I ran out of maple syrup last night while I was making my six pints of lemonade for today. That means today, my sixth day, could be my last day on this fast.
I could go on for a full ten days, like Stanley Burroughs suggests, but I don’t see the point. I haven’t had any grotesque black tar or rope-like bowel movements like I’ve read about and seen pictures of. I’m starting to think that my normal diet with lots of whole grains and fresh fruit has made this cleansing fast unnecessary. As for the cleansing of toxins from my cells, I have no way of knowing if it’s worked. But one of my coworkers is doing this fast with me, and he plans on going for a full 10 days. Should I do it out of peer pressure? What about my duty to support him? What if Stanley Burroughs is right and I cut it short just before all the wonderful things he promises are about to happen?
I’ve noticed a few things since I’ve been on this fast. We’ve been experiencing a bit of a cold snap throughout Utah this past week, and it has affected me more than usual this time around. My fingers get cold faster when I’m riding or skiing, and they take longer to warm up afterward. I’ve also had a more difficult time maintaining my core temperature, so I’ve been wearing more layers and had to put another blanket on our bed.
I am a little surprised that I have been able to maintain my usual level of activity while on the fast. Except for my skiing difficulty Friday morning, I have felt totally fine, aside from the empty feeling in my stomach. I skied three hours Monday and walked two miles on Sunday. I haven’t ridden much, but that’s mostly because of the cold weather, and I'll also admit that my bowling scores on Thursday were a little below my average.
There are advantages to the lemonade diet that I did not anticipate, like free time. I can make six pints of lemonade in about 20 minutes. Add another 5 minutes for cleanup and I’ve got an entire day’s meals prepared in less than half an hour. On Thursday nights I usually come home from work to grab a snack before heading out for league night at the bowling alley. Last Thursday when I came home, I drank one of my pints of lemonade and then wondered “what do I do for the next half an hour?”
It’s amazing to me how much of our life revolves around food; preparing, eating, cleaning up. Our social lives revolve around it too. I have enjoyed the extra time it’s given me, but I haven’t liked the isolation. I've had to leave the kitchen when Mags is preparing her meals. We couldn't go out for dinner or visit friends. The smells and the sights of food made me too aware of the emptiness in my own stomach. She really tested my willpower when she made oatmeal cookies on Saturday afternoon.
Then in a surprise attack she reinforced my resolve when she came down with the flu last night. Nothing takes my mind off eating like scooping up vomit-soaked kitty litter from the bathroom floor.
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