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!
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!
posted by Mikey @ 8:37 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home