Juice feast, Days 15 - 18

I've gotten through 18 days successfuly and am doing really well on day 19. It's amazing how I have absolutely no hunger whatsoever and plenty of energy. It's cold and drizzly today but early Spring seems to be the right time of the year to do the feast since I'm so busy in the warmer months with outdoor projects and gardening. This is a pretty busy time of year also as I prepare for the upcoming work. I'm trying not to burn out and so far I'm managing everything pretty well. In the upcoming weeks I'll be working with my partner Vito on our community art project "Adopt-A-Site" . Somehow I'll find time for my gardens, which have top priority since I grow much of my food in the summer months.
So looking forward to being in the garden...
Here's my Senor looking out the front window at our perennials.

I experienced an unexpected breakthrough in my yoga practice a couple of days ago. One of the poses I've been working on sporadically is a "bound side angle", which is a tough stretch where, as I'm twisted, I try to hold hands with myself behind my back. The best I've been able to do is to get my fingers close to touching, but nowhere near holding hands. Well, without even thinking about it I got ito the pose and reached one arm around, my hand searching for the other, and they touched and then clasped! It's hard to explain the pose, (maybe I'll get Vito to take a picture), and needless to say I was thrilled to have acheived this minor milestone. I think the cleansing has helped with my flexibilty and I'm looking forward to more improvements.

Juice Feast - Days 13&14

I've made it through two weeks of juice feasting and I think I should continue a bit longer. My eyes burned and watered a few nights in a row, and the past couple of days were tough. Yesterday they were a little better, last night they didn't burn at all & so far today they're not too bad. Now they're pretty much the way they were before the flare-up, so I don't know if any healing was actually taking place or not. Still, I think it's too soon to stop the feast. Maybe another week or two will help.

I do enjoy experimenting with different juices combinations. So far today I've had 1quart of water; 4oz. wheatgrass juice; 8 oz. fresh coconut water mixed with Greener Grasses powder; 8 oz spinach/romaine/carrot juice; 1 tbsp. bee pollen with 1/2 tbsp coconut oil, & I'm about to drink a pint of celery/apple/spinach/ginger juice. And it's still early.

Even though I feel completely nourished with all the juices and have no hunger, I've lost 5 pounds during these two weeks. This is called a "feast" for a reason and doesn't feel like a reducing diet, although pounds are bound to be shed as toxins are released along with the fat that they're stored in. I'm quite happy to lose this excess "winter weight".

My observations for the first 2 weeks:

PHYSICAL:
Hunger: little to none
Degree of difficulty with juice feast: not difficult once the juices are made
Eye condition: from bad to worse to bad again
Neck nodules: unchanged
Exercise: moderate rebounding most days, some yoga
Other pain or healing crisis: none
Elimination: good
Energy: excellent
Weight lost: 5 pounds
Sleep: deep, but not enough

PERSONAL/SPIRITUAL:
Stress level/activities/workload: Extremely busy, hectic pace
Frame of mind: possitive/optimistic, though sometimes anxious due to
multiple projects and deadlines
Other: vivid dreams; desire to play guitar again & have done so for nearly a week!

This feels like an experiment that I really want to experience, so I will hang in for at least another week.

Juice Feast, Days 9 - 12

I'm wrapping up day 12 and am happy to say that I've reached a personal best. My longest cleanse prior to this juice feast was a 10 day Master Cleanse is 2008. I cannot say that this has been easy; in fact, I've almost ended or modified this several times, but continue to hang in there. One of the problems is that I get chilled to the bone after drinking a juice, even though I wear extra layers of clothing, drink hot tea & try to get more exercise. The saving grace is my infrared sauna. This is one of the best investments in my health that I've ever made. I've had it a few years now and even though it's as small as a tiny closet I use it regularly during cold months - especially now that I'm juice feasting. For info into the health benefits of infrared sauna see my report here .

One of the main reasons for embarking on this cleanse was to improve my eye health. My clogged oil glands,(which, by the way came with the cancer but did not leave with it), cause discomfort, dry eyes and sensitivity to light. These conditions have worsened with this cleanse. A few nights ago I woke to a burning sensation and tearing in my left eye. The tears kept coming for several minutes bringing some relief. It wasn't exactly painful and I somehow felt that something good was happening. Since then it's happened off and on in both eyes, to a lesser degree.

The photosensitivity seems to have progressed and feels worse now than ever before. As I write this I'm wearing sunglasses because the light of the computer is too bright. My eyelids are a little inflamed and there's an oily substance being released, which may be the cause of the burning sensation. It seems as though my body is trying to clear the blocked glands, which is great but the process is no fun. If it doesn't ease up soon I may modify the cleanse to slow down the detoxification process.

I've cut back on the number of juices to 2 1/2 - 3 quarts. I feel stuffed on more than that and I realized that my caloric needs are not the same as others who flourish on 4 qts per day. In addition to the juices I'm still taking bee pollen, chlorella, green powders, and 1 tbsp of hemp oil and/or coconut oil. I haven't felt any hunger to speak of in days.

I haven't had an enema since day 7, nor have I been taking the recommended herbal laxative. My elimination has been very efficient and I'm surprised at the return of formed, rather than loose stools. Incredible.

For the past two days I have a taste in my mouth, something like metal. I think this is a great sign that my body is ridding itself of old debris. The metalic taste affects the taste of the juices, but I can live with that.

I'm sure I can make it to the 2 week mark, which is in 2 days. At that point I will decide whether to continue the feast as is, or modify it a bit.

Juice Feast, Days 7&8

Many people say that the first 3 days of a fast or a cleanse are the hardest. For me they were the easiest. Yesterday, day 8, was the toughest yet. The hunger wasn't so bad, yet I had a strong desire to make a smoothie, and even though I was irritable off and on all day I stuck with the program. The idea of switching to a 90day smoothie/juice cleanse appealed to me, especially considering how challenging it is to keep the fridge stocked and to make time in my already-filled day to make the juices. Detroit is an organic food desert, and I have to drive 25 minutes (one way) to the closest store that has most everything I need. It's hit or miss with the local farmers market when it comes to organic. Unfortunately, they have little or nothing to offer. Yes, day 8 was somewhat bleak and I'm glad it's behind me. I'm feeling much brighter and optimistic today.

On the juice feast it's recommended to do an enema each day during the first week, then less often while taking cascara sagrada. I've read that it's common to have solid bowel movements during the first couple weeks or so during the feast. That has not been my experience (except for the first 3 days). The evening of day 7 I took cascara sagrada before bed, as advised, unaware of what was in store for me. My sleep was interrupted with trips to the rest room during the night and most of yesterday morning. I skipped taking it last night and I'm not sure about tonight.

My body is releasing toxins at an accelerated level and I do want them to find their way out of my body, but I also would love a good night's sleep and to be able to leave the house when I need to. There's a learning curve here and I may go back to read through the juicefeaster.com website and Angela Stokes' A Juice Feaster's Handbook to pick up some helpful tidbits. Meanwhile I will continue to drink my juices and envision all the wonderful cleansing and healing taking place within my body.

Juice Feast - Days 5&6

Oddly enough, yesterday & today I experienced more hunger than the previous 4 days. I also had thoughts of eating solid foods, although I wasn't tempted to do so. It was almost like nostalgia, but without the desire to go there. The hunger is always mild, it comes & goes & never stays for long, which is nice. To satisfy it I just drink more juice, but I still haven't made it to a full gallon - 3 1/2 quarts is the most I've been able to take so far. Today I had coconut oil for the first time on the feast & it seemed to be just what I needed. I mixed it with some bee pollen & was so pleased with my concoction that I plan to take it routinely - maybe every other day, alternating with hemp oil. The release of mucus has tapered off & there haven't been any other odd or interesting detox episodes to report thus far. I'll certainly document them here when they do occur.

Juice Feast Days 3&4

I'm finding that consuming 3 quarts of juice in addition to my regular 4 oz. of daily wheatgrass is a lot to ingest. I left the house today & forgot to take my juices with me. I was gone for about 3 hours & drank water only. I did get hungry but I've yet to experience a nagging hunger. When I got home I drank 12 oz & that was it for the day. I'm not the slightest bit hungry & I still have a quart of juice in the fridge.

The strangest thing I've experienced in these 4 days is the massive amounts of mucus that my body is expelling, mostly from my left nostril. (Sorry if that's too graphic, but there will undoubtedly be alot more of that as I document this cleanse). It's as if there's an endless reservoir in my ear canal trying to find its way out. Today I used the neti pot which helped things along, & just when I thought I was through blowing my nose, my right nostril started releasing. I didn't even know that my ears were blocked, but I can feel them open & then block-up again, so there's apparently more to come.

Just as the neti pot helped me eliminate, I've also been doing enemas as part of the juice feasting protocol. I can't say that they're as productive however. Daily enemas are recommended during the first week only, then less often as I start taking cascara sagrada, an herbal laxative to keep things moving out.

I'm just about out of vegetables & will have to re-stock tomorrow, less than 1 week into the cleanse. I think even more challenging than giving up solid foods for so long will be keeping enough produce on hand. I'll just have to plan well & I'm sure I'll get my groove & it'll go smoothly - at least if these first 4 days are any indication.

Juice Feasting, Days 1&2

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Now is a good time to resume blogging since I started a juice feast yesterday and plan to document the experience.

I've never made more than 7 or 8 juices in one day before - and that was when I was juicing a lot. On this juice feast I'll have 3 or 4 quarts of freshly made juice everyday for as long as I can manage, up to 92 days. I plan to go the distance. This is beyond any cleanse I've ever attempted in the past and should take me through some pretty serious healing and rebuilding.

The longstanding problem with my dry, gritty, sunken eyes is a clue that something is out of balance and I believe the juice feast will help my body deal with that issue once and for all. A couple of weeks ago I started taking cod liver oil because of its Vit A content and its healthy fatty acids (DHA & EPA)- all good nourishment for my eyes. It also has Vit D and due to my past deficiency I plan to continue taking this oil while juice feasting, although it's not part of the recommended protocol.

I've thought about doing the juice feast for more than 2 years and now the timing is right and I'm inspired and motivated. So, no solid foods - except for bee pollen - for 3 months! I'll also continue with 2 teaspoons of cod liver oil, and supplement with a few other things that are detailed on the juicefeasters website. I started yesterday and had no problems whatsoever. By evening I was hungry and tired so went to bed early. Today was a breeze. I haven't had more than 3 quarts and that seems to be enough for me. As I continue, I'll have more juice if I feel weak or get too hungry. So far so good.