After the Juice

Starting my third day coming off of the juice and the scale is still going up.

Sigh.

Not surprised.  It happens.  Just sorta silly to think about why I did that juicing and now the scale is going up.

Still, it wasn't ONLY about dropping pounds. I wanted to cleanse out the crud. I did that.  So, it was still worth it.

Pretty sure I won't be juicing again for a long while, though.

Still happily in the 170's, though.  For that, I'm grateful.

Three Days - November Reboot

I made it. Juicedthewholeday.

I was busy in the kitchen and dealing with laundry, so I didn't have a lot of time to think about being hungry.  I also used that pineapple to keep the green juice palatable.

David made us a dessert juice tonight with sweet potato, apple, and grapes.  It was good. Really sweet and too cold for me to finish.  It's so nice to put our feet up after a hard day.

I'm really ready to be done juicing. 

One.More.Pound.

Stepped on the scale this morning.  Down another 2.2. <grin>

One more pound to go before I am OUT of the Obese range on the chart.  <bigger grin>

Boy, if that doesn't give you a reason to not quit, I'm not sure what would.

So, I guess I can't give up today when I am THIS close to what I've been working toward for so long.  I would still get under that mark, but it sure is motivating to keep doing something that could make it happen by...ummm...tomorrow, maybe??? Wow.

I'm going to take it one juice at a time.  Mornings I do tend to do better with juicing than later in the day.  I'll start with the carrot based juices since those agree with me more. I do still have some pineapple left to flavor the green juices.  I think I can make it one more day.

But, then I'll want another day just to keep it solid. ;) 

Sigh.  If you give a mom a juicie..... ;)

Pray for me!!

Day Two of November Reboot

Day two and I'm dying!!! Ack, these juices are SO hard to swallow. 

I'm hungry but I DREAD drinking these juices. That leaves me back to crabby and questioning....WHY AM I DOING THIS????

But, I pressed on and at least completed today.  I had to add pineapple to my last green juice just so I could get it down.  EIGHT more days??? WAHHHHH!!!!!

I have no idea HOW or IF I can make it another EIGHT days.  But, for tonight, I did it and I can sit back and enjoy my tea and not think about it until morning.

Hello Juice Fast...Hello New Decade!!

The past couple of weeks have found me struggling with eating habits.  While having company, I did well preparing meals that were healthful.  Still, I overate when it came to grains and oils, leaving me feeling sluggish.

We also went out to eat several times.  I was able to make fair choices from the menus but the salt and oils really make an impact on me when I'm doing that frequently.  Topping all that off, the last night we went out, I chose a chicken sandwich to go with my greasy fries and onion rings.  By the next day, I was a completely slug.

One of the great things we did during our visit was to watch one of our favorite family films, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I was reminded of my intentions to do a 10 day fast ever 3 months to reboot, boost my immune system, and jolt my body with nutrients.  After the last couple of weeks, I was ready. David, of course, was overjoyed.  He's been dying to go back to juicing for weeks.

Yesterday was day one.  The first juice was great.  The second, green juice, just as awful as I remember.  The third, still mildly gross.  But, I got them all down, we went shopping for more produce last night, and I'm committed to the 10 days.  Gulp.

I've never done more than 4 days and that was rough.  I'm pretty sure my crabbiness over the taste of the juices is connected with some detox issues. 

Upside is that I am FINALLY down to the NEXT DECADE!!!!!   A couple of goals I had for doing this fast is:

1.  To get solidly into and through this next decade swiftly.  I lingered way too long in that last decade and I needed a push to get that scale going again.

2. Cleanse my body from the excess crud that's gone in that last couple of weeks.

3. Prove to myself that I can do it. I need to conquer my mind and my gag reflex. 

4. Fit into a few clothing items I bought this week that are just snug enough to get me excited about shedding a few more pounds. :D

So, after seeing the scale down 2.6 pounds this morning, I'm feeling confident about hitting the juice for another day.  :)

Meal for Friends

I tried a new soup, Sweet Corn Chowder, today.  It was wonderful!! I made extra to bring to friends and they enjoyed it as well.  That's a great feeling. 

David spent the day listening to the audio book of Eat to Live. Then we went over the 6 week plan laid out in there. He's decided to set aside the Reboot Juice fast and do the 6 week plan together with me.  I never did the full plan, so I'm excited to work on it together.  Reading it over, I realized that I've been overdoing it on nuts and underdoing it on grains.  It will be interesting to see what comes of making those changes.

So, tomorrow starts our 6 week plan. I'll work on typing up a week's worth of meals that we're eating to share on here. For now, I'm heading to bed. This week has been so full of blessings and hard work, I'm barely able to put my thoughts together right now.

Reboot Juice Fast - Day 4 - Done.

Today is the last day of my juice fast.  Why? Because my body said so.  It would not accept another sweet juice no matter what color I served it.

I enjoyed a lovely salad of fresh greens from the garden, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini topped with a few kidney beans and salsa.  A side of corn on the cob and 2 little pieces of celery topped with peanut butter and my tummy is way more than full.

Now I know what I can do with juicing.  I'm glad for the results, but I don't think they are so impressive that it warrants a complete fast from all eating. 

I'm going to go spend some more time organizing my Eat to Live recipe book and give my menu plan a look over for which recipes I want to play with the rest of this week. 

David is still deciding what he wants to do with his fast.  I know his day 15 is coming up this weekend. He's talked a little about taking a week break by allowing some kind of foods and then picking it up again when his friend starts his fast the next week. 

However it works out, I want to be armed and ready with delicious, nutritious foods that will satisfy my guy after a long, hard fast. :)

Got in a 30+ minute workout on Wii Fit with my weights.  I'm getting better at those yoga poses and strength exercises. 

Reboot Juice Fast - Day 3

Down...down...down!!

I'm 2.4 down from my last recorded weigh-in.  So happy, though I really was ready to just go eat some of the yummy taco soup the children were enjoying for dinner.  However, when I saw that number come down...the one that leaves me dancing *right* on the verge of moving to the next century weight-wise, well, I guess I'll sip this green jar of juice a little bit longer.

I'm really hoping that a couple more days will find me into the next set of numbers. What a boost that would be for me.

As it is, I'm really excited that I'm fitting comfortably in the next size down in my closet. Really excited. :)

Didn't get in any exercise today. We spent the day shopping and went to friends. I don't think I worked hard enough doing a quick mop on her floors to count it as exercise.  Had a nice visit, though. :)

All the juices seem Very Green today. I've noticed that in the mornings I'm more eager and willing to take on the juicing.  Even the taste is more to my liking. When evenings come around I feel very Done with the taste and texture of the juices.  I'm also feeling SO tired and worn out in the evenings.  Just a few little games on the wii with David tonight left me feeling worn out and ready for an early bedtime.  I thought I was supposed to be energized. ????

Watched this clip this morning on the benefits of drinking kale.  Short and interesting. Oh boy, did I drink some kale today!!

Breakfast and dinner
kale
collard greens
chard
green apples
oranges

Lunch and snack
pineapple
peaches
blueberries
kale
chard
collards

Reboot Juice Fast - Day 2 (again)

Today has been a little tough.  I made up my juices and got them down okay, but, well, they still taste like juice and by the time I get to the end of the jar, I'm getting pretty sick of drinking juice. ;)

I'm still in, though! I'm pushing hard to get through at least this week.

Here's what I don't get. My fingers are swelling like crazy.  They have been for weeks, to where I can't get my rings off. I don't get it. I'm drinking like crazy. When eating ETL, I'm decreasing my salt intake dramatically.  I'm losing weight.  So, why would my fingers be swelled to the point where I can't get my rings off?  The temps have cooled here so while it's still a bit humid, the air is cool.  I guess I'll need to read about that a bit.

I'm battling nausea and tiredness this evening. I felt a little better after drinking my dinner juice but now I feel gross again.  I'm going to assume I'm dealing with some detox symptoms and head to bed soon.

Today's Juice recipes (if I can remember)

Morning and Afternoon Snack
Kale
Romaine
Swiss Chard
Bok choy
Zucchini
Lemon
Green Apple
Ginger

Lunch
Beets
Grapefruit
Oranges
Collard Greens

Dinner
Beet
Collard greens
Romaine
Bok Choy
Peaches
Strawberries

For lunch we mixed up some oat and flax seed pancakes adding in some pulp from our juicing.  That made some great Pulp Pancakes that I filled with peanut butter and bananas for sandwiches for the children's lunches.

Walked up to the school to play tennis with David and the bigs for a bit and then hung with the girlies at the playground.  David and I got in a 1 mile walk this evening after the littles were in bed. It's gorgeous weather tonight. So nice to be out enjoying it even if I feel not so great.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

I ate the pizza.

Yep, half a piece with lunch and felt just fine about that.

Then we had dinner. Two half-pieces with my salad. I don't feel so fine about that. I didn't eat those for the right reasons.  I should have set it aside or at least stopped with the one half-piece. It's not that eating pizza is wrong. It's that I ate it because I couldn't resist. I am still in need of more strength and prayer to make these choices well. Sigh.

Today I started back on the Juice fast with David. Sweetly, he explained to me this weekend that he really feels it would be best for me to being doing the juice fast.  He is concerned about my health and wants to see me gain the biggest benefits in the shortest amount of time possible.  We talked some more and I hunted around for a way to do the juicing without the struggle of the taste.

I found a solution.  The foods we juice that are most offensive to my palate are the cucumbers and celery.  I can't stomach those taste sensations. I've replaced the cucumbers with zucchini and the celery with romaine or bok choy and I am a Happy Juicer now. :)

I brewed up some goodies today. This morning, for lunch I made up my own green juice. I think I'll call it Strawberry Surprise.

Kale
Romaine
Zucchini
2 green apples
1 pear
qt-ish of strawberries

Totally Yum. :)

For breakfast we had the Carrot Apple Lemon juice from the Reboot menu. Also acceptable to my taste buds. 

For our afternoon snack I played around with a red juice. 
1 beet
large bunch of grapes
ginger
swiss chard
4 carrots

Then I added a bit of salt. David has been craving some salt or at least a different taste than the sweet of the juices. He wasn't so sure he liked it. I did. Reminded me of when I salt my green apples. Of course, avoiding salt is what I'm supposed to be doing with the Nutritarian plan. But, I don't mind adding a bit if it helps make the juicing a little more enjoyable.

For dinner I put together another Green sensation called Green Ginger Ale (also from the Reboot with Joe website)

For David:
1 large cucumber
2 celery stalks
1 lime
2 green apples
ginger

For Me:
1 zucchini
4 pieces of bok choy
1 lime
2 green apples
ginger

I tried David's just to see the difference. I almost lost my juice right on the spot! Blech!!! But mine was delightful. :)

So, now we know. As long as I stay away from that celery and cucumber, I'm good.  I mean, I do miss eating actual food. And the juice still has that *juice* taste.  But it is not making me sick or crabby having to get it down. I'm looking forward to the week ahead, experimenting with different foods to juice.  I got some pineapple, kiwi, and grapefruit to try for me. I got some tomatoes for something different for David. Fun!

The last couple of days have been a struggle for David. He's been frustrated that the weight isn't coming off in the same increments as it was early in the week. He's really having cravings for flavors other than he's drinking. He's just dying to chew something.  Last night he gave in and had a plate of salad.  Today he sliced up a cucumber for himself at dinner time.  I'm not sure how long he's going to make it with this fast. He still hasn't set a number of days in his mind.  Praying that he'll develop a plan soon.

That means I'm not sure how long I'm going with the fast either.  For now, I'd like to go for the week and see how things are going for me.  I'll make a decision from there.

Juice Fast Reboot - Ease Out

So, this is the morning that I'm dropping out of the Juice Fast. I have a tiny tinge of guilt at the thought of being a quitter. However, the fact that my attitude is SO completely different knowing I don't have to down that stuff is helping me see how the Lord answered my prayers.

In my journal yesterday morning, I was begging the Lord to enable me to embrace this fast and be a source of blessing to my husband that the Lord would be magnified in his life. I realized today, as I bounced out of bed early, prepped all his vegies, worked on cleaning more produce, cheerfully helped him pack up the cooler for his day, that I was being the person I had prayed I would be to him. I could NOT get there yesterday with those horrid juices looming on my horizon. 

The fact that I knew I was not going to DRINK that stuff took such a weight of anxiety and dread off of me and I am now able to joyfully walk this journey with David.

My plan for me:  Eat raw and minimal today as I ease back to food. I had my cup of detox tea this morning and I think I'll savor the crunch of a Granny Smith for my breakfast. Some raw vegies w/o dips or dressings for lunch, and the same for dinner.  Lots of water and I'll likely add some lemon to it to keep my system cleansing. 

No nuts or grains or cooked foods for today and maybe tomorrow. I want to go easy on myself.  I know it was only two days, but it was two days that I've never done before and I don't want to upset my system.

I've got a lot of yard work to do this morning and plenty of laundry and ironing to keep me moving today. Overall, I don't really feel any detox symptoms that I've read about with this fast. I'm a little tired and slow moving, but I really think that is more an emotional/mental block I've been having just dealing with the struggle to force what is distasteful into my body. Now that that battle is gone, I'm feeling the energy and joy of taking on a new day.

------------------
Finished the day well. Got in 38 minutes of Wii Fit plus yardwork in the morning. Lots of sweatin' today. 

I didn't go with all raw food today.  I made a meal for some friends and then prepped up some veggies for the children. I just joined them for dinner instead of making my own.  I haven't had any kind of issues coming off of the fast.  I actually feel great and upbeat compared to the last couple of days.

I'm down 2.9 pounds from Sunday.  I'm super excited because I saw a number today on the scale that is lower than I have ever seen since I started working on losing weight back in 2010.  That's a huge deal to me!!

Juice Fast Reboot - Day 2

I'm total dropout!!!


Several times today I was heading to the bathroom ready to see that juice come right back up on me. Sorry for the graphic description, but I simply cannot keep that stuff in me. I gave up on the coconut juice today and couldn't even finish half of the juices I had to drink. I was mostly water all day because that is the only thing palatable to me at this point. 

I worked on changing out the recipes a bit, but it still wasn't working.

I'm sad because I really wanted to do this for David.  I wanted to be cheerful and excited and have fun taking this on together.  I prayed this morning, asking the Lord to enable me to endure.  I'm not enduring, though.  Sigh.

I talked with David tonight. He is loving the fast and it is accomplishing for him what he hopes.  He would like me to go back to my regular diet plan the Lord gave to me during my Daniel fast. He feels that coming along side of him, helping him prep the juices and cheering him on is the help he desires to do this well. 

I am so relieved. All that complaining I did about getting tired of chewing salad, I take it back!! I will CHEW my salad every meal just so I don't have to DRINK it anymore!!!

Thank you, Lord, for an amazing husband.  Help me be a blessing to him!!

I got in 25 minutes on Wii Fit today.  Did a little bit of weeding this evening. Worked all morning in the kitchen cleaning it and a bunch of produce.

I can't wait until morning to EAT food.  I guess a 2 day juice fast is all I got in me. Interesting what happens when I venture off the path the Lord put me on.

Juice Fast Reboot - Day 1

July 14, 2013

We just made our juices for breakfast and lunch. Lunch is going in a cooler for after church. 

As I was drinking my hot lemon-ginger water this morning I was feeling nauseous.  Sick.to.my.stomach. and what I would have, before, labeled as hunger. 

Then I tasted my first juice for breakfast. 

Blech. 

My stomach was altogether unhappy with me.

David added some crushed ice. 

I ironed my shirt for church.

I just sat down to finish my juice and I feel amazing relief! I'm not sure what is happening in my body, but the juice tastes better iced and I feel better now that it's 3/4 gone. ;)

Be back later for more updates from our first day!

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The Mean Green juice for lunch was horrid.  It was SO hard to get it down.  When I had to drink it again at dinner, I just couldn't finish it.  My stomach was not going to hold it in any longer. I am going to need some other recipe to get that stuff down.

I was feeling really icky just after my dinner juice.  I ended up in the bathroom with my first cleaning out.  It took until this evening for me to feel a little better.  I wasn't sure I was going to like the next juice, Peach Delight, but it really is refreshing.

The thing is, there is this taste with juicing. I can't explain it, but I remember it from YEARS ago when I tried a carrot juice someone made for me. It's distinct.  It's earthy.  And, well, I don't really like it.  In fact, I can even smell it in my house now. *shiver*

I've been adding crushed ice to my juices. They are much more palatable when they've been chilled. The Peach Delight had that *taste* when I first tried it, but now that the ice is chilled it, it's much more enjoyable.

I am burping Juice and, well, that's isn't so delightful.  ;)

In other news, my weigh-in tonight had me down another pound. :)  Yippee! 

Got in 25 minutes on the Wii and a Body Test this afternoon.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed today and craving some quiet, alone time.  I escaped to my room with my juice and water bottle in hopes I'll get it.   I'm finding that I am feeling really thirsty today. That surprises me, because I thought maybe I'd want less water with drinking the juice and coconut water. (which is also gross!)  But, I'm being told that keeping my water up is important to avoid developing kidney stones while juicing. 

Water is is!!

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Today's Good Things:
Attended a church cookout today.  Made great choices from what was available. Skipped the dogs and burgers!
Spent my time on my feet instead of just sitting after we ate.  Stayed busy taking pics, running around for the little girls, and doing a bit of stretching while I kept an eye on the little ones.
Got our shopping done for the juice fast!

Today's Not So Good Things:
I gave in and had a sweet treat from the dessert table.  I reasoned it away knowing we were fasting tomorrow. It was a small treat. Really, it's *okay* but I didn't NEED it, that's for sure.
Still dealing with some lingering *crab* in my attitude when we are dealing with stressful, get out the door, type moments in our days.

We are all shopped and ready to start our juice fast tomorrow.  I feel like I'm not quite ready, but I guess we'll just jump in and see how it goes. We're using the 15 day Reboot that Joe Cross (of Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead fame) recommends. We've decided to skip the first 5 days of prep since we've been eating so close to a vegan diet these last few weeks.  Tomorrow we begin the 15 day juicing fast.  We'll see how we're doing at day 15 and make a decision on continuing from there.  I am SO excited to see my husband take this on! I just know we are going to see great results and feel so much better doing this together.

Here's our shopping trip and my awesome job fitting all the juicing produce in ONE fridge. I am so thankful the Lord blessed us with two refrigerators in our home. Now the children have one for their menu this week and we have one for ours. :)