So I Guess I'm Doing A Juice Fast For 40 Days...No Big Deal.
Posted by Brandon Lagao | Posted in I'm Juiced | Posted on 9/19/2012 02:02:00 PM
Yep, you read it right. 40 days. Of juice.
I tried to keep it a secret from everyone except a select few, just because I wanted nothing but support through this process and I know the majority of my friends and family think it's either crazy, pointless, stupid, or all of the above. Even the ones who support me think it's crazy, pointless, and stupid, haha! I remember when I was a vegetarian how much harassment I got, and I just figured it would be easier without that. Well, its been pretty much impossible for me to keep it a secret or even just be vague about what i'm doing, so I thought, "what the heck, I might as well document it."
When I say "Juice Fast", what I mean is that I'm ONLY drinking the juice from the vegetables and fruits that comes from my juicer. Nothing else, not even a bite of an apple or carrot. Why? Because liquid is the only substance that will pass through the stomach lining. So when you juice, all those vitamins and nutrients are sent directly into your bloodstream. In turn, all the toxins that sabotage your good health are flushed out and forced into your bloodstream to be removed through excrement, your lungs, or skin.
The most common reactions i've gotten so far:
I tried to keep it a secret from everyone except a select few, just because I wanted nothing but support through this process and I know the majority of my friends and family think it's either crazy, pointless, stupid, or all of the above. Even the ones who support me think it's crazy, pointless, and stupid, haha! I remember when I was a vegetarian how much harassment I got, and I just figured it would be easier without that. Well, its been pretty much impossible for me to keep it a secret or even just be vague about what i'm doing, so I thought, "what the heck, I might as well document it."
When I say "Juice Fast", what I mean is that I'm ONLY drinking the juice from the vegetables and fruits that comes from my juicer. Nothing else, not even a bite of an apple or carrot. Why? Because liquid is the only substance that will pass through the stomach lining. So when you juice, all those vitamins and nutrients are sent directly into your bloodstream. In turn, all the toxins that sabotage your good health are flushed out and forced into your bloodstream to be removed through excrement, your lungs, or skin.
The most common reactions i've gotten so far:
- "Why would you do that? That's so unhealthy for you."
- Person: "4 days?" Me:"No, 40." Person: "whaaaaat?! you're crazy!"
- "So you're basically going to be starving yourself?"
- "Oh so you're jumping on that Juicing fad too huh?"
If you know me, you know that I do some weird/unusual stuff sometimes. For instance, there were 2 times in my life that I decided to stop eating meat for a week. The first time, I ended up becoming a vegetarian for 6 months. The second time, I ended up becoming a vegetarian for over a year. The unusual part is why though. Why did I become a vegetarian? I couldn't tell you. I wasn't doing it to lose weight, in fact I ate worse as a vegetarian. I do LOVE animals and I did watch multiple documentaries about food in America (disgusting by the way), but I can't really say that was the driving force behind my decision. My best answer all that time was simply, "I just really like fruits and vegetables."
But I believe more so then anything, what pushes me the most is the challenge of it all. Whether or not I can actually do this. I stopped eating meat for a week, but then I wanted to see if I could go for a month, and then a year. I'd probably be a vegetarian today still, purely out of the challenge, if it wasn't for how bad my diet was getting. So back to this juice fast thing. Why am I doing it? After some thinking and researching, I've finally come up with some real reasons:
- Mentally: As I mentioned before, I like a challenge. I enjoy pushing myself out of my comfort zone, because it's there that I know I grow the most. This 40 day fast is going to be a lot more mentally taxing then physical and i'm excited for the challenge and the growth that will come from it.
- Spiritually: Let me preface this by stating that I am a Christian. I have my struggles, but I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ nonetheless. With that said, a good friend of mine boldly brought it to my attention last week that I have a very independent way of thinking. Which I think is good, but it's also bad because I don't rely on God as much as I should. When I struggle, when I need to make a tough decision, pretty much most things in my life I trust in my own understanding and go by my own judgement without consulting with God. That's a huge issue of mine that I need to work on (pray for me if you'd like), and I know this juice fast will push me to rely on Him throughout the whole process. I have no clue what exactly will happen, but i'm open and i'm ready.
- Physically: I know what you're thinking, "But Brandon, you're already in tip-top physical shape. What more could you possibly gain from this?" Yes, I know that i'm sexy, I hear it on a daily basis. But the truth is that i'm chubby AND sexy and maybe it's about time to no longer be chubby. Haha, but in all seriousness, I'm not focusing on losing weight because I know that will happen. I've lost 40 lbs over the past couple of years and then I just hit a wall. I do cardio, crossfit, and am active in various sports leagues, yet I just can't seem to get past it and I know it's because of my diet. So maybe this will help me get past that wall. But even more so, this juice fast will flush out all the bad stuff in my body and replace it with good. I want to be healthy. I'm certain that there is something torn in my knee and I just literally got off the phone with my doctors office and was told there is a fracture in my elbow. My body is messed up and this will only help me heal.
So hopefully that clears up any questions that anyone has for me and i'll do my best to give a day-by-day or week-by-week update on my experiences. Salud!
Yeah! You got this! Mind over Matter! If you don't mind it don't matter!
-Jay
yeah buddy! thanks man, just trying to catch up with you!
Bran you are such a badass!!! I'm so proud of you! Did The Fat The Sick and the Nearly Dead inspire the length of your cleanse? Are you still doing crossfit? Can't wait to track this process!
Which rachel is this?! But thank you! I don't think the documentary inspired the length, but it definitely showed me that it's possible...and safe. Honestly, I think I just chose 40 because of the significance of the # in the bible.
No crossfit for me though during this time. I tried doing both in the past and i just didn't have the energy to do both. Actually, i think the only reason i'm juicing now is because my elbow and knee are injured so I can't crossfit for now. Can't wait to get back to it once i heal!
Rachel Page (Trotter). Well keep posting your progress and I'll pray it's an amazing experience!!
Oh! I had a feeling it was you :) Thanks for the support and i'll keep the posts coming!