t have the same effect. In liquid form, it is a force to be reckoned with. The nutrients from fruit and vegetable juices bypass the stomach and are instantly absorbed into the small intestine to begin healing on a cellular level. That is why juicing is so beneficial. Besides that and many other benefits to juicing, the fact remains: you say that you would rather have the whole food, but you don’t eat it. No one that I know sits down for a meal and eats 12 large carrots, 6 stalks of celery, two apples, and 3 cups of spinach (for example). We just don’t do it. We don’t consume pounds upon pounds of vegetables and fruits on a daily basis. So, yes, if you ate the whole food, it would be one thing . . . but we don’t. The theory is great, but is just that: theory.

What I ate today:

Breakfast: Juice- spinach, apple, celery, cucumber, half a lemon (I found a whole lemon overpowering the first time), and ginger.
Lunch: Raw broccoli and baked potatoes with salsa.
Supper: Vegetable soup- cabbage, carrot, celery and onion with broth and spices.
Evening snack: Banana with peanut butter.

I wanted to eat something delicious before the fast, even though peanut butter is probably a little hard on the stomach before doing this. After juicing this morning, I felt AMAZING. I couldn’t believe the sudden surge of energy. I drank the juice while plugging my nose to mask the heavy smell, but got it down okay and then rested on the couch for a few minutes while my Calli was steeping and the girls were still asleep. After it settled, I felt great. I was full, and didn’t feel light headed at all.

This isn’t a weight-loss program for me. I am at a healthy weight for my height, and could lose or gain a few pounds without worry. I am working on being in better shape, which is how I judge my body, not by pounds. If I am in shape and feel great, I could care less what the scale says. However, for purposes of this site, I want to see what a juice fast will do to my number on the scale. I have weighed myself and taken measurements, which I will compare to the end of the fast.