This is 75 calories of cauliflower. Far, far more satisfying than 50 calories of any juice you can name.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
The Beauty of Veggies.
This is 75 calories of cauliflower. Far, far more satisfying than 50 calories of any juice you can name.
Day 9: Cutting it Short
I've lost 6 pounds in 8 days. That's a lot. Justin has lost 10 pounds in 6 (I told you guys lose faster!). I am officially adding food back into my diet, but I'm going to stay under 1200 calories a day. I feel like if I consume only juice much longer that I'll drown or something. So I'm going to keep drinking it a couple of times a day, and supplement with healthy foods and tons of raw veggies. Hopefully I'll lose between 2 and 3 pounds a week, and if not, I'll re-evaluate, and possibly do juice 2 days a week. I'm going to keep writing here, but as I've stopped fully juicing, I'm going to change the title. When I think of something, I'll let you know.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Day 8: One Full Week
I am back in Amarillo today and tomorrow, but this time I had the forethought to make some juice last night and bring it with me. I packed 5 servings of homemade juice, and a couple of the Raaw juices to supplement. Hopefully this will get me through. There are also places like Jamba Juice here, where I can go for a treat.
I realized last night that part of the reason my hunger has come back is because I ran out of my Wellbutrin, which is what usually keeps me from feeling too snacky. My refill will be waiting for me on Wednesday, and I eexpect to feel much better.
Week 1 of 8.5 is over, and this is both easier and harder than I expected. I'm not as hungry as I anticipated, but I miss the textures of foods, and I'm super bored with juice. They all taste pretty much the same, and that makes it harder to look forward to drinking one. Over all, I think I can make it, at least for one more week.
xo
I realized last night that part of the reason my hunger has come back is because I ran out of my Wellbutrin, which is what usually keeps me from feeling too snacky. My refill will be waiting for me on Wednesday, and I eexpect to feel much better.
Week 1 of 8.5 is over, and this is both easier and harder than I expected. I'm not as hungry as I anticipated, but I miss the textures of foods, and I'm super bored with juice. They all taste pretty much the same, and that makes it harder to look forward to drinking one. Over all, I think I can make it, at least for one more week.
xo
Sunday, September 28, 2014
Comments
I think I've fixed the comments feature so that you can comment without having to log in to OpenId or any of that stuff. If I start getting a lot of weird spam though, I'll have to change it back to being a pain in the butt.
Day 7: A Setback
Last night, some of my family came to town to see The Boxtrolls with us. You should see this movie. On Friday night, I had a little breakdown, because this was really the first social interaction we were scheduled to have since we started the fast, and I was upset that we couldn't join my family for dinner. Plus, popcorn is such an integral part of the movie experience for me, I felt overwhelmed.
I planned to just drink juice before, have a drink in the theater and suck it up. But then I ran out of time getting ready and didn't have enough time to have a juice. I hadn't had anything all day, and I was so hungry. My blood sugar was low, and I was feeling seriously not great, so I made the decision to eat real food.
I fell off the wagon and had a grilled chicken Caesar wrap at the theater (with no dressing and no nuts). It totaled 710 calories. So, I'm sorry if you are disappointed in me, but you know, life still has to happen, and I know that if I didn't eat something during the movie, that I would have come home, dropped the whole thing and binged on Eggo waffles because I allowed myself to get overwhelmed. I figure that by eating something semi-reasonable, I avoided collapsing and quitting completely.
The fast was broken. But just for one day. I'm back on the wagon now. I don't know if I'll be able to keep this up for 60 days. At some point, I may need to opt for a small, healthy meal at lunch (a few hundred calories) and have juice for other meals and snacks. In 6 days, I have not hit 1000 calories a single time, in a day (even with the wrap). Most days I've been well under 900, and that's just not a realistic amount of calories to maintain long term. I haven't decided yet, but I don't think that I can drink enough juice to get enough calories, because with the water I'm also drinking, I feel sort of waterlogged all the time. I don't know. I feel better having eaten something, and like I can move forward.
I also chopped a chunk of my index fingertip off last night, while I was trying to peel a lime, so typing is difficult. Excuse any typos that I may have missed!
The good news: I got on a scale today and have lost 5 pounds. We also ordered a scale, which I think will be here on Tuesday.
xo
I planned to just drink juice before, have a drink in the theater and suck it up. But then I ran out of time getting ready and didn't have enough time to have a juice. I hadn't had anything all day, and I was so hungry. My blood sugar was low, and I was feeling seriously not great, so I made the decision to eat real food.
I fell off the wagon and had a grilled chicken Caesar wrap at the theater (with no dressing and no nuts). It totaled 710 calories. So, I'm sorry if you are disappointed in me, but you know, life still has to happen, and I know that if I didn't eat something during the movie, that I would have come home, dropped the whole thing and binged on Eggo waffles because I allowed myself to get overwhelmed. I figure that by eating something semi-reasonable, I avoided collapsing and quitting completely.
The fast was broken. But just for one day. I'm back on the wagon now. I don't know if I'll be able to keep this up for 60 days. At some point, I may need to opt for a small, healthy meal at lunch (a few hundred calories) and have juice for other meals and snacks. In 6 days, I have not hit 1000 calories a single time, in a day (even with the wrap). Most days I've been well under 900, and that's just not a realistic amount of calories to maintain long term. I haven't decided yet, but I don't think that I can drink enough juice to get enough calories, because with the water I'm also drinking, I feel sort of waterlogged all the time. I don't know. I feel better having eaten something, and like I can move forward.
I also chopped a chunk of my index fingertip off last night, while I was trying to peel a lime, so typing is difficult. Excuse any typos that I may have missed!
The good news: I got on a scale today and have lost 5 pounds. We also ordered a scale, which I think will be here on Tuesday.
xo
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Day 6: Possible Side Effects
WARNING: Today we're gonna talk about poo, so skip it if you're squeamish. (We're going to talk about other stuff too.)
We're on day 6, and I think I can safely say that I am over the hump, and feeling pretty good. I walked down the Halloween candy aisle at Target today without even a twinge of longing. Victory! So far, today has been J's worst day. However, I think that we've reached a turning point, because we made a very exciting discovery. Y'all ready?
WE CAN HAVE BROTH!
That is not a sentence I ever anticipated typing with an exclamation point, but let me tell you, after nearly a week of not ingesting anything warm, it feels like winning an Oscar. We checked to make sure this is actually true, on the site that's run by Joe, the documentary guy, and his site even has -recipes- for drinks using broth. So we are in the clear. Oh, happy day!
Moving on. I want to discuss some stuff that I've noticed, and maybe warn anyone who is considering undertaking this sort of experiment about a few things.
1. If you drink a lot of beet-based juices, it will look like you are bleeding out when you go to the bathroom. J, who is a nurse, and knows better, totally freaked out a couple of days ago when he discovered that little treat.
2. Your poo is going to stink. I mean, I know it isn't something you'd want to make a Yankee Candle out of on a regular basis anyway, but seriously, this is worse.
3. There is good news though, you may not have to go much at all. This has been my experience. I was warned in the days leading up to this that I'd have terrible diarrhea, and all sorts of unpleasant digestive experiences, and while J seems to be following that trend, I am not. I rarely have to go, and when I do, there isn't a lot of...volume. Now the whole, wide Internet knows about my bathroom habits. My parents will be so proud.
I've also noticed some changes in my appearance in the past couple of days. I still don't know if I've lost any weight (haven't gotten around to ordering a scale), but there are some new and different things happening.
First of all, my nose looks bigger. This is something that usually happens when I've lost some weight in my face. It's not a look I particularly enjoy, but J likes big noses, so there is that.
I have also seemed to develop some serious eye circles. I always have little pockets of darkness around the inner corners of my eyes, but now, I have deep, I don't know...pockets all around my eyes (but they aren't so dark anymore). It's the direct, extreme opposite of puffiness. Observe:
We're on day 6, and I think I can safely say that I am over the hump, and feeling pretty good. I walked down the Halloween candy aisle at Target today without even a twinge of longing. Victory! So far, today has been J's worst day. However, I think that we've reached a turning point, because we made a very exciting discovery. Y'all ready?
WE CAN HAVE BROTH!
That is not a sentence I ever anticipated typing with an exclamation point, but let me tell you, after nearly a week of not ingesting anything warm, it feels like winning an Oscar. We checked to make sure this is actually true, on the site that's run by Joe, the documentary guy, and his site even has -recipes- for drinks using broth. So we are in the clear. Oh, happy day!
Moving on. I want to discuss some stuff that I've noticed, and maybe warn anyone who is considering undertaking this sort of experiment about a few things.
1. If you drink a lot of beet-based juices, it will look like you are bleeding out when you go to the bathroom. J, who is a nurse, and knows better, totally freaked out a couple of days ago when he discovered that little treat.
2. Your poo is going to stink. I mean, I know it isn't something you'd want to make a Yankee Candle out of on a regular basis anyway, but seriously, this is worse.
3. There is good news though, you may not have to go much at all. This has been my experience. I was warned in the days leading up to this that I'd have terrible diarrhea, and all sorts of unpleasant digestive experiences, and while J seems to be following that trend, I am not. I rarely have to go, and when I do, there isn't a lot of...volume. Now the whole, wide Internet knows about my bathroom habits. My parents will be so proud.
I've also noticed some changes in my appearance in the past couple of days. I still don't know if I've lost any weight (haven't gotten around to ordering a scale), but there are some new and different things happening.
First of all, my nose looks bigger. This is something that usually happens when I've lost some weight in my face. It's not a look I particularly enjoy, but J likes big noses, so there is that.
I have also seemed to develop some serious eye circles. I always have little pockets of darkness around the inner corners of my eyes, but now, I have deep, I don't know...pockets all around my eyes (but they aren't so dark anymore). It's the direct, extreme opposite of puffiness. Observe:
J says this is because I've lost the subcutaneous fat and fluid around my eyes. Well, yay for losing fat, but that's not exactly where I wanted to lose it. At least Halloween is around the corner; I've got the zombie look down. Those pictures also showcase my giant new nose.
J's whole head looks smaller. He's been doing this for about half the time I have, and he seems to be seeing more visible results. This is what always happens when a female trys to lose weight at the same time as male. They will always have more dramatic results, that's just the way it is, so be prepared if you are doing this with your spouse/significant other and they happen to be the opposite gender of yourself.
We both seem to have more energy (except for J, today, but he'll move past that). Our libidos have improved (Sorry, dad!). Our skin looks clearer (except for one small hormonal face demon on my chin). And I am waking up thirsty, instead of hungry.
That's all I've got for today!
xo
Friday, September 26, 2014
Day 5: The Cost of Juicing
I've had several questions about whether this juice thing is super expensive, that is something that definitely needs to be addressed. I think, overall, it doesn't actually make that much difference, financially, if we are juicing or eating real foods.
When I went to Amarillo last week, I purchased 6 juices to take with me, as well as 2 large bottles and 3 small bottles of juice for J to take to work with him while I was gone. It cost about $45 for all of the juices. That sounds like a lot for 11 bottles of juice, but if you think of it as being 2 days of meals, for 2 people, it's not quite so daunting. If I had eaten out for lunch in Amarillo, I probably would have spent about $10 per day, and I probably would have grabbed dinner on my way home somewhere, so really, by taking my $15 of juice, I spent less than I would have otherwise.
That's the breakdown for store-bought juices, which are typically more expensive than what we make at home.
As an example, of what we're spending at home, this is my favorite juice, which I usually use for breakfast, since it's pretty sweet. It is made of:
1 Keitt mango ($2.50)
2 Stalks of celery (less than $1)
1 cucumber (69 cents)
1 large carrot (less than $1)
1 honey crisp apple (about $2)
So all that together adds up to less than $8, and usually makes me 2 servings of juice. The other juices typically cost about the same, almost all of them are under $10 for 2 jars. I drink between 4 and 6 juices per day, so I'm looking at about $25 per day, for all of my meals. (Also, things like carrots and celery and beets, etc. come in packages of more than one, for usually less than $2, so that makes the price breakdown slightly higher than if I estimated how much that one carrot actually costs.) If I buy things that are on sale, or in season, it's obviously cheaper than if I was going to buy, say, watermelon in December.
J started his full juice fast yesterday, but I'm assuming his intake will be similar to mine. So, for both of us, it's about $50 per day. Again, that sounds like a lot, but think about it like this:
A typical meal for us would include a pound of chicken ($7), some kind of fresh vegetable ($3-$5), some kind of starch (pasta, potato, bread, whatever) ($2-$5), so that's about $12-$18, or more if I need sauce or other ingredients, for one meal. We also eat out a lot, and fast food generally runs between $16 and $30, for one meal, or if we go to a "sit-down" restaurant, we're looking at at least $40 to $50. Again, for one meal.
I know that's sort of rambling, and might be confusing, but it's all to say, we are spending about the same amount on groceries that we always do (maybe just a bit more), and we are saving money by not eating out, so it pretty much breaks even. If you want to try a juice fast, definitely don't let the cost be what scares you away. I know that people always say that fresh produce is expensive, but it's really not, if you're careful, and you end up saving money in other places.
xo
When I went to Amarillo last week, I purchased 6 juices to take with me, as well as 2 large bottles and 3 small bottles of juice for J to take to work with him while I was gone. It cost about $45 for all of the juices. That sounds like a lot for 11 bottles of juice, but if you think of it as being 2 days of meals, for 2 people, it's not quite so daunting. If I had eaten out for lunch in Amarillo, I probably would have spent about $10 per day, and I probably would have grabbed dinner on my way home somewhere, so really, by taking my $15 of juice, I spent less than I would have otherwise.
That's the breakdown for store-bought juices, which are typically more expensive than what we make at home.
As an example, of what we're spending at home, this is my favorite juice, which I usually use for breakfast, since it's pretty sweet. It is made of:
1 Keitt mango ($2.50)
2 Stalks of celery (less than $1)
1 cucumber (69 cents)
1 large carrot (less than $1)
1 honey crisp apple (about $2)
So all that together adds up to less than $8, and usually makes me 2 servings of juice. The other juices typically cost about the same, almost all of them are under $10 for 2 jars. I drink between 4 and 6 juices per day, so I'm looking at about $25 per day, for all of my meals. (Also, things like carrots and celery and beets, etc. come in packages of more than one, for usually less than $2, so that makes the price breakdown slightly higher than if I estimated how much that one carrot actually costs.) If I buy things that are on sale, or in season, it's obviously cheaper than if I was going to buy, say, watermelon in December.
J started his full juice fast yesterday, but I'm assuming his intake will be similar to mine. So, for both of us, it's about $50 per day. Again, that sounds like a lot, but think about it like this:
A typical meal for us would include a pound of chicken ($7), some kind of fresh vegetable ($3-$5), some kind of starch (pasta, potato, bread, whatever) ($2-$5), so that's about $12-$18, or more if I need sauce or other ingredients, for one meal. We also eat out a lot, and fast food generally runs between $16 and $30, for one meal, or if we go to a "sit-down" restaurant, we're looking at at least $40 to $50. Again, for one meal.
I know that's sort of rambling, and might be confusing, but it's all to say, we are spending about the same amount on groceries that we always do (maybe just a bit more), and we are saving money by not eating out, so it pretty much breaks even. If you want to try a juice fast, definitely don't let the cost be what scares you away. I know that people always say that fresh produce is expensive, but it's really not, if you're careful, and you end up saving money in other places.
xo
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Day 4: Things I've Learned So Far
It's day 4, and I've learned some things, and I'm going to share, in case any of you decide to do this.
1. It's much easier to stay on track if I make a bunch of juice at once and store it (in mason jars) in the fridge (enough for a whole day, but not more than that). That way, when I'm hungry, I can grab an already made juice, and I don't let laziness stop me from drinking some. Yesterday I made a batch of mango/apple/celery/carrot and a batch of beet/carrot/sweet potato/cucumber/celery/apple, and that worked out well.
2. If you add spices (which is allowed) to some juices, the flavor is more complex, and it's more satisfying. I added about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to my beet mixture, and felt immediately better about having juice for dinner. Other recommended spices are cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and if you're into that sort of thing (I'm not) pumpkin spice.
3. Water is just as important as the juice, if not more. If I drink water at the same time as my juice, I don't get overwhelmed with the flavor of the juice. Water also helps me feel full, at least for awhile.
4. I do not enjoy kale. No. No, no, no. Spinach, however, is great juiced.
5. Drinking with a straw makes the juices that are taste failures easier to drink. Straws also prevent any sort of disgusting juice mustache.
I do seem to have more energy, which helps to distract me from thoughts of food. I've managed to do -all- of my laundry, which never happens, and clean out both hall closets (after spending most of the day in Amarillo on Tuesday). I don't know if this is due to the Spark (which always gives me an energy boost, but not typically this much), or if it's because of the added vitamins and nutrients that I'm consuming (as opposed to my usual diet of restaurants, fast food, junk food, fancy cheese, and French butter).
I have not had any of the horrifying digestive side effects that everyone told me to expect, which is making me feel incredibly lucky. I'm sure that I wouldn't be able to continue if I was having to spend most of my day in the bathroom.
So, that's today. Let me know: should I continue daily updates, or switch to every couple of days now that I'm in the swing of things?
xo
1. It's much easier to stay on track if I make a bunch of juice at once and store it (in mason jars) in the fridge (enough for a whole day, but not more than that). That way, when I'm hungry, I can grab an already made juice, and I don't let laziness stop me from drinking some. Yesterday I made a batch of mango/apple/celery/carrot and a batch of beet/carrot/sweet potato/cucumber/celery/apple, and that worked out well.
 |
| Lovely juices (The jars are blue, the the juice isn't actually that weird green color.) (Also, most of the beet juice was already in my drinking glass when I decided to take a picture.) |
2. If you add spices (which is allowed) to some juices, the flavor is more complex, and it's more satisfying. I added about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to my beet mixture, and felt immediately better about having juice for dinner. Other recommended spices are cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and if you're into that sort of thing (I'm not) pumpkin spice.
3. Water is just as important as the juice, if not more. If I drink water at the same time as my juice, I don't get overwhelmed with the flavor of the juice. Water also helps me feel full, at least for awhile.
4. I do not enjoy kale. No. No, no, no. Spinach, however, is great juiced.
5. Drinking with a straw makes the juices that are taste failures easier to drink. Straws also prevent any sort of disgusting juice mustache.
I do seem to have more energy, which helps to distract me from thoughts of food. I've managed to do -all- of my laundry, which never happens, and clean out both hall closets (after spending most of the day in Amarillo on Tuesday). I don't know if this is due to the Spark (which always gives me an energy boost, but not typically this much), or if it's because of the added vitamins and nutrients that I'm consuming (as opposed to my usual diet of restaurants, fast food, junk food, fancy cheese, and French butter).
I have not had any of the horrifying digestive side effects that everyone told me to expect, which is making me feel incredibly lucky. I'm sure that I wouldn't be able to continue if I was having to spend most of my day in the bathroom.
So, that's today. Let me know: should I continue daily updates, or switch to every couple of days now that I'm in the swing of things?
xo
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Day 3: Regret Sets In
I miss food y'all. I know I had the teeny cheating scandal, but that was TWO DAYS ago. (And only a little bit of food, like 3 bites!) I miss chewing. Foods I don't even like are starting to look like the most delicious thing in the world. Suddenly I'm like "Lima beans? Yes! That sounds AMAZING!" When, in fact, lima beas are the least amazing thing one could put into their mouth.
I'm back home and have access to the juicer now, which is good, but I still feel so limited. Even when the flavors are different, it's still juice, y'know? The one good thing is that I finally got my new order of Watermelon Spark, which has increased my energy. The bad thing is that because I am at home, there is easily accessible food. And most of it isn't great or interesting, but as I mentioned all foods sound good at this point.
I keep clinging to the hope that things really do get easier after day 5 or so. Please let it get better.
Also, I should probably look into getting a scale, so I can maybe track my progress...
xo
I'm back home and have access to the juicer now, which is good, but I still feel so limited. Even when the flavors are different, it's still juice, y'know? The one good thing is that I finally got my new order of Watermelon Spark, which has increased my energy. The bad thing is that because I am at home, there is easily accessible food. And most of it isn't great or interesting, but as I mentioned all foods sound good at this point.
 |
| mango juice and watermelon spark |
I keep clinging to the hope that things really do get easier after day 5 or so. Please let it get better.
Also, I should probably look into getting a scale, so I can maybe track my progress...
xo
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Day 2: Already a Cheating Scandal
Confession: As I anticipated, I was hungry around bedtime last night. That's no big surprise; I consumed less than 500 calories for the entire day. I didn't want to break into my juice stash for today (since I only had 3 with me), so before I went to bed, afraid that hunger would keep me awake, I ate a cheese stick. One.
There were only 90 calories in that little jewel, but it curbed my hunger, so I'm not beating myself up about it.
Today I was able to sleep a little later since I was already in Amarillo, and didn't have to get up crazy early to drive to class. I think the extra sleep has helped to keep me from feeling super hungry today. So far, I've had another Bolthouse farms protein plus shake (chocolate, yum), a This Tastes Raaw Better Beets juice (which is exactly what it sounds like) and a Strawberry and Purple Carrot juice from the same brand.
These were both really good (and pretty, which helps for some reason), so I'm going to try to get our grocery store to order more flavors of this juice, because they have a lot that I would like to try, including pineapple cucumber, very berry wheat grass, and carrot lemonade. Cross your fingers for me. I obviously need to be drinking more juice per day, since 500 calories is not going to cut it long term (or even short term, if I'm honest). My mistake here was not looking at the calories on the juices, and only packing 3 per day (when I really should be taking 5 or 6). Oh well, live and learn.
I don't feel starving yet, and I don't feel particularly edgy or any meaner than usual (it's a pretty high bar). For the good of society, let's all hope that continues.
A bit of a non-sequitur: My mom handled cremated remains over the weekend (putting them in memorial jewelry for a friend), and didn't get squicked out. I am -super- proud! Death interaction for the win!
It's already 9pm, and I'm home, with access to the juicer, so I don't anticipate another cheating scandal tonight. I know you'll forgive me for the last one!
xo
Monday, September 22, 2014
Day One: Complete
Okay, I started this morning with a vanilla flavored soy bean sort of milk thing, which is technically breaking the rules, but I wanted the extra protein, since I had to drive this morning and spend the day in class. In any case. It was actually delicious and filling, so yay.
Lunchtime I had a Blue Goodness juice from Bolthouse farms, also delicious, and it took away the hunger that appeared between breakfast and lunch.
I was super tired, and ended up napping in my car over my lunch break, but I don't think that has as much to do with the juice as with the fact that I only slept a couple of hours before getting up at 6.
I wasn't hungry for the second half of my school day, and I'm beginning to think this might actually work. It's currently about 5:45, and I am having my "dinner" which is a green juice (also Bolthouse Farms) which is full of kale and celery and spinach and I don't know..green stuff. It tastes like celery. I don't love it, but it's not the worst thing I've ever put in my mouth, and it's got lots of vitamins. I picked this one mostly because I wanted something that was mostly veggies, since I had a fruit based juice for lunch.
So yeah, this is a quick entry, since I'm out of town, and don't have an awful lot to say, but I wanted to document the beginning of this whole thing. I typically get hungry around bedtime, so I'm hoping that I can just drink some water and go to bed early to avoid the urge to snack.
I feel like I should post a "before" style picture here, so I guess this will work:
Lunchtime I had a Blue Goodness juice from Bolthouse farms, also delicious, and it took away the hunger that appeared between breakfast and lunch.
I was super tired, and ended up napping in my car over my lunch break, but I don't think that has as much to do with the juice as with the fact that I only slept a couple of hours before getting up at 6.
I wasn't hungry for the second half of my school day, and I'm beginning to think this might actually work. It's currently about 5:45, and I am having my "dinner" which is a green juice (also Bolthouse Farms) which is full of kale and celery and spinach and I don't know..green stuff. It tastes like celery. I don't love it, but it's not the worst thing I've ever put in my mouth, and it's got lots of vitamins. I picked this one mostly because I wanted something that was mostly veggies, since I had a fruit based juice for lunch.
So yeah, this is a quick entry, since I'm out of town, and don't have an awful lot to say, but I wanted to document the beginning of this whole thing. I typically get hungry around bedtime, so I'm hoping that I can just drink some water and go to bed early to avoid the urge to snack.
I feel like I should post a "before" style picture here, so I guess this will work:
Sunday, September 21, 2014
A Slight Change of Plans
Okay, so I'm still planning to start this juice thing on Monday, but there has been a slight snag in my plans. (Which I should have realized earlier, but didn't.)
On Mondays and Tuesdays I have classes in Amarillo, 2 hours away. J comes with me on the weeks that he's off, but this week, I'm flying solo, and here is where the problem arises:
1. I can't take the juicer with me (J will need it here).
2. I don't know if travelling (leaving the house at 6:30 am) is really the best time to start a drastic change in my diet, primarily because I don't want to be overcome with fatigue and drive off the road on my way home Tuesday evening.
It was suggested that I wait and start on Wednesday, but I'm pretty anal about needing to start things on Mondays, so here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to have sort of a "soft-start" to this fast. I purchased juices (Bolthouse Farms and Raaw) from the grocery store, which really is against the official rules, but I checked around and found the brands that are "approved" for this experiment because they don't have added sugar and preservatives, etc. I also got two non-fruit/veggie juices for this trip that have extra protein in them, which I think will help transition away from things like meat.
If on Tuesday I'm feeling sick or overly fatigued, I will eat some real food before leaving for home. I'll try to keep it healthy.
Here we go!
On Mondays and Tuesdays I have classes in Amarillo, 2 hours away. J comes with me on the weeks that he's off, but this week, I'm flying solo, and here is where the problem arises:
1. I can't take the juicer with me (J will need it here).
2. I don't know if travelling (leaving the house at 6:30 am) is really the best time to start a drastic change in my diet, primarily because I don't want to be overcome with fatigue and drive off the road on my way home Tuesday evening.
It was suggested that I wait and start on Wednesday, but I'm pretty anal about needing to start things on Mondays, so here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to have sort of a "soft-start" to this fast. I purchased juices (Bolthouse Farms and Raaw) from the grocery store, which really is against the official rules, but I checked around and found the brands that are "approved" for this experiment because they don't have added sugar and preservatives, etc. I also got two non-fruit/veggie juices for this trip that have extra protein in them, which I think will help transition away from things like meat.
If on Tuesday I'm feeling sick or overly fatigued, I will eat some real food before leaving for home. I'll try to keep it healthy.
Here we go!
Thursday, September 18, 2014
How It Works
So I've been receiving some questions about whether this is a good idea (I have no idea) and how it works (that, I can answer).
Here are the rules:
1. No solid food.
2. Only fruits and veggies can be juiced (so no, I don't get to just melt ice cream, sad.)
3. The juices need to be primarily veggies, because fruits have too much sugar.
4. I can drink around 5 juices a day (about 20-30 ounces each).
5. I'm not supposed to have caffeine, but that would end in bloody murder, so I will still be drinking my AdvoCare Spark drink mix as well as (one) diet coke per day. The Spark also contains lots of vitamins and minerals, and it will help keep my energy up.
6. I will continue to take my gummy vitamins because I tend to get very deficient in vitamin D, iron, and calcium even when my diet is really good.
7. This is going to be monitored by a physician, with regular blood work to ensure that I won't actually kill myself with juice.
8. I will be going to the gym, but I'm not increasing my workout to anything I wouldn't normally do. So if there is weight loss to be had, it will come primarily from the juice diet.
9. I will post my experiences here, good, bad, and ugly.
Stats:
We use a Breville Juice Fountain juicer, if you're interested, and it works really well.
My starting weight is (cringe) 365 lbs. I am 5'6" tall.
J's starting weight is 421 lbs. He is 6'4" tall.
Here are the rules:
1. No solid food.
2. Only fruits and veggies can be juiced (so no, I don't get to just melt ice cream, sad.)
3. The juices need to be primarily veggies, because fruits have too much sugar.
4. I can drink around 5 juices a day (about 20-30 ounces each).
5. I'm not supposed to have caffeine, but that would end in bloody murder, so I will still be drinking my AdvoCare Spark drink mix as well as (one) diet coke per day. The Spark also contains lots of vitamins and minerals, and it will help keep my energy up.
6. I will continue to take my gummy vitamins because I tend to get very deficient in vitamin D, iron, and calcium even when my diet is really good.
7. This is going to be monitored by a physician, with regular blood work to ensure that I won't actually kill myself with juice.
8. I will be going to the gym, but I'm not increasing my workout to anything I wouldn't normally do. So if there is weight loss to be had, it will come primarily from the juice diet.
9. I will post my experiences here, good, bad, and ugly.
Stats:
We use a Breville Juice Fountain juicer, if you're interested, and it works really well.
My starting weight is (cringe) 365 lbs. I am 5'6" tall.
J's starting weight is 421 lbs. He is 6'4" tall.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
A Little Background
My husband's (J) hand surgeon recommended that he watch the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead when he was there last week for a follow up to surgery. Why a hand surgeon felt compelled to get involved in his weight loss, or lack thereof, is beyond me, but he took her advice and immediately bought a juicer. He has decided to follow in the footsteps of the star/producer/writer of the film and attempt a juice fast. He then convinced me that I should join him.
The results shown in the documentary are remarkable, with both men featured losing around 90 pounds in 2 months. And keeping it off. I'm looking at this as a sort of experiment in self control. If it works, and I lose a ton of weight, then that is super awesome and the angels will sing...or something. If not, well, extra fruits and veggies certainly never hurt anyone, and I will fail spectacularly on the Internet for all to see.
J says that I can post his experiences here too, and who knows, maybe I'll even convince him to be a guest blogger one of these days, for the masculine perspective.
I'm starting on Monday. (Originally it was Sunday, but I'm going to the fair with my dad, and there is no way that I'm passing up my one fried-cheese-on-a-stick per year.)
The results shown in the documentary are remarkable, with both men featured losing around 90 pounds in 2 months. And keeping it off. I'm looking at this as a sort of experiment in self control. If it works, and I lose a ton of weight, then that is super awesome and the angels will sing...or something. If not, well, extra fruits and veggies certainly never hurt anyone, and I will fail spectacularly on the Internet for all to see.
J says that I can post his experiences here too, and who knows, maybe I'll even convince him to be a guest blogger one of these days, for the masculine perspective.
I'm starting on Monday. (Originally it was Sunday, but I'm going to the fair with my dad, and there is no way that I'm passing up my one fried-cheese-on-a-stick per year.)