CSD - Fasting

When I left off last time, I was excited to try my first fasting day.  That was the weekend before last.  Since then I have completed two fasting days!  My first fasting day started out with a not so tasty green smoothie.  I was at the in-laws with out my vita-mix, but I still had hope, and I put the regular blender up to the test of greens!  After a some changing of speeds and stopping and pushing things down, I had a whirling green concoction.  Knowing that it was better to have juice than a smoothie, I attempted to stain my mix though a sieve, but the holes were too large, and the fiber went right through.  I could tell before drinking it that it was not as smooth as I was used to, but I wasn't going to blow off my first fasting day just because we were away from home!  So I drank it, well I drank 4/5 of it anyway.  When it came down to the last big swig, I couldn't do it anymore.  It was still kind of chunky and fibrous-y, and not very appetizing.  Needless to say, I was feeling quite famished and hungry by the time he headed for home around noon.  So we made a quick stop at the local co-op and I purchased Columbia Gorge's green Vita Seed drink (though Kris says that these are not as good as fresh because they have been sitting on the shelf and flash pasteurized, it had to do) and a small herbal tea.  Neither one tasted that great, but I drank them anyway.  By the time we got home, all I wanted was solid food.  But I held tight and had another green smoothie, which I have to say was hard to choke down.  Having a juicer at this point would have been really nice.  Kris's sample juicing fast day consists of 5-6 juices over the course of the day, one every 2-3 hours.  With the filling nature of the smoothie, there was no way I was going to be able to drink that many.  Plus, I may have been able to change up the flavors enough that it wouldn't have been so monotonous.  Once dinner time hit, I couldn't do it anymore.  Though I was shooting for a whole day, I was hungry and would have rather not eaten than drink another green drink, so I opted for a raw soup and some lightly steamed veggies with some toasted sesame oil and salt to stick with the fasting idea.  The steamed veggies were delicious, but the soup was, well, not.  I am not a big fan of liquid soup and I wasn't crazy about the flavor, but I finished it anyway like a good girl.  Though it wasn't the most fun day, I did learn that I can really control what I eat and I have the power to choose what I put in my body.  I also found that even though I was hungry and wanted something to chew on, I wanted good wholesome food like fruit and veggies or whole grains.  I didn't want sweets and junk, in fact they sounded about as good as another green drink, made in the regular blender!

My second fast day was a little better, but I also cheated at the end. I followed the green smoothie/drink trend until dinner like last time.  I also purchased a large bottle of Bottlehouse Farms Green Goodness to change up the flavors of the day.  Again, I really wished I had a juicer to really try the juice fast, but that will have to wait until we have the budget and counter space to buy one and store one!  For dinner I tried miso soup with kale, carrots, garlic and onion, all minced, thrown in to add some texture, and steamed veggies with toasted sesame oil and salt.  Again the veggies were good (because I like steamed veggies and toasted sesame oil) and the soup was alright.  I don't think I put in enough miso, and it was just too runny for me, but I finished it again like a good girl.  After dinner I took a short walk to get in my "god pod" maintenance (exercise) on which I called some old friends I have been meaning to call for a very long time now and keep putting it off.  Though I wasn't able to chat with anyone, I left messages and felt great afterward! Since, I have had a great conversation with one (my ex-high-school-boyfriend of 6 years who I hadn't talked to in 2 and half years) and scheduled to chat with my former volleyball coach sometime later this week!  When I got back home, I was hungry enough that I knew I wouldn't be able to go to bed, so I had a couple snacks, but I tried to keep them simple and easy to digest.  I had a cup of vanilla chia seed pudding that I had made the day before and a piece of fruit.  Again, the day was not easy, but it was nice to know that I was doing my body good!  And I felt really "cleansed" of the nagging voice in my head telling me "call your friends!"  "get over yourself and call!"

I'm not sure how fasting day # 3 will go, or if I will even do it.  But I know that once I get a juicer I would like to make it part of my routine, weather it is once a week or once a month, I think it does a body good!