Wednesday, May 2, 2012

FINAL BLOG UPDATE!! (Finally)

Hi Everyone! So sorry that it has taken me so long to type this. I have had a pretty hectic week thus far with school! Good news, it's last week of classes, bad news, I have had a plethora of work and studying to accomplish. Anyway..the juice fast is OVER! I had a successful ending, and boy did it feel good to finally eat a solid meal!

My first meal when it was finished was a salad. Boring, I know..but it was amazing. One thing I noticed right away is that I wasn't particularly hungry after the fast finished. I know I can eat at any time..but I'm not particularly hungry. This seems quite peculiar because I felt like I was STARVING (to death, obviously) while the fast was in full swing. Maybe it's a "mind over matter" situation.

The last two days of the fast were rough. I was cranky, moody, and I had a ten page paper due on Monday. Those factors did not help..at all. Keeping myself locked in my room all day Sunday was pretty much how I dealt with it. Great coping skills, eh?

Anyway..total weight loss was 6lbs during the fast. I weighed in at 148 this morning..which means that I did gain back a pound..but that was to be expected. I did go to the gym yesterday, and I intend to go again at some point today.

I have to say that I enjoyed the fast, but I'm not sure that it was really my forte. I feel like the success I have had with good old diet and exercise worked better for me..mostly due to the fact that I wasn't nearly as moody and cranky while I was doing those. I didn't even put my contacts in until Friday of last week. I just didn't have the ambition to do much. So..if you encountered my disheveled appearance last week, I apologize. I'm brushing my hair again!

Anyway, thanks to all whose words of encouragement helped to get me through the week..it was tough, but I made it..couldn't have done it without all of you <3

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Day 5..Approaching the end!

Good Afternoon! It has been a pretty uneventful morning thus far..but I didn't want you to think I forgot to update (Like I'm sure most of you reallllly care). Hah.

Anyway..as I said..not much has happened today. I have had one serving of juice thus far..and it was the same juice I had on Day 1. I wasn't feeling particularly ambitious this morning. HOWEVER..last night I did branch out and try something a little different..even for me!

Juice #9 was..interesting to say the least.

It consisted of:

1 Large Sweet Potato
1 Red Beet (recipe calls for 2..but I'm not THAT adventurous!)
1 Carrot
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 Golden Delicious Apples
1 Orange (which was optional..but I opted YES on this one)


It was definitely the brightest juice I've made thus far. It was basically a neon pink color, thanks beets! It was..okay. I can't say I really liked it, but I didn't hate it either. Not sure I'd ever try it again..maybe there is my answer. It is very beet-y and kind of texture-y due to the potatoes.

More good news! Down another .5lb!! I would love it if I was losing it faster..but I'm definitely not complaining..loss is loss..period.

Anyway, I'll be spending the afternoon hiking with a friend. Probably no need to update..but I'll be back..eventually!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Day 4..Afternoon..more than halfway there!!

Good news! My stomach is feeling significantly better today!! I was a little concerned with the way it felt yesterday..but so far..no big changes or anything to that effect! Woohoo! I lost another pound as of noon today! 149lbs. It feels pretty good to have gotten below that 150 mark! It's about time!!

I didn't write earlier, because I was kind of a bum this morning, and didn't even make any juice until noon! I made two different juices again!

Here goes:

Juice #7:
1 c. Green Grapes
1 Pear
1 Lime
2 Cucumbers

I apparently can't read..and I only used 1 cucumber in this juice! It was delicious..but it was a little tangy..NOW I KNOW WHY!! This is another one I will make again!

Oh! I forgot to mention that I went back to the store to get some more ingredients. I have enough for a couple more batches of fruit. Hopefully these will get me through at least the weekend..if not..I'll be making a third and final trip to the health food store! Actually, not final! I CAN'T WAIT to try some of the stuff there once I'm back on solid foods again! Some of the stuff is quite pricey..but worth it? We'll see..

Anyway, Juice #8 was a bit experimental for me.

2 Tomatoes
1-2 Garlic Cloves
20 Basil Leaves

It was titled "Bruschetta Juice" on the website I found it on. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I'm pleasantly pleased with this juice! I can only find two downsides..1) It doesn't yield very much juice at all..which means I'll have to make another recipe later this evening and 2) I am probably going to have Dragon Breath for the next week due to the fact that I went ahead and used the 2 cloves of garlic. It's quite yummy..I didn't know what to expect from it. I'm not sure I'll make it again any time soon..but it was a refreshing change of pace.

Anyway..that's all I really have for now..I'll probably update you later with Juice #9. Try not to be too excitedddd :o)

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Day 3..Evening Tummy Troubles

Well..some of the side effects may have started. I have been having some pretty legitimate stomach pains for a good portion of the evening. Initially, the pain was quite significant..but it only lasted for a few minutes. Now, I feel much better with the exception that my stomach doesn't feel "right". I wouldn't say it hurts..but it doesn't feel normal either. I'm guessing I'm in for a real treat in the next 24 hours or so. I was initially thinking of maybe eating a couple of crackers to see if they would settle my stomach. I have avoided doing so thus far..but we'll see how the rest of the night goes. Definitely looking forward to Day 7 at the moment..

Day 3..Juicemaster Extraordinaire? Probably Not.

Good Morning! Day 3 is here and I'm still feeling quite good! I'm soooo thankful about that little tidbit..but I'm hoping that my body doesn't other plans for the weekend. The scale said 150 even this morning. I was a little bummed because of how much it changed between days 1 and 2. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, .8lbs is still a good loss for one day! Staying positive!

So..Day 3 has been..interesting thus far. Mostly due to the adventures I had while juicing this morning. Yes..even weird people who blog about drinking juice can have adventures.

Anyway, Juice #5 started the adventure. The recipe I had called for the use of 1/4 pineapple. Due to my juicing adventure yesterday..I'm fresh out of it. So..I substituted two apples in its place.

The recipe I used:

1 c. Blackberries
1 Kiwi
2 Apples
30 Mint Leaves (I estimated)
1/2 Pear
1/4 c. Coconut Water

It..was..delightful. The apple blended well with the other flavors and I didn't feel like I had screwed up the recipe at all. This was where my juicing expedition went awry. I think I got a big head about my juicing skills so I went a little crazy. Not too crazy..but I had a number of fruits where my supply had nearly diminished..so I made a bit of a concoction.

Here goes:

1/2 Pear
1 Apple (Last one!)
1 Cucumber
1 Kale Leaf
1 Handful Alfalfa Sprouts
4 Spears of Broccoli
1/2 Lemon
1 Orange
1/4 c. Raspberries

It was..not as good as the first one. It is a juice I would consider to be..consumable, but not one that I will enjoy whole-heartedly. Oh well. I should have known from the strange orange-green-brown color that it was not going to be something I loved. That's okay though..I might have learned my lesson. I'm going to stick primarily to the recipes and only make changes if I see fit.

Also..I have noticed that the fruit supply seems to have diminished considerably. I'll most likely be taking another trek to the store in the next day or so. I have a couple of other recipes I've found that I'd like to try..so I'll be getting the ingredients for those too.

Anyway..Day 3 seems to have gotten off to a pretty decent start!

"Whether you think you can..or you can't..you're right" - Stewie Griffin..my words of encouragement for today. Haha.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Day 2..Evening

Soo..juicing is still going strong, but I wanted to point out a funny thing that happened today. Some spouses are supportive of juice fasts. NOT MINE, APPARENTLY. I received this little gem in the mail today. Yep..it's a basket of wine, crackers and cheese. I think that he's trying to sabotage me. My husband, who is deployed overseas in the Navy, didn't know I was going to start the fast until after he had it sent. I guess I'll have something to look forward to when I'm done!



Anyway..the day is winding down and I still feel pretty good! I've got two servings of Juice #4 to hold me over until morning, as well as a case of water at my disposal. Goodnight all!

Day 2

Good (Almost) Afternoon! Day 2 is upon me..and I'm feeling quite good as of right now. I'll be completely honest..last night was kind of rough. I thought that maybe going to sleep early would help to curb the fact that I was feeling quite hungry (water wasn't cutting it..and I hadn't made any juice to get me through the night..and that juicer is loud! I didn't want to wake up the neighborhood). Anyway, I woke up about an hour after going to sleep and was up until about 3:30am! On a positive note..it helped me get a head start on a couple of things for school. Either way, I did question the fasting thing last night..I was quite miserable.

I'm happy to report that I woke up this morning feeling pretty good! I was concerned because I have read that the first few days are the hardest. This doesn't seem too awful. Also..I am thrilled to report that the scale read 150.8 this morning! That's almost a 3lb weight loss since yesterday! That kind of helped to rebuild my motivation, which suffered last night while I was cranky and hungry. I will, however, be keeping a back up supply of juice overnight to avoid that happening again.

I made Juice #3 and Juice #4 this morning. It's probably weird that I get really excited about making new juices..but when you're not eating any solid foods..you have to get your jollies from somewhere, I suppose.

Anyway, Juice #3 consists of:
1/2 Pineapple
1/2 Stalk Celery
1/2 Cucumber
Small Piece of Lime
Handful Spinach
1/2 Avocado
Wheatgrass

Okay, I know you can't juice an avocado! I found a recipe that called for an avocado and I was intrigued, so I figured I'd take a stab at making it. You juice all of the other ingredients..then switch everything to the blender and add the avocado. You make more dishes..but it's a pretty good juice. The recipe called for a "Handful of Spinach"..I may have gone a little overboard. This juice tastes heavily of spinach..and only a little of the fruits that were added. It's all good though..luckily I like the taste of spinach..but I would recommend anyone who doesn't like it to use significantly less!


Juice #4:
1/2 Lime
2 Apples
1/2 Pineapple
1/2 Cucumber
1/2 Avocado
Wheatgrass

I made this juice specifically to use up the rest of some of the ingredients I had to chop in half for Juice #3. I am extremely anal retentive when it comes to fresh produce..and I don't feel comfortable wrapping it up, so this recipe worked perfectly. This juice ended up having more of a green hue than I think it is supposed to have, and this happened because I'm extremely lazy and didn't clean the juicer in between. Oh well..spinach is good for you, right? This juice is a lot sweeter than the last one..and the flavors blended quite nicely with one another. I think that in the grand scheme of today, Juice #4 wins the taste test.

Anyway, that's all that's really happening now. I'm happy to report that I'm not experiencing any additional side effects as of right now..which I consider to be a major plus. If necessary, I'll update later..if not..I look forward to stepping on the scale tomorrow morning.

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement!