Juice Journey, Day 5: You Can't Juice a Taco

I don't know what I expected, really. I guess I had visions of myself going through stages that mimicked heroin withdrawals—clenching my bedsheets, my loved one, running for the toilet, years of toxins dripping from my pores.

This juice fast has not been like that. It has not been a cake walk (cake, please!), by any means, but it has not been like that.

I am on day five of 10.

For anyone who knows me well, you know this is no easy feat for me, or anyone like me. I am like a rabid beast at a buffet, and I do not shy away from a party. A friend told me today that I am "a walking advertisement for this juice fast if you succeed."

She may be right.

I find one thing strange: when you post about this fast on Facebook, people automatically say things such as, "Oooh, you'd better watch it. Where will you get your protein?" or "be careful, you don't want to lose weight that fast." Why does no one say anything when I continuously post photos of huge piles of pasta I eat on the weekends? That is a far bigger problem than shooting myself full of veggie and fruit blasts throughout the day.

I've lost about 11 pounds in the five days. I bat away cravings like flies at a barbecue (yum, barbecue!). It's constant and sometimes overpowering. I almost caved two days ago just by reading a Wendy's billboard that had the word BACON on it. I try to replace longings for food and drink with images of myself as a healthy skinny being. I also use the method of reminding myself that the food isn't going anywhere; I can have a taco fest when this is over.

But I plan to not have too many taco fests. This juice fast is supposed to be a kickstart to a healthier me, a healthier way of eating and living. I hope that it is.

Many have asked about the taste of the juice. It's delicious if you get it right. We've gotten much better about pairing different fruits and veggies. Just now, for instance, I chugged a juice made of turnip leaves, kale, green apple, carrots, a little bit of ginger and lemon, and it was delicious. I think the trick is to always let something on the milder side take charge, like the apple or the carrot. Let the radishes have their place. Fruit juices are easier. Mix a bunch of fruits and it'll taste good. We also learned, not surprisingly, that any kind of melon will yield a lot of juice.

So onto the weekend, where we will need a whole lot more willpower to "survive." This is the time we fall off any good eating habits, never mind a juice fast.

Cheers.

As always, please share your experiences and tips with me. And I wouldn't mind any words of support, either.