Update and Team Work

As much as it makes me feel odd to do this, I'm going to....here's one of my before photos:



This was taken on the day my niece was born (back in February...prior to me starting any juicing)....mom actually snapped it with her phone...ugh....have I ever mentioned how much I hate being on the receiving end of a camera lens?!

Several of you have also asked for a current face photo (taken March 30th, 2012)....much as I hate knowing I'll post this and people will critique my looks, it is part of the process....



Today marks my 32nd day of juicing. More than a month with this new lifestyle. Crazy how this time has gone by.

I'm not giving an update on pounds lost because I haven't weighed...and I have no plans to until next Thursday (April 5th). Why you ask?

Well, number one is I've become too obsessed with that stupid scale...it's not good for me! So I'm forcing myself to stay away from it and off of it for at least a week at a time!

At the hospital where I work, they are sponsoring a Super Summer Slim Down competition. Winner (with the most total percentage weight loss from their starting point) wins a year's membership to the new Health and Wellness Institute as well as money, gift cards, and various other amenities. I'm trying to win this thing!! Seriously!!!! So far, when I plug my numbers into the spreadsheet they've given us to track our team, my total percentage loss is 5.62%. I think that's pretty good!

I'm the team leader of our team which consists of all my 5 employees plus 2 others from another division of our department! Several of them have come to me this past week and mentioned struggles with their self esteem over how they look and how difficult it is for them the lose the weight. Wow...do I understand where they're coming from!!! I've been sending emails with encouragement to the group and really trying to keep their moral up in this contest.

The contest has been going for a month already...we have 2 months left to go....next Friday the team leaders are to turn in total percentage of loss for each participant. So, we're all going to bust it really hard this next week to lose some more so our team can be feature as the leaders in the competition for the first month!!

I'm really motivated for this change I've made in my lifestyle...I feel the benefits of what I'm doing...and it feels good! Just have to keep myself on track and plug ahead! I like that I'm leading our team too...it helps me keep myself accountable for what I do during my day!

Also since we've been back from vacation this whole week, I've been taking my lunch break (30 minutes) and walking laps around our parking garage. I need to be more active than I've been...and this is a good start! I'm also going to get my bike back in riding order so I can take up bike rides again....I used to ride close to 10 miles a night!! Loved it!!

We're also going to start growing a lot of what we eat as well at the house! We started our seeds last night for all kinds of vegetables (as well as my hot and super hot pepper plants!!!!) we planted 2 raspberry bushes to that I'm very excited about!!



Anyway...I think that's all I really have for you today....have a great weekend!!!

Till next time...
-M-

On Fruit and People...

After my most melodramatic post yesterday, I received an overwhelming positive response from people in my life in one way or another. I guess in different ways, we all have days like I had yesterday...that's why I'm going to leave the post published (instead of taking it down as I toyed with all day today). What's the use in growing and changing if I leave out parts of the process? It takes the bad to appreciate the good...so I'm going to appreciate the bad as well. On people....the people in my life are amazing. Period. End of story. Thank you for your kind words. They really did help.

Now...on fruit.

This 'UGLI' little bastard is officially my most favorite fruit on the entire planet!!! It's called an Ugli Fruit...really. LOL! From what I understand, it's actually a Jamaican fruit that's a cross between an orange a grapefruit and a tangerine.


This photo was taken on our vacation last week. I saw it at a farmer's market in a little town in Delaware. But I was so turned off by the looks that I only took a photo to show off its grotesqueness then put it back because I was too scared to try it. I regretted not getting one after we'd left the store. (Maybe it was a missed lesson in not judging a book by its cover?? hmmm...) 
Well, flash forward to last night when I went grocery shopping at Jonesboro's local new Harp's store and what do you know?!?! They had a whole basket full of Ugli fruits. One came home with me last night. I put it in the fridge to get cold, and just a few minutes ago Jade and I opened it up. I'm telling you people, this is the best fruit I've ever had!!!! No joke!!!! I juiced the whole dag-gum thing in my canteen for tomorrow (along with 2 handfuls of spinach leaves, 2 carrots, a pear, 1/2 a lemon, 1 red apple, and 1 green apple.)!!! And I'll be making a stop by Harp's on the way home to get a few more too!! 
I  highly recommend you trying it!! It peels just like an orange does, and the fruit is a little larger than the fruit of a grapefruit. It's sweet and juicy!! The flesh isn't as firm as that of an orange or grapefruit, but it's comparable. Really,....go get one and try it!!! 
But do not...I repeat, do NOT buy all of them tomorrow from Harp's!!! Leave some there for me!!! :P
Till next time...-M-

Hard Truths...

“Growth begins when we start to accept our own weakness.”
- Jean Vanier


I have weakness. And lots of it. And throughout my new juicing lifestyle, I've discovered just how much of it I have. 


Today I complete my 28th day of juicing. After 10 days of vacation (and a few cheats along those 10 days to try foods I've never had in places I've never been) I have only gained 1 pound from where I was when I left from vacation. Total to date I have lost 16 pounds. 


And I am disappointed. 


I shouldn't be. My logical side tells me I've done a fabulous job to this point. That there are people who would kill to loose 16 pounds in less than a month. I should be celebrating my victories (and I do somewhat). But mostly, instead...I see how much further I have to go...and I feel so overwhelmed. And dare I say, defeated that I've allowed myself to get to where I am. I am a master at self loathing. And through this change in my lifestyle of eating, I have begun to recognize the depths of that self loathing. It's a bit scary...and very sad. 


I can see how I see myself affects my relationships. I withdraw, turn away, and automatically assume everyone else is thinking the things about me that I'm thinking about me...even the ones who love me most in the world...they are still clouded by my own thoughts and insecurities. 


It's disgusting what I'm doing. 


But I'm not sure how to stop.


I really long to be one of those people who bubble over (inside and out) with self confidence and approval. And I know part of the answer to that will be found in the results of what I'm doing currently. I'm just too impatient for my own good. I think, "16 pounds?! That's it?! You should have lost double that by now!!" SO DUMB to think that!!!! I know....but that's what I think. I worry that the reason someone gets mad at me is because of how I look...that I just irritate them automatically when they see me. Really, that's just what happens when I see me. I don't see my talents or my abilities or how I treat others or how I love people...I just see ugly and fat. And that is a truth that has haunted me since I was young. I hate that. And I want it to change. 


I guess the point of this post is honesty. I have to get honest with myself about my habits, my thoughts (negative and positive), and the destructive ways I contribute to every relationship I have. It's hard. And it hurts. And it's really no fun at all. But it's time. God help me. 


28 days under my belt. I've gone grocery shopping tonight and refilled our fridge with good fruits and veggies. I will starting praising myself for my hard work and stop punishing myself for everything else....


Till next time...
-M-

Positive Change and Vacation!

Prior to starting my juicing lifestyle, I was one of the many people who have issues with Acid Reflux. That terrible burning in your esophagus and uneasy tummy half an hour to an hour after you eat. Most nights of the week I was using Tums to alleviate my symptoms...most of the time with success, but sometimes with none at all! Acid Reflux is a very uncomfortable feeling!

Well, today is Day 17 for me with the juicing lifestyle and I can happily report that I haven't had a need to take anything for Acid Reflux for 14 days! I can't even begin to tell you what kind of small miracle this is! To not have that discomfort has been worth the juicing alone!

This next week is Spring Break for most schools and colleges. I'll be going on vacation!!! And I am SO pumped!!! We're going to visit special family people in Delaware, and while we're there next week we're going to make a couple of short trips to Philly and New York!!! I am so excited!!!! So, since it's vacation, will I be juicing.

The short answer to that is, yes! This isn't just some diet or short term thing for me (might be different for you if you've taken up trying it out). For me, it's a new way of life! I believe in this whole juicing idea because I've seen how it's positively affected my body, my mind, and my attitude! There's no going back for me!!!

But....that's not to say I'm not going to enjoy new things on vacation! I have plans to eat 3 solid food items in the 9 days we're traveling. And they are very specific things...I'm going to have a Cheesesteak in Philly, Pizza in New York, and a Hot Dog or Corn Dog near Coney Island! The rest of the time I'll be juicing! I don't think anyone can blame me for that!!

I've weighed once since the last time I reported of a 17.2lb loss and I was disappointed to have gained a couple of pounds back. Not sure how as I had done no cheating. Anyway, it really discouraged me. So much so that it sort of scared me how obsessed I'd become with the scale. I didn't like it. So, I told myself I wasn't allowed to stand on the scale again until the day we leave for vacation (which will be tomorrow). I had originally set my goal to try to lose 20 pounds before we left for vacation. But I'm not going to beat myself up if I haven't made it to that particular number. I mean, look what I've managed to do in the last 17 days already! I'm stinking proud of myself and I'm not going to be upset if I don't make that 20 pound goal by tomorrow (but I do hope I've made it!!)

Anyhow, that's the update for now! Those of you who are in this with me, I hope you're all doing well and sticking with it! It's hard, but the reward is great...and face it,...you're worth it!!!

Till next time...
-M-

Rough Patch...

Today is day 15 for me. And I'll be perfectly honest, yesterday and today have been pretty hard. Yesterday I was craving cut up tomatoes and asparagus. That's all...just those things...but I just couldn't do it. I felt so guilty to have even those two things (not juiced).

Today I haven't really craved anything, but I've spent the day feeling sorry for myself. Yuck! What a waste of time and energy! Just can't seem to pull myself out of it though for some reason. I should be happy with my progress so far...and I am.

I think, for me, I'm going to need to be very careful with this new mindset I have. I can't feel guilty to eat and enjoy good things just because they aren't juiced!

Frustrating day today...

What Kind of Juicer Did You Get?

The juicer we got is called a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor (http://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Beach-Mouth-Juice-Extractor/dp/B002OF3FBK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1331600934&sr=8-4).

We found it on Amazon.com. Ours was around $60.00.

Really though, get whatever is in your budget! They have some in the $30.00 range and upwards of $100! The only requirement is that it juices!

I like the one we have because the bin on the back (that catches all the pulp and left over stuff not juiced from the fruits and veggies) is fairly large. That means we don't have to empty it as frequently and can get several drinks made before having to clean it. 

How Long do I Juice For?

This question has been asked again and again!

How long are you going to do this? How long are you supposed to do it?

Really, only you can answer that for yourself. I can't tell you how long to juice for. You could do a 10 day cleansing fast to sort of restart your body's engines, give them a fresh start. Or, you could do like Joe Cross did and go for a couple of months...or for longer. 

For me, I have a particular goal in mind...a number. And it's my plan to juice at least until I hit that goal. But I can tell you now that my attitude with food has changed over the last 14 days...drastically. I'm not sure I'll ever not be juicing (to some degree).

The documentary and every book I've read has said you should consult your doctor before starting something like this if you are on prescription medications. I'm no doctor or health expert so really nothing I say here should be taken as stone. I aim to share my experience and what I've learned via this blog...that's all! :D

Why Do I Feel Icky on Day 3?!

Well, there's no hiding this little tidbit about juicing. I mean, once you make it to day three, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. And instead of me getting you all excited and gung-ho about juicing and failing to be completely honest with you, I'm gonna give you a bit of bad news!

Day three sucks!

Joe talks a little about the first few days he was juicing. He says he just really didn't want to get out of bed...didn't have much energy...and was in a pretty fowl mood. Now, I didn't experience that the first three days...but I definitely did on the third. With juicing, the first 10 days of it are referred to as a cleansing fast. You're literally flushing your body and internal organs clean of all the yuckies you've been putting into them for years. Those toxins and other yucky things have got to make an exit...and how do they do that you ask? Well...you're gonna poop! And you're gonna poop a lot! So be prepared to spend a little bit of time in the bathroom around day 3!

You're also going to be very low on energy. Day two tricks you into thinking it's going to be a piece of cake (chocolate hopefully!!). Then reality smacks you in the face on day 3 (your days may vary from mine by a day or two). All I wanted to do on Day 3 was sleep. I was tired, cranky, achy, feverish, had a headache, and my skin hurt! It was my body's way of releasing the gross things I'd done to it to that point.  I thought I was dying! I thought I was seriously sick. But...the next day I woke up and I felt like a totally different person!

I had tons of energy, didn't feel feverish or achy. I was in excellent mental spirits and just couldn't wait to keep going with my juicing!

Since then I've mostly had a ton of energy. Some days here and there I've felt tired, but I think that had more to do with lack of sleep the night before than anything else. I'm not nodding off at work during the middle of the day anymore. I'm able to focus better and I've noticed my attitude has been much more playful and upbeat. If these are side effects of juicing, then I'm all in!!!

What About Protein?!

This is another common question I've been getting! So here are a couple of links you can look at to see that with fruits and veggies, you'll still be getting your protein too!! :D

http://www.livestrong.com/article/303041-the-grams-of-protein-in-fruits-vegetables/

and

http://www.livestrong.com/article/394772-protein-rich-fruits-vegetables/

Till next time...
-M-





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

But Don't You Like to Chew?!

Of COURSE I like to chew!!! How in the world do you think I got where I am?! :P


I'll be honest, the first few days are really hard. Here you've gone for however many years (30 in my case) chewing the food you consume, and now all of a sudden there's no chewing...just drinking!


I'm not going to lie to you. You're gonna want to cheat. You're going to see other people enjoying foods you enjoy, to which you'll raise your Mean Green, smile gently, and chug!
A good rule of thumb is when you feel hungry or have a craving try drinking water first! Did you know that in 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger. And even mild dehydration will slow your metabolism down by as much as 3%!!! Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water could significantly decrease back pain and joint pain for 80% of sufferers...plus drinking 5 glasses of water daily can decrease the risk o colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 79%, and bladder cancer by 50%. moral of this story, DRINK MORE WATER!!! When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, it's fluid needs are perfectly balanced! When this happens, fluid retention is alleviated. As stored water is lost, more fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat and appetite is more manageable! (got all that info from a St. Bernards publication) After you've had some water, wait a few minutes. If your feeling of hunger is still there, then mix up some juice!


I promise you'll feel full and because of that you'll be able to manage your cravings to chew something, and in turn you'll stick with it!! :D


Trust me people....if I an do it, you can do it!!!

What About Your Fiber Intake?!

Another question I've been getting a lot is "What About Your Fiber Intake?! How are you getting enough fiber?"

The simple answer is, there's plenty of fiber in the different fruits and vegetables I'm using! Later, after the fasting part of my juicing lifestyle is over (the part where I'm juicing everything for every meal), I'll start adding other things into my diet like nuts that will increase my fiber intake even more. For now though, I'm getting all the nutrients I need from the good 'ole fruits and veggies! Here's a link to a Fiber Content Chart so you can see for yourself. The chart includes a plethora of foods, not all just fruits and veggies. But you can skim through to find the fruits and veggies to see that the fiber content is definitely there!

http://www.wehealny.org/healthinfo/dietaryfiber/fibercontentchart.html

Juicing Recipes

The above pictured juice is probably my most favorite combo I've tried yet! I call it my Tart Pearapple Drink! YUMMY!!! Here's how you make it:

Tart Pearapple (one serving)

1 Green Apple

1 Pear

1/2 Lemon

The best part of this juicing thing for me is that you're allowed to experiment with combinations! Really! The sky is the limit! So get creative and try things! I'll list below some of the recipes I've tried so far that I really like, but keep in mind if you give juicing a try that you are free to substitute anything for anything! What I've found is that if I'm going to be able to stick with this, I have to like what I'm drinking! It's just self defeat to force yourself to ingest something that tastes disgusting!! You'll never stick with it (at least I wouldn't!)

With any of the fruit drinks you make, it's good to add some kind of veggie to it...carrots are great to add (1 or 2 sticks to taste). Carrots give you energy and mostly get drowned out by the taste of the fruit! You're having something healthy and don't even know it! :D So, in the following recipes, feel free to add a carrot stick or celery or spinach leaves to any of them! You can also add a little lemon or lime to any drink to make it a little more tart if so desired. Also, it's your choice to peel or not to peel lemons, oranges, etc.

Orange Sherbert

2 Oranges 

2 Carrot Sticks

1 Red Apple

Red Wonder

1 Red Apple

A Bunch of Purple Grapes (30-40)

10-15 Strawberries

Apple Delight

2 Red Apples

2 Green Apples

Watermelon Surprise

3 Thick Slices of Watermelon

1/2 Handful of Spinach Leaves

1 Red Apple

1/2 Lemon

Grape Madness

2 Bunches of Purple Grapes

2 Bunches of Green Grapes

Appleloupe

2 Green Apples

4 Thick slices of Cantaloupe

1/2 lemon

Pineapple Dandy

4 Slices of Pineapple (completely skinned)

1 Green Apple

Those are some of the drinks I've tried so far. I have some other veggies and fruits I"m going to experiment with as well including beets and Sweet Potatoes and papayas. Of course I'll post those recipes when I do them!

Also, there's nothing that says you have to combine things for a drink or two. If you're just in the mood for some watermelon, or orange juice, or apple juice, then just do the one fruit!

Mean Green Juice

One of the most frequent questions I get asked is what are the recipes I'm using. 

With this post, I'm going to tell you what my daily routine is, and then tell you the recipe for my regular daily main juice - Mean Green. In another post I'll share other recipes.

In the morning before work, I juice 2 different drinks. The first that I do is a fruity combo for my breakfast. The second I do is the Mean Green drink (found below) that will be my nourishment for the work day through around 5pm. When I'm home, I'll typically make another drink for dinner and that's usually a fruity combo. 

The Mean Green juice is really my staple dietary sustenance. It makes up the majority of what I drink during the day. They say it's best to start your day with fruits and move into vegetables later on in the day, so I'm following that model (mostly everyday...there have been a few days I've switched and had Mean Green for breakfast then fruity stuff for during the day...but not often, and only when I really need a change!)

The Mean Green juice took a little perfecting taste wise. I'm going to assume that your taste and mine are different so I'll give you the original recipe for combo of fruits and veggies, then I'll tell you how I make mine. 

Mean Green Juice

5-6 Kale Leaves

2 Green Apples

4 stalks of Celery

1 Inch of Ginger

1/2 Lemon

1 Cucumber

That's what Joe Cross (from the documentary I told you about in the last post) juices together and calls his Mean Green juice. Now, I tried this first off. And it was disgusting!!! I mean terrible!! I LOVE sushi...but I hate the taste of the ginger that comes with it. So I never eat the ginger. Just because it's juiced, doesn't change the taste of it, so I've opted to leave out the ginger. Just can't handle it! I also leave out the celery. I tried it a couple of different ways (using less celery) and the celery taste was always just way too strong for my liking (even using just one stalk). So, I opt to leave out the celery as well. But, since I've taken out things that are good for me, I've replaced those things with other things that are good for me that are more palatable to my taste buds. So here's what MY Mean Green has in it everyday...

Melissa's Mean Green

5-6 Kale Leaves (stalks removed)

2 Green Apple

1 Whole Lemon (peeled - you can leave the peel on but I find it's too bitter)

1 Cucumber

2 Carrot Sticks

1 Handful of Spinach Leaves

This recipe makes enough for 2 large servings of juice which is perfect for me to cover my long work day! I bought a Coleman thermos, keep it in the fridge to stay cold and fill it up with Mean Green to take with me for the day. Stays cold all day long. Works perfectly!!!

Juiced180Degrees

This is why I'm Juicing.

It's strange how in living, a person can lose themselves so easily. We forget where we came from, where we started...and sometimes we even forget our worth. 

I have.  And it's time to find those things again!

Today, is my 13th day of juicing everything I eat. So far, I've lost a total of 17.2 pounds and gained a wealth of energy and feel good power. 

It all started with a documentary called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead." If you have Netflix it's on the Watch It Now list! Find it and watch it! It's narrated by a man by the name of Joe Cross who sort of gave birth to this most recent juicing phenomenon. He was overweight, taking 10-15 prescriptions a day for various reasons, and unhappy with the direction his life was heading. So, he sought out a way to cleanse his body and get healthy. Taking advantage of the micronutrients found inside the freshest vegetables and fruits through juicing, he was able to cleanse his body of all the toxins he'd been putting in it over the years by food and medicines. By juicing, he was able to allow his internal organs to realign themselves to their original functionality by flushing his system of all the bad things he'd ingested. At the end of his journey, Joe had lost more than 90 pounds and was off all of his medications. In the documentary, you also follow the progress of a trucker driver that Joe found on his journey. This guy went from a 6XL to a 2XL over the course of a few months. On top of that, he was able to be taken off all his medicines as well.

It's amazing what our bodies can do for themselves if we just get out of the way and let it function as it should. 

So, we got a juicer and lots of fruits and veggies! And here I am 13 days later and 17.2 pounds lighter! 

I'm committed to this new lifestyle. Because that's what it is...a lifestyle. It's not a diet, it's not a quick fix...it's a change in habit and a change in lifestyle. 

It's not easy. 

But it's right. 

I've been sharing my success with my Facebook Friends and some of them have been really interested in what I'm doing. What recipes, how long do you do it for, do you feel hungry...all questions I've been asked. I felt like this was the best way to give the information! So, follow the blog if you're interested, send me questions if you have them! I'll make different posts answering the questions I've been asked so stay tuned!

Till next time...

-M-