Ugh. My morning slumber was interrupted several times by urgent trips to… let’s just say, I felt completely cleansed now, and won’t be needing that senna tea anymore :/

Not the best start to the day, but again, I found myself surprised that I wasn’t feeling hungry. I had a few things I needed to do today - having morning tea with a co-worker, and picking up some outdoor furniture - so at least I would be somewhat distracted. I had a glass of the mixture, and half a glass of fresh orange juice, and ventured to the first outing of the day, where I had a pot of peppermint tea.

Well, tea and computer noob work colleagues can only distract you for so long. It was getting close to 1pm, and I started feeling not so good. Really tired. Slight headache. Feeling vague, and almost confused. Found it hard to type without making mistakes (that sentence alone had 4 typos). But I still didn’t feel hungry. I guess my body had become used to not eating solids.

After sitting in the sun, reading for a hour, I had to tend to the second errand of the day - picking up an outdoor setting from a friend who is moving interstate next month. But once I started moving around, and busying myself again, I started to feel a bit better. Slightly tired still, but not quite as horrid as before. Moved the furniture back home, and had to head out again to feed the kids (cat & dog). And from somewhere, I managed to find the energy to take the dog for a walk!

But still, something felt not quite right. I felt… slow. And by now, I had made up my mind that I would end the fast tonight. I’m sure I could not eat food for a while longer, but I didn’t feel completely normal. And I had a full day of work the next day, which I honestly couldn’t see myself coping with - I didn’t think the concentration levels would be anywhere near where they needed to be. Plus, Tuesday nights I have dance class, and I didn’t want to risk passing out from exercising.

It was interesting how calm I felt, and how good my mood became when I acknowledged I would be eating again. And yet again, I still didn’t feel hungry. I definitely think your body switches to a coping mechanism/survival mode when it’s put under that kind of stress. I’m not saying it’s a good/healthy thing to do to yourself, but at least I know what my body is capable of (and probably more) if the need should ever arise.

When coming off the fast, I figured it would be best to gradually introduce solid foods again, and as I already had the ingredients for broccoli & potato soup, that’s what would be made. I took my time preparing the food. I really wanted to enjoy this experience as I had honestly missed the rituals involved with cooking and eating food. So as I approached the 72nd hour of the fast, I served myself up a small bowl of soup, and relished every last spoonful :)