August Fasters... UNITE!

[Aleesha Sattva]

Ah it's time to start a new thread... since the month is changing and the July (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=60574) thread is getting really looooooooong.

Here's are the 'rules' of this thread:

Please do not discuss specific food. Feel free to share "My hubby was eating and it was hard for me." Please don't share "My hubby was eating X, Y and Z..."

The reason we do this is so no one ends up getting a craving from a fasting thread. As a faster we can choose to click on a thread which discusses food but we need the safety within this thread to know food is not discussed. Juices are shared, green smoothie recipes are shared... but not 'chewable' food.

Here's my commitment:

I'm here to fast. I'm not here to eat. I will fast until I choose to stop but I will NOT stop my fast on a bad day, at night or today. I can choose to break my fast tomorrow morning but not today.

I'm here to gain health.
I'm here to gift my body the time and energy to bring my body to a state of health.
I'm here to release - whatever needs to be released. Physical, emotional, conscious or unconscious things... I'm here to release them all.
I'm here to bring a greater depth to my spirituality.
I'm here to support myself and others.

And most of all... let's remember that we are all in charge of our own fasts. No one has the 'key' or the one and only answer to anything. Don't just allow yourself to be spoon fed information. Remember that research is your friend... and google is your friend as well.

Now... let's fast!

I'm 7 weeks in and happy to continue fasting.

Anyone have a favourite can't-live-without juice?

Mine has got to be my tomato blend. I've drank it every fast I've done in the past three years. I have, however, greened it up a lot and am loving my greener version.

Tomatoes 4-8 (usually 8)
1/2 cucumber
garlic
2 green onions
beet and greens
kale
spinach/lettuces - depending on what I have
swiss chard (heavy on the swiss chard)
herbs - changes depending on my mood and what I have available.
red pepper
celery

Then I spice it with: kelp powder 1-3 tablespoons
cumin, cayenne, smoked sea salt, curry

I also use tumeric, chili powder... whatever sparks my interest at the time.

[GoodCat]

I'm here with you.

I'm 5 days into this fast and I'm not sure how long I'll go. I'm doing this with my husband this time around and it's wonderful!!

I am wanting to clean and detox my body (after a lifetime of filling it with junk).
Bring healing and health to my body by giving it the time and nutrients it needs.
Grow spiritually with my God.
Learn to control my appetite and not the other way around!!

I LOVE FASTING!!!

I will not break my fast today. If I want to break my fast, I will do it the next day. And not on a bad day. Agreeing with Aleesha!

My favorite is also tomato/veggie juice. I drank it every day of my last fast and have done the same this time around.

6-8 tomatoes
1 bell pepper
1 bunch of cilantro
1/2 red onion
5-6 stalks of celery
1 cucumber
almost a whole bulb of garlic
a piece of ginger
Then I mix in some Celtic sea salt and olive oile or hemp seed oil.

My other favorite I try to have every day is pineapple juice.. Just pineapple juice. Its soooooo satisfying!

Well... we went on our hike and it was soooo very beautiful! We loved it and we're looking at doing that more now that our littlest one can handle it a little better (she's 4).

in Light,
Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

i add in hemp, flax oil to my tomato blend once or twice a week. :)

my second fav is cantaloupe. i am loooooving my cantaloupe.

of course... i forgot about my coconut water. i drink them daily as well.

*giggling* so many wonderful juices... so little time...

[GoodCat]

So true...so true..

I also love watermelon (I have it a few times a week), and my green lemonade *giggle*

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh ya watermelon...

mmmmm and freshly squeezed oj!

[GoodCat]

Pineapple, coconut, mango.....:cool::eek: Watch out.. I think I'm goin faint *giggle*

Cathy :D

[montyloree]

Today is day six for me...
as mentioned I just discovered watermelon thanks to Aleesha & Cathy...

I didn't two full juices of water melon for a trial... they tasted great and are filling...

My goal is to stay juicing until August 24, 2010 which should be 30 days... I may go longer, but for now that is my hard and fast goal...
The purpose of my fast is weight loss... and to learn about how I can deal with foods better... also.. how I can eat raw foods for the rest of my life.

Looking forward to visiting in August!!

[GoodCat]

Its a good goal monty :) And I'm glad you got to experience watermelon juice ;).

Had my tomato/veggie juice tonight and added in some spinach and romaine. I couldn't really taste them, but I knew they were there and so does my body!!

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

cathy, do you add swiss chard? it's my huge huge huge passion right now in my tomato blend. if you haven't... give it a try. i add LOTS of stems and leaves... probably... 12 to my juice. then another 3-6 kale, fresh carrots and greens from the garden and beets and greens from the garden as well. mmmm so yummy.

i made another amazing greens/tomato blend (have to change the name because of the high greens in it now) and i have to say... i wanted MORE. my hubby however is NOT enjoying my residual odours. http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x87/recyclinggoddess/th105F155F6-1.gif

i just had a really nice bath with essential oils and salts... totally relaxed and got the little hairs off me from my hair cut today. wanna see a pic? (no the pic is not of my bath... but of my hair LOL)

[GoodCat]

I've never had chard. I'll buy some on Monday and try it. Anyway to get those greens in is good :cool: But yes... the residual left over isn't always plesent :p

Oooooo.. I love baths with oils and salts!! And I love your picture. Cool colors :cool:

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

Cathy, all the colours of swiss chard are beautiful... and don't change the taste. So get whatever colours of the rainbow are available to you. I love the red, yellow and white equally.

Monk made a thread for me in the personal growth section... celebrating my 7 weeks of fasting. I'm so deeply touched. (((hugs)))

Fasters need to be surrounded by love while fasting... and I feel very surrounded by love!

[GoodCat]

((hugs))... I'll go check out that thread!

I agree.. having support is sooooo important. Its what has kept me going during my fasts too.

Cathy :D

[montyloree]

aleesha.. congrats on the 7 weeks.... can I ask what your objective for going that long is?

[D'vorah]

OK, re-posting some of what I just ended the July thread with (oops, should have read ahead).

I'm doing a green smoothie fast. I'm too active to do a water fast and I prefer blended over juiced.

My goals are 100 percent raw, no overt fats. Fruit, veggies, greens. I'm trying to avoid eating after 6, but that's not at the 100 per cent yet, I just have a hard time getting enough calories during the day.

My goals are to get rid of chronic body pain that came after a one-two punch of bad mold exposure and a nasty viral syndrome. I have been having total body joint, muscle and tendon pains and feeling MUCH older than my age. It's been going on since March. No, I haven't been to a doctor for a diagnosis, I just believe food is my medicine, and food probably set me up for the final fall that the mold and viral syndrome hit me with. Freedom from pain - that's my primary goal.

Letting go of food addictions is my number two goal and that's just happenining. I've fought it for a long time with no success, now that freedom just seems to have knocked on my door and invited itself in. It's not that there are zero temptations or cravings, trust me, there have been a number of them - it's just that it's not worth the body pain, so, it's VASTLY more easy to say "no".

Weight release will come on it's own.

Today I went to the air show. I didn't take a smoothie with me, which was a mistake. I figgered it wouldn't be allowed in. I wasn't able to keep the smoothie fast, but surrounded by fair food, I was able to stay 100 % raw and not cave to junk food. It took some searching and creativity. One booth had lettuce and tomoto as toppings for what they were serving (don't ask what they were serving). I asked if I could pay for just a plate of that. The guy laughed at me (not the ridiculing laugh that one might expect, but a warm, gentle laugh). Then he gave me a plate of yummies!!! No charge!!!!

After that, I found a high school JROTC booth that had some fruit, probably the only ones there that did.

I can't believe I did it. I'm so proud of me. Nope, wasn't my fast, but it kept to all of my other rules, no overts, all raw.

Happy August fasting, y'all!

Deborah

[GoodCat]

Way to go Deborah!!! What an accomplishment!! I know you are feeling empowered! You can do this and gain health.

Well.. I'm off to my bath with oils and salts :cool: I love it, what can I say *giggle*

Good night all,
Cathy :D

[D'vorah]

OK, Cathy, I'm all about lovely baths and good books while I soak. What's your recipe for the perfect bath? I want to make "Deborah Soup." :D

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

Oh Deb that is wonderful! Makes my heart sing... truly sing. (((hugs))) I love that you achieved greatness in the face of adversity. AND... since you are doing a green smoothie feast, that won't even hurt your digestion in the least. win-win situation indeed.

Monty, perhaps you missed this but... this is why I'm fasting:

I'm here to gain health.
I'm here to gift my body the time and energy to bring my body to a state of health.
I'm here to release - whatever needs to be released. Physical, emotional, conscious or unconscious things... I'm here to release them all.
I'm here to bring a greater depth to my spirituality.
I'm here to support myself and others.

I have a mini-goal of eleventy-one days - which will take me to October 1st. I have a secondary goal to fast longer than that. We'll see what I achieve.

I am cuddled under two heavy blankets with flannel jammies on trying to stay warm. Ah this weather... it's warm then it's cold... you just never know what you are going to get. I'll be adding extra blankets on my bed tonight that's for certain!

mmm I'm still burping up my dinner juice... and I still want more. It was soooooooo yummy!!!

[montyloree]

Aleesha... I saw your mission statement it just seemed to breeze over :) I guess because I'm new to raw & juicing my brain is saying that a person is only doing juice fasting if they're realllllly motivated... IE... serious problems....

Are you doing this as a quality of life type thing or do you still have serious problems? Either way, far out!!

Deborah, congrats on doing raw at the fair... as they say, you don't know until you ask!! That's part of the lifestyle shift.. I'm sure it wasn't as difficult mentally to do that now that you've been doing a fast ... it's empowering to do that! nicely done

Day #7 for me - I felt more calm yesterday... I think I'm getting used to the routine of juice feasting a little more.

It looks like it's going to be another gorgeous day!

[Aleesha Sattva]

No major health issues that I'm aware of Monty. I fast because I love to fast. I love the light feeling within my body and spirit. I love my deeper connection to the Goddess and the Universe. I love how I feeeeeel.

Honestly, I can't imagine myself ever not fasting. I turn 47 soon and I can see myself turning 87 and fasting...

As an example... think of how you feel when you eat raw live foods compared to how you feel when you eat SAD food. That's the difference for me when I fast or when I eat. Huge difference. My body prefers to fast.

Before I found raw foods I couldn't digest my food. It would sit in my belly for up to two days like a brick. I felt horrid all the time. When I came to raw... I found raw through fasting. When I fast... I feel great, when I eat I don't feel as good. I prefer the feeling of my body, mind, spirit when I'm fasting.

Not sure if that makes sense to you but it's the best way I can explain it.

Hence why, when some people here on this forum judge me for fasting a lot... I kinda feel the same as a raw foodist does when SAD eaters judge them. I just smile and know within myself that they just don't get it. Which is fine... but I would love for them to just accept that I know my body and I know what's best for it rather than assuming that they know better for me.

[montyloree]

got it.. aleesha.. that makes perfect sense

I had a pretty bad relationship with food as well... I knew everytime I ate I was going to crash each time..

well... good for you then...

[Aleesha Sattva]

ah good i'm so glad i articulated my thoughts well. ;)

[GoodCat]

Good Morning.. Actually, I've been awake for a while but I've been reading in bed ;).
I'm reading an interesting book call "The Shack". Very interesting.

I think I'm like you Aleesha. I love how I feel while fasting. I feel light, healthier, more closer to God (or more in tuned). When I eat, my appetite takes over and before long my tummy is upset, I'm bloated, and just not feeling well. I do realize that eating less would be helpful,however, I'm still learning to control my appetite. And either way... I LOVE FASTING :cool:

I'm drinking with morning water w/lime juice and my hubby is making us some pineapple juice. He has 2 days left on his vacation and we are just going to enjoy some family time.

Deborah... I like to use the coarse salts in my bath with lavendar essential oil. Its so relaxing! But really you could use many different oil depending on what you like.

Cathy :D

[D'vorah]

Oh Deb that is wonderful! Makes my heart sing... truly sing. (((hugs))) I love that you achieved greatness in the face of adversity.

It wasn't adversity, it was a CHALLENGE!! Bring it on!!! Bahahahaaa!

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

bring it on is right!!!

cathy, enjoy your family time. we are all going to a movie today. i'll do less juices beforehand so i don't have to pee during the flick. LOL

[Aleesha Sattva]

I think I'm like you Aleesha. I love how I feel while fasting. I feel light, healthier, more closer to God (or more in tuned). When I eat, my appetite takes over and before long my tummy is upset, I'm bloated, and just not feeling well. I do realize that eating less would be helpful,however, I'm still learning to control my appetite. And either way... I LOVE FASTING :cool:

i find my appetite can get outta control but for the most part... it's fine when i'm eating. it's more that i just prefer the way i feel cause there's nothing i've experienced like fasting. no foods give me the same clarity, light-feeling and honesty like juice does.

i use the word honesty and what i mean by that is... it's like all obstructions, all obstacles, all diversions are gone when i fast it's clear sailing... (if that makes sense).

[D'vorah]

Aleesha, your energy is so strong. I'm glad I joined fasting threads, finally.

Cathy, I read The Shack. I like the basic premise, but I had a hard time with it.

I'm feeling a lot of sadness today. Some of it is circumstantial; some of it is the hurts of the world. Some, I think, is old stuff getting out.

And some is the loss of old "friends." I've gone raw numerous times. I'm raw at heart and have been for a long time, but I drift in and out. My head says it's right, my intellect says it's right, my heart says it's right. But something else says that this food or that food experience is my friend, confidant, companion. I'll be whole if I go to such-and-such restaurant and have a certain food and particular beverage. There's a very fitting quote from the movie You've Got Mail, where Joe Fox says, "The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self."

But the defining sense fades and the fire keeps having to be stoked.

I'm missing the places and the foods that helped me survive things in my life, and some of those circumstantial things have not changed. I'm sad today because I'm missing my "friends." And healthy diet or not, those places and foods did feed something in me, some part of me that needed something it had been denied in life. Please don't bash my old friends, they served me well, even though they weren't what my body most needed to thrive and be healthy and fit - they kept me alive. But like the words of an old song I dearly love, "this thing that has kept me alive for so long is now killing me." (or words close to that). And I can't make the promise that I'll never again visit my old friends for some special occassion, that would be asking way too much of me, but I won't shack up with them any longer. I won't give up connection with my own soul or connection with the spiritual to connect to food. I won't whore myself on a daily or even weekly basis.

For me, this fast is about everything I've laid out before, but it's also about grieving things related to food and saying goodbye to the habit of SAD. Finally making the soul's leap. I AM a raw foodist. Eight days. The longest I've kept ALL raw AND no coffee.

Enjoying my green smoothie, feeling appropriately sad and praying for the world.

Deborah

[montyloree]

wow... deborah... that's quite the realization about your friends... to be honest... I'm so new into raw foods that I will probably have those moments...

I can see how the emotional attachments to restaurants and cooked foods are deeply entrenched... Example: I used to love to get out of the house and go to the local coffee shop for my then coffee and bagel with toppings... I didn't usually go for the food but just to get out of the house... I am still facing that... now I go and have a peppermint tea instead... just to be with people (I work out of home and I get cabin fever)

That's just one example... different foods did different jobs before as far as comforting loneliness, boredom, depression... I was pretty good at masking alot of things with cooked foods...

On a good note: because I am at day #7 of my juice fast, I was starting to think about the raw foods I was going to eat when my fast ends.. I was starting to think about the "variety" of raw foods ... that's a good change because when I first started doing raw foods I was amazed at the lack of variety... juicing has a way of clarifying that.

[Aleesha Sattva]

One of the things I tell myself (about my old friends) is this:

They aren't gone. They are still here. I don't have to choose to consume them today. They'll wait for me. Whether it's a day, a week, a month or a year... they'll still be there. So if I say no today... I'm not saying no forever. I can always choose to visit if I wish.

This really assists me when I'm fasting and there's an eating event, or a restaurant that I'm wanting to visit... I figure... it'll be there when I'm done. It's not going to disappear off the face of the earth... people will still make and serve X, Y and lots of Z.

It sounds to me, Deb... like you are getting into the zone of fasting. It deepens. And you'll go even deeper than you are now. It's an amazing journey... one you'll cherish forever. (((hugs)))

[Aleesha Sattva]

mmmm i made another wonderfully tasting tomato/green blends. this time i added one apple to the juice and although i didn't taste it... the soup (as i call it) was amazing.

mmmm i'm so pleased that this soup tastes a little different every time cause it sure keeps me coming back for more!

[GoodCat]

I know..I know... I had my tomato/veggie blend tonight and put a ton of garlic in it. Boy was it spicey, but oh..sooooo... yummy ;)

Deborah.. I'm just agreeing with everyone here. It sounds like you have good insight into your situation and that you are doing what you need to be doing!!

I finished The Shack.. I really liked it!

Tomorrow will mark our one week point. One more to go.. maybe longer, we'll see :rolleyes:

Off to my bath :cool:

Cathy

[Aleesha Sattva]

Sippin' on another cantaloupe juice... tastes so yummy I may have another after. We are about to watch a movie... which honestly surprises me cause my hubby doesn't really like to watch movies but we've been going to movies and watching them a lot lately.

Saw Inception this afternoon... and about to watch something else... can't remember the name. LOL

Going to movies and not eating is really easy for me now. I'm so glad we have been watching them cause they use to be 'trigger' times for me. Not anymore though. Once you don't it over and over again in a new way... the old way no longer matters to ya.

Nice to free of that "friend". ;)

[D'vorah]

Going to movies and not eating is really easy for me now. I'm so glad we have been watching them cause they use to be 'trigger' times for me. Not anymore though. Once you don't it over and over again in a new way... the old way no longer matters to ya.

Nice to free of that "friend". ;)

I can't imagine being there and not being pulled in by the smells. I love going to movies.

Deborah

[D'vorah]

Why do my teeth all feel like they're wearing little fur coats?

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

it's a fasting thing... just brush them more often!

cathy, congrats on week one... may you both find great depth and healing during week two!

just finished watching the movie. hubby loved it, me... notsomuch.

smells seldom bother me anymore - although as i say that some smells do... but i won't mention what they are here. i find that if i drink the smells in with my nostrils... welcome them... enjoy them. then they lose their power over me. i see them (smells) as a treat... not as a forbidden fruit!

changing my perspective has assisted me greatly with fasting. kinda like SAD food. it may smell wonderful, but it doesn't mean we want to consume it.

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh and two words...

butt pee.

that's all i have to say...

[montyloree]

lol.. I went to see a movie on the weekend... usually I love to have the popped food that they offer, but this time I didn't... I didn't mind watching the movie without it...

I came to the conclusion... the reason the theaters sell the high calorie/sugary foods and drinks there is to keep people awake and motivated to watch during the movie...

You all mentioned dreaming before... I noticed that my dreams are different these days.... like hours of technicolor... anybody do research as to why?

[GoodCat]

Good Morning All..

My dreams have been more intense lately too. But scary tense, not like in color.

As for smells... I try to do the same thing as Aleesha. When I smell something, I just enjoy the smell and know that I don't want to eat that. Because honestly, whether I'm fasting or trying to stay all raw, those smells will be there and I need to learn/change my habits and enjoy all that raw has to offer me :cool:

Yes... butt pee... I've been there for a few days now :p

So I'm drinking my first qt. of water for the day with some lime juice. I have a qt. of green lemonade in the frig. and it looks like we need to juice our watermelon. I go shopping tomorrow again and so we need to use up some things first. So.. watermelon today ;).

Cathy :D

[GoodCat]

Oh.. and I found with movies... as long as I have something to sip on or a raw something to snack on, I don't miss any of the bad stuff.

Also agreeing though.. that the more we change or handle situations differently, the easier it gets in those situations :cool:

Cathy :D

[montyloree]

I believe that dreams are all about your subconscious trying to work stuff out...
I am having trouble analyzing these juice fed dreams...

Oh well....

NOTE TO SELF: Make sure to have enough juice each day!!!
Yesterday I was being lazy and only did 3 juices... one of which was 100% watermelon... by bed time I was so starved I could have chewed my arm off.... and then this morning I was worse for wear!!

So.... to keep the gentle balance of juice fasting in tact... MAKE SURE TO EAT ENOUGH!! Oh well... a good lesson learned...lol

Aleesha... no giggling... that's what your advice was on day #1 of my juice fast ... lol

[Aleesha Sattva]

i was giggling Monty... thinking "he needs to learn stuff on his own" which i totally understand. that's how i am as well. ;)

i seldom find meaning in fasting dreams... they are so random and weird.

cathy, how's your hubby doing with this fast?

i'm working all day today... finally got the ftp fixed so i can get the magazine coded, edited and online. time to work...

later all,
me

[D'vorah]

smells seldom bother me anymore - although as i say that some smells do... but i won't mention what they are here. i find that if i drink the smells in with my nostrils... welcome them... enjoy them. then they lose their power over me. i see them (smells) as a treat... not as a forbidden fruit!

changing my perspective has assisted me greatly with fasting. kinda like SAD food. it may smell wonderful, but it doesn't mean we want to consume it.

I've had that success with some things, but not yet with theater things.

:-)

Onward!

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

hey it took me a long time (this year actually) to be able to get through a movie without focusing on the smells instead of the movie! it's not a simple thing to accomplish... but you can achieve it!!!

i'm sipping on some cantaloupe juice. wanna know why having different herbs is a good thing? not only does it add greens to your juice (and herbs are so healing!!!) but they change the taste of it. so cantaloupe doesn't just taste like cantaloupe each and every time. every litre of juice i drink... tastes unique. keeps me from getting bored.

and i'm such a mono juicer. i drink one thing for awhile, then move onto another. cantaloupe is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo health-filled that it's definitely one that's worth drinking a lot of!


Nutritional Benefits (http://www.juicing-for-health.com/cantaloupe-nutrition.html)

Cantaloupe is one of the most common fruits but its full health benefits may not have been fully understood, and often taken for granted. It is extremely nutrient-packed but yet has very low calories.

This wonder fruit is highly concentrated with excellent levels of beta-carotene, folic acid, potassium, vitamin C and dietary fiber. It is also one of the very few fruits that has a high level of vitamin B complex¾B1 (thiamine), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), and B6 (pyridoxine).

Cantaloupe is rich in anti-oxidants that can help prevent cancer and heart diseases.

Health Benefits

The high amount of beta-carotene and vitamin C (anti-oxidant) in cantaloupe makes it an excellent fruit in helping to prevent many degenerative diseases. I get excited just thinking how much more my body can absorb these precious nutrients when I drink of its juice.

Anti-coagulant: A unique compound in cantaloupe helps decrease the viscosity of the blood, hence preventing the abnormal formation of blood clots in the cardiovascular system.

Arteriosclerosis: Regularly consuming vitamin C retards the development of hardening of the arteries.

Cancer prevention: The high vitamin C content acts as a good anti-oxidant that protects cells from damages by free radicals. Regularly drinking juices high in anti-oxidants keep cancer at bay, especially against intestinal cancer and melanoma.

Cataracts: The natural vitamin A from beta-carotene in this juice lowers the risk of cataract and generally helps improve your vision too.

Cholesterol: Drinking juices high in anti-oxidant has been proven to fight the oxidative stress that is the main culprit in oxidizing the LDLs in the blood.

High blood pressure: Potassium in this rockmelon helps excrete sodium, thus bringing down high blood pressure especially in those with salt-sensitive hypertension.

Immune system: The strong content of vitamin C stimulates white cells to fight infection, naturally building a good immune system.

Insomnia: A special compound in cantaloupe relieves the nerves and calm anxieties. A help for insomniacs.

Menstruation problems: For women, drink this wonder juice around the time of menstruation and it will help reduce heavy flow and clots.

Muscle Cramps: A deficiency in potassium can cause muscular cramps and greater susceptibility to injury. Drink cantaloupe juice to prevent these.

Pregnancy: The high content of folate (folic acid) prevents neural tube defects in infants.

Quit Smoking: The natural nutrients and minerals found in this juice provides a synergistic combination that helps the body recover from nicotine withdrawal of one who is trying to quit smoking. Smoking also quickly depletes the vitamin A in a smoker, but cantaloupe juice can help replace it with its beta-carotene.

Stress: When going through a stressful period, keep this musky melon on the side and drink its juice regularly. The potassium content helps to rebalance and normalize the heartbeat. This in turn sends oxygen to the brain and regulates the body's water balance.

Water retention: Especially in pregnant women. Muskmelon juice helps your body excrete excess sodium, thus reducing water retention.

[D'vorah]

Aleesha, what herbs do you like with your juices?

Cilantro and parsley are the only ones I've tried with fruit. With savory smoothies I've used other things.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i've been using my new mints.

orange mint, apple mint, english mint (very strong and lovely), chocolate mint, pineapple mint...

i mix and match them. adding chocolate mint with orange mint... apple with pineapple etc.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i just had the worse dinner juice ever :( ewwwwwwwww.

did my usual stuff... added in asparagus.

never again. :(

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[D'vorah]

Oh, Aleesha, that even SOUNDS nasty. Oye, I'm so sorry for ya.

I've been craving pineapple like crazy. I've blended and consumed more in the last week and a half than I've had in the last ten years. YUM.

Been out in the yard hacking and cutting and digging. No rain today, finally.

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

i'm going to go make myself something else... i forced down most of my dinner juice... but it was so horrid.

:( yuck.

mama needs a treat of something sweet and yummy.

[GoodCat]

I have to agree.....ewwwwww... :p

Deborah... I'm glad you got to get outside a bit in your garden. How fun!

I added in some beet tops into my tomato/veggie juice tonight. It was pretty good. I also made some juices for me and hubby tomorrow. He goes back to work tomorrow so I wanted to make sure he had plenty of juices.

He's doing great on this fast. Probably better then me :rolleyes: He's in the zone. He does have cravings, but he's determined to do this for another week!!

I just went shopping tonight and bought ALOT more stuff to try to get us through the week. We'll see.

Off to the bath. I hear it calling me....precious...precious ;)

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

heads up everyone. i have been on the toilet (or in the bath) all night. this is not a good feeling at all. asparagus juiced... i really don't recommend it at all. :(

oh oh ... later...

[GoodCat]

I'm soooooo sorry Aleesha.. Not a good feeling.. But I'm thankful for the heads-up!!

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

ya not good at all

not at all

[sidrah]

Asparagus juice is well-known for coming out smelling the same way it went in...green smelly pee...fun bathroom times!

I have to clean my juicer out faster tomorrow. I made carrot, apple juice and let the pulp sit too long and it turned the plastic piece into shades of orange-y.

Side note, I added radishes to the juice b/c I was lazy and did not feel like cutting up parts of a beet. MISTAKE! Either I added too many radishes or just don't like the taste of radish juice that much becuse it was bad...

I wasn't wasting it so I added lots of water and ice until I pretty much tasted carrot again.

[D'vorah]

Aleesha, get better FAST!

Deborah

[montyloree]

Are any of you taking salt as a supplement....??

I woke up this morning feeling dizzy... I still feel a little dizzy...

I must say on the juice fast, you're not getting alot of salt...

[Lady G]

Hi All, I'm here without a juicer, but needing and wanting to do this. I see there are a few of you smoothing (a new word =0) I can do that. question. I know it is about me and my venture, but, I read your recipes ugh, how, I tried smoothies and juice without fruit in it I couldnot get it down, well I got it down but with no enjoyment. Will I get the results I am seeking with a bit of fruit in it. I have an issue I am dealing with? Will greens with fruit get the body healing or will fruit slow it down? I had this morning kale, cucumber and peach smoothy, not the tastiest but I did enjoy it. I got a recipe for a cucumber tea off another site I have had it and is very refreshing. cucumber with lemon water, It was very good needed a little sweet thought apple would help am I still on the right fast track? I am stoked to do this don't have a time limit, first attempt at a fast.

[montyloree]

Lady G... Of course raw foods are going to be good for your health... they contain all of the vitamins, nutrients and enzymes in tact....

As far as taste of food goes...IMO.. this isn't entertainment eating, this is health eating.. you're doing this for the nutrition...

What type of preparation have you done before the fast? IE... have you done a little detox before hand?

I'm the junior here... I'm sure the others will have much better advice :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

I completely disagree with Monty. It IS about enjoying what is going in. Think about it. If you are enjoying your juices or green smoothies then you are smiling when you drink them. The love you are gifting yourself while you are smiling is healing in itself!

Fruit is very healthy and healing on it's own (also nice and cleansing). Go ahead and add 2/3 of your smoothie as fruit and the other 1/3 as greens. That's the ratio most people do. Have you seen the green smoothie thread? Click here (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=47157) and take a look. You should be able to find something you love in all these!

No prep is needed before you fast. Some people like to do some prep... but you don't have to. So don't worry if you haven't. Just jump right in and get some healing happening for your body, mind and soul!

Monty, your body only really uses 'organic sodium' - that's naturally occurring sodium, found in good quantity in celery. But I add smoked sea salt to my evening tomato blend... simply because I like it - it's not a 'supplement' though.

Deb, I'm better this morning. I spent about 6 hours peeing out my butt... and then finally my bladder came back into use just after midnight and from then on, I was okay. Not sure what my body will gift me today but I know what I'm going to gift it... lots of coconut water.

Today is definitely a 'take is super easy on the body' day.

[montyloree]

Aleesha... ultimately , you're correct... you should enjoy what you eat in order to make this lifestyle longterm.... is it fair to say that at the beginning of the raw food diet, you have to tune up your taste buds for raw foods?

EX: we had a young visitor here with my daughter... my daughter gave her some basic juice, one which I would consider neutral in taste... she put about a teaspoon in her mouth and then ran to the bathroom to spit it out...

It seems that Lady G is having the same reaction...

I am noticing that I am getting more used to the tastes of juice which is making the process easier.. at the beginning I almost puked a few times on the green juice because of the taste... nowadays... I am drinking it with more ease.

[Aleesha Sattva]

I loved the taste of green smoothies (which is what she's drinking... not juice). She's making them with no fruit Monty... that would taste horrid to almost everyone no matter how long they've been raw.

I've been raw just short of 3 years now... and I couldn't drink an only-greens smoothie.

[Aleesha Sattva]

and... consuming ANY raw foods, juices or smoothies... it's about the taste. If it doesn't taste good - ya you might force it down here and there - but to create a lifestyle and life change... your body will crave good taste.

And if the food you are feeding it tastes horrid... how quick do you think you'll give into cravings for SAD food?

For me it's a no-brainer... make it taste yummy and you keep coming back for more!

[montyloree]

okee dokee...

so I need to add fruit!! I'm a little thick... I'll have to admit

montyloree <--newbie :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

hmm... shall i agree or disagree? i think i'll leave this one as is

*giggling and leaves the room with a yummy freshly made FRUIT only juice!*

one more thing before i go. i fasted on fruit juices ONLY for 84 days... so trust me when i say... fruit will not harm you... it will heal you!

[montyloree]

Aleesha... the concept of good tasting juices hasn't really entered my mind... I was under the impression that you get what you get out of the juicer... I hadn't thought about trying to make them taste better....

So... good concept!... thanks for introducing that to me....
I will do some experimenting now!

Cheers

[D'vorah]

Are any of you taking salt as a supplement....??

I woke up this morning feeling dizzy... I still feel a little dizzy...

I must say on the juice fast, you're not getting alot of salt...

I've been adding celery to some of my fruit smoothies, it has a natural saltiness, and one savory smoothie did get a little salt.

Deborah

[Lady G]

thank you for the link but it took me to a how to choose a juicer link. Not smoothy recipes

[D'vorah]

Hi All, I'm here without a juicer, but needing and wanting to do this. I see there are a few of you smoothing (a new word =0) I can do that. question. I know it is about me and my venture, but, I read your recipes ugh, how, I tried smoothies and juice without fruit in it I couldnot get it down, well I got it down but with no enjoyment. Will I get the results I am seeking with a bit of fruit in it. I have an issue I am dealing with? Will greens with fruit get the body healing or will fruit slow it down? I had this morning kale, cucumber and peach smoothy, not the tastiest but I did enjoy it. I got a recipe for a cucumber tea off another site I have had it and is very refreshing. cucumber with lemon water, It was very good needed a little sweet thought apple would help am I still on the right fast track? I am stoked to do this don't have a time limit, first attempt at a fast.

Lady G, I'm smoothie fasting. Most of my smoothies have fruit, I couldn't do this without the fruit. I used a variety of fruits, greens and vegetables.

In 9 days I've lost rough skin on my shoulders, my total body joint/muscle/tendon pain is half of what it was (some days even a bit more than that), I have energy to do hard yard work and I've released almost ten pounds. Looking for more results to follow, continued decrease of body pain, decrease in mucus and sinus issues, etc.

Welcome to the fast.

Deborah

[D'vorah]

Oh, Monty, you been white-knuckling it without fruit???? YUCK. You poor baby!!

I'd never do this if I had to choke it down.

I could water fast, but I'd never be able to keep just greens down.

Deborah

[debilana]

I am not sure going without fruit would even be a good idea. Too many greens can overwhelm the body in a healing response. You need the gentleness of the fruit. Just my opinion- I am no expert=)

Plus nothing beats straight up pineapple juice- except for my pineapple/farmers market berry of choice juice- pine/blackberry is amazing....


On day 7 here. Had a bit of a tumble last night, brushing myself off and moving on. Not quitting until I am at goal weight number one, which is halfway to my final goal weight. Feeling GREAT! :)

[Lady G]

thx D'vorah, what are you putting in your smoothy, what liquid are you using? I just finished a kale cucumber and spinach with a peach to kill the greeness It was ok I put it thru my milk bag to see how it would do. It made juice and turned my bag green =( I am now drinking water because... I feel deprived. this is my first day I want to at least get thru today. Am running out to the store and fill up on a few things to keep it going. Question? What is the differents in juicing watermelon an cantalope to eating it? Its all water.

[D'vorah]

Lady, I'm pretty simple in my choices. I never enjoyed cooking and don't care to make raw cumbersome and challenging in the kitchen. I tried gormet raw and it was just not so much fun working the recipes. I do like some recipes, but just don't care to be working in the kitchen. My smoothie combinations reflect that.

Here are some examples:

2 oranges, 2 celery stalks, half a head of romaine, two leaves of kale.

1 orange, one banana, a fist full of blue or black berries, turnip leaves, romain leaves, celery.

2-3 oranges and fists full of cilantro (cilantro is a natural chelator, and I'm mercury toxic, so sometimes I rather crave the stuff and just consume LOTS of it).

1 orange, 1 banana, pineapple, greens of choice (kale, chard, romaine, cilantro, turnip, mustart, spinach, dandilion leaves from the yard, brocolli leaves from the garden. . . you get the idea).

Banana, strawberries, greens of choice.

Peaches are coming in, those plus greens. I don't typically mix peach with other fruits, can't say why, just don't want it that way.

I'm allergic to cherries and plums, but those would do fine for someone else.

Frozen grapes are awesome for munching on when not fasting, they also work like ice cubes to cool my smoothie down. I'll add them to some of my mixtures, but rarely are grapes my base fruit. That's just me, no reason why.

I like watermelon, but don't usually use it in a smoothie. I should try that.

Savory Smoothie:

Two or three tomatoes depending upon size, 2/3 of a cucumber, celery, parsley, basil, a bit of fresh garlic (less than half a clove, or it makes the smoothie bite back). YUM!!

I don't think of it as using fruit to cut the greens, because I have desire for both. I start with the fruit that my body wants/needs and then decide what kind of greens my body wants/needs. I don't think it as much as I feel it. I don't plan too far ahead. If it sounds good to me, it will taste good to me. Greens actually taste quite yummy to me with my smoothies.

I add water as needed to get the smoothie to blend well and be drinkable. I don't have measurements.

There are probably hundreds of combinations out there that haven't crossed my mind. I just go with what looks, smells, feels good at the store and go from there.

Good luck!!

Deborah

[D'vorah]

PS - Lady, NEVER let yourself feel deprived. Think of the Thanksgiving cornucopia, a bounty of fruit, greens, veggies, overflowing goodness all just for you. Fill yourself up with your smoothies and if you need more, make another.

:-D

D

[Aleesha Sattva]

sorry... here's the link to the green smoothies:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=54452

definitely make your juices or smoothies taste yummy. that's the whole point here folks! yes you are fasting, but you don't have to fast from yummy taste as well (unless you choose to).

i agree... all greens would be waaaaay to much for 99.9% of the people out there (myself included).

start off with heaps of fruit and a little green... and slowly, very slowly increase your greens. honestly, there's nothing wrong with a fruit smoothie fast!

the difference between watermelon or cantaloupe juice or smoothie is the pulp. try putting one in a blender (remember the rind with the watermelon) and then put it into your nut mylk bag. you'll be surprised how much you get out of it!

;)
a juice fast is as little pulp as possible. very different from a smoothie fast which is all about the pulp.

just did an enormous clean on my kitchen. and i mean enormous! it's all ready for my new fridge to arrive... doesn't come till friday but i have a busy week before then so best to get ready today!

[Aleesha Sattva]

On day 7 here. Had a bit of a tumble last night, brushing myself off and moving on. Not quitting until I am at goal weight number one, which is halfway to my final goal weight. Feeling GREAT! :)

i love fasting with YOU! (((hugs)))

[montyloree]

Question regarding quantity of fruit and vegetables required..

Will I , after losing my 115 lbs require to juice less produce than I do now?
It seems like an obvious question, but I was hoping to hear from those who have lost a subtantial amount of weight... (Aleesha)

My logic is that it takes a certain amount to run the engine right now... I'm hoping that it will take less and less as I release the weight...

My family is questioning that I am burning through so much produce... my reply to them is... whatever it needs to take to get healthy!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

I used to drink way less juice than I do now. So I can't honestly tell you it takes less fuel... I can tell you though that what I used to eat when I was overweight... was crap compared to the health I now take in.

And fruit and veggies costs way less than crap SAD food.

[Aleesha Sattva]

just made a very nice light cool juice.

4 tomatoes - vine ripened
1 large cuke
1 garlic
1/2 lime
celery - 3 stalks

juiced them up, added in kelp powder and cayenne... a bit of smoked sea salt... it was delish and light. i'm hoping to give my body a break from all this 'exit' energy it's creating.

it was so nice juicing in my new juicing centre. i moved my knives, whisk, spices... everything over - including a new bamboo cutting board... so i don't have to go all over the kitchen to juice. it's all right there... neat and tidy.

what a treat that was!

i just had a super hot bath... not feeling light headed at all. i needed to soak my sore muscles from all that scrubbing i did on the cupboards today.

:D

[GoodCat]

Hello all...

Its been a busy..busy.. few days.

My husband did great at work and is still going strong. I went a helped a friend paint today and took my juices with me. It was great.

I'm going to be starting up school with the kiddos at the end of this week and our business is doing good and starting to take a little more time, but thats a good thing ;)

As for me.. I'm going to a modified fast/raw eating starting tomorrow. I'll be fasting most of the day. For us we really just can't afford the extra for two people fasting. I since I really want my husband to finish this and hopefully help him to continue down a more healthy path, I've decided to step back a little. But it won't be the end of me fasting. I'll always want to fast :cool:

Off to the bath...
Cathy :D

[montyloree]

Today was a good day fast wise.... I felt pretty good, and didn't feel like I was focussed on fasting the whole day, which was nice... I didn't feel starved the whole day.... which was a bonus... so hopefully this is some progress....

I did have to visit the bathroom every 10 minutes this evening... that's kind of annoying.... I'll take that if I'm making progress..

I'm glad everyone else had a good day! Cheers

[Aleesha Sattva]

cathy, i know you'll be back... my precious...

i've had a good day. very productive and i'm happy to be sipping on some coconut water right now... and relaxing. ahhhhh bliss!

[sidrah]

Canteloupe juice---with or without skin when you juice it?

Strawberry spinach juice this AM...not bad. I did add in a carrot and a lemon, but I usually add lemon to everything to freshen it up.

[Aleesha Sattva]

cantaloupe - without the skin. it makes the juice a little bit bitter with the skin. you can leave the seeds though.

;)

[D'vorah]

Awww. Cathy, just getting to know you, don't want to see you go.

Aleesha, can't we make room in this thread for modified fasters, so long as they only talk about the fast portion of their "diet"?

I'm holding strong on my fasting efforts, but discouraged by how much joint and body pain I'm still having. It's improved, and I'll take that with gobs of gratitude, but my pain level is still quite high at times. I'm considering adding pain relievers and anti-inflammatories back into my "diet."

Haven't made this morning's smoothie, not sure what it will be. I'm still into pineapple, with breaks for the lining of my mouth.

Looking out at more rain and wondering if I'll remember what the sun looks like if it ever decides to come back here.

D

[GoodCat]

Aww.. thanks Deborah!! Don't worry. I'm hard to get rid of ;) Aleesha won't mind me being around either.

I did have my first qt. water this morning and then some carrot/celery juice. I'm thinking of having some pineapple juice soon. It sounds sooooo good and it is anti-inflammatory too :rolleyes:

My husband is still doing good, but said he was a little sore between his shoulders today. He's thinking it detox and said he needs to do a little exercising.

Deborah.. you'll get there. Do what you have to and keep walking forward!

in Light,
Cathy :D

[montyloree]

Dear Fellow Fasters.

I feel like crap today..
I've lost 7 pounds since I began my juice fast 10 days ago... so that's good

I've had the runs for the last few days... emergency trips to the bathroom every 15 minutes....

Is there ANY way to stop the runs??!! It's becoming annoying already

UPDATE: I took 6 tables spoons of psyllium and water... it seems to have stopped the runs

[Aleesha Sattva]

monty what exactly are you consuming each day? it may be affecting your bowels.

deb, modified fasters are always in my threads... happens all the time - even i've done that myself a few times. we just talk about the juices and not the foods... no biggie. :) and cathy doesn't leave when she's not fasting. she sticks around... learns, shares and gets back to fasting soon enough!

why not add arnica to your morning and evening regime? i take 2 tablets and it's an anti-inflammatory and not a medication. so nice...

and... honestly deb... if you want quicker results, switch to juice (or water) and let go of the smoothies. the fibre/pulp IS slowing down your detox tremendously... so healing is slower. it's still fast (don't get me wrong) but compared to juice or water... it's like a snail in a race with an eagle!

just made myself some juice for dinner. my tummy is still not right. not sure why it's taking so long for it to heal... but it is. tomorrow i'm going to have a day of watermelon juice and see if that helps.

later gators... my juice is waiting!

oh i have to tell you something funny. i was at the market and i asked if they had any fresher fennel. she went off to find out and came out with three. i like the lofty tops included cause they juice up so nicely... so i grabbed the one with the longest tops on it.

i turned around to everyone in the market and announced (loudly) "I'd like to accept this award on behalf on all the fennel juicers out there!" Everyone broke out into hysterics. Then I grabbed a bunch of fresh dill, put it behind my ear and told them I was off to the mardi-gras.

LOL I crack myself up... *giggling*

[Aleesha Sattva]

wow this thread has been quiet today LOL

i'm home and my tummy was NOT happy today at all. so i kinda dry fasted for much of the day. a few tiny sips of water but mostly nothing at all. tonight i had a lovely soup/juice which was wonderful. my tummy hasn't been sad since i ate it so i'm pleased.

tomorrow i have a raw food client coming to my home. that's nice... most of my clients are all over the world and over the phone because of that, so it's cool to have the chance to meet face to face. :)

very very very excited about my fridge arriving in two days. actually, in two days... it'll be full of food in my kitchen~!!!

oh and i bought paint for my kitchen cupboards today. i'll never spend that much time scrubbing them again. the paint we used was horrid... absolutely horrid to keep clean. so now it'll be purple and shiny (better to clean)... i'm happy about this. i'll start painting on friday morning if it's not raining outside, since that's where i'll be painting the cupboard doors.

[GoodCat]

I was cleaning all day today as well. I scrubbed my kitchen from head to toe and it looks so nice now.

Its funny. All I wanted all day today was juices. The foods didn't sound good to me at all. So when my hubby got home I juiced him some green lemonade for dinner and pineapple to take with him tomorrow, but I had to juice myself some too. Ohhhhhh... yeah.... it was sooooooo gooooood!! I love juices!!:cool:

You know... last night my tummy was really not well either. Shall we say butt pee... for over 2 hours!! I just kept thinking... "Where is this stuff coming from?" And then I was wondering if I was going to get to go to sleep because if I wasn't quick, there could be a mess :p But it stopped around 11:00 and I went to sleep.

Anyway... I hope everyones "ill feelings" get better soon. And Aleesha.. congrats again on the frig. and maybe you can take a picture of your kitchen once you get those cubboards painted!!

Cathy :D

[montyloree]

Aleesha... i'll do some testing on what i'm eating...
as mentioned the psyllium seemed to quiet my stomach...

Cathy.. I had the same problem last night... I had to wait a while before I went to bed.

I think you need to dedicate the first juice fast to being kind of like an R&D juice fast... figuring out what works by trial and fire. :)

Have a great evening all!

[Aleesha Sattva]

Take a moment and read this page (http://www.juicefeasting.com/JuiceFeastingSpectrumIntro/JuiceFeastingQuestionAnswer/tabid/186/Default.aspx). Lots of good info on it.

My butt pee has started up again. I guess my body is cleansing... as that's what I took from the info I just read and reread (at the bottom of the page I linked to).

So I'm going to relax about it and just allow my body to do what it needs doing. I think the cabbage leaves took me to a deeper level of cleansing... and my body isn't done yet. I may want to be done... but it's not done!

I also believe this because... I always notice a strong desire to clean when my body is cleansing... and I am the cleaning Queen this week!

Cathy, it sounds to me like you aren't ready to stop fasting yet. Any chance of you perhaps just drinking less and letting him have a bigger portion but you still fasting?

I support you however you proceed... you know that! (((hugs)))

[D'vorah]

Bahahahaa, the fennel queen with purple cabinets! I love it (purple's my color, but hubby wouldn't live with purple cabinets).

Yanno, I have considered switching to something different. I can't do water, I'm just too busy. I've considered Master Cleanser, that's easy enough. I don't own a juicer and I'm not sure I want to invest in one and learn how to use it. Physiologically speaking, how does the fiber slow detox down? What's the mechanism?

I guess I AM detoxing some, because my pain level has lessened, but just reached a plateau. One really good sign - the brown spots on the backs of my hands are amost GONE! Most have completely faded out!!! I was shocked to notice that today. Now I keep looking at my hands. :D

Congrats on all y'all today!

Deborah

[GoodCat]

That was an interesting read. Thanks Aleesha. So much to learn.

I do feel like I should still be fasting. I'm kind of bummed that I ate today at all. But, I am thinking I just need to keep doing this until I feel I can't . Hopefully I'll be okay with less juices for a little while. We'll see.

I'm off to bed.. So sleepy tonight.

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

deb, read that link i posted. it'll answer your question about what the difference between green smoothies and fasting on juice. ;)

cathy... i'm sending you the biggest hug while you sleep... i hope you feel it!

love is in the air and my heart is just singing with love... i am in the ZONE and feeling it. ahhhhh

[debilana]

Aleesha, do you take all the supplements he recommends on that site?

Which, btw, is a rocking site. I just , today, after thinking I had read everything there, found these free sheets to printout and chart my progress.
http://www.juicefeasting.com/JuiceFeastingSpectrumIntro/KeepingTrack/tabid/185/Default.aspx
Where are you getting kelp powder?

[Aleesha Sattva]

i don't take supplements. i do add kelp powder (from the local health food store), dulse powder (new as of today), sometimes i add spirulina or chlorella but it's not often and i tend to go on something for a bit and then stop. i just see if my body reminds me to use it... if it does then i use it. if it doesn't then i don't.

[Aleesha Sattva]

another lovely link (http://www.freedomyou.com/fasting_book/juice%20fasting.htm)

[sidrah]

My whole life, whenever any of us had diarrhea, we ate apples.

That was what we were told and it worked. So, maybe juicing apples? Not sure if it was the apple or the juice, but it can't hurt to try.

Gonna make pineapple strawberry juice to take in today. Kids will return to school Monday and Thur nt (tonight) is Open House for Parents....I want summer back!

[GoodCat]

Good Morning....

Thank you for that hug Aleesha. I needed it :). You know, its been very hard this past week. Not so much with fasting, I love the juices, but emotionally and spiritually. I have/was fighting some depression and just a sadness. Its hard to explain. I think thats one of the reasons I thought maybe I just wouldn't fast right now. But my body told me yesterday, loud and clear, that it does not want me eating yet. So I'm back to fasting :o. I'll make it work some how.

So... having my first qt. of water for the day today with a splash of lime juice. I really enjoyed my pineapple juice last night, so I'm thinking more pineapple today for sure.

My husband is off today and I'm continuing some deep house cleaning. Then we start school tomorrow. It will be a fun "First Day of School" around here. The children are always so excited to get their new stuff and we play games and such. It will be a good day!

Well.... see you around second breakfast ;)

Cathy :D

[montyloree]

Aleesha.. as always your link was perfect advice... those guys have years of experience in juice feasting.. and YES they do recommend psyllium to settle the stomach... that's a relief....

I read through the whole thing and it made perfect sense... (I guess it makes much more sense after juice fasting for 10 days!!)

As I expected.. we'll have more questions than answers on the first juice feast...

It's a cool day here... time for my walk...

Have a great day all!!

[D'vorah]

Oh, Cathy, sorry you're struggling with sadness. I get it.

It's been raining here 24/7 for over three weeks with only occassional breaks, I'm not getting out in sun like I need, and I don't want to fast today. I want to sit in my favorite restaurant, with my favorite SAD breakfast and favorite SAD hot beverage. Not because I'm really craving the food either. That's the environmental part of food addiction. It's about geography, social surroundings, sights, sounds, all wrapped up in SAD flavors.

That's not as hard to let pass as an actual craving. Cravings are like a ball and chain. This is like the memory of a good friend and a good time.

Not sure what's going in my morning smoothie today. Fridge is getting low on some supplies. I sense another run to the store for pineapple coming on . . .

D

[Aleesha Sattva]

i picked up a pineapple yesterday... i may juice it today along with the watermelon that needs juicing. i need to get it done before my raw food client comes over. of course, i have other things to get done as well so sitting on the computer is not in the cards for me.

but... i have to check on my fellow fasters and delete the spammers here ;)

monty, that's why i suggest you read the threads in the fasting section and read info from other sites. knowledge is the key to healthy happy fasting. it really is. once you know that your feelings, symptoms etc are not unique you can overcome them (or at least accept them better).

i really dislike spoon feeding people info. i prefer for them to learn like i did... research research research. of course i never mind answering a question or twelve LOL

deb, did you have a change to read that link? lots of good info for you in it.

sid, i use apple juice to move my bowels... not sure it would help with loose ones, but who knows. we won't know till we try it out! any volunteers? *giggling*

cathy, we don't start school until the weather changes. we don't homeschool on nice days or during nice weather. i prefer for them to get outside and play as much as possible so depending on the weather... we may not officially begin till november. but honestly, my daughter can never wait. she's already started some art projects LOL she has 8 or 9 ready to begin and she's reading a book (which i'm pleased about)... as this is part of her 'starting homeschooling again' here.

so i guess... even though i don't start them... she's already begun LOL guess i better get onboard eh? *giggling* i love how self-starting homeschoolers are!

[D'vorah]

Yes, Aleesha, I did read the link. Lots of great information, and answered my questions. Thanks!

I'm on the fence about going more deep into the fasting rabbit hole. Not sure I WANT to have a more rapid detox, because it also might be a more harsh detox. Could be good to get it done, though. Still pondering, still open. Then there's the "I don't own a juicer" issue. And I'm a fan of fiber, hee hee. I guess it really comes down to fear that I won't have enough energy to function and I'll have too rapid and harsh a detox. I wish I could take the time to go to some fasting retreat place where you lounge around for two weeks to a month. . .

Need to review, as the temptors are knocking at my door. . . .

12 days in

Pounds released: 11

Positive changes:
- Decrease in pain by maybe half (some days more, some days less)
- Brown spots on the backs of my hands have faded (still visible, but much lighter)
- Rough skin on shoulders gone
- Face is smoother, less bloated looking
- Navigating restaurants and social settings well
- Feeling proud of my successes

Things I'm still targeting:
- more decreases in pain level
- relief of sinus congestion
- decrease in mucus
- now that I feel a bit better, I need to re-introduce exercise into my lifestyle

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

Deb, it sounds like you are making some really great strides with this green smoothie feast... I was unaware that your pain is cut in half! That's pretty friggin' substantial considering you haven't even fasted for TWO WEEKS! Think about it for a moment... most medications take time to kick in fully and your feast has brought you some major changes (in my opinion).

I'd love for you to make a list of the changes and post it on your mirror. Look at those changes... add to them as new things come to you. Cause honestly... from what I've taken from your posts... there wasn't all that much happening and you wanted/needed more. But that's some major stuff you just listed!

Congrats!!! http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x87/recyclinggoddess/smiley_abxb.gif

[AllergyGirl]

I've been struggling with a long, painful, miserable menstrual cycle for a week now, and my body just feels sad and down and is begging for relief. I haven't had much luck with fasting, because I always aim high and say "oh yeah I'm going to do this for 10 days (or whatever)" and then I make it a few days and stop. But I need to do something for myself and my poor body, so I'm just going to stop pushing and just let it tell me what we're doing. So here's to day 1, of a 'taking-it-slowly-and-day-by-day-healing-and-rejuvenating-juice-and-green-smoothie-fast'.

I've decided to do juice and smoothies, mainly because I can't bear to see the greens in my fridge go to waste, and because I'm rather limited financially right now, so I may as well use as much of what I've got as I can. Also, my juicer really doesn't handle greens well, yet I feel like I want them, so smoothies it is I suppose.

Might not be much of a 'fast', but I hope it will be healing nonetheless. I drank down about 25 ounces of water, and am working on some cantaloupe juice now, but my body really feels like it just wants water, so I may finish this bit of juice that's in my glass and just water myself for a while. The rest of the juice can go hang out in the fridge and talk to the greens. :P

[D'vorah]

Thanks for the encouragement, Aleesha!

I mentioned in an earlier post that my pain was cut in half. It's just at a plateau. Both things are true, I've had substatial changes AND I want/need more (I started with a high level of pain).

If my words on screen sound like I'm not grateful, not aware of the goods, or discouraged, no, those aren't true. I'm very aware, very glad and hopeful for more and not discouraged. Just not satisfied yet and want to see more improvements. I do still have issues pending and I want to see the plateau drop.

Staying the course may accomplish that. Or switching to juices might be what I need. I don't know. Sitting on a fence and enjoying the view.

It's all good.

Thanks!!

:)

[Aleesha Sattva]

deb... you are loved! deeply and gratefully... (((hugs))) i didn't think you were ungrateful i just didn't realize you had achieved so much beautiful healing! i was remiss... you were not. ;)

allergy, nice to see you again. take a breath and know... you only to fast in THIS MOMENT. next month doesn't exist, neither does tomorrow. so... for right now... you fast. ;)

and as you can see by deb's gorgeous results so far... a green smoothie feast is VERY healing and cleansing. :)

i juiced up an entire watermelon with strawberries, mints and even some grapes. i'm going to serve some to my raw food client this afternoon along with some fresh grapes and cherries. i'd love to juice some cherries but pitting them takes forever and i'm not that into juicing them to do all the work needed LOL

I love this... let's all share what we've noticed so far in our fasts...

so today is day 54 for me... and i've released 22 pounds. i feel amazing. i have so much energy. my mind is clear and focused. my tummy didn't hurt after drinking my juice today so that pleases me gratefully.

my skin is clear (but it always is now that i'm raw) and my blood work was obviously PERFECT or i would have heard from my doctor by now. i'm still taking arnica twice a day as an anti-inflammatory (per my doctors suggestion) and it's helping me tremendously. not nearly as much back pain or leg pain anymore.

[D'vorah]

54 days. You are an inspiration!!

You weren't remiss, it's just not easy to read tone on a computer screen.

Happy fasting, all!

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

i have so much energy i want to dance around the room!!! my bathroom is spotless! my kitchen is as well. i even painted my toes and fingernails LOL sparkles on my fingers and white on my toes.

my client should be here in an hour and i'm soooo ready for her. :D

can you all tell i'm in a great mood?

[GoodCat]

Wow... my days are starting to get fuller and lots to do, but we are staying the course.

I made lots of juices for my husband for tomorrow at work and I'll make myself some later.

Off to the bath again,

Cathy:D

[Aleesha Sattva]

Wow what a busy day I've had today. *whew* I finally got to relax in this moment.

My dinner juice was sweet yet spicy. I was telling my hubby that... if I wasn't fasting this would be considered absolutely horrid... but because I'm fasting, I'm sitting here lovin' this juice.

Ah, how I change what I'll consume while fasting. LOL I really want some pineapple juice and just asked my hubby how much I'd have to pay him to go make me some. hahahahaha

I'll settle for watermelon that already made in the fridge!

Speaking of fridges... anyone know what day it is tomorrow?

[AllergyGirl]

Speaking of fridges... anyone know what day it is tomorrow?

Fridgie #2 day!

[Aleesha Sattva]

nope... fridgie number THREE day!!!

[AllergyGirl]

Triplets! :D
You must be so proud!!!

So hmm...let's see...water, cantaloupe juice, water, water, carrot/apple juice, some weird watered down smoothie garbage, water, water, more water, veggie smoothie thingie for dinner, followed by more water and a tear jerker of a movie. My ovaries still feel like they've been tied in knots, but I survived the day! :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

Ah good for you!!! I'm soooo pleased for ya.

Yes, they aren't identical triplets though. One is white, two are black and one has a freezer on the bottom!

[AllergyGirl]

Yes, they aren't identical triplets though. One is white, two are black and one has a freezer on the bottom!

LOL We won't tell anybody that they're all brothers with different fathers. ;)
It'll be our little secret!

Yeah it's been a good day all in all. I've really been struggling with some things, but now it's late, and I'm getting sleepier, and I think some of the fight (struggle) is going out of me, which is probably a good thing. I don't know why fasting is so hard for me - y'all make it sound so easy, but it's truly difficult for me.

[Aleesha Sattva]

It's not easy. It takes commitment and focus (and sometimes a lack of focus on things...)

Trust me... it's not easy. I think about eating every day... I simply choose not to.

[AllergyGirl]

Trust me... it's not easy. I think about eating every day... I simply choose not to.

That right there may help - just knowing that even you struggle with it might be enough to help me keep that focus. I've really fought with hunger today, even though I have been drinking (and peeing!) nonstop all day. Even now I feel hungry, although I shouldn't, but I suppose I should have some more juice before bed. Heck, if it's so hot that I can't sleep anyway, I might as well be up peeing all night, right? :P

[Aleesha Sattva]

might as well!!!

I'm off to bed... and yes, please know... fasting is a struggle... it's just part of fasting. If it was easy... that would be lovely. But alas, it isn't. It brings so much into your life. You feel like you can do ANYthing after doing a nice fast. Really empowering!

[AllergyGirl]

Sleep well, Aleesha. And thank you!

[Aleesha Sattva]

(((hugs))) sleep well!

[montyloree]

Day #12...

Yesterday my energy perked up nicely... I actually started to feel like I wanted to get back to work in my business... I haven't felt like that for 5 or so years!!
I've been grinding away in my business, but it's been a chore.

I set as a project to get my class 1a drivers license... I might do some driving...
I got my class 1a learners license yesterday.... which I attribute to raw foods and juicing!! My energy level came up enough that I could sit and read and memorize trucks & air brakes and buses.... !! Woohoo raw foods!!

I am starting to understand renewal of the body, and the fact that we CAN start to feel better, and not have to live like zombies.. (speaking for myself)
That is VERY encouraging..

Agreed about having to focus on fasting each day. I can tell that I'm fasting each day.. but the benefits are pretty solid. I can see myself doing 30 or more days of this..

As I'm studying weight loss, people are describing it as releasing the weight... which is comprised of toxins, water, fat, etc... So... when I weighed 300 lbs, I had 135 lbs of toxins, water & fat in me.. That makes me pretty motivated to release it!!

Have a great day all! Cheers

[GoodCat]

Good Morning,

I'm drinking my first qt. of water for the day with a splash of lime juice. It really is a good way to start the day.

I have not felt "well" this fast, but I'm determined now to stay steady and let my body do the healing it needs. I'm praying my body, mind, spirit will start feeling better soon.

I'm agreeing with others that its not always easy fasting. Its a choice we make each day, but it has some wonderful rewards!! When I first started out I couldn't do even one day, but I didn't give up. I still remember the first time I did one day!! I was so proud of myself. And it gave the boost to try two days. And I worked up to fasting 28 days in June. Now I'm seriously wanting to do a 92 day fast, but mentally I'm still preparing myself. I'm not sure when I'll do it, but I really want to, and thats the beginning ;)

Aleesha... your new arrival comes today! Congrats. Please take pictures :)

monty... I'm so glad you are doing well. I'm with you.... I love how fasting and raw living changes our lives for the better!!

Well.. today we start school and my kiddos are hovering around me wanting to get things going, so I better go grab and shower and start the day :cool:

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

I'm up and ready to answer the knock on the door - that is if I don't go running out onto the street to greet the delivery guys myself LOL

I got no sleep last night. My toilet runs went very late into the night. Not sure why... but they did. Oh well... better out than in!

I contemplated briefly last night, taking something to stop this butt pee from happening but since this isn't my first fast... I know (without question) that this too shall pass (like the diamond ring through the dog {as my Mom always said when she was alive}).

I take my body and health a little different than some. I prefer to simply allow. I figure my body knows what it's doing. It's gifting me this experience to learn something, not only about myself but also about fasting. The more life experience I get, the more I can assist my clients and friends and that means a great deal to me.

So... I'll continue to experience this until it runs it's course.

I have a bit of watermelon left from yesterday, so I'll finish that off before making any other juices. I'm BEYOND excited to get my new fridge set up and my other fridges less full. It's so hard for them to work properly when they are stuffed full with little air circulation. I know for them... it's like I'm giving them a breath of fresh air! (Ya I know they aren't real... just a vital piece of equipment) (((hugs my fridges)))

Today - as long as it doesn't rain - I'll be painting the cupboard doors in my kitchen and my hubby will be installing my new 27"x22" deep cutting board! Oh ya... now that's a nice sized board!!!

Monty, congrats on 12 days... it's be two weeks in no time!

Cathy... here's some mega hugs from my heart to yours (((hugs))).

[nadien alexandra]

wow.

so excited to see you fasters still paying so much respect to your bodies.

I have been traveling for almost 2 months now. hitchhiking around canada, picking fruit now in the okanagan. I'm a raw fruit picker and just by doing what I do, have inspired people. People ask questions, and I give them gentle kind responses.
I have been fasting as well. spent a few days in a forest outside of New Denver by a beautiful creek fasting. sat meditating by the side of the creek, letting the water wash away my thoughts, my old body.

I have embraced a whole new one. I feel new.

fasting has changed my life, and Aleesha, I was reading a few pages back, you mentioning that some people here even judge you for fasting so much but the truth is, you know your body, and this is what it likes. What's wrong with that?

Charaka says "Man is the epitome of the universe. Within man, there is as much diversity as in the world outside. Similarly, the outside world is as diverse as human beings themselves" In other words, all human beings are a microcosm of the universe and the universe a macrocosm of the human body. We are all unique universes and must learn what keeps our personal universe in balance and harmony. it is different for everyone.

For me, I need to be totally raw. I need to fast often. I feel the same thing. I feel so light and in harmony and my brain functions better, i articulate my thoughts better to my self and to others.

Just stopped in to say I have been in on the fasting this august, but only periodically. 3 days at a time. 1 day at a time. Must keep my energy up for fruit picking, and no juicer out here in the trees. :)

My blessings to all of you. good luck on your personal fasting journies.

[D'vorah]

Tried to drop in last night to post but couldn't get the pages to load.

I had a hard time keeping up with fluids yesterday, it was like, I need it, but couldn't take it in. Bizzarre.

I feel like crap this morning, and it may be because of that. I did keep making myself sip, sip, sip, but the sun finally broke through and I was out in it working in the yard, too.

Maybe it's a healing crisis too, who knows. I just feel yucky all over. Ears ringing loudly, nasty spasm in the front of my neck, no energy, sort of a sick feeling. . .

Whine, whine, whine. . .

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

deb... it's detox. welcome it! all those toxins are leaving your body! yip yip yippppppppeeeee.

okay... my fridge is here!!! it's here it's here it's here. the first coat of paint is on the cupboards and i'm waiting for them to dry and then i'll do another coat. i also need to call a raw food client today. i'll do that after another coat of paint.

nadien, i hear ya. i can tell you are in a zone... just by what you've written and the energy within it. i live near the okanagan... not in but close to it. a mere hours away. ;) *reaching out my hand to touch yours*

perhaps i've juiced some fruit you've picked!

[AllergyGirl]

Do we get to see the purple cabinets when they're done? AND the new baby?!

I feel great today - that heavy, bloated feeling from yesterday is gone. I'm still dealing with hunger issues, and this masstive hotness in the air, but my attitude is better today. Just came back from a long walk, then a trip to the library, and now it's time to find myself something cold to drink and curl up with a good book for a bit. :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh yes you do!!!

ahhh a good book. i have a few new ones to enjoy!

off to code more of the magazine... and then paint!

[D'vorah]

Feeling a little better after sipping morning smoothie. Spasm in my neck is nasty, though.

Congrats on the new fridge and I do want to see the lovely purple cabinets!

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

i'll upload a few sneak peeks at my kitchen!!! second coat is finished of one side of the cabinets. they need to dry completely so i can turn them over... so... it'll be a few hours before i can continue.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Okay... here they are! Not great pics... but it gives you a taste for what's to come!

[GoodCat]

Oooooooo... I love the purple! How fun!!

School went well today, and we even made it to the library. Tonight we are having a movie night and eating dinner in the living room. I will make myself a really big bowl of tomato/veggie juice to enjoy during the movie!!

Aleesha... thank you so much for the ((hugs))... I really can use them :)

Deborah... detox usually doesn't last that long (it comes in waves). So hopefully you'll be feeling better soon.

Cathy :D

[AllergyGirl]

Wow those look amazing, Aleesha! Nice and eggplanty...kinda. Loving the new fridgie too - he's all clean and shiny! :D

[D'vorah]

NIce work, Aleesha!

Deborah

[LornaG]

Hello

I know the August thread has been going for a week, but may I join?

I have been juicing and drinking smoothies on and off for about 5 years but have never taken it seriously.

I find myself in pain emotionally and physically and feel that juicing is the way forward.

I am starting my juicing journey today (Saturday) and feel I am finally ready....

:D:D:D

[AllergyGirl]

Yes of course you can join at any time - welcome! Some of them seem to always be here and be fasting. Others (like myself) wander in and out... :P

[Aleesha Sattva]

we love having more friends to fast with! so yes... please join us!!!

okay, got my call in to my raw food client. got another coat of paint on the cabinets. oh man this is going to take all night. my call was longer than i expected but that's okay. i loved chatting with her. (((hugs)))

i have found a problem though. i can't make juice tonight. my kitchen is covered in wet cabinets... i have no where to make juice. thank the Goddess for young coconuts!!! so can you guess what i'm having for dinner?

giggling...

i love this purple. it's so alive, awake and fun! i love fun colours... heck i just love colour. as you can tell from my kitchen... there's cobalt blue, red, bright yellow and now... purple! :) i'm leaving some cabinets yellow and making some purple. i've decided i don't wanna lose all the yellow so i'll get some new yellow paint and freshen them up!

[GoodCat]

OHhh... I bought some coconuts for me and my hubby for this Sunday. We are taking the children hiking again and I thought they would be wonderful on a hike.

Okay.. this is a little warning for those experiencing butt pee.... if you feel like you have to fart....please make sure you are on the toilet :eek:

Cathy:D

[Aleesha Sattva]

I hear ya Cathy... I haven't DARED fart without a toilet below my butt for days now!

Good news though... since I haven't been able to make juice today, my tummy/digestion is getting a nice break. (although as I type this... I feel the usual butt pee ready to flow...)

Gotta run!

[Aleesha Sattva]

false alarm!

[GoodCat]

LOL.... You know... I didn't have these many issues with butt pee that last time I fasted. Interesting how our bodies work.

Well... I made my hubby some green lemonade for work tomorrow (he also has some carrot/celery), and I made myself some pineapple apple. I'll be taking the kiddos garage selling and then shopping. Fun day!

nadian... it was so great seeing you on here. I love your energy. I wish I had known more when I was younger!! Great job!

Off to the bath..

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

i've never had so much butt pee cathy. ever.

but to be honest... i'll take this over not releasing my bowels any day!

have fun tomorrow cathy.

i'm off to bed... night all. (((hugs)))

[LornaG]

Morning everyone

I have made a litre of carrots,apple,celery and cucumber, and this afternoon I am thinking about making some sort of fruit smoothie in the blender but will have to trawl through some recipes and then pop to the market.

Where I live there is a market that sells fruit and vegetable for £1 a bowl. There not as good as the produce you get in the Supermarket, but as long as you use them up within 2 days its normally opkay.

Cathy - What is Green lemonade please?

Does anyone know of some great juices/smoothies recipes for someone with really bad PMT? :(

Thank you so much :D:D

[AllergyGirl]

What's PMT?

[LornaG]

Sorry - I thought it was a common term means - Pre-menstrual tension :)

[GoodCat]

Good Morning...

Sippiing on my water with lime juice. It looks like its going to be a beautiful day. I pray my spirit and emotions mimic the day ;)

lorna.. green lemonade is... one head of romaine lettuce, one lemon, a piece of ginger, two apples, and sometimes we put in a cucumber. You juice them together and its soooo yummy (at least to some of us ;)).

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

yes... it is to some of us. other's of us... think that precious is not so precious. *spit it out... out I say* "theys trying to killz us precious... theys is... i knows theys is"

*rolling on the floor grabbing at our necks*

i went to bed early last night and had some weird dreams. ah fasting dreams... so odd. i'll be putting my kitchen back together today... and then putting the new cutting board in place (i hope)... and since i'll have access to my juicers, i'll definitely be doing some juicing.

it was so funny last night. i was all dramatic (in my head) about how i was missing out on supper... and it wasn't fair/right. i should get my supper. at one point i stopped and just started to giggle. i'm fasting for goodness sake. i don't get supper... and yet... missing out on my tomato juice was like this big drama/torture.

so i got in the car with my hubby and went to starbucks and got myself an iced tea. i figured that way i was at least having dessert. LOL

good news is... i released a little weight yesterday... so i guess it was worth missing supper for. ;) i'm just under 2 pounds away from my mini-goal weight. after this, i have no goal for myself. this is just the weight i like to be - so i'm pleased.

of course, at the rate that i release weight when fasting... that could take me another month to accomplish LOL

oh and... *drum roll please*... this is week eight for me today. 56 days of fasting. not a single smidge of a cheat the entire time. i'm extremely pleased with myself. i knew something amazing was coming for week eight. i just knew it and i believe it's this new state of being that my hubby and i are in. fixing up the house. rearranging things... keeping things in order. it's so nice to be living this way. i'm happy for it to stay now. ;)

*tosses confetti in the air* week eight week eight week eight!!!

[GoodCat]

Wow Aleesha... Congrats on eight weeks!!! How amazing. You are such an encouragement to all of us!!
Have fun puttin your kitchen together and enjoying the beauty of it all!!

And I would never try to kilz you precious... *giggle*

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

You did... you did... you putz it in our juicer and you madz us drinkz it and it was poisin!

*giggling*

I am patiently waiting for my hubby to wake up so I can put the kitchen back together. Screw drivers and I are not friends. LOL

And thanks Cathy. I am so enjoying this fast. Each and every day. Honestly it doesn't feel like 8 weeks. This fast is really timeless to be honest. (((OHHHHMMMMMMM)))

[AllergyGirl]

Sorry - I thought it was a common term means - Pre-menstrual tension :)

Ah - I thought that might have been what you meant. In the US we call it PMS, so I didn't want to jump to any wrong conclusions. :P

I just suffered through over a week of that hell myself, and some of the things that helped me were tons of water, grapefruit juice, cantaloupe juice, carrot/apple juice, green smoothie (peaches, pears, bananas, lots of spinach, water), and a veggie smoothie thing (tomatoes, celery, cucumber, zucchini, red bell pepper, water, garlic).

I also have a juicing book that lists things that may help with certain problems, and under PMS it lists two different juices that you might want to try.

PMP Cocktail
5 ounces celery juice
2 ounces kale or collard greens juice
2 ounces alfalfa sprouts juice
2 ounces spinach juice
1 ounce wheat grass juice
1 ounce lemon juice
1 teaspoon spirulina powder (optional)

"These foods are our highest dietary sources of calcium and magnesium - minerals that are crucial to maintaining the health and balance of your nerve and alleviating irritability, fatigue, depression, carbohydrate cravings, and edema. Celery and lemon are diuretics, and alfalfa sprouts are some of our best sources of dietary phytoestrogens. This all-green PMS cocktail will have a powerfully quieting influence on your nervous system. Sip it slowly and sit down and relax."

Now I don't know about you, but this all green juice would be really difficult for me to get down. I think if it was me, I'd add something to it such as apple, to make it more palatable.

The other juice it suggests for PMS is watermelon juice (juice both the red part and the rind) because it's nutritious as well as a diuretic. It suggests not drinking more than 6 ounces at a time though, as it said too much of it *may* cause bloating rather than helping it. I've never gotten bloated from drinking a lot of it, but I didn't drink it while struggling with PMS either.

My other juicing boots has a lot of suggestions for PMS - drop me a note if you want more details about what this one recommends (I don't want to clutter this up too much if nobody else wants to sift through this).

[Aleesha Sattva]

my kitchen is done... i'm going to make a thread (or add to an existing one... )

edited to add link:

http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=61188

[LornaG]

Thanks Allergy Girl :)

I think thats enough to be getting on with, as I have used up my food budget for the week.

I am going to make the vegetable smoothie you mentioned. Do you put everything in the blender and then water it down?

[LornaG]

Good Morning...

Sippiing on my water with lime juice. It looks like its going to be a beautiful day. I pray my spirit and emotions mimic the day ;)

lorna.. green lemonade is... one head of romaine lettuce, one lemon, a piece of ginger, two apples, and sometimes we put in a cucumber. You juice them together and its soooo yummy (at least to some of us ;)).

Cathy :D

Thanks Cat

This sounds lovely, in England I think we call Romaine lettuce Cos.

For the next 6 days I will mix this one up with some of the suggestions Allergygirl posted.

[LornaG]

yes... it is to some of us. other's of us... think that precious is not so precious. *spit it out... out I say* "theys trying to killz us precious... theys is... i knows theys is"

*rolling on the floor grabbing at our necks*

i went to bed early last night and had some weird dreams. ah fasting dreams... so odd. i'll be putting my kitchen back together today... and then putting the new cutting board in place (i hope)... and since i'll have access to my juicers, i'll definitely be doing some juicing.

it was so funny last night. i was all dramatic (in my head) about how i was missing out on supper... and it wasn't fair/right. i should get my supper. at one point i stopped and just started to giggle. i'm fasting for goodness sake. i don't get supper... and yet... missing out on my tomato juice was like this big drama/torture.

so i got in the car with my hubby and went to starbucks and got myself an iced tea. i figured that way i was at least having dessert. LOL

good news is... i released a little weight yesterday... so i guess it was worth missing supper for. ;) i'm just under 2 pounds away from my mini-goal weight. after this, i have no goal for myself. this is just the weight i like to be - so i'm pleased.

of course, at the rate that i release weight when fasting... that could take me another month to accomplish LOL

oh and... *drum roll please*... this is week eight for me today. 56 days of fasting. not a single smidge of a cheat the entire time. i'm extremely pleased with myself. i knew something amazing was coming for week eight. i just knew it and i believe it's this new state of being that my hubby and i are in. fixing up the house. rearranging things... keeping things in order. it's so nice to be living this way. i'm happy for it to stay now. ;)

*tosses confetti in the air* week eight week eight week eight!!!

Aleesha - I love reading about your accomplishments, you make me think that it is attainable to have perfect health AND feel as though you are not missing out on anything.

Congratulations!:)

[Aleesha Sattva]

it is lorna... it is! ;) you can do it... just take it one moment at a time. don't look at the future... just focus on now. cause now is easy... next month is overwhelming...

[D'vorah]

Good to see y'all here today!

Today marks the end of two weeks. I'm proud. :D

My daughter came in last night in the wee hours, so I'm functioning on less than optimal sleep. All day I've had intrusive thoughts of going out and indulging in SAD with her. Being tired, and having a meeting at the hospital today left me longing for the days when I could duck into Starbucks. . . .

I may allow myself a fasting holiday tomorrow. One splurge every decade of weight seems reasonable to me. Or at least giving myself permission to if I decide I want it. Doesn't mean I have to, doesn't mean I will, but keeps me from the "I can never, ever, ever again have_____) mentality that would make this a prison sentence rather than a lovely spring day in a beautiful green medow bordered with fruit trees of every ilk. :)

I've gotten a ton done this week around the house and in the gardens. Problem is, there were TWO tons that needed to get done. I'm encouraged, but still feel behind the eight ball. Construction put me behind inside, weeks of non-stop rain put me behind outside. Got to go get stuff done!!!

Now, where'd I set that green smoothy down???

Deborah

[Aleesha Sattva]

it's on your left deb!

i'm off to make dinner juice... later folks!!!

oh that'll be in my newly painted kitchen by the way! *giggling*

[Aleesha Sattva]

mmm just made a gorgeous tomato blend.

tomatoes
red peppers
red onion
spicy garlic
celery
fennel
dill
kale
beet greens
ginger
spicy curry (a new blend), kelp powder, dulse powder, spirulina, cayenne and cumin. oh and some smoked sea salt.

mmm mmmm delish!

[AllergyGirl]

Lorna, I put 2 cups of water into the vita mix with the veggies, and blend. If it's super thick I'll add more water at the end, but I always start with 2 cups.

[Aleesha Sattva]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh I had the best day today. A really really great day.

Happy fasting everyone!!! And remember... if your head is in it... then you can do anything. If your head isn't in it, it's against you. So... get your head in it!!!

[LornaG]

Morning everyone

I have had a lovely concoction of carrots,apples,celery and cucumber with a clove of garlic.

How many cloves of garlic can I put in my juices a day? I have read that garlic is good for getting worms out of you, but I don't want to walk around smelling of bulbs of garlic!!

[montyloree]

hmm...it's probably a taste thing as far as the garlic goes...
I juiced a jalapeno which almost caused a fire in my mouth..
I juiced and onion and drank it straight.. that was an experience...
I juice some garlic and drank it straight... i burnt my mouth...

obviously if you're mixing these with other juices they'll be better... but the flavor is concentrated nonetheless

[Aleesha Sattva]

one clove a day will do the trick for parasites... but you can certainly do one in every juice if you want to. you will begin to smell though LOL

i do one a day.

i'm taking the day off today. i'm going to sit around and do as little of anything as humanly possible.

cantaloupe juice is waiting for me in the fridge... mmmm mmmm goooood!

[D'vorah]

The sun is shining!!! For the first day in nearly a month the sun is shining and it's not raining!!!!!!!!!

:::::snoopy dance:::::

[AllergyGirl]

The sun is shining!!! For the first day in nearly a month the sun is shining and it's not raining!!!!!!!!!

:::::snoopy dance:::::

LOL That is because you sent the rain to us. :P
I'm glad for a break from the heat actually - thank you!

[Aleesha Sattva]

I am happy to report that the mystery of what's been causing my butt pee has been solved. If this falls under the classification of 'too much information' for you... sorry but this is important stuff in the life of this faster!

I didn't do greens for a couple of days and tonight I had them again and ... butt pee is back! So, now I know two things:

1) If I'm going out after supper - don't juice greens.
2) If I'm feeling a little constipated while fasting and I want to get things moving... juice some greens!

Honestly, butt pee is part of fasting. It just is. I don't know why... I just know that almost everyone who fasts gets it at some point in their fast. It lasts for as long as it lasts. No real rhyme or reason... hence why I'm so thrilled to have figured this out!

I took the day off from everything today. Just sat with my feet up. It's been nice. We even watched a movie.

Guess which one we watched Cathy? Yup... LOTRs

[AllergyGirl]

LOL You guys crack me up with all your viewings of LOTR. I have a funny story for ya about that - I'm hoping it'll be funny to you at least, although I'm thinking you might've had to have been there. One of my master's level math courses last year was a class in ring theory, taught by a silly Canadian, Dr. Garraway. One day someone in class piped up with "If this is ring theory, and you're our professor, does that make you Lord of the rings?"

So anyway, he's now (and probabably forever more) known as Lord of the rings.

I'm glad you solved your mysterday Aleesha, and also glad you had a nice relaxing day. I just went to look at a house that's for rent near here with my sweetie, and the neighbor to the house gave us a ton of stuff from her garden, so I must go try to find room in my crowded little fridgie. If only I had 2 or 3 fridgies... :P

[GoodCat]

Well my precious... watching LOTR are wes...

allergygirl... that was a cute story!!

We had a fun day of hiking. My hubby and I took lots of juices. I'm still not feeling like myself, but I'm going forward. I might have to cut back on the greens and see if that helps. I've had some form of butt pee for almost 2 weeks now. I'ld like a little break.

My hubby is still going strong. He's totally loving this fast and that fact that he's able to do it!

I already had my bath and I have school with the kiddos in the moring, so I better get to bed.

Good night all,
Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

cathy i am off greens for awhile. no more for me. i'll add spirulina in my juices to get the nutrients i need... and perhaps the odd beet green here and there but nothing much at all. instead i'll focus on adding herbs as they are as nutritious as greens (sometimes moreso).

my precious... myyyyyyyyyyyyy precious... *stroking my greenstar*

allergy... that is funny... ;)

my butt is still peeing... this is getting old real quick again. i've been in the bathroom most of the evening... and i really just want to go to bed!

[LornaG]

I woke up this morning feeling very,very angry aggressive and depressed. I know that I am due on in a few days, but this is seriously more intense.

Usually what would cheer me up would be a very large SAD breakfast, but I drank some MSM, finished off yesterdays juice, and made a smoothie consisting of bananas,strawberries,peaches,mangoes and some spinach and water.

I had to dilute it a bit but am feeling slighty better. I read in one of the previous threads that the more you feed yourself and feel full, the less likely you will feel to stray.

Happy juicing Monday everyone :)

[montyloree]

Today is day #15 of my juice fast.. half way through the 30 day goal...

I must say that after day #7 this fast got alot easier.

Sounds like everyone else is doing well ... have a great day!

[Aleesha Sattva]

monty it flows. you'll have days with great ease and other that don't flow so nicely. but after the first few days... generally it's much easier.

i look at the first 21 days of any fast i do as 'foreplay' - after that... to me... i'm fasting.

i just woke up, lit some candles since it's another dark rainy beautiful day here. i am celebrating the end of my year as i get ready to begin anew. my birth day is wednesday, which will be fasting day 60 for me. kinda cool... nice gift to be giving myself... 60 days of fasting before and many more after... ahhhh i like this a lot!

i feel very introspective this morning. i hope to get some meditation in during the day today. i have a tarot student this afternoon so we'll see how things progress. hubby is going to make those two new lovely cutting boards for my kitchen today. i'm very excited about that!

happy day everyone!

[montyloree]

Aleesha... I look forward to day 21.. apparently the longer you go, the more the benefits..

Happy pre-birthday! You're a few months older than me...my birthday is in January..

So...if you're fasting for 60 days.. do you eyes clear up ... iridology wise?
My eyes are still pretty muddy...

LornaG... I hope you have a more peace rest of the day!

[Aleesha Sattva]

of course our eyes change... as our body releases toxins and dis-ease our eyes show that. after all, that's what they read in iridology (for the most part). *silly monty*

[LornaG]

I need a little help! :confused:

I work for myself, and one of my tasks is to visit train stations and assess staff without them knowing. Most of these stations do not have toilets open to the public, so I had to break my cover today tell staff who I really am and ask to use their toilet.

I normally work 4-5 hours a day out of the house so what can I do? I thought I was being really prepared by taking my flask, but if I need to pee all the time then what can I do?

I thought of taking fruit with me but I really wanted to just juice.....:mad:

[Aleesha Sattva]

stop in at the closest bathroom near the train station and use it!

honestly... you pee less as you go on. time your juices with a bathroom break coming up. ie: drink juice knowing you are 20 minutes away from your next toilet.

;)

[LornaG]

"Dough" (she says in her best Homer Simpson voice)

Thanks Aleesha...

[Aleesha Sattva]

*giggling* glad i was able to assist. it's funny how sometimes a problem can seem so big till you step back and give it another viewing from a different perspective. now it's not a problem at all.

[Aleesha Sattva]

so tonight i had tomato juice without greens and... my tummy is rumbling and i'm pretty sure my butt pee is back. i'm so sad about this.

i guess i'll stop the tomato for awhile and see if i can find something else with no greens and no tomato for dinner every night?

it almost makes me want to stop my fast. i'm very low about this right now. i can't imagine fasting without my dinner juice. it's what assists me greatly on these extended fasts.

[GoodCat]

Oh Aleesha.. I'm sorry your down. It may not be the tomatoes or the greens. It could just be what your body needs to do right now. You've had the tomato/veggie drink for a long time without these issues. So... maybe.....

Our first day of school was good. Now I'm off to bed to hopefully sleep well. I've been having some bad/crazy dreams and sleeping kind of restlessly lately.

Anyway... Good Night
Cathy :D

[AllergyGirl]

I'm sorry you're struggling Aleesha. A very wise woman once told me "never end your fast on a bad day, end it on a good day". I am sending you good strong thoughts to help you in your journey, no matter which path you take.

*hugs*

[GoodCat]

Yes...lots of ((hugs)) Aleesha.. Hug..hug...hug...hug...hug...hug..hug..hug...hug.. .hug...hug.. My Precious!!

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

I just finished watching LOTRs... and Gandalf says you may not choose where you are right now, all you can do is deal with where you are (in my words not his but that's the point)...

I will not be breaking my fast. I just can't imagine fasting without my tomato blend. But... I'm going to do some research to perhaps find a different dinner drink for awhile. Then I'll try the tomato again.

I want to walk again. I can't go for walks cause I need to be close to the bathroom. So I need to find a way to change this... at least gift my body a break and then try the tomato again.

So... time for some research!

Thanks for the support ladies! *myyyyyy precious!*

[LornaG]

Good morning my fellow juicers!

Aleesha I'm glad your deciding not to break your fast, and hope that everything balances out within you sooner rather than later :)

I thought I would have a smoothie day today, because, although it is August I am feeling quite cold and I even turned the heating on yesterday..

Hmmmm green smoothies....

[Aleesha Sattva]

Oh I wouldn't have broken my fast Lorna, that wasn't even on the table for me. So no worries there. I'm here for the long run!

[Aleesha Sattva]

Here are Angela Stokes suggestions for fruit/veggie combo juices:

Blackberry/apple/spinach juice
Pineapple/mint/celery/leafy greens
Pears/tumeric/greens
Apple/beetroot/ginger/celery/greens
Spinach/apple/celery
Apple/celery/cucumber
Tomato/basil
Pineapple/celery/red pepper
Celery/red pepper/garlic/hot pepper/orange juice

I love spinach/apple/ginger/celery juice so I think perhaps I'll do that for dinner for a bit and see if the spinach is okay for me. I'm a bit cautious though cause apples tend to move my bowels and since I'm hoping to slow this down a bit... (butt pee)... I hope it doesn't keep it going. But there's only way to find out... that's giving it a try.

[AllergyGirl]

Mmm those sound really good. One of these days I'm going to have to go buy a pineapple and see if I'm still allergic...

[Aleesha Sattva]

It's super yummy. I love to add spirulina to my pineapple juice. Great way to get in your greens!

[Aleesha Sattva]

I just read Angela Stokes Juice Feasting Handbook. It's so weird reading that when she was on Day 60 she was sad that she only had a month left on her fast. Wed is Day 60 for me and I can't even imagine stopping this fast any time soon. I guess her and I were on the same wavelength at this time.

It was interesting reading her daily journal while fasting and seeing the many things that resonated with my fast.

If you haven't got a copy (http://www.timelessspirit.com/SEPT08/review1.shtml)... treat yourself!

[GoodCat]

Wow..its been soooooo quiet today. I hope everyone is doing well.

We are still going good. My husband has been amazing! I love watching him grow and change with this fast. He's thinking he might take it to a month.

As for me... I'm thinking I'll be done on Friday. It just feels like time. However, we are already looking at September. There are some Holy Days and Feasts coming up and we want to fast during part of it.

So.... never quite done fasting ;)

in Light,
Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

I'm here I'm here!!! It's my birth day tomorrow so we were out spending a beautiful day doing things I love to do. We spent the day at a spiritual bookstore where I picked up some more stones and wands.

Then we went to a huge fish store and I got some new fish for my 210 gallon tank.

I just got home from the crystal bowl meditation - it was heavenly!!!

So I'm blissed OUT.

I've had pretty much no juice today... no water either. Almost 2 litres of fluids in total... not much but no butt pee either which is nice!

Tomorrow is day 60 of my fast... and (as I mentioned earlier) I turn 47. I think that's pretty darned cool!

[AllergyGirl]

Happy birthday Aleesha. I hope you have a very blessed day, and congratulations on day 60. :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

Thanks so much Allergy!!! I'm off to bed... this mama is spent. (in a good way)

[GoodCat]

Hey...Good Morning.... And Happy Birthday Aleesha!!! It sounds like you had a wonderful day! I'm sure your fish are happy in their new home too :cool:

Its a beautiful day today and we are going to spend some time outside, but first, we need to get some school done.

So... off to get showered.

Cathy :D

[monkapotapus]

Happy Birth day Aleesha!!
Congratulations on day 60 :D :D :D

[montyloree]

Happy Birthday Aleesha... have a good one...

Glad to see everyone is doing well...

I'm going for my walk now... my energy is in the middle, however, it's good to go for my walk and listen to my ipod.

Cheers

[Aleesha Sattva]

thanks cathy, monk and monty. i woke up at my birth time and said, "it's a girl!" to myself. LOL i'm born!!!

it's so quiet in the house, other than the cats stomping around and meowing. i love this!

[GoodCat]

I hope you're enjoying your day Aleesha! It sounds like it started off good :cool:

I've had some pineapple juice and then some cantaloupe juice. Both were very yummy!!

We're getting some shelves today to put up in the children's rooms. I can't wait.

in Light,
Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

I treated myself to a gorgeous yellow watermelon! That's my birth day dinner juice!!!

I'm having a great day... so much fun. We just got home from a pick-it-yourself flower and herb farm... my house is now FULL of flowers and it cost us $12!

[GoodCat]

Oh... how fun! I love flowers and try to have fresh flowers and plants in the house as much as possible.

I've never had a yellow watermelon before. It sounds wonderful.

I am actually just finishing some regular watermelon juice. Its yummy of course ;)

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

of course it is... it's watermelon after all.

i'm not hungry... so i may or may not juice that watermelon today. i may have it for tomorrow instead... we'll see. it's almost 5pm here.

i've had such a great birth day... and to celebrate it with my dogs is super fun (it's their birth days as well... jenny is 11 today and metta is 2)

[Aleesha Sattva]

i'm feeling a little... tired, headachey, ... not very peace-filled this morning. i woke up at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep. my mind started being silly and stressing over things which don't even exist in my world anymore... i guess i'm releasing...

so i got up cause there's no sense laying there with my mind doing that. (i did lay for an hour first focusing on my breath...)

here's to another day!!! let's get this fast moving forward shall we? for some weird reason i feel like i'm on day 1... instead of day 61. *giggling*... not day one in a bad way... just feel like i'm just beginning this journey. probably because of the powerful energy of my birth day yesterday. it was truly a magickal day for me.

onwards...

[Aleesha Sattva]

well i was totally out of it today. seriously... no brains at all. then i realized that i didn't give my brain any food today... so when i got home at 2pm. i was able to make a savoury juice and i am feeling much better now (90 min later).

remember... that's the difference between water fasting and juice fasting. we feed our brain when we juice fast so we don't get all spacy like we do when we water fast.

how's everyone doing?

[GoodCat]

We're doing great over here. My husband is sooo loving this fast!! I'm so proud of him. He's been reading all kinds of stuff on fasting and is so into it.

We are almost done with our first week of school, and its been great too.

Loving life,
Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

loooooooooooooovely!!! I'm so pleased for you both Cathy. My hubby loves to fast as well. He doesn't do it often... and has only done one juice fast (a short time ago) but he really liked it while he was doing it.

I think my hubby just loves to eat though. LOL

I have NOT had any butt pee... I'm so pleased. Had a normal bm this morning. Ahhhh nice to out of that mode (at least for now).

I'm definitely going to juice that yellow fleshed watermelon tomorrow. It's a day at home doing chores day for us.

[GoodCat]

Watermelons are on sale next week, so I'm buying a bunch of them. Although I won't be fasting with my hubby, I will still be doing mostly juices. I'm trying to teach my body and myself to be okay with solid foods (all raw of course;)). So lots of watermelon and pineapple for us. Two of my most favorite things :p

Cathy

[Aleesha Sattva]

mmmm yummy!!!

i just had a bowl of ice cubes. very refreshing indeed!

[GoodCat]

Well... I just had some very yummy pineapple juice and loved it!! Now I'm off to bed.... Well.. really...off to do some reading and then to sleep ;)

I was counting how many days I've fasted this year and was surprised to realize I have fasted 60 days. Not bad for someone who couldn't even fast one day last year :eek:

I'm wanting to do another week fast in September and then try another 30 day one in October. We'll see how that all works out and what my body is saying to do. If it wants me to fast sooner or later I will try to listen.

Good night my precious...
Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

*myyyyyyyyyyyyyy precious*

i'll be here... fasting so we can join together at any time and of course... you are welcome to stick around for support. always nice to have knowledgeable people in the thread!

(((hugs)))

you've done 60 this year... that is absolutely wonderfulious my friend... myyyyyy precious.

[GoodCat]

Thank you Aleesha ... I will definately be around. You can't get rid of me ((hugs)).

And its nice/wonderful to know that I'll have a friend to fast with when the time comes ((more hugs))!!

Cathy :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

yes you will!!! i'd be here with you even if i wasn't fasting. you, my friend, are good people!!!

[GoodCat]

Awwww :o :o I feel the same way ***myyyy preciousss**

Nighty night :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

*zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz* *reaches over and grabs her ring* *myyyyyyyy precious*

[LornaG]

Happy belated birthday Aleesha :D

I have added fruit and raw carrots to my fast because the detox symptoms are very extreme!

I have so much work on and I am feeling extremely tired and my brain is foggy so until the end of next week this is what I will have to do.

Although I have these symptoms I still enjoy fasting and how it makes my body feel. The weight loss helps as well :D

[Aleesha Sattva]

your detox will lessen a bit for you. you will still detox while juice fasting, but not as intense.

i'm off to bed. hopefully... i'll sleep beyond 5am. ;)

thanks for the birth day wishes!

[ReneeH]

Hi Fasters! Remember me?

Well, I feel the need to want to do a fast again (been eating a lot of Nuts lately...), but I haven't been very successful in the past with it...mostly, I think, because my Goal is too big...I've been setting it at 30 days and such...

So, I'm gonna start again with a smaller goal... FASTING for 3 Days. I'm gonna take it one day at a time and start today with Coconut Milk (H2O Blended with "Meat" with some Lime added). I think a H2O fast would be too much for me, but I can handle Coconut and Juice.

This thread was always so encouraging for me! I wish I could commit to more than 3 days, but I'm gonna do the best I can with the small amount of time and maybe extend it a day at a time after that.

I'm so glad it's still around (this thread I mean...) and it's good to see so many people benefiting from it! Thanks for putting up with me for the next 3 days!!! :)

[GoodCat]

Hi Renee,

You can do this. And taking it one day at a time is the best approach in my opionion ;) We have today, but we do not know what tomorrow brings :rolleyes:.

Congrats on starting your fast!

Cathy :D

Oh... and last year, I couldn't even do a ONE day smoothie fast :eek:

[ReneeH]

Thanks GoodCat!!!

I just enjoyed my Coconut Milk w/Lime!!! SOOO GOOD!!! It's gonna feel good not to worry about what to prepare, even for Raw Meals! My body feels like it wants to just rest. So, that's what I'm gonna do! Still have a busy schedule, though, so I need to feed my Brain from time to time with Coconut or Juice...

Time to go soak up some free Vitamin D outside!!!

Tootles!

Nee'

PS...since I'm only doing 3 days right now, I wonder if there is a need for me to take any supplements...???

[Aleesha Sattva]

don't worry about the supplements renee... and congrats on gifting your body three beautiful days!!!

cathy, have you ever heard about the 120 per day of fasting? the philosophy is... that every day you fast brings you back 120 days. so you are healing 120 days of 'stuff' in each day of fasting.

some people use this as a measure of what's ailing them during a fast. for example: if you broke your arm when you were nine years old and you've fasted enough days that you would be dealing with that age... and your arm is aching... you know you are healing that break.

so... you've done 60 days so far this year. you are now working on 60x120=7200 days ago or 19.72 years ago... so look back 20 years and see what was going on in your life and perhaps it'll resonate with you. when i first began fasting i kept track... until i was beyond birth.

i'm well beyond my birth now so i never do it, but reading angela stokes book the other day reminded me cause she was talking about it.

so renee... you are gifting your body 360 days on this fast. not such a small fasting anymore is it!

i'm going to finally juice that watermelon... yes i am. this body needs some nourishment. i think it went on strike when i removed my savoury juice. LOL seriously i do. i've added it back in... with less greens so we'll see how i do.

oh and just to make it clear... i would need to fast 143 days to clear my life (fasting/healing/detox wise)... if you want to figure out yours... take your years of life and multiply it by 365 days and then divide it by 120. that'll tell you how many days you need for your body to heal and re-heal all past ailments. you'll be pretty much detoxed in that time as well... although we are constantly taking in new toxins and living in a toxic environment so deeper healing and deeper cleansing is always happening when we continue to fast.

bliss-out!
Aleesha

[GoodCat]

Okay... that is soooooo cooooool :cool: Thanks so much for that info. It really does encourage me to see what I have accomplished so far!!

I'm 40, so I would need to fast 122 days. Well... I'm almost half way there! And honeslty... 19 years ago... I was not a healthy girl..no..no.. So I wonder if that is one reason I struggled so this past fast?? :rolleyes:

I can't wait to share this with my hubby!!

Cathy :D

[missyc]

I'm brand new to this forum, but it definitely looks like a good place for me to be! My hubby started juicing almost a year ago and lost about 60#. I didn't like the taste of it for a long time, but this spring I finally gave in and tried it! I developed a taste for it and now I am just as gung ho as he is about it. I have done a 13 day fast and an 8 day fast along with some 2, 3 and 4 day fasts. I lost 23# but still have another 10# to get rid of. I definitely feel better and look better. We are at least 85% raw now and are enjoying all the health benefits of it.

I really want to do another fast of at least 10 days but I haven't felt as inspired lately and didn't want to do it "alone" again. Hubby will do short 1-2 day fasts, but hasn't gotten past that point yet. When I saw this thread, I got excited and decided it would be soooo much easier to fast if I can keep checking in here with my progress. We are just finishing our vacation and I am ready to get going on my next fast. I'd like to start tomorrow after dinner, so I am getting ready to go get groceries for the next batch of juice.

I am looking forward to reading more here and am excited to have found a forum like this!

[Aleesha Sattva]

welcome missyc... welcome!!!

cathy, it is exciting isn't it! :) very cool to be half way to birth!

[Aleesha Sattva]

i forgot to mention... we juiced the yellow fleshed watermelon and it was so nice. very different from red/pink fleshed ones. be sure to get one if you can!

and the juice is pale green!!!

[missyc]

Aleesha,

Thank you for the welcome!

I have heard that watermelon juice is good, but had never even thought about yellow watermelon juice! We generally juice veggies and eat fruit other than adding some green apples to our veggie juice. But I've been tempted for a while to juice some watermelon because we have been absolute watermelon addicts this summer! If I find the yellow kind, I'll just HAVE to try it for sure!

[GoodCat]

Yes..yes.. very exciting to be half way to birth ;)

And I was wondering if the yellow watermelon tasted different. If I find one, I'll buy it!!

missy... Welcome along and definately try watermelon! And cantaloupe, and pineapple, and green lemonade, and tomato/veggie, and **giggle**... There's just so many juices I love!!!!

Cathy :D

[missyc]

Cathy,

I'm thinking at least watermelon/cantaloupe juice to start with cause I love them both soooo much!

We're getting ready to go to a farmer's market near here and then go to the grocery store. We have an awesome grocery store that carries a lot of organic produce. They always love to see us there because we buy so much produce! We had a small garden this year, but it's done producing. We had tons of cucumbers and lots of beets, which was nice. Also a few tomatoes and peppers and a few summer squash. I will miss the fresh garden veggies, but it's also been really hot and humid here this summer so it was hard on our garden and even harder to keep it watered enough.

[ReneeH]

Thx Aleesha!!! I'm almost 1/2 way thru day 1!!!! Yea!!!!! You KNOW me....the glass is always 1/2 FULL!!!!

It's nice to keep things in prospective!!! I like thinking of fasting as a gift to myself! That's really cool!

I'm a little concerned about going to work tonight... Working on the airplane is tough enough through the night and when I add fasting to it... OK...yea I'm a tiny bit scared... The only juices they have are canned or carton OJ...which I will NOT have, so I'm gonna plan on drinking Lemon H2O and drink a MASSIVE Smoothie before I leave my House. Maybe that'll help..

[Aleesha Sattva]

good luck with tonight renee.

miss, remember... don't juice the rind of the cantaloupe but do juice the rind of the watermelon!

i just had tomato/red pepper/celery juice. no spices except of course kelp and dulse. it was so sweet. i scored 10 pounds of locally grown organic tomatoes at the market today... so even though i just bought 10 pounds and they are in my kitchen... now i have 20 pounds!

i couldn't resist the local organic ones. they looked sooooooooo beautiful!!!

off to continue painting and renovating the kitchen. we bought a new black sink today (granite) and we're installing it in the morning. i'm finishing up on the painting now. freshening the yellow and doing two more cabinets purple. ahhhhh bliss.

[Aleesha Sattva]

i'm up. been up since 3am. oddly enough... i feel like i've had 12 hours of rest... so i'll sit and enjoy the dark and quiet house...

ooohhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm

[missyc]

Thank you, Aleesha.

I tend to have problems sleeping when fasting, too. I will wake up and not be able to get back to sleep. I think that has been the biggest problem for me on my other fasts because it does make it hard to get through the workday when I'm feeling tired. I also get really cold and have trouble getting warm again. I have a sluggish thyroid and adrenals, which probably add to the problem. My goal is to get them and my digestion cleared up and working great!

I've read that you could juice the rinds of watermelon. I think we'll try some of that this morning/afternoon. Then we'll do our veggie juice. We like to do a mixture of things like carrots, celery, beets, kale, granny smith apples, parsley, ginger, romaine, spinach, alfalfa or clover sprouts.

I have been doing some interval training since my last fast (running/walking). I guess some people keep up their normal workout routines when they fast, but I tend to feel a bit weak when I'm working out and fasting so I'll probably cut back to just walking. I had to reduce the weights for my weight training as well.

Do you use coffee enemas at all? My natural doc got me started on them over 2 years ago. I don't use them as much now but when I'm into fasting, I think they really do make a difference in my energy level.

I'm excited to get started once I get through today. I hope your painting turns out spectacular!

[Aleesha Sattva]

You could try some Bach Sleep Remedy... that may assist you.

I don't usually have sleep issues but I do know that some people share that they need very little sleep while fasting. That's not usually the case with me but who knows where my fast is leading right now. I'm happy to just follow along.

Thankfully my painting is almost done. I don't like the roller I'm using on these two purple cabinet doors... so it'll be nice to be done with these. LOL

[Aleesha Sattva]

oh and enemas... i don't do enemas, colonics or SWFs while fasting. i believe the body is capable of doing whatever is needed with healing and cleansing... so i allow my body to take care of everything.

;) this is a nice article about this topic: http://www.soilandhealth.org/02/0201hyglibcat/020127shelton.III/020127.ch13.htm

[ReneeH]

Good morning!!!!!!

Well, I did ok last night!!!!! ...much better than I thought!!!!! I fixed a Smoothie before I left and had plenty of H2O on the plane!!!!

Time for my head to hit the pillow now!!!!! Looking forward to my Coconut Smoothie when I wake!!!

Nighty nite!!!
Nee

[missyc]

Aleesha,

Thank you for the interesting article. I think I will try going without using the enemas this time and see how I fair. Hubby will be happy because he has told me for a long time that he doesn't like them, especially for long term use. He feels that they are "unnatural" and that they interfere with the normal function of the body.

Nee,

Congrats on getting thru the night on the plane with no problems.

On with the day for me. We have a sauna but I haven't used it since before vacation. I'll be back to my usual 3 times a week starting tomorrow. I love the "clean" feeling I have after I use it. I do dry skin brushing and positive affirmations every day and that makes a huge difference in how I feel.

[Aleesha Sattva]

miss i believe that if the body was meant to have water going through the bowels... it would do it naturally. which, if you look at butt pee... that's kinda what it is. our body giving itself an enema!

i just had a wonderful long chat with my son. he's off to bed now... and i'm happily enjoying watching the day appear through my living room window.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Cathy, I'm feeling very much like Frodo right now. Last night during my meditation I was told I was walking on the edge of a sword right now. I must not falter...

Amazing how much LOTRs resonates within my life at this time. ;)

[LornaG]

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend:)

Its dark and heavily raining here in England today, but I have the windows open because I love this type of weather - not sure why.

I have had this heaviness and unease in my chest for a few days now it climbs to my chest and my throat and I feel as thought stuff is stuck there.

Its nothing medical I think its all emotional stuff that is slowly coming up...

[Aleesha Sattva]

very well could be Lorna. Enjoy the weather... it cleanses and moves energy around when it's rainy and windy.

I got my juicing done for the day... and now the sink is on it's way OUT of my house!!! yipppeeeee

[ReneeH]

Hey Aleesha, do you juice "for the day" and store them? Like, make a big pitcher and drink it throughout the day? Or, am I reading the post wrong...? Cuz that would certainly make things easier for me!!!! ...especially because I have to work again tonight....

[montyloree]

Greetings all... time is flying..
I'm on day 20 of my 30 day juice fast!!

I'm still feeling pretty good even though I'm craving food all the time..
I've lost another 7 lbs in the last 10 days... that makes it all worth while..

Hope all is well!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

congrats monty, nice to hear you still fasting!

renee, i store my juice in mason jars... the juice is filled to the top to help reduce oxidation. i also have juicers that don't oxidize the juice so it will last longer.

you can make your juice for the day the evening before hand or the morning of if you have a juicer like a champion or greenstar. if it's a centrifugal you need to consume the juice immediately upon making it.

so yup... i often make my juice for the day in the morning and then just grab a mason jar from the fridge whenever i want some. i make my tomato blend fresh every night though. it tastes better fresh.

i used to freeze my juices as well renee... but on this fast i don't like the taste of them frozen and thawed... so i'm not doing that at this time. if you freeze... fill the mason jar 3/4 full so you allow for freezing space... that way the jars won't break.

[LornaG]

Hi Renee - I bought these special insulated flasks that can keep juices for about 36 hours. So I normally make my juices/smoothies in the morning and drink during the day.

Well done on all your weight loss Monty!

[LornaG]

Aleesha are Mason jars better than flasks then?

[ReneeH]

Cool!!!:cool: got a photo? I'd luv to see them!!!! I do have a thermus.... Wonder if that would work!!!!!! I didn't think of that!!!!

[LornaG]

Cool!!!:cool: got a photo? I'd luv to see them!!!! I do have a thermus.... Wonder if that would work!!!!!! I didn't think of that!!!!

I cannot copy and paste for some reason, but here is the link. This company is in England though, but it gives you an idea...

http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/accessories/jm-sigg-flask-green-0-6l.html

[ReneeH]

Thx Aleesha!!!! I had to go back and read your response.... I do have Mason Jars!!!!! But, I have a Jack La Lanne juicer, so I don't know if it's one I can make beforehand or drink right away... Should I check the Manual fir that info or do you know?

:checking frantically for the juicer manual!!!:

"Man! Where IS that thang!!!!!"

[Aleesha Sattva]

that's a centrifugal so you have to juice and drink immediately renee.

no storing juices for you!

i just had my second firm bowel movement since my butt peeing week. this is great news. i'm very very pleased!!!

[Aleesha Sattva]

I cannot copy and paste for some reason, but here is the link. This company is in England though, but it gives you an idea...

http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/accessories/jm-sigg-flask-green-0-6l.html

lorna, that's not going to keep a juice made in a centrifugal juicer viable... it's just a container to carry it in. ;)

personally i like mason jars cause they are clear and easy to clean. i can't imagine trying to clean out a sigg that had juice or a smoothie in it.

[Aleesha Sattva]

Hi Renee - I bought these special insulated flasks that can keep juices for about 36 hours. So I normally make my juices/smoothies in the morning and drink during the day.

Well done on all your weight loss Monty!

not sure where you got 36 hours from lorna... the site only claims 5-7. and even that isn't true depending on the juicer used.


hese flasks will keep up juice fresh for up to 5-7 hours in the fridge and are perfect for people that want to take juice on the move, and is perfect for those doing a juice programme.

[ReneeH]

I cannot copy and paste for some reason, but here is the link. This company is in England though, but it gives you an idea...

http://www.juicemaster.com/shop/accessories/jm-sigg-flask-green-0-6l.html

Great!!!!! Thx Lorna!!!!!! I've seen ones similar to that here! Gotta make sure it's made from the same material, though.... Gotta make sure I can do that with my perticular juicer, though....

Boy, that would be JUST what I need to go beyond 3 days!!!! I can definitely see how that would help!!!!

You guys are simply the BEST!!!!!!!

:group HUG!!!!!!!:

[Aleesha Sattva]

renee not sure if you read my posts above yours but... just to add.

when a juice is made in a centrifugal juicer the breakdown begins immediately. you are supposed to drink it before you clean your juicer... you need to consume it that quick. so it doesn't matter what type of flask you put it in... it's not going to reverse what's already happened.