Looking Ahead Yesterday I mentioned how some fellow feasters who have recently returned to solids have struggled a bit with re-entry. This has led me down the road of feast-breaking research. Here's some of what I've found out. I've have come to believe the first 3-6 months after breaking an extended feast/fast are really crucial to successfully rejoining the world of solids (especially mentally and emotionally).
Physically, apparently the body naturally wants to overeat in response to being in a fasting/feasting mode for so long. It's a natural survival response to watch out for. This response can be especially strong if you have not been taking in enough calories while feasting (e.g. 1 gallon of juice every day) or if you have been fasting most of the time.
Another reason for this physical response is that your body has adjusted to getting boatloads of nutrients on a daily basis. Since it would be impossible as much raw produce you were juicing everyday (up to 15 lbs), you are in a sense, getting less nutrients (although still ample amounts for optimum health). So essentially, you are asking your body to scale back. Your brain's response is then to ask for more, more, more nutrients; "Please feed me more! I'm used to getting more!" This reaction can take weeks, even months in some cases to settle down...but then things level off and the body gets used to the new routine and taking in less food. Whew! Good to know!
Apparently, one can also look forward to any unresolved emotional issues surrounding food to rear their ugly heads once you're back on solids. This may be partly because you have created a new "safe zone" while feasting, and entering the world of solids with a new body and a new mind is a huge adjustment to make in a short amount of time. Needless to say, with all of these mental, emotional, and physical adjustments happening at the same time, the transition back to the wonderful world of solids can be tricky to navigate.
I've read that for most people, breaking a feast/fast correctly takes as much (if not more) resolve and solidity than the feast/fast itself. Check out this interesting article.
As for my own feast-breaking. I'm not too worried. I'm pretty sure all of the obstacles I've overcome so far while feasting have given me all the confidence (and patience) necessary to succeed. I'm just going to feast-break slowly and methodically like I feast. I already plan to take much longer than the recommended 7 days to break my feast and will follow a structured plan for the first few weeks.
My goal is to prevent myself from bouncing back and forth between solids and feasting. I've done this with diet and exercise for a long time now (hurry up and lose 20 lbs before a big trip and then eat like a crazy women while on vacation and gain it all back). I could see myself falling into a binge, feast, binge, feast pattern if I'm not careful because juice feasting has seemed to "cure all" for me very quickly in terms of weight loss. I mean, I've just lost 42 lbs in 73 days!
Juice feasting/fasting could become a great crutch for me (read "excuse"). A sort of "Oops I screwed up. Oh well, I'll just feast for a while until I fix it." I have a very addictive personality and if I want to be totally honest with myself, then I have to admit that I've always been on the look out for the "quick fix" in regards to my health. I suppose there could be worse addictions, but I'm REALLY trying to change that this time. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to learn from those of you who are already out there post feast right now and testing the waters. I hope that by learning from their successes and mistakes I can make the transition easier on myself. More on this in days to come...
Juicy Diary-Day 73
(today's juices & supplements)
32 oz water
12 oz sweet Mexican chili tea + 1 Tbsp Raw honey. I found tea with ZING!
4 oz water +chanca peidra
32 oz water + MSM + parastroy + B12
74 oz green juice (kale, spinach, cilantro, rainbow chard, celery, cucumber, red bell pepper, carrots, Spanish radish, assorted hot peppers, dandelion greens) + parastroy
34 oz strawberry/kiwi (Oh geez. This one's good!)
Total Juice = 108 oz (0.84 gallons)
Total water = 80 oz (0.63 gallons)
----------------------------
Sleep & dreams: Hee! Hee! All of the animals slept in today. Jackpot! I had a dream our neighbor (whom I adore) had a giant rummage sale in her front yard. There was lots of people there, and all she was selling was jewelry that she made by hand. (I don't know if she actually makes her own jewelry, but I know she's a textile artist). She seemed very happy to see my husband and I show up for her big sale. I picked out some bracelets I liked and she insisted that I just take them for free. I had the feeling that she was trying to raise money for something, so I insisted that I pay for them. The three of them cost me a grand total of $1.35.
Exercise: 2 mile hike with dog
Sauna: nope
Energy and mood: Great energy today, but I've felt very emotional and a bit on the edge.
Comments: Still sporting some skin eruptions. Curious. Am I reliving the chicken pox? That's what they look like to me. Also feeling "fat" today. Can't explain it, but I'm retaining water or something. It also feels like a bit of a struggle to down the proper amount of juice (at least 3 quarts). Hanging tough, though. Only 19 days to go!
No comments:
Post a Comment