Juice Fast Day #5

Good Morning!

Just checking in really quick, it has been a couple of days since I posted. Still going strong and feeling better everyday. Day #3 was a little rough with the detox symptoms. Day #4 I felt great and it felt a lot easier. Aside from having a dream yesterday morning about french fries growing like grass on our land in Colorado (LOL), I haven't had too much mind hunger!!! Today is Day #5 and I am running low on everything, I need to make a much needed trip to get some organic produce. I went through a 10 lbs. bag of carrots in 5 days! I am going to turn into a rabbit. I was finally brave enough to drink RawRawLife's (Carla's) favorite juice again (Grapefruit Carrot Ginger Juice) since I threw it up last time. So far I am doing pretty good, tastes a LOT better and doesn't hurt my stomach since I peeled the grapefruit. Now I know why she likes it, it has a zing to it that puts some pep in my step. Now I am off to the grocery store.


Revelation #1- This is also a spiritual journey for me. I haven't read the bible much in over 7-8 years. I asked myself yesterday how I was going to find the strength to make it through at least 40 days of Juice Feasting. I decided to give it over to God and he will help me find the strength within myself. For some reason Proverbs 23 popped into my head so I read it. It definitely spoke to me and applied to my juice fast.

Revelation #2- My grandmother passed away August 1st, 2011. Shortly after my husband and I got married (June 25th, 2011). She was unable to make it to our wedding, which was devastating. She spent the last three months of her life in a hospital. Needless to say she had some very bad eating habits, she loved Pepsi (would only drink Pepsi unless she was very sick she would drink water), chocolate, and ice cream. She was a fairly thin woman, but her terrible eating habits probably caused her to get colon cancer and have other intestinal problems that required two surgeries. Her body wasn't nourished which didn't help her survive those surgeries. I am talking about her weaknesses for a reason (she inspired me). She was an extremely loving and generous person to everyone that she loved. She was also a nurse and continued to volunteer at the hospital she worked at for 35 years. Her last gift was a wedding present. She wrote a check to me and Bryan. I watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead in August 2011, shortly after she passed away. I bought an Omega masticating juicer with the money she gave us. I set out to go on a 10 day juice fast, for health and for grieving. I didn't quite make it, I think it lasted 8-9 days. The grief was too much and my addiction to food for comfort was calling. Today as I was juicing  I began to miss her. I miss her company, her smile, and her extremely strong squeezing hugs. I then realized again why I bought that juicer. She purchased that juicer in a way and it will always be the gift that keeps on giving. A very valuable gift that if I choose to regularly use will help give me health, something I know she would have wanted for me.

Until next time try and be your true self!

Juice Fast Day #2

Hello Everyone!

So day #1 was a little rough. I started having "mind hunger" later in the day. I wasn't really hungry I was just craving solid food. The juices are actually quite satisfying.

I had:

Juice #1
"V-8" Juice:
3 carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 green bell pepper
1 cucumber
1 cup of spinach
1 cup of tomatoes
1/2 lemon
1 clove of garlic
1 tbs. of Apple Cider Vinegar
A few splashes of Hot Sauce

Juice # 2-
Blueberry Greens Juice- I had to re-strain the juice because blueberries just don't juice well

Juice #3
Cucumber Apple Cilantro Juice

Juice #4
"V-8" Juice

After juice #4 I started to have some "detox" symptoms aka. diarrhea. I know TMI, but I want to be as honest as possible because some people make juicing look way too easy.

Day #2 Juice Fasting

I was feeling pretty tired and had a headache when I woke up this morning. I love my "V-8" Juice so I made some for Juice #1. My husband and I had plans to go to our local farmer's market at 9:00 am. Then I made Grapefruit Carrot Ginger Juice (rawrawlife's favorite juice) in case I got hungry while we were out. Needless to say we got there around 11:00 am. Fortunately they had a lot of what I needed: sweet red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and beets. Afterwards we went to a few of the neighborhood estate sales and we got an awesome electric wok for $5! I know I won't be using it for awhile because I plan on eating a raw food diet for awhile after my juice fast, but it was such a great deal and we had to replace our old one. When we got home I had Juice #2 and then moments later I vomited all of it. I was in a hurry to get to the farmer's market and didn't peel the Grapefruit, which made the juice really bitter. So either I threw up because it was too bitter or it was just more detox symptoms. Afterwards I was pretty tired and slept until early evening. I wrapped up the day with Cucumber Apple Cilantro Juice. Since I slept so late I only had 3 juices instead of 4. I decided to add some organic vegetable broth to my fluid intake because I was craving something warm.

Excuse the beer stein I am just too German. This is the Grapefruit Carrot Ginger Juice. I will have to try it again, but next time I will PEEL the Grapefruit.

That is all for now. Until next time try to be your true self.

Juice Fast Day # 1

Good Morning!

So today is the first day of my juice fast! I am so excited to start this journey. I feel somewhat more prepared today than I did yesterday. I tried to plan what juices I would make for the first week, but I may improvise because I have so much fresh produce and I don't want any of it to go to waste. I will post tomorrow what I drank today.

I went to Costco with a few co-workers yesterday, one of them had a card and was sweet enough to take me (on her birthday)! They surprisingly had quite a bit of organic produce.

I got:
Raspberries (my favorite)
Blueberries
15 lbs. bag of carrots
5 lbs. bag of my baby kale
1 large pineapple
5 lbs. bag of organic coffee

Since we went after work (I get off work at 7 and commute 25 miles) I didn't make my green smoothie as planned. I wasn't all that hungry so I had a handful of fresh raspberries! I am happy they were my last solid meal otherwise it would have been a Subway Chopped Veggie Salad :(. I was running behind as usual and didn't prepare my lunch as planned. I think I may be making all of my juices in the morning so I don't run into any trouble when I am at work!

You are what you eat! Look what this juice fast is going to do to me!

Day # 3 of Transition Phase

Hello Everyone!

Okay so today is day #3 of the transition phase and things are starting to get real. I am still trying to mentally prepare myself that I won't be eating any solid food for at least 40 days and possibly 60 and both fasts include another 3 day transition phase to safely start eating whole foods. I am still very excited about my juice fast journey but still a little bit leery of it (or myself). I know that there will be ups and downs, I know I will come across situations that will tempt me to eat (bad food), and I know that at times I just may want to give up. But what I really know is that I am tired of starting over and over to establish a healthy lifestyle for myself. If I do slip-up during this fast I will continue the next day with the fast (not that I plan to have any slip-ups). I have always had this all or nothing kind of mindset and I know that it hasn't and won't get me very far in life. I want to break the fast of that mindset, of self-loathing, and starting over and over again. All these habits affect my life and those I love and I want to put an end to that. In the past I have just tried to lose weight. Being a certain weight is not what its all about, so this time I feel more empowered because this juice fast is about total wellness (mind, body, and spirit).


Menu for Transition Day # 3 (last day of solid food)

Breakfast: Celery Green Apple Spinach Juice
Lunch: 2 to 3 cups fresh fruit
Snack: 16 oz. Cucumber Apple Celery Cilantro Juice (cilantro- a chelator is a substance that draws out heavy metals, toxic chemicals, and other impurities from your blood and other tissues in your body.)
Dinner: 32 oz. Green Smoothie

Day # 2 of Transition Phase

Good Morning!

I didn't get up quite as early as I did yesterday, but many experts say that resting is key to a successful juice fast. I know that I am not technically fasting yet, but you guys saw what I ate yesterday. The food was still very satisfying especially the Raw Nori Submarine Wrap. It was so good that I also had it for dinner because it was pretty much the same ingredients as the the Avocado Boats and Super Mixed Green Salad. I honestly don't know how they fit all the ingredients into one Nori Wrap (I ended up using two), they must be super duper Nori Wrappers! I also ended up not having the 16 oz. juice yesterday. We have laying hens and I went to go feed them again shortly before I had to leave for work and there was a copperhead snake stuck in the chicken wire trying to bite my curious chickens!!! So sadly I had to kill the snake with a shovel like a mad woman, which took some time and alas was unable to make my juice before work. I fortunately had some bottled blueberry pomegranate juice which is better than nothing...right?

I am down 1.5 lbs from yesterday, which is definitely water weight and I got an enema bag yesterday....eww I know! Many long-term juice fasters swear by it. It is supposed to help lessen the detox symptoms such as headaches and I don't need any stinking headaches since I work with young children four days a week. I was inspired to try it out after I watched this hilarious but educational video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcDXOVCP2bM

I got mine at Walgreen's $12.99 and if I decide I don't want to use it anymore at least it doubles as one of those old fashioned hot/cold packs.

Anyways this is what my menu looks like for Day #2 of the Transition Phase

Breakfast: 2 cups of fresh fruit
Lunch: 16 oz. of Cantaloupe Juice and Super Mixed Green Salad
Snack: 16 oz. of Lettuce Apple Celery Carrot Juice
Dinner: Creamy Kale Soup (raw)

I can't wait to use my Omega Juicer! I haven't used it since last summer :( !!!

Until next time, try to be your best self!

                                                       ~ Ellen

Introduction

Hi everyone!

I have decided to do at least a 40 day juice feast with the possibility of 60 days. It has a three day transition period which I am starting today and then a 3 day transition period after the juice feast to ease back into eating solid foods. So therefore I am embarking on at least 46 day health rejuvenation adventure. I did an 8-9 day juice fast in August of 2011 so I know some of what to expect...:) maybe.

I have decided to do this fast for many reasons; to change my relationship with food, rid my body of toxins, to lose excess weight I have been carrying, and to personally grow closer to my true self. 

I don't usually like The Complete Idiot's Guide....to whatever, but I ended up getting the book for juice fasting because of it's comprehensive long-term juice feasting plans and recipes.

Day 1 of Transition Phase:

Breakfast: 16 oz. Berry Smoothie
Lunch: Raw Nori Submarine Sandwich (raw vegan)
Snack: 16 oz. of Cantaloupe Juice
Dinner: Avocado Boats and Super Mixed Green Salad

This is considerably different from my current diet, but I have been Pescetarian for the past month and I have cut out gluten on and off due to sensitivity. Hopefully my previous diet will help with the detox symptoms that I may experience when I get further into my fast. But I love coffee and sugar so that might make it a bit harder.

I woke up at 5:30 this morning, had a cup of Holy Basil Tea, and went on an hour long walk with my Husband Bryan and English Springer Spaniel Winston. Now it is time for my yummy berry smoothie. 

Until next time try to be your true self it is a hard journey but one that is well worth it!