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So I did a lot of soul-searching last night, and had to work through my many issues related to being too hard on myself. ("WHY do you want to quit?! Is a 19 day juice fast long ENOUGH?!" oh boy....) Eventually got to the point where I felt it was healthiest for me to give myself a pat on the back for doing a 19 day juice feast/fast, and start to transition out of it. I'm pleased with what I was able to do, and now know that I probably won't be looking to do another long juice fast until it's a time when I am not also juggling the responsibilities of schooling the kids.
I broke my fast this morning with a small smoothie, later had a juice that I made yesterday. I plan to have some more juice during the afternoon, and hopefully a small salad tonite. From what I've read, it sounds like coming off of a fast should be done gradually and with care. Too much too soon can cause a lot of digestion issues or even stomach pains. I'd like to transition out smoothly, and so I am. :)
Juice Feast Day 19
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
Today I'm realizing that without a timeline goal, while that has enabled me to not feel pressured to go to a certain date, it also leaves me without a finish line and without a way to feel able to exit the fast with freedom and a clear sense of accomplishment. It doesn't feel good. I find myself unsure if I should push on to Day 21 just so I can say "I did a 3 week juice fast"--or just let go and have something to eat later on tonite or a smoothie in the morning. I'm just not sure. Mainly I am feeling like it is almost time for me to be done.
I have lost 15 pounds, which is wonderful. I don't feel any other differences in my health or energy. I am thankful to have had this break, gotten free of sugar, grains, dairy, and meat. My goals for after-the-fast are to eat a lot of raw foods, and what isn't raw- stick with vegetarian or vegan choices. We will see how all of this plays out.
The hardest part of this juice feast/fast is the time involved in managing the actual chores related to the juicing. Shopping multiple times per week, putting away large amounts of produce (or not having enough space to put it all away, therefore having the kitchen table and counters constantly covered with a dozen pineapples and other produce), keeping on top of the kitchen cleaning to a greater and more pressing degree than usual, having both sinks full of produce soaking in cleaning solution for a half hour at a time, all of the time spent scrubbing, cutting, peeling, and then juicing. THEN the cleanup time and mess. Oh--and the pulp! Can't forget the pulp! I felt bad about throwing it away, so started using it to make homemade veggie broth, which is a great use for it. BUT, that means I also have a large crock pot taking up space on the counter as well. I have very, very little counter space to begin with, so this is a sizable inconvenience.
All-in-all, I would guess that juicing has been a minimum of 10 hours a week of extra work for me. I still had to cook for the rest of the family. It has interfered with school hours a couple of times, which I did not feel happy about either.
Last night really threw me off because we had a home improvement project that went wonky, and it resulted in our water having to be turned off for the entire evening until bedtime. So I had no way to run the dishwasher, clean the kitchen, wash the produce, etc. That threw everything into a tailspin. I started out today with no morning juice, had to take the afternoon portion of school time to get the rest of the juicing done, etc. Basically, it was a real pain in the rear and threw everything off. Today I feel like the management of this process is more than I want to continue to juggle any more. If I was sitting in a resort having someone else bring me yummy juices all day, I'm sure I could continue on for quite some time. Doing it on my own....right now I'm not feeling it.
I have lost 15 pounds, which is wonderful. I don't feel any other differences in my health or energy. I am thankful to have had this break, gotten free of sugar, grains, dairy, and meat. My goals for after-the-fast are to eat a lot of raw foods, and what isn't raw- stick with vegetarian or vegan choices. We will see how all of this plays out.
The hardest part of this juice feast/fast is the time involved in managing the actual chores related to the juicing. Shopping multiple times per week, putting away large amounts of produce (or not having enough space to put it all away, therefore having the kitchen table and counters constantly covered with a dozen pineapples and other produce), keeping on top of the kitchen cleaning to a greater and more pressing degree than usual, having both sinks full of produce soaking in cleaning solution for a half hour at a time, all of the time spent scrubbing, cutting, peeling, and then juicing. THEN the cleanup time and mess. Oh--and the pulp! Can't forget the pulp! I felt bad about throwing it away, so started using it to make homemade veggie broth, which is a great use for it. BUT, that means I also have a large crock pot taking up space on the counter as well. I have very, very little counter space to begin with, so this is a sizable inconvenience.
All-in-all, I would guess that juicing has been a minimum of 10 hours a week of extra work for me. I still had to cook for the rest of the family. It has interfered with school hours a couple of times, which I did not feel happy about either.
Last night really threw me off because we had a home improvement project that went wonky, and it resulted in our water having to be turned off for the entire evening until bedtime. So I had no way to run the dishwasher, clean the kitchen, wash the produce, etc. That threw everything into a tailspin. I started out today with no morning juice, had to take the afternoon portion of school time to get the rest of the juicing done, etc. Basically, it was a real pain in the rear and threw everything off. Today I feel like the management of this process is more than I want to continue to juggle any more. If I was sitting in a resort having someone else bring me yummy juices all day, I'm sure I could continue on for quite some time. Doing it on my own....right now I'm not feeling it.
Juice Feast Day 16
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
A good day again. Other than the occasional wish for a baked potato, I'm doing just fine. No problems, feeling good, not hungry, not suffering in any way. On days that are as good as yesterday and today, I think I might just do a 60 day fast. Of course, I know not all the days will be this easy, though my detox resource tells me that now I have crossed into the most optimal part of the fast, with my body "fully adapted" to fasting. So, I guess if things keep cruising along so well--why not keep going? I'm releasing extra weight at a nice pace, and certainly am not done with that job yet. I will say, though, that I am looking forward to eating healthy food again.
One day at a time.
One day at a time.
Juice Feast Day 14
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
Today is day 14 for me. 14 pounds gone. Changed things up today. Up until yesterday I've done my juicing in the evening. Last night I was tired and frustrated, so went to bed with the plan to juice this morning. Have lost the entire morning of homeschooling my kids because of all the hijinks associated with my morning juicing today. Plus, the green juice I made tastes horrible. Frustrated. Angry. Wondering how realistic it is for a homeschooling mother of six to continue to do this long term.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankfully, my day has turned out better than it began! After I got all of my venting done this morning, I got on with the day, did school with the kids, made two turtle lap books for two of my boys who need them next week, cleaned up some stuff around the house, and got through yet another day of juicing. I decided to do some prep work for tomorrow's juicing, so now hopefully I'm ahead of the game. Going to bed soon. Thankful that I have made it through two weeks of my juice feast, and looking forward to continuing on!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thankfully, my day has turned out better than it began! After I got all of my venting done this morning, I got on with the day, did school with the kids, made two turtle lap books for two of my boys who need them next week, cleaned up some stuff around the house, and got through yet another day of juicing. I decided to do some prep work for tomorrow's juicing, so now hopefully I'm ahead of the game. Going to bed soon. Thankful that I have made it through two weeks of my juice feast, and looking forward to continuing on!
Juice Feast Day 13
Monday, January 30, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
The evenings are not treating me well, my friends.
By the time I put in a full day of homeschooling, work, business, feeding everybody else, and pet care including a new puppy (yeah! Did I mention we got a puppy too?!), in the evening I am tired and do not want to face an hour or more of juicing-related tasks. I want to mentally check out and stay that way until morning. Yes, I do. It's true.
My husband is on day 4 of his juicing and he is not handling it that well. I think his state of mind has really messed mine up as well. Not good.
Truly, I'm not physically hungry. Physically I feel fine and the juice seems to be treating me well. It's the mental game that's the real challenge for me.
Earlier this evening I had to shop at Walmart. By the time I was into the checkout line I was having fantasies of shoving frosted sugar cookies and M&Ms and goldfish crackers into my mouth. All at once.
That makes for a real pretty picture...doesn't it? :)
My hope is to eventually exit my juice feast/fast 20-30 pounds lighter than I started, and to feel relaxed and in control of my eating---not like a starved junk-a-holic! So, this is not the time, and I am going to be fine. I just have to continue, hour by hour, day by day.
Some of the thoughts plaguing my mind tonite:
I've been thinking about the foods I might not eat much any more after I'm done. No more fresh warm bread with melted butter?! No more birthday cake? No more pizza? No more cheese?
And if I decide that I don't have to swear off those things entirely, on what basis will I make exceptions? How often will I allow myself to swerve off of the normal everyday plan?
And if I swerve off, will it just be a slippery slope? Will I lose the weight and gain it all back again? If so, should I even try?
How much of my life am I willing to devote to eating and trying to control my weight?
Last time I got on a roll I found that in the long run I wasn't willing to devote the time needed to maintain my weight loss. What will be different now?
Will I have pushed myself so hard with all of these days/weeks/nightly hours of juicing that I'll just sit and eat a big fat bowl of granola while watching a movie every night?
I don't know. This is my brain off drugs, off sugar, off grains, off gluten, off everything except fruit and veggie juice for the last nearly two weeks. Tune in tomorrow to see if my state of mind improves!
By the time I put in a full day of homeschooling, work, business, feeding everybody else, and pet care including a new puppy (yeah! Did I mention we got a puppy too?!), in the evening I am tired and do not want to face an hour or more of juicing-related tasks. I want to mentally check out and stay that way until morning. Yes, I do. It's true.
My husband is on day 4 of his juicing and he is not handling it that well. I think his state of mind has really messed mine up as well. Not good.
Truly, I'm not physically hungry. Physically I feel fine and the juice seems to be treating me well. It's the mental game that's the real challenge for me.
Earlier this evening I had to shop at Walmart. By the time I was into the checkout line I was having fantasies of shoving frosted sugar cookies and M&Ms and goldfish crackers into my mouth. All at once.
That makes for a real pretty picture...doesn't it? :)
My hope is to eventually exit my juice feast/fast 20-30 pounds lighter than I started, and to feel relaxed and in control of my eating---not like a starved junk-a-holic! So, this is not the time, and I am going to be fine. I just have to continue, hour by hour, day by day.
Some of the thoughts plaguing my mind tonite:
I've been thinking about the foods I might not eat much any more after I'm done. No more fresh warm bread with melted butter?! No more birthday cake? No more pizza? No more cheese?
And if I decide that I don't have to swear off those things entirely, on what basis will I make exceptions? How often will I allow myself to swerve off of the normal everyday plan?
And if I swerve off, will it just be a slippery slope? Will I lose the weight and gain it all back again? If so, should I even try?
How much of my life am I willing to devote to eating and trying to control my weight?
Last time I got on a roll I found that in the long run I wasn't willing to devote the time needed to maintain my weight loss. What will be different now?
Will I have pushed myself so hard with all of these days/weeks/nightly hours of juicing that I'll just sit and eat a big fat bowl of granola while watching a movie every night?
I don't know. This is my brain off drugs, off sugar, off grains, off gluten, off everything except fruit and veggie juice for the last nearly two weeks. Tune in tomorrow to see if my state of mind improves!
Dogs and Deals
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Labels:
steals and deals,
Supermom Says
I don't know about where you live, but here in central Kentucky we are
having a weird winter. We have gone from snow and icy cold to
springlike temperatures and sunny days, and back again, week after
week. I'm used to some mild temps in February some years, but nothing
like this! Nevertheless, I am not complaining! It has been great
weather for the kids to play outside, and also for us to spend time with
our dogs.
Have I never introduced you to our family dogs? Well, here we have beautiful Brandi, our Golden Retriever. She is the sweetest and most loyal dog ever. We often remark that she is the perfect dog....except for her occasional transgression of getting into the trash if we forget to put it up before we leave the house. :) Brandi has been with us for 2 years now.
Back in December two sweet puppy sisters were found wandering in the road near my mom's house. Long story short, we decided to adopt cute little Rosie. (some friends of ours adopted her sister Copper) As you can see, she has a very hard life here with my family. :) We have been thankful for less severe weather and sunny skies since it has made puppy training and play time much more enjoyable for all of us!
Since wejust don't have enough to do are dog lovers, last week we decided to take on the adventure of also fostering a Great Pyrenees from our local animal shelter. She was so big that it was very hard on her to be in the shelter environment and she really needed room to run. We decided to get involved, so for a few days we hosted Miss Carli, the gentlest giant you could ever hope to meet. (How could I say no to that sweet face?!) Happily, Carli was adopted and moved to her new home last Friday.
Although it was very busy, it was fun to have a dog pack in the house. I started calling them "small, medium, and large." :)
We are now planning to take some "time off" without any extra pets in the house for awhile. (6 kids, 2 dogs, 3 cats...what *is* this time off of which you speak?!)
And what does all of this have to do with Supermom's Health and Wellness?
Mostly nothing. :) I just thought you would enjoy a little visual peek into our life. Animals isn't all of it, but we do what we can. Maybe someday soon I will introduce you to our cats!
In the store this week we have some 25% off sales going on!
#1: Vitex: Don't let the combination of winter blues and PMS cause you to do any damage to anybody! LOL Stock up now while it's a bargain and enjoy having your hormones on a more level playing field. (Your husband and children will thank you!)
#2. Winter Breeze: This is one of those items that you want to have on hand ahead of time in case of respiratory illnesses, because once you need it, you need it NOW.
#3. Supermom vitamins 180 tabs: One of our most popular items is now even more affordable! This is the week to stock up. Great for anyone--men or women, even teens, who need an excellent quality multivitamin with iron.
Sale prices are valid through February 5.
In other news:
I am slowly-but-surely working on a re-launch of my online health eating class, which includes a new format that makes it easy for all past and present class members to have all of the latest information handy, additional classes have been added, updated information, personal coaching options, and even a way for all of my previous class members to earn money by telling others about the class! I had hoped to have it ready by January 1, but here we are still plodding away. (For some crazy reason it is really hard for me to do big work projects while also homeschooling and wrangling dogs! Strange, isn't it?) I'm hoping to somehow make the big push toward completion within the next two weeks and will be sure to let you know when it's ready to roll.
Phew. I think that's enough newsy bits for one night, don't you? Stay cozy, my friends!
Have I never introduced you to our family dogs? Well, here we have beautiful Brandi, our Golden Retriever. She is the sweetest and most loyal dog ever. We often remark that she is the perfect dog....except for her occasional transgression of getting into the trash if we forget to put it up before we leave the house. :) Brandi has been with us for 2 years now.
Back in December two sweet puppy sisters were found wandering in the road near my mom's house. Long story short, we decided to adopt cute little Rosie. (some friends of ours adopted her sister Copper) As you can see, she has a very hard life here with my family. :) We have been thankful for less severe weather and sunny skies since it has made puppy training and play time much more enjoyable for all of us!
Since we
We are now planning to take some "time off" without any extra pets in the house for awhile. (6 kids, 2 dogs, 3 cats...what *is* this time off of which you speak?!)
And what does all of this have to do with Supermom's Health and Wellness?
Mostly nothing. :) I just thought you would enjoy a little visual peek into our life. Animals isn't all of it, but we do what we can. Maybe someday soon I will introduce you to our cats!
In the store this week we have some 25% off sales going on!
#1: Vitex: Don't let the combination of winter blues and PMS cause you to do any damage to anybody! LOL Stock up now while it's a bargain and enjoy having your hormones on a more level playing field. (Your husband and children will thank you!)
#2. Winter Breeze: This is one of those items that you want to have on hand ahead of time in case of respiratory illnesses, because once you need it, you need it NOW.
#3. Supermom vitamins 180 tabs: One of our most popular items is now even more affordable! This is the week to stock up. Great for anyone--men or women, even teens, who need an excellent quality multivitamin with iron.
Sale prices are valid through February 5.
In other news:
I am slowly-but-surely working on a re-launch of my online health eating class, which includes a new format that makes it easy for all past and present class members to have all of the latest information handy, additional classes have been added, updated information, personal coaching options, and even a way for all of my previous class members to earn money by telling others about the class! I had hoped to have it ready by January 1, but here we are still plodding away. (For some crazy reason it is really hard for me to do big work projects while also homeschooling and wrangling dogs! Strange, isn't it?) I'm hoping to somehow make the big push toward completion within the next two weeks and will be sure to let you know when it's ready to roll.
Phew. I think that's enough newsy bits for one night, don't you? Stay cozy, my friends!
Juice Feast--What day is this anyhow?
Labels:
Juice Fasting
I skipped a day of blogging, and now I don't know.....I guess this is day 12 for me, and day 3 for my husband.
Dave had a rocky first two days. He's doing better today, although the ground venison cooking in the crock pot for our children all day has made it hard for both of us. House smells good BUT WE WON'T BE EATING!! Oh my sometimes this feels hard.
Today is one of those days when I need to remind myself why I am doing this. Since my husband joined me and I've heard his "Know what I wish I could eat right now....." it has messed a little with my mental strength cocoon that I enjoyed for the first 10 days of my juice feast. Getting through it, though, although today has caused me to wonder what my exit strategy will be. When will I stop? On the one hand, setting a date is good because you know what you're shooting for. But what if I stop before then? Will I feel like I've failed? What if I go longer? Then what will I be shooting for? I don't know. All I know is that today a nice black bean and wild rice dish with homemade guacamole and salsa and shredded carrots sounds really, really, really good.....
Thinking about diet, and man oh MAN I'll tell you what--conflicting information about health sure is frustrating! One thing tells you to go all raw. Another sells you on vegan or vegetarianism. Another tells you how important meat and dairy are and how immature it is to think that you can be healthy without meat. For crying out loud--HOW is a person to sift through it?
I guess the easy answer is to do a middle ground of real foods (non-processed, and local as much as possible), with a lot of veggies and some fruits as well. (sigh) I don't know. Eating for health shouldn't be this hard!
So my quest to figure it all out continues, and of course testing it out on myself is going to be a big part of this. When will I get to test it out and start eating again? I haven't decided. Stay tuned!
Dave had a rocky first two days. He's doing better today, although the ground venison cooking in the crock pot for our children all day has made it hard for both of us. House smells good BUT WE WON'T BE EATING!! Oh my sometimes this feels hard.
Today is one of those days when I need to remind myself why I am doing this. Since my husband joined me and I've heard his "Know what I wish I could eat right now....." it has messed a little with my mental strength cocoon that I enjoyed for the first 10 days of my juice feast. Getting through it, though, although today has caused me to wonder what my exit strategy will be. When will I stop? On the one hand, setting a date is good because you know what you're shooting for. But what if I stop before then? Will I feel like I've failed? What if I go longer? Then what will I be shooting for? I don't know. All I know is that today a nice black bean and wild rice dish with homemade guacamole and salsa and shredded carrots sounds really, really, really good.....
Thinking about diet, and man oh MAN I'll tell you what--conflicting information about health sure is frustrating! One thing tells you to go all raw. Another sells you on vegan or vegetarianism. Another tells you how important meat and dairy are and how immature it is to think that you can be healthy without meat. For crying out loud--HOW is a person to sift through it?
I guess the easy answer is to do a middle ground of real foods (non-processed, and local as much as possible), with a lot of veggies and some fruits as well. (sigh) I don't know. Eating for health shouldn't be this hard!
So my quest to figure it all out continues, and of course testing it out on myself is going to be a big part of this. When will I get to test it out and start eating again? I haven't decided. Stay tuned!
Juice Feast Day 10
Friday, January 27, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
My husband watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead yesterday, and today he decided to start a juice fast/feast! He has some chronic health issues including terrible sinus trouble, so I am hoping he sees a great improvement. I have believed for years that if he stopped eating dairy that would help, but with his job as a firefighter, he eats away from home 35%+ of the time, so it is not always easy for him to control his diet that well. This juice feast will give him the opportunity to get a clean slate, food-wise.
As for me, I'm doing well, and down 12 pounds. It's very rewarding to lose about a pound a day. In the past it would take me 4-7 days of hard work to lose a pound. A mighty nice jump start in the weight loss department!
I am told that after day 15 or so weight loss usually slows to half a pound a day or less, so I'm prepared for that, and just enjoying what's happening now.
Doing lots of thinking about what we will be eating whenever the fast comes to an end. Leaning toward raw vegan, but not sure how realistic that is, or how the kids will accept it. May need to go for something more middle-ground for them. Not sure what that will look like yet.
As for me, I'm doing well, and down 12 pounds. It's very rewarding to lose about a pound a day. In the past it would take me 4-7 days of hard work to lose a pound. A mighty nice jump start in the weight loss department!
I am told that after day 15 or so weight loss usually slows to half a pound a day or less, so I'm prepared for that, and just enjoying what's happening now.
Doing lots of thinking about what we will be eating whenever the fast comes to an end. Leaning toward raw vegan, but not sure how realistic that is, or how the kids will accept it. May need to go for something more middle-ground for them. Not sure what that will look like yet.
Juice Feast Day 9
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
Not much to report today. Not hard. No drama. Felt fine. Plenty of energy to do a full day of kids to basketball, household stuff, homeschooling stuff, juicing, meal prep, etc. Heading to bed soon. Good day.
11 pounds down, as of this morning. Pretty nice. :)
11 pounds down, as of this morning. Pretty nice. :)
Juice Feast Day 8
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
The sniffles, sneezes, aches, chills, and coughing is less severe today. Thankful to be feeling a bit better than yesterday.
Down 10 pounds.
Still not having any problems with the juice or not eating.
End of the day:
Still no hunger or cravings, although some food items do sound good to me. Still, I'm fine and enjoying all of the good nutrition that I'm taking in.
Happily, juicing is going faster for me! Now that I know what I like for what's in season, it comes together pretty fast. I had to do it all by myself tonite, but got it all done in an hour. Great improvement over 8 days ago!
Down 10 pounds.
Still not having any problems with the juice or not eating.
End of the day:
Still no hunger or cravings, although some food items do sound good to me. Still, I'm fine and enjoying all of the good nutrition that I'm taking in.
Happily, juicing is going faster for me! Now that I know what I like for what's in season, it comes together pretty fast. I had to do it all by myself tonite, but got it all done in an hour. Great improvement over 8 days ago!
Juice Feast Day 7
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
Well, I knew that it couldn't be easy for the entire time!
My sniffles, runny nose, and aches went full-strength all night and continue today. It's like having a bad cold. Nothing I haven't been through before, though I'm thankful I started this juice feast before we got back to school! Hopefully by Monday I will be feeling much better.
I'm doing a lot of thinking and reading about how I want to eat once I'm done with this juice feast. It's nice that once you're free of addictive foods and habits, you can make free choices. I'm excited about that.
Evening: Rough day here. I went to my book group, plus had to pack orders, etc. so I forced myself through those things, but felt worse and worse. Now add chills to everything else. Thankfully, my younger boys are very enthusiastic about helping me juice, and they are doing most of the work of it tonite. I do not know if I would have the strength to do it all by myself.
Did an epsom salt bath in the late afternoon, felt really wrecked afterward. Took a long nap and thank goodness my nose cooperated so I was able to rest for a few hours. Right now my goal is to finish the juicing and get the kids to bed, then crawl back into my bed for the night.
I will say that it has been really nice, though, that I've had no cravings. The juice tastes good and I am doing fine, aside from the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, and chills!
My sniffles, runny nose, and aches went full-strength all night and continue today. It's like having a bad cold. Nothing I haven't been through before, though I'm thankful I started this juice feast before we got back to school! Hopefully by Monday I will be feeling much better.
I'm doing a lot of thinking and reading about how I want to eat once I'm done with this juice feast. It's nice that once you're free of addictive foods and habits, you can make free choices. I'm excited about that.
Evening: Rough day here. I went to my book group, plus had to pack orders, etc. so I forced myself through those things, but felt worse and worse. Now add chills to everything else. Thankfully, my younger boys are very enthusiastic about helping me juice, and they are doing most of the work of it tonite. I do not know if I would have the strength to do it all by myself.
Did an epsom salt bath in the late afternoon, felt really wrecked afterward. Took a long nap and thank goodness my nose cooperated so I was able to rest for a few hours. Right now my goal is to finish the juicing and get the kids to bed, then crawl back into my bed for the night.
I will say that it has been really nice, though, that I've had no cravings. The juice tastes good and I am doing fine, aside from the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, and chills!
Juice Feast Day 6
Monday, January 23, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
Another easy day. Other than the coughing and sometimes runny nose, today has been easy. Little-to-no hunger, no cravings, no problem. In fact, things were going so easily that when I had to leave the house for a couple of hours I hadn't even given it a thought, and left without taking water or any juices with me. Ha! I was back in two hours and survived just fine.
End of Day 6. Detox seems to have arrived finally. The cough and sniffles have increased some, plus some skin blemishes. All normal. Will proceed and conquer! :) Heading to bed now.
End of Day 6. Detox seems to have arrived finally. The cough and sniffles have increased some, plus some skin blemishes. All normal. Will proceed and conquer! :) Heading to bed now.
Juice Feast Days 4 and 5
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
Yesterday was not a hard day for the juice feasting at all. I had to do several errands out of the house, had people stop by, cooked dinner for my family, packed orders, trained a puppy, and everything else there is to do in a normal day around here. A few mental twinges of things I might like to eat on a cold, wintery day, but otherwise I've been absolutely fine. I stayed up until midnight working, read some before I went to bed, and am up and enjoying the day at 9. So, I'm now starting day 5 feeling good, plenty of energy, and so far no problematic detox symptoms. The only weird thing I'm noticing is that maybe I now have a super Spidey sense of smell. Smells are seeming really strong to me right now, which I have found out is not unusual for juice feasters.
End of day 5 report:
Today has been very easy. I've been coughing some and having intermittent runny nose, both of which are mentioned as being common detox symptoms around this point in the juice feast. A little bit pesky, but nothing too bad. On a scale of 1-10 (easy-hard) I would say today has been a 2 or 3. Really not hard. If it wasn't for the time I spend juicing each day it would be super duper easy!
Some random thoughts on weight loss and gain:
I have quite a few reasons for doing this juice feast. Part of that is my desire to drop excess weight. While I guess it would be obvious that a person would lose weight while only drinking juices for an extended period of time, the process goes farther than that because of the detoxing, and all of that toxins that are stored in fat, and how all of that works together to release both fat and toxins.
While I do not know how long I will continue the juice feast, right now what sounds really good to me is sticking with it until I reach a weight that would be considered healthy for me. Happily, the scale tells me today that I have lost 7 pounds, so I am on my way!
Of course the question remains in my mind--what will happen when the juice-only stops, and eating regular food resumes?
Some things floating through my mind these days:
1. When you are no longer addicted to sugar, grains, dairy, caffeine, MSG, or junk, there is nothing pushing, pulling, or controlling your food or eating choices. Once you get a clean slate with food, you are free! That is one of the reasons I wanted to do this. While I already made pretty healthy food choices (and I'm thinking that may be one reason why I've enjoyed almost no detox symptoms thus far), there were some things I felt I needed an extended break from so I could get some clarity about whether or not they are good foods for me. (Wheat and grains is one thing I want to check on.)
One nice thing about this is that my blood sugar is really stabilized, and I experience hunger differently. I first noticed this a couple years ago when I was eating a high percentage of raw foods, and zero sugar or junk. Whereas I used to experience hunger with a blood sugar drop and a sense of urgency that I HAD TO EAT SOMETHING right away or I was going to get super shaky or even faint. When I was eating a healthy, high-raw diet, I experienced hunger as a feeling, but not one that commanded I do anything about it. It was just like, "Oh, I guess I'm getting hungry. I'll eat sometime pretty soon, I guess." But if I was in the car or on my way to a meeting or in whatever situation where I wasn't going to be able to eat, it was no big deal. Yes, I'm hungry. No, there is no urgent need to do anything about it. I'll be ok until I can sit down and eat.
I am imagining for those of you that have never experienced such a thing, you are probably thinking that sounds nuts. All I can say is that it is interesting to experience, and I probably would not have thought it likely or possible if I hadn't experienced it myself. I love it that I can do this now. That hunger isn't really a driving force. It's a signal, and I'll get to it when I can, and there is no race against the shakes!
During this juice feast, yes I am feeling a little bit hungry some of the time. It is not hurting me. It is not distracting me. I can function all day, have my juice every hour or so, and keep on trucking without any ill effects whatsoever. My hope is that when the juice feast ends, and I wean myself back onto solid food, that I will continue to eat a diet that continues to give me high nutrition and no issues that make me feel like I have to eat now or will fall apart. I like to be the one in control of the eating, not feel like a slave to my blood sugar highs and lows.
2. When you are eating a diet that is very high in fruits and veggies, your body gets satisfied faster and easier than if you're eating junk. I know that a lot of people look at their regular diet and they look at something like a salad for lunch and they compare the two and think that no way could they survive on the salad for lunch without being super hungry. In my experience, your body is hungry for nutrition. For fuel! If you stuff your belly full of a bunch of stuff that has little or no nutrition, your body will continue to ask for more. YES it knows you just had six slices of pizza, but it needs FUEL, and you've given it none. (or little) When you give your body a big salad full of minerals and vitamins and micronutrients, your body says THANK YOU! Over time you will probably find that your body doesn't even need as large of a salad as it does to begin with. Your ability to satisfy your body becomes easier as you consistently give it good things and not bad things.
When I end my juice feast I want to continue enjoying a very nutritious eating plan that gives my body the fuel it needs.
3. Now that I am investing almost 2 hours per evening in juicing, I am thinking that I wonder if I would like to continue to make juices daily and share them with the entire family. Other juicy ideas include replacing one meal a day with just juice, or having an ongoing habit of doing a 1 or 2 day juice feast each week. Seems like it would be a good ongoing thing, especially if I am still in need of keeping inflammation down for the health of my back issues. Plus, seems like it would help control weight as a side benefit.
It is too early for me to say for sure how any of this will go, so these are just ideas that I want to record for my own benefit as well as for anyone else that they can help. I'm sure I will be learning a lot more in the days/weeks to come as I continue this journey.
End of day 5 report:
Today has been very easy. I've been coughing some and having intermittent runny nose, both of which are mentioned as being common detox symptoms around this point in the juice feast. A little bit pesky, but nothing too bad. On a scale of 1-10 (easy-hard) I would say today has been a 2 or 3. Really not hard. If it wasn't for the time I spend juicing each day it would be super duper easy!
Some random thoughts on weight loss and gain:
I have quite a few reasons for doing this juice feast. Part of that is my desire to drop excess weight. While I guess it would be obvious that a person would lose weight while only drinking juices for an extended period of time, the process goes farther than that because of the detoxing, and all of that toxins that are stored in fat, and how all of that works together to release both fat and toxins.
While I do not know how long I will continue the juice feast, right now what sounds really good to me is sticking with it until I reach a weight that would be considered healthy for me. Happily, the scale tells me today that I have lost 7 pounds, so I am on my way!
Of course the question remains in my mind--what will happen when the juice-only stops, and eating regular food resumes?
Some things floating through my mind these days:
1. When you are no longer addicted to sugar, grains, dairy, caffeine, MSG, or junk, there is nothing pushing, pulling, or controlling your food or eating choices. Once you get a clean slate with food, you are free! That is one of the reasons I wanted to do this. While I already made pretty healthy food choices (and I'm thinking that may be one reason why I've enjoyed almost no detox symptoms thus far), there were some things I felt I needed an extended break from so I could get some clarity about whether or not they are good foods for me. (Wheat and grains is one thing I want to check on.)
One nice thing about this is that my blood sugar is really stabilized, and I experience hunger differently. I first noticed this a couple years ago when I was eating a high percentage of raw foods, and zero sugar or junk. Whereas I used to experience hunger with a blood sugar drop and a sense of urgency that I HAD TO EAT SOMETHING right away or I was going to get super shaky or even faint. When I was eating a healthy, high-raw diet, I experienced hunger as a feeling, but not one that commanded I do anything about it. It was just like, "Oh, I guess I'm getting hungry. I'll eat sometime pretty soon, I guess." But if I was in the car or on my way to a meeting or in whatever situation where I wasn't going to be able to eat, it was no big deal. Yes, I'm hungry. No, there is no urgent need to do anything about it. I'll be ok until I can sit down and eat.
I am imagining for those of you that have never experienced such a thing, you are probably thinking that sounds nuts. All I can say is that it is interesting to experience, and I probably would not have thought it likely or possible if I hadn't experienced it myself. I love it that I can do this now. That hunger isn't really a driving force. It's a signal, and I'll get to it when I can, and there is no race against the shakes!
During this juice feast, yes I am feeling a little bit hungry some of the time. It is not hurting me. It is not distracting me. I can function all day, have my juice every hour or so, and keep on trucking without any ill effects whatsoever. My hope is that when the juice feast ends, and I wean myself back onto solid food, that I will continue to eat a diet that continues to give me high nutrition and no issues that make me feel like I have to eat now or will fall apart. I like to be the one in control of the eating, not feel like a slave to my blood sugar highs and lows.
2. When you are eating a diet that is very high in fruits and veggies, your body gets satisfied faster and easier than if you're eating junk. I know that a lot of people look at their regular diet and they look at something like a salad for lunch and they compare the two and think that no way could they survive on the salad for lunch without being super hungry. In my experience, your body is hungry for nutrition. For fuel! If you stuff your belly full of a bunch of stuff that has little or no nutrition, your body will continue to ask for more. YES it knows you just had six slices of pizza, but it needs FUEL, and you've given it none. (or little) When you give your body a big salad full of minerals and vitamins and micronutrients, your body says THANK YOU! Over time you will probably find that your body doesn't even need as large of a salad as it does to begin with. Your ability to satisfy your body becomes easier as you consistently give it good things and not bad things.
When I end my juice feast I want to continue enjoying a very nutritious eating plan that gives my body the fuel it needs.
3. Now that I am investing almost 2 hours per evening in juicing, I am thinking that I wonder if I would like to continue to make juices daily and share them with the entire family. Other juicy ideas include replacing one meal a day with just juice, or having an ongoing habit of doing a 1 or 2 day juice feast each week. Seems like it would be a good ongoing thing, especially if I am still in need of keeping inflammation down for the health of my back issues. Plus, seems like it would help control weight as a side benefit.
It is too early for me to say for sure how any of this will go, so these are just ideas that I want to record for my own benefit as well as for anyone else that they can help. I'm sure I will be learning a lot more in the days/weeks to come as I continue this journey.
Juice Feast Day 3
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
Not as good of a sleep last night, stayed up over an hour later than I really felt good about last night (New Year's Eve), but woke up with my body feeling fine. Not overly hungry, but I think I waited too long to have my first juice of the day. Feeling kinda tired and shaky this morning. Nothing too terrible, though. Will do some computer work and rest.
Feel almost like I have a current running through my body. A humming I can feel. Not a bad thing, just noticing it.
4:46 pm and I'm doing fine. Took a little nap this morning and got over the initial blahs.
I thought that today I would share a little about my juicer and some recipes that I enjoy.
We purchased a Green Star Juicer about 6 years ago and have used it off-and-on. We picked the Green Star because it is a masticating juicer. It gets the most juice yield out of the fruits and veggies than it would if using a centrifugal juicer. Also, the Green Star does not heat up and destroy enzymes in the live food. The other issue that is most helpful for me is that the juice I make with my Green Star can hold it's nutritional value for longer than others. When I was casually juicing, it was nice to have some juice for now, and to keep some in the fridge for later. Now it is really important to me because I am doing my juicing in the evening, in preparation for the following day. So far it has taken me about 2 hours to do my juicing when I haven't had any help. There is a lot that could be shared labor, though, so that time could be cut in half if you had an assistant.
I have been taught that the body can only utilize 8 ounces of juice in 30-60 minutes, so I use half-pint glass canning jars to store my juice. I fill it right to the tippy-top and immediately refrigerate.
Since I am making about 10 jars of juice to have each day, I like to make a variety of juices. What I have done so far is start with fruity ones, and gradually move to veggie ones.
On day 1 I had a big bowl of cut up apples, pineapple, oranges, and grapefruit leftover from Christmas, so I juiced those right up and that made a wonderful juice. I did an amount that I wanted, filled the jars, put on the lids, and straight to the fridge. Then I went on to the next batch which was:
ABCs
2 pears
2 apples
2 beets
1 cup cabbage
3 handfuls of kale
3 handfuls of mixed salad greens (dark leafy types)
Turned out nice!
Then I made:
Sweet N Tart Citrus
3 cups fresh cranberries (which was perfect since they were marked down after Christmas so I bought a bunch!)
a half inch piece of ginger
3 oranges
2 grapefruits
1 lemon
In this case I found that my juicer didn't handle the citrus fruits that well, so I used my citrus juicer for those, and ran the cranberries and ginger through the Green Star, then combined all of it. The ginger was a new thing for me, and although it was ok, I left it out on the next day. Also, I had some tangerines that I used in place of the oranges one day. This recipe is quite tart, and I have found that adding about 5 drops of plain stevia to the mix works well for me. Very, very refreshing!
On day 1 I also had a juice made with a bunch of tomatoes, and it didn't turn out that good. I felt pretty sick after drinking that one, so probably won't be making that again. Live and learn!
My standard basic juice recipe that was one of the first ones I ever learned is still one I enjoy. It goes like this:
carrots
celery
zucchini
kale
dark leafy greens
half a beet or a whole one
an apple
There isn't a perfect right way to do this. You can just play with the combinations and find what you like. So many things taste different when you juice them as compared to eating them cooked or raw, so be open minded to trying new things. You may not like cooked beets, but may love beet juice!
I have gotten some recipes from the Reboot web site, which is run by the guy who made the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I also bought The Juice Fasting Bible which has a lot of great recipes, as well as much advice and information about juice fasting/feasting.
It is more ideal to have juices freshly made, so I am going to try to move up my time of day for juicing to more like 6pm so that I can have some of that fresh juice right away, rather than saving all of it until the next day. Know what that means? I need to get off the computer and out to the kitchen! Time to juice!
Difficulty level today on a scale of 1-10: probably a 4. Easier than day 1, but a little harder than yesterday. Definitely NOT THAT HARD TO DO! :)
Feel almost like I have a current running through my body. A humming I can feel. Not a bad thing, just noticing it.
4:46 pm and I'm doing fine. Took a little nap this morning and got over the initial blahs.
I thought that today I would share a little about my juicer and some recipes that I enjoy.
We purchased a Green Star Juicer about 6 years ago and have used it off-and-on. We picked the Green Star because it is a masticating juicer. It gets the most juice yield out of the fruits and veggies than it would if using a centrifugal juicer. Also, the Green Star does not heat up and destroy enzymes in the live food. The other issue that is most helpful for me is that the juice I make with my Green Star can hold it's nutritional value for longer than others. When I was casually juicing, it was nice to have some juice for now, and to keep some in the fridge for later. Now it is really important to me because I am doing my juicing in the evening, in preparation for the following day. So far it has taken me about 2 hours to do my juicing when I haven't had any help. There is a lot that could be shared labor, though, so that time could be cut in half if you had an assistant.
I have been taught that the body can only utilize 8 ounces of juice in 30-60 minutes, so I use half-pint glass canning jars to store my juice. I fill it right to the tippy-top and immediately refrigerate.
Since I am making about 10 jars of juice to have each day, I like to make a variety of juices. What I have done so far is start with fruity ones, and gradually move to veggie ones.
On day 1 I had a big bowl of cut up apples, pineapple, oranges, and grapefruit leftover from Christmas, so I juiced those right up and that made a wonderful juice. I did an amount that I wanted, filled the jars, put on the lids, and straight to the fridge. Then I went on to the next batch which was:
ABCs
2 pears
2 apples
2 beets
1 cup cabbage
3 handfuls of kale
3 handfuls of mixed salad greens (dark leafy types)
Turned out nice!
Then I made:
Sweet N Tart Citrus
3 cups fresh cranberries (which was perfect since they were marked down after Christmas so I bought a bunch!)
a half inch piece of ginger
3 oranges
2 grapefruits
1 lemon
In this case I found that my juicer didn't handle the citrus fruits that well, so I used my citrus juicer for those, and ran the cranberries and ginger through the Green Star, then combined all of it. The ginger was a new thing for me, and although it was ok, I left it out on the next day. Also, I had some tangerines that I used in place of the oranges one day. This recipe is quite tart, and I have found that adding about 5 drops of plain stevia to the mix works well for me. Very, very refreshing!
On day 1 I also had a juice made with a bunch of tomatoes, and it didn't turn out that good. I felt pretty sick after drinking that one, so probably won't be making that again. Live and learn!
My standard basic juice recipe that was one of the first ones I ever learned is still one I enjoy. It goes like this:
carrots
celery
zucchini
kale
dark leafy greens
half a beet or a whole one
an apple
There isn't a perfect right way to do this. You can just play with the combinations and find what you like. So many things taste different when you juice them as compared to eating them cooked or raw, so be open minded to trying new things. You may not like cooked beets, but may love beet juice!
I have gotten some recipes from the Reboot web site, which is run by the guy who made the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead. I also bought The Juice Fasting Bible which has a lot of great recipes, as well as much advice and information about juice fasting/feasting.
It is more ideal to have juices freshly made, so I am going to try to move up my time of day for juicing to more like 6pm so that I can have some of that fresh juice right away, rather than saving all of it until the next day. Know what that means? I need to get off the computer and out to the kitchen! Time to juice!
Difficulty level today on a scale of 1-10: probably a 4. Easier than day 1, but a little harder than yesterday. Definitely NOT THAT HARD TO DO! :)
Juice Feast Day 2
Friday, January 20, 2012
Labels:
Juice Fasting
Woke up feeling calm, peaceful, clear-headed, and not overly hungry. In fact, I had time to take a shower, do dry skin brushing, and several other-self care things for over an hour after getting up, without needing any juice. Am now enjoying 8 ounces of apple, pineapple, orange, and grapefruit juice. So refreshing!
Also, the scale tells me I have lost 3 pounds. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had a busy day away from home today. Had to work, go to a birthday party, and go to Kroger for more veggies. Was away from home for 4-5 hours. I took my juice with me in a cooler bag, and that worked out really well. I have continued to have good energy today (better than most normal days), no withdrawal symptoms so far. Feeling good and excited to see where this adventure will lead!
It is also really interesting to think about how much food I would normally be eating, and how I'm doing just fine with just an 8 ounce glass of juiced goodness every hour or two or so. In the past when I was eating a high percentage of raw foods I noticed that the high-nutrition food ended up being more filling and satisfying than anything else. This is a similar experience, except additionally interesting because there isn't really anything in my stomach to make me feel "full." I guess I don't really feel full, but I feel fine. Not bothering me. Probably the only little issue I've had today is, again, just the mental game of seeing or thinking of a food I like, knowing I can't have it today, and not knowing when in the future I will allow myself to have it again. I keep reminding myself to relax and enjoy the experience and not worry about what the food terrain will look like in the future. This is all going to work out.
Also, the scale tells me I have lost 3 pounds. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had a busy day away from home today. Had to work, go to a birthday party, and go to Kroger for more veggies. Was away from home for 4-5 hours. I took my juice with me in a cooler bag, and that worked out really well. I have continued to have good energy today (better than most normal days), no withdrawal symptoms so far. Feeling good and excited to see where this adventure will lead!
It is also really interesting to think about how much food I would normally be eating, and how I'm doing just fine with just an 8 ounce glass of juiced goodness every hour or two or so. In the past when I was eating a high percentage of raw foods I noticed that the high-nutrition food ended up being more filling and satisfying than anything else. This is a similar experience, except additionally interesting because there isn't really anything in my stomach to make me feel "full." I guess I don't really feel full, but I feel fine. Not bothering me. Probably the only little issue I've had today is, again, just the mental game of seeing or thinking of a food I like, knowing I can't have it today, and not knowing when in the future I will allow myself to have it again. I keep reminding myself to relax and enjoy the experience and not worry about what the food terrain will look like in the future. This is all going to work out.
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