Commencement means beginning..

My reassuring 8 bottles of health...

I completed my initial 10-day juice fast.  It took me about 11 days, because I ended up being behind on juices here and there.  I chalk that up to mamascholarhood.  But I did not break the regime, drinking my wide-variety of homemade juices and eating raw foods for dinner during the entire process.  I did end up adding in additional fat each day, in the form of avocados, coconut milk and cashews because my milk supply decreased slightly during the 10 days.  Adding this in at a higher rate (so about 1.5 avocados per day/or the equivalent) boosted my supply right back up.  In quantitative terms, I can report that I lost at least 5 lbs.  I will be doing another weigh-in when I return to the Y later this week.  But I am a qualitative researcher, so more important to me is that I genuinely feel better than I did 13 days ago.

I wrote in my initial posting that I felt the need to conquer something related to my diet.  I do feel more in control than I have in a long time. For one thing I realized I can eat a lot less and feel okay, in fact not just okay but better.  There were moments when I felt genuinely hungry, but they were actually few and far between. For the most part I was astonished at how seldom I felt hungry. I also felt less bloated and, although purely a psychological symptom, less manic about food. It was remarkably calming to know exactly what my next meal would be and that it was waiting for me in the fridge.  That said, finding the time to juice for 1.5 hours every two days was stressful.  Shopping and generally preparing to juice was likewise time consuming and, in some cases, expensive.  I am working on another post on the cost of the juicing program and will post it soon.

The 10 days also gave me an opportunity to reflect on a few things including, what I am terming, my food rhythms. Like most working families, mornings are hectic around our house. My husband often makes lovely items for breakfast, but on a day when I am trying to get to work, the Y and the kids to two different pre-schools/babysitters, breakfast sometimes gets lost in the mix.  During this last 10 days, it became clear that I do better with breakfast. More specifically, I did best on the mornings when my juice was a juice with protein and fat, in this case in the form of avocado or coconut milk and usually leafy greens like spinach.  A low-fat diet is not for me, and I think probably not very good for anyone. I felt able to concentrate more fully as my morning progressed.  I also felt much better at night, eating my high fiber salads. The lighter meal was satisfying and diverse in terms of tastes and senses.  I did miss meat and I think adding some grilled something to the salad on occasion is a good way to augment the meal without returning to a heavy dinner.  Clearly there are some lessons there for how I should be eating in post-juice world.

But I have to admit even with all this success behind me, I still feel anxious about the next steps.  I don't have every meal planned--although I have a plan to make time for meal planning--which is a step in the right direction.  Over the next four weeks, I will continue to abstain from eating grains and sugars, other than fruit.  During this time, I will be concentrating on finding and making meals that work with my new found food rhythm.  I will also be working on readjusting our food budget, trying to make the same amount of money stretch further to include more organics. This last portion is just as befuddling as the new diet, so I expect a few frustrations in the weeks to come.

I reflecting on the last few days, I am conscious of the fact that this was easier than I expected it to be.  There is one reason for this--community. In keeping with my cliche filled post, I am reminded of the saying "it takes a village to raise a child." I think this can be applied to just about any situation in which we humans find ourselves. Very little is created alone and nearly nothing can be dismantled alone. Our society is in a food and nutrition crises, but being fat, overweight, obese, unhealthy--whatever word you want to choose--feels like a singular failure.  I feel like I should have enough control to fix the situation or not have created it to begin with. But in coming out of the fat closet and reaching out for help, from my husband, my sister, my parents, my friends, my neighbors and anyone else who will listen, it feels more surmountable. This was the first step, there are many more... stay tuned.