Post Thanksgiving Update

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

So it's been about 6 weeks since my fast ended.  I did end up getting the flu which was NOT fun.  I guess it was bound to happen.  Especially when I took about 2 days off from juicing.  Bad idea.  Besides the flu I have felt super.  I have been eating healthy, with a few splurges here and there, but all mostly healthy.  I will have the occasional ice cream or cappuccino but now I don't feel bad about it.  Why?  Because I'm healthy!  And I am at a healthy weight again.  And the rest of the time I AM eating healthy.

I am still juicing.  Today I made a juice with apples, spinach, cucumbers, celery, and lemon.  It was Yum-O and made me feel energized for the day!

Some of my favorite things to eat since getting off my fast....
-fresh fruits and veggies
-soups made from fresh produce
- different variations of egg rolls (I make southwest one's with beans, veggies, and quinoa and I also make a regular asian style)  I leave the veggies raw.  I make these with either the eggroll wraps that need to be cooked in the oven and I bake them, and I also use Rice Paper wraps so I can just eat them 100% raw.
- salads
- Couscous
- Panini's - I make them with grilled veggies and they are A-MA-ZING

I feel so much better eating healthier....and like I stated above, when I want to splurge a bit it's not a big deal.  I haven't been eating meat with the exception of a couple of times.  I have had chicken...with couscous and also added to one of our soups I made, had turkey for Thanksgiving, and just had my first bit of hamburger in some chop sui my MIL made. (totally spelled that wrong).

I'm definitely not as bloated as I used to be.
I'm drinking TONS of water
Haven't gained any weight (I'll gain a pound or two, then loose it the next day.)
Craving are down majorly
I'm not feeling the need to continually snack all day long
When I am out and about I don't feel the need to run through a drive through or buy a snack just for convenience purposes.
My energy is WAY higher than it was before the fast.

I didn't pig out AS crazily as I normally do at Thanksgiving.  I had one large helping of dinner and some dessert.  Normally I would have gone back for seconds or thirds....plus dessert.  I only gained 2lbs as of Sunday morning and that was with 3 days (thurs, fri, and sat) of eating way more than normal, then I lost it today.  And I have to say that even the amount that I ate during Thanksgiving weekend made me feel blek and SO insanely tired.  My first turkey and my first mashed potatoes, pumpkin cake, apple pie, and stuffing, then some BBQ since the fast.....all of which is full of carbs and starch.  BLAH.  But it did taste yummy.  I'm just glad to be back to normal today, ha!  There is definitely a HUGE difference in the way I feel when I eat healthy and am juicing as opposed to not....like this past weekend.

I can't tell you how glad I am that I made the decision to do that fast. It was hard, but definitely worth it.  If you keep up the healthy eating, listen to your body and only eat when hungry, continue to juice, and drink plenty of water....all of which I've been doing, you should also have amazing results and keep off the weight  and stay healthy once you are done fasting.

I can't wait to do another fast in January.  I'll be doing at least 10days of juice only.

Keep an eye on the blog as I am also adding some good healthy recipes when I make new one's....and one's that I at least try to keep track of approximate measurements.  Most of my cooking is just throwing things together....a pinch here, and handful there.

Also for those who are just starting their juicing journey to a healthier lifestyle, I have TONS of great juicing recipes also under that tab.

The AWESOME thing about juicing is it is HEALTHY.  It's not a crazy fad diet where you starve yourself or give yourself crazy diet pills.  In my opinion it is the most healthy thing you can do for your body.  That pure surge of nutrients from fresh veggies and fruit is amazing.  And even if you don't have weight to loose, it's an even better way to keep healthy and have tons of energy without needing caffeine or sugar...both of which also comes with the crash.

Nothing looks better than healthy feels, and nothing feels better than looking AND actually being healthy.

So go juice something!

1 Week update (after the fast)

Well, it's been a week since I ended my juicing fast!  I am still feeling great.  Still the same weight.  I've been watching what I eat.  Just eating vegetables....and a few cookies :)  I took my wonderful husband out for his birthday dinner finally!  We went to Bonefish....had some fish.  We also took the kids to On the Border.  I got Veggie Fajita's.  I also ate my share of chips and salsa/queso blanco.  I wasn't hungry the next day so I just juiced.  Just goes to show how long it takes food to get through the system.  And how many calories/fat you eat when eating out....even if you try and do it healthy.  Each of the two times that we ate out, I juiced the next day.  I just was so full still, but I wanted to make sure my body was still getting a good amount of nutrients.

It's SOOOO stinkin' nice to have energy!  I have energy to play with my children, clean the house, exercise....etc.  Yesterday we spent the 1st half of the day out and about.  I took my hubby to work, then me and the kiddos went to Hobby Lobby and literally spent an hour and a half there.  Then we went to Target.  Then home to have lunch and to let the kiddos relax a bit , and then we went back out to go to a park before picking up Chris from work.  And I wasn't even tired!  Pre-Fast I would have been about to crash and fall asleep after about 20 min in Hobby Lobby.  HA!  Today I have spent the day dancing with my kiddos while listening to music, washing laundry, playing trains, and cooking some yummy Southwest Egg Rolls.....check out the "Healthy Recipes" tab for the recipe!

As I mentioned above, I was out with the kiddos the good majority of the day yesterday.  But what you may not have caught was what I DIDN'T do.  I DIDN'T get a coffee (still have yet to drink coffee...well I had a couple sips at church last night, but it was NAS-TY.  blek).  And I DIDN'T grab any kind of food while out.  NOTHING.  After we finished at Target, instead of running through fast food and heading to the park, we went home so I could MAKE lunch.  Then we went to the park afterward.  Don't get me wrong though......I REALLY wanted to grab some Popeye's.  :)   But besides that, fast food doesn't sound good at ALL.

I heart veggies!  Eating right just feels SO good.  Too good to go back to the way I was.  My clothes are loose!  I can actually dry my pants in the dryer....and they are still loose!  YAY!  It's about more than just weight loss though....although that definitely helps....but more than anything just feeling more healthy and having energy is the best!

I am still juicing at least once a day....sometimes twice.  I love it!  Seriously, if you have never juiced...DO IT!!!  You won't regret it!!! So Good.

Day 30

Woohoo!!
Some before (left) and after (right)


I lost a total of 21lbs.
Start weight: 144
Today: 123

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, but it was a good day!  And today has been great!  I actually just had my first juice of the day at 1pm, and am still drinking it.  I've been drinking water all day, been grocery shopping, and doing laundry.... and haven't even been hungry or at least hadn't thought about it.  So, I loaded my lunch drink with lots of greens to get lots of nutrients.

If you can remember, on day 28 I had two drinks with cranberries.  One just a handful, and the other I juiced an entire 12oz bag.  If you would really like to just make sure you're fully cleansed and detoxed....I'd recommend it ;p  'Cus if you weren't before, you will be after.  Just sayin'.  Good way to end the fast....and probably a good way to start too.

Early this a.m., after dropping my wonderful hubby off at work, the kiddos and I went grocery shopping!  'Cus you know, I can eat tomorrow! woot!  Pretty much everything in my cart was a veggie, fruit, or something organic in nature.  Here are some pics of what we got....

A friend told me that peanut butter actually has an oil in it that our bodies literally cannot digest.  Um, yuk.  She suggested almond or cashew butter.  This was all I could find at Walmart.  Gave it to the kiddos today and they seemed to like it!

Our fridge did NOT look like this 30 or more days ago.  It is FULL to the brim with veggies, and a couple fruits, and even....yes, even TOFU.....I'm gonna try it :)  And I also got some organic eggs.  Those are a bit pricey...I wish I knew someone who I could by them from for less than $3 a dozen, but I think that's about the going rate for organic anyway.  That's how much they are at the farmers market too.  But we will definitely be eating less eggs going forward.

Some of my choices for veggies/fruits:  Bell Peppers, Paplano Peppers, Jalapeno's, and some other spicy pepper, cabbage, green delicious apples, Broccoli, Banana's, Organic Spinach mix, Italian parsley, cilantro, Zucchini, Mint leaves, Basil leaves, avacado's, etc....#goodstuff  I had already got Cucumbers, Eggplant, and Kale from the farmers market.

Instead of Hershey's chocolate syrup, I have gone back to giving the kiddos Ovaltine.  Also, all breads were from the fresh bakery section.  I have started to buy the fresh stuff (I like the one's marked down that were made the day before....way cheaper and perfectly fine, they just can't sell "fresh" bread the next day) and then I freeze it.  Fresh bread is the best to freeze, because you can take it out of the freezer, leave it on the counter for about 30-45 min and it is good as new, perfectly soft and full of all the flavor.  The regular breads that are not fresh are gross/dry after you defrost them....at least in my experience.  So get fresh!  I also got some healthy wraps....the tortilla ones, and also some wonton and egg roll wraps! Oh and in the back, that is agave nectar....apparently healthier.  Giving it a try, although I did grab brown sugar just incase, lol

Things I bought that are not pictured....black beans, stewed tomatoes, rotel, and Quinoa. 

And all the groceries I got still came in $20 under budget

Things I did NOT buy, that I normally had been......Processed foods, crackers, cookies, cheeses, meet, regular eggs(the 2 1/2 doz b/c we ate THAT many), juice, chips, etc....NOT buying the junk will save you money so you CAN eat healthier.  Eating healthier doesn't mean spending more money all the time, unless you are also buying the junk.  So don't buy the junk.  

Thank you to all of you who have been encouraging me through all this!  You all have been a huge support system and also a big crowd of accountability, which I needed!  Many of you have text me, called, fb'd.....and I appreciate it SO much.

For all my fellow juicers......

Please don't stop asking questions!  If I can answer your question I will or at least point you in the right direction.  Stay on track, but don't beat yourself up either.  Baby steps.  Get some accountability.  That's what this blog, fb, and all you that I would see were for me.  Let others know you are juicing so you can have that accountability.  

And remember, if you choose a 30day or longer.....It's gonna be tough, but it's also going to be SOOOO worth it!!!  Choose to make a change. Don't wait till it's too late and you HAVE to.  Do it when it's a choice.

After today, I will leave all my juicing journal on here, but will also start posting my new healthy journey and some recipes!

I DID IT!!! WOOOOOHOOOO!

Happy Juicing all!

Day 28

Two. Days.
Lost another pound! 21lbs total!

So last night when I went to the store I found some cranberries! I got two 12oz packages and made the following today...

Day 27

3 days and counting!

Thankfully I stayed uber busy today.  Farmers Market first thing.  Then had a photo shoot.  Went on a Mommy-Daughter date with my Trinity.  Got a new kitten.  He's adorable.  I just *might* like him even more than our Belle kitty.  And I really loved our Belle kitty.  Our kids love him.  He's layed back and cuddly and not as high maintenance. Then I had another photo shoot this evening!  Went to the store for more celery, oranges, and some cranberries.

I lost another 10oz's last night! So only a couple oz's shy of 20lbs lost! yay!

Below was my fave drink of the day, and it's new!  Peaches juice lovely....

Breakfast was super yum today!

2 Peaches

2 Oranges

2 Apples

4 handfuls of Spinach

(makes enough for 2)

Happy juicing all!

Day 26

Today's blogpost is short...

Still feeling great. Energetic.

Just lost a few oz's since yesterday, so still at 19lbs weight loss.

Really wanted to cheat today. So glad I only have 4 days left after today.

I am SO ready for that first meal!

SO. Ready.

Pushing through...

Till Wednesday. Then I will be eating some yummy fruit or maybe a Spinach salad.

I will still be juicing twice a day and eating only one meal per day for probably another week or two after the fast stops.

My exercise today was taking a 2mile walk with the fam at the Compton Gardens! It's just beautiful there.

Happy juicing!

Day 25

I feel like I'm getting rather redundant in my posts the last few days....but incase you're like me and it takes a lot to get through, I will repeat....

I.Feel.Wonderful
Energized
Healthy

I lost a few more ounces as of this morning bringing my total weight loss to 19lbs!!! Holler! I decided to do a test today. I decided to try on a pair of shorts that haven't fit in quite some time. Last summer they were tight. This summer they were darn near impossible. Tighter than tight. I grabbed them thinking, eh, who knows maybe they aren't that tight anymore. Well, not only were they not tight, they were LOOSE like when I first bought them several years ago!!

I have to do things like that....clothes don't lie. And it's really hard to get the full scope of pounds lost in a tangible way, especially when this is the first time I've kept track of my weight daily. So I try on clothes and also take pics and use the "Diptic" app to put my beginning pic next to the current one. Can you tell I'm a visual and hands on person? lol. It's one thing to hear the amount, and another to experience it through clothes starting to fit and be loose and seeing before and after pics. It makes it more real. Like I'm not dreaming that I have lost 19 pounds in such a short amount of time AND in a very healthy way.

And you're not just loosing weight in a healthy way, you are BECOMING a healthier person each day. Your body is cleansing, healing itself, re-energizig. You are setting yourself up to live a healthier lifestyle just by teaching yourself discipline and self-control with your eating habits. And in turn your self-confidence skyrockets, you're happier, have more energy, loose weight, and you're all around a better person. All because of sacrifice.

You are sacrificing 30 days and in turn gaining your life back. A life that has the power to say "No!"

Sacrifice

Maybe you're not Fat, Sick, and Nearly dead.....yet. But why let yourself get that far? That's exactly what I asked myself before starting this fast. When is enough, enough? I didn't want to see if 20lbs of weight gain a year was in my future. I couldn't wait till I was a Phil or a Joe.

I had to take preventative action.

Many of you have joined me. I am SO insanely excited to see so many people, guys and girls, my age and younger taking charge and refusing to be another "average American".

To each of you who are daring to take the challenge and improve your life, health, and future....CONGRATULATIONS! I know each of you, like me, will never be the same!!! Don't give up! Keep pushing towards your goal! You will feel rough a few days. This is not easy. But if you stick with it....oh the benefits!!!

Happy juicing!
5 more days!!!!