Indulgence

Through out this journey thus far, I've had small indulgences. Today was one of the largest and the aftermath on my body was totally noticeable! Let's go back a few steps. We were uber busy at work, I mean basically not stopping till our break time for lunch. I was low on H2O and nutrients from my juice. I just did what I used to, I'd push on through till I could get done. The aftermath of that, was scary for me. I was shaking, dizzy, thirsty to no end (who wouldn't be in 105 heat) and slightly confused. My body was just TIRED. I began to crave steak hard. I mean I haven't had this craving in a few days like this. I began to drink my juice and gagged. My mind was telling my body it wanted steak not some good for you juice made of kale etc. I forced it down and began to feel the effects about 10 minutes later. I was still shaky but my head was getting clearer. This is what happens when I wait too long. I get hit HARD with cravings for steak and things I really do not need. I had to start thinking about why I wanted steak so badly. Its been a fall back food (emofood) for me for the past few years. Simple as this, my body needed nutrients. I was depriving them b/c I didn't slow down to eat. My mind, who still hasn't figured out that my body is doing something different, reverted back to what I would normally go after; steak, bread, and creamed spinach. It normally takes me a good 30 minutes to come back to reality from the daydreaming of steak world and finish my juice.

Today I drank something seriously not on my juicing journey. My boss and his sweet wife brought us milkshakes with oreo's in them. It was the sweetest thing for them to do. I drank mine. It was soon after the above incident happened so I was weak. Its' added a lb back on the scale sadly. I really am trying to get rid of processed foods in my diet. That means getting over the eating of cheezits and combo's is going to be difficult. I have 2 packages in my car from the gas station when I went to buy the other item I plan on quitting later on in this journey (cigs). I'm still reaching for junk food and I need to figure out why so I have a game plan in place to combat that. I will say the milkshake was fecking awesome but man oh man did it do a number on my stomach. I felt like my stomach had a baseball stuck in it. I was burping milkshake and after the initial 30 minute sugar high crashed quick. I had a juice with me and that helped so did drinking a lot of water. I know understand how important it is to slowly come out of a juice fast (which mine has been sketchy at best).
Well enough for tonight. I need sleep. Been depriving myself of that lately.

What started it all

Today I weighed myself at NIGHT (that's a big no no in most dieters world) and I weighed 199! 7 days later, with some faltering, I still got below 200. I'm in shock and elated . Its odd, I began this process without watching the documentary that began it all for so many people. I had the time to sit down and watch it today and did so. It taught me juicing tips to make clean up faster and how to juice greens (do them first). It taught me what we as Americans eat primarily and what our bodies actually need. I HIGHLY recommend you watch the movie. Links provided below.
http://www.jointhereboot.com/  Its 1 hour and 41 minutes long. It really changed how I see foods, which will be a totally different post. Please watch it and leave comments on your thoughts! The first thought will most likely be, "I can't do this! I have no will power"  Well neither do I but I'm doing it even with a few stumbles on the way.I hope you watch it and have been inspired as I have been to begin your own juicing journey. Leave me a comment and tell me what you thought!

Till then

Preparing for the heat wave

It's around 1:35 pm here and scorching hot.I sit here with one of my furs (cats) in my leather recliner which is nice and cool. I've had two juices this morning I loved (Sunrise juice and pear/fennel juice) and realized yesterday that straws really help get down the ones I don't love so much.

I've not done much today. The heat and other factors are making me pretty tired. Being a woman sometimes just zaps you of strength regardless of what you've eaten. I will say though, my mind is still clear when at other times, I stumble along wandering how to complete the day's tasks b/c everything appears to be overwhelming. I can deal with the tiredness...it doesn't feel like the tired I've been experiencing the past few months...which was just overwhelming exhausted. This is normal, my body is tired.
I've taken inventory of my fridge to see what needs to be bought and what I have. My list still looks like the produce isle at your neighborhood grocery store! I only have a few things to buy (beets, fennel and watermelon) to make my juice. I'm thinking of freezing the watermelon, lemon, and blueberries though for a treat while at work b/c its going to be so hot the next few days. It feels good to prepare something healthy instead of just spending money on sugary drinks that don't do anything for me. I've been a week without a dr pepper or A&W rootbeer.

I've been struggling with some guilt over eating non vegetable/juice food after last night. Its very hard to go visit people and eat b/c its in front of you. My portion was tons smaller than it would have been prior to the last 7 days and I had my juice with me and had that along with it so I was at least getting the nutrients. I'm attempting to fast and I still stumble when other food is available when around other people although I have juice with me. I guess I don't want to field questions about why I'm not eating "regular" food and just juicing or let someone down who's made dinner. Definition of emotional eating 101 ;) Good to know about myself.
Oh I also eat when I'm on ambien, which I take for sleep. Apparently I had graham crackers and a can of tuna. Uh that combination just sounds gross right now!

Off to do some of my to do list things and juice through the headache and body aches.
Till later

Benefits of juicing

Excited to be back on my juicing. Yesterday was just hard not having my juice with me. Almost have a full week of juicing under my belt and to be honest, I've not felt this good in a LONG time. I sleep better, wake up faster and am clearer headed.  Yeah I still have hunger pains but the urge for steak is less than it was last week.

I thought it'd be helpful to let people know some of the benefits of juicing, especially certain veggies and fruits. As many know, combinations of what you eat is key to weight loss or at least that's what I've been told and noticed throughout my yoyo dieting (LA weight loss, WW *which btw is a great program*, phentramin pills). For juicing that is still really the key too. For instance, you can't just drink yummy fruit juices all day. We all love the taste of oranges, apples, pears etc however you need the hard green stuff to really get the full benefits. As you noticed from some of my posts yesterday, Lemon was a key ingredient in many of the juices. Jethro Kloss wrote in his book Back to Eden, "“The medicinal value of the lemon is as follows: It is an antiseptic, or is an agent that prevents sepsis [the presence of pathogenic bacteria] or putrefaction [decomposition of tissue]. It is also anti-scorbutic, a term meaning a remedy which will prevent disease and assist in cleansing the system of impurities....“The lemon is a wonderful stimulant to the liver and is a dissolvent of uric acid and other poisons, liquefies the bile” Lemon detoxifies your body. Its good to have in your system to clean it out and help with constipation. Plus Lemon just makes some juices taste better!

Last night, I went out on a limb and bought Fennel bulb. I had asked my grocery store to order it b/c I like to taste new things.I was initially a little worried about fennel b/c it has a strong odor of black licorice (Courtney Erin you would love it!) and I'm not a big fan of licorice, however I juiced it with pears and it is amazing! It doesn't have a really heavy black licorice taste and to be honest, I'm not even sure how to describe it. I have fennel in another recipe but I'm not sure I"ll like that. I think it has too much celery in it, covering the flavor of the fennel. The website below gives you more details about fennel if you are brave enough to try it. Fennel is well known for its help in cutting back "wind" as some sites delicately put it. Basically it cuts back on farting. No lighters needed! That means it aids in digestion as well as help with fluid retention. The Mediterraneans know something American's don't! What I love it has helps with being a pick me up and giving much needed energy! Bring on the fennel!


You can read more about Fennel at http://www.schreiberandsons.com/fennel.html. It also has recipes (which we all love) to try fennel outside of juicing. You bet, I will be trying some of these. Enjoy the read :D

Happy Hump Day guys!

Recipes to share!

I'm a posting whore today! I wanted to share with you the following recipes that I have found I enjoy if you want to begin your juicing journey to suppliment your current diet, to experience a feeling of intense well being from the inside out or just challenge yourself! With the temperatures on the rise, these recipes really quench your thirst while giving you nutrients and vitamins your body craves unlike soda, which just tends to make you want more and gives you nothing these juices give. All of these are taken from reboot your life website.

Sweet N Tart Citrus Juice (Fyi I couldn't' find cranberries, so I didn't use them but wow oh wow was this one amazing).
3 cups cranberries
3 oranges (peeled)
2 Ruby Red Grapefruit (peeled)
2 limes
Cut up to fit in your juicer, pour over ice and enjoy. I didn't use a full two grapefruit b/c my cup was already full, so use it to give at least 16 oz of juice.

Minty Citrus Juice
2 oranges (peeled)
1/2 pink grapefruit (peeled)
1 carrot
2 celery stalks
1/3 bunch of mint (I grow my own so its free!)
Cut up, juice and enjoy. Its best ice cold. The mint really gives it a kick.

Summer Greens Juice
2 small green pears
1 cup kale
1 cup spinach
1/2 cucumber
1 zucchini
1/4 lemon (peeled)
I like to add a little more lemon but this one is fantastic too.

Sunrise Juice
2 apples
4 carrots
1-2 beets
1/4 lemon (peeled)
Wash well, cut up and juice. Don't let the beets scare you off. It is very earthy tasting however its packed full of nutrients. If you don't want the beets, just juice the other stuff. That's just as good.

ENJOY!

Planning is key part 2

The past day has been difficult and I wanted to at least update you on physical and emotional things I have experienced today. I'm not sure if the two or correlated at all but hey I said I'd report good and bad! As you know from my previous post, I did not plan well for my juicing fast today. I've gone juice free all day. I had a normal lunch (1/2 a sandwich and soup) and a small bag of combos for a snack. By 3 pm I was just dragging. I still am drinking just water but I could barely keep my eyes open. Normally by 3 pm I am feeling pretty tired and tend to eat junk food. With the juicing, its helped with the dragging and today I felt it without my juice. I CRAVED juice and then started craving JUNK FOOD. I did not give into junk food. It would have been so easy to stop at McDonald's or some other fast food but I just drove home, drank a large glass of water and took a nap and rested. I even craved ice cream (which I adore) after reading about it in a book but evaded that by drinking water. The heat index is really pushing the craving for cool creamy ice cream however I just chewed on some ice. I plan on making juice pops (recipe on reboot your life!) to meet that need for coolness. I even have a slight headache. My body feels slightly deprived of nutrients. I thought, man oh man do I miss the steak and stuff but to be honest, I miss my juice.
I can't wait for class to be over so I can start juicing for tomorrow. I miss my juice.

Planning is key

Weight, 200lbs! I'm done from 2009 since last THURSDAY! I feel great actually. I've hit where my body is accepting the juice and not being so confused about what I'm doing. My mind is less fuzzy and I'm less tired at least in the mornings. Mornings were HELL but now its pretty good. It doesn't take me almost 2 hours to begin functioning like before b/c I'm putting good things into my body.

Planning is key here. I"m scared today b/c I didn't plan well. Last night I was planning on juicing and didn't get home till 10:30 pm so I didn't get it done. Today I'm doing counseling all day and school till 8:30 pm so juicing won't happen till tonight after class. So thus far I've had a visalus shake and could do a salad or soup for lunch. I can't reiterate how important planning is. Hopefully my body will be okay with the break and I can start back up first thing tomorrow.
till then

Hunger pains and mint gum

Day 4 is now under my belt. On Day 3 night I woke up twice due to leg cramps (you know the charlie horse in the calf muscle) in both legs. I realized I probably needed to increase my water intake, other than the juices and eat a banana. That was accomplished last night after going to Kroger and also by increasing what I drink while sweating like two weasels getting it on in a wool sock. Regular hydration is so important but during this process really important. Today was by far the hardest in regards to wanting regular food I can chew. That steak and rolls calls to me but I'm avoiding it. I eat emotionally and part of this journey is to learn how not too, to recognize the pains for what they are and not pacify them with food. My body can go without steak and bread. How much my emotions control what I eat is pretty amazing. I won't lie..I've eaten regular food such as a handful of cheezits and some hershey's kisses but nothing like I have before. Its satisfying to resist those urges and financially nice too.
I've been amazed at how supportive my coworkers are. Cheering me on with "chug chug chug" when I get a juice that is especially gruesome to my pallet is nice. I may never have chugged a beer but I have chugged cabbage juice! Hey they even put up with my breath~! I Don't recommend making a bruchetta juice that consists of 2 cloves of garlic, tomatoes and basil when you are working! It could and will scare off any vampires nearby (not the sparkly kind b/c we know they aren't even phased by sunlight *rolls eyes).
Tomorrow is the weigh in day! Off to juice for tomorrow. Too tired to juice for the next week...one day at a time and sometimes, on hour at a time (as told to me by my AA friend). Oh FYI, chewing mint gum really helps with the urge to chew and sometimes hunger pains.
Much lurve

Day two and chugging

I have to admit this is one of the hardest things I've ever DONE on so many different levels. Day 1 was pretty easy juice wise b/c of the adrenaline, although I suffered from a pretty bad headache. Most of the juices I could tolerate (taste wise). I felt like I had more energy and felt okay other than the headache. I began to get really nervous when I went to bed last night (day 1) b/c of the amount of calories I'd burn at my job (running dogs for 10 hours) and how hungry I knew I'd feel. Let's just say the hardest part of the day was chugging juice with cabbage in it! I now know cabbage is not something I want to juice ever again. It over powers any other flavors plus the after taste is disgusting. My favorite juice is what I have at breakfast (carrot, apple etc). The "green" juice is a lot harder to get down and I end up chugging it. Sea Salt helps...kinda of like doing a shot of tequila...

Another definitely hard part is the cravings. Man oh man have I craved a medium rare steak and loads of rolls with butter. Oh lets not forget my A&W rootbeer and Dr. Pepper. The steak and bread have been the hardest. To combat it, I just try to stay busy and do a lot of praying. Its a battle of wills..me against my stomach. At 208 lbs (what I weighed 3 days ago) I plan on winning. Food has been a comfort to me for too long.

On the plus side, the jolt of energy you get when you drink the juice is pretty amazing. My body tingles and I don't remember any food that made my body tingle after it hit my blood stream! My brain is still pretty fuzzy and I"m not as quick on my feet at work but overall the worst discomfort is the hungry feeling I get although I know my body is getting nutrients and what it needs.

I'm not drinking my dinner juice but having a visalus shake...spent a lot of money on it and I couldn't bring myself to drink down another juice. Since I'm short on cash, drinking a visalus shake is going to extend the life of my juice since the program calls for drinking 6 different juices a day! That can be difficult on a budget. 

I know from my buddy in juicing (Stacey) the first 4 days are the hardest. I say bring it! I made it through the part that was making me quake in my Zigs (or flip flops) and made it through today!
Signing out for now dear friends! More to share later..maybe a recipe or two that I've found I like :D

The Day Before

What is the purpose of this blog? The purpose is to allow you to join and share with me in an experience I believe and feel is going to change my life for the better from the inside out. My goal is to share my daily juicing experiences including taste, texture, combination, feelings in my body etc both good and bad. Nothing held back here! I can guarantee there will be some funny stuff and maybe horrifying stuff come from this juicing but in the end, I know I will be healthier and that is what matters. 

You maybe wondering, Why is she doing this? I'm almost 32 years old. I work 7 days a week due to being a graduate student as well as chasing the best dogs around to care for them (paying job). Being in graduate school, counseling twice per week and working 4-10's leaves you pretty much tuckered out. I've gained 30 lbs since Dec 2011 after having an IUD placed. Lets not even go there. I also began the process of quitting smoking with Chantix. Lets say the IUD and Chantix messed me up horribly. I'm still smoking! To go along with that, I'm tired all the time, have headaches a lot and my body just hurts. I take things to help me sleep and have for almost 5 years. I just want that to stop. No more sleep aids, no more smoking, no more eating Mcdonalds buscuits and drinking loads of Dr Pepper. Its time to take care of me from the inside out and what's the best way to begin that? JUICING and eating healthy. Tomorrow morning I start drinking my first juice since my undergraduate days in Georgia.

I spent the evening making juices based on juice recipes from Reboot Your Life.http://www.jointhereboot.com/plans/ 
I had a beet blow up! Beet has such a ruby red color when its juiced. Its so beautiful. It stains EVERYTHING though. My white counter tops, my hands, my arms. It was an utter mess. I just giggled my way through it.
Until tomorrow, good night dear friends!