Almost One Week of Juice Fasting

By the end of today I will have been juice fasting for one week. That means that I’m almost half way to my goal of 15 days. It has certainly been an interesting experience so far. I never really understood how much what I ate played a part in my mood. I’ve had plenty of ups and downs during this first week, but it has mostly been a positive experience. I haven’t once felt hungry, but I do get moments when I miss proper food – especially when I smell my wife cooking something.

Juicing and Tiredness

During the first few days of the fast I did feel more tired than usual. I ended up going to bed before seven o’clock in the evening a couple of times. I usually go to bed early but that’s just ridiculous. I’ve notice the last few days that I feel much less tired than usual. I no longer experience that afternoon crash in energy after eating my main meal of the day. I always look forward to eating my dinner in the afternoon, but I usually feel good for nothing afterwards. It is getting worse as I get older, and I tend to feel tried for about three hours after I’ve eaten. The fact that I’m juicing means that all that energy that would normally be devoted to digesting large meals is free to be put to other uses.

Noticeable Improvements as a Result of Juicing

There have been some noticeable improvements already as a result of this fast including:
• I haven’t been weighing myself but it is obvious that I’m losing weight. My tummy is definitely flatter than it was this time last week, and my clothes feel looser. I expect to put at least some of this weight back on in the weeks after the fast, but it is nice to slim down again.
• My thinking was a bit fuzzy for the first few days, but I notice a definite increase in clarity today. My concentration levels are improved and this is particularly noticeable when I meditate.
• My skin feels softer and just healthier looking. I did have a bit of a pale complexion (anaemic looking) on the weekend, but this is the same as having a tan when you live in Thailand.
• I do feel physically fitter and there is an added bounce in my step. Maybe this is just psychological because I feel good about doing something healthy.
• I’m a fairly good sleeper normally, but there have been improvements here as well. I’ve also noticed that my dreams have become a bit more intense but no lucid dreams this week or out of body experiences.

I’m confident about completing the 15 days juice fast but a lot can go wrong between now and then. I suspect that the most enjoyable moment of this whole trip will be when I get to put solid food in my mouth again.