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Cerellia
07-02-2009, 02:30 PM
Why I started the fast:

I have been on raw food for about three month. After a week, I started to feel great but then I became sick. I knew about detox, so I didn't worry. The illness was comming and ogoing but in the last few weeks, I've felt more ill than anything else. I was also getting increasingly grumpy and sensitive (sorry to my boyfriend who had to suffer under this).
One morning, I woke up and felt like having the worst hangover I've ever had (I must admint, that I know what I'm talking about when I say this). And I decided that something had to happen. I went on this fast to finally get all the remaining toxins out of my body.
Weight loss is not my intension and if I lose too much (below 55 kilo), I will try to gain it again after the fast. I don't know my weight at the moment, since I only get to get on the scale when I'm in the gym.


My approach

My plan was to fast 4-7 days (I'm on day four and will decide this evening, if I'm going to continue, but as it is now, I think I will go on).
I will break the fast with one juice day: Fruit juice, cassia and healing earth. The healing earth is supposed to bind toxins that have been stirred up during the fast and the cassia helps flushing them out. Also, mixing the cassia to the fruit juices will prevent me from drinking too much juice at once *g*
On the second day of breaking the fast, I will add a small amount of soft fruits in addition to my juices. Mainly pineapple and figs, but only one or two pieces per meal. These will restart my digestion and contain a lot of fibre which should also help to flush the toxins out. I nearly forgot: I will also eat flax seeds. I have heard that you should eat them whole and unchewed. Can anyone affirm this?
On the next day the same, only more fruits and after that, I hope I can eat normally and be super healthy :-)


Day one

As I said, I did not feel so well when I started my fast. I was graving my pineaplles and mangos, but it was ok. I was on the toilet a lot and discharched my whole intestal content during until noon, after that, I did not have any digestion anymore.
In the afternoon, I started to become really hungry and felt quite weak. I wanted to do some moderate exercise everyday, but I couldn't think of this, anymore. I also got a headache and felt dizzy. I spent the rest of the day laying on the veranda or sitting in front of the computter not knowing how I would bear even another day.
I drank about 4 litres of water on this first day.


Day two

I woke up with the feeling "I need breakfast", but I could resist. I actually felt quite good in the morning and could even do a special kind of "exercises" :D Not very active, though, but I won't go into detail.
But then, during the day, I felt worse than ever. It was like having all the illnesses, I've ever had, together. Something like going to the toilet or reading something, took all the strength I had. I had headaches and dizziness all day and couldn't see clearly. I also sweated a lot and my skin broke out, even though I've never had a pimpel problem in my life! I seriously did not know if I could carry on but I knew that these symptoms are typical and that they just hit me very strong.
I was not hungry, anymore. Rather, I would get sick on the thought of food.
In the evening, I felt a bit better (I generally noticed that I feel much better, when my boyfriend is around). I talked to my boyfriend's mother who has a lot of experience with fasting. She said that I might be drinking too much (I had drunk 6 litres on this day) flushing out too much minerals.
I went to bed very early that day.


day 3
This has so far been the best day of the fast! I started with a cold-and-hot shower (which I have not dared before because I felt I would faint if I did this). I kicked my ass to leave the house and spent the whole day outside. I walked very slowly and took breaks as often as possible. I wanted to visit a church (which is really unusual for me but I felt I could find some quiet and connect to my spiritual self there) but I found out that the cathedral required an entrance fee and I had not taken any money with me so that I could not be tempted to buy food.
I went to the park instead and spent hours there. I walked around the park resting any few meters. Resting on a bench, I came to talk to an Irishman which I found quite inspiering. Amazingly, I came to find the flowers, the trees, the pond in the middle of the park... much more beautiful than before. I was in a really uplifted state. I found a choir singing in the middle of the park and listened for a while. It was dreamful.
In the park, I noticed that most Dubliners take a salad and a white bread for piquenique. (I have become quite aware what other people are eating even though I was still not hungry.) The salad and the fruit juices I later saw in the shopping center appealed to me and made my mouth watery. The white bread, on the other hand, not at all (which I take as a good sign).
Having completed my walk, I went to the shopping center. As I said, I had no money with me, but I looked around, tryed on different clothes thinking how I could treat myself with ather things than food.
When my boyfriend came home, he told me about his troubles at work and I had to comfort him which I managed suprisingly well given the fact that I am too under exceptional circumstances. In the evening, we had some friends visiting and I think they did not even notice that something was different about me. We watched TV. I also did not mind seing them eating and my boyfriend drinking a pineapple smoothy (although this is my favourite).
Most of the bad symptoms were pritty much gone by then but I had a cough (the first time since raw) - not a painful one, though. I think this is a clear sign of detoxication.
I only drank 1/2 a litre on that day. I know that this is too little in the long run but I think it was a great release on my kidneys for one day.


day four

I woke up and felt worse than the day before. I felt weak from the beginning and thought this was a sign to break it up after this day. Somehow, I managed to get up and have a cold-and-hot shower but it did not help much.
I did not feel as bad as on day 2 but very weak and alway dizzy. To make matters worse, it was raining and I could not rest on the veranda. I wrote e-mails to my family and later, when I felt better, I went to the shop (not to buy food *g*) I received a document from my boyfriend to translate. It was good to have something challenging to occupy myself but I could not concentrate on it for long.
Now, I feel much better and I think I can carry on with the fast for a few more days (I won't push it and break whenever I feel it is time). My boyfriend will have a few days off from tomorrow and as I said, I always feel much better when he is around.
The weather has also improved and I can sit on the veranda :-)
I have drunk one and a half liter so far and probably it will get a bit more. I think around two litres is a reasonable amount.


In joy, Cerellia

T-Bird
07-02-2009, 03:45 PM
Very inspiring cerellia! I am planning a water fast at some point - but I'm not sure when.....
did you not work at all during the fast? How did you plan around this?

I wish for you much improved health after this!

Can I ask your recipe for the pineapple smoothie?

And your procedure for the hot-cold showers?

Cerellia
07-03-2009, 03:10 AM
Hi T-bird,

I'm a student on holidays and since I'm only starting my summer job later this month, this is a very suitable time to do this fast.
I would not recommend doing it while you are working, especially when it is your first time and you have no idea what is going to happen to your body. As I said, there were days when I felt literally sick (I'm not saying that it will be as bad for everyone but you should be careful). Also, even when I feel better, I can't concentrate for long. I have done a bit of translation work and some graphic work for a homepage and I just could not concentrate for more than half an hour straight, although I was otherwise feeling fine.

There is not really a recipe to our pineapple smoothi, we just blend mono pineapples *g*

How I do the hot and cold showers: Start with a moderate temperature and do souping ect.
Then turn to as cold as you can take. Try to remain in the cold for at least a minute. If you can't take this at once, do each body part seperately: First legs, then arms and in the end the full body for at leat a few seconds. I also found it beneficial to shower my hair in the cold but I don't do it every day.
When you are done with the cold showering, turn to hot. I would not recomend boiling hot, just a bit above the normal temperature. Don't stay at hot too long, just warm yourself up. Repeat this two or three times. I finish with cold because I feel it stimulates my blood circulation best, but if you tend to feel cold after showering, it might be beneficial to finish with hot.
Currently, I do this twice a day, just after getting up and in the late afternoon (During fasting, I need to shower twice a day, since I sweat a lot.)

Day five is great, so far. I'm planning to go to town later to buy all the things that I need for breaking the fast. I'm looking foreward to eating yummy fruits but I try not to think as much about this because I don't want to gorge once I am eating again.

Cerellia
07-03-2009, 04:16 PM
Now, day five almost over. The weather is beautiful and I was outside for nearly the whole day. In the morning, I went to town with my boyfriend. We pounded the health food stores but could not find any cassia or healing earth/betonite clay, they just don't seem to know this in Ireland. Nevertheless, I found some chlorella and flax seed (btw. I still don't know what is the best way to use them for detox). In the afternoon, we were sitting on the veranda talking and I did some needle work :)
I felt pritty good but very weak. The walk to town was very strenuous for me (we were there for about four hours with only few rests).
I am quite excited about breaking the fast even though I will only consume juices and chlorella in the beginning, but only the thought about yummy fruit juices makes me freak out *g*

Cerellia
07-04-2009, 10:01 AM
What is funny is that I have a bag of mixed seeds right on my desk from which I sometimes snack when I'm on the PC (not during the fast, obviously). It has not bothered me at all to see it every day and not being able to eat from it :-)

Day 6

I have discovered a new type of hunger beside the usal different nuances of uneasy feeling in the stomack: it feels similar to thirst just that it does not go away from drinking. Interesting!

I woke up early after 6 hours of sleep (this is my usal sleeping time on raw food but on the fast, I needed more sleep) and felt quite good, except that I am still a bit weak (I don't think this will go away until I'm eating again).
I went shopping on the organic market. Lots of deliciouse fruits and vegetables all around me and I still did not feel to tempted. I even droped in at the raw food stall and had a talk to the stall holder, explaining why I did not buy anything, today. It wasn't even hard to resist all those super deliciouse raw food meals he offered.
Carriing back the bags was a bit challenging but still not much of a deal. I treated my boyfriend with a variety of berries from the market and suddenly, the gravings began. I think I have never graved anything that much! Also, my weaknes got worse around that time but I soon recovered.
Now, I feel fine. I could do some translation work done without loosing concentration. Later, I am going to visit someone from the Dublin raw food group to go wild greens picking. I was not sure if I could manage this but now I'm quite confident.

Tenuho
07-04-2009, 01:27 PM
Day 6

I have discovered a new type of hunger beside the usal different nuances of uneasy feeling in the stomack: it feels similar to thirst just that it does not go away from drinking. Interesting!


haha ^ i love this part....YES thats HUNGER real hunger....

Cerellia
07-05-2009, 01:18 AM
haha ^ i love this part....YES thats HUNGER real hunger....

Yes, I'm convinced it is. But normally you don't wait for 6 days until you have something to eat.

Cerellia
07-06-2009, 05:34 PM
whoop, fasting time is over!

Day 7

The last day was once more a challenge. I think, I was about to go through another healing crisis with headaches, stomack aches (don't know what was rumbeling in my stomack because there could not be anything in it), blood circulation problems, ect. But somehow I got through.

Fast breaking Day One

I was kind of afraid of that day because I thought as soon as I will have any food (even if it is liquid) in my body, I will start craving more. But I didn't.
I won't tell in detail what I drank (as I said, I'm transitioning to food via juices), because I don't want to make your moth water if you are still fastin *g*. In short: One cup of coconut water, one cup of fuit juice and one and a half cup of green juice (two different types). In between Chlorella.
At first, I could not even drink as much as I have planned. I drank every juice in very small sips leaving it in the mouth as long as possible. It took me about half an hour to drink every juice.
Drinking the first few sips of the coconut juice was an experience on its own: I experienced nuances of its taste which I had not even known before. The fruit juice reminded me of an icecream I had eaten years ago :-)
At first, I felt quite elated because I had those deliciouse tastes again bit I was still very weak. I spent the whole morning on the sunny veranda. When I felt better, I went to town. Deliberately, I walked fast and without rest to signalise my body that the exceptional circumstances are over now. I shoped for clothes to reward myself for what I have achieved.
After I came back and had my fruit juice, I suddenly felt like showering and brushing my teeth. I put on my new cloth and felt completely clean from within and without. I'm now much more energised and people tell me that I'm glowing.
At the evening, my hunger returned. Drinking juices is fine but I want to have something to chew and something in my stomack. I'm looking foreward to tomorrow when I can have this.

katchmoleen
07-06-2009, 09:40 PM
I've really enjoyed reading your experiences. Good for you! I used to fast one day a week in college and it was a good experience. I also did a three day fast once, also in college (but I drank Diet Pepsi :eek:). Last year I tried to fast, but I only made it to the evening before getting an excrutiating migraine! After being raw awhile and getting through some detox that way, I want to try it again. I admire your fortitude.

starck
08-14-2009, 10:20 AM
woow great job !

did you lost weight on the fast ?
if so , how much ?

and did you gain it back after it ?

x