Change in Plans... Day 1

The coffee blues and headache are finally starting to pass, and we had a slight change of plans on the start of our juice fast. Instead of starting Friday (and worrying about it until then), we decided to start today. Starting today and ending a little sooner worked better with our schedule and we both just felt ready to get on with things.

So today, officially day 1, I'm actually feeling much better than I have the past few days now that the caffeine withdrawal is getting out of my system and I'm experiencing a strange mixture of energy and hunger.
I definitely feel more energized this afternoon than I normally do, especially since the last few days. I'm not drowsy at all and I tried to lie down with my youngest for a nap this afternoon (mostly because I was feeling hungry and wanted to wait a bit for my snack juice), and I actually couldn't fall asleep. This almost never happens to me. Talk about super juice! :)

Here's what I've had so far:

• A 16 oz. glass of fruit juice for breakfast (orange, apple, grapefruit, and strawberries) 
• A 16 oz. glass around 11 am (carrot, spinach, celery and apple)
• A 16 oz. glass around 2:30 pm (spinach, cucumber, parsley, and apple)
• A LOT of water. I lost count but probably 64-80 oz. already and it's only 4 pm. 

And I'm planning for a mix of carrot, apple, spinach, and parsley for dinner this evening, and then we'll be off to buy more produce because we're nearly out. :) I might have an additional glass of juice this evening after dinner if I'm feeling hungry. 

All of my juices have tasted great so far! I am fairly hungry at times but overall I don't feel too bad today. I have read that the second day is worse than the first, so I'm a little anxious about that. We'll find out tomorrow I guess. 

Husband (that's his official title - "Husband") is doing a modified version of the fast since he is working during all of this. He is only consuming juice and also fresh, raw, fruits and veggies. He previously weaned himself down to 1 cup of coffee per day (he usually drinks LOTS of coffee) and then went cold turkey on the caffeine this morning. He said he has a headache this afternoon and is pretty hungry, but otherwise, doing ok. Poor guy. I'm glad I did the caffeine withdrawal before this. Yuck.

Cheers! This was my spinach, cucumber, parsley and apple concoction. 

Ok, so I also promised some juicing tips today. Here are some of the tips I have come across in my juicing research:

• Always wash all produce thoroughly before juicing. 
• Buy organic produce whenever you can.
• Feed produce slowly in the juicer without using force.
• Put carrots in large end first.
• Bunch greens up in clumps and tap them through with a pusher or carrot.
• Juice made fresh is best and contains the most nutrients and enzymes. However if it will make or break your fast and you need to make some ahead of time for work, you can put it in an air tight container (like a mason jar), filled to the brim. The sooner you drink it the better, but it will last 1-3 days in the fridge. (On that note, we've been making our breakfast juice the night before because I am not so much a morning person and Husband gets up SUPER early for work). 
• Aim for 80% vegetables and 20% fruits. 
• Drink as much juice as you want. You shouldn't feel starving.
• Drink lots of water. One guide I read was to drink at least half of your body weight. I weight 120 lbs, so I should be drinking at least 60 oz of water a day. 
• Prepare you produce ahead of time. This makes it so much easier. It literally took me 10 minutes to make my juice for lunch and clean up. We do this together whenever we get home from the grocery store.
• Avoid juicing fruits with low water content. Bananas and avocados are the two main fruits that are pretty dense and very low in water content. Such fruits do a lot better in the blender. 

Ok, those are my favorite tips for today. Say a prayer I'm not having second thoughts about this whole thing tomorrow. ;)