My 40-Hour Juice Fast: A Reset That Had Nothing to Do With Food

I completed a 40 hour juice fast because I needed a reset and not in the way you may think.

This reset had very little to do with food and everything to do with energy. I wasn't feeling like myself. I felt heavy, stagnant, like I needed to press the restart button and give myself space to recalibrate.

My intention was simple: give my digestive system a break for 24 hours while flooding my body with fresh fruit and vegetable juices. I wanted to rest, nourish my body with living foods, and create a little space to reconnect with myself. I wanted to get into my body and simply observe how it responded.

That 24 hours eventually became 40.

I Thought Hunger Would Be the Hard Part

I prepped. I planned.

I stood in the produce section of the grocery store and let my body lead me. Vegetables and fruits caught my attention until my cart was full of produce and I was slightly overwhelmed.

Back home, I spent time juicing. Cutting and juicing, cleaning the juicer, cutting more food, juicing, taste testing, juicing more. Mixing different fruits and vegetables together, experimenting with flavors, feeling like a little cottage witch making potions in the kitchen.

When I finally started the juice fast, I expected hunger to be the biggest challenge.

I was so wrong.

I mean yeah, I was hungry, but I was still getting calories in and drinking a ton of juice. I had zero hunger cues. I was really satisfied!

Hunger wasn’t the challenge. My body was actually quite happy with a fresh juice in hand.

It was the emotional discomfort that surprised me.

I lost track of how many times I looked longingly at my sister’s fresh from the oven pizza. Drove past the Culvers where the best root beer floats were at. Walking past all the areas in the grocery store that I wouldn’t be shopping in. Seeing inside my head all the meals I couldn’t make yet but really wanted to try.

At home, I would wander to the kitchen and just stand there confused. My juice was already made, there wasn’t anything to cook. Nothing to prepare. My body wasn't asking for food, my routine was. I planned many times in my mind of what meal I would have to break my fast. I counted down the clock. 23 more hours. After I wake up tomorrow it’ll be way less. Then only a bit longer after that.

My mind wanted a snack. Something to prepare. Something to hold in my hands.

Something to freaking chew.

Every time the thought appeared, I had to focus on letting it go.

I had to remind myself that I was choosing to do this. I was making the conscious decision to continue on my juice fast. To put myself in discomfort for a payoff later.

I would intentionally remind myself that this had spiritual reward, my energy was feeling better and better, I felt proud of myself, my body felt good, I was doing well. Listing the reasons I had started this juice fast in the first place.

But then I'd notice what followed my thoughts of discomfort. And there was an emotion underneath it.

Many times I would find that I was turning to food for reasons other than hunger.

It was comfort.

It was something to look forward to, to find joy in. It filled quiet moments, it marked the passing of time. My morning matcha, my lunch, my dinner, and my sweet treat at night. It gave my mind a routine, something simple to rely on. And it grounded me. Food wasn't just nourishing my body. It was organizing my day.

This freaked me the F out, I won’t lie. I was totally surprised at what I was feeling.

I've always considered myself someone with a healthy relationship with food. I love vegetables, fruit, nourishing meals, homemade desserts, and cooking for the people I care about. I trust my body and generally let it guide me toward what it needs.

No wonder I was freaked!

I wasn't uncovering an unhealthy relationship with food.. I was finding a hidden relationship to comfort.

Had I allowed food to become my primary source of comfort instead of one source of nourishment among many?

Was I relying too much on food to ground me when there were other, better ways?

Those questions changed the rest of my fast. I stopped paying attention to what I wasn't eating and started noticing everything that was feeding me instead.

Discovering What Was Feeding Me

After thinking about those two questions for a bit, I started focusing less on what I couldn’t have and more on what I was receiving.

I looked forward to making each batch of juice.

They were seriously gorgeous! Deep purple from red cabbage and beets. Bright orange carrots. Vibrant leafy greens. I felt like a little kid mixing potions and playing with colors.

Every glass felt alive and full of vitality. I found myself looking forward to the next one I’d make, craving a new blend.

I wasn't restricting myself at all but instead flooding my body with living foods, and I found myself genuinely excited about the life force I was drinking.

Without trying to, I started finding nourishment everywhere else.

I spent time swimming in the cool lake and laying in the sun.

I slowed down enough to be in the moment with two monarch butterflies and a hummingbird in the yard.

I took one of the deepest and restfull naps I've had in a long time. The kind where you don’t know what day it is when you wake up and you realize you forgot to take your contacts out in time.

Preparing each juice became its own quiet ritual instead of something to rush through.

I became incredibly hydrated, my body released pounds of water, and I simply watched with curiosity as it responded.

As the physical discomfort faded, curiosity took its place.

I found myself accepting more and more the discomfort of the fast and thought a lot about: What actually nourishes me?

Not just physically but emotionally. Energetically. Spiritually.

The Identity Shift

As all of this was unfolding, today's Leo New Moon Total Solar Eclipse arrived.

Many astrologers describe this eclipse as an invitation to reflect on identity and the version of ourselves we're growing into or want to claim for ourselves. Whether or not astrology is something you follow, I couldn't ignore how perfectly that theme aligned with what I was experiencing.

With my Leo rising, I found myself reflecting on identity in a completely unexpected way.

Who am I when I don't immediately reach for food for comfort?

Who am I when I allow discomfort to exist instead of immediately trying to ignore or avoid it?

Who am I when I remember that nourishment comes in many forms?

What do I want to claim for myself around a relationship to food and nourishment?

Suddenly nourishment wasn't found in just food, but LIFE.

It was the sunshine I was soaking up on the sand, the lake I swam in where the little fish were nibbling my legs, the time alone with myself and a deck of oracle cards, the meditations that were so vivid, the thoughts in my mind that I was present for rather than being disjointed and distracted.

I realized this juice fast wasn't changing my relationship with food but expanding my relationship with nourishment.

Food was still one beautiful way I cared for myself, it just didn’t need to be the only thing.

Knowing When Enough Was Enough

When I woke up the next morning, I had reached 36 hours.

I felt really good! My first thought was, I could absolutely keep going.

By the time I reached 40 hours, I knew I could continue even longer if I wanted to.

I had proven to myself that I was capable, the emotional pull toward food had eased, and I wasn’t counting down the clock until I could break my fast.

I wasn't fighting cravings, I was looking forward to more juice!

My reason for continuing had quietly changed.

I wasn't fasting because I still needed a reset, but fasting simply because I could.

And that was my perfect cue to stop and break my fast. To start off with food that would fuel me and fill me with energy.

And let me tell you...

That first bite of cantaloupe was unforgettable. The whole wheat banana and raspberry pancake that followed tasted VIVID.

I reaffirmed.. Discipline is valuable, self trust is too.

Discipline helps us continue when things become uncomfortable. Self-trust helps us recognize when we've received what we came for.

A Different Kind of Reset

When I started this juice fast, I thought I was resetting my body and in many ways, I did.

But the deeper reset happened in my understanding of nourishment.

I didn't finish my fast with even more awareness on how to nourish myself.

More sunlight, fresh air, nature, quiet, mindful moments where I was present with myself and others that bring me joy.

More moments that leave me feeling deeply alive.

Food is still one of life's greatest joys and I still love cooking and sharing meals with people I care about. I still believe food is one of the most beautiful ways we care for ourselves.

But I was reminded that it’s not the only one.

Nourishment is bigger than what's on our plate.

Nourishment is the conversations we have, the thoughts we repeatedly think, the people we surround ourselves with, the time we spend in nature, and the energy we consume every single day.

I started this fast believing I needed to reset my body. Instead, I reset my understanding of what it means to nourish myself. I’ll carry that learning forward long after this fast.

So, whether today's eclipse means something to you or not, maybe there's still a worthwhile question to sit with:

What truly nourishes me?

And if the answer isn't aligned with the person you want to be… What small change could you make to nourish yourself more completely?