My first juice fast, and I am scared
I am experiencing so many strange things. I am 28, I quit smoking last year ... been an avid smoker all through my teens and drinker. I ate absolute garbage my whole life and at 336 lbs, decided to do something about it. This is day ten of my 30-day fast and I had my first watery stool. It came out looking the same way the juice went in. It came behind a normal stool 5 hours prior. My stomach is gurgling with the common "diarhea cramps". I just wanted to make sure this is normal. I still get nauseous, tired, and hunger pangs. Please tell me this is normal because I do not want to end this so early. Sara says: First of all, I admire your courage and congratulate you for realizing that you need to begin to live healthy. Pardon me for saying, but at 336 pounds, you're on the very heavy side, also a smoker/drinker. Just with these clues I can tell you that you will have a lot of healing reactions as you begin to juice fast. You will naturally be afraid as you don't know what to expect. It would seem as if your body has suddenly gone haywire. My advice to you is to take it very slowly and don't try to go on a prolonged fast to lose a lot of weight too fast. For a heavily overweight person to lose a lot too fast, there will be a lot of healing crisis that you may not know how to handle. You might even end up with a lot of saggy skin afterwards. Losing about 1-2 pounds a week will be normal, but not more. In your case, resistance training along with slow weight loss is necessary to minimize sagging skin. Do a google on "resistance training exercise" and check out sites that would give you good resistance training on your body parts that need the most work. When you do a total juice fast, there will bound to be diarrhea initially as the juice does its cleansing. Juices have natural laxative effects. It also depends on what juices you're drinking, which is not mentioned above. You don't have to do a total juice fast. You might want to include solid food in the form of raw or lightly cooked foods. Eat frequently in small portions, don't go hungy. This will help you to (1) lose weight more slowly, and (2) reduce healing reactions. There has to be a change in your lifestyle. I can't tell you everything that you'll need to do here. But you can also go to my detox website to learn about healthy eating habits and how the environment is affecting your health. Although my detox website is not fully complete, you will still find a lot of information there. Also continue to follow this juicing site that may answer a lot of your questions as you go on your journey. I hope this helps set you up on the right path to go. It's a long journey, but you will get there. Join us on Facebook for support and encouragement from fellow juicers. God bless! Sara |