- The Juice Fast, Day 4/28 by disturbance
16 y
4,005 3 Messages Shown
Blog: Juice Fasting for the third time - 28 days
It's been such a bloody exciting thing, in the words I spoke to my colleagues earlier today, I could just fly out of the window!
But let's try to remember what I got up to yesterday, first...
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Not much after I wrote the last bits of my previous entry I got a call from my landlady (or the company that acts for her) that the keys for my new home have been surrendered - two days early. That got some speed into me. I got to leave work over an hour early, and on the way I went to pick up an entry exam book from the library. After that I knew I had only little time to make it before closing time, so I ran a whole heap, despite feeling a lack of power. My lungs stung as if I had been smoking (I hadn't and I don't) from running in the chilly air, maybe because of the remains of the cold as well. The public transport is excellent around this part of town, the only problem being that the part is located very far from practically everywhere. That understood, I missed the office's closing time by some ten minutes. I couldn't even be bothered to leave the bus and walk to try the door - I got out a few stops earlier and walked straight to the next bus home.
At first, having tried to reach the office by phone prior to the closing time to no avail, I was enraged, for a moment almost furious. But then I got a grip. I had prepared for being late, although my neverending optimism prevented me from admitting defeat not a moment earlier than necessary. I started breathing deeply and slowly, and thinking.
What's the use of staying angry, and wanting to vent the feeling in some physical way?
What is good in this very moment?
What can I do now?
And, having learned to be brutally honest with myself, I only had to admit:
It's no use to keep hold of this state. I have to find a way to let go. If the matter was, say, animal cruelty, anger would be good. Not getting my home keys in advance is no reason to act like a baby.
I am still pissed off, but I am happy I got to leave work early. The weather is nice and sunny, I'm on a beautiful route around my home city, and I'll get to spend more time than usual with my friend that's spending her day off at home.
I'm still not quite thrilled, but I'll get the keys tomorrow one way or another, that's for sure, so no need to concentrate on the past now, no matter how recent. The only time I have is now, and the future. I'll concentrate on those. I'm going home now, and that's that.
And ta-dah, I felt a bit easier. I got home, and got lazy, just as I should. I wasn't all useless - I did finish with the article glueing project - but couldn't be bothered to go for a walk with my friend and the dog.
The very very surprising thing was how much energy I had. When I got home I expected to be exhausted from all the running, but quite the contrary my body was having the time of her life. I ran straight to the post office where a package was waiting for me - six books from Victoria Boutenko, the author of 12 Steps to Raw Foods - and I was over the moon! I ordered the books to spread them in some crucial libraries here in Finland, even through the books are in English - I was thinking about the main libraries in Helsinki and the second biggest cities, as well as that of the University in Central Finland, the one where they teach Nutrition. They really, really need this book.
My friend made me carrot juice from the scratch, unprovoked, simply because she felt for me thinking I might be bored with only tomato. How cute! The juice tasted divine, and I took the little of it with me to work today.
Later I did my daily enema, which was quite a task this time. I couldn't get more than half a litre in at a time, and even that was slow and a bit painful. In the end I could hardly stop from water being sucked back into the bag, so I had to finish for the day. Today I had a bowel movement not reaching even the consistency of diarrhea from its water content, I might not have gotten everything out.
Got to bed early enough, and put on the earplugs. They fell out early in the night, however I didn't even hear the little happy whines of my friends woken up to watch the well-ended Finland - USA hockey game from 2am till 5.
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So, today!
Straight from the morning I was energised (note: still not robust) and on a good mood. The traffic was bad, but I wasn't concerned. At work we made a deal of me using my lunch break to go get my keys, and I was only pleased, since being on a fast enables me to spend my break however I wish. It's so easy! So far I've only surfed online on my breaks when I don't have to eat, but now our post van driver took me for a ride, all the way to the landlady's agency and back!!! How cool was that! I was so chipper and chatted so much that it pretty much turned into a monologue! At the agency I was über polite as well, and got my keys and the electricity contract done, I'll reserve a turn in the communal sauna for Thursdays tomorrow. On the way back the driver took me a bit around the seaside, and since it was so educating and beautiful and relaxing, I indeed felt overjoyed. I could hardly sit still! This must be one of the energy boosts, nevermind the sugary store-made juices I drink!
Coming back to the office was funny, I couldn't sit down for a while, I even answered the phone and connected calls standing up. Now, a few hours later, I'm starting to feel a bit hungry to my stomach, cold, and headachy. I was left in charge of the switchboard for the remaining hour and a half, but that's not too much stress as long as I concentrate on something else. That should be easy.
After work I'll get to see my new home without the previous resident's stuff in it, and me and my stepmum will give it a bit of a clean - whatever is necessary - and then move some stuff in, maybe even all or most of it, depending on how much we can fit in the car. The electricity contract starts tomorrow at earliest, but I can live without it for a day, I'm only going to sleep the night anyway, and I've got no lamps yet. I'm not even going to get a TV in my flat, not to mention a microwave oven, so that's not a problem either. We'll see how we go. How exciting! (Although right now I feel more hungry than excited since I can't leave the desk to heat a cup of tomato juice. Might have to try to run to the kitchen and back a couple of times.)
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One thing that has totally taken me by surprise is the lack of real hunger during this start of the fast. I have not a single time actually had a strike of attention-craving hunger, and I only have to take that as a sign of me succeeding in attaining an optimal fluid intake level. I have had growling, several times, but another suprising aspect is that the growling has only troubled my stomach, not my head! Honestly I have to admit that I haven't even had real cravings, either! Every time I feel hunger I feel it directly in my tummy, and it goes away my feeding my body juice. I never get that blinding cloud of food thought in the manner "whoah I'm hungry, I really feel like this or that right now. Oh wow I'm so drawn to this right now, I really miss that...". It's all been so neatly under control that I can't believe it! My head is so clear, and I already feel in charge of my body!
Also, not only does my waist feel curvier, my tummy is definitely firm! Note, not flat, but firm. It's a great sign, I feel my tummy muscles again!
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disturbance
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- Re: The Juice Fast, Day 4/28 by valerie_cct
16 y
1,931
Hi, I've read your fasting blogs and have to congratulate you on your success and persistence! It sounds like you have a lot of things happening in your life at this time, yet you hang in there.
As an experienced faster, as well as having suffered from constipation problems since infancy, I have a great deal of personal experience with what you refer to as your daily douche - what we in North America call an enema. On this side of the Atlantic a douche refers to cleansing the other opening down there.
But that aside,I also read in an earlier entry that 1.25 L seems to be the most you can comfortably accept. What are you using for your douche? Are you using plain or filtered tap water? Bottled water? Salt or soap solution? A solution using one teaspoon of sea salt for each 500 ml filtered or warmed bottled water makes the enema much easier to accept than just plain tap water.
Also, how warm is the water you are using? If the water is too cool it will cause cramping and be difficult to even take 1 L. The ideal enema water temperature at preparation time should be 39.5 C or 103F.
Finally, in order to make the enema as comfortable as possible, you should be lying down with the bag no higher than about 1/2 to 2/3 meter above your hips. Don't hesitate to stop the flow if it becomes uncomfortable, and resume when the cramping passes. While the water is flowing take slow deep breaths to expand your diaphram and abdomen. If you feel a cramp coming, pant like a dog with short shallow breaths after interrupting the flow. Don't hurry.
Following these guidelines I'm usually able to easily take a full bag (2 quarts or 2 L in North America) with little or almost no discomfort other than a sense of fullness. It usually takes me at least 10 minutes or more to take the full bag.
I always feel relieved and very relaxed afterwards, and usually sleep soundly. I can't imagine doing a fast without my daily enema.
Here are 2 images from the Curezone enema forum that show a position for taking a comfortable enema:
This next one shows the proper height for hanging the bag:
Best wishes for continued success, Valerie
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valerie_cct
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- Re: The Juice Fast, Day 4/28 by Disturbance
16 y
2,048
Thank you so much for your long and comprehensive post, Valerie, this has surely made my day, even as I read this a week after your visit! It is such a pleasure to receive advice from the other side of the world and from someone more experienced!
The tap water is - by global standards - extremely clean in Finland which makes it even more delighting to live round here; drinking, bathing and doing enemas is completely safe, no need to fear added fluoride or chloride or any other "necessary" additions for the citizens.
So to make a short reply long, yes, I've been using plain water in my enemas (thanks for correcting me on the term as well, I realise the majority of my readers must be from your side of the world, and for the sake of clarity I will now use the better describing word!). It hadn't occurred to me that laying down would be an easier option, although I had read about it. The pictures were very helpful indeed, thank you kindly!
I think the water temperature has been quite good, maybe it could be a little more warm still. Thanks for the conversion from F to C!
I am very grateful for your assistance, I'll have to try the new technique tonight!
Jo
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Disturbance
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