My 7-Day Juice Fast (and What You Can Get From It)

       I've heard a lot of hype on juice fasts the past year or so, and I'm sure you have too. Most people who partake in one do so in order to lose weight. I saw one blogger who had the ambitious goal of losing 50 pounds in three months, something which, to the best of my knowledge, he did not succeed in. However, I've also heard that they are great for detoxifying and healing. After a little preliminary research , I think this may have some credibility. Since I'm slightly deranged and enjoy challenging myself, I've decided to try going 7 days without one of my greatest delights in the world: food.

Juice-gasm.

       So, that's seven days of juiced fruits and vegetables only. It'll be me, my juicer, and produce. Lots of produce. Let's go.

              The Experience
         Day 1: Nothing too noticeable as of yet. As expected, my body hasn't quite picked up on my endeavor. I've learned that spinach has the ability to, as well as make you extremely healthy, make everything else in a juice taste disgusting. Also, if I don't intensely scrub my juicer afterwards, the flavor will leech into all subsequent juices. I'm taking an iron supplement because I've heard of people getting rather anemic over the course of a fast.
         Day 2: Wow, all I can say is... damn. I'm down 4 pounds, and I was notnotnot (not) trying to lose weight at all. I expected to lose maybe a pound or two in water, but this was something. I find myself taking advantage of the facilities quite often. I haven't actually been hungry that much, which surprises and somewhat scares me, but thoughts of food and tastes bombard me often, seemingly out of no where.
         Day 3: My appetite has started to come back- with a vengeance. My energy levels seem to be returning, after being a bit dizzy for a couple of days. I woke up this morning at 7:30 completely refreshed and rested. I was hoping for this, since the theory is that digestion requires less energy now. Thoughts of food (today I was particularly craving chocolate and sweets) are omnipresent. Juicing (and the inevitable cleanup) have been taking a good amount of time, but that's alright because it's much more convenient to "eat" now.
          P.S. The headaches that I sometimes get after lunch have gone away since day 1.
        Day 4: Today I went to a graduation party, and the food there was so tempting. I keep daydreaming about my favorite foods, and sometimes I'll even mix and match foods in my mind, combining all sorts of flavors (eggplant parmesean + mexican queso dip, for instance). I realize how large a role food plays in my life, yet at the same time, I see how overhyped it has been. I've started to feel more well, and energy levels have been good again. I'm interested in seeing where these cravings go.
        Day 5: I had a headache towards the latter part of the day (around 6). I did a little research and I think it was a salt deficiency, so I drank some saltwater (yum!) The smell of food has just started to really hit me, but the thoughts and cravings are actually not as strong. I think I've gotten (at least a little) better at making not-so-disgusting juices. As I recall, my day went pretty splendidly, but this headache has put a damper on both that memory and my focus. Honestly, I feel just rather confused once in a while, and I'm sure my thoughts and words aren't the most coherent. A note to myself: this challenge seems to have made it easier to make progress in the other ares of my life (i.e. I finally got around to hollowing out a book again, after weeks of idling).
        Day 6: I've decided the first few days are definitely the most challenging and most beneficial, but any time beyond them simply leads to more muscle atrophy. Also, the ratio of muscle to fat lost over this period of time displeases me. While I can still get through my day to day life, I gotta say that this fast has turned into a pessimistic, pointless hassle. Or at least that's what it feels like, sorry for my attitude. Let's see what happens tomorrow.
        Day 7: Today I noticed even more tiredness, more irritation, and less desire to want to interact with people. I feel as though I don't want to put in the effort to interact with people. I'll be glad to finally have plentiful amounts of energy once again. I found myself unchangeably calm, and that provided an interesting angle on life. I'm glad I got to notice the benefits on a different path of life. Libido has been down recently, and so has athleticism. On the bright side, my mixes taste better now, and I have been more attentive to forging good habits that I hope stay with me past this experiment. Above all, I have become so appreciative of food!
        Day 8: Just kidding. No thank you.
        The Results
        My energy levels have gone back to normal within a few days, and the 11 pounds I have lost (I weighed 133 lbs, man!) have almost all come back. My metabolism has climbed back up, and I feel quite optimistic again. I promise you, I appreciate food. Every delicious bite I have reminds me of how lucky I am, and I don't think I'm going to forget that lesson any time soon. On the other hand, I didn't feel very "detoxed" during or after this. I'm not too sure what detoxification feels like, but I don't think this was it. And while I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking to lose weight or cleanse themselves, my science is only as good as the next guy's. It's important to do your own research when it comes to these things and find out what works for you; that was the reason I did it.