Fasting for a Cure: Day #4 - Bowling for Hunger

I woke up much earlier than normal today because my wife was singing Paula Abdul's "Straight Up". She wasn't singing it loud and most mornings I sleep right through the chaos of boys crying and toys being thrown all over but today was different. I felt like I was done sleeping. one of the biggest side effects of this juice fast is that I have began to adopt normal sleeping hours. I also find it easier to fall asleep when I go lay in bed. In the past, I would lay in bed and then play games on my iPhone for 2 hours and maybe watch a movie on Netflix before actually falling asleep. Normally, I go to sleep around 2am and wake up around 10am.

My psoriasis is starting to hurt, like a fresh scratch. I think it is because my skin has so many vitamins in it that my plaques are no longer dried up bunches of dead skin...they are actually alive...if that makes sense. This makes scratching an itch an unpleasant experience with bloody, painful consequences.

My focus has been up since day #2. I was explaining the mental effects to my buddy the other night and I used this example. I went shopping for fruits and veggies the other day and it was really crowded and I was alone. I grabbed the wrong carrots by accident and I had to double back and put the other carrots back through a crowd of people. Under normal circumstances I would have a mild sense of social anxiety about this maneuver and I might say something to myself like, "Whoops" or "Oh, not those ones" simply because I was alone, it was crowded and I felt like I was being watched or judged on some level.  I think it is something we all do, and it is totally normal to sort of talk to yourself when things get slightly awkward in public. Since my head was so clear and my anxiety was so low, I performed this carrot swapping maneuver with all the poise and confidence in the world. I simply excused myself as I reached in for the correct veggies and slipped in and out like Vanna White as she turns letters on the Wheel of Fortune board. As I walked to my car it dawned on me how good I felt and how well I had handled an otherwise stressful, pre-dinner trip to the grocery store. So, mentally, I am experiencing great benefits from fasting.

I went bowling this afternoon with some close friends and their kids. I felt I displayed great patience when dealing with all the kids, together, being semi-psychotic. It was good times. There were hot dogs, chocolate milks, twizzlers, hamburgers and chocolate going around and I held strong. I always found eating and drinking to be sort of an inconvenience when bowling anyhow. It's also worth noting that my hunger doesn't really start to bother me until the evening. That's when my mind starts to really mess with me and I seriously considered calling the whole thing off last night while I made dinner for Noah.  Each day that I go without eating makes me a little stronger willed. It's like a long car ride. The first few hours are the worst. You are filled with the anticipation of the journey ahead of you and you are settling in to what you know will be your home-on-wheels for the next day or so. Then, once you get rolling and you start to see unfamiliar terrain out your window, you settle in and enjoy the ride. Next thing you know you are at your destination.

4 days down, my right foot is on the dashboard and I can feel the breeze through my window. I know there is a lot of road ahead of me but it's just asphalt and paint and not nearly as bumpy as I thought it would be.