Weekends are for fun, not Fasting!
The weekend is not a good time for fasting! Weekends are traditionally about winding down, spending time with your loved ones and having fun. Weekends are when you meet up with your girlfriend for a cup of coffee in town , when you enjoy a romantic date on Saturday evening and a roast dinner with friends on the Sunday. Weekends are not meant to be spent on your computer working and replying to emails because you have become a social outcast!!
Escaping my home existence
Ive decided to rebel against my self imposed existence. No, I wont to succumbing to any solid food, although I have to say that this "lemonade" is starting to become a little boring. (Its terrible for the teeth , leaving a coating that Ive never exoperienced before! Yuk!) I need some fresh air and exercise so Ive arranged to meet a friend in Chester and I could do a brisk speed walk there. Of course we'll no doubt want to go for a "coffee" and I shall treat myself to the indulgence of a peppermint tea! Wonderful!
Received a few invitations including one to watch the rugby in a pub, one for Comedy Club tonite and one for the cinema ...and yes, Im taking the cinema option! At least once I get past the popcorn, Ill be safe with my bottle of water for company!
No real hunger
Actually joking aside , this fast has been SO much easier than I could have ever imagined. I reckon its easier to eat nothing at all than it is to sit down to a roast dinner and eat a small sized portion because thats all I need at the time. I havent yet felt really hungry. Ive experienced occasional yearnings for food but thats not really the same as being truly hungry. Of course, thats probably explained by the fact that I am eating spoonfuls of Maple Syrup (sugar) each day!!
Pocket Money Treats
Earlier today I popped to my local newsagent for a paper. Out of habit I glanced at the rows of Cadburys and Nestle, looking for something to spend my pennies on. The brightly coloured selection draws you in and the delight of spending money has nothing to do with hunger. It reminds me of being a child with pocket money to spend on a treat. It was not so much the treat that appealed to me, I realise now, but the anticipation of receiving a treat. Occasionally in the past Ive given in to the temptation and bought the Galaxy or the packet of Cheese and Onion crisps, to consume immediately of course! I realise now that the satisfaction of this is fleeting compared to the satisfaction of registering a desire and then consciously saying "no" to it.
I can choose to want to eat
If I allow myself, I can easily visualise irish stew or smoked salmon with guacomole or chicken soup with noodles and I can make my mouth water. I can easily persuade myself that I want to eat something , even if Ive just eaten! I realise now that Ive been doing it all my life ! Where there's a social requirement to eat, it's easier to want to eat than to say "no". And so Ive been eating often as a reaction to circumstances rather than through conscious choice. No wonder I weigh more than I expect to weigh!
Losing weight
Talking of losing weight, I'm not. Well I havent actually weighed myself but I still have a bit of a tummy. Its a good job that weightloss isnt my primary objective! Mind you , I was secretely hoping that I would emerge svelte-like and able to sniggle into an old pair of jeans. Still at least four and a half days to go ... My fast officially ends on Wednesday but then Im only really allowed orange juice for at least another couple of days so there s plenty of time for my hips to completely change their shape ! Thank God Im an optimist!!
Saturday, 28 February 2009
Friday, 27 February 2009
Friday Evening - whats a single girl to do?
Friday night
Ok , so I've worked hard all week and its now Friday night, what are my options? Well somehow they become somewhat limited when food is off bounds! Joining some friends for drinks wouldnt work as Id soon become bored with water. I did contemplate the cinema, but I thought Id keep that as a reserve option for Saturday night! I could carry on working on the computer - I have loads that needs doing but I need a rest. So when I see Morgan Freeman on Film 4 I opt for a night in watching the film "Kiss the girls"
Watching TV
Normally a night in watching TV involves refreshment. A yummy home cooked thai would be my favourite and maybe a chilled glass of rose as an aperitif. Watching the TV without something to nibble would be a new sensation - and isnt that a revelation in itself? But I did it. I enjoyed the film. I drank a couple of "lemonades" and I felt calm and very relaxed. Far more relaxed than if Id been munching away.
Discovering "me"
On the other side of my distraction with food, I am beginning to uncover a "new me". Or maybe its the "real me". Im beginning to open up to new possibilities of how I could be spending my energy when I m not distracted by food. Food doesnt have to dictate what I do or distract me from what Im doing. I can choose how to be happy and I can find ways to enjoy myself that do not involve food.
5 days without food
Socialising nowadays is all about going for a drink or a meal. Food is everywhere. Sometimes it can be tricky to remember that we eat to live and not the other way round. And yet I have now gone 5 days with no solid food, with no problem. Easy peasy! My mind is clearer. My work has been more efficient. I have slept soundly.
Finding a date
My real next challenge would be to go on a date without food (or alcohol, of course). Actually the hardest bit would be attracting the date before the end of my ten days - all assistance welcomed!! I can see a follow up challenge for my next blog " how to start dating again when Im not sure I ever knew how to in the first place!"
Thanks for listening ...
join me again over the weekend! (Ill be trying to find some fun!)
Marie-Claire
Ok , so I've worked hard all week and its now Friday night, what are my options? Well somehow they become somewhat limited when food is off bounds! Joining some friends for drinks wouldnt work as Id soon become bored with water. I did contemplate the cinema, but I thought Id keep that as a reserve option for Saturday night! I could carry on working on the computer - I have loads that needs doing but I need a rest. So when I see Morgan Freeman on Film 4 I opt for a night in watching the film "Kiss the girls"
Watching TV
Normally a night in watching TV involves refreshment. A yummy home cooked thai would be my favourite and maybe a chilled glass of rose as an aperitif. Watching the TV without something to nibble would be a new sensation - and isnt that a revelation in itself? But I did it. I enjoyed the film. I drank a couple of "lemonades" and I felt calm and very relaxed. Far more relaxed than if Id been munching away.
Discovering "me"
On the other side of my distraction with food, I am beginning to uncover a "new me". Or maybe its the "real me". Im beginning to open up to new possibilities of how I could be spending my energy when I m not distracted by food. Food doesnt have to dictate what I do or distract me from what Im doing. I can choose how to be happy and I can find ways to enjoy myself that do not involve food.
5 days without food
Socialising nowadays is all about going for a drink or a meal. Food is everywhere. Sometimes it can be tricky to remember that we eat to live and not the other way round. And yet I have now gone 5 days with no solid food, with no problem. Easy peasy! My mind is clearer. My work has been more efficient. I have slept soundly.
Finding a date
My real next challenge would be to go on a date without food (or alcohol, of course). Actually the hardest bit would be attracting the date before the end of my ten days - all assistance welcomed!! I can see a follow up challenge for my next blog " how to start dating again when Im not sure I ever knew how to in the first place!"
Thanks for listening ...
join me again over the weekend! (Ill be trying to find some fun!)
Marie-Claire
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Sizzling sausages and bacon for breakfast?
The smell of sizzling sausages and bacon
Even if you're a veggie, there is just something ingrained in most of us, that when we catch a sniff of a good old fashioned breakfast, our mouths water and we hunger for something that we may not normally eat. As you know, if you ve been following this blog, I normally have homemade granola for breakfast. As a treat, I may have poached eggs on toast. There was a time when I loved the full english but more and more, I was feeling uncomfortable once Id ate it. But the smell of those sizzling sausages could just make me forget what I just said!
Food is the main act
This morning I attended a networking event at 8am where a free breakfast of sausage or bacon roll was on offer , washed down with coffee or tea. Last time I attended this event , I remember ...and this is confession time .....salivating as I struggled to choose between the sausage or the bacon. In the end I had both, one after the other! It was definitely the highlight of the morning for me and one of the main reasons for returning to this event. ( I know how sad that makes me !)
So imagine my panic when I realised this morning that I was attending the same event but this time Id be sticking to my self induced fast? I very nearly decided not to go!
But I did go..... and in facing my demons, I gained clarity.
Finding Clarity
I walked up to the breakfast counter to request a cup of hot water. I faced up to those sausages and looked them in the eye. And the strange thing was that I felt nothing for them. It was easy to resist. I went up a second time later on, and again, it was easy. I wasnt even tempted. I simply didnt allow the possibility of temptation.
Instead of wasting my energy and focus on the food, I had more energy and focus for the people I was meeting. I had a wonderful time. I really enjoyed myself, and I enjoyed the people I met this morning. I felt alive and more focused. I felt clear. And I felt really proud of myself. Id turned a corner. Id shown myself that I can be the master of food rather than food being the master of me!
This opens up a huge realm of possibility and mastery....
...and its only the end of day four!!
Thank you for joining me on my journey to further clarity!
Marie-Claire xx
Even if you're a veggie, there is just something ingrained in most of us, that when we catch a sniff of a good old fashioned breakfast, our mouths water and we hunger for something that we may not normally eat. As you know, if you ve been following this blog, I normally have homemade granola for breakfast. As a treat, I may have poached eggs on toast. There was a time when I loved the full english but more and more, I was feeling uncomfortable once Id ate it. But the smell of those sizzling sausages could just make me forget what I just said!
Food is the main act
This morning I attended a networking event at 8am where a free breakfast of sausage or bacon roll was on offer , washed down with coffee or tea. Last time I attended this event , I remember ...and this is confession time .....salivating as I struggled to choose between the sausage or the bacon. In the end I had both, one after the other! It was definitely the highlight of the morning for me and one of the main reasons for returning to this event. ( I know how sad that makes me !)
So imagine my panic when I realised this morning that I was attending the same event but this time Id be sticking to my self induced fast? I very nearly decided not to go!
But I did go..... and in facing my demons, I gained clarity.
Finding Clarity
I walked up to the breakfast counter to request a cup of hot water. I faced up to those sausages and looked them in the eye. And the strange thing was that I felt nothing for them. It was easy to resist. I went up a second time later on, and again, it was easy. I wasnt even tempted. I simply didnt allow the possibility of temptation.
Instead of wasting my energy and focus on the food, I had more energy and focus for the people I was meeting. I had a wonderful time. I really enjoyed myself, and I enjoyed the people I met this morning. I felt alive and more focused. I felt clear. And I felt really proud of myself. Id turned a corner. Id shown myself that I can be the master of food rather than food being the master of me!
This opens up a huge realm of possibility and mastery....
...and its only the end of day four!!
Thank you for joining me on my journey to further clarity!
Marie-Claire xx
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Cat Food
No, I am not yet eating cat food although its the most foody smell in my kitchen at the moment . I decided to try a new version of catfood, salmon and shrimp, and it really does smell good, too good... No, the worst Ive succumbed to is squeezing a large globule of Agave Nectar on to my forefinger and popping it into my mouth! Of course I know that the more sugar I consume , the less likely I am to lose any weight , but it doesnt stop me. I could argue that my main goal isnt weightloss, its self discipline and mastery of my hunger ...and then I fail on both counts!! Im just hoping Ill "grow out" of it !!
Am I mad?
Apparently at least one of my friends thinks that Im mad ...there s probably far more than one but the others are too scared to tell me! Actually this friend didnt exactly tell me , she told another friend ....anyway I think she thinks that I am mad to fast cos she thinks Im doing it for weightloss and Im not sure if she knows about the drink ...in which case I might say I was mad too!
No, this is a personal quest (as I mentioned at the start of the blog) to conquer my addiction to food and to achieve something I would have previously considered impossible . I thrive on a sense of achievement and I want to kickstart a slimmer me by changing my habits.
Food as a Distraction
Yesterday I was doing some "yucky" paperwork that needed doing ...and then I suddenly jumped up and went to the kitchen , presumably to eat something. When I got there, I realised there was no food to eat. I stopped in my tracks and was immediately aware of how practised I have been at using food as a distraction.
Whenever a job gets tricky , I become either thirsty or hungry.
Just like a baby wants his dummy! Don't you just love these moments of awareness?!
Although I can drink water , I am now practising delaying my gratification until the job that I am doing is finished. This is a significantly new habit for me and it is thanks to two and a half days of fast that I have become aware of something that needed changing. I wonder what other new realisations are around the corner....
30 day Fast
It takes thirty days to break a habit, right? ...so I am currently open to the idea of extending the initial period of ten days ...but we'll see how things go. Id like to get to the point where I go a full day without thinking about food! Im sure my mind could be more usefully employed ....
No, I am not yet eating cat food although its the most foody smell in my kitchen at the moment . I decided to try a new version of catfood, salmon and shrimp, and it really does smell good, too good... No, the worst Ive succumbed to is squeezing a large globule of Agave Nectar on to my forefinger and popping it into my mouth! Of course I know that the more sugar I consume , the less likely I am to lose any weight , but it doesnt stop me. I could argue that my main goal isnt weightloss, its self discipline and mastery of my hunger ...and then I fail on both counts!! Im just hoping Ill "grow out" of it !!
Am I mad?
Apparently at least one of my friends thinks that Im mad ...there s probably far more than one but the others are too scared to tell me! Actually this friend didnt exactly tell me , she told another friend ....anyway I think she thinks that I am mad to fast cos she thinks Im doing it for weightloss and Im not sure if she knows about the drink ...in which case I might say I was mad too!
No, this is a personal quest (as I mentioned at the start of the blog) to conquer my addiction to food and to achieve something I would have previously considered impossible . I thrive on a sense of achievement and I want to kickstart a slimmer me by changing my habits.
Food as a Distraction
Yesterday I was doing some "yucky" paperwork that needed doing ...and then I suddenly jumped up and went to the kitchen , presumably to eat something. When I got there, I realised there was no food to eat. I stopped in my tracks and was immediately aware of how practised I have been at using food as a distraction.
Whenever a job gets tricky , I become either thirsty or hungry.
Just like a baby wants his dummy! Don't you just love these moments of awareness?!
Although I can drink water , I am now practising delaying my gratification until the job that I am doing is finished. This is a significantly new habit for me and it is thanks to two and a half days of fast that I have become aware of something that needed changing. I wonder what other new realisations are around the corner....
30 day Fast
It takes thirty days to break a habit, right? ...so I am currently open to the idea of extending the initial period of ten days ...but we'll see how things go. Id like to get to the point where I go a full day without thinking about food! Im sure my mind could be more usefully employed ....
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Just got in from the pub...
Last orders!
Now I dont know about you , but I never imagined that on the second day of my fast, I d be in a pub til last orders!! Well to be precise, I was teaching the last class of Cosmic Ordering at the college tonite , so we didnt actually arrive at the pub til after 9pm. No guesses for what I was drinking - bottled water with slices of lemon and no ice. Round of applause please- thank you!
Food obsessed
I may not be physically digesting food but I am noticing it everywhere. I "clocked" the chinese restaurant opposite the pub and the "quavers" within . And the tray at my mums laid out with a delicious supper of smoken salmon and avocado. And for the first time in this class ,Susie arrives tonight with a box of Maltesers to share! Still the good news is that I CAN master my thoughts around food. I have survived two days and am feeling OK , if a little tired,
Replenishment of Supplies
For those of you who were concerned about me not having any maple syrup, you can now sleep at night! My friend Claire has come to the rescue! Thank you Claire . I think we've also worked out, between the two of us, that I can do salt flushes with good ole Malden Salt and that'll be fine . Mind you , I dont think Ill be doing that tomorrow , as I have a morning appointment in North Wales and I dont fancy get caught out halfway down the A55!!
PS a salt flush means swallowing a pint of salt water ( technically a quart- do you know the difference?), whilst trying not to gag .....hhmmmmmm
Now I dont know about you , but I never imagined that on the second day of my fast, I d be in a pub til last orders!! Well to be precise, I was teaching the last class of Cosmic Ordering at the college tonite , so we didnt actually arrive at the pub til after 9pm. No guesses for what I was drinking - bottled water with slices of lemon and no ice. Round of applause please- thank you!
Food obsessed
I may not be physically digesting food but I am noticing it everywhere. I "clocked" the chinese restaurant opposite the pub and the "quavers" within . And the tray at my mums laid out with a delicious supper of smoken salmon and avocado. And for the first time in this class ,Susie arrives tonight with a box of Maltesers to share! Still the good news is that I CAN master my thoughts around food. I have survived two days and am feeling OK , if a little tired,
Replenishment of Supplies
For those of you who were concerned about me not having any maple syrup, you can now sleep at night! My friend Claire has come to the rescue! Thank you Claire . I think we've also worked out, between the two of us, that I can do salt flushes with good ole Malden Salt and that'll be fine . Mind you , I dont think Ill be doing that tomorrow , as I have a morning appointment in North Wales and I dont fancy get caught out halfway down the A55!!
PS a salt flush means swallowing a pint of salt water ( technically a quart- do you know the difference?), whilst trying not to gag .....hhmmmmmm
Day two, and everyone else is ill!
Is everyone else ill?
Its day two of the fast and I am very pleased to see the back of day one! It was actually far more difficult than I had imagined. By the end of the day I was feeling cold and tired.
When I went to my evening class last night, I was freezing!! Everyone else was so warm in the classroom that the tutor opened up the door and the windows...and he was wearing a T shirt!! Then again , it could be that I am well and the rest of the class were coming down with something...after all, it is February!!! Surely its not normal to open windows after 7pm during winter??
Anyway I got home and felt exhausted. Treating myself (yippee!) to another "lemonade", I ran myself an epsom salts bath to take the chill off, and then sloped off to bed with a peppermint tea.
I slept like a baby and my eyes were open before my body this morning, which was an amazingly still feeling...
So today I feel well refreshed and happy with life!
More than ten days
I hinted that this might have to continue more than ten days.
I could stop on day eleven and start eating normally BUT that is not a good idea. Id be likely just to pile on the pounds, as my body desperately hangs on to whatever it can, after having no solid food for ten days! Gosh Its quite a sobering thought when you put it like that...
Instead I will ease myself back into normal healthy eating and apparently that starts with day 11 being a day of orange juice only ...sounds like a continued fast to me!! But Ill do it, cos whats the point in doing something if you cant do it properly? This could go on a while...apparently you can continue for up to 40 days, and I do have addictive tendencies ...Watch this space!
Self Esteem
One of the reasons for doing this fast is to give myself an extra boost of self esteem. When we can master our thoughts irrespective of our circumstances , we become Masters of our destiny. If I can manage my thoughts enough to resist temptation and to do something this challenging, it will definitely enhance how I feel about myself. Its my Everest!
Don't you love it when the perfect book drops into your lap? Last night I read "The Six Pillars of Self Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden, a fantastic book! Nathaniel outlines a 31 week exercise for boosting the self esteem and this morning I adopted it as a new habit. So everything is going according to plan ...
If you want to know more about the "lemonade" or the exercise mentioned, get in touch!
Marie-Claire
PS does anyone know anything about herbal laxatives, non ionised salt or using Agave Nectar instead of Maple Syrup ??? Im not sure that I'm following all the riules correctly!!
Its day two of the fast and I am very pleased to see the back of day one! It was actually far more difficult than I had imagined. By the end of the day I was feeling cold and tired.
When I went to my evening class last night, I was freezing!! Everyone else was so warm in the classroom that the tutor opened up the door and the windows...and he was wearing a T shirt!! Then again , it could be that I am well and the rest of the class were coming down with something...after all, it is February!!! Surely its not normal to open windows after 7pm during winter??
Anyway I got home and felt exhausted. Treating myself (yippee!) to another "lemonade", I ran myself an epsom salts bath to take the chill off, and then sloped off to bed with a peppermint tea.
I slept like a baby and my eyes were open before my body this morning, which was an amazingly still feeling...
So today I feel well refreshed and happy with life!
More than ten days
I hinted that this might have to continue more than ten days.
I could stop on day eleven and start eating normally BUT that is not a good idea. Id be likely just to pile on the pounds, as my body desperately hangs on to whatever it can, after having no solid food for ten days! Gosh Its quite a sobering thought when you put it like that...
Instead I will ease myself back into normal healthy eating and apparently that starts with day 11 being a day of orange juice only ...sounds like a continued fast to me!! But Ill do it, cos whats the point in doing something if you cant do it properly? This could go on a while...apparently you can continue for up to 40 days, and I do have addictive tendencies ...Watch this space!
Self Esteem
One of the reasons for doing this fast is to give myself an extra boost of self esteem. When we can master our thoughts irrespective of our circumstances , we become Masters of our destiny. If I can manage my thoughts enough to resist temptation and to do something this challenging, it will definitely enhance how I feel about myself. Its my Everest!
Don't you love it when the perfect book drops into your lap? Last night I read "The Six Pillars of Self Esteem" by Nathaniel Branden, a fantastic book! Nathaniel outlines a 31 week exercise for boosting the self esteem and this morning I adopted it as a new habit. So everything is going according to plan ...
If you want to know more about the "lemonade" or the exercise mentioned, get in touch!
Marie-Claire
PS does anyone know anything about herbal laxatives, non ionised salt or using Agave Nectar instead of Maple Syrup ??? Im not sure that I'm following all the riules correctly!!
Monday, 23 February 2009
still my first day ..and I'm now salivating...
And this was my idea!
Whose idea was this? I hadnt realised just how much food features in my life!
Mind you , I have a sneaky suspicion that thats the reason why Im doing this fast in the first place!
- to shift my focus!
My Focus on Food
Despite being the first day of the fast I have managed to fit food into my day!
I have made a vegetable soup and some chicken stock for the freezer. I have been shopping in the supermarket and enjoyed looking at the selections , even though my trolley contained the grand selection of lemons and organic Agave Nectar (Im still hoping that that works as well as Maple Syrup!). I did ask at the pharmacy for natural laxatives and I received a very strange look . As Id just requested non ionised salt ( No , I dont know what it is either) the assistant couldnt resist asking me if I was on Atkins or something similiar. As the queue formed behind me I couldnt help wishing that I was suddenly somewhere else. Remember I hate diets , and Atkins has to be the worst diet known to mankind . Mind you , considering I meant to be swallowing salted water every morning , I may change my mind . Fortunately for me , no salt available ! Phew!
After the supermarket I came home and decided to clean out the fridge, the now empty fridge. Honestly , it was as though I was performing last rites for my fridge !!
I miss not choosing and preparing food . I miss not having some tasty flavours in my mouth. I miss my food!
The scales often lie - dont they?
I did weigh myself today but Im not going to tell the world how much I weigh . Not yet anyway! Someone told me today that I look gorgeous just the way I am and I dont look like I need to lose any weight , so whats the point in spoiling that illusion? Thank you Sally ( my personal stylist who achieves miracles with my wardrobe!!) But I will tell you how muuch Ive lost ( or heavens above, gained) at the end of the ten days
By the way , just in case you didnt notice in the last post , this fast is going to last longer than ten days ...but thats another story !
Gotta dash now to my web design class - which should keep me distracted for a couple of hours ......
Marie-Claire
First day of fast and Im starving!
My last meal for ten days
My last meal was yesterday: it was a sunday lunch of roast chicken with roast parsnips, roast potatoes, roast leeks, buttered sprouts,steamed cabbage with gravy and stuffing followed by vanilla ice cream with fresh pineapple chunks. So I shouldnt be feeling hungry right now, or should I ?
Rawia, my unofficial sponsor, popped round after our lunch to drop off some organic cayenne pepper, and to discuss enemas - no, I wont be doing any enemas!! Even the name suggests its the enemy!
Rawia clearly didnt think that it would be too helpful for me to be writing a blog on the fast. Apparently when a number of nutrition students recently carried out a detox, the only one who actually managed to put on weight was the one who kept talking about what food she was missing! Oops!
I've been cooking!
Rawia would be even more shocked if she saw what I did at lunchtime today! I took the leftover raw vegetables : some onions, cabbage, celery and apple and made up a vegetable soup. Its a habit for me to prepare something at lunch time and I couldnt bear the food to go to waste. Actually thats a poor excuse because Id been meaning to drop it off at my Mums, but decided instead to start cooking. Of course I have no intention of eating any of the soup! I'm just breathing in its fumes , and then it will go into the freezer ready for day 13 of the fast. Honest!
Burning those calories!
Now I still have lots of office work to be getting on with but I really need to get some fresh air and a distraction from eating something.. I also need to get some more lemons and some organic maple syrup (Ive been using organic Agave Nectar so far , which Im sure is fine) but Im wondering if I have the strength for a bike ride ...
then I remember that Sunday lunch, and the fact that Ive probably eaten cabbage soup for lunch , albeit through my nostrils, and I realise that I do indeed have calories to burn!
Oh and whilst Im out on my bike , Ill make sure I find someone with weighing scales. I wouldnt want to lose too much weight before Ive had a chance to weigh my starting position ...haha!
Marie-Claire
PS my mouth is watering ...do you think thats a good or a bad sign?
My last meal was yesterday: it was a sunday lunch of roast chicken with roast parsnips, roast potatoes, roast leeks, buttered sprouts,steamed cabbage with gravy and stuffing followed by vanilla ice cream with fresh pineapple chunks. So I shouldnt be feeling hungry right now, or should I ?
Rawia, my unofficial sponsor, popped round after our lunch to drop off some organic cayenne pepper, and to discuss enemas - no, I wont be doing any enemas!! Even the name suggests its the enemy!
Rawia clearly didnt think that it would be too helpful for me to be writing a blog on the fast. Apparently when a number of nutrition students recently carried out a detox, the only one who actually managed to put on weight was the one who kept talking about what food she was missing! Oops!
I've been cooking!
Rawia would be even more shocked if she saw what I did at lunchtime today! I took the leftover raw vegetables : some onions, cabbage, celery and apple and made up a vegetable soup. Its a habit for me to prepare something at lunch time and I couldnt bear the food to go to waste. Actually thats a poor excuse because Id been meaning to drop it off at my Mums, but decided instead to start cooking. Of course I have no intention of eating any of the soup! I'm just breathing in its fumes , and then it will go into the freezer ready for day 13 of the fast. Honest!
Burning those calories!
Now I still have lots of office work to be getting on with but I really need to get some fresh air and a distraction from eating something.. I also need to get some more lemons and some organic maple syrup (Ive been using organic Agave Nectar so far , which Im sure is fine) but Im wondering if I have the strength for a bike ride ...
then I remember that Sunday lunch, and the fact that Ive probably eaten cabbage soup for lunch , albeit through my nostrils, and I realise that I do indeed have calories to burn!
Oh and whilst Im out on my bike , Ill make sure I find someone with weighing scales. I wouldnt want to lose too much weight before Ive had a chance to weigh my starting position ...haha!
Marie-Claire
PS my mouth is watering ...do you think thats a good or a bad sign?
Sunday, 22 February 2009
The day before the fast
Welcome to my personal blog, that Ill be writing whilst I undertake a ten day fast!
Im hoping that writing it all down will keep me sane!!
- maybe it will help you decide whether you want to do it too, or not, as the case may be!!
The fast has been around since 1941 and is known as the Stanley Burroughs Master Cleanse.
The only thing I am allowed to consume in ten days is a concoction made up of lemon juice , cayenne pepper and organic maple syrup ...which I havent yet got in the cupboard!! Yikes! Need to go shopping later or Ill be knocking on my friend Rawia' s door in a panic ...and that would not be a great start to the ten days!
Rawia was my inspiration. I heard her talk about doing the fast twice a year at the time of the equinox. (I think we may be a little early this year due to her New Zealand trip in two weeks but at least we re starting on a new moon. Its supposed to help...)
Why am I doing the fast?
-for a challenge and a sense of achievement
-to break my habit of eating
-to conquer unhelpful self talk (I can justify eating anything if I want to!)
-for a chance to feel slimmer
-to take pride in my body
-to realise that food is not the highlight of a day
-to eat to live rather than to live to eat (I may have got it the wrong way round for years!)
-to find out what emotions Im covering up with my emotional eating
"I don't believe in diets!"
I think I eat very healthily , but my body says otherwise. I don't need weighing scales to tell me that I am at least two stone overweight and my tummy is definitely too large. Apart from that , I feel OK in myself...I think.
Mind you, I think feeling better about my body would help improve my self esteem considerably .
In the past I have had great success with Carol Vordemans 28 day detox. The first time I did it was years ago and to be honest , I wasnt sure that I could go 28 days without alcohol(!). Amazingly I took it one day at a time and I did it . I also lost one stone and a quarter in weight , whilst eating as much as I liked - of the good stuff obviously!!
Trouble is, my diet is now mostly full of the good stuff, but Im still overweight. I cant do the detox again because that's more or less my regular diet.Currently I eat homemade granola with frehly juiced apple for breakfast. For lunch I often have a large green salad with spinach, mung beans, olives etc , and for supper Ill have a similiar salad or some roasted vegetables. Im not a vegetarian but my body seems to enjoy moist salads.
Of course I dont believe in diets at all. Neither of my sisters have ever dieted. They both eat a healthy balanced diet and have always had beautiful figures! But I do believe that I need to kick start my system!
I LOVE eating and preparing interesting dishes, especially salads. I enjoy eating popcorn at the cinema. I will indulge at a dinner party ...
Finding the "me" thats hiding behind food
Mind you I remember stuffing my face with popcorn on a cinema date ...what a way to keep a fella away!! and I do wonder whether my weight is far more about providing some form of emotional protection
Thats why these ten days could get very interesting , as I find the "me" under the eating .....
Anyway, enough for now Ive gotta go and find some organic maple syrup and some weighing scales so I can let you know my official starting point (if I dare...)
Oh, and my "last supper" today is going to be a "roast dinner" , but before that Ill be off now to enjoy my homemede granola....and poached eggs on wilted spinach for lunch!!
Marie-Claire
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