Water Fast Day 2! I WANT FOOD!

Last night was hard. Okay very very hard.

I am used to snacking or having at least a glass of wine before going to bed usually and not being able to have anything was a challenge.

The WORST part of it however was when I was actually in bed. I could not sleep at all. I kept thinking about food. It's amazing how much you miss it when you cannot have it. If anything it makes me realize how lucky we are that we have the money and resources to eat whatever we want when we want to. I was having the craziest cravings. I wanted Mac and Cheese BAD. Like cheesy Mac and Cheese topped with Sriracha. Then it morphed to a juicy Cheeseburger with Jalepenos and a side of fries. See here I go again! Food Food Food!
That must be how pregnancy feels. Constant Cravings! My stomach also kept rumbling all night.

When I finally went to sleep it was all about the dreams. I'm pretty sure I dreamed of a mashed potato monster that I ended up eating. :)
Also I could NOT get out of bed this morning. I felt like I had been drugged. My body would not and could not contemplate getting out of bed. I probably could have slept for half the day if I didn't have to come to work.

So here we are at Day 2 and right now things are not bad. Woke up this morning and didn't really crave much of anything. I had a glass of water with Apple Cider Vinegar and then went for coffee (I had green tea) with a friend.

Now we are halfway through the day and I feel okay. A little spacy, YES ..a little light-headed YES but, overall feeling okay.

Amazing how much of our lives revolve around food! My friend wants to take me the The Eugene Country Club for lunch on Thursday. How can I say no to that? I must be strong though....willpower!

I should have expected this!

WARNING...

This water fast will make you very emotional. I just started experiencing that towards the end of the day. Of course it makes sense, no food equals major mood swings but, wow I didn't expect to be so moody. It's similar to that time of the month. Regardless I am going to keep plugging along.

I also for a brief second contemplated eating something when I got home. A little broth wouldn't hurt right? But, then the guilt set in. Lets see how tomorrow goes. I have a feeling it will be a hard day tomorrow.

Water Fast Day 1, Am I Crazy?

Anyone who knows me knows that I get very excited about new things. Whether it be a new product on the market, a new vitamin or health regimen, I can work myself into a frenzy of learning new information about whatever it may be.

Much of last week was spent researching and googling the topic of "Water Fasting". This is not my first time actually doing a water fast. In fact, last year I spent 5 days cleansing my body through the "Master Cleanse" or "Lemonade Diet" as it's sometimes referred to. I found the experience powerful to say the least. Day 1 and 2 were pure misery. Headaches, Nausea, and light headed-ness (never a good thing when a big part of your job requires you to stand and read the news for half an hour a day). Nonetheless, by Day 3, I was amazed at the amount of energy I had and how good I felt.

Think about all the crap we put into our bodies on a single day? From fast food to chemicals, frozen meals full of preservatives, alcohol ...the list goes on and on.
For thousands of years, people have fasted as a way to rid themselves of toxic build-ups and generally cleanse the body.

Have you ever skipped a meal and a headache came on, or you felt irritated, stomach growled, etc? Well, none of these are signs of actual hunger, but rather the first stages of a detoxification phase, known as acidosis. As soon as the body has a chance, i.e. as soon as you haven’t had any food in you for a while, this detox phase will start. During acidosis the body cleanses itself of stored up toxins that are in the body due to poor diet.

And I have to admit, the thought of dropping some weight is also very appealing. You can lose upto 10 pounds in 6 or 7 days while fasting. Of course it's likely to return when you begin eating as most of this is water weight.

So here we are at Day 1. Woke up this morning and wanted a bagel slathered with cream cheese so darn bad! LOL
Had a glass of water instead. The headaches started around noon but, it was nothing I could not handle. I am now sipping on some Green Tea for energy and feeling pretty darn good. Of course it's still early in this whole fast and that could change.

Am taking extra care when getting up from my desk as well. My body is not used to this light-headedness and I want to make sure I don't fall over :)

Overall, at 5:30PM on my first day I am feeling fine with little side effects. Will let you know how the rest of today goes!

Find Yourself and Don't Settle!

Sometimes I wonder who exactly in life you can rely on.

It's easy to fall prey to the wiles of a sweet talking man or woman that may promise you the world, quite quickly however you may start to see the true nature that lurks beneath the surface.

If I apply this to my own life, the people I know I can rely on are my family and myself. I am blessed with some amazing friends that I can rely on as well and for that I am utterly grateful.

As I head into my 30's I am realizing the importance of really finding yourself. I have heard the old adage a million times that one needs to love oneself before loving another but, I don't think it's ever registered until now. What does loving yourself mean? How do you even do that?

I think a big part of it comes from being alone. You can never really know how to love yourself until you have dealt with alone-ness. If you are bouncing from relationship to relationship you are never giving yourself a chance to find out what you really want and need. It's loneliness that is driving you to fill a void that you might be able to fill perfectly on your own.

Once you have established that you can be alone and just fine, you can open your heart to someone who really deserves it and meets your needs. Saying it is easy..doing it is rather hard but, the only way to do it is to dive right in....

You may hit rock bottom but the only place you can go from there..is up.

Holidays in the News Biz

I cannot believe it's Holiday time yet again. It seems like just yesterday or maybe a month ago that we celebrated Christmas 2008 and now here we are again.

The Holidays can be bittersweet when you are in the news business. Everyone seems to be surrounded by family while many of us newsies are alone. I can remember one Christmas working a Reporting shift in the frigid cold of Duluth, Minnesota. It was around 7pm when I returned home to my empty apartment.

I walked in, threw my bag on the counter and instantly started to cry. I could hear the chords of Holiday music coming from my next door neighbors home and everyone seemed to be with people they loved except for me.

As I took another microwave meal out of my freezer, I thought to myself, "why did I decide to do news again?"

But, I was not about to sit at home and ruin this Christmas. I picked up my phone and called the only person I knew in the entire city, one of our photographers Kristin. I knew she would be alone as well.

We met up at a local bar, probably the only place open in the entire city on Christmas. We sat, we drank, we talked, we laughed. I came home around 2AM feeling like I hadn't missed out on a thing.



Friends often become family when you are a transplant as I have found almost everywhere I have moved. People take me in, they feed me, they almost adopt me. Who knew ties that were not familial could be so strong? I am grateful everyday for those who have come to my aid, offered me a warm meal and provided company when I just needed to be around friends.

What will this Holiday Season bring?

Then last Christmas, I decided to do something different. Our station in Anchorage never had news on Christmas so I had the day off...but, what to do?

Turns out that answer came in the form of a chance meeting with the director of the local homeless shelter.

He offered for me to come and help with the annual Christmas dinner. I arrived bright and early on Christmas ready to help, donned an apron and spend the next 4 hours serving up a hot Christmas meal to those who couldn't afford it. Outside the snow was piling up and the line reached all the way around the block. We allowed women and children to come in first and sat them down and served them in their seats like a real restaurant. I cannot tell you how fulfilling it was for me to serve these people who had nothing and nowhere to go during the Holidays.

I may have had no family around and no place to really go but, I felt like I had honestly had the best Christmas of my life.

I'm not sure what this Holiday Season will bring but, I do know that even without family, the Holidays can be bright and merry, all from the kindness of those you may barely know.

Turning 30!

Remember when you were 15 and you thought turning 18 was a really really big deal?

Or when you were 8 and you thought turning 2 digits would be a major milestone in life?

Or when you knew 21 was right around the corner and all you wanted to do was grow up?

If there is one thing I have learned it's just how quickly time passes us by. Now here I am two weeks shy of my 30th birthday and dumb founded as to how this happened?

Of course we all get older and for some turning 30 is just another number. For me however, it's a casual nudging reminder of time slipping between my fingers.

What did I think I would do at 30? Or by 30? Happily, I have accomplished many of the things I wanted to but, I still have so many things yet to pursue.

As for turning 30, it's going to come whether I like it or not, so I better be excited and hopeful for it. If not, an episode of Sex and the City will remind me casually yet, humorously of all I have yet to look forward TO in the future :)

Here's to 30!

YES!

Woke up this morning feeling a powerful sense of "HELL YES"
No real idea why but, I think I am realizing that I don't need to put up with shit from people who really don't matter and also that I am way stronger than I give myself credit for.

It's a good day :)