Jesus...and Kelly Fasted for 40 Days and 40 Nights

I thank the Lord for the bounty of his Mother Earth that has nourished and healed my body over the last 40 days.  Yippee!  I am two thirds the way through my juice fast! Because we see ourselves everyday it is difficult to see the transformation.  I ended up back at the park during lunch today with my juice and thought to take a picture next to the tree like I did on day 3 of the fast.  Here is a side by side of my progress.  Big changes are a happening!!!

Long Time No Talk

So it's been a while since I have last given an update. Today is day 39 on the Juice Fast and I am currently down 22.5 pounds! The last few weeks have very positive and enlightening. I feel better than I have in years: less headaches, more energy, healthy cravings, more stamina.  In the first few weeks of the Juice Fast I was craving everything bad for me.  Fried chicken, sausages, burgers, tater tots, anything cheesy.  I would salivate over the food others around me were consuming.  Now I fantasize about making vegetarian lasagna with zucchini noodles, or a lettuce wrap with fresh crunchy veggies and tahini.  I have a read a lot of juicing blogs where the writers would say they got to 30 days but their mindset and cravings weren't under control so they wanted to continue.  I now understand how it truly feels to be Reboot!


Last Thursday was my birthday and everyone was asking how I was going to celebrate without going out to eat or without having drinks with friends. I had a state-wide meeting I had to travel to in San Diego and would be spending the entire day in meetings.  I packed a few gallons of juice in my cooler bag to bring with me.  Even though my beautiful room didn't come equipped with a fridge, I called on my college experience and filled the sink with ice to keep my juice cold. I knew I learned something in college!  This is how a juicer rolls when out of town.  But the best surprise cam when I arrived at the hotel.  There was a beautiful birthday cake flower arrangement in my room sent by my best friend Bridget.  The card said a lot of sweet encouraging things and ended with, "You had to enjoy your birthday cake somehow!"

Bridget is right, there is always a way to celebrate and enjoy special occasions even when you are living your life completely differently than you had in the past.  We need to learn to celebrate by enjoying each others company, sharing gifts, expressing love, and not define a special occasion by the food we eat at it.  Since returning to town, I have heard from some of the meeting attendees I saw in San Diego.  They are inquiring about Juice Fasting and are thinking of implementing it in their lives.  My fellow Project Manager in my office is already on her 26th day of the Juice Fast and is thriving!  I never intended to inspire others to give up food or Juice Fast with me for 60 days; yet my results have motivated them alone.  Now my boss, remember "Just EAT something!", wants to join the Reboot.  And another friend at work and her husband are kicking off. I am so encouraged by those around me choosing to focus on their health in such a dramatic way.  Let's juice fruits, eat copious amounts of veggies, prevent disease, and live forever!!

After returning home from my travels, I spent the evening with my sexy boyfriend, watched the GIANTS win, and lit my candles on my flower cake.  When I blew them out I wished for a lifetime of health.  And I know when you tell your wish to others it's not supposed to come true.  But the ball's in my court on this one and I'll make damn sure it happens!  We ended up choosing to enjoy one of the last days of summer at the beach with my sister and nephew to truly celebrate my birthday.  It was so sweet to watch my nephew play in the waves and share my birthday with me. Being a part of my loving family and having such a supportive encouraging boyfriend is celebration enough for me.

And so you can see some of the physical changes the Juice Fast is creating in me.  Here is a picture taken of me today drinking juice in the office.  Stay strong!

 

Week 3 on the Reboot

As Lawrence Carrol told me recently, the Juice Fast is like any road, there are hills and dips.  And I couldn't agree more!  After a challenging weekend; this week just breezed past me. Not a roadblock or bad mood to speak of! The distraction work provides enables me to forget that I am fasting.  It just feels like daily protocol now.  I am learning to set boundaries and not be around too much eating.  And on a VERY ENCOURAGING note, I am down 14.1 pounds!

The Juice Fast's effect on my emotions

This weekend brought unforeseen struggles my way on my juicing journey.  I missed food very badly this weekend.  I wasn't particularly hungry, just craving food. Any food. Even the frozen pizza my boyfriend was eating looked appetizing.  I realized I was feeling bored and sensitive.  I never understood how profoundly food effects our emotions.  We play games with ourselves all day long surrounding food. We think, "Oooh! I can't wait, I'm going to grill steak for dinner!"  Or, "Just one more hour and I'll run and get a sandwich at lunch."  Or even, "I worked so hard today, I deserve a little ice cream."  I realized that without eating, not only do I have a lot more time on my hands, I have a lot more time in my head.  I don't have the little daily rewards to look forward to. Not that Green Juice isn't completely delicious! And with my plan to go 60 days on the Juice Fast, the end in nowhere in site.
 
Being flooded with emotions, I retreated to my room to clean furiously and cry.  I can't pin point exactly why I was crying.  I know I felt left out...of eating tasty things.  I also was feeling a little overwhelmed.  I have committed to a major change and a lengthy time line and I was feeling vulnerable on only day 15!  There are a lot of people rooting for me and excited to see my big transformation and here I am crying about food only a quarter of the way through my journey. As I am violently folding and putting away clothes my boyfriend comes in to check that a tornado had not hit my bedroom and comfort me.  He said that of course it is hard. That I hadn't eaten food in over two weeks, there were bound to be some emotions.  Truly, I think I just needed to cry.  I needed to let down my guard and release a little tension. Immediately afterward I felt a sense of relief.

I recognize that with great results comes great challenges.  No outcome worth having was going to come easily.  Otherwise the news would be telling stories of how healthy Americans are rather than our obesity problems. I am committed to this process and all that comes with it.  Even it produces tears at times.

The good news is that today is day 18 for me and I am down 11.7 pounds.  I still have excellent energy levels and I am still sleeping like a baby.  I am motivated to continue on and really excited to pass the one month mark. I would be interested in the emotional journeys you have all experienced while Juice Fasting.

Keep the juice flowing!