The Tao of Hunger . .

Last night I felt hungry and I wanted to go to the kitchen and make some more juice, but I was tired of working in the kitchen and tired of washing the juicer, tired of juicing and cleaning up the mess.  Basically, I was bored and tired.  So, I decided to just observe my hunger and to tap into my emotional state.

Yes, hunger is an emotional state.  It really is.

Of course, hunger is also a signal from the brain that the body wants or needs food - but this signal is many times not entirely "true" to the body's physical level of functioning.  What I mean is, the more we eat, the stronger the signal, and the less we eat, the more "real" that signal becomes.  The "want" becomes the "need", the desire reveals itself as the addiction, and the discomfort changes to a resetting of the metabolic condition.

When I heard my brain demand that I eat NOW or I was going to endanger my health, I talked back.  How much had I already had today?  How much physical activity had I done?  Had I drank enough juice, water, tea, etc.?

I also identified the emotional content of this brain charge.  For a brief moment or two, I took the time to examine what I felt - some kind of comfort trigger, as in, instantaneous gratification noise, but "white noise", not really words or imagery.  It seemed to be coming from a very deep level of my core.

If hunger has ever been a part of one's life, as in when one is in college, busy with studies, parties, work or other activity, or even as a financial result, not enough money to eat in restaurants, or to afford expensive groceries (and with the price of food now, that's not even a far stretch), hunger can be familiar and not very threatening.  But, when someone is used to snacking when they want to, just for the taste of something, and gives in to the urge to eat to cover one's emotional imbalances,  hunger signals become more like drug dealers who hold out tempting "quick fixes" in order to keep us addicted and passive in realizing the true state of our bodies' needs.

Its not a danger to be hungry at times, it just FEELS like it is.  Hunger pangs can really be scary!  Think about it.  Next time you get hungry, stop, look, and listen to your body.  Drink some water if you have it near.  If not, close your eyes and take some deep breaths.  Google the hunger reflex and learn about what the brain does in order to create a response when your body needs food for nutrition, versus what is happening when it doesn't.  Could be interesting.

Just observe it.  Manage it.  Be present in it.  Then, if you need food, eat it, and eat it with thanksgiving and joy.  Relish in its taste and beauty.  How often do we look at our foods, particularly ones that grow from the ground, and think of the miracle of it?

I know I for one, have taken food for granted many times.  I've eaten it fast, half chewed, while driving, while working, while watching TV, or even while talking.  Embarrassing, yes - uncommon, no.

I cannot make juice while driving, or anything else.  I am REQUIRED to wash, examine, and prepare my fruit and vegetables before cutting into them and pulverizing them in the juicer.  This is a great way for me to take the time to be more conscious of that food and thankful that I can still buy it and eat it, and even grow it.

I'm now learning to respond to hunger with humility for the process, and take into account the nutritional needs of my body, not so much the emotional needs that have been, in the past, satisfied by food, and lovingly prepare the juice that will answer the call of my tastes, which are changing, and that will take care of me.

My juice this afternoon?  Kale, cucumber, peaches and lemon.  Later, sweet potatoes, celery, romaine, and hemp oil.  Even later, blueberries, strawberries, and beets.

Mmmmm, all that nutrition.  ;^)

Belly Fat

Belly fat is the curse of middle age. . . but its everywhere, no matter what age the wearer is.  Where a rather small waist formerly existed above my hips once upon a time, now there is the shape of an adolescent who hasn't yet developed the curvatures and musculature of the sexualized idealistic model body.

Not that I have EVER had the body of a model . . . but you get my drift.

When I look around in observance - I see people who've accepted their bellies as part of the deal, and I enjoy the lighthearted attitude of "living with maturity" that seems to accompany this acceptance.  The great thing about getting older is that some of the pressures of looking great have worn off, the edges aren't so sharp any more and neither do they need to be, and realization that there is more to life than constant dieting and exercise, especially when the reward is delayed or even short-lived, can be comforting to anyone who has endured years of struggles in this area.

So, I look at my belly, and although its not life-threateningly big, I realize that its not doing my any favors either.  Belly fat is mostly visceral fat storage and can be bad for heart health.  Typically, I have high blood pressure (called "essential hypertension" by doctors), and that little inconvenience is about all I can recognize right now.  Note:  beet juice is great for lowering high blood pressure and I'm making sure I get me some of that.

Avoiding sugar is HUGE in reducing belly fat.  Let me say this again.  REDUCE the amount of sugars, and HIDDEN sugars, and the belly will get smaller.

I've noticed a reduction in my belly of about 2.5 inches, just since I started this juice diet!  My weight is less, but its not as big a factor as the inches, simply because of the belly reduction.  Its about swapping carbs, not reducing them in number of calories or nutrient value.  In other words, instead of bread, reach for a peach!  ;^)

Day 14 and a different approach

Day 14 of my juice fast and I've got 86 days to go.  Whoa!  Time to look a little closer at my motivations for doing this.  If you're reading this, you might be saying to yourself, "this is crazy", and "I could never do that".  That's what I said.

I'm going to admit here, this is not an easy diet to administer.  I mean this in terms of buying produce, cleaning it, storing it, cutting it, juicing it, and cleaning up afterwards.

Today, I tried a new way of preparing my gallon of juices for the entire day.  I started with 4 brand new, clean 32 oz. jars with lids, the canning type.  I pulled out all the veggies and fruits I'd bought yesterday and started the process of washing them, peeling, cutting, and separating through all the leaves, stems, stickers, etc.   I went through a series of chuckles and curses over the fact that each and every apple, lemon, pear, etc. has an inspection sticker on it.  Comforting to some people maybe, but a nuisance when you're juicing pounds of the stuff at one time.

Then, I prepared my first juice of the day, which is more greens than other colors, more savory than sweet, but still easy to go down.  Celery, parsley, cucumber, apple, lemon.

Two bunches of carrots, with some lemon, apple, cabbage, and coconut water for another jar.  Later.

Five beets with greens, spinach, and peaches, along with coconut water added for another jar.

Lemonade with peaches in yet another jar, with some acorn squash added for the last jar.

I have lots of fresh tomatoes from my garden so I'll make some tomato juice later with some celery and parsley also.

This is my daily juice.  One gallon, broken up into 32 oz. jars, and into 32 oz. of juice in those jars.  Whew!

I'm truly grateful for Jamba Juice and The Daily Juice for the quick stops along the way.  Jamba Juice has started offering 3 veggie/fruit juice smoothies that really accommodate this diet when running errands in the heat of the Texas sun.

I

Day 7 - Reflections of the Juicing Lifestyle . .

Juicy stuff, this "juice feasting" - two machines dominating all surfaces of the kitchen, awkwardly taking up the dishwasher space, veggie and fruit pulp everywhere!  

The rule of this "juice feast" is that a gallon of juice is to be consumed daily.  That means a trip to the grocery every 2-3 days because celery and lettuce makes the base at least once or twice a day.  Anything else added is part of the fun and alchemy.

Who would think beets could be so good?  Ugly on the outside, but full of beautiful red medicine of the earth inside, beets are great for treating hypertension.  They can actually be pretty accommodating combined with other sweet veggies and fruits.  Carrots, white grapes, pears, or peaches, which are in season right now, and even their own greens juiced together with beets make a sweet, fruity tasting juice, a truly delicious morning drink.

The rule of this "juice feast" is that a gallon of juice is to be consumed daily.  Its recommended that the first juice of the day is greens.  One bunch of celery and one head of lettuce is to be consumed every day, regardless of any other vegetables or fruits that are added.   Any fresh made juices are acceptable as long as the caloric intake is enough to prevent cravings for solid foods.  1200 - 1500 calories is desired, along with plenty of water and tea to stay full.  

Avocadoes are a great addition to add fats for more density and more optimal absorption.  I had a "Dinner" juice today made from 1/2 bunch of parsley, one medium/large cucumber, 1/2 bunch of celery, 1 lemon, and a small avocado.   I also added some MSM powder with a citrus-y taste.

While weight loss isn't my primary goal for trying this fast, I've lost 7 pounds.  I'd be happy to lose more, but my main goal is to see my skin look fresher, my muscle tone firmer.

Along the way . . .

My weight today is 183.5 lbs.  Down 7 lbs. in just about one week.  Most of it is water, I'm sure, but it feels good to get rid of the bloat.

I had an unbelievably great tomato crop this year and today I picked 20 large tomatos and about 100 small cherry type tomatos.  They are sooo good.  As I write this, I'm drinking juice made from 4 of the large tomatoes and 3 peaches, with some superfood spirulina in it.

This morning's juice was made from celery, lettuce, parsley, kale, lemon, and apple - a standard.  I'm looking at more juice combinations now and bought some jicama and some yucca root.  In a while, I'll make one more batch of juice and will most likely use the jicama.

The juices are good.  I will say, I'm probably not getting enough calories at this junction, and there are days I feel weak.  The die-off of toxins has given me a few sinus issues, but the neti pot usually takes care of it.

Another point or two about this juice feasting, is that I'm more diligent about taking vitamin supplements and getting more rest.  Its advised that the duration of the feasting should include nothing too taxing in terms of activity, but I'll be doing some simple yoga anyway for strengthening along the way.  I'm also adding things to my juice like the spirulina, some hemp oil, or coconut oil and/or water.

It took me several days to really begin to embrace this diet.  There were a few times I ate some solid food, but then I realized that I didn't want to sabotage the results so I just made more juice and continued on.  This diet takes some concentration, some commitment, and some adventurous determination.  For me, its about experimentation and detoxification.

I signed up for 30 days of support from the "juice feasting" team of David Rainoshek and his wife Katrina.  I have some questions about how to cope with die-off (of toxins), and what, if any, combinations of foods to avoid.

I think I feel my cells' activity - there seems to be some mobility in my body that feels new, but maybe its  just my imagination.

Off to a warm bath now.  Its now Day 6 of my juice feast adventure.  More to come. . . . .

Day 3

I took my weight this morning, - reluctantly.  186.5 lbs. without shoes, but fully clothed.  Weighed in around 10:00 am and after drinking plenty of juice.

I bought about $50 worth of fruit and vegetables last night and I may only have to replenish the leafy greens and celery in a few days, since I have plenty of denser veggies.  I can see how this juice feast could be difficult for most people because its a LOT of work, really.

Getting enough calories is the toughest part most likely.  I'm using www.nutritiondata.com to keep a count on the calories of each veggie I juice and its a real challenge to get as much as 1,000 calories, much less 1200 - 1500 every day.  I added hemp oil to my lunch juice today and honey to my tea, hoping to increase the caloric value, but honey isn't exactly on the menu.  Have to watch out for the sugar spikes.

Tonight, I drink beet juice, as I write this.  Might sound really yucky but I added parsley, celery, white grapes and a few beet greens, and romaine to make a big serving.  My work hours don't exactly make this easier, in terms of convenience so I have to make sure tomorrow, that I drink more than I did today.  It looks as if I'm going to have to use the entire head of celery and the two heads of lettuce in the morning and probably sweeten it with some denser veggie like carrots.  Then, later in the day I can drink more watery juices.

At any rate, I'm feeling good about not giving in to hunger.  Drinking lots of water and tea sure does help too.  The amazing thing about greens is that they have minerals that help curb cravings - a fact that's not widely known, but if you stop and think about it, our grandparents ate more greens than we did and they didn't eat a lot of snacks.  Its worth an experiment or two.  Try it out if you care to.

Have to go and list the veggies I juiced today and get the calories, add 'em up and go from there.  Check me later!!  Happy juicing!

Dealing with Hunger on a Juice Feast

Well, this is only my first real day - that being a day with ONLY juice and no solid food.  I'm hungry for sure right now, but I'm drinking decaffeinated peppermint tea before I make more juice.

On this "fast", or "juice feast", you can drink as much juice as you need to feel full.  However, its liquidated food so its going to naturally go through your digestive system rather quickly and that familiar full feeling you get with solid food won't be there.  So there is going to be that brain-fed reaction to not having a full belly.  This is supposed to pass after about 3 days.  In the meantime, you can drink water, and teas to stay happy until the initial cleansing is over.

I've had only about 24 oz. of juice so far today, but I plan on making at least that quantity a couple more times, the next batch in about an hour and then another one for dinner.

Back in a few days . . .

New Start

Starting over is only easier because we have the benefit of past experience.

The juice feast day one is here, again delayed by work and a bit of chaos in life.  Today I'm prepared with some spinach, two heads of celery, one head of leaf lettuce, two lemons, plenty of apples, and a couple of cucumbers.  This should amount to about two pounds or more of fresh foods for juicing.

While I write this I'm drinking water as the first thing in the morning.  I haven't drank enough in the last few days and I feel it.

When I've juiced before, I noted that the liquid of the juice was plentiful enough at first - the first week, but beyond that, I started having stomach growling and discovered that it resulted from not having enough water.  Coconut water really helped to curb the growling, so I'll be taking in some of that too this time.

Today, my objective is to drink at least a blender full of juice made from cucumber, celery ( a very hydrating veggie ), lettuce, spinach, apple, and lemon.

This afternoon, I'll make more of the same, but possibly with some sweet potatoes thrown in for more density and calories.  I may add some spirulina, hemp oil, coconut oil, or maca.

Its an experiment so I resolve to be "experimental" in my approach.  Tomorrow I'll write about the conditions in my body I want to see heal from this attempt at juice feasting for 92 days.

91 days to go!