Day 34

It's day 34. I've been reading other blogs so much during my feasting that I hadn't considered doing my own until now. I guess I will start with a bit about myself. 

I am 26 years old, a college student and I am about to graduate this May with a Bachelor of Fine Art. I have Celiac's disease as well as intolerance to wheat/gluten, dairy, eggs, and soy. My journey to better health started when I was 22. I didn't know I had any of these problems until I took a month trip to Italy to study art. I suppose all the pasta, pizza, and gelato kicked in the symptoms of my problems. I was a tall, thin, and clear skinned girl. 5'9" about 155lbs. By the time my trip was over I gained 10 pounds and had incredible acne. I didn't understand it. I went to the doctor. He tried to give me anti-depressants, topical acne cream, and birth control. I refused. I knew the issue went deeper than these things. I was convinced of a thyroid problem but he said I was within normal range. I cried when I found this out and he said that I was one point away from being under active thyroid so he decided to give me a low doss. After testing again he gave me a higher doss. Through this time, my weight continued to increase, I became depressed and had anxiety. I tried different diets to lose weigh. I tried only fruits and veggies with a handful of nuts each day for two weeks, then a soup diet. Weight would come off and then come back. The thyroid medicine helped a bit. The depression was less but I still wasn't that happy girl I used to be. I asked my doctor if I had celiac's because my sister, aunt, and nephew have it. He said it wasn't possible.

After about three years of this suffering I found an allergist who diagnosed me with cealiac's and the intolerances. This helped tremendously. After some withdrawal I got used to my new diet. It was fun to experiment and make everything that I used to eat out of gluten free ingredients. I was feeling better but still not 100%. I was also taking a lot of vitamins and herbs with my thyroid medication. I didn't feel right about taking 10 or more pills a day even if they were all natural. I started to find out about raw foods. It seemed ideal, no meat (I am a vegetarian), dairy, wheat/gluten, and soy(in most cases) to worry about. I was very excited and went totally raw after fat tuesday of last year. I was raw for three months before going off to Italy to study for the summer. I felt great but when I went to Italy, I was a guest and the woman I lived with cooked for me everyday. My tummy felt terrible for the first week. The transition to cooked was unwanted but I couldn't explain to her about raw. My Italian was very weak and she was very old and set in her ways. It was fortunate enough that she would cook for my celiac's and intolerances. So, I was back to cooked. 

This winter my boyfriend came to visit me from Italy. We went on a road trip across the USA. We were able to eat at different raw food restaurants all over the country. In Santa Fe, Sedona , Santa Monica, San Diego, San Francisco, and Chicago. We found the food so amazing and wonderful. My interest was re-sparked. Somewhere along the line we became interested in Juice Feasting. We bought a book and I read it on the flight home. We started our feast on January 7th. My boyfriend could only join me in this adventure for 4 days before heading back to Italy. In those four days people had already noticed our vibrance. You're glowing they would say. I noticed how hydrated and wonderful my skin looked and still does. I am still getting the comments today. "You look so healthy" and "You're glowing" are the main ones as well as, "you are looking slimmer."

My top weight somewhere in the years of unknowing was about 180 lbs more or less. I am not sure what I weigh now but around day 12 I was about 168 lbs. I planning on not weighing or measuring until day 61. Which brings me to the fact that I have to break my feasting on day 62. I will be going to Italy and I need time to come off of juice before the flight. Sadly, because I would love to finish out the 92 days. 

I am enjoying this feast so much and learning so much from all who are doing it as well and who have done it in the past. I get a lot of information from Angela Stokes and RawReform.com as well as Juicefeasting.com. 

I stopped taking all the vitamins and even the thyroid medication. The vitamins were a given with juice feasting but the thyroid meds, I was unsure about. I have stopped taking them before and would feel okay but after a while I would get down. I would take it again and feel better. So I didn't just want to stop this time. I ended up going to a man named Barry Joneshill. He is an alternative healer. I told him about the thyroid medication and that I have very irregular cycles. He told me that it wasn't actually my thyroid but the isthmus of thyroid that was the problem. I am now taking L-Tyrosine and Sarsaparilla root to deal with those problems. I just open the capsules and put the powder into my juice morning and night. Tastes nasty, but I feel great and have been off my Meds for weeks. My cycles seem to be getting better but that will take some months to really know. 

That is my story for now. I hope I can help some people along the way who might be suffering from similar problems.

Ciao!

Elizabeth