Day Four

We are celebrating New Years with good friends so I had to pack up my juicer and produce for a bit of a road trip. I didn't think it would be any harder being here than at home since everyone at home is eating....I was wrong. First of all- I am a huge Starbucks fiend and not having that has probably been harder than not having food especially to start off a mini road trip properly. When we got here I juiced lunch straight away but it didn't curb my desire for the jalapeño Cheetos being munched on. Pretty much wanted to eat all afternoon and no matter how hard I tried my mind kept wondering back to Starbucks and anything crunchy out of a bag. Fast forward to dinner time....
I took photos of the delicious grilled brauts, macaroni salad and cornucopia of chip flavors but I'm doing this from my phone and it won't let me upload them- all for the better because I was so ready to grab up a sausage and eat it in the bathroom. The only problem would have been that no one would care except me and I can't keep a secret from myself. Wanwanwan. So I drank some sweet potato, carrot, apple, pepper, beet juice. I let my friend have some and she didn't make it past a sip. There were also cupcakes. So many cupcakes. I just keep making tea. I don't even like tea. I didn't think my hardest day would be day 4- maybe it's the fact that we aren't home and eating is such a social behavior. I'm working on teaching myself that food is for living but we shouldn't live for food. Our culture has such a backwards way of thinking about eating and I have gladly taken part in it my whole life which makes change SO difficult. I see the social eating and eating out of boredom in my kids already and they are still young enough to readapt without something as drastic as this. It pains me to watch my kids eat chicken nuggets and chips while I drink pure nutrients and I am so ready to reteach them good habits. Once the fast is over I fully plan on predominantly clean  eating- minimal processed foods, minimal gluten and I know my kids will fight tooth and nail but if there is anyone I want full health and wholeness for it's them.
Until then I will just have to keep sipping. It can only get easier, right?

Day Three.

Woke up feeling really well this morning. I really enjoyed my breakfast juice and I seemed to have an unexpectedly high energy level. Not just, "Yay I'm awake!", but like, "Slow down on the coffee there speedy!". I felt super alert all morning and into the afternoon. I got a bit grouchy around 2pm, but I think that had less to do with food and more to do with my kids barking at each other about nonsense all day.

1 Large Orange, 2 Carrots, 1 Beet, Handful of Kale

I also started looking at and reading some inspiring blogs and Instagrams. There are some really amazing stories out there, amazing people that certainly allow for inspiration. I am trying really hard to not have a negative attitude about this whole thing...I tend to be a bit of a realist, or pessimist if you ask my husband, so a part of me struggles with the idea that it's all just a fad thing and come the end of the goal I will hop right back on the processed fast food cake and ice cream train and be no better off than I was. I know how hard it is to make a legitimate lifestyle change and aside from my own drive, (which is less than satisfactory sometimes) and the grace of God, all the odds are really against me. My husband has terrible eating habits. I joke about him being a garbage disposal but it is quite true. He eats whatever he wants whenever he wants it on top of smoking a pack a day and guzzling coffee and energy drinks the way he should guzzle water and he could care less about how it is all effecting his health. Short of a miracle I will never get him on board with a healthy lifestyle change, which does complicate matters for me and my kids. All that to say I can get in a rut about the uphill battle concerning my family as a whole and give up on myself. I know it is possible, people all over the world are changing their lives and their health and it isn't about a gimmick it's about LIVING. If they can do it, whoever they are, I can too.
Also, I have been on medication for mental illness for about 14 years and a part of me is really hoping that this is my chance to be well. Clear in body and MIND. I have tried being med free a handful of times, but never in conjunction with clean eating. I am skeptical and terrified at the outcome of trying to come off and not being able to again, but a little part of me hopes that it is possible. I suppose I will see where I am mentally at the 14 day mark and go from there. As for now I am off to cook dinner and drank some more veggies.

Day Two.

Went to bed last night feeling less than fantastic. I was a little foggy with a minor headache, all due to detox I am sure. That lemon water was AWESOME though. I really did not like the juice I made for dinner last night- I gagged numerous times and won't ever make it again.

Woke up feeling great, so great in fact I decided my family and I needed to go on a hike! If you know my family you would understand how good I must have felt because we have never hiked anywhere ever, none of us. I even, (after much canoodling) convinced my husband to go which makes the whole thing even more bonkers. I had my juice and made sure the kids were fed and off we went. We live about 10min south of a trail called Iron Mountain.

We had no idea what kind of hike it was, just that it was close and the parking lot was always full. Turns out its like a 6.5mile hike round trip and uphill the whole way....thus MOUNTAIN. The kids made it a mile and we headed back, but it was fun and the fact that the husband was there made it all the better.

When we got home I got involved in vacuuming out cars and didn't realize how long it had been since I had something to "eat" until I was a little dizzy. I found a recipe for lunch that I liked a lot. It's called Tornado Juice and you can find it here.

Unfortunately I had to go grocery shopping today, which was less than desirable. I stopped and got a V8 Spicy juice to try and curb the overwhelming desire to shove pretty much anything with salt on it in my mouth. I really love the hot V8's and decided that I would keep some on hand for moments when I wanted a really savory juice. It's sort of like a meal in a bottle which makes me feel like im eating even though I'm not. I know it isn't all natural but I am okay with that. I could probably find a juice recipe that would create something similar but in my mind it just wouldn't be the same. So I'm gonna drink my spicy V8 without guilt and grocery shopping sucked.

Dinner time also sucked again today. My family had the leftover tri-tip on nachos with creamy Velveeta cheese, re-fried beans, homemade guacamole and pico. I drank sweet potato and beets. It was more than that, but I am trying to feel sorry for myself. It was no homemade guacamole okay!! I don't think I was even hungry as much as I just wanted to chew and taste food. I really wanted to chew. I still do, right this moment. I should stop talking about it and make myself some tea.

Day One.

I was so stoked after the "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" viewing I decided I simply couldn't wait to start my juice fast. My family and I woke up early this morning and after a cup of orange carrot juice, headed to the farmers market to grab some locally grown produce. I did some research, mostly here, and had figured based on 5 or 6 different juices how much of everything I would need....which was a TON. I'm talking like 28 apples, 30 carrots, 24 stalks of celery, etc and this was only for a week of juicing 4-5 times a day. I got about half of what I needed at the market, mostly because it was PACKED and it was hard to move, much less shop.

I was super okay with not sampling all the AMAZING foods at the market, which I think is really only because I would have had to climb through people to lay claim to 1/4 of a cracker with hummus and even if I could have eaten them I'm not sure I had the patience. After the market we headed to a swap meet to get some more cheap produce and do a bit of treasure hunting. I got an entire BOX of cucumbers for $2 as well as a huge bag of oranges for $3. Also, vintage clip on earrings I plan on using as pieces on my plugs, so treasure hunting was a success also! Lunch was Jamba juice, not what I would have preffered, but we were out and I got a fruit/veggie smoothie with no dairy or soy so it was okay. I drank it at the table with my family while they chowed down on Chinese food and really didn't feel like I was missing out. When I got home I cut up/peeled a ton of the produce so it would be less work making my juice the next few times. My fridge is PACKED and there are 2 boxes on my kitchen floor, one full of apples and citrus fruit and another cucumbers and sweet potatoes.

I felt really good until my husband started chopping up mushrooms and peppers to saute for the tri-tip he was grilling, which just happens to be my favorite cut of meat. I made myself a kale/swiss chard/orange and beet greens concoction that pretty much tastes like a freshly mowed lawn. It's gross and my house smells like perfectly cooked dead animal which no matter how disgusting I try and make it sound it doesn't work. I opted out of sitting at the table with my family, which may make me a terrible mother, but a less sad and grouchy one so I have to choose my battles. Anyhow, day one is coming to a close and I am trying to choke down my liquid grass while reminding myself I can have hot water and lemon afterwards. Who looks forward to hot water and lemon????

PS. Found the most amazing cauliflower at the market! It's like eating art!!

PSS. Also found this guy...

I'm ready, I'm not ready, I'm ready....I think.

For the past two years I have done a New Years juice cleanse. The first year I lasted 7 days, the following year only 3. The first go round was amazing, like hitting a reset button on my body. I lost 10lbs and kept it off for over a year. The beginning of this year, my motivation was low and I am pretty sure I cheated even for the measly 3 days I attempted to fast. Needless to say it didn't have an affect on my overall health or weight. It is December 28, 2013 and after a long and tiring fall semester full of convenience food, as well as giving up all things sugar free and replacing them with real sugar and little to no gym time, my body is not functioning or looking its best. I am super low energy, craving all the wrong things, my mental state has not been at its finest even with my meds and I have gained about 6lbs since September. I knew coming up on the holidays that something needed to be done and I halfheartedly began trying to cut back on carbs and sugar while trudging to the gym once a week if I could find the motivation. As you may have guessed, my weak attempt has had no affect. I knew come Jan 1st I would do the juice thing but I was really struggling mentally with even that. Even 3 days of juice sounded like hell on earth, especially with my garbage disposal husband eating everything in site with no regard for its nutritional value and my growing kids who I knew I would have to prepare food for. I needed motivation, and it came in the form of Netflix. If you are a parent you know how hard it is to find something interesting AND kid friendly to watch pre-bedtime, but while scrolling through Netflix documentaries I came upon "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead". I watched in absolute astonishment at the willpower and dedication of Joe Cross as he did a 60 day juice fast, all the while sitting in restaurants with people eating all things fried and delicious while talking about health. Not only did he accomplish his goal, he continued on in this drastic and predominantly raw vegan lifestyle and has since helped tons of other people. His enormous weight loss, close to 100lbs I believe, wasn't even the most amazing part. He has an autoimmune disease which causes chronic hives amongst other things, and from day one of his lifestyle change he has not had a breakout. His diet HEALED his body. This was exactly what I needed. I turned off the TV ready to go....maybe not for 60days, but as long as I could mentally and financially. This little blog is for accountability, to myself and whomever else crosses it. I have taken a before photo of myself in my skivvies, but I am totally not ready to share it. My goal is a minimum of 14 days juicing, leading into a genuine lifestyle change even as I incorporate chewing back into my life. Here we go!