Just to clarify-- there is a good reason for the big mouth at the top of the page. Supposedly, during the cleanse, your tongue will turn white due to over-active mucus production in your body as a method of eliminating the toxins you're been harboring. When your body is done doing its house-cleaning, and all the stuff it wanted to eliminate has been eliminated, your tongue will turn healthy pink again and you are ready to end your fast.
So far, Bartley's tongue has definitely seen the gruesome beginning of this. We took "before" photos to make sure, but the comparison need not be made as his tongue is quite obviously coated with the stuff, and he claims it won't come off even from brushing (allow me to reiterate-- ew. No offense, B). My body, however, is being stubborn and nothing like this has happened to me. I mean, there might be a little bit, but it's nothing like his and it does come off when I brush, so I really can't figure out if it is a good (?) indication. But, I'm following the plan to a T!
I'm hoping I will at least see some sort of change for my work. But if not, I'm going to enjoy a glass of orange juice come the weekend, anyway.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Day Five
Yesterday was trouble! Rachel's roommate Sam and his mates spent the entirety of the day in the kitchen cooking chicken paprikash with fried noodles, drinking wine and brandy. Oh, sweet temptation! Before our instincts got the better of us, we scooted out the door to downtown Brooklyn. We went to the Temple of Awesome, an origami-fueled sculpture conceived of by Grayson Cox. We spent the better half of the afternoon folding sqaures of origami into shapes which, when blown into, form cubes. The origami served as the perfect diversion for the afternoon, as it did not require much energy or brain power, both of which we are highly lacking at the moment! Throughout this process, I have learned better than perhaps ever before the values of patience and stillness, and origami is the perfect venue for practicing them. At the end of the session, we had around 2,000 cubes -- 8,000 short of the final goal, but off to a good start.
In the evening we continued our movie-watching spree with "Papillon," a 1973 prison-break caper starring Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman as two convicts sent to a French penal colony in French Guinea. At one point during the movie, Dustin Hoffman's character said to McQueen's, "temptation resisted is the measure of true character," which caused both of us to nod at each other in agreement.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Cold, cold world
I just slept for about 10 hours! This is not usual, and also I already took a nap when i got home from work yesterday because I could hardly move.
Luckily, my energy picked up, and Bartley and I went to see Herzog's new film Encounters at the End of the World, which was funny, exquisite and awe-inspiring-- and didn't mention food at all. It is his exploration of the continent of Antarctica, but it's really about so many other things, including the scientists who are there and the future of Earth as we know it. Or, that is to say, the distinct possibility that Earth may go on long after our species is extinct, and will hardly shrug at the loss.
The walk from W. 4th back to the L train, however, did mention food, in several contexts and varieties. Many people were out on patios at small tables enjoying a glass of wine and delicious plates of pasta an salad. A pass by a pizzeria, where a girl is eating a big slice with stretching cheese, induces us both to groan.
I can't believe I've made it four and some change days without food, though! that's insane, and way more than I thought I could do! At this rate, I will most definitely make it through the weekend, and as long as it doesn't interfere with my ability to at least half-ass my job, through next week. If we start orange juice on Friday, as Bartley pointed out, that means we can go to the Farmer's Market on Saturday ( a week from today) and buy lots of delicious vegetables to make a broth with for our first "meal". Not too substantive, but from there we can move onto solid (unprocessed) foods as befits our bellies.
Luckily, my energy picked up, and Bartley and I went to see Herzog's new film Encounters at the End of the World, which was funny, exquisite and awe-inspiring-- and didn't mention food at all. It is his exploration of the continent of Antarctica, but it's really about so many other things, including the scientists who are there and the future of Earth as we know it. Or, that is to say, the distinct possibility that Earth may go on long after our species is extinct, and will hardly shrug at the loss.
The walk from W. 4th back to the L train, however, did mention food, in several contexts and varieties. Many people were out on patios at small tables enjoying a glass of wine and delicious plates of pasta an salad. A pass by a pizzeria, where a girl is eating a big slice with stretching cheese, induces us both to groan.
I can't believe I've made it four and some change days without food, though! that's insane, and way more than I thought I could do! At this rate, I will most definitely make it through the weekend, and as long as it doesn't interfere with my ability to at least half-ass my job, through next week. If we start orange juice on Friday, as Bartley pointed out, that means we can go to the Farmer's Market on Saturday ( a week from today) and buy lots of delicious vegetables to make a broth with for our first "meal". Not too substantive, but from there we can move onto solid (unprocessed) foods as befits our bellies.
Friday, June 13, 2008
flat-to-wiggly-line
me: my brain activity is:
---------.---^^-__-________________--^^~-_ ...
---------.---^^
Bartley: as long as your heart shows a little more activity we'll make it!
me: i think it's like:
--^---^-----^--------------^---^---^----^
Feeling kind of out-of-body today, but with it enough to get to work and function and all. I do also feel incredibly calm. Possibly because my body can spare no energy for, um, emotions and stuff.
And not that this is what I was looking for, but I look like I've lost at least 5 lbs. It is all water-weight of course (and my body being empty), and will come back when I eat again, which I plan to do full force next weekend. But still, kinda neat to have a flat tummy. So, I would say the fast is fulfilling one of my expectations: the feeling of mental and physical emptiness. I am hoping this will lead to clearness of mind, and am going to give meditation a shot.
Feeling kind of out-of-body today, but with it enough to get to work and function and all. I do also feel incredibly calm. Possibly because my body can spare no energy for, um, emotions and stuff.
And not that this is what I was looking for, but I look like I've lost at least 5 lbs. It is all water-weight of course (and my body being empty), and will come back when I eat again, which I plan to do full force next weekend. But still, kinda neat to have a flat tummy. So, I would say the fast is fulfilling one of my expectations: the feeling of mental and physical emptiness. I am hoping this will lead to clearness of mind, and am going to give meditation a shot.
Day Three
So according to most accounts, we are over the hump, so to speak. Two days (plus!) without a shred of food. Nothing but lousy lemon juice and a variety of herbal teas to provide comfort to our worried guts. Oh yeah, and laxative tea. Let's not talk about it.
Last night, released from most common possibilities of social interaction, we elected to watch a film and chose Lake of Fire, Tony Kaye's documentary about abortion in America, released in 2006. The film strives to provide an even handed account of a very complex and highly-charged issue, providing interviews with actors on all sides of the debate, from right-to-lifers to bio-ethicists to gynecologists to women who have received an abortion, to the aborted fetuses themselves. It is here in fact that the film proved to be a poor match for us, as the grisly view literally into the process of an abortion did not pair well with our already upset stomachs.
I'm starting a list of forbidden words for all the people of the world to avoid upon pains of death should we meet. Let us not speak of the fate that will befall ye should any of the following be consumed in my presence.
"cheese" (especially when paired with the modifier "melty")
"sushi"
"fruit" (or any word that falls in the family of fruits)
"beer" (especially beer)
"burrito"
"hommus"
"milkshake"
"ice cream"
"CHOCOLATE!"
Last night, released from most common possibilities of social interaction, we elected to watch a film and chose Lake of Fire, Tony Kaye's documentary about abortion in America, released in 2006. The film strives to provide an even handed account of a very complex and highly-charged issue, providing interviews with actors on all sides of the debate, from right-to-lifers to bio-ethicists to gynecologists to women who have received an abortion, to the aborted fetuses themselves. It is here in fact that the film proved to be a poor match for us, as the grisly view literally into the process of an abortion did not pair well with our already upset stomachs.
I'm starting a list of forbidden words for all the people of the world to avoid upon pains of death should we meet. Let us not speak of the fate that will befall ye should any of the following be consumed in my presence.
"cheese" (especially when paired with the modifier "melty")
"sushi"
"fruit" (or any word that falls in the family of fruits)
"beer" (especially beer)
"burrito"
"hommus"
"milkshake"
"ice cream"
"CHOCOLATE!"
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Day 2.5
Everything smells amazing. I keel over at the wafting scent of coffee, I sigh at the salad bar, and I don't even want to get into what it felt like to have to walk through Whole Foods last night to get my lemonade ingredients. Tasting food again will be an intense sensory experience for sure! I want to start with something extremely simple, as I'll probably really appreciate subtle flavors in a way that I don't when I'm consistently consuming coffee, alcohol, and over-salted or processed foods.
But I really can't think about my next meal right now.
But I really can't think about my next meal right now.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
day .5
The Master Cleanse
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons organic grade b maple syrup
1/10 teaspoon cayenne
add to 10 oz. of fresh, filtered water. Drink liberally for a minimum of ten days, and, oh yeah, don't eat or drink anything else (except laxative herbal teas and water).
oh boy.
This blog will be a documentation of our (Rachel and Bartley's) first experience with fasting. To put it in context, this is from two people who only miss meals as a result of death or dismemberment, and often can't go five minutes without contemplating their next gastronomical undertaking. So far, we've noticed many symptoms of a power outage; that is to say, repeated groping for the light switch-- oh, let's eat a burrito! wait--no. damnit. Why are we doing this again?
We are doing this because we can, because we lucky bastards have the privilege of choosing not to eat, because we could stand to take inventory of what we eat (and drink!) and make better choices, and because it will be awesome when, on day eight, we start to hallucinate (just kidding).
Last meal: 2pm, Tuesday, June 10th. Bartley had a turkey and havarti on a baguette and Rachel had a vegetarian on dark rye with a mixed green salad. Bye bye, baby.
2 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons organic grade b maple syrup
1/10 teaspoon cayenne
add to 10 oz. of fresh, filtered water. Drink liberally for a minimum of ten days, and, oh yeah, don't eat or drink anything else (except laxative herbal teas and water).
oh boy.
This blog will be a documentation of our (Rachel and Bartley's) first experience with fasting. To put it in context, this is from two people who only miss meals as a result of death or dismemberment, and often can't go five minutes without contemplating their next gastronomical undertaking. So far, we've noticed many symptoms of a power outage; that is to say, repeated groping for the light switch-- oh, let's eat a burrito! wait--no. damnit. Why are we doing this again?
We are doing this because we can, because we lucky bastards have the privilege of choosing not to eat, because we could stand to take inventory of what we eat (and drink!) and make better choices, and because it will be awesome when, on day eight, we start to hallucinate (just kidding).
Last meal: 2pm, Tuesday, June 10th. Bartley had a turkey and havarti on a baguette and Rachel had a vegetarian on dark rye with a mixed green salad. Bye bye, baby.
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