Vegan Goddess
Raw Newbie
I hope all of you are well! I have some genuine concerns about juice feasting. I'm starting my juice feast on August 14th after my finals are finished : )
Before I go into my concerns, here is some pertinent information about me. I am a 25 year old female and very active. I weigh about 120 pounds at my heaviest (when I am cramming for tests and not working out as often, such as now) and 115 at my lightest. I am about 5'3" so 115 should be my healthy weight, I believe.
When I discovered the juice feast from Angela Stokes' blog and did my research on Juicefeasting.com, I was floored. I invested in a Green Star Juicer, bought some supplies and even got two close friends to prepare to join me for the feast!
It wasn't until my fiance expressed his concerns to me that I realized I honestly don't know what the best type of Juice Feast is for me. When I told my fiance I was planning on doing a 92 day juice feast, he got a very concerned expression on his face. "Why?" he asked. I explained that I wanted to develop a closer connection to raw veganism. I have been on the raw vegan diet for a year now, and while I am 98% raw, I still have an unhealthy attraction to unhealthy cooked foods, especially when I am under stress. I would probably lose some weight, but according to the site I would gain half of that back. "What about the other half?" he asked me. "You don't need to lose any weight, Siham." After a rather unpleasant conversation in which I got defensive because I wrongly felt that he was "raining on my juice feasting parade," I realized that maybe 92 days IS too long for a young woman who does not need to lose very much weight.
I have surfed on many a juice feasting blog and must admit that I have seen some extremely scrawny looking ladies after their juice feast, claiming that their doctors were incredibly concerned about their weight loss and not supporting the Juice Feasting regime. I do not want to become anorexic by doing a 92 day juice feast, but at the same time I feel a sort of pressure to do it for at least 4 to 6 weeks because I might be depriving myself of the detoxifying benefits.
I think that I am going to feast for 30 days and closely monitor my health to make sure I'm not losing too much weight. If anyone has ANY advice/input, please do share!
With peace and blessings,
Siham : )
Comments
Wow, thanks for the responses guys!
SV3 - I completely resonate with taking it slowly. I'm going into the feast with the mentality of 2 weeks, and if I feel grand I'll go for 30 days max. I think I was approaching the feast with the wrong mindset. 92 days isn't for everyone. No matter how long you decide to feast it will cleanse you. You just have to find the right amount of time for your body type.
Wichten - CONGRATS on 64 days of feasting!! I sincerely appreciate your kind words. I'll definitely be making green fruit juices to make sure I'm getting enough calories and taking some hemp or coconut oil daily. I don't have a weighing scale but I don't think I need one, I'll just track my progress visually...lol that sounds kind of lame, but I'm not really big on owning a scale : P
THANKS for the advice again. Feel free to share anything else that comes to mind!! :)))
Ah, that is wonderful : ) It's difficult to judge a person's true appearance based on grainy online photographs and videos. I agree that Angela is radiant. To be honest, most of her beauty comes from her incredible soul. It is tangible, how lovely her soul is, when she simply smiles. : )
I agree about the colonics and enemas. I think in moderation for the first two weeks of a Juice Feast, it is perfectly good for you. However I am weary of those who choose to do colonics, which are EXTREMELY potent, on a very consistent basis. While it is important to cleanse it is dangerous to do intestinal enemas and colonics on a regular basis. You can rid yourself of essential flora and fauna necessary for your body's natural cleansing rhythm, not to mention ruin your peristalsis.
Superfood, it's funny that you mentioned that thing about Angela Stokes. Coming from someone who looks up to Angela Stokes and thinks she is a beacon of light to all raw vegans...when I first saw her picture, I actually thought the EXACT same thing. She has a bit of a grey complexion that is telling of blood deficiency, something that is common among some raw vegans. Some people are constitutionally more blood deficient than others, so one might argue that the raw diet may not be the best for everyone. I take lots of blood-building supplements like dates, gou ji berries, nori and different algaes and don't have TOO many problems.
I agree with you that it is in our nature to chew whole foods. I think part of the attraction of the Juice feast to me is the fact that I have never juiced greens/fruits, let alone bought fresh juices at juice bars. I want to start integrating more juice into my diet and I also think my body could use some sort of cleansing. However I didn't want to do caloric deprivation because, while it may be fine for some, I think that is taking it to an extreme for myself. Juice feasting enables one to detox while still maintaining daily calorie needs, for those of you who don't know!
I surf the net for the blogs of healthy individuals. There are a slew of them doing juice feasts! More power to the world and do raw vegans who want to cleanse themselves inside and out!
Currently I'm on day 22 of a 27 day juice feast/fast, after which I will break it because I have to go on vacation (I know...booo hoo). I've lost ten pounds- went from 113 to 103, but I know that half of that will come back, and since I'm 5'1" it isn't a very low weight for me.
It really is a transformational experience- spiritually and physically. The whites of my eyes are like porcelain and my skin is incredibly glowy, no need for makeup. I've been able to deal with some personal issues that have been swept under the rug for years and have found the courage to pursue some dreams without the fear of losing financial security, etc. All of these things just happened and were not planned, for example I didn't say: "once I juice fast I'll be able to xyz."
I feel like I'm cheating myself though- knowing that I have to break it on a particular day rather than listening to my body and ending the journey when I'm supposed to. My advice to you is to start the fast and break it when your body says that you are ready. *almost* everything I've read from people that I respect says that your body will tell you. I feel like our bodies always tell us the truth as long as we have the wisdom to listen.
Plus if you drink a lot of calories in juice you will have a ton of energy and shouldn't lose much weight.
Good luck and try to enjoy the journey!
Tara
PS- I did a couple enemas at the begining but stopped because they weren't effective. Then on day 19 I think it all came out naturally. But eh, I really don't know, just know after that I felt 100% less toxic and clear.
Thanks, Love. And a huge congrats for doing a 22 day juice feast. That is indeed an accomplishment and you've inspired me to pursue a monthlong feast. I will take your advice and just listen to my body instead of making it about, how long can I go! It makes COMPLETE sense to just hear your body's message and go with that rather than create a rigorous schedule...that sort of goes against raw. I do, however, like creating somewhat of a gross "working" schedule that I can modify to meet my body's needs.
Bless your heart and best wishes,
Siham