Day 5 started out wretchedly as I awoke to a stomach ache and I felt like I hadn’t gotten any sleep at all. Kitties pouncing on my tummy all morning prolly did not help things. I was stooped over in pain and having to take deep breaths just  to get ready for work. I sat down constantly just to put a little pressure on my gut.

As I headed out for work, I succumbed to Starbucks and got a Venti Skinny Mocha with coconut milk. As soon as I started drinking it on the drive, I started feeling enormously better. By the time I got to the office, I felt almost normal.

Almost. My stomach started talking for the rest of the day, rumbling and gurgling noisily. The upshot of all this is my cravings were lessened considerably–prolly because I was self-conscious of my chatty colon (and the coffee worked to suppress my appetite). I had fleeting pangs of cravings throughout the day, and while I was still planning what bingefest I’d be breaking my fast with, I was a little less enrapt with the notion.

Despite the tummy talking, I felt more energized for the rest of the afternoon. I suspect the caffeine had a more potent effect on me now that I’ve "detoxed". I hate that word btw…our bodies (as long as we’re relatively healthy) have its own mechanisms for detoxifying. The modern usage of "detox" has come to refer to new age rituals, cleanses, purges, and all sorts of strange concoctions and services that people undergo to rid themselves of perceived poisons.

it would be better to say that my body was functioning in a more natural, pure octane state, since I haven’t consumed anything to promote inflammation, suppress my metabolic function and otherwise have an adverse effect on my body. Despite that I felt a little fatigued all day, my outlook was positive, full of energy. I had plenty of Yelping done and I wasn’t bothered by the barrage of dining suggestions and food porn on the site.

TMI: Well I was surprised to have a movement today, given that I had thought my system emptied on Day 2. 

My weight training turned out pretty good. I did squats, bench presses and rear delt rows and wasn’t wiped out afterwards. I even had the TV on watching Food Network, and while I was captivated by some of the recipe ideas, I didn’t feel like rushing out to buy a ton of food and snarf it all down in one sitting. I was certainly hungry, but I wasn’t craving in a way that took over my thought processes and steered me into a collision course with an large thin crust pizza spinach chicken alfredo with extra garlic, anchovies and 2 dozen wings on the side. Even writing about it remotely triggered some cravings, but not as urgent as it used to be.

After playing with kitties, getting in a game of Diablo 3, I realized I still had plenty of energy at 12 midnight. A complete 180 from when I woke in the morning. But knowing there could be dire consequences the next day I hustled myself into bed at 1a. I planned on weeding the garden on Saturday. 

My ending weight was 143 lbs. My blood pressure started within normal range in the morning, about 100/70. After arriving home from work, it was in the 140/70 range. I’d like to see more improvement with my bp.