If I see another lemon...

So I have officially begun day EIGHT of my fast and it's still going pretty well.  I have to say, regardless of whether it is placebo or not, my skin feels smoother, I breath clearly (no more stuffy nose from allergies, at all), and, of course, the convenient side effect of having lost a ton of weight.  Now, the weight, or they say half of it, will come back once I start to eat solids again... but it is my goal to immediately begin regulating that with exercise and see if I can't continue to burn fat and get back on my regular diet.  I admit, on Day Seven (yesterday) I started to grow concerned that I was doing something wrong as the whole morning I experienced mild dizziness.  At first, I blamed it on having gone out and exercised, perhaps a bit too vigorously for the level of calories I am taking in per day (maybe 600).  After consulting several online sources, all of which only sang praises about the days following the third, I decided to distract myself and go down to Target to buy some more kitchen supplies (I have already begun to plan a huge menu of foods I can cook entirely from scratch; there is value in knowing everything that is going into your food!).

After coming back home armed with measuring spoons and a juicer I checked my [previously by] eye measurements and found that I had been selling myself short on the Maple Syrup component of the recipe; the primary source of carbs and calories.  I mixed up a new batch and drank down a few glasses and in an hour or so I felt right as rain.  Though the difference in proportion was seemingly nominal (I might have been using 1 1/2 tbs rather than 2 tbs) it seemed to make all the difference.  Last night, I had a very disturbing dream that I was being tempted by all kinds of foods and was sneaking nibbles of Wheat Thins and corn chips, all the while suffering that ambient dream-state anxiety that I would shortly begin to experience serious problems because of eating before I was supposed to.  This morning, however, I feel more energetic and refreshed than ever, though I am looking forward to conquering the last two days and easing myself back onto solid foods.

Besides that, motivated by a new beginning and a return to healthy living I began my Tai Chi regimen again, which, once I am taking in some protein I will endeavor to practice daily as I had been before I left Pittsburgh after undergrad.  I have even considered reenlisting in my old Kung Fu school, despite the fact that I left in disappointment when I realized that despite having forged friendships, shown enthusiasm and excelled in private and group sessions, no one was above the carefully designed syllabus for maximizing profit.  I suppose, however, that whenever I want to find truly traditional and "genuine" martial arts instruction, I'm just going to have to go to Hong Kong.  That said, I only benefitted from the wonderful people I knew there and the Kung Fu I did learn, the proof being that back then I was in the best shape of my life.