Post: #21

I had the same experience with the soap tasting mouth too! It lasted about 3 days for me. But unlike you, I found the watermelon to taste really good (even though wasn't hungry)
In my opinion I think you should use Loren's recommendations as only that- a Recommendation. You dont haave to eat at those times and have those quantities. I think listening to your body is the best way to go

Post: #22

Yes, I'm still alive and have made it through 5 days of refeeding so far!

As I mentioned Day 1 of refeeding was HARD. It took me almost an hour to eat each 2 oz. portion of watermelon throughout the day, and it tasted horrible due to all the acid constantly pouring into my mouth. Then, I got a "soapy" taste in my mouth the next day. I had read that this can be due to too much fluoride intake and realized that although I had been drinking filtered water throughout my fast, the type of filter we have (PUR) doesn't remove fluoride. So, at my low weight and drinking over a gallon a day, it does make sense that I was overloading my body with this toxic chemical rather than cleaning myself out with the water! So, I bought some distilled water, but that tasted like plastic. My salivary glands continued to overwork and just POUR acid into my mouth through Friday. On Thursday, I worked from 5:30am to 11pm and on Friday from 5:30am to 3:30pm. Got everything out on time, went home, ate, and watched some tv. It was amazing. The watermelon still tasted disgusting, but as I ate, I began to cry while watching a touching story. I continued to have periods where emotional sadness would well inside my chest as I ate. It's like the fasting numbed my emotions and when I began to eat again, something opened up inside. After that I went to bed and slept 7 solid hours before even getting up to go pee! I was almost afraid I might go into a coma or die (not exaggerating -- I was actually frightened and asked my husband to check on me periodically), I was SO exhausted as my head hit the pillow. It's the best I slept throughout the entire fast. Went back to sleep for a few more hours after that and then got up to prepare my watermelon breakfast.

As I was standing there Saturday morning (morning of Day 4 of refeeding), I got the urge to "go." I went into the bathroom and expelled a lot of dark orange water as well as some white watermelon seeds. It is amazing how many HUNDREDS of seeds are in those stupid seedless watermelons. It was taking me over 30 minutes just to prepare my few ounces of watermelon before eating it, trying to pick out all the seeds. At least I felt reassured that they pass through okay! (however, I have not yet had another bm . . . time will tell . . . ).

After that bathroom episode, my salivating cleared up (although tongue still has slight coat -- I don't think that's going away), and I felt hungry for the first time. The watermelon now tasted bland. It's tough to get excited to eat when there is no taste. Bleh.

So, I finished the watermelon (12 oz. every 3 hours/4x) on Saturday and switched to honeydew on Saturday and Sunday. MUCH BETTER. I found 4 VERY ripe honedews and pre-prepped them all in sealed glass containers, to last me through today. And, the seeds are so easy to scoop out! They are not embedded into the inside of the melon flesh like watermelon.

My husband spent yesterday intalling a reverse osmosis water filtration system in our kitchen sink. We have to fill and flush it 4 times before we can drink the water, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the taste compares.

As far as symptoms, my injury really flared yesterday as I did a lot (relatively speaking) of walking and standing around at a women's cycling faire. I go to the chiropractor today and will see what he has to say. My bites are just about gone and do not itch anymore (these did NOT heal while fasting). I am very headachey today and did not sleep well last night. I thought I might be coming down with a cold (my husband has one), but I am not stuffy. Just dry throat and headache. The weather here has been fluctuating like crazy. Not sure if any of you follow the Tour of California, but yesterday was supposed to start just northeast of here in South Lake Tahoe and it got cancelled because of all the snow. Tomorrow it is supposed to come right through our town, but we are supposed to have another storm come in later today/evening. Last weekend it was close to 90 degrees. So, perhaps that has something to do with these symptoms.

I have been reading and listening to a lot of Dr. Doug Graham and Rozalind Gruben-Graham's materials and learning so much that I want to apply to my life re emotional congruency, etc. I feel as though I am at a place where I really want to grow in living an authentic life, rather than walking around numbed to my emotions. It's scary, but exciting. Perhaps I'll start a new thread on some of that . . .

Oh, on Saturday morning, my ketone levels finally stopped registering on the tape (they dropped to low on the second day and then trace on the third day of refeeding, but finally went away altogether on the fourth). Pulse is just a few beats faster than during the fast (resting is 59 or so as opposed to 54). And, my pee is getting clearer by the day.

Things are improving!

So, today, Day 6 of refeeding will consist of 20 oz. of honeydew every 3 hours/4x. The honeydew I have is so ripe that it just about melts in my mouth. I'm still making sure to let everything just about liquefy in my mouth before swallowing.

Thanks so much for all your feedback! Hannah and Celes, it was helpful to hear your refeeding experiences so I could know the ickiness was normal!

Hannah, I didn't feel I could trust myself to "listen to my body" the first few days because if I listened to my body I wouldn't have eaten anything or had anything to drink because my mouth tasted so bad and I thought I'd vomit. I think I'm getting closer to that place, but I don't want to rush it. I'm going to give myself a minimum of 9 days of re-feeding (1/2 length of my fast) before I give that go. I'm really glad it's working for you though!

Okay, need to prep for a phone conference . . .

Post: #23

(05-12-2011 04:39 AM)Izzy Wrote:  Also, I have to second the liking of organic produce! I'm lucky enough to have a local farmer that delivers a box of fruits and veggies to us once a week, and I'm attempting to grow my own in pots on my concrete garden. Mmmmm!

Hi Izzy,

So sorry for not responding sooner. Our local organic community farm stand re-opens next weekend (weather permitting -- we just had a crazy ice storm yesterday!). I'm so looking forward to it. Just in time to start reintroducing more variety into my daily intake.

About growing your own, http://www.growingyourgreens.com is a wealth of information. Most of it is raised bed gardening, but he has some youtube vids on growing potted fruits and veg as well.

We getting our raised beds ready in the backyard and then when the time comes, we're going to plant some fruit trees in the front. I'll post more details in moirawr's thread on home gardening. I'd love to hear yours as well.

Post: #24

HI Lynette!

Thank you SO much for the update, I was really worried about you
It sounds like everything is going well! I am going to use Loren's recommendation for my next fast when I break it, because the first time I ended up really sick because I was adding food too fast. Your experience confirms that re-feeding is very important and should be done carefully.
Keep safe The worst is over!

Post: #25

Thanks, Hannah.

I felt absolutely horrible last night, and was certain I was coming down with something so went to bed early and slept in. I feel SO MUCH BETTER today. I can not emphasize just how important adequate sleep is! This really is my weakest link and something I need to prioritize.

Ate the last of my honeydew (24 oz.) for my 9am meal and back to watermelon for noon and 3pm. I bought a new large regular watermelon and it had FAR fewer seeds than the dumb seedless ones I bought. But, still not the tastiest thing in the world. I should know better as they are not locally in season. I'm going to stop at the store on the way home to scope out ripe, juicy fruit for my last 24 oz. meal of the day. Then, tomorrow, I am hoping to introduce romaine as an addition. I got a bit of cramping in my foot while in bed last night and this tells me my body is craving the minerals in greens now.

Oh, and the moment we've all been waiting for (hah hah!), I had a "real" bm this morning. The first "plop" was watermelon and the second was honeydew -- no mistaking those colors. It was funny -- literally looked like a tiny log of watermelon and a tiny log of honeydew. Tee hee! It took a while to come out, but oh, happy day! My body does know what it needs to do and when it needs to do it without me messing with it.

I tried taking the stairs at work, but realized it is too soon for that (I could feel exactly where the hamstring inserts and it is NOT ready for stairs). But, I think I'm ready to hop on the bike trainer tonight at the lowest gear for 15 minutes of light spinning. The chiro says the low impact of the bike should be fine and it will get my muscles moving and start to increase my stamina. I should be able to add about 5 minutes every 4 days or so until I am back to my old time and speed -- but, don't push it!

Thanks again for all your encouragement. I will say, that as of today, I have NO intention of EVER fasting again (unless I am so sick I can't eat for a couple days -- no more self-imposed fasting though)!

Post: #26

Stopped by the grocery store on the way home from work last night to get food for the next few days (hah hah). NOTHING is ripe! I went to FOUR grocery stores. They are packed with watermelons on sale, so I figured I'd give it another go. Bought 4 medium-sized watermelons, which I thought would last at least 2-3 days, but only got last night's dinner and meals for today out of them -- the remainder were too mealy. There was absolutely no flavor whatsoever. So disappointing. So, I imagine I am getting next to zero nutrition out of these melons. Per Dr. Graham, "Ripeness is a feature that's not just about the flavor. The nutrients in the food become far more available as fruits ripen. A tremendous number of nutrients are set into the fruit towards the very end of the fruit's productive phase. So, not only do they become more available, they're not even in the food until near the very end of the fruit's ripening process. We will find not only more satiation value through the consumption of ripe fruits, but we'll also find that the nutrient content and the nutrient assimilation of food highly increases." He also says it's a misnomer to say, "You are what you eat." It's really, "You are what you digest and assimilate."

Well, I have a feeling it's going to be a late fruit/veg season with this winter-type storm we've been having this week. The sun is supposed to peak out later today or tomorrow -- yay! So, tonight I'll have to make the rounds again and may have to settle for frozen organic fruit, which I'll thaw before consuming. I know it's not ideal, but as long as I am consuming it rarely (once per month on average over a year) it should be okay. And, I guess I'll have to get some bananas to ripen -- GAG. I really don't like bananas (never have, even as a child). I did pick up a close-to-ripe pineapple and hope it is okay (it still has a bit of green on it, but mostly golden - found it at the fourth store!). And, I picked up some organic romaine. You know, I forgot how much time and money I was spending driving around to grocery stores and buying gas and fruit/veg. I spent close to $20 yesterday and got about one-and-a-half day's meals out of it. Yikes!

Well, I didn't make it onto the bike trainer. I was completely wiped out by the time I got home, fed the dogs, prepped my watermelon for dinner and today's meals, and dragging all of the watermelon rinds and innards I didn't use out to the compost! I was feeling very light-headed and my throat was still icky. I wanted to go straight to bed after eating (at around 7pm!), but needed to wait up for my husband. One of my tonsils has some white dots on it. I tried to get them with a cotton swab, but they don't appear to be on the outside as they didn't wipe off at all. They seem to be a part of the tonsil. I do not have a fever (97.4), so I am not worried that it is strep.

Got to bed at 10:30pm (way too late) and slept for several hours straight. Had to get up around 5am to "poop" (honeydew, so I am guesstimating that transit time is still over 24 hours).

I guess that's it out of me for now. Take care everyone!

Post: #27

It's okay if you don't get to your bike training. I am glad you are listening to your body and letting yourself rest when needed. You seem to be really well with your re-feeding!

Post: #28

Thanks Moirawr.

Yesterday was better. Throat is better and the sun finally came out when I got home, so I walked my doggies through the neighborhood. It felt good to get out in the fresh air and sunshine and I was able to walk a good 15 minutes at a moderate pace (of course, stopping here and there so they could sniff and pee on the fire hydrants and trees). My injury didn't talk to me 'til the slight uphill grade getting back to the house, at which time I called it quits. Not long enough for them, but long enough for me. Also tried the stairs at work again yesterday and only got a tiny "bite." Seems like things are starting to heal!

Got a bit of burning when urinating yesterday afternoon, but it went away. I'm wondering if the throat thing and then the pee thing are little "healing crises" that my body knew would have been overload while fasting, so it waited. ???

Slept well again last night.

Had blended pineapple and romaine with a bit of romaine chopped up and sprinkled on top for dinner last night. It was not sweet and burned my mouth horribly! I should have thrown it out and eaten something else, but that would have meant going out to the grocery store again and hunting around and I just did not have it in me to do that. So, I ate it. Not smart. This was NOT taking care of me. I couldn't stand the thought that I had spent $4 on this small pineapple and it would have gone to waste and I would have had to put off eating for another hour or so to go drive around and look for something else to eat. Sigh . . .

Today, I am having the last of my tasteless watermelon for breakfast, and then I have thawed frozed organic blueberries for lunch and afternoon. For dinner, my organic bananas should be ripened enough to eat and I will have some wrapped in romaine leaves. I'm still really working on eating slowly and chewing THOROUGHLY so that everything digests and assimilates properly.

Oh, and emotional update:

I cried quite a bit (for me) last night as I was watching a touching series on television. It was the final three episodes of a reality series following a group of people in an eating disorder treatment center and I cried during the family week episode when the patients and family members made amends to each other for past failings in their lives. It just moved me so to see/hear some of the parents express their genuine love for the adult children for the first time. These people had used their disordered eating to fill these voids in their lives of not feeling loved, or not feeling accepted, or being afraid to reveal their true identities for fear of not being accepted, and it was such a big step in their healing to ask for what they felt they were missing and to actually receive it! I also cried a bit for the woman whose family did not come to participate. I think I saw a bit of myself in her in that she didn't feel she deserved to stand up for herself and say, "I really want you to be here; I really need you to be here for me," and instead when asked point-blank, "Do you want me to come?" said, "Well, it's up to you." I was brought up with the message that to want things (including attention) was selfish, and selfish girls are bad girls, and nobody likes bad girls. This is something I still struggle with as an adult, but to be a CONGRUENT, whole person, I need to continue to learn to speak my truth.

The body/mind are amazing in their wisdom. They really know just how much we can handle at a time and we can't push our agenda on them just because that's what we want!

Okay, take care everyone and have a wonderful day.

Post: #29

It sounds like you are doing so much better!! What day are you on of refeeding (I lost count)?
Do you have any specific health goals that you will be now pursuing after the fast?

Post: #30

Hi Everyone (and, Hannah, thanks for asking ),

Just a quick check-in, nearing the end of Day10 of refeeding after a 19-day fast on water only. I have to say that things are getting better each day! Better sleep, more daytime energy, etc. It really helps that the sun has been out the past two-and-a-half days. Took the doggies for another stroll when I got home from work yesterday, but overdid it. Not in the stamina department, but aggravated my injury a bit. The boy likes to go fast and pull on the leash, while the girl likes to poke along sniffing. The pulling caused me to pound my feet to hold him back and this aggravated things. I'm going to have to think on how to make this work. They need their walks, but I need be more gentle on myself for the time being. Pre-fast, my husband would take the boy and I would take the girl and go slower. But, that would be at about 10pm after he got home from work and ate his dinner. I just can not stay up that late anymore if I really want to prioritize my health and emotional well-being. I get up and go to work before he even wakes up in the morning. Hmmm . . .

Small amount of bm this morning, and it was quite difficult to accomplish. So, every 72 hrs. or so right now. I'm looking forward to that getting better as I slowly increase the volume of fruits and greens into my system. I'm continuing to try to TRUST that my body knows what it's doing in this department!

I have to say that the store-bought thawed from frozen organic berries yesterday and today were quite disgusting. They look nothing like when I freeze fresh fruit myself and then thaw it later. I actually ENJOYED my ripe bananas wrapped in romaine leaves for dinner last night. Something I am doing differently is making sure I chew VERY THOROUGHLY before swallowing. This means paying more attention as I am eating. I am realizing how much I used to distract myself while eating -- on the computer, reading, watching tv, even in the car on the way somewhere. I would feel as though I was wasting time if I was doing just one thing at a time. Eating felt a bit like a pain in the you-know-what -- had to be done, but I'd rather just get on with better things! But, now that I am slowing down and paying attention as I eat, feelings are welling up more and more. Imagine that!

So, I think that is out of me for this thread, unless people decide they want to post or make comments in the future. I've got some personal/emotional goals I want to continue working on and hope soon to post a new thread on that in the appropriate forum.

Thank you so much everyone for your wonderful comments and support. And, Celes, just for providing this forum in which to type out my thoughts on a (close to) daily basis. I'm thinking that perhaps journaling might be a good thing for me . . . even if nobody read any of this, I think I would have still found it very helpful just to get it out there.

---

Oops! Just edited my last post to reflect that this day TEN of refeeding. I lost count there!

Post: #31

Lynette thanks so much for this journaling your journey, I found it VERY helpful and eye-opening! I am sure there are others who found it helpful too.
I am looking forwards to reading about your goals!

Post: #32

Hey Lynette, it's great that you are doing well post fast! I find it very inspiring and eye-opening too, so thanks for sharing your journey with all of us here

I've a question - For your first few BMs, did you find them painful? I found mine to be so, and I reckon it was because the muscles have shrunk during my 21 day fast. It was okay after I had a few BMs though. Want to know how it was like for you, and if it was the same thing?

"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: #33

(05-23-2011 12:54 PM)Celes Wrote:  I've a question - For your first few BMs, did you find them painful? I found mine to be so, and I reckon it was because the muscles have shrunk during my 21 day fast. It was okay after I had a few BMs though. Want to know how it was like for you, and if it was the same thing?

Hi Celes,

Here's a recap and some more detail on the BM issue:

First one was on the morning of Day 4 of refeeding, which I was following Loren's recommendations to a "t". It did not hurt as it was just watery liquid:

"As I was standing there Saturday morning (morning of Day 4 of refeeding), I got the urge to "go." I went into the bathroom and expelled a lot of dark orange water as well as some white watermelon seeds. It is amazing how many HUNDREDS of seeds are in those stupid seedless watermelons. It was taking me over 30 minutes just to prepare my few ounces of watermelon before eating it, trying to pick out all the seeds. At least I felt reassured that they pass through okay! (however, I have not yet had another bm . . . time will tell . . . )."

Second one was three mornings later. I continued to follow Loren's recommendations on timing of meals and water, and size of portions (by weight), but I started substituting honeydew for the watermelon as I could purchase ripe honeydew, but not watermelon. The bm did not "hurt," but it was not easy going like I'm used to.

"Oh, and the moment we've all been waiting for (hah hah!), I had a "real" bm this morning. The first "plop" was watermelon and the second was honeydew -- no mistaking those colors. It was funny -- literally looked like a tiny log of watermelon and a tiny log of honeydew. Tee hee! It took a while to come out, but oh, happy day! My body does know what it needs to do and when it needs to do it without me messing with it."

I continued refeeding with juicy fruits according to Loren's recommendations through Day 8. On Day 9 I had to switch to thawed-from-frozen organic berries as I waited for my bananas to ripen (ripe juicy fruits are still hard to come by this time of year). That was a mistake -- they were DISGUSTING. On the evening of Day 10 I was able to incorporate greens in the form of "banana wraps" -- mashed banana wrapped in romaine leaves. I chewed until liquified and they were very satisfying.

This produced my most difficult, if not painful, bm yet, three days after the previous:

"Small amount of bm this morning, and it was quite difficult to accomplish. So, every 72 hrs. or so right now. I'm looking forward to that getting better as I slowly increase the volume of fruits and greens into my system. I'm continuing to try to TRUST that my body knows what it's doing in this department!"

On Saturday, I was able to purchase some WONDERFUL fresh, organic kale, green cabbage, romaine, and butter lettuce from our local farm stand! SOOOOOO GOOD. I blended the kale with honeydew (in my Vita-Mix) that very day -- mmmmm. Then I used the lettuce heads to finish up my bananas. And, finally, I pulsed the the cabbage head in the Vita-Mix to make a "slaw" for dinner on Monday night (grated cabbage with blended organic green grape "dressing" -- pulsed the grapes in the Vita-Mix to create a bit of a chunky texture).

Yes, I was able to find organic green seedless grapes at the store this weekend, and more ripe honeydews. Also, I'm down to three meals a day. So, for example, Monday was Breakfast and Lunch of one large honeydew each meal (I weighed them, without seeds or rind, and each came to approximately 350 calories). And, Dinner of organic cabbage slaw with organic green grape dressing, which came to another 400 or so (about 200 for the cabbage and about 200 for the grapes -- I weighed them, too). Since my goal weight bmr is around 1000 and right now I am still pretty sedentary, I figure I should be around 1200 or so to gain weight. As I'm able to regain fitness, of course this will increase accordingly. I don't plan to weigh and measure my food forever, but feel I need to do so for the time being as fasting for so long got me WAY out of touch with my hunger (being not hungry AT ALL for so long has actually made it difficult for me to feel hunger again now that I'm eating again, even though it's been a little over two weeks. I'm sure it will come together eventually.

As far as bm's now, they are a breeze again. They are not formed, they just come out effortlessly and basically look like the well-chewed food that went in. How is that for graphic? But, seriously, I go anywhere from 1-3x per day.

I've cut down on my need for water as it is chilly and I am eating more water-rich foods, so now I am drinking about 2 litres per day as thirst dictates (down from about 4 litres per day). Urine is of appropriate frequency, volume, and color.

My worst "symptoms" at this point are extemely dry eyes and my injury. I was in so much pain on Monday that I was almost in tears just from driving the 3.5 miles home from work. Sitting at my desk, walking, standing -- all of these things aggravate it. However, riding my bike (on the trainer/flat surface) does not hurt at all! So, I started with 5 minutes. I'm up to 10 minutes now and plan to add another 5 minutes this weekend. I'm spinning at around 90rpm and keeping the gearing easy. So, my heartrate gets up so I build up my aerobic endurance, but I am not burning out the muscles in my legs.

I'm letting go of my desire to run again. Maybe I will run again and maybe I won't. One thing is for sure: I will NOT be signing up for any races this year. I have to concentrate/focus on providing my body with the most healthful living conditions I can so that my body can get about it's healing work in it's own time and way! My chiropractor gently reminded me that our body's timetable and our own does not always align. And, what the body chooses to heal first, does not always align with the order in which we want it to do so!

Wow. I really do need to start a thread in the appropriate forum re my goals and insights and such.

Thanks for hanging with me through this long-winded answer to your question about BMs!

Post: #34

Hi Lynette

It's great to hear that you are doing well
I was just wondering- would you mind writing out a detailed recommendation for how to break your fast (how much to eat/timing/what to eat, ext) ? I am asking because you have had great success with your re-feeding and I am sure anyone else who is interested in fasting will benefit from your recommendation! (I know I would)

Ps. That's alot of cabbage! 200 cals! How did you stuff all that in haha?
Also I have been considering buying a vita-mix for a while... would you recommend it or do you think it is is just like other blenders out there? I am not the blender-type but since I will be eating like this for the rest of my life I need to get myself better equipment if I chose to make something fancy one day!

Post: #35

(05-28-2011 06:32 AM)hannah Wrote:  I was just wondering- would you mind writing out a detailed recommendation for how to break your fast (how much to eat/timing/what to eat, ext) ? I am asking because you have had great success with your re-feeding and I am sure anyone else who is interested in fasting will benefit from your recommendation! (I know I would)

Ps. That's alot of cabbage! 200 cals! How did you stuff all that in haha?
Also I have been considering buying a vita-mix for a while... would you recommend it or do you think it is is just like other blenders out there? I am not the blender-type but since I will be eating like this for the rest of my life I need to get myself better equipment if I chose to make something fancy one day!

Hi Hannah,

I didn't do anything special to break the fast, but to follow Loren's recommendations, which Celes posted here: http://personalexcellence.co/blog/fastin...n-answers/

But, to be specific, this is what I did:
Day 1: 2 ounces watermelon very two hours (10 am, noon, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm). As it took me a good hour to eat each "meal," I did not get a chance to drink water between 10am and 6pm, but rather drank as thirst indicated prior to 9:30 am and at least 45 minutes after my 6pm meal ended.

Day 2: 4 oz. watermelon every 2.5 hrs. (9am, 11:30 am, 2 pm, 4:30 pm, 7 pm. The extra 1/2 hour between meals gave me about a 10-15 minute window in which to drink if thirst indicated.

Day 3: 8 oz. watermelon every 3 hrs. (9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm).

Day 4: 12 oz. watermelon every 3 hrs. (same times as day 3)

Day 5: 16 oz. honeydew every 3 hrs. (same times as day 3 & 4)

Day 6: 20 oz. honeydew every 3 hrs. (same times as above)

Day 7: 24 oz. honeydew/watermelon every 3 hrs. (honeydew at meal 1 and then back to watermelon for meals 2-4)

Day 8: 24 oz. watermelon for first three meals and then blended pinapple wrapped poured over chopped romaine for dinner.

Day 9: 24 oz. watermelon for first meal, 16 oz. thawed-from-frozen blueberries for second and third meals (16 oz. each meal), and bananas wrapped in romaine for dinner (can't remember how many -- 3 or 4?)

Anyway, that's the gist of it. Basically juicy melon is best for the first 7 days. The watermelon here is not in season (it's shipped from Mexico) and tastes horrible. That's why I switched to honeydew when I could find ripe ones. Even though they are imported as well, at least they are ripe and sweet! I don't recommend thawed-from-frozen fruit. IMO it tastes nasty as well, but it's all I could come up with until my bananas ripened. Acid fruit like pineapple, is okay to try after a week. I tried it on Day 8 and although it LOOKED ripe (pretty much all golden, with just a hint of green), it was not and burned my mouth and throat. I should have thrown it out, but had already been to 4 grocery stores looking for ripe fruit and didn't want to have to go to more towns looking and looking.

Currently, I am eating three meals per day. Mono fruit for meals one and two and simple fruit/veg combo for dinner (one fruit and one veg). For example, tonight I am going to have julienned organic zucchini with pulsed organic strawberry "sauce." Made a trip to the urban organic farm stand this morning!

Anyway, hope this helps. Oh, and I'm not so concerned about the water thing anymore. Dr. Graham says it's not a problem to drink close to the time you eat; it's more important to give time during and after eating before drinking again. I find the more juicy fruit I eat, the less water I need in order to continue urinating with appropriate volume, frequency (8-12x/24 hrs.), and color (close to clear).

Oh, and 200+ calories of raw cabbage is not that difficult when it is pulsed into slaw. It's only one medium cabbage head. You know, I used to not be able to digest cooked cabbage and never even attempted to try it raw until 811rv and now I love it! Same with cauliflower. I LOVE pulsed raw cauliflower -- pulsed in the Vitamix with tomatoes or red bell peppers . . . mmmmm . . . .

And, yes, in my opinion the Vitamix is more than worth it. I regular blender will burn out if you try to do raw veggies like cauliflower, etc. I can even do celery in there and it turns it right into juice with no stringy stuff! The fiber remains intact, unlike with a juicer, so you don't get sugar spikes and such. Also, if you like "ice cream," just pop frozen fruit in there and blend on high (maybe add a little bit of water, but that's it). We tried that in our $100 Osterizer blender and chipped the blades and burnt out the motor. Frozen bananas make the most "ice creamy" texture, whereas other fruits like strawberries or peaches make more of a sherbet-type texture.

It comes with a 7-year full warranty too, and I've heard nothing but good things about the customer service. I've heard these things last for a really really long time. I think they sell refurbished ones and that these are warrantied as well. I would advise against purchasing a fancy package with cd's and extra attachments unless you are planning on grinding your own wheat and such. The wet blade does everything you'll probably ever need. It works as a blender and a food processor.

Let me know if you have any other questions.