So I'm sitting here stuffed. I am uncomfortably full after eating a very satisfying dinner. The strange thing is that just three weeks ago I doubt if I would have been very full after eating my evening meal this evening. Here's what was on the menu: black bean and avacado salad with a green smoothie (cucumber, cantaloupe, celery, pear, apple, tangerine, mango, cilantro, spinach) topped with coconut whipped cream. It was SO. GOOD. And I am so full because I had seconds.
This juicing thing started out as an experiment, but I think it is becoming something more than that. In two and a half weeks I have lost nine pounds, dropped a pants size, cleared my acne up, eliminated my dependency on caffeine, elimintated my daily four pm post-work headache, and doubled my energy. My urticaria is starting to disappear- I'm starting to notice fewer flare-ups, and I've notcied a dramatic decrease in the amount of time it takes me to recover. And the biggest surprise of all is that I don't miss the food. This week I haven't been a saint. I've snacked a little every day on the delicious Christmas food in the staff lounge, but afterward I get groggy and sluggish. Today I walked past a tray of cookies and passed up a candy bar offers to me in a meeting. Didn't phase me a bit. I keep trying little
things hoping to get a nice buzz from them like I used to, but I just don't get a food high from junk food anymore. I don't even want Diet Coke. Coconut whipped cream, though... Fuhgeddaboudit.. Take a can of organic coconut milk, stick it in the fridge for a few hours. When you open it up, the solids have all floated to the top and the liquid will be at the bottom. Spoon out the solids into a bowl. Whip like whipped cream. Sweeten with whatever floats your boat... I use stevia. Save the liquid for smoothies or whatevs. You may never go back to dairy cream or whipped topping ever again. Coconut is so good for you, lower in fat, and tastes like angels' wings. I limit myself to a couple of spoonfuls a day, and I daydream about them all day long.
I honestly think it will be harder to stop juicing than it was to start, and it's got me thinking about other things, too. What would happen if I could incorporate some sort of exercise program into this, too?
Anyway, philosophical discussion aside, I feel like this is hands-down the best thing I've done for myself in years, and I won't be stopping any time soon. That coconut whipped cream is just too delicious.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Weekend Update 2
This week was a tough week because I had 4 Christmas parties to attend. FOUR. CHRISTMAS PARTIES. Do you have any idea how much good food people reserve and make only at Christmastime? TONS. The answer is TONS. So. Much. Butter.
I did pretty well at the beginning of the week. At Hubby's bank branch Christmas party (which was at a buffet, mind you) I only had a bowl of vegetable soup, a big salad, and about 2 oz. of roasted turkey. On Tuesday my Bluegrass Band had a gig at some ward Christmas party. I had a plate of raw fruits and veggies and 2 tiny baguette slices with cream cheese and cucumber, about 2 inches in diameter each. I passed up the trays of goodies at work and stuck with garbanzo bean salad I brought from home, and a pomegranate that I bought from the grocery store down the road. Best pomegranate of my life, btw.
By the time Friday's Bank Manager party rolled around, however, my will-power was at an all-time low. I had mashed potatoes, salad, roasted carrots, roast beef, a chocolate covered strawberry, a couple of peanut butter cups, and I snuck a few bites of Luis's cheesecake and cupcake (it was from Sweet Tooth Fairy- I couldn't resist!)
I tried to repent of my ways on Saturday, but while I was out running errands with the boy I lost track of time and we were both starving, so we had to eat at a restaurant at lunch. I had a fruit bowl and a bowl of cheddar broccoli soup and a couple slices of garlic bread that came with it. I have a weakness for anything covered with melted butter. I couldn't pass it up. It was, incidentally, worth it. Who knew Denny's, of all places, makes such good soup?
Yesterday Luis's entire family came over for dinner for a triple birthday party. I made pozole (which is a type of Mexican pork stew) and quesadillas. I did pretty well with portion control, but I still at a little of everything, including the birthday cake at the end.
By the end of the day I felt terrible. I had a headache, a stomach ache, my nerves were shot, and I had no energy. It's amazing how accustomed I had become in just 2 weeks to eating clean and feeling super energetic all the time.
Today I am avowed to behave myself and eat clean, although we have three days of Christmas parties at work, and I'm feeling weak.
In the end, though, I still lost a pound, and stayed off caffeine all week. Pretty successful, if you ask me. I'd like to take the opportunity to mention that my primary goal in doing this is not weight loss (although that's a major bonus), but rather wellness. It's just a lot easier to measure how much weight you lose than it is to measure internal healing. As a side note, however, I did get a visit from an old friend this week whom I haven't seen in 6 months. She rarely visits without hormonal supplementation, and I was shocked and happily surprised. It only lasted for about 2 days, but I'll take whatever I can get when it comes to lady stuff. I think that's a much better indication, also, of the major healing that I can feel taking place daily.
All in all, 2 and a half weeks in, my weight is down, my skin is cleared up, and I feel fantastic. I honestly think it will be harder to stop juicing than it was to start.
As far as Luis goes, he had such low energy yesterday that he couldn't stay awake. He's been trying to eat healthy at all of these parties, too, but he's having a harder time of it than I am, and he refuses to skip dessert. He was completely passed out last night at 10:30, and dragging from about 8:00 on. Even with all the cheating, however, he lost another 3 pounds, has clearer skin, and better mood/energy than before.
I did pretty well at the beginning of the week. At Hubby's bank branch Christmas party (which was at a buffet, mind you) I only had a bowl of vegetable soup, a big salad, and about 2 oz. of roasted turkey. On Tuesday my Bluegrass Band had a gig at some ward Christmas party. I had a plate of raw fruits and veggies and 2 tiny baguette slices with cream cheese and cucumber, about 2 inches in diameter each. I passed up the trays of goodies at work and stuck with garbanzo bean salad I brought from home, and a pomegranate that I bought from the grocery store down the road. Best pomegranate of my life, btw.
By the time Friday's Bank Manager party rolled around, however, my will-power was at an all-time low. I had mashed potatoes, salad, roasted carrots, roast beef, a chocolate covered strawberry, a couple of peanut butter cups, and I snuck a few bites of Luis's cheesecake and cupcake (it was from Sweet Tooth Fairy- I couldn't resist!)
I tried to repent of my ways on Saturday, but while I was out running errands with the boy I lost track of time and we were both starving, so we had to eat at a restaurant at lunch. I had a fruit bowl and a bowl of cheddar broccoli soup and a couple slices of garlic bread that came with it. I have a weakness for anything covered with melted butter. I couldn't pass it up. It was, incidentally, worth it. Who knew Denny's, of all places, makes such good soup?
Yesterday Luis's entire family came over for dinner for a triple birthday party. I made pozole (which is a type of Mexican pork stew) and quesadillas. I did pretty well with portion control, but I still at a little of everything, including the birthday cake at the end.
By the end of the day I felt terrible. I had a headache, a stomach ache, my nerves were shot, and I had no energy. It's amazing how accustomed I had become in just 2 weeks to eating clean and feeling super energetic all the time.
Today I am avowed to behave myself and eat clean, although we have three days of Christmas parties at work, and I'm feeling weak.
In the end, though, I still lost a pound, and stayed off caffeine all week. Pretty successful, if you ask me. I'd like to take the opportunity to mention that my primary goal in doing this is not weight loss (although that's a major bonus), but rather wellness. It's just a lot easier to measure how much weight you lose than it is to measure internal healing. As a side note, however, I did get a visit from an old friend this week whom I haven't seen in 6 months. She rarely visits without hormonal supplementation, and I was shocked and happily surprised. It only lasted for about 2 days, but I'll take whatever I can get when it comes to lady stuff. I think that's a much better indication, also, of the major healing that I can feel taking place daily.
All in all, 2 and a half weeks in, my weight is down, my skin is cleared up, and I feel fantastic. I honestly think it will be harder to stop juicing than it was to start.
As far as Luis goes, he had such low energy yesterday that he couldn't stay awake. He's been trying to eat healthy at all of these parties, too, but he's having a harder time of it than I am, and he refuses to skip dessert. He was completely passed out last night at 10:30, and dragging from about 8:00 on. Even with all the cheating, however, he lost another 3 pounds, has clearer skin, and better mood/energy than before.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
What I'm Doing
So for those, if any, that are curious as to how this juice fast thing works for me, here's the low-down.
In the morning I wake up early and juice. Usually I make about a quart of juice (usually fruit mixed with carrots, celery, and cucumber), which I drink half of, saving the other half for Luis's breakfast.
During the day at school access to a juicer/juice is pretty impossible, so I usually eat maybe 1 piece of fresh fruit and some beans or nuts. A "pure" juice fast does not allow beans or nuts, but I am a working gal and I need the fiber and protein to get me through the day. Occasionally if the beans are too much for me plain, I'll dash a little vinegar on them for some extra flavor, but kidney beans and garbanzo beans are usually okay on their own.
When I get home I have a little snack (usually raw, unsalted nuts- peanuts are my fave) and then I juice again around 4:30 or 5:00. I make about a quart of juice again. This juice is more vegetable heavy. Spinach is a fave, sweet potato, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli- you name it, I've juiced it.
Then before bed I usually have another small snack- usually a piece of fruit or some nuts. If I'm feeling hungry- beans.
Luis and I were talking last night and he says he feels more energy than he has in years. He says getting out of his chair and walking around the bank branch doesn't require as much effort as it did before, and he is so optimistic about the results he thinks we should incorporate juicing into our lifestyle on a permanent basis after the 30 days (obviously on a lesser scale, but still regularly).
In the morning I wake up early and juice. Usually I make about a quart of juice (usually fruit mixed with carrots, celery, and cucumber), which I drink half of, saving the other half for Luis's breakfast.
During the day at school access to a juicer/juice is pretty impossible, so I usually eat maybe 1 piece of fresh fruit and some beans or nuts. A "pure" juice fast does not allow beans or nuts, but I am a working gal and I need the fiber and protein to get me through the day. Occasionally if the beans are too much for me plain, I'll dash a little vinegar on them for some extra flavor, but kidney beans and garbanzo beans are usually okay on their own.
When I get home I have a little snack (usually raw, unsalted nuts- peanuts are my fave) and then I juice again around 4:30 or 5:00. I make about a quart of juice again. This juice is more vegetable heavy. Spinach is a fave, sweet potato, tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, broccoli- you name it, I've juiced it.
Then before bed I usually have another small snack- usually a piece of fruit or some nuts. If I'm feeling hungry- beans.
Luis and I were talking last night and he says he feels more energy than he has in years. He says getting out of his chair and walking around the bank branch doesn't require as much effort as it did before, and he is so optimistic about the results he thinks we should incorporate juicing into our lifestyle on a permanent basis after the 30 days (obviously on a lesser scale, but still regularly).
Monday, December 5, 2011
Weekend Update
We both weighed in yesterday. Luis is down a total of 8 pounds in 7 days and I'm down 7 pounds in 10 days. He is sleeping a lot better and my urticaria flare-ups are starting to become less frequent and lasting for less time. It's still really too early to call it a success, but let's just say the results so far have been promising.
We're up against some challenges this week- Luis's bank branch is having their Christmas Party tonight at Chuck-O-Rama (weird name, delicious buffet), and the managers/spouses Christmas Party is on Friday. I'm planning on just having a big salad, which will be cheating a little because I plan on sticking some animal protein in there as well as some salad dressing; it's not cheating enough for me to feel like I"m going to throw myself totally off-track. At the manager's party, I'll probably have a little meat and a big salad. I'm hoping that I can go off a little without totally dropping the ball.
I am surprised, really, at how easy it has been to stick with the juice fast (although I did cheat once with a gingersnap and some chocolate covered cranberries) and at how much better I feel in just a short period of time. Luis is so encouraged that he is planning on sticking with it for the full 30 days, instead of just the 10 he was originally going for.
We're up against some challenges this week- Luis's bank branch is having their Christmas Party tonight at Chuck-O-Rama (weird name, delicious buffet), and the managers/spouses Christmas Party is on Friday. I'm planning on just having a big salad, which will be cheating a little because I plan on sticking some animal protein in there as well as some salad dressing; it's not cheating enough for me to feel like I"m going to throw myself totally off-track. At the manager's party, I'll probably have a little meat and a big salad. I'm hoping that I can go off a little without totally dropping the ball.
I am surprised, really, at how easy it has been to stick with the juice fast (although I did cheat once with a gingersnap and some chocolate covered cranberries) and at how much better I feel in just a short period of time. Luis is so encouraged that he is planning on sticking with it for the full 30 days, instead of just the 10 he was originally going for.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Juice Fast
So last week I blogged about my Urticaria. After talking things over with Luis, doing some planning, and enjoying our last meal (Thanksgiving Feast) we started a juice fast last Friday. It was actually Luis's idea and although losing some weight would be nice, our main goals are to hopefully clear up some long-standing health problems we both have: Urticaria for me, sleep apnea/snoring for him. We could both go to the doctor and ask for some prescription and start loading ourselves down with meds to address these problems, but we both have very anti-med opinions and we try to avoid medication unless it is for life-saving purposes. We feel like pharmaceuticals are a slippery slope that we don't want to step on to at this point in our lives.
I already had a juicer from my attempt at eating clean two years ago. I did really well and juiced a ton for like a month, but then got distracted with work stress and reverted to my old habits, and put the juicer in storage.
It was scary at first; I didn't want to fail and I didn't want to be hungry all the time. Doing this with a partner, however, has made a lot of difference, and the fact that my spouse is on board helps a ton because I don't have to worry about the temptation of cooking for him at night.
The first two days were awful. I wasn't hungry but let's just say that fruits and veggies aren't my favorite and I had some serious food DT's. The second day was the worst. I had a non-stop migraine and I couldn't muster up the will to live, let alone the energy to get out of bed. I almost caved a dozen times, but thankfully it was a weekend and I had some leisure to just stay in bed most of the day. By the third day the migraines had died down and I had no problem getting up in the morning. By the fourth day the pep was back in my step and I decided to do the impossible: stop drinking caffeine.
Diet Coke has been my dark addiction for 12 years now. I used it to get through 4 am shifts cleaning the Eyering Science Center, late night study groups, and all-day classes. It got me through my student teaching when I had to wake up at 5 every morning, work until 4, drive home in rush-hour traffic, plan my lessons, and spend quality time with my new husband. It got me through the depressing first years of our marriage when I found out I was infertile and couldn't even drag myself out of bed some days. It got me through the intense physical labor of my job at the Vocational Center. It's what pulls me through the days teaching. It has become my secret weapon in an arsenal of tricks I use to juggle work, callings, full-time parenting on the weekends, housework, and my love life. And I've decided I'm giving it up.
I figure, what's the point of doing this juice fast if I'm still going to flood my body with toxic chemicals all day long every day? How can I cleanse my system and heal some of my health problems if I'm nursing a Coke can for most of my waking hours?
Well, it's been about a week now and to my surprise, I'm doing okay. I haven't cheated on my juice fast, and I've been completely caffeine free since Tuesday, with one exception yesterday. I am doing pretty well energy-wise, all things considered. I haven't noticed an improvement with the urticaria so far, but I've lost 5 pounds. I've learned some things about myself, my eating habits, and I've increased my tolerance for vegetables. Luis refuses to weigh himself until he's done so I don't know if he's lost any weight, but he's stopped snoring for the first time in 10 years and he's brimming with energy that he's never had before.
I'll check back in periodically to let you know how the juice fast is going, but for now my plan is to juice fast until Christmas, take a short break (to enjoy Christmas and to make sure I'm not building up a resistance to a lower calorie diet), and then go for another 3 weeks until my 30th birthday. That would be a very nice birthday present, I think- starting the next decade of my life with better health.
I already had a juicer from my attempt at eating clean two years ago. I did really well and juiced a ton for like a month, but then got distracted with work stress and reverted to my old habits, and put the juicer in storage.
It was scary at first; I didn't want to fail and I didn't want to be hungry all the time. Doing this with a partner, however, has made a lot of difference, and the fact that my spouse is on board helps a ton because I don't have to worry about the temptation of cooking for him at night.
The first two days were awful. I wasn't hungry but let's just say that fruits and veggies aren't my favorite and I had some serious food DT's. The second day was the worst. I had a non-stop migraine and I couldn't muster up the will to live, let alone the energy to get out of bed. I almost caved a dozen times, but thankfully it was a weekend and I had some leisure to just stay in bed most of the day. By the third day the migraines had died down and I had no problem getting up in the morning. By the fourth day the pep was back in my step and I decided to do the impossible: stop drinking caffeine.
Diet Coke has been my dark addiction for 12 years now. I used it to get through 4 am shifts cleaning the Eyering Science Center, late night study groups, and all-day classes. It got me through my student teaching when I had to wake up at 5 every morning, work until 4, drive home in rush-hour traffic, plan my lessons, and spend quality time with my new husband. It got me through the depressing first years of our marriage when I found out I was infertile and couldn't even drag myself out of bed some days. It got me through the intense physical labor of my job at the Vocational Center. It's what pulls me through the days teaching. It has become my secret weapon in an arsenal of tricks I use to juggle work, callings, full-time parenting on the weekends, housework, and my love life. And I've decided I'm giving it up.
I figure, what's the point of doing this juice fast if I'm still going to flood my body with toxic chemicals all day long every day? How can I cleanse my system and heal some of my health problems if I'm nursing a Coke can for most of my waking hours?
Well, it's been about a week now and to my surprise, I'm doing okay. I haven't cheated on my juice fast, and I've been completely caffeine free since Tuesday, with one exception yesterday. I am doing pretty well energy-wise, all things considered. I haven't noticed an improvement with the urticaria so far, but I've lost 5 pounds. I've learned some things about myself, my eating habits, and I've increased my tolerance for vegetables. Luis refuses to weigh himself until he's done so I don't know if he's lost any weight, but he's stopped snoring for the first time in 10 years and he's brimming with energy that he's never had before.
I'll check back in periodically to let you know how the juice fast is going, but for now my plan is to juice fast until Christmas, take a short break (to enjoy Christmas and to make sure I'm not building up a resistance to a lower calorie diet), and then go for another 3 weeks until my 30th birthday. That would be a very nice birthday present, I think- starting the next decade of my life with better health.
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