Todd's Raw Journey:
January 2008

 E-mail: tglasco4 at yahoo dot com
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January 4, 2008

 Friday. I am so excited about the number of people who want to join us in the Master Cleanse/Juice fast beginning Jan 11th (One week from today). I have 34 people (including my wife and 3 of my children) who are going to do it for at least 10 days. It seems many are seeing the need and understand the benefits of such a cleanse and are ready to take the plunge. We are using the time leading up to the starting date to pray for grace and strength. I would like to continue with the cleanse using juices for a total of 40 days. The first ten days I will be doing the salt flush in conjunction with the Master Cleanse and have already started purchasing the lemons and syrup (I always keep a large quantity of cayenne). I plan on going 40 days, then staying 100% Raw for at least 30 days after. Speaking of 100% raw, I learned something recently that I should have known before.
 
While a person is 100% raw and eating mostly fruit. Water consumption does not loom at that important. But anything less then 100% and water becomes extremely important. Because I fluctuate between being 100% raw for periods and then as low as 80% for other periods, I have not kept up with my appropriate water consumption. When I am anything less than 100% and I have my proper intake of water (about 100oz per day in my case), I feel very little difference between 80% and 100% Raw. When I don't have my proper water intake, I feel it for sure. In my case I drink no coffee, tea or soft drinks of any kind. The only liquids I consume would be either pure water or water from a fresh squeezed or juiced fruit. Like last night, I had the pure juice of an organic apple and a whole cantelope (delicious). If anyone is drinking coffee and/or soda you would need even more water as caffiene (from the coffee) and other poisons (from the soda) actually drain water from your body.
 
If there are any more people who want to join us in the cleanse just email me and I will add you to our prayer list. We are meeting online at www.paltalk.com on the 10th to encourage and strengthen each other. The room will meet in the christian section of the site under the name THE CLEANSING.
  
Todays intake was:
 
Breakfast:
 
32oz of fruit smoothie.
 
Dinner:
two organic navel oranges, one tangerine, one avocado. Plate of brown rice with steamed mustard greens, organic spelt wrap and one avocado.
 
Later:
 
33oz of water.

January 11, 2008

 Friday.....Day One of the Master Cleanse/Juice Feast. I am typing this with my 3rd (thats right third) 64oz bottle of lemon mix by my side. The more I drink it, the more I like it. I remember it being like this at other times also, although it has been about 2 years since I last did this. Many of those who are doing the cleanse with us are reporting the things one would expect.....serious eliminations from the salt flush and increased energy. I Praise the Lord for the good He is doing here. My wife and children made it thru their first day well. My oldest son is already speaking of the day when he will eat pancakes (lol).But all of us are in it to stay (which means at least 10 days). I am planning to go for 40 days total, incorporating fresh juice during most of it (nence the Juice Feast portion). I am excited about what this will bring.....Leading up to it, life has brought many challenges (I believe this is part of the spiritual warfare), but thanks to the Lord I have
 come thru.
   
The fare today was:
   
32oz of salt water (purified water with 2 tsp sea salt)
   
3x 64oz of lemon mix (1/2 cup of maple syrup, 1/2 cup of lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of cayenne, 64oz of water).
   
No exercise today.....but I will probably walk tomorrow and have light workout on Sunday.

January 12, 2008

Sabbath. Day 2 of the Master Cleanse. Definitely was eliminating like crazy today. That was very good. I wanted to take a walk but was afraid to because I was constantly visiting the bathroom. The strange thing today was, I was hungry alot. I mean I drank 2 full gallons of the lemon juice and it wasnt until the final 64oz did the hunger cease. I believe it had more to do with the cleansing than actually lack of solid food. Anyways, by God's grace I made it thru day two. Everyone in my household is hanging in there.
   
Today was:
   
32oz of salt water
   
4x64oz of Lemonade/cayenne/syrup mix
   
We roll on.......

January 15, 2008

Tuesday. Day 5 of the Master Cleanse/Juice Feast. Overall things are going well for me and my family. My wife is having some sinus issues and I had a bad throat for a couple of days (and a nagging cough now), but overall we feel its just detox and are moving forward. I tell you we will all be glad when the Salt Flush portion is done with (sunday). I am planning on sticking with the lemonade drink for 10 more days following sunday and then adding fresh fruit and vegetable juices the rest of the way. I am so glad this is getting done now. The beginning of the year seems perfect for it. Like getting a good start. As I am typing this I have just returned home from work and concluded family worship, its about 7:30pm. I am planning on having a light resistance workout which I have not done to this point. I will report the results tomorrow. I feel great; light and easy. I have very good energy overall. Other than that.......cruising right along by the Grace of God.

Breakfast:
32oz of salt water & 64oz of lemon drink

lunch:
64oz of lemon drink

dinner:
64oz of lemon drink

Exercise? We'll see how it goes.

January 18, 2008

 Friday. Day 8 of the Master Cleanse/Juice Feast. I never did exercise like I planned to. I think it may be too early in the process to expect that. I know that at some point in this process I will though. Other than that things are moving right along. One of the many benefits of doing this type of cleanse is that it helps the higher powers of your mind be in control of your appetite as opposed to your feelings/emotions. This is key because many seek food as comfort during times of stress (including me). During this process that is not an option. Also, I am getting cravings for all my favorite foods now, but because of the cleanse I am not giving into the cravings (by God's Grace). Basically my feelings/emotions/cravings are wanting certain foods but thru grace the powers of reason are saying "no" or "not now". This type of victory, if one can have it, in and of itself can stem many of the problems that arise out of what we put in our mouths.

Today I only had 2 helpings of the juice.....but I was hungry at the end of the day.

Breakfast:
32oz of salt flush. 64oz of lemon drink

Lunch:
64oz of lemon drink.


January 21, 2008

Sunday. Today is day 10 of the Master Cleanse/Juice Feast. This represents the completion of the first leg of my journey (Yay!). I feel very good. I did my final salt flush today. It went right thru me in about 7 minutes. My system is really pretty clean now. At this point I want to start feeding my system with more enzymes and also have more variety which will help me. So starting Monday I will be drinking other juices as well. I bought a case of oranges, a watermelon, fuji apples and organic carrots. By the way, my whole family (even my 12 year old daughter) successfully made it thru the 10 days and want to continue for 10 more days. So we are all going thru until next Tuesday. It should be noted that each individual had the option of stopping but children and my wife had a caucus and decided to press on. They are all feeling the positive benefits of the fast. I truly believe in not forcing or coercing (especially my family) people into doing what I choose to do, so its great that each one decided for themselves.

Breakfast:
32oz salt flush, 64 oz lemon drink

lunch:
64oz of lemon drink

later:
32oz of lemon drink

January 23, 2008

 Thursday. Day 14 of the Master Cleanse/Juice Feast. Of course we are now well into the Juice Feast portion of the fast. Going well overall but I am concerned with two of my children. They were thin to begin with and they really wanted to do this so I let them. But now they look almost sickly. So I told my wife that starting tomorrow we will prepare whole fruit smoothies for them instead of just the juice. If they have any discomfort that they tell us about then we will cease it with them immediately and give them solid food. My wife and children are planning on going until next Thursday (20 days total). My wife and my oldest daughter are doing quite well, nobody is complaining but they are looking very healthy. As for me, I am doing well myself. Generally having juice three times per day. Today my wife made an absolutely scrumptous vegetable juice and added some sea salt and cayenne for flavor (delicious). My weight is in the 180s now, but I know it will go much lower so I am not paying too much attention to it. I still have a hankering for a cheeseburger (lol) and I look forward to the day when I am eating solid food again, but I am by no means suffering.

Today's fare went like this:

Breakfast:
48oz of fruit juice (orange, cantelope and watermelon combo with a small amount of added water)

Lunch:
48oz of veggie juice (carrots, apples, cucumber, tomato, kale with some sea salt and cayenne and added water)

Dinner:
64oz of lemon drink (master cleanse) mix

January 29, 2008

Tuesday. Day 19 of the Juice Feast. This is going very well. Tomorrow will be my wife and children's last day. They are all excited about eating again and I am excited for them. I am also very proud of them. My wife,  16, 15 and 12 year old did a juice feast for 20 days. Can you imagine? They are all reporting very positive results including better grades in school because they say they can think clearer. I am Praising the Lord. As for me I am glad for them but definitely looking forward to continuing the fast. Although, I must admit the veggie crackers my wife has in the dehydrator look delicious. But for me its way past temptation to eat at this point. Its just the usual (after having done this four times) wanting to chew on something and having strange cravings for things I have not eaten in over 20 years.

I am really looking forward to seeing how deep a cleansing process my system will undergo. The last time I went 30 days, I felt like I was on the brink of something deeper if I stuck with it for 10 days more. By God's grace this time I will. This evening when I went to the grocery store there were some very good sales. Organic cameo apples were $1 per pound and both the organic and non-organic navel oranges (they have been really good this season) were on very good sales ($3.99 for 8lb bag so I bought 5 bags). I was able to snag some organic bananas as well. It was a good take. My weight is staying around 190 these days, but as I alluded to prior, I think that will change over the next 20 days.

Today I did a Raw Remnant presentation at a Baptist seminary. It well very well and was very well received. In fact, I think they want me to come back because I did not get into the juicing portion of the presentation and they want to hear that. God is good to allow this to reach them. The power of grace is a wonderful thing to experience.

Today's menu was:

Breakfast:
64oz of fruit juice (watermelon and orange with some water)

Lunch:
56oz of veggie juice (carrots, apples, celery, kale, cucumber, tomato with sea salt and cayenne......delicious)

Dinner:
32oz of Orange Juice.

January 31, 2008

The Lone Ranger

Thursday. Day 21 of the Juice Feast. That's something that Michelle is moving to VA of all places.....lol. Virginia Beach is about 4 or 5 hours from me, but it still feels like we will be neighbors of sorts. Congrats on the new gig Michelle, I hope you are happy there. Today was so busy that I drank my breakfast and then didn't drink all day until about 6:30 this evening. I was hungry too, but I made it. I weighed myself this morning and I now weigh 186. Which is officially 13 pounds from where I started 21 days ago. I figure I will go down into the 170s when its all said and done. Its alittle scary but I am going with it. My oldest daughter helped me this morning when she informed me that the craving she had for a hamburger (same as I have now) went away immediately after she had her first bite of fruit this morning. I knew that, but it still helps to hear as I am dying for a cheeseburger right now. Of course I haven't eaten one in about 20 years, but that's besides the point. Other than that I do feel great. I noticed my hair gettting darker (I am heavily salt and pepper), but I didn't mention it because I thought it was my imagination. Until my wife actually said something about it yesterday, which confirmed it. I am thinking that after this is over I may want to replace my water fasts with juice feasts each week. I sometimes go thru periods where I fast 40 hrs each week on water. But I am thinking of replacing that with juice because of the nourishment as well as the cleansing effect. We'll see. Well, I am all that is left on this feast in my house, maybe a couple of you out there are still hanging in with me, drop me a line and let me know how you are doing.

Todays fare was:

Breakfast:
64oz of fruit juice (orange-cantelope)

Dinner
56oz of veggie juice (same recipe as the previous blog entry)


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