The caffeine cravings are long gone so we can all rejoice in that. But what I've noticed is that my desire for hot drinks is fading too. It seems there is nothing really keeping me attracted to them,... after all, herbal tea has no caffeine hit. I drink it without milk so there are not even any calories. In this heat, I don't even want to drink it. I have been drinking plenty of water and a little bit of fruit juice.
But one other craving really surprised me yesterday. I worked an 8+ hour day on my feet in a busy florist shop. We always stop for lunch but we don't tend to stop for morning tea unless it's dead. Needless to say, we were pretty busy yesterday and didn't stop to eat. I normally find myself walking out of the shop at 5pm-ish feeling ravenous and looking for the nearest chocolate bar / crisps / carb-dense thing I can get my hands on. But not yesterday. Yesterday, I walked to the car after work and I had not eaten morning tea or afternoon tea. No cappucino mid-afternoon to keep me going, no muesli bar or cakey-thing. I was very surprised to find that I wasn't even hungry at 5pm. I had an apple in my bag and munched it during the drive home, but the muesli bar and banana were left untouched.
It is so unlike me, that this is the point in my fast where I start thinking about the changes this is having on my body. As someone with PCOS / insulin resistance, the carbohydrate pendulum is swinging furiously day and night, going from absolute hunger to insulin overload in a rhythmic swing throughout the day. Doing this Daniel Fast interrupts that swing and the insulin production slows dramatically and with it, my cravings for food. I recognise this sensation from last time I fasted, the difference being that I'm fasting for 21 days this time, not 10.
I'm hoping that I'll be able to take this dietary sense of calm forward. I'm hoping that in future I'll be able to get through my work days, on my feet and running around, without feeling hungry for hollow carbs. It is, after all, the other food groups that are meeting most of my needs throughout the day. Nutritionist Cindy O'Meara says carbs are great for making you feel sleepy in the evening and questions why anyone would eat them at breakfast,.... but many people do.
So there is a sense of excitement as I continue with this fast. Previous attempts would have stopped at this point - day 10 - but for me, this is the part where I try and make all these positive changes a part of my daily routine. We'll see how it goes.
BTW: I don't think I won the home Better Homes & Gardens were giving away at Brightwater. They partied there all day yesterday and not only was I not invited, but they rubbed it in my face all day long on our local radio station, 91.1FM. Cruel. It was absolutely heartless!!!!! Notice that I didn't resort to old coping mechanisms like comfort food? Even when I was really disappointed? Progress, my friends, in the face of adversity. Yay me!!!!
