Day 3 & 4

Yesterday (Day 3) passed much the same as day 2. I had mild to severe pain in my back/hips/knees throughout the day. It is not so much that I can’t cope with it, than that I am very worried about the cause of the pain. But that is what I said last time, and it got better, so I’ll opt to stick it out and hope for the best.

My menu was almost identical to day 2’s, except I had a carrot & beetroot combo instead of the carrot/ cabbage one. Variety – the spice of life, lol.

I felt good, no detox symptoms to speak of. This is what I like about the juice-fast. The release of toxins from the body is so much more gradual that it doesn’t place undue strain on the body, unlike a water fast, where it just comes pouring out, and you feel grotty a lot of the time.

I did take my ‘before’ shot, as you can see. I really hope that I’m not going to lose too much weight. I loathe being a skinny malinks. I like having a bit of meat on my bones. Still, I’d rather be underweight and healthy than ‘right-size’ and sick. And like Michael says, it will be fun putting the weight back on. I can really enjoy carbo-loading, lol.
I quite like the shape I’m in at the moment (with the aid of a ferocious stomach suck-in, ha ha) I was ‘anorexically’ skinny for so long that it’s even nice to have a bit of a paunch. Speaking of the paunch, however, ever since my last mini-bout of cortisone, I have rediscovered my stomach muscles, which had gone AWOL. What an underrated part of the body! It’s so nice to be able to flex them. I can actually fit into my normal jeans again. Yay! And wear my usual tops, instead of all the baggy stuff I’ve been wearing largely to disguise my middle-age spread (and I’m only 26!)

I am absolutely determined to be healthy again. I believe it is each of our birthright – to be glowingly and perfectly healthy. I don’t believe that Our Heavenly Father created us to be ill. But I do believe that He has certain natural laws that we would be wise not to break. Like, no-one in their right mind would leap off a cliff and expect to survive. And by the same token, we can’t expect to live in a toxic environment, abuse our bodies, and for them to just keep on ‘keeping on’.
I think that somewhere, somehow in my childhood, I was exposed to toxic and contaminated water. This is not me sucking my thumb here, the land on which I grew up, is in a mining area, and exposed to all the toxic waste used in mining. To such an extent that they paid out (quite a large) settlement to the family, so there must have been something seriously wrong with the tests that they conducted. Not only that, but three of my cousins (living on the property) also contracted auto-immune diseases. That is just way too much of a coincidence, for me.

The juice-fasting detoxes one on a cellular level, exhuming long-forgotten toxins buried deep within the cells. So whatever it is that is causing my immune-system to be so on the defensive, so to speak will hopefully come out. Also, juice-fasting is known to regulate an errant immune system. And let’s face it, that’s really what I need. I am determined to sort this out, once and for all!

Day 4:

Weight (barefoot): 52kg. I have always said this is my ideal weight. Seems like I’ve lost about 1kg in three days. I hope it is not going to continue at this pace, or I will have to call off the fast sooner than I’d like to.

I haven’t really been sticking to my program that I worked out for myself, as far as the meditating, affirmations etc. goes. Why I am lax to do this, I have no idea. Surely the not-eating-solids part should be the hardest? But it’s not.
I can’t sunbathe (as recommended) much, as we’ve been having pretty manky weather lately. As I speak, the wind is howling away, and it was raining this morning.

I have been skin-brushing though. Quite proud of myself for that. Skin-brushing is where you take a long-handled, natural-bristle brush, and brush your whole body (excluding face, and any other delicate bits :-) in long, even strokes. You start at the extremities (hands and feet) and work your way up, always brushing towards the heart. This is an excellent way of stimulating your lymph system to get rid of toxins. As it is, the skin is a major, major organ of elimination. Afterwards, be sure to treat yourself to a long, hot bath.
BTW, this is also brilliant for cellulite, ladies).
I had my usual breakfast, a glass of orange and grapefruit juice. I feel pretty good, no lack of energy. I felt ever-so-slightly light-headed when I stood up this morning, but it didn’t last long enough to be a problem at all. I’m really pleased with the way this is going. Must just try and meditate a bit today. Or maybe I’ll start on Monday ;-)