#20 Fruit fast

AKA My Life as a Fruit Bat

Preparation

Wallet in tow, I headed to Whole Paycheck Foods to stock up for my 3 day fruit fast. The contents of my countertops and refrigerator are the following:

6 oz raspberries
12 oz blackberries
6 oz blueberries
2 lbs strawberries
1 bunch green grapes
8 bananas
3 honey tangerines
2 grapefruits
1 pineapple
4 avocados
3 lemons
2 heirloom tomatoes
1 carton grapefruit juice
2 coconut water juice boxes
4 IZZE pomegranates
2 bottles sparkling water
1 box herbal (decaffeinated) tea

Day one

I started the day by waking from a dream where I was going through a buffet line only to have to dump the entire tray out. Rude awakening for a gloomy Monday morning. 

First meal: ½ grapefruit and herbal tea

Second meal: Mixed fruit – blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, grapes

Third meal: banana

Fourth meal: Mixed fruit, banana, honey tangerine and coconut water

Fifth meal: Herbal tea, mashed avocado with lemon, heirloom tomato, 1/2 banana, raspberries

(I added olive oil to the avocado and tomato. I figured olives are technically a fruit so using their oil isn't technically cheating)

Day two

I'm starting day two with a level of confidence that tells me I can do this. I started this morning as usual with a walk with Maddox, then 20 minutes of meditation followed by herbal tea and half a grapefruit. My energy level is still pretty high which is encouraging. Now I'm at the office, I have eaten a banana and a little of my fruit medley.

These are my strategies thus far:

• Stay full to avoid any temptation
• Designate certain foods for certain meals (for me avocado and tomatoes = supper, raspberries = dessert)
• Drink lots of fluids

So at the end of day two I'm starting to feel the grip on my sanity slipping. I get home and I'm exhausted and still have 60 minutes of yoga and 20 minutes of meditation to complete. My meal of avocado, tomato, banana and raspberries isn't really inspiring much to be honest. Plus I'm starting to notice how many food advertisements there are on television, the web, etc...This is getting brutal.


Day three

I can finally see the light and no, it's not from the glowing golden arches of a McDonald's sign. Fasting is totally a mental game and I'm pretty positive that I have at least 15 hours left of fight in me. I also mixed a few raspberries into my fruit medley this morning as a treat to myself. Going for some hot yoga tonight at Southern Om. Watch me spend half the class in child's pose sweating out fruit cocktails.

And we're done

I made it without cheating! At 12:01 am last night I had 5 multigrain saltine crackers topped with cheddar cheese and I was grinning like a cheshire cat. I've been good this morning having 1/2 a grapefruit and some herbal tea around 6:00 am. It's almost 9:00 am now and I've about finished off a few cups of fruit and a Kashi bar (oh, how I missed those).

Two funny things about a fruit fast. First since fruit carries a lot of water, it tends to make you pee A LOT. I'm the type of person that can make an 8 hour drive without a bathroom stop, so you can only imagine how hourly bathroom trips start to wear on my patience. Second, apparently fruit carries a lot of air as well. I was practicing yoga at home on Tuesday and as I went into a prayer twist a huge (very ladylike) burp erupted from my body. (yes mother, I can feel how proud you are of me at this very moment)

It is said a fasting can be like the spring cleaning equivalent for the body. With that said,  I'm thinking I may incorporate it into my lifestyle now, maybe twice a year.

Finally....Thanks to all the other "transformers" out there. The email chains have really brought some levity to the last few days. I hope everyone has an easy transition back to normalcy!

More on #19: Transformational Class

Week three of my 40-day transformation is coming to a close and I'm as calm as a Hindu cow. Well that's not entirely true, but I have experienced a calmer more balance sense of self. The most positive part of my transformational experience has been a reconnection with my brother, Josh, who's currently in yoga teacher training. (read about it @ downward facing squirrel). Over the past two weeks we've really connected through stories of our ups and downs. He was my savior this week when tension in my IT band started to hinder my practice and provided some much needed humor upon his creation of the pose/phrase, downward dripping big mac. This is much improved from our childhood days of him beating me in the head with a meat mallet and knocking me unconscious with a golf ball. (Okay, I may have taken some creative liberties here)

Here's a brief look at the schedule I've been following:

Week One: 5 minutes meditation twice a day, 15 minutes of yoga daily
Week Two: 10 minutes meditation twice a day, 30 minutes of yoga daily
Week Three: 15 minutes meditation twice a day, 45 minutes of yoga daily
Week Four: 20 minutes meditation twice a day, 60 minutes of yoga daily
Week Five: 25 minutes meditation twice a day, 75 minutes of yoga daily
Week Six: 30 minutes of meditation twice a day, 90 minutes of yoga daily

I kick of the beginning of week four with a fruit fast which I will count as #20 on the list as I have never attempted a fast (and will probably never attempt again).