And so it begins

The beginning....

About two weeks ago our family watched a couple documentaries on Netflix.  The first one we watched was Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  It was eye.opening.  If you haven't watched it, it's a must see.  Joe Cross is a successful businessman from Australia.  He has several illnesses, takes countless pill each day for those illnesses.  He has also become over-weight over years of "living the high life" of success.  He just plain loved to eat.  He realized that his health would continue to decline if he didn't change something, and change it fast.  So he comes to the states to embark on a 60 day journey towards better health.  And he does this by juicing.  60 days of nothing but juicing.  To make a long story short, by the end of the 60 days he is completely off his meds, and down a crazy amount of weight. It changed his life.  And many others.  There's another story of a man who Joe helped on the documentary.  His story was a lot like Joe's, but he was about 400lbs to start out with.  Also tons of meds.  And had basically been trying to kill himself with eating himself to death over the years.  His life too was dramatically changed, improved, meds gone, weight off.  Amazing.

Next we watched Forks Over Knives.  This was just a plethora of information kind of show.  It talks about everything....meat industry, milk, the food pyramid and all it's flaws, whole foods, etc.... Watch it too.  It's also amazing. 

After watching these two shows, I literally started praying that God would really help me to turn towards a healthier lifestyle, and specifically for this juice fast.  That He would show up and just supernaturally encourage, guide, and just do some cool God things that He likes to do for his people, so that I could start this fast.  My goal was to have a Juicer by Oct 1st and that from that point a couple weeks ago until my fast started that I would be more encouraged each day, have fewer cravings each day.  Literally the next day and over the past 2 weeks my cravings where down to almost nothing.  This past Friday night some friends from church were having a fundraising event.  I had been literally, as funny as it sounds, asking God that there be a Champion juicer at the silent auction, and that the bidding would not exceed my slim budget.  On Friday, I was up at the church early to work on some things for our up coming Spa Night and walked into the auditorium where everything was out on tables.... and there sat a black Champion Juicer.  That night I put down a bid....it got outbid a couple times, but in the end I won that thing!  I had a $100 limit that night.  The juicer was $60 (retails at $250).  I am fully chalking this up to A God Thing.  And I was able to purchase more things that night for the fundraiser!  Win-win!  Thank you Lord!  When they announced my name I clearly heard heaven open up and angels start singing, lol.  For reals.  I was ecstatic! I'm glad I serve a God who cares about what is important to me, even when it's something that might be rather silly, especially to someone else, maybe you reading this....as silly as praying for a juicer to start a healthier lifestyle.

For me, the movies were more than just inspirational.  They really got me thinking about my life.  My health.  Where I will be in ten or 20 years if I don't change my eating habits, get my cravings under control, and start to eat responsibly and more healthy (both Chris and my close families have health issues in it's history...diabetes, cancer, heart attacks, strokes).  We want to change our family health tree.  I have three beautiful children to think about.  I have future grandchildren and great-grandchildren to think of.  Just like Chris and I made a change in our Finances a couple years ago with getting out of debt and that whole journey that we did for us and our marriage, but also so our children will grow up learning about Financial Peace and what the Bible says about our finances...HIS finances.  Nothing is ours, it's ALL God's.  We are just to steward it well.  And just as we steward our finances, our children and family, our home, our belongings...we must also steward our bodies.  

So this is the beginning of my journey.  I am doing a 30 day juice only fast.  It's gonna be hard. I'm excited and scared. I'm praying that I not mearly get through it, but that I plow through it with confidence and enthusiasm and really overcome my cravings, over eating, and start eating healthier as a lifestyle.  Like for good.  A snack here and there....no big, but constant snacking just because I'm home and it's readily available so why not?!....not so good.  Especially when I have no vehicle throughout the day to get to the gym or go take my kids and walk around the park or mall.  I will have to get more creative and just do something.  'Cause I've been lazy lately.  And tired.  And I really like food.  and coffee.  What will I do without coffee and chocolate? Hard.  I have a couple workout DVD's, and while I do better with a group setting, I also do not want to sacrifice the only 1 or 2 nights a week we have as family time to go workout.  And until I get some energy back I will not be doing the early mornings like I was at 430am. lol  Baby.Steps. HA!

Some goals I have, in no particular order:

• increased energy
• less headaches
• down 20-25lbs in weight (I have literally gained this much just within the last year.  I am currently heavier than I've ever been *non preg* And I am uncomfortable, tired, and just plain BLAH.  I may not be "Fat" or "obese" but I am not at my ideal weight which is really taking it's toll....and at the rate I'm going, 20lbs a year is not looking good)
• life changing eating habits - not just "oh, well that was fun let's have more Olde Tyme donuts" I don't want to go through this unchanged
• food conscious 
• healthier in general 

So, when you are doing your prayer time throughout the day, please think of me and send up some requests of encouragement, strength, and will power....and that my goals be met or exceeded!  Please :) 

Please note:  I am writing this as a journal for myself.  So if it get a little TMI, don't say I didn't warn ya.  lol  I will be trying to write each day.  Tonight or tomorrow morning I will write about day 1!  I really hope this finds someone who needs encouragement in this journey too, maybe someone who also needs to change what you're doing, because what you're doing isn't working.  I know what I've been doing isn't working.

So cheers!  Here's to 30 days of being Fully Juiced!