Still Here

So the whole fast thing didn't go anywhere close to as planned. But I've been reading a lot of books and websites on juicing, and realize I didn't set myself up for success. So for now, I am juicing 1-2x a day, and then trying to improve diet by eating more plant based foods, raw when I can. I am still having horrible moments of cake. And horrible moments of icecream, but I am having more good moments too. :)  The goal is to try a few smaller fasts in the near future to prepare myself for the longer one. I am waiting until after the holidays, because I think that played a large part in my inability to maintain program.  I am hoping to do a three day juice fast soon into the new year. :)

I am reading The Omnivore's Delimma. I really like it and it has opened my eyes to a lot of things that I kind of knew, but didn't know enough about to form an opinion. Now that I know these things, I think I HAVE to make some changes or else I am taking knowledge and completely ignoring it in order to do what I want, regardless of consequences to myself or others. That would be pretty selfish. I would really like to make the switch to only substainable meat/dairy products. After talking briefly with my friend R yesterday, I have decided I will not buy another egg in store again. Cage free labeling can easily be attained by ridiculous loop holes and I can make an effort to buy local eggs. Laying hens are ini such distress that they rub their breasts agains the cage repeatedly in a flip out motion, until they are bleeding and raw. Um, if there is another way to get eggs, that maybe costs what real food should costs, then I think I am wrong to continue buying so called cage free at the store. Am I going all animal activist? No. But the book made a good point. By letting capitalism dictate our food industry, we are throwing morality to the side. It all becomes about lowering prices, making the most money, etc, and not about the people who work in that industry, the environment, or the animals suffering. Animals are suffering not because they have to, but because we want eggs for 79 cents a dozen.

And yes, the hubs thinks I have lost my mind. :)))

Feeling good

So I have not been fasting at all. :(  But I have been juicing and trying to eat as much raw fruits and veggies as I can. Today I ate salad twice made with spinach, cucumber, tomato and cooked black beans.  I also juiced a few times. My new favorite juice is one and a half large sweet potatoes, one apple, four stalks of celery and a bag of spinach. FABULOUS. I also had a glass of apple celery, with one apple and three stalks of celery. Love that for a sudden energy burst!

I am looking into juicers now. I really want to keep juicing, regardless of weight loss or anything, I know this stuff has to be good for me.

I just want to keep moving closer and closer to a plant based diet. Baby steps!

So I've not done well

So I have not done well at sticking to just juice. I am very disappointed in myself, but I am not going to give up.  I have managed to drink lots of juice, which is good for me, regardless of what else happens. Right now, I think I need to just focus on adding as much micronutrients as possible, and see how my eating patterns improve/change as a result. I am sure as I get the nutrients I need, my cravings and tastes will change. I am hoping to move to a clean plant based diet. 

Oh dear gawd

I want to eat a pizza.  But instead, I just drank 1/3 of a head of cabbage, four cups of spinach, three large cucumbers, and two apples. @@

I claim progress

and nowhere near perfection. Today I juiced all day. Lots of greens in the form of spinach and kale, cucumbers, celery, as well as beets, apples, a lime, pears and ground up ginger. I was perfect. I was strong. And then tonight I drank chicken noodle soup broth. Yes, the canned kind. Cambell's. Mmmm good.  But I did refrain from eating the noodles or chicken, so I am going with progress.

I have no idea how that 309lb man did this for 60 days. And I really need to know, did he ever cheat? Because I can't seem to go a day without a slip. My slips are small, but still. . . .

Momentary moment of strength - with cursing. :)

sure beats the heck out of moment of weakness. At this VERY moment, I feel like I can sooo do this. I've got it licked. But I know moments like this come and go, and moments of oh.my.god.i.must.eat.pizza. will also arise now and then. I just hope I can remember this moment, this very moment where I feel like this is absolutely no probs.   I want to remember this moment fior  when that other one shows up. And then I want to tell that pizza moment to fuck off and let me live. :)

Some powerful stuff

I looked up juicing beets tonight, just because I wanted to know if I should juice the leafy part, or just the root. I was shocked to learn that drinking straight beet juice is actually quite dangerous. It purges the body of toxins so quickly and efficiently that the liver can have a hard time keeping up,. It can also cause temporary paralysis of the vocal cords.  :shocked:  Now that is some powerful juice. I still had some, but only half of a beet instead of a full one, and it was mixed with spinach, celery, cucumber, green beans, and apple. 

And yes, you juice the greens too.

Flip the Switch

Had a great day today, hung tight all day, and then crashed and snuck some Triscuits. Oh the peppery and salty goodness.  Doesn't mean I'm out of the game though, just a minor set back.  See, that is what has to change. This whole "all or nothing" mentality. It is like I'm eating spinach and celery, or pizza and fries. I need to realize a minor set back does not mean a call to Dominoes should happen.  I ate my crackers, felt guilty, then went for a walk/run, and then juiced up a whole bunch of veggie goodness. So again, while I did not meet today's goal 100 percent, I am calling it a win. :)  That's a big change. :)

And done for the day

And it went okay. Except I am hungry enough to eat my hand, no seasoning required. :0

Hot Tamales!

So this morning I juiced up some fresh ginger root. I have never in my life had ginger unless it came cooked in something I ordered out, or in something like gingerbread cookies, which I bought as a mix.  Let me tell you, this stuff is amazing!  I juiced up about a 1/4 inch slice along with a pear. It was so strong, but so delish! I couldn't drink it, but just take tiny sips. What flavor!  I then made a big batch of romaine, kale, wheatgrass, apple and celery and added just a bit of my ginger pear concoction, and it was amazing. I swear, it tastes like a drink you would buy. Ginger has sweetness and flavor, honestly, like COKE! LOL I know I should not be comparing natural foods to soda, but I have a soda addiction, so this was a real treat. I think I will now go google and see if I can create a ginger and tonic or something of the like, as it really was enjoyable!

 I know I have not put up numbers yet, as in weight, blood pressure and all that. I am just a teensy bit afraid to tell them. I will tell you my blood pressure a few weeks ago at Publix was 156/83 which is not good. I plan to pop back in and check it today, just to have a more recent number. :)  My blood sugar levels were at 114 which is borderline diabetes.  The scale, let's just say that when I started the number was 2X3 and today it was 2W8 for a loss of 5lbs. I might tell the whole number as I get further along, but right now, just a bit too embarassed. I know anyone reading this is supporting me, but still. .  .  Okay, off to sew.

So let me change the plan

So I guess I jumped the gun when I said juice FAST. I guess what I really meant was drink a ton of green juice, and turn away from all other foods except raw veggies and fruits. Meaning, if I eat a smoothie made of kale, avacado and pear, I am not considering that a fail.  I'll take that as a win. Yes I ate the fiberous part of fruit today. .  .


So today was pretty easy peasy. I had a fabulous smoothie made of the above items from the fabulous Beach Pops. Mia and I as well as several of our friends hit that place regularly in the summer. They make all natural popsicles that are super yummy, organic, and without added sugars.

We met our friend L up there, and she helped me get a handle of some of the things I can do while juicing. We then went back to her fab new house for the grand tour. Gorgeousness.  :)

Then Mia and I hit Target for a copy of Elf on the Shelf.  She loved it and can't wait to look for him in the morning. His name is. . . Markle. I did not choose that.

We also picked out our Christmas tree this eveing.

So with so much running, we got in kind of late. Normally, that would mean order some pizza or stop at Publix for subs.  Instead, Jason foraged in the cabinets, Mia got heated up soup, and I had a nice juicey dinner.  Into the Champion went a beet, one head of romaine, one cucumber, one pear and two apples. Can I just say that beets are really red? This is the first time in my life I have ever cut, sliced, tasted, drank, whatever, a fresh beet. Pretty tasty.  My juice was definitely red and not green. Very festive! 

So am I hungry? A little bit. But not bad and my energy level was normal today.  I am looking to perhaps crash tomorrow, which isn't good because I have six orders I wish to get out and an appointment to keep and some errands to run. . . But I do plan to start the wheatgrass juice, and that is supposed to be good for energy. I also have a new vapor pipe with a peppermint cartride in it. Peppermint is also good for energy.

So, off I go, to  smoke my peppermint pipe and sew.  Hope tomorrow is just as good as today. :)

First Evening

So I didn't even make it through day one. jeez. But my stomach just felt too sick from the alcohol and so I did eat some oatmeal to hopefully soak up the acids and what not, and do feel much better. I did consume a lot of micronutrients today though. I juiced a bag of spinach, romaine lettuce, 2 apples, 1 pear, 4 stalks of celery, and 4 carrots.

So tomorrow starts my juice fast.  Hopefully I will be in a better state and actually be able to get started.

First Day

I have juiced nothing and eaten nothing. I, in the spirit of stupidity, had a few drinks last night and am currently still suffering from that.  But I plan to get moving here in a bit and repair myself with some cucumber and apple. I don't think my tummy can handle much more than that. So this first day, so far, will be quite easy.

A Bit About it All

So I'm a middle aged, overweight, stay at home mom to my fabulous girl. I have slowly gotten bigger, and bigger, and bigger to the point that my health is severely affected. I am borderline diabetic, have high blood pressure, an infertile, have low energy and high anxiety  and am just plain unhealthy.  I started running a few months ago, did a badass job with that and then quickly lost all my gains because of repeat injuries due to my weight. I also lost my motivation as the weight still stuck. Food is what has to change. 

So recently I was inspireed by some super healthy friends and some super crazy movies, and all of a sudden, stuff I've heard for years just didn't seem so super crazy anymore. 

So tomorrow I start what I HOPE to be a 21 day juice fast.  My goals are to lose weight, lower blood pressure and to lower my blood sugar levels to normal.  I also want to increase my energy and reduce my anxiety and I pray micronutrients are the way. 

So no expectations. I refuse to hate myself if I fail, I just want to give myself a fair shot.   So the rule is, if I absolutely HAVE to have solid food, I will not go get pizza. I will not eat the processed crap that has put me in the state I am in. I will simply stirfry some veggies and meat.  I might even eat some cottage cheese. But those are last resorts.

So let's see what happens. I have my friend S's badass juicer, and a fridge full of veggies, and lots and lots of reasons to do this, the number one reason being my little miracle - Mia.