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Community Juice Fast 11-10-12

Gianni

Moderator
Hey everyone. This is going to be the official thread where I post my videos and where the participants can post maybe a daily entry about what they are experiencing on a juice fast.

This thread really only relates to the participants of the Juice fast.

If you want to read about the juice fast click here.
If you want to read about juicing itself, click here.

I will be posting all the videos here:

Preparation Video: https://vimeo.com/52911795

Day number 1: [youtube]8TKTDn66zGI&list=PL-exodIYPOnPuH8KYKWn6efozGVSB86rz&feature=plcp[/youtube]
(I had to split the video into two because youtube doesn't allow videos to be over 10 minutes... the next segment will play immediately after the first one is done).

The other 2 Juices for Day one (for me) are:

2-3 carrots
4 Kale shoots
4 Romaine Lettuce Leaves
2 celery
2 beets
1 knob of ginger (top half of thumbs worth).
1 Apple

Next:

I really want you guys to make your own here, what do you think will taste good?

I will most likely do:

Green Godess:

1 maybe 2 (depends on size) Cucumber
2-3 shoots of Kale
1-2 Shoots of Chard
1 Granny Smith Apple
1 Peeled Lemon
1 Knob of Ginger (same thumb rule).


Day 2: Hey guys, couldn't make a video today (camerawoman M.I.A.) but I made a video on water kefir update from my laptop! Here it is:

[youtube]RleFjU4k2q0[/youtube]



Day 3: [youtube]77oiFmPo1V4[/youtube]





For those participating, could you please post how many days you are doing, I just want to get an idea on how many videos I need to make.

Gianni
 
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I'm off and running I just made a carrot and beet juice for brekky I dunno my throat has been killing me the last few days went to my GP he said it looks normal I can hardly swallow
 
Diary of a Beach Bum.

Thursday 8th Nov. 3am

I awoke suddenly from a confused dream, covered in sweat – a bad sign. This used to happen every night when I was poorly.
I have been having odd niggles all week and trying hard to ignore them, I can’t ignore this - it looks like I might be heading for a flare.
I realize the awful sounds my tummy is making woke me up, that and the feeling I call “the fish bowl”. It feels like bubbles are going through my small intestines, uncomfortable but not painful.
I roll into my best sleeping position, the only one I could lie in without pain when I was ill and start to count backwards, hoping that sleep will come soon.
It doesn’t.


Thursday 8th Nov. 8am

The alarm jars me from another strange dream and after a few false starts I drag myself out of bed. The dog looks at me sympathetically, wow I must be looking rough.
The image in the mirror is not good, the whites of my eyes have gone grey – another bad sign. My boss says he always knows when I am ill because of my eyes.
I find that just leaning against the sink while brushing my teeth hurts my stomach and resolve to start my prep today for the juice fast in a hope that it will stave off this flare.
“No crap today Missy,” I tell myself “Three square meals only.” Adding a finger wag for extra effect.
After taking my myriad of pills and supplements, I head down stairs for my usual breakfast of a nice big glass of juice.
One apple, one pear, a stick of celery and two carrots later, I feel better already.

Additional - Bed time.

I am feeling quite pleased with myself, I managed to go all day with just three main meals, no snacks, treats or puddings – except a peeled apple after my lunch. My tummy spent most of the day bubbling and gurgling but it is less tender already.
Phew.


Friday 9th Nov. 8am.

The alarm rudely wakes me from a pleasant dream, but I am pleased to note I feel much livelier when I get up. Eyeballs are still grey and I have a slight headache behind them but the gurgling tum seems to have calmed down a lot and is definitely less sore.
I give myself a big toothpasty smile in the mirror, now all I have to do is stay on track today and resist the sugary treats.
I start the day with a glass of juice as normal and make up my own sandwiches so I don’t have to go out to the van today, that thing is a mobile heaven laden with cakes and chocolate and uber hard to resist.

Additional – 00.46
Ok so I had a good day, ate my three square meals and resisted the treats…But..
I went to Sainsbury’s to get my juice fast supplies and saw Gu puddings were on sale oh ek - they seemed like a good “last meal” treat and my resolve crumbled.
Once I was in this mind set I felt that I should have a “last night of freedom” drink – several rum and cokes later I’m feeling kind of merry. But tomorrow is Juice day 1 and I am genuinely looking forward to it – well all the liquid will be a good hangover cure if nothing else.
 
yeah something like that I have this strange feeling of like when you squeeze a sponge and see the small bubbles coming out of it thats what I feel in there best way I can explain it hurts all the way down to my chest to swallow and my throat just hurts and I'm cold I took my temprature and so did he and it was perfect.
Maybe all the tramadol I take for my back pain is having an effect but i'm gonna have some more juice later stick to my fast
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
I plan to do three days. But smoothies rather than straight juice. I'll be starting in the morning.

Thanks for setting all of this up Gianni.
 

Gianni

Moderator
yeah something like that I have this strange feeling of like when you squeeze a sponge and see the small bubbles coming out of it thats what I feel in there best way I can explain it hurts all the way down to my chest to swallow and my throat just hurts and I'm cold I took my temprature and so did he and it was perfect.
Maybe all the tramadol I take for my back pain is having an effect but i'm gonna have some more juice later stick to my fast
Hmm, Sorry to hear that, that doesn't sound pleasant. Yeah, I would like it if you stuck to the fast but please just remain observant on how your body does over the fast. I'm sure you'll be fine:)

By the way, how long of a fast are you planning?
 
I was going to do 7 days till next friday I ay have missed this but how do I introduce food after the fast I need to leave the house later when my parents start to cook it'll mess with me
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
Day 1 - Evening of Friday, November 9th
Breakfast: a bean/chopped veggie medley
Lunch: a spinach and beet salad with mushrooms, shredded carrots, olives

I started my juicing tonight. My dinner was a 24oz. of juice from carrots, romaine lettuce, granny smith apple, adult spinach and cucumber...all organic.

BTW it cost me about $40 just to get the following organic veggies to last for three days:

2 bunches spinach
2 bunches kale
5 large cucumbers
8 (ridiculously) large carrots
9 green apples
1 head romaine lettuce

I already had a few apples, kiwi and kale left over from the week that I could use up am almost certain I will have to replenish the supply a bit towards the end of the fast but I also opted to buy a carton of unsweetened almond milk to ease any hunger pangs.
I tried sieving some of the foam out of the juice to reduce the bloating/burping effect.

***forgot to mention, I started the day out with some mild sinus pressure, mild headache and mild eye/ear pain that came and went throughout the day but overall my day was tolerable. I think I am coming down with a cold of sorts. I am hoping the juice fast will help me with this.

My gut pain has been more of a periodic dull pain that typically comes about if I eat too much bad stuff. Haven't really had an issue with it since I started to cleanse my diet Wednesday. But I think the headaches/sinus pressure could also be a symptom of starting to clean out the bad stuff I shouldn't have been eating.
 
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Gianni

Moderator
Day 1:

Feeling good. Had 3 Juices... drinking a strong beet juice right now amongst other things.
Each time before I do a juice fast I always tell myself that I can easily overcome the first night's hunger and it is no big deal... then when it actually comes... its oh so different. I am so hungry! :) Keeping my mind preoccupied with sports center and this forum. Was invited out with friends tonight but I don't think the temptations would be good for me.

What I'm really looking to accomplish in the juice fast is detoxing my body and also improving my vision. I've been staring at a computer screen lately which utilizes about 10x more Vitamin A than would staring at a book. I have good vision but I have been noticing I need to use my glasses after reading for awhile or when on the computer (which I haven't had to do in ages).

I'm already looking forward to my better tasting juice in the morning :)!
 

Gianni

Moderator
I ay have missed this but how do I introduce food after the fast
Great to hear you are gonna try for 7, way to challenge yourself!

In the first video I mention that the prep is basically the same as the after the fast diet. Eat real food, have a soup maybe as your first meal after... then have some salads... and then work in some soft meat like fish or chicken. But the key here is REAL food... no processed stuff. Also again limit caffeine immediately after.

Gianni
 
Salads are a nono I can't tolerate fresh veg at this point in time maybe some veggie mashes will be good or avacado.
 
Day 1

3 juices today starving have a headache a feel irritable snapped at my dad for taking my car.
Still have this throat thing and hard to swallow and its in my chest now feels weird scared might have a abscess or something going for CT scan monday but they want me to drink contrast or whatever that stuff is will it be ok on a fast
 

Gianni

Moderator
really no cause that stuff is a chemical nightmare but obviously you need to have it done so monitor how you are feeling before and after and decide whether you want to continue on the fast then.

Gianni
 
Day 1 3 juices today starving have a headache a feel irritable snapped at my dad for taking my car.
You poor thing but hang in there it will get better. Of course it could be something else entirely but headache and irritableness sound like classic detox symptoms. I do a juice fast every year and my detox normally lasts around 5 days and I run the gauntlet from headaches to irritableness to depression to crying and mood swings to aches and pains to hunger pangs to foggy head to hangover like feelings to exhaustion to flu symptoms, before I start to feel better. During that period I try to conserve energy by resting, sleeping and relaxing as much as possible. I experienced detox this time round too although this time I am not doing a proper fast. On day 7 I started to regain so much clarity, vitality and energy that I joined a gym and have been gently working out every day since.

I am on Day 22 of a semi- fast. I had a flare up 3 weeks ago due to overindulging in Turkish chicken and cheese wheat gözlemes, ice-cream and alcohol. I also had some gluten-free muffins especially made for IBS/IBD sufferers and ironically I think the almond meal or buckwheat flour used in it irritated me. My doctor said afterwards that some people with C&UC cannot tolerate any grains including gluten-free ones. I may have got away with it in other circumstances but a few weeks prior to that I had caught a bout of Gastro and I think this indulgence pushed me over the edge with an already weakened not quite recovered immune system from the Gastro experience. I have had bowel bleeding for the first time in absolutely years.

A semi-fast involves mostly mainly a liquid diet: strained vegetable juices, pure water, healing herbal teas and strained vegetable broths, and a selection of gut friendly supplements. Plus I have been having a sweet ripe soft fruit like a banana every day either whole or in smoothie. I have done proper juice fasts in the past to help with flares but didn’t feel like doing it this time. I also want to have a guaranteed bowel movement every day so I can check for formation, mucous and blood. All sounds pretty vile but when my BMs start looking healthy again I know I am on the mend. This actually occurred on Day 19.

But yesterday I decided to try some soft cooked food to see if I could tolerate it. Plain mashed sweet potato, plain mashed white potato, mashed avocado and steamed spinach. I have read that people with C&UC should avoid white potato and I have had issues with it in the past. But I really like it so thought what the heck. Well looks like I have set myself back 20 days with the pain, blood, mucous and diharrea that I experienced last night. So for me it is back to the semi-fast for another 20 plus days. I am thinking instead of fruit I may have some chia seed gel every day instead, as it normally works better and faster than the fruit. It will do the same thing as the fruit but won’t taste as nice.

If you have never done a fast before then I do suggest starting off slowly, rather than going gung-ho into a strict 60 day fast like Joe Cross from the doco Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead did. It was an inspiring film but I think you should build up to 60 days slowly. I started off with 1 day fasts, and then I increased to 2 days, then 3 days, then 4 days and so on. Longest I have ever done is a strict 20 days but I built up to that slowly. Anyway that is just my personal opinion maybe others here have had different experiences.

Hey I see you are in Victoria. My sister lives in Queensland and when I was visiting her in 2011 we were looking into a retreat in Hepburn Springs Victoria that was offering week long juice fast retreats. Also if you need assistance with juicing there is a Melbourne online company called Schkinny who run a juice detox program where they deliver. I looked at it previously when visiting Melbourne as a way to have fresh juice every day as the backpackers hostel I was staying in did not have a juicer, but it worked out too expensive for my budget. But maybe you could do it for a week with them to get you on the right path, and then follow on yourself at home.
 
Diary of a Beach Bum

So here we are - Juice Fast day One (of Five).

A few facts may be appropriate at this point.
Stomach still gurgling for England, but not exactly sore, eyes slightly grey (and blurry from the drink).
Toilet habit situation - normal (what I would refer to as code green) although maybe a little gassy with some odor – probly not exactly helped by the rum.
Weight - 9 and a half stone give or take (I’m not doing this to loose weight but it seems an interesting stat).
Generally not feeling too bad, some stiffness in my neck and back, which I hope the fast and a bit of yoga will see off.

Saturday 10th Nov. 8am.

Feeling a little delicate this morning, so I decide to stick to what I know for my first breakfast juice.
An apple
A pear
A stick of celery
Two big carrots
A big chunk of cucumber
And for fun I throw in what is left of a lime that I cut up for last nights spiced rum shenanigans. As usual I give the dogs my leftovers, the fiber seems to do them good and makes them less “smelly” - not sure they are thrilled with the limeyness of this mornings offering. I will have to remember to keep my juices simple at breakfast and dinner time when I feed them and hopefully get creative in between when the doings will go in the composter.
I am planning to have four meals today – breakfast, brunch, late lunch and dinner. I think I will try the sweet potato recipe for brunch as I have never juiced a potato before and I am quite intrigued. I will update on how I fare later.

Brunch & Lunch.
Ok so the red head recipe is a great success, I really like the sweet potato it adds a bit of thickness so it feels more like a meal. This was especially welcome as I was cooking bacon and sausages for my husband while I drank it - this was nearly the fastest fast ever.
In fact it was such a success that I decided to have the same for late lunch. I also had a nice big mug of red bush tea (naturally caffeine free). I am actually not hungry or missing food as such, which is a nice surprise, but I’m missing hot things already, so the tea was needed.
Weirdly what I am missing is the act of cooking itself. As I work all week I tend to enjoy spending time cooking interesting meals at the weekend and maybe doing a bit of baking, but not today obviously.

Dinner.

Happily I am still not feeling overly hungry so I decided to have something interesting for dinner, rather than worrying about filling up.
I try out The Popeye:

1 large handful of spinach
1/4 of a medium pineapple (peeled)
1 apple
1 inch slice of lemon
All over ice.

Wow it is amazing, yum, yum, yum.
So that’s it no more juice for today, though I might have a tea or two yet and so far so good. Fingers crossed this continues into tomorrow – I should be so lucky.:ybiggrin:
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
I'm going to update this at the end of the day but just wanted to get it out there while it was still on my mind.

SATURDAY 11/10/12 (day 1.25 of fast)
9:30am
Breakfast:
18oz.
spinach, kale, green apple, large carrot, ginger root, cucumber

**After I finished my drink, my mind naturally went to "now, what do I want to eat for breakfast?..." :lol:

The ginger root was a good addition but stronger than I had anticipated it to be. It cleared up my sinuses as I drank it and even made my eyes water a tiny bit. But overall the drink was good. Sent me to the bathroom (as ginger usually does, in a good way).

Drank 1 lg glass of water

12:00pm: I went for a 30min stroll to the thrift store in the afternoon to occupy my mind, get some fresh air. Made it home before the thunderstorm :)

Got home, one of my house guests came in enthusiastically holding a fridge-keg he just bought, a handle of rum and telling me of their plan to drink at my house this evening, then the other proceeded to re-heat his restaurant food for lunch and eat it within eye shot.
I did my best to keep my composure and politely ask them to adjust their behavior around me....Inside I wanted to just kick them to the curb while I go through this.

Cleaned a tiny bit and played some online games.

Noticed some quick sharp pains in the center and left side of my lower gut. They went away after a minute or two. Will keep an eye on this. The stabbing pains are usually not a good thing for me. If they continue, I will likely stop this fast for fear of aggrivating/triggering something.

1 lg. glass of water

Body naturally wanting to grab food/snack when I walk anywhere in the kitchen. Conditioning myself to just look over that stuff by reminding myself of why I am doing this (to detox and give my digestive system a break and take in nutrients that I am very certain I am not getting enough of during normal digestive processes).

4:30pm
Lunch:
24oz.
romaine lettuce, spinach, green apple, large carrot, cucumber, kiwi

1 lg. glass of water

Walked to the kitchen to clean my veggies for dinner later. Saw a small packet of soup crackers one of my guests left on the counter. I thought to myself "man, those crackers would be SOOOOO delicious right about now...":ybatty:

Pains in gut have subsided. My body has eliminated much of what it needed to. Sinus headaches of yesterday seem to have disappeared.

Feeling cigarette cravings coming on (I typically have the urge when I feel I am under some sort of stress).

***UPDATE***
8:30pm
Planned Dinner:

sweet potato, kale, green apple, large carrot, cucumber, ginger root

Had a friend visit during "dinner time". Kept me company playing games and we tried some stretching and yoga poses together. It was quite hilarious! My "roommates" decided to leave for the evening to give me some peace. That was thoughtful of them.

Pretty cleaned out with regards to the bathroom situation after 1 full day of doing this. Sinuses are opening up and sinus head/ear/eye aches from yesterday still gone.

1 lg. hot decaf green tea (plain) and one 1lg glass of water

12:10am (Sunday)
Quick pains on both sides of abdomen beginning. Going to go to bed and see if I can sleep it off.
 
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Gianni

Moderator
Loving the entries guys! :D

I love how you guys are all creating your own juices, and deciding what works for you!

I'll probably do 3 days of videos only, seeing as you guys seem to have it under control! :D
 
Miss spencer thanks for the advice I'm going to hepburn springs with my family for new year's for a few days gonna do some mineral baths.

Also on that juice compan its a good thouht but I own a good juicer and i'm not earning anything at all I'm on a pension lucky I live at home and my parents are wonderfull people that help me where they can but still that company is crazy expensive and I buy as much organic as I can and my mum is doing the juice fast with me for support and cause she wants to detox and loose some weight.
 

Gianni

Moderator
I don't have a tripod but I did try to make a makeshift one... it didn't work out that well :(! Good news is everyone seems to be getting along the fast just fine... I will have a video tomorrow for sure! :)

Gianni
 
day-2
Only 2 juices today but bout 16oz in total I still have this sore throat and even hard to burp also whole mouth is sore and tender got CT scan tomorrow they want me to drink tat awfull stuff see how I go.

Felt a bit of nausea today had bit of stool still and have mucus very runny nose think the cold/flu symptoms associated with detox are starting also had sore guts and pain before BM feel tired and bit spaced out but think its all to do with detox see what the next day brings
 

Gianni

Moderator
16oz total for both juices 8oz ea? I would love to see at least 35oz of juice drank a day.

Sounds like detox, although you shouldn't feel spaced out if you are having enough juice. Try taking a light stroll, if you don't see any improvement tomorrow we should discuss whether you want to go forward.

Gianni
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
I am on about 70 ounces a day..is this too much?
perhaps that is why I am not feeling hungry :)
I'm drinking 66 oz. a day and it helps because I think it is reducing the intensity of the hunger. I have thoughts of hunger, but my stomach feels like it has been reasonably satisfied. I haven't even reached for my almond milk yet for emergencies.

I have only been drinking the juices, a large glass of water in between and some hot decaf green tea when I want something soothing/relaxing :)
 
Yes I am really not that hungry either, but now you have mentioned it I could murder a nice big tea. I drink Red bush anyway so I haven't ad any caffeine withdrawal to worry about.
I could be in trouble in a bit though, Hubby has gone down stairs to cook himself something nice :(
 
Ok Ive had the flu since Thursday so Ive been too sick to go out and buy my groceries, but I did go last night to HEB and bought all my organic supplies for the juices. Im about to start juicing my breakfast juice. Im excited. I dont really know what Im going to juice I bought so many veggies. Ive been juicing sweet poatatoes, carrots, and apples alot lately. I found out after doing an allergy test that im allergic to apples so I cant use apples in my juices anymore which is disappointing because I like apples. Im going to do the juice fast for 3 days for sure and maybe more depending on how I feel. Ill keep yall posted on my juices and if they turn out good. Im just going to experiment and see how it goes.
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
Day 1:

I'm not doing pure juice as I do fine with fiber, I'm instead utilizing a smoothie with my Blendtec which turns everything pretty much into a juice anyway.

*hugs his Blentec*

Today's recipe:

- Home grown, better than organic kale
- Home grown, better than organic Moringa
- Home grown, better than organic Amish Deer Tongue lettuce
- Home grown, better than organic brown turkey figs
- Organic Cherries
- Organic Blueberries
- Powdered Acai
- Brazil Nut for selenium
- Protein Powder
- Organic Banana
- Organic Oranges fresh squeezed
- Organic Carrot Juice

Yummy yummy :)
 
I think most of us are having teas of some kind, I wouldn't be able to manage without my red Bush :)

Wow that seems like alot of stuff for the smoothy, I take it that is for more than one meal?
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
I cram all kinds of things into my smoothies :D That's usually along the lines of what I put in but I did make enough for three smoothies with the batch I made this morning because I'm lazy.

The flavor of my smoothies is... ok. It's certainly not bad but there are so many things crammed in that my taste buds don't know what to think. I'm going for dense and varied nutrients though so I don't care :)
 

Gianni

Moderator
Yeah David that's fine have some tea just don't use it as a replacement for a juice, or a smoothie in your case. What kind of kale do you grow?

Beach Bum and Crohn's yeah 66oz and 70oz is awesome :D!

Sounds good Sam, glad to have you on board, feel better :)!

Gianni
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
I grow two types. Ethiopian (does better during hot times here so I plant that for warmer months) and Vates Blue Curled which I very much prefer.
 
Diary of a Beach Bum

Sunday 11th Nov. 7am

Woke up feeling great, despite not getting as much sleep as I am used to – last night Hubby fell asleep early after his rugby game (and a few ciders), so consequently he got up early to go to the loo and that was it then, both of us wide awake.
First we had a nice cup of (herbal) tea in bed then I fancied a juice, particularly some beetroot, so I made us a -

Ready Steady Go!
2 apples
1 small raw beetroot
1 small broccoli stem
1 celery stick
2 inch slice cucumber
1/4 of pineapple
Piece of lemon
All over Ice

Which was amazing, we had a very lazy couple of hours and then I just felt like getting up and doing something. After planning what we will do to redecorate our bedroom, I had a lovely pint of Red Head (thank you so much Gianni for this recipe) and then took the dogs out for a walk to the beach.
It was beautiful out there today, so warm in the sunshine while we watched the Remembrance Day parade go by.
After this I went out to restock the fruit and veg supplies and ended up wandering round town looking for Christmas bargains with two lots of apples , one bag of sweet potato’s and a dozen loose carrots in my bag. Perhaps not the best idea for relaxing exercise! More like weightlifting.
I realised I was feeling a bit detached from what was going on around me, not light headed exactly but a bit spaced perhaps, so I headed home.
Got in feeling a bit pooped but luckily another Red Head soon picked me up.

Evening .
So, inspired by my shopping trip, I decided to make up my usual Christmas food list/plan today - probly not the best idea.
We have decide to try cheese soufflé for the starter this year as we had it recently at my Aunty’s and loved it. So hubby is practicing it now in the kitchen and I can’t have any….
Can I? It is quite soft, almost liquid in the middle? Maybe I could blend it into a smoothy? Or something? Hmmm?

No I better be good, I will look for an exciting juice recipe instead.

Ok I caved in and had one spoonful of soufflé – just to test it mind! It was nice. Not long after I ate it the “fish bowl” started up again after being reasonably quiet all day, that will teach me.
Once my tummy had settled down again, I was ready for my last meal of the day and for some reason I fancied giving ginger a go. I thought that it might be nice in a slightly “puddingy” juice so I chucked in.

1 apple
¼ pineapple
2 carrots
1 orange
An inch of ginger.

And it was good.
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
Sunday 11/11/12

Woke up feeling good. No hunger. Good energy. A bit more clarity. My skin looked a bit clearer in the mirror. Got a good walk in today, will stretch this evening before bed and meditate.

My stomach looks smaller. Measured it and once inch of water weight (I am assuming) has been lost off of it after doing this. I am also assuming I won't be able to eat as large portions in one sitting now when I go back to solids? lol.

Breakfast: carrot, green apple, 1/2 lemon, spinach, romaine lettuce, cucumber

Lunch: green apple, spinach, romaine lettuce, cucumber

Dinner will be:

green apple, kale, spinach, carrot, cucumber, green apple
 
I'm out feel like shit today and need something in my gut I have no energy and feel like crap maybe it's bad withdrawl but my throat is still bad so got put on anti-biotics that you nee with food so i'll still be juicing between meals but as far as the fast goes I'm done only lasted 2 days but glad I did it
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
No problems here other than starting to crave solid food a little (something salty, specifically). I was fine until I began to make my wife dinner. :(

I'm sure the cravings will be stronger tomorrow. Heheh.
 

Gianni

Moderator
Also Ozboz, be proud that you made it two days... not many people have the will power to even make it there. I had never fasted before I did my first juice fast just a year ago so feel accomplished... it isn't an easy task.

I know that it might sound cliche but it really is also the thought that counts... you set your sights high and you put in the mental effort necessary to tell yourself that you were going to do 7 days. No one else set their goal that high. Through that fact alone, I know you have what it takes to do 7 days when you decide to give juice fasting another shot.


Gianni
 
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Thanks for the wise words Gianni its people like you that help to fight this crap more naturally I need to surround myself with more positive people like you instead of like some people who only think bad and just run to the doctor to pop pills and feel even worse.
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
So I survived 2 1/2 days on the juice fast.

Had to break fast after this morning because doctor's appointments and some minor discomforts made me a bit uncomfortable/paranoid.

But this was my first fast and honestly, overall it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the stories I have heard on here. The only negative I experienced was a bit of cramping (which I don't like because they remind me of signs of a flare) and mental cravings of food. I drank a decent amount of juice daily (66oz.) with water and tea and my stomach felt full/satisfied, but my mouth really missed the idea of chewing something! LOL. I made sure I stretched, got some walking in and did some meditation and got adequate rest. I understand the benefits of doing this on a weekend now because you have more time to nurture yourself during this trying process.

My sinus pains/pressures have cleared up since I started, my skin looks better, I wake up more easily, my energy level and mental clarity are decent (I don't feel so groggy and foggy as before). I really felt like I was doing good for my body when I drank my green juices.

I will definitely make it a habit to at least do a 1 day juice fast every month if not every other week just to give my gut a break.

I do not regret doing this, it was an overall refreshing and beneficial experience. I plan on celebrating with a nice hot bowl of Pho Bo :heart:

Thanks Gianni for putting this together and providing support along the way!

:medal1::highfive::applause:
 
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Day one, 10-11-12, was successful. The juices were ok. : )

My first juice consisted of:
beets
romaine lettuce
carrots
ginger
kale
sweet potatoe
lemon

My second juice was:
beets
carrots
ginger
sweet potatoe
oranges

I was really just trying different recipes to see how it went.

My thrid juice was:
sweet poatatoe
carrots
Oranges.

I really liked my third juice so Im drinking this same juice for my breakfast and lunch today,11-12-12. Tonight when I get home Im going to try the red head recipe.

As far as cravings went it was pretty rough. I was exceptionally hungry around 4 pm. However I went deer hunting with my Dad and brother so I got to spend a few hours in nature away from any food and I just relaxed and listened to the birds and watched the deer. When I got home around 7pm I drank my juice then re read some more of Dr. David Klein's book, Self Healing Colitis and Crohns. He uses a Vegan diet to heal Crohns I love this book it really helps me stay motivated Ive been doing the Vegan diet for a few weeks now.

Today I havent had huge cravings. I drank around 25 ozs of the sweet potatoe, carrot and orange juice this morning and I am drinking about 32ozs of it for lunch. I havent smoked cigarettes in 10 days so Im pretty dang excited about that. Im feeling alot more healthy already.

David I love Garden of Life products I take one of their Raw Food Vitamins every day and I also drink a glass of the Raw Green Supplement. I havent bought the Raw Protein yet but thats the next product I want to buy from Garden of Life.
 
Gianni where did you buy your Kifer at? I had never heard of that until you said something. I researched it and it sounds really interesting so I was wondering where you found your Kifer at because I dont know where to get it.
 

FullM3lt

Activate CB2
Location
Pacific NW
Interesting stuff...I just started flaring up for the first time in years and my body is having trouble absorbing nutrients once again. I might have to go buy a juicer and some good organic veggies and give this a try...will report back later
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
Day two and I'm hungry. My wife made homemade pizza just to spite me, at least that's what my emotions tell me.

I'm tempted to lick my arms as I was sweating outside today and am craving salt.

Doing good otherwise :D
 
Diary of a Beach Bum.

Monday 12th Nov. 8am (day 3).

Well here it is - the first day of work on the juice fast.
I didn’t really want to get up, but I think that was just chilly winter morning blues rather than anything else.
I was a bit late for work as it took me longer than expected to juice up enough to keep me going all day. I went for a load of red head in a big flask and a smaller cup of Popeye, as a snack juice.

Rest of the day.

It all went very well although the folks at work couldn’t quite get their heads around it. My boss couldn’t understand why I was drinking “cold soup” hehe.
I was starting to flag a bit by home time, but actually that is pretty normal for me anyway.
I even managed to do a bit of shopping on the way home without getting too tempted to eat anything, but bought a good bit of beef to make my first real meal later in the week, a nice slow cooked stew and dumplings, mmm can’t wait.

I had another Popeye when I got home; more because I felt I should than because I needed it. I am still not feeling overly hungry, my tummy activity is pretty minimal so I feel light and unbloated which is nice. I think I have lost some weight, but I expect it will soon come back on when I start eating again.
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
So I have pretty much no appetite since doing this. Hahaha!

I have to force myself to eat something. And it can't be too much.

I did have my Pho Bo as planned (a vietnamese soup made with fresh veggies and rice noodles):heart:, tried 3/4 c of an organic mushroom soup with a small piece of bread to sop it up with. Today I only ate 1/3 cup of cream of wheat with honey and when I started to feel tired I had to buy an avocado & kale spread sandwich to help hold me over (prob for the remainder of the day) and had to push myself to eat half of it. All my stomach wants to do is drink juice.

Crazy.
 
Well Im feeling pretty good on my third day of the juice fast. Not as good as I had hoped for but I have been sick with the Flu so I guess that might have something to do with it. Im looking forward to eating a big salad tomorow. Im for sure going to juice on a regular basis at least replace one meal a day with juice. I really enjoyed the Green Goddess juice. Thanks Gianna for putting this on. I do feel healthier and my mind is clearer so Im happy about that. This juice fast also opened my eyes to new possibilities for juices. I never thought I would like the Green Goddess juice but I was wrong. : )
 
Diary of a Beach Bum.

Tuesday 13th Nov. 8am (day 4).

Wake up feeling dehydrated and my bladder feels irritated, it’s strange but it seems as if I haven’t been drinking enough!
How can that be, well obviously not enough water between the juices.
I start the day with a big juicing session,
apples
carrot
lemon
cucumber
celery
sweet potato
& beetroot
I have a big glass for breakfast and then flask the rest for lunch; I also made up some orange, carrot and ginger for my snack juice. I think I will be adopting the snack juice permanently to stop me from eating bad things in the day.

12.30 – just before lunch.

Wow I am feeling genuinely hungry for the first time and the thought of having my juice in half an hour is not filling me with excitement. It will be hard to watch everyone else tuck into their sandwiches.
But having said all that ,I am really quite chuffed to have reached day four so easily, now I know I can do this and I know I can do it whenever I feel the need – if I sense I am becoming ill or have just “over done” things.
It feels like a powerful tool to have in the bag.

Evening.

I make up a seriously green juice, it looks green but more than that is smells sooo green. Gianni you would be proud.
It tastes nice and I do feel pepped by it.

So, last day tomorrow and I think I will have mixed feelings. I am really keen to get back into eating, in fact I am desperate for a big bowl of something steaming hot, but I also know what a prat I can be in my food choices – carrot cake is ok right? Well it does have veg in it.:ylol:
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
Day 3

I really don't know how people do this for 5, 7, 10+ days. I guess I'm just a big emotional eater compared to many others. Or a big wimp :D

I'm fine, but definitely looking forward to food, especially meat :) I'm glad I did this as it's always good to clear things out once in awhile, the key for me will be not to have a rebound and eat everything in site once I do stop.

Thank you again Gianni for setting this up and everything you've done for us. And kudos to the other participants.
 

Gianni

Moderator
I really don't know how people do this for 5, 7, 10+ days. I guess I'm just a big emotional eater compared to many others. Or a big wimp
You know it really is the first 3 days that are the hardest.

I talked with someone whom I met at a sustainable agro meeting who was on day 42 of his juice fast. When I asked how long he planned on doing it for he said, "mmm when I feel like stopping".



Beach Bum, I love the entries, they are a fun read! :D


Well Im feeling pretty good on my third day of the juice fast. Not as good as I had hoped for but I have been sick with the Flu so I guess that might have something to do with it. Im looking forward to eating a big salad tomorow. Im for sure going to juice on a regular basis at least replace one meal a day with juice. I really enjoyed the Green Goddess juice. Thanks Gianna for putting this on. I do feel healthier and my mind is clearer so Im happy about that. This juice fast also opened my eyes to new possibilities for juices. I never thought I would like the Green Goddess juice but I was wrong. : )
Ya the flu can be quite annoying, but I would think some good doses of nutrients would speed it up. You may be feeling some effects of detoxifying. If detox is the issue then if you decide to do a second juice fast at one point, then you will really start to notice the great results:)


All in all guys I'm happy with the results although we did have some speed bumps.

I will be making a post fast video tomorrow I believe (depends on how my day goes tomorrow... wednesday is my busiest day of the week)

But remember, still eat nutrient dense food after the fast... be wary of your food choices!

Gianni
 

Gianni

Moderator
I did have my Pho Bo as planned (a vietnamese soup made with fresh veggies and rice noodles), tried 3/4 c of an organic mushroom soup with a small piece of bread to sop it up with. Today I only ate 1/3 cup of cream of wheat with honey and when I started to feel tired I had to buy an avocado & kale spread sandwich to help hold me over (prob for the remainder of the day) and had to push myself to eat half of it. All my stomach wants to do is drink juice.
How did your gut handle the cream of wheat and honey?

Yeah your stomach will shrink a decent amount after the fast but it will rebound quickly, especially after a short fast, completely normal:) If your body wants juice, give it juice! You don't have to fast, but just incorporate a juice in your day :D

Gianni
 

scottsma

Well-known member
Location
Tynemouth,
Sorry to intrude.I'm not on the fast but have been juicing daily for about 5mnths and really miss it if I have to miss a day.I have a question.I use good quality store bought juice to mix with my early morning organic powdered wheatgrass,and no matter how many fruits are incorporated a glassful is only classed as" one a day".For my fresh juice I use 3 carrots,1 sweet potato or beet,2 apples,2 celery sticks and kale or red cabbage.How many would this be classed as ?
 

CrohnsChicago

Super Moderator
How did your gut handle the cream of wheat and honey?

Yeah your stomach will shrink a decent amount after the fast but it will rebound quickly, especially after a short fast, completely normal:) If your body wants juice, give it juice! You don't have to fast, but just incorporate a juice in your day :D

Gianni
It handled the cream of wheat and honey fairly well overall. It was actually eating the soups that brought on some senses of urgency while I ate them. I am noticing that my body is now more sensitive with regards food digestion. I can tell when it has begun to process the food (my stomach and gut are making a straining sound lol) and I have started to feel the food passing through my gut in quick sharp pains on my lower right and full left side of my abdomen (which my doc reminded me Monday were the parts of my system that had the most inflammation based on the initial colonoscopy). Nothing about my bowel movements have shown signs of warning though. In fact they look better than they have in a long time (no blood/mucous) I just need to be very careful for a little bit regarding what I eat and drink. I started introducing greek yogurt this morning to help bring back some good bacteria into my system.

Will definitely keep giving my body juice if it wants it! :)
 

David

Co-Founder
Location
Naples, Florida
Day 4

As I write this, I am drinking my last smoothie of the fast. I'm going grocery shopping today and plan to eat some solid food while I'm out. I look forward to it :)

I almost always have a smoothie for breakfast though and it works out great for me. So I'll definitely be continuing with that.
 

Gianni

Moderator
Sorry to intrude.I'm not on the fast but have been juicing daily for about 5mnths and really miss it if I have to miss a day.I have a question.I use good quality store bought juice to mix with my early morning organic powdered wheatgrass,and no matter how many fruits are incorporated a glassful is only classed as" one a day".For my fresh juice I use 3 carrots,1 sweet potato or beet,2 apples,2 celery sticks and kale or red cabbage.How many would this be classed as ?
I'm unsure I understand your question. Are you asking if those fruits and vegetables are classed as one juice? If so, yeah that sounds like one glass full of juice from a juicer.

Personally I am not a fan of store bought juice because it must be pasteurized first and they are almost always inorganic. Pasteurizing kills the enzymes and many of the nutrients inside the juice. By killing the enzymes you are putting added pressure on the pancreas to perform but even so the pancreas won't be able to develop the complete enzyme in order to attain optimal nutrition. Unless it is a private company who says that they do not pasteurize their juice, it probably is.

I hope that answers your question, otherwise please ask again.

Gianni
 

scottsma

Well-known member
Location
Tynemouth,
Thankyou.I needed to know if the juice I make myself incorporating mixed veg and fruits is classed as 1 of my 5 a day or whether they still qualify as separate portions of fruit and veg when they've been juiced
 
Diary of a Beach Bum.

Wednesday 14th Nov. 8am

All hail the green juice!
I feel amazing this morning, my mind is flying and my eyes look bright for the first time in a week, also my coat is glossy and nose wet. My tummy is flatter and most importantly there is no pain or discomfort .Hopping on the scales I find I have lost half a stone, but I ‘m pretty sure I will find it again soon enough.
I woke up with an almost complete short story fresh in my mind (yes you might have guessed I do enjoy a bit of amateur writing) and I sprang up full of the joys, it was a little milder today though which could have helped.
It does make me feel a bit sad to think that this is the last day and I will miss you “Dear Diary” – never mind I will have to write a novel or something instead.
So I had the same juice as yesterday for breakfast and lunch plus I made up a mega green snack juice, it wasn’t quite as nice later in the day as the one I had last night, but I could still feel the goodness in every drop.

Evening.

Well that’s pretty much it really; I have had a nice gingery juice for my supper while I was very slowly cooking my stew ready for tomorrow. I thought it was a good idea to do it today so it will be nice a squishy tomorrow. I actually felt a little guilty cooking all those lovely veg instead of eating them raw from the juicer - but tomorrow with a few dumplings this is going to be heaven. Grrrr, tummy rumbling at the thought, can’t wait.
 
Wow!! You are a star!!!
I could do that If I was secretly eating bacon butties.
Are you secretly eating bacon butties????? Or burgers?????
I salute you sir!!!
Big hugs
Marie x















? Or burgers???
Seriously tho. I salute you 😊





I
 
So I was planning on eating alot of good food today since its my first day off the juice diet and I ended up having a green goddess for breakfast a salad for lunch and an awesome sweet potatoe, carrot, spinach, celery, orange, parsley, and kale juice for dinner and I had enough energy to run two miles and work out. I made enough juice for the next two days so I guess My body wants to keep juicing. : )
 
That's great Sam. I agree ,I am still going to be juicing ever day , I would really miss it now.

Haha Marie, trust me no one is as surprised as me (well maybe my hubby) that I made 5 days with only one small spoon of soufle as a slip up.
I am a real food monster, but it has been very empowering to find that I can do without or at least replace bad stuff with good snacks of juice :)
 

Gianni

Moderator
I needed to know if the juice I make myself incorporating mixed veg and fruits is classed as 1 of my 5 a day or whether they still qualify as separate portions of fruit and veg when they've been juiced
They still qualify as separate. Categorize it before you juice:) that is what you are getting. But don't be worried about going over 5.

Gianni
 
Just thought I'd thank Gianni and encourage others to brew some water kefir. Obviously, there is some sugar left over and the lactic acids could take a toll on your teeth like any other acidic beverage, but this stuff is way easier to make than I expected.

I've had store bought coconut kefir water before but wasn't impressed--mainly because of the cost. I've also considered making milk kefir, but it seemed a little intimidating considering the work and utensils involved.

I just finished my first ginger-lemon spritzer, and it was fizzy lifting alright. I've dabbled in beer and kombucha brewing/bottling, so I had a leg up, but making this stuff is a cinch: just mix water, sugar, minerals (I use an egg shell from my daily hard boiled eggs, as suggested by a youtuber), and let it sit for 1-2 days in a non-airtight mason jar (I put 3 coffee filters under the screw lid). Then strain out the liquid into resealable bottles (mine were $23 for a 12 pack), and let those sit for a day or two for carbonation. Then cool and drink. I did two days for each fermentation at a room temperature of 74 F.

CAUTION: this process can speed up to 2 days total in higher temps. Be careful opening your bottled kefir.

I especially like the perpetual grain growth for composting and, possibly, as a probiotic. I haven't swallowed any grains to find out if it really does the job by itself, but the prospect of an effective, home-made probiotic source is something I'm into...

Maybe I'll join the juicers on the next fast. I've been recklessly tossing in every vege in my cauldron I can think of the past week. I had an apple-beet-carrot-cilantro-celery-cucumber-ginger-kale-red cabbage-spinach-sweet potato juice the past couple days (I'm probably forgetting a few). In that foamy mess of goodness, it's safe to say cabbage and celery are best left to themselves.

Cheers.
 

Gianni

Moderator
Hi mnsun,

Yeah I want to start a whole new thread on water kefir here soon, I'm starting to really like it.

Thanks for the tips.

Swallowing the grains, I hear, will do the job as well. When I get a surplus of grains I am going to make a smoothie and throw some of the grains into the smoothie:).

Please do join the next juice fast:), I am thinking it will be sometime in January.

Gianni
 

Gianni

Moderator
Hi guys, just wanted to hear from you and seeing how you guys are handling the days after the fast. Any noticeable changes? Have you stuck to a healthy diet? Have you continued juicing? Any pains discomforts?


Edit: Would you be interested in doing another juice fast sometime in the future?

Gianni
 
Last edited:
I have had a good week since the fast. I have had a few niggles but not as bad as those that were happening before it.
I have continued juicing every morning and taking a small flask to work to drink during the day instead of snacking, which works really well. I have tried to stick to healthy food and really thinking about "do I need this thing or just want it?" before I eat something, mixed results - but some good is better than none ;)

I am pretty sure I will need a fast after Christmas and I think my hubby will join in this time :)
 
I'm going to be doing this for 3 days, starting today. However, I will be complimenting it with a free-range organic homemade chicken broth.

I pulled out the Jack Lalanne juicer this morning, I realize it's not the best for this, but it's all I have.

All of the below ingredients were organic/GMO free.

My first juice was:
6 Celery Sticks
1/2 of a Zucchini
2 small Apples
5 Baby Carrots
3 Handfuls of fresh organic Spinach

Not that potent, but all I have in the fridge at the moment. It actually tasted delicious!

The juice was probably around 12 oz. I'll probably do 2 more today.

On top of that, I drank a glass of warm broth with Coconut oil. Hope I don't get the runs too bad!
 
Did my second juice tonight, starting to experiment with cabbage!

-Many leaves of purple cabbage
-7-8 baby carrots
-a few leaves of Swiss Chard lettuce

Bitter, but tasted pretty decent overall. Maybe I'm not as sensitive as some.
 

FullM3lt

Activate CB2
Location
Pacific NW
Aight, after seeing my latest colonoscopy I decided I need to give this a try. My colon needs some rest and nutrients....I don't have a juicer so I'll be attempting this with a blender and a strainer. Should be the same thing....or at least very similar.

Off to the store...I'll report back in a bit :ycool:
 
Picked up cabbage, some kale, some more chard, leeks, tomatoes, and some various frozen fruits. All organic, of course. I wonder what kind of life-giving concoction I can make with this.
 

FullM3lt

Activate CB2
Location
Pacific NW
aight guys, I went ghetto style and used a blender and a strainer....picked up some organic kale shoots, cucumbers, carrots, ginger root, romaine lettuce, spinach, celery and some apples.

A juicer is probably much more efficient, but i'm low on cash....here is my first drink(s) (had to split it into 2 separate drinks)

Letting them chill out a bit now, can't wait...:D



I should add that this is not a complete fast, but i'll be drinking a lot of juice over the next week just to see if it helps. My colon is hurtin right now :eek:
 

Gianni

Moderator
Awesome!

Keep us updated! Don't feel obliged to strain the pulp out. David did a "smoothie fast" as well and I do believe the pulp can be beneficial if fiber doesn't harm you.

Gianni
 

FullM3lt

Activate CB2
Location
Pacific NW
Well next time I might try a smoothie! I don't know though...I'm not very educated on nutrition, but I thought fiber reduced constipation? I'm in a flare right now and the last thing I need is less constipation lol! food is running through me very quickly :rof:

This drink is pretty tasty....Dunno if it's a placebo but I feel invigorated!
 

Gianni

Moderator
It will reduce constipation and will reduce diarrhea as well just some Crohnies can't handle the fiber because it rubs against active inflammation and the sort. But yes fiber is amazing and should be a big part of your diet if it doesn't bother you.
 
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