Water Fast: Day 2 of 3

After 37 hours on this water fast, I finally felt hunger pangs, but it was only after smelling some cooking and baking within my apartment building. Once the smell was gone, so went the hunger pangs, so I’ve gone nearly 43 hours without feeling true hunger. Clearly, I have a few calories that are tiding me over!

I had to go out and about today, but I returned home quickly. I felt fatigued and napped quite a bit of the day away. I thought more about food today than I did yesterday and it’s been revealing to watch my thoughts.

My trips to coffee shops, especially, seem sort of magical to me. It seems funny to type that, but they’re a real treat I give myself every day. The coffee shops in my neck of the woods are social places, abuzz with energy, serving excellent coffee and croissants and scones and cinnamon buns and…you get the point, right? So I’m asking myself what healthier treats I could exchange for those trips to the coffee shop.

My mornings are often rushed, though I somehow find the time to slip into the coffee shop before my commute. I rarely enjoy slow time in the mornings: reading, watching the sun rise, eating breakfast, drinking my own cup of coffee before getting ready for work. My goal is to change my routine during the weekdays in order to cook my own breakfast and coffee. I love breakfast foods too, so I’m planning out a veggie & tofu scramble, then a vegan french toast recipe for my next week.

I’ll save the coffee shops for the weekends and feel less guilt since it will be a rarer treat.

I also have the luxury/convenience/joy of working on a college campus with a cafeteria, snack bar and a bookshop with lovely treats. It’s easy to grab snacks and a fast lunch. I doubt I can sustain cutting out all of the snacks of my day, but I know I can make healthier choices, eat smaller portions, and bring my own healthy lunch to work much more often.

Today I also looked for lunch recipes that would be delicious enough to lure me away from the snack bar. To be honest, my cravings kicked in at that point, so I put the cookbooks away!

Today it felt like the fast really began. I thought about cheating and having just one maple latte, but I realized it would ruin the experiment and shock my body in a way that was totally unnecessary.

I’m not set on doing an experiment, especially a fast, if it becomes unhealthy, but this seems doable for another day. Then I have some toast and jam, some risotto, and tea to get me gently through the following day.

Are there ways you treat yourself that could be switched out for a healthier treat, like my coffee shop switch for slow breakfasts at home? 

Are there ways you treat yourself with food that seem non-negotiable?

 

Photo credit: Enid Martindale