Clearing the Slate

I have had some major distractions this last couple weeks and have veered of course. So I have set a new goal and firmed up my intent. I have been juice feasting solely for 4 days. I feel so good and have lost everything I had gained back after I quit the long juice feast before except 2 lbs. It dropped off so fast I was shocked. But, I could feel that extra weight so much more keenly than I had ever before. You know how you can gain 5 lbs and not know it? Well I felt it very strongly in my movements and abilities.

This coming week I know will be challenging because we lost a family member yesterday and will start having family come into town. I am going to try and avoid telling people what I'm doing. Most of the time it just starts a debate and unless you educate yourself on detoxing and why, most people don't understand it. As I continue to lose weight and feel better people will naturally ask questions and I sometimes will go into detoxing info with them. I do have a passion for this stuff lately and tend to pour out my guts which sometimes freaks people out. Too much information overload for them. So one of the things I do to keep motivated is watch other peoples juice feasting videos to keep me excited about what I am doing. Everyone knows if you do it alone it is harder and watching the videos makes me feel like other people are doing it with me.

So, I am on my way again and know if I can get through the first week I am usually Gold. My energy is up really high and I feel excited and happy which is a big thing for me, especially in the winter months. I tend to have a seasonal mood disorder, that took me years to realize, go figure. I have been doing the mean, green juice and master cleanse intermixed and it's been working great. If I don't have the time to do the green juice the master cleanse only takes of few minutes to make. I have added in some homemade Kombucha again but, a quart or less a day. I have also started learning about bentonite clay and have added in a teaspoon in the morning. It has seemed to help with the headaches and detox symptoms. I'll try to update more often for here on in because it also keeps me motivated. Enjoy the day!!!

Day 11? 2nd Juice Feast

My question mark is because I fell off just juicing a total of three times so far. I know it's only day eleven.  Should I stop or keep going??? KEEP going!!! On those days I had juiced the whole day then ate a dinner. One day we were going to the mountains to do probably our last hike for the winter and I knew I would have to eat. Hum, eat or skip hiking? Eat of course. I love being in the mountains and wouldn't give it up just to juice. I am trying to heal some issue with the juicing but, have had limited opportunity to hike in the last couple years. Now that my boy is 3 1/2 he is wants to go most of the time and he loved the hikes we did. I've told my DH this but, don't know if I have mentioned this in a post before. I feel like when I eat I have to consume so much more to satisfy my hunger and I think it's because unless it's raw I'm not getting as much nutrition. The juice has so many nutrients and I drink 1-2 cups each time I feel hungry. This juice feast I am drinking a lot less than I needed the first time. But, I want to just keep eating when I start to. I was down eight pounds but will have to see over the next day or so after my colon empties again etc. Also since it's getting so cold now I have noticed when I eat I am fine with body heat. With just the juicing I tend to be really cold all of the time, especially at night. When the food is in my body and being digested it really takes a lot of energy and creates more heat. The juice just passes through me quickly, it keeps me energized but no heat really.

All of that to say, I'm still going and I'm just going to keep my numbers instead of starting them again. I'll probably take Thanksgiving off from the juice feast also. But, I had decided it was better to start the feast now instead of waiting till after the holidays. In the past I have always done that. Well, I'll just wait and start on this day or that day. A lot of the time those days never came. The time is now and it doesn't have to be perfect!!!!!! If I blow the day, I just don't give up, that only makes me feel defeated and I am not defeated! I never have to stay where I am. I can always take the day to improve myself and my health. ENJOY!!!

Day Seven of Juice Feast 2

I am doing great with this second juice feast, now. I had a set back on day four and ate a goulash I was making for my family. It smelled so good I caved and really regretted it. My stomach swelled out 3 inches and I felt terrible for hours. I am now back on track, yeah! I have lost seven pounds so far and am very happy with the results. I am sticking to the Mean Green Juice and will supplement with the Master Cleanse when I get bored with the green juice. I have been doing some herbal teas and of course my homemade Kombucha with stevia. I love the homemade version but have read that you shouldn't consume a lot in a day. It has organic acids and is very cleansing and can, if consumed too much and too often cause acidosis.

 I will be ordering some Reishi mushroom and bentonite clay and maybe some ziolite clay. I want to start including more in my diet that will boost my immunity and remove more toxins. I want to try and "find" some Chaga this weekend if I can in the mountains. This will be a new adventure for me as I have never done it before. We are going "wild edible" hunting. I've been reading a book on wild edibles and going through YouTube videos on them. I am so intrigued by the idea of foraging for food. The season is almost gone to do much but we are going to try. I'm going to be ordering a book on mushrooms so I can start learning about the medicinal properties etc. Everything we need to heal and be healthy is already here if we don't contaminate it and destroy it through industry.

I'm feeling really good and have had a huge boost in energy. No headaches as of yet. ;) I broke out a little with acne on my face and am having more body odor otherwise, no complaints.

Starting My Second Juice Feast

I have been kinda desperate to start another juice feast. Why you may ask? I felt so much better aside from the detox symptoms of course. I am hoping this time around I won't have so many. I lasted about two weeks off the last juice feast. I am ready to start again though. I really got used to the feeling of being pretty much empty all of the time when juicing. I should say empty but not hungry, there is a difference. I was satisfied as far as hunger went. It does amaze me that juice will fill me up and I don't feel like I'm starving. When I was off the juice feast it felt like I couldn't get enough food and I felt so bloated, slow and tired. I was even too pooped to blog. I also had heart burn here and there which I hate. That's why I decided to start back up. I think the nutrients in the juice really helped me heal a lot and detox, but I have a long way to go. I had lost 17 lbs total and gained back 7 which is pretty normal since your colon starts to fill up and you get bloated by certain foods etc. I was so constipated too, no matter what I ate and my face broke out everywhere. During the juice feast you're of course raw and aren't taking in any processed foods. After I was off the feast I wasn't satisfied with how food tasted anymore. I was hoping I guess it would taste so much better but found myself disappointed for the most part. My husband has changed his diet and has noticed the change in how food taste. Once you get away from the chemicals in processed foods you really notice them if you have them again.

Like the first time, I'm not setting a specific number of days that I will do. I have completed my first day and did the mean green juice that I had done before. I added in parsley and zucchini to the basic juice recipe. The only other thing I drank was herbal lemon teas and Kombucha tea. I started making my own kombucha tea at home and am very addicted to it. It has so many probiotics and is supposed to be very healing for the colon. The acids in the kombucha are also supposed to be very cleansing.

The Juice Feast is Completed

The Juice Feast is done!!! I did thirty one days total. I am so proud of myself and am glad I can eat again. But, I am kinda sad and miss juicing every meal. I got into such a groove with the juicing it became easy and somewhat relaxing.

I have a strong feeling about maybe eating for a week or so and then starting another one. I think I can start it all over again once I get some cravings out of the way. 

 In total I lost seventeen pounds but I am expecting to gain a little back with my colon having more in it now. I did fruit to start to break the fast then greens and veggies raw. I get much fuller a lot faster now but also expected that. I don't really eat out anywhere and the juicing was convenient because if I was going to be gone I would have a cooler with me or just accepted that I would be hungry.

During such a long feast you start to appreciate the emptier feeling. I never thought that was ever going to be possible. I had heard people say that about feasting but always thought it would never happen for me. I am going to try and eat a lot of raw foods but the winter is coming on and I have been much colder with the raw foods. I used to be warm all of the time and need a fan to cool me down and now I'm the opposite. I did miss warm foods when juicing and the days are getting cooler.

 

I have eaten some things I desired when on the fast but, they're not as satisfying as they once were. I have found that to be true with many foods since I've altered my diet so drastically. I once ate and enjoyed most things. Now, really any type of processed food just tastes chemically tasting to me. My sense of smell and taste is so heightened now that sometimes even food smells are turn me off. I also feel so much more bloated now that I'm eating again and really don't like the feeling. So I'll give it a little time and see how I do. Enjoy!!!

Yesterday was day 30 Juice Feasting

Yesterday was day 30 and I missed posting on it. The day just got away from me. So the tally is 30 days and seventeen pounds lost. I was hoping for more but I'll take it.

 

So here is an update, I haven't had any headaches for awhile, I have been tired here and there but yesterday I felt amazing. I have been doing the salt water flushes almost daily. It takes about two hours for it to work through you so if I have to go fast in the morning I skip it. I've only skipped one. I add a little lime or lemon juice and stevia to make it more palatable. I have been doing the nightly herbal tea laxative and really like it. Yesterday was a full day on the master cleanse, today I'll probably do the green drink and some master cleanse. Doing the mix makes it a little cheaper and easier since I don't have to juice each meal.

I tried on a pair of pants that were one size down from what I am wearing and they fit. I think I'll check out some thrift store for my next size because I plan on continuing the detox for awhile longer. I made a delicious dinner for my dh and set a portion aside for myself to freeze for after the cleanse. It smelled so good.

 

I keep having break outs on my face hear and there but they have been small and my face looks really good. I can see how the green drinks have really helped. My wrinkles have diminished a lot. Funny how our stress and food choices start to show up on our faces. Enjoy the day!!!

Day 25 of Juice Feast, Mean Green Juice and Master Cleanse

Day 25, I am so amazed that I am doing so well. By that I mean that I'm not craving foods and out of my mind with hunger. I am a little bummed because I have stabilized at 13lbs. I have decide to do just the Mean Green Juice from "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead." If you haven't seen the film yet you can check it out on Hulu or YouTube for FREE! It's a very inspirational documentary. I had some of the juice today but added stevia and really enjoyed it. I was doing way to much fruit in my other juices but, I think that also helped me to get to this point.

 I am also considering doing the master cleanse recipe every other day with the green juice. I made up a batch today and really liked it. Lemons are very detoxifying and aid in flushing toxins out. With the master cleanse you're also supposed to do a salt flush with Celtic sea salt for the minerals and to aid in elimination of the bowels. It is also recommended to do a laxative herbal tea at night for the same reason. Beyonce made it more well known when she did it, but it's been around since the seventies.

 

My enema update, I have been doing them everyday. I watched a ton of videos on YouTube and decided to just do it. My headaches have gone away completely and my energy has really improved. I am so happy that I got over myself and just did it. Ten years ago I would have thought it was lame and stupid but, with the more research I do into health and healing disease, it is really important. I will some day do a colonic but for now, I have to do it from home.

It is funny how we change as we get older and start to realize our health is paramount. Things we do when we are younger are so harmful to our aging bodies and we don't realize till it's too late. So have a green juice today and ENJOY!!!