Day Ten- Fasting First.

I recently had a first that wasn't an overly positive experience. I've been low on energy since starting my job at Fletcher, working 18 hours multiple days a week will do that to you, I guess. I heard the head cook raving about her juicing- it gave her so much energy! She felt twenty years younger! The world was full of color again!

I'm all for a challenge. And if this endeavor was giving her so much energy, maybe it would do the same for me. I agreed to a ten day juice fast because part of my brain that thought this was a great idea was louder than the part that was screaming, "BUT FOOD."

My juice fast lasted three days.

Day one. I went up to the cafeteria at 6:45am to make a sick tray for a student and pick up my jars. Three jars, one for each meal, of freshly squeezed fruits and veggies. The smells wafting down from the pancake breakfast had me questioning this decision. She gave me two different kinds of juice, more fruity. Drink slowly she said, and take as much water in as you can.
Ok. I can do this.
Day one wasn't so bad. The juice was great, and by the late afternoon my usual impulse to nap was missing. Maybe this is the greatest decision. I don't eat very much as it is, so going without wasn't a huge deal. But the entire day there was this gnawing feeling that something was missing.

Day Two. Three more jars. All veggies this time. The juice is a dark orange, carrots. Oh Lawd. Ok, I can do this. All three jars were the same, and if they sat for two long or were out of the fridge for more than a few minutes the juice started to separate and taste grainy. Just get it down, just get it down. But three o'clock I was done, over it. I made a Starbucks run, nothing special, just black coffee, but I needed something to get me through. By late afternoon I was missing food, just chewing, and being in front of food. You don't realize how vital just the act is until you aren't doing it.

Day Three. When I walked to the cafe I thought of how best to tell her I was done. I was on the fence about continuing, but after weighing myself and discovering I had lost five pounds since the morning of day one, I decided to call it quits. She was disappointed, if I just gave it a chance! Breaking the food addiction was the hard part! It gets easier.
I resisted. I needed food back in my life.
Day three was the same as day two. The juice was not very sweet and I looked at the jars with contempt. I only finished two this day, I just couldn't do it. And I made another Starbucks run.

I learned something very important from this experience. Food is vital. And to not do eat is the worst. But I mean, if you want to drop some pounds, this is the way to go.
Once the act of eating was restored to my life I went a little crazy for a day, but FOOD.
I don't regret doing the juice fast, it's something I have wondered about. But I also don't regret giving up early because I know now: food and I are soulmates.

Moral of the story: Trying something new is great, but firsts aren't always fantastic.