Initial Thoughts

It's been a few hours since I ended the feast. I actually wasn't terribly hungry, but I felt the need to eat solid food to get the system up and running again. I had some pineapple, some watermelon, and then some of these spicy nori crackers with this raw salsa. Pretty good.

Tomorrow's breakfast includes 1-2 apples. I'll get some wheatgrass juice when I get to Mordor.

I feel good, and I'm glad to have made it almost a full 30 days. Right now I'm going to be in transition this week, getting used to solids again, and figuring out how my body adjusts to it. On Monday of next week, I start into P90X. Giddy up.

I am hoping that continued raw vegan combined with intense workout leads to this physical detox people talk about. We shall have to see! I am curious. I am hopeful that the concept of every day as an adventure becomes my mantra, and every experience and person becomes unique. My life is so blurred in work that I often forget what the world is like when you don't work 90-100 hours/week every week.

Juice Feast complete!

I decided to call off my juice feast early by approximately 48 hours. Why? Well, I had plateau'd in terms of weight loss, and I'm going to be eating at Pure Food and Wine this Thursday. Rather than give myself only 24 hours to prepare for this lovely night, I decided to warm up the engine early.

I did not have prunes as most feasters do when they go for 92 days. I, instead, had some watermelon, and it was delicious. A few minutes after initial consumption, I could feel some discomfort in my stomach, almost a mild burn. It's past now, but I can almost feel the watermelon moving through my belly. I'm really excited to get my digestive system back on track!

Tomorrow I'm heading out of town at 0600 so I won't have time to get my morning wheatgrass, but I did really enjoy it and would like to continue taking wheatgrass juice daily with fresh OJ.

I'll probably post more on my transition back to solid food over the week. I'm excited to start my P90X next week!

The Plan for this week

The juice feast is almost over. I'm going to start eating solid foods again tomorrow or Tuesday, as I don't want my system to be completely shocked on Thursday when I'm at Pure Food and Wine.

Yeeha!

Day 27 - holding the line

Holding constant around 185 lbs. Once I resume into solid food, I can start up my workout routine, and then I can really start cutting off more lbs and body fat %. Thankfully, since I'm raw, I will lose weight and put on muscle several times faster than traditional athletes. It's amazing that modern society, as a whole, hasn't yet embraced a high-raw diet. Instead, they kill, freeze, cook, and spice food.

This part of the experiment is almost over now (3 days, 7 hours left). I'm excited to jump into the next part, especially with a lot of my water weight gone. I'm still on track for a six pack by July 1!

Thoughts on Day 26

Yeah, the smells of Andale here in the Shire are intoxicating. I really would love a burrito or quesadilla. Instead, I burped a minute ago to the less than appealing aftertaste of celery.

According to my Facebook counter, I have 3 days and 21 hours left until I can eat solid food again. I'm stoked.

Day 26 - back in the Shire

My weight seems to be stabilizing at 185 lbs (184.4 this morning). I have 4 more days before switching to solid raw vegan food, but I have a feeling I've dumped most of the water weight badness in my system and 185/15%BF is my baseline. The only thing to do now is hit up some cardio and then start serious workout once I'm back on solid foods.

I'm not really craving any more juices now except for my staple wheatgrass w/ OJ chaser. I could drink that every day, several times each day. Definitely with the fresh orange juice, of course. I still don't enjoy wheatgrass flavor much without the delicious citrus chaser.

I do feel a little bit odd here and there, now, almost like my body is struggling to expel more toxins internally. It's not a threatening, oh-my-god-I-need-fiber sort of feeling, but something worth noting. I have a feeling I'm still a long ways away from proper detox, but with an intense workout like P90X and a raw or high raw diet (90%), my system should burn through old cells quite fast, and with another few hydrotherapy sessions I should be even leaner.

Off to the office now (where else would I go on a Saturday?) so I'll get my wheatgrass/OJ on the way care of Whole Foods. I'm not caring for the other juices they make, so I guess I'll just juice my own stuff and drink lots of coconut water.

Last 30 minutes...

I've started to feel very tired in the past 30 minutes -- I really just want to take a nap right now. But I also have this horribly intense craving for noodles/rice, especially some flavor of Chinese food. It's really intense!

Day 25 - almost made it to 5 PM

I had to sleep in more this morning -- not feeling too well. But it's almost 4 PM and I'm still chugging along, no NoDoze today. I've got a flight in a few hours back to the Shire and then it's only 4 more days! I feel good -- though no crazy detox or anything.

Day 25 - start

I can't believe I've made it 25 days so far. I must admit I'm really proud of myself.

Still, I have a feeling that the glow, physical, and emotional detox--all of those magical properties of the raw vegan diet--are myths. Sure, I've lost tons of weight, but I mentally feel the same and physically just feel lethargic, always requiring NoDoze to stay awake during my 16-hour work days. I am hoping that once my weight loss stabilizes, these true benefits will rise to the surface.

At my current trajectory, that's still two weeks away. *sniffle

Day 24 - tick tock

I had some wine last night, although I'm sure it wasn't organic. I need to listen to advice from Sarma of Pure Food and Wine: stick with organic, and sake is OK too. I have a mild headache now. I did realize when I was high raw that I was perfectly fine after having had sake, no headache, no hangover. Something odd about rice wine. Speaking of Pure Food and Wine, I've got 6 days left and two days after that, I'll be in NYC to have some of their spicy thai wraps.

Day 23 - meh

I'm sad I am still juicing this Friday when my return flight is first class on Virgin America. Then again, it was the only seat left in the house so I had no other option. Maybe I'll just load up on wine to ignore the pains of not getting to enjoy the tasty meals there.

I'm sure I'm down to around 185 lbs now, or will be by then. But I'm definitely bored of this. I'd love to enjoy some pineapple or watermelon!

Day 22 - back in Mordor

I'm back at Rivendell about to head into Mordor, but fortunately there's a Robek's Juice across the Pike where I can fill up on my morning double wheatgrass shot and large g-snap.

Thoughts on Day 21

Day 21 is supposed to be the magical day on a juice feast, or on any form of mind-transformation process. For some reason, it's theorized in several camps that it takes 21 days for habits to be fully learned, or for patterns to fully develop. I don't have any references backing up this claim, but in hindsight over the past few years since my journey started in the PG (Post Game), it does seem to be consistent that this is the norm, if there ever was one.

I feel now that, in the home stretch, it's time to think over my past few weeks on this diet and what it has meant to me. Today, I was in the Shire for the first Monday in 2008, and when lunch was served I enjoyed the smell of the delicious cooked food. I gazed over the dishes, and I felt a small temptation to taste them, but it lasted only a few moments and then I went on to make some juice. In contrast, when I was early into the raw food diet, every single time I saw cooked food my hunger pangs would return for it. I think that juicing has disabled that craving for solid foods in general.

But juicing is not a magical thing, nor is it in any way natural as raw food is. I don't really crave anything anymore except a morning wheatgrass with an OJ chaser. All of the other juices, while they do sustain me, do not appeal to my tastes. I've never taken too much of a liking for green juices, although throwing an apple or orange into the mix always helps. (especially with wheatgrass!)

I do miss the feeling of texture in food and enjoying meals with friends, but I've also learned that I can sit down with people eating right in front of me without feeling the urge to cave. I suppose that's a good thing, and perhaps this will allow me to limit my intake of bad foods in the future.

I do miss sushi a lot. I don't think I'll ever get over any form of sushi, from rolls to the most exotic concoction the Japanese have conjured since the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I do enjoy the weight loss (I'm down to 188 lbs) and the comment my Seattle friend made about my skin. What I really seek now is the tipping point where my body is detoxified enough to exude that raw glow so many speak about, and the only way to know I'm there is when people stop me on the street to comment on my skin, or coworkers I have not seen in weeks notice differences in my appearance.

I downgraded from an XL track jacket today to a L. It fits my form much better, and once I start putting on muscle it should fill out well. Leonidas, here I come. My team is composed of warriors, so I might as well look like one.

I also like the fact that I don't need as much to intake, and I think this will help reprogram my brain in the longer haul so I enjoy smaller portions of higher quality food, rather than binging on junk just because it's there and convenient, or a movie is playing.

Physical detox? I don't know what those hippie raw foodists are talking about. I feel OK in terms of energy levels, but I don't have any form of euphoric rush that makes me want to work more, get more done, and stay up late reading or meditating. To raw's credit, I do work 80-100 hour weeks always, never have a day off, and am taking NoDoze/Adrafinil at times to boost myself when I have no access to juice. However, mathematically, I figure that once I hit a rock bottom weight of between 175-180 lbs, my body will have full access to re-energize, and that raw wave will hit me.

I'm excited to get there, or at least try. In just over a week I'll be starting back into solid foods and then preparing to dive into P90X. By my calculations, I should have a pretty solid six pack by July 1.

What do I miss most in terms of solid food? Pineapple, watermelon, and strawberries. And grapes. I would love to try more dried mangos, but funny enough I don't really care either way -- I almost am craving foods that are high in water content. Funny...

I also really want to master the spicy thai wraps that Pure Food and Wine makes, and now I have the recipe. :)

The best part of being at this point in my feast, though, is that I'm not counting down the number of hours until this torture is over, like I did when I first went raw back in Seattle a year ago. Right now, it could be a day or two weeks from now -- doesn't really matter.

Onward! No prisoners, no surrender!

Day 21 - 2/3 done!

I spent most of day 20 up in the city visiting a good friend from Seattle. She mentioned my skin looked really good. I took her to Cafe Gratitude twice, mostly for me to get some juice.

I really liked how friendly everyone was.
I didn't like any juice with beets. Not a fan.

It's almost 3 AM on day 21 so I'm going to hit the sack and check my weight in the morning. I'm also hoping to hit up some more hydrotherapy in Mordor this week.

Heading into day 20

I'm still a bit shocked that I've made it 20 days, but I am very proud of this fact. I'm down around 15 lbs since I started, and once I finish the juice feast, I know I will be able to burn off even more through my kickass workout routine combined with a high raw diet.

Theoretically, it is possible I will have a six pack before June 30. How wonderful would that be!

As a note for people who might want to try this out in the future too, I have not, for the record, experienced any major emotional or physical detox other than a few occasional headaches. I still feel somewhat lethargic, and I don't think I have super mental clarity or anything, but I am still hopeful because I know my body is doing all sorts of internal cleansing right now. The glow will have to come later.

It is, on the plus side, a lot easier to be raw when you're juicing. While I admit it's boring and loses its appeal after a while, limiting my food intake to only juice does reduce temptations, and nowadays my craving to eat solid food (or cooked food for that matter) is much less.

I know I will eat cooked foods again some day -- including meat and dairy. But I know also that I will eat them in much smaller proportions. Until that day comes, let's stay the course and get that six-pack back!

Day 19 - hydrotherapy!

I just had my first experience with colonic hydrotherapy. I had read about it from several juicers, and it sounded like an interesting experience, so I signed up with someone nearby the Shire and tried it out. Immediately I knew I was in good hands when my therapist was non-American (Russian, in fact). I always like seeking medical attention, personal training, or any form of professional assistance related to my health, from non-Americans. I don't know why but the foreigners always tend to care more about me than about getting through this appointment and onto the next. I guess I shall seek foreigners out exclusively!

Anyway, she was very friendly and sociable, and full of energy. It was at first a little awkward, and then nothing was happening for the first 15 minutes or so, but then the floodgates opened and I started my release. Because of the juicing, it took a while for the good stuff (by that I mean bad stuff) to make its way out, but it felt great letting it all go.

How do I feel now? I definitely feel lighter. My belly is still bloated more than I like, but I definitely would like to continue the hydrotherapy over the next few weeks, even when I switch back to a high/100% raw diet.

Day 19 - time is flying by!

I just got back to the Shire, but I think my scale is broken. According to it, I am now 187 lbs and 10% bodyfat. This is a nice measurement but must be off significantly. While I understand the BF% being off, I don't understand the weight itself being off, as this is a relatively accurate measurement means.

Oh well, today starts day 19 (it's almost 2 AM). I've got another 11 days and then I can have solid foods again. I am really proud of myself for making it this far and not succumbing to eating solids -- especially for the past week as I was locked in a building and couldn't get access to anything other than my morning juice. This weekend I'll be working hard in the Shire (we never stop working), but I'll get a chance to increase my juice intake.

Also tomorrow I have my first (possibly only) hydrotherapy session. I intend to weigh myself beforehand and afterward to see how things change. I'm excited! Now I must try to get some rest: I managed 30 minutes of sleep on the plane home and now I'm wide awake. Perhaps it's the raw power?

Goodnight everyone.

Day 17 - consuming less

I've been locked away inside buildings again all day, from 0700 to 2100 tonight. Before I went I had 4oz of fresh wheatgrass juice and 16oz of ginger snap (orange + carrot + ginger). An hour later I started into 1L of coconut water. Through the rest of the day I had 2 more liters of coconut water, and I sucked on some pineapple slices (again) to get some juice out of them. Eventually I was running very low on energy, so I popped an adrafinil/nodoze cocktail. I really don't like taking those, but I need something to keep me going. I don't think it's the raw part that's making me so tired; I think it's 4 hours of sleep 5 nights in a row.

I'm heading back to the Shire tomorrow night and should have a few nights with my comrades. I'm a little shocked that today is day 17 -- but I'm still super excited to start eating some pineapples and watermelon. I can't wait... and I can start into my workout routine!

Onward!

Day 16 - cruising

I'm not minding missing the solids as much as I did the last few weeks. It's somewhat of a pain to not have the ability to grab quick snacks everywhere (as they are everywhere!), but it's easier to do these days.

I haven't had any juice since breakfast (again, thanks to wheatgrass for keeping me going), but I did manage to grab a few slices of pineapple, soak the juices into my mouth, then spit out the fiber. Mmmm tasted so good. I can't wait to eat solid raw foods again! Pineapple and strawberries and watermelon here I come.

Day 15 - 0100

Very tired but can't sleep for some reason. Have to be up in 5 hours. *sniffle* Never would have thought a year ago I'd be doing this -- probably wouldn't have believed you if you told me then.

I'm not sure if this is some crazy calorie restriction benefit, or perhaps simply a rush of adrenaline from the excitement that is my job and what we are doing. Or maybe I'm thinking about my glorious return to California so I can finally see everyone in the Shire again.

There are so many colors in the rainbow,
So many colors in the morning sun,
So many colors in a flower,
And I see every one!

I do miss the Shire and all of my friends there, but fortunately most of my team is out at Rivendell this week. It's like I'm on vacation seeing everyone working together so closely!

Day 14 - wrapping up

Tomorrow is only an hour away and I'll be at the 50% point. I'm down something like 10lbs since I started this so sweet! Perhaps I'll get some treat in the next two weeks.

I had very little juice today because I couldn't get out of where I was, but I managed thanks to my morning shot of wheatgrass juice.

Not sure what weight is -- can't measure myself at this hotel.

Day 13 - excited!

I just got in my morning 500 cal workout (or so the machine says) and now I'm off for an exhilirating day of work at Rivendell. What I'm really excited for is my plan of 30 days on the juice feast until I get to reward myself with amazing solid food at Pure Food and Wine, and then I get to start into the hardcore workout I've been thinking about for months.

Weight is holding constant at 196 lbs this morning, but we shall keep pushing that!

Battle Plan!

I was trying to figure out how to proceed with this feast. Yes, I'm bored out of my mind, but I am enjoying the simplicity, weight loss, and slight energy boost I've experienced so far. However, it's not practical for me to go to 92 days because that's insane given my job requirements, and I really want to start working out again regularly and building muscle, which is tough without fiber -- even for a raw vegan. Furthermore, I think I might be even more bored for another two months when I could at least experiment with a few other raw foods, restaurants, etc.

I still want to work out, but I cannot start P90X until I am consuming solid foods again, especially the greens and fats. So what I will do is continue to juice but exercise daily on a more moderate level (~30 minutes, light cardio). This will, in theory, allow my body to burn more fat and narrow the distance between me and detox. I just used our elliptical machine for 35 minutes and feel wonderful! And burned 500 calories. Given that I'm consuming around 1,300 calories these days, that should divide and conquer on the fat. Once most of the fat and toxins are out, super duper energy levels should be right around the corner.

I feel like a general, plotting out the most effective way to crush my enemies.

So, O Caesar, here is my plan of attack. I am going to be in NYC for a recruiting event for the best company ever (my company!) on May 29. My juice feast ends on May 28. At the end of that day, I will start eating solid foods again, that night up into the next day when I will be in NYC. I will absolutely have to go to Pure Food and Wine because it's fantastic, so I will reward myself for 30 days juicing with that meal. Two days later I will be at a family event, where I am sure I will be thrown lots of naughty foods. This will be OK for a day or two, but then I return to start into my P90X using a primarily raw vegan diet. It may have some paleolithic components but I do want to avoid bread and rice if at all possible, and instead load up on green veggies, including wheatgrass juice!

I'm so glad the timing worked out well! This will also get me past the 21st day where super duper detox is supposed to happen. If it doesn't, well, I'll have another 9 days to hope for the best!

Decision Time

I'm worried of doing this workout. From what I've read from the juicers, intense workouts are not advised during a feast -- only moderate exercise. But I really want to start into the P90X! I've got everything I need; I just need to take that first step. Fortunately I have been losing weight so my body should stabilize in 10-15 days at this current rate.

Perhaps I'll head home and hit up the cardio machine to get some additional burn in? Also, I think I will call off the juice feast after 30 days. I'm almost half way through it, and while it's an interesting idea, I don't really feel it's worth it. Plus, I'm going to need more raw greens to build strength and the juice has no fiber.

Day 12 - having some coffee

I'm having some black coffee today to help stimulate peristalsis.

Morning weight: 196 lbs.

Insert workout

Tonight concludes my 11th night of juice feasting, and it's time to step things up. Tomorrow I'm going to wake up between 0900-1000 and head to Rivendell to workout using my P90X. I've got all the tools and media, and now it's time to step up to the plate. Day 1 of P90X an intense 55 minute workout, but I figure the only way to speed up my metabolism and intensify detox is to start working out. I probably shouldn't push myself so far, but my slogan has become "go big or go home." Much like I told my friends when I left Seattle, I would return successful -- or not at all.

Those peanut butter-filled pretzels look damn tasty, but I'm going to hold my line out of sheer stubbornness! Onward through the fog! Bring it!

Day 11 - bored

I'm on day 11. Had to pop an adrafinil this morning given the sleep deprivation. My job doesn't allow for weekends so there's no "rest" on Saturday or Sunday, so I keep on pushing by giving myself safe stimulants to keep on pushing until I detox enough to gain that insane energy the raw vegans always talk about.

I can keep this up for another 20 days, but frankly it's getting a bit boring. Juice every day, avoiding social interactions because of temptations, and missing the tasty solids foods available. Fortunately my hunger pangs aren't a problem, but juicing just seems boring at this point.

Anyway I'll keep pushing forward. Maybe something cool will come of it; they claim it takes around 21 days for a super duper breakthrough in a juicer's experiment for miraculous changes. 10 days to go. On the plus side, juicing is relatively easy -- and 2oz of wheatgrass twice per day is enough nutrients to keep one satisfied.

Weight: 198lbs
(for the record, around 190lbs my cheekbones will really begin to show)

Day 10 - steaming ahead

The only big news today is that, for various reasons, I did not take my adrafinil + nodoze booster to keep me awake. I was feeling awfully tired between 1200-1400 but I got another wheatgrass 2oz lift at 1700 and now I'm pretty good.

I'm going to keep going -- it's getting a lot easier. I don't really miss eating solid food as much as I did a week ago, and I'm told around day 21 some major shifts will occur. I may have to break one day when my buddy from Seattle is in town, but a small bump in the road can't be too bad! I'm also going to fire up the P90X starting on Sunday. I've got my diet, I've got my workout clothes, I've got my wheatgrass and my bands, and I've got the raw power and determination to make it!

Day 9 - thinking about solid food

A good friend of mine from Seattle is in town next week and wants to meet up. Of course, the obvious action would be dinner somewhere in the city. As soon as we had agreed to meet up, I began to think about what restaurants we could visit... but the strangest thing happened. Usually I appeal to my taste buds to see what they want, but in this case they had no feedback to give. I hadn't any interest in a steak or soup or pizza or pasta. No desire for Brazilian churrascaria nor Korean BBQ. While I'm still curious how I'm going to handle this, what's more interesting is that I have lost some of that immediate desire for solid food. Sure, I was craving a warm Cup O' Noodles today, but the cravings past and now I'm chillaxing with my veggie juice.

Wheatgrass is amazing. Tomorrow I'm going to try NOT using adrafinil (I've been using it daily to keep me awake). Let's hope for the best...

Day 8 - funny sight

I was heading over to Xtreme Juice this morning to get my usual doubleshot of wheatgrass and two large mixed juices before I headed onto base. In Tampa, Xtreme Juice on Dale Mabry is located right next to a Einstein Brothers' Bagels. I was in the car for a few minutes sending off an e-mail before heading into the store, and noticed the difference in clientèle between the two stores. Everyone going in to Extreme Juice was relatively good-looking, youthful in appearance, or downright hot. Everyone going into the bagel place, on the other hand, ranged from mildly overweight to warpiggishly obese. I am really happy for having learned about the benefits of a raw vegan diet. I don't know if I will maintain it for the rest of my life (I know I will have jerk chicken again some day, dammit), but I do feel really amazing on this juice feast now, and I'm motivated to keep pushing it.

I still think wheatgrass is the key, above all else.

Day 8 - feeling good

I haven't had anything to drink yet this morning, and I'm running on 5 hours of sleep (as per usual), but I feel pretty good. I'm really looking forward to this morning's wheatgrass juice. I'm getting a doubleshot! (2.5 oz I think) And I'm also going to have a massive orange-carrot juice and a celery/cucumber/apple/carrot blend too. Need my greens and they don't have spinach at this particular place, where most people are getting smoothies anyway. Onward!

Day 7 - Wheatgrass will save

I've been reading Ann Wigmore's The Wheatgrass Book casually in the past few days, and I'm completely stoked about the power of wheatgrass. I've added it to my daily morning intake in California and Florida and I'm searching for places that make wheatgrass shots in DC. Besides the numerous cited benefits of ingesting wheatgrass, I notice an energy boost within minutes of drinking it! I can understand how Barbara Moore could hike across the US by eating only grasses and a few raw fruits and veggies, and I also think wheatgrass might be a fundamental part of my diet here moving forward. I'm even thinking of growing it -- too bad I travel 90% of my time now, making it hard to sustain plant life.

The only problem is the taste--I'm not a fan. I always chase it with an orange peel or orange juice, but perhaps it will grow on me. If the benefits end up being as wonderful as they claim, I'll get used to it, much as humans have gotten used to cheese and meat.

Day 6 - post coffee

The coffee gave me a bit of a headache, even though it was straight up black. Also, the digestive push I was hoping for has yet to come. *sniffle

No worries, I've got some more coconut water I can drink to keep me satisfied today and the next few days when I'm locked on-site. And in Tampa I'll get wheatgrass shots twice each day!

Day 6 - about to have some coffee

I'm perfectly fine holding down this juice feast for the next week or two but I need a little boost to keep the system running. Without going into detail, I'm about to drink a cup of 12oz of black coffee to assist in this endeavor. I'm heading back to Florida tonight and I'll be drinking lots of juice again until I return to DC on Tuesday night.

Such is the life in my position! But I can't complain: I can't imagine ever beating the job I'm doing right now, working with the best team I've ever met. When you're handed a less-than-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it's best to seize it.

Jerk Chicken

While I was working I was listening to and casually watching episodes of The Office (season 3) on my second monitor. It was the episode where Michael comes back from Jamaica. Oh my did the cravings for jerk chicken return! I think the only food I've honestly eaten 3-4 times per day in massive quantities was Jamaican jerk chicken. Usually I get sick of food but when I was in Jamaica, we were at this place called Sandals and they served all the jerk chicken I could ever want at this hut. I think within 10 minutes of arriving my step-sister had some and offered me a piece -- and I was pretty much at that booth every opportunity thereafter. It was so amazingly tasty. The spice was indescribable and I still have no method of articulating how good it felt to eat that. Truth be known, I haven't been able to replicate it anywhere else since then. It's only been that particular hut in Jamaica.

Anyway, I was craving jerk chicken so badly and searched around for locations. I found a place in College Park that is open until midnights on Saturdays, but I held my ground and continued to juice. I can always go back to jerk chicken in a few weeks -- but I will rarely have the ability to juice straight and experience this wonderful detox and energy people speak about.

BTW I made a blackberry/apple juice -- it was good but definitely spiked my sugar levels. It's not a bad headache, but a very unique headache where the body is warning me to not do that again. Funny enough I don't need a pill or anything to combat it, I just want to drink more water.

The hunger pangs are pretty bad today, but fortunately I am returning to Florida tomorrow for a few more days where I can drink all the juice I want at the place I hit up last week.

Do I miss cooked food? Absolutely. Will I go back? I have the power...

Day 5

I had a pint of guinness last night and also a shot of something to celebrate a friend's retirement from his job and entry into my current company. :) I noticed this incredible desire to have something like a burrito or a slice of pizza or ... hell anything! Just carbs! But I resisted and walked home. I'm paying for it now; I don't feel crazy hungover or anything but I do miss that boost of energy I had last night. I had only maybe 5 hours of sleep Thursday night, then worked all day until my flight back to DC, and I went straight out into Georgetown to meet up with him and stayed out until 2 AM. Usually when I land from a plane I want to go to sleep, but not this time. I can only hope detox is doing its magic...

Day 3 - Onward!

Being in Florida this week has been great for me, as I've been alone on the road and only had myself to eat with, which means no temptations for eating per the standard American diet. Today mark's my third consecutive day at only juice. I've cheated in the sense that I've had 1-2 cups of black coffee each day and also have had NoDoze and/or Adrafinil to keep myself awake. As I've said before, where I go for work I can't leave until the day is over, so there is no quick jump to the nearby juice bar for a lifter-upper. On the plus side, I've made it three full days without problems. On the down side, I haven't been able to get as many greens as I'd like (the juice bar only has cucumber and celery for greens; in fact I think I'm one of the only patrons there who gets juice, as most only get smoothies).

I feel great to have made it this far. On a detox note, one trip to the urinal today resulted in probably the worst smell of my own urine I can recall, so I'll chalk that one up to detox for now. I've had minor headaches in the past day or two and a few bouts of lethargy, but overall I'm humming along quite well. I think my 5-6 hours of sleep each night (due to high workloads, not because I have so much energy) has made things more interesting.

Tomorrow evening I return to DC and will continue juicing over the weekend. If things go well enough, I'll be on P90X next week.