Second day of fast: the hunger day
Oh, how I love day 2 of fasts. No, wait. They're not fun at all. Usually this is the day that every food in the world, including big ol' meatloafs, smell good to me.

It's so hard to break the food habit, and of course everything looks great right now. It's torture going through recipes online.

I had a great skin brush after yoga this morning. That felt really good, and I've read that it will stimulate whatever parts you concentrate on. So I made a lot of loops over my abdomen, just to make sure to give the message that I want to see some action down there!

Anyway, I'm pretty beat. Think I'll fall asleep right at my desk. Guess I'll wake up if the phone rings...

Beginning a fast today
Well, I'm going to try at this big cleansing fast again. This will be the third time, and I have yet to see the dramatic results that I _always_ hear about. We'll see.

Today begins just the citrus juices, then apple tomorrow. Should be fun. I really enjoy the fasting, especially after the first couple days are over with. The boy says I get really cranky, but I'll try to watch that this time.

This weekend I stuck to fully raw, and I ate a good deal of guacamole! So in the mood for it. That and almond butter with a little honey, raising, and banana! What a great, sweet dessert. I ate a lot of apples, too, with and without cinnamon or honey. They were hitting the spot. I should, however, change my name to Nim-grapefruit. I was eating those like a fiend!

I'm thinking I'll juice fast for at least a week, then water fast a week, then juice again to sort of come back to foods.

My bowels haven't been super happy, and man do I smell garlic!! I think when I get back on foods again, I'll ditch the garlic for a while. Seems like with raw foods, the raw garlic just overpowers it all. The boy isn't too thrilled about that, I can tell you. So for his sake, I'll kill the garlic.

Still full from last night
Yow. I must have really packed it in. I didn't eat dinner, but at about 9 I had 2 or 3 cookies. I left the rest to cotinue drying overnight.

I had about 5 cookies for breakfast this morning, though. I thought the hunger pangs were fake, but they got worse after I drank some water, which I tend to think means it's real.

Anyway, I can't believe how full I was last night. I really felt like I was packed, all the way up my throat, even. Haven't felt like that in quite a while.

I don't know if I'm detoxing or what -- this is the beginning of the 9th day of raw for me, and of course marks the longest period of rawness for me. But I spotted a bit the last couple of days, which is extremely odd for me. Very light, but still, odd.

I think I'll go post that cookie recipe. So yummy!!

Nut + Lethargy = nuthargy?
Whatever it is, I am. I think with the carrot cake (think I overspiced it or something) and then the apple cookie, always yummy, plus the cashew snacking, I am totally stuffed with calories and fat. The cashews weren't soaked, so that might have a lot to do with this. Evidently nuts have enzyme inhibitors built in; makes them tough to digest unless you soak them. The soaking triggers the sprouting "it's ok -- it's spring!" mechanism, or so I hear. Annnyway, doesn't matter in this case: cashews aren't even raw since they're steamed open to begin with.

Ah, me.

Suffice to say I have not felt this lethargic in quite some time. It's the first day that I skipped my lunchtime chores and really just wanted to nap on the couch. First time since going raw again, anyway.

So for lunch I had an orange and a pear. And yes! You got me! I had some more carrot cake. Sooo irresistable, even if spicey. OK, ok, and two apple cookies, too. Sheesh. And, on further recollection, almond butter with honey and raisins. No wonder I feel so full.

Think I'll go make some tea to get at least a caffeine kick. Sounds like a standard american fix, eh?

Another bang to start off the day
Weird. It totally must have been the essene bread. Again this morning, very very unhappy bowels. Today I'm eating more simply, especially with my fast coming up.

Yesterday I had an orange for my sweet fix, then made a big salad with corn at about 4pm. I had a mango (!) and tahini/almond butter/raisin/cinnamon goo when the fam sat down for din-dins.

This morning I wanted to try out a carrot cake recipe, so I made some carrot juice for brekkies and I'm using the pulp for the cake. I'll post that recipe later today, if I like it. I munched on an unfinished piece and it was pretty good, so far. I'm also making apple cookies.

Currently I'm munching on cashews, but I think that's because I'm thirsty. I need to get water tonight or I'm gonna shrivel up!!

Thick shake held me over for lunch!
I have been eyeing the last 2 bananas left and contemplating a shake. I went for it! 2 bananas, a squirt of honey, a teensy pinch of salt and a bit of vanilla, mixed with the last of my almond milk, and - may i burn in raw foods hell! - a shake or two of cocoa powder. i thought about mesquite powder, but... i dunno. i just couldn't resist the pull of cocoa. neither raw nor organic! well, it wasn't even a tsp, which is about 20 calories for cocoa. therefore, it was less than 1% of a 2000 calorie diet. hmm. bad nim!

ok, i'm over it. i'll look for carob tonight when i go shopping. doubt i'll find it raw; i never do. but after my fasting the next few weeks, i'll order a lot online and be loving life!

I think I was thirsty after that shake, which might be why I was craving sweet. Anyway, about 2 hours after the shake I cut up an apple and sprinkled some cinnamon on it, then drizzled just a smidge of honey on it. Yum! True vegans would hate me, but I don't consider myself a raw vegan, just a raw foodist who's mainly vegan. Ah, grey areas.

Another day, fully raw
Well, completing yesterday marked my 6th full day raw. Once today is done, I'll have gone my longest no-cheating stretch ever!

Yesterday after lunch I had the last pint of strawberries, then 4 or 5 dried apricots. I also had 2-avo guac for dinner (with corn, of course). After 9pm or so, I had a banana with honey and mesquite powder, a handful of granola, and a few more apricots.

This morning I finished up the granola with the almond milk. I have a little almond milk left, so I think I'll make a shake later on.

I couldn't get to sleep until way past midnight, and I was up and about before 6 with no problem. I even wandered back down to the bed, just to waste the time until I _had_ to be up, and couldn't get back to sleep! A first for "Miss Horizontal 2003".

I've been keeping to my activity schedule, which mainly is just cleaning and evening crafts, but I'm sticking to it, which is the point. Gosh, what's next? A completed project??

food log
I munched on some granola, but mainly ate the rest of the essene bread at lunch. That's definitely what set me off earlier. I'm sure I'll have another round of _that_ kind of fun tomorrow because of it. Oh well, now I know. I chased it with a grapefruit, which tasted soooo good to me. I'm really looking forward to some guac tonight -- can't wait!

I had some green tea earlier, which fills me up to no end! I'm still thirsty, so I've been drinking water like mad. Almost caved in to one of those oatmeal cookies just lying about. I might have a strawberry smoothie or something in a bit. Need to eat those expensive organics before they have a chance to go bad!

GI fun
Hmm. Well, that thick feeling in my stomach, which started sometime yesterday morning after I ate my essene bread or perhaps the night before with those mushrooms, has progressed to gastro-intestinal fun. This is a first for me in this lifestyle! I wonder if it's cleansing or if there was something in the mushrooms or the bread that my body doesn't like. Let's see:

Sunday: mushrooms with pesto, also 'pizza' mushrooms. Felt reall full afterwards. Lotsa nuts today, like pine nuts and cashews. Think I also had guac with 2 avos, so this is a high-fat day. Made the bread and nibbled some. Even my apple/cinnamon treat didn't sit well, come to think of it. Also had veggie crackers.

Monday: Essene bread in the AM, with agave and cinnamon. Almond milk, granola. I felt overly full after the bread, but pressed on at lunch with the leftover mushrooms. By dinner I knew I needed something more simple, so I had a salad -- dressing with lots of garlic and parsley. 1 sliced avo in there, plus corn and some grape tomatoes. Didn't even feel sleepy until midnight. Granola snacked all day.

Today: Lethargic to wake up. Wonder if I should have tried to sleep earlier? Breakfast was granola and almond milk. GI has settled down since I first woke up -- and what a wake up call! I think that's what ultimately got me out of bed. Pretty small, as far as my brekkies go, but I'm still not feeling hungry, but pretty thirsty.

Energy!
Interesting. I've been fully, 100% no-cheating raw for 5 full days now. The days before that were mixed with salad dressings or a cheated-in ice cream helping. Such a weakness. But ha ha! No more! Point is, I'm super-charged with energy today. I've gotten soooo much done! There isn't a scrap of dirty clothing in the house, nor a dirty dish, and that's just the every-day stuff! Nevermind the re-arranging of furniture and the straightening/super-cleaning of shelves and drawers and closet. Hmmm.

I do feel a little thick in the stomach from time to time today. I think it was the essene bread I ate for breakfast. It's just so dense! Tomorrow I should be able to eat that granola I've been drying tonight. I snitched a lot of it, and it does taste great! Well, time to re-vamp my other website. Another proverbial closet-cleaning.