Post: #1

I’ve been thinking about a water fast since Celes’s first fast, but I don’t think I can handle that right now with all my work and home commitments.

I am already 100% vegetarian, but I do eat a lot of cheese and other milk products. I am also around 25Kg overweight. In addition to cleansing, I want to lose some weight during this fast. I had thought of doing a juice fast or a juice/soup i.e. liquid fast. But I did give in to eating today (fruits, but still :mrgreen , so it’s basically a fruit and soup fast - With mostly fresh fruit juices and homemade vegetable soups (more liquid rather than thick soup). I’ve opted for soups rather than juices as I can make enough for 1-2 days in advance. I will also taking herbal teas as well.

Day 1
I started the day with some lemon juice in a glass of warm water. Breakfast was a glass of juice – carrot, apple and orange. The morning went quite well, except that I was feeling hungry by noon. I had freshly made juice in a salad bar (this time with orange , apple and pineapple) – the juice was a bit acidic and did not help my stomach. I had a terrible headache by afternoon and I was also feeling very very drowsy at work (which is not normal for me). I am not sure if it was related to the fast. I had an apple and some grapes in the early afternoon, but it did not help much.

At home, I had two bowls of soup (carrot, zucchini and pumpkin) with a pinch of salt. I felt much better after that.
Looking back, I think one of my errors today was that I did not increase my water intake and also there was a lack of preparation.
Things should be much easier tomorrow as the weekend starts

Post: #2

Hey Ish, welcome to the "fasting" club!
It's great you've finally taken the plunge, I know how hard it is to work on your health around daily errands. Your soups sound awesome, especially to someone who hasn't eaten for 3 days... but I think my food cravings today should be minor, at least I didn't wake up craving cheeseburgers this morning!

I'll be checking in on you as I know moral support during restricted dieting is crucial to your success!! I'm also interested to see the weight-loss results of a pure vegan diet or other health benefits that one can achieve in a week from a vege/fruit cleanse. Thanks for sharing your experience!

Post: #3

Those soups do sound great. I should add more soups to my mostly raw vegan diet. We're here to support you and I hope you feel better tomorrow.

Post: #4

Hi Ish

Great job on day 1! I would say that the headaches you are experiencing is definately a sign of detox, It should pass by the end of the week.
Also, if you are feeling a little light headed (due to your low BP), you could try having some celery. It has tons of sodium
I have no doubt that you will reach your weight loss goal! Do you know what kind of diet you plan to follow after the fast?

Post: #5

Hi Hannah, Almo and Moira, thanks a lot for your support!
It's taken me some time to take the plunge and it's much easier knowing you people have done it before - "it can be done!!". It might seem strange saying this, but reading articles about fasting on the Internet and reading your experiences(and Celes's) is much different. Although our relationship is still virtual, you seem more "real"!
Thank you all for sharing

Day 2 seems more easy, although I did wake up with thoughts of food. My craving was for a peanut butter and cheese sandwich.
I will post more details in the evening - have to go fetch my daughter.

Post: #6

Thanks for sharing Ish, and congratulations on a great Day 1 . It's great that you're journaling your 7-day cleanse here - no doubt it's going to inspire others to do the same too. How about your mother-in-law and husband - have they been asking any questions regarding your cleanse?

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #7

Day 3 almost over!!
These past two days have been relatively easy. As it was the weekend, it was easier for me to eat soup often during the day. I also had more than 2litres water.
I've been quite busy as well, driving a lot for the kids on saturday and doing housework today. I still had headaches in late afternoon, but not as bad as on the first day.
I usually have clear skin, but since yesterday I've had two pimples on my face. I am not sure if it's a form of detox.
As for weight, I measured this morning and it seems I lost 1.2Kg in two days.

Celes Wrote:How about your mother-in-law and husband - have they been asking any questions regarding your cleanse?

I have not told them and I don't think they realised yet. I usually make soup and even my children love having soup. Only my daughter knows about the cleanse. In any case, I don't think I'll have too many objections as soup and fruits "diet" will not be considered as extreme as a water fast.

Post: #8

Congrats on almost completing Day 3 Ish! 4 days more to go!

Ish Wrote:I usually have clear skin, but since yesterday I've had two pimples on my face. I am not sure if it's a form of detox.
As for weight, I measured this morning and it seems I lost 1.2Kg in two days.

That's interesting about the pimples - let us know how your skin condition changes in the next few days! Congrats on the 1.2kg loss!

Ish Wrote:I have not told them and I don't think they realised yet. I usually make soup and even my children love having soup. Only my daughter knows about the cleanse. In any case, I don't think I'll have too many objections as soup and fruits "diet" will not be considered as extreme as a water fast.

That's great Who knows, you may even be inspiring your children to have more fruits/healthy soup right now as you're doing the cleanse!

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #9

I've stopped my current fast at 4.5 days.

I had a hard time concentrating at work on Monday and ended the work day with a terrible headache. I had two bananas when I came back home and felt much better afterwards.
I was unsure if I would continue for the planned 7 days, but the decision was sort of taken out of my hands on Tuesday as a work meeting continued to lunch and I did not really have a choice. I had a large salad (unfortunately with the dressing) and a fresh fruit juice.

I am not going back to my previous eating habits though. I will now be eating a healthy diet, but with fruits like bananas and grapes, making it easier. I have also added some nuts and raisins as a snack, and steamed veggies for dinner.

Post: #10

Hey Ish, congratulations at completing 4.5 days!! Kudos to you - It would have been challenging for me to do a liquid diet fast - I like the chewing/crunching aspect of eating . It sounds like the headache might be a detox symptom actually. The more important thing is that you've now improved your eating habits, and from what you're eating, you're definitely having a much healthier diet than majority of people out there! It's really something to be proud of.

By the way, how are the diets and eating habits of your children? I'm sure they get very inspired having a positive role model like you in the household! I think if I was raised seeing fruits/veg everywhere/every meal that such positive eating habits would be very deeply ingrained in me from young.

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #11

Celes Wrote:Hey Ish, congratulations at completing 4.5 days!! Kudos to you - It would have been challenging for me to do a liquid diet fast - I like the chewing/crunching aspect of eating

Thanks Celes!! Your encouragement has been very helpful to get me this far.

Celes Wrote:By the way, how are the diets and eating habits of your children? I'm sure they get very inspired having a positive role model like you in the household! I think if I was raised seeing fruits/veg everywhere/every meal that such positive eating habits would be very deeply ingrained in me from young.

They do eat a lot of fruits, but otherwise, I am afraid our eating habits have not been really healthy. It's only now that I've been making these changes. Although I'm vegetarian, I do eat too much carbs and milk and cheese products. They do eat vegetables, mostly in salads, soups , but also in cheesy foods like gratin and quiches. They also like pasta and pizzas . I am now trying to find healthy, but interesting alternatives.

Post: #12

I am quite a fan of a pita pocket pizza recipe I found somewhere and I only sprinkle it lightly with Parmesan cheese and it still amazing but your family could do more heavy cheese on their own since they are made in individual pita pockets! You saute all sorts of vegetables for the filling; I like green peppers, spinach, and Italian squash with garlic. I try to go light on the olive oil here to make it a lighter dish. Then you scoop that and some cheese into a pita or I just slap it on top of any small flat bread! Toast in the oven and serve with a tomato sauce. A much healthier alternative to pizza in handy little single serving form. I could find the actual recipe and it's calories if you were interested.

Post: #13

Hi Moira, thank you for your tips. I actually do something similar, but with plain bread, adding mushrooms, sweet corn, olives etc. I have not tried parmesan though (usually cheddar or mozarella). I'll have to try. I'd appreciate the recipe if you still have it

I am trying to get them to change to healthier food, but without too many drastic changes or "boring" food, so that they do not rebel and go more towards junk food. I've had a request for lasagna this weekend.
I'll be looking for a healthy version online

Post: #14

The exact recipe that I stole the idea from is as follows

Quote:Sauté 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper in 1 tsp olive oil with 1/4 cup chopped onion. Stuff 1 whole-grain pita with sautéed vegetables, 1/3 cup part-skim mozzarella, 2 tbsp sliced black olives. Microwave until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Serve with 1/3 cup warmed reduced-sodium marinara sauce.

397 calories, 18 g fat (6 g saturated), 45 g carbs, 8 g fiber, 17 g protein

Make it bigger: Add 2 oz grilled chicken (100 calories).

I changed it up a bit by adding more vegetables since I am a vegetable fiend and the Parmesan cheese because I think it packs more flavor in a smaller amount, thus lowering the fat from the cheese in the recipe but I do not know the exact numbers there.

Post: #15

Thanks Moira!! Your recipe sounds both healthy and easy .
I will get the items required during my next shopping trip! I don't usually buy pita bread.

Post: #16

I honestly just throw it on top of whatever flat bread I have laying around the house but whole wheat pita bread is amazing.

Post: #17

That recipe sounds great Moira! I'll have to give it a go!

Well done for lasting 4.5 days Ish! I've never even managed a day yet

I try really hard not to fail. Sometimes this is unavoidable. If I do fail, at least I will learn something useful.

Post: #18

Izzy Wrote:Well done for lasting 4.5 days Ish! I've never even managed a day yet

Hey Izzy!! Every day is always a great day to start! Take your time to ready and prepare yourself; when you're ready to start, you can always create a journal in the forums and use that to document your experience. We'll all be here to support you!

"If you want to get something you have never gotten before, you've to do something you've never done before."
Personal Excellence - For people passionate about achieving excellence in life

Post: #19

Thank you for the advice Celes! I will go back and re-read your fasting series very carefully, and try to find a time when I can commit to it fully!

I try really hard not to fail. Sometimes this is unavoidable. If I do fail, at least I will learn something useful.