Day Twelve

Today, I stayed off the scale, because of my mojoto ;) I have to push myself extra hard tonight on my uphill walk, then I'll weigh in the morning..Started my morning with one of the Kombucha drinks, I guess they work the best if you drink them first thing. And they really do give you a boost of energy! I'll drink them every once in a while, but my juice truly makes me feel the best. I noticed today, that my pores are getting smaller and smaller! And my skin has more and more of a glow every single day. I had my two juices so far and for lunch I had some saute'd zucchini and fresh tomatoes. I just feel great, my knees feel better, my endurance has improved, it is AMAZING!! Everyone has got to try this once, I'm sure all of us need more vitamins from fruits and veggies. My ultimate goal is to be running on the beach every morning. And to eat to live, not live to eat....... I can't believe I had the strength to cut all those things out of my diet, and after the 60 days I will have what I want for two meals a week and eat a plant based diet for most of the week........ I do want to coffee again after the 60 days, we will see, but I don't miss it as much as I thought I would! I feel like I'm over the hump and hopefully for the most part it can be smooth sailing to 60 days!! My mind and emotions are much clearer too..LOVING IT!!

Day Eleven

Yesterday was busy, I didn't get a chance to post..So Day 11, down 1.2 lbs! I went out with the girls after work to Ruby Tuesday's and I looked the menu up online before we went to map out my game plan. I decided to get the lettuce wraps without the chicken and a pomegranate mojoto (made with the POM juice), so we get there and here (IN Maui),  they don't have the wraps, (PANIC)! I scanned through the menu and in their sides they have roasted butternut squash, so thats what I ordered. The mojoto was SOOO GOOD. Hey I can't stick perfectly to it everyday, cause its just ri- dinky- link!!! and a little something isn't going to break the scale........

 Usually after 3 days of sitting at the computer at work, my ankles and feet are so swollen, well not this week! I even walked out of work with my heels on ( which I always put flip flops on before walking to the car, its kind of a far walk) I can't wait to work out tonight, since we missed last night. My energy still amazes me. Which speaking of energy, Chris is a SUPER FREAK, the guy exhausts me with what he can do, he is constantly doing something. He has always been so great with helping around the house. Well yesterday the juicing energy hit the already crazed energy man. He worked graveyard yesterday, he came home juiced for me for work, and started cleaning the house (DEEP CLEANING) I came home last night and every room was perfectly cleaned. He scrubbed the stains in the carpet, the walls, moved furniture and cleaned every corner of our wood floors! Then he got up and went to work again at 3:30am! The man is half crypto or something! But its so nice that now I just have to maintain it today ;)

Day Ten

I'm having a 'love" relationship with scale..down 2 more lbs. this morning! Still feeling amazing, more and more every day. I just can't believe how many benefits in 10 days. Tonight I tried a cleansing drink called Kombucha. its made from a mushroom and is super, super good for you, google it . I'm doing fine without coffee, and don't crave it like I thought I would. Though, I do have to say, I will be getting a coffee once a week or every other week after the 60 days. I won't be drinking it every morning though. After you get going on the juicing you can really decide what you want back in your diet and the empty calories that were never worth it. Tonight we had grilled yellow zucchini and mashed cauliflower. They tasted just as good as mashed potatoes to me. We put garlic, sea salt and pepper on them, Yum. One thing that keeps me motivated as well, is reading on what all the different veggies and fruit do for your body. Especially the "super foods" ...the power of food..it's crazy!

Day Nine

Down 2 lbs!! I love that! My work week starts today. I have more self control at work, I'm distracted. This week, I really wanna push myself a little more with exercise. I'm sleeping much better too! Last night, I slept like a log. Last time I slept that good was probably when I was pregnant, twelve years ago. And again, my cravings are going away! Chris is still struggling with his cravings. We talked last night about emotional attachment to food, and he is surprised at how much he relies on food. This cleanse really helps you examine your habits and why you have them. Well I am off to work..I'll post more tonight ;)...Had a great day at work, the girls said my hair looks super shiny. My hair feels so healthy and manageable, first time its felt like that in Maui. Went on a uphill walk with Chris, love getting my heart rate up. Now I have to wind down this energy so I can sleep! But my bedtime tea and melatonin seem to knock me out. Tomorrow is day 10, wow! Its went by so fast!

MY OBSESSION WITH THE SCALE

I bought that new scale Thursday night, and of course all day yesterday I couldn't stay off the thing. Every time I used the bathroom I had to weigh myself. I only got on it once today, first thing this morning and I was down a pound and a half! Yay! That's my goal a pound a day. Of course, Chris was down 4 pounds. (Men) Its not fair, can't something be in our favor!! I am fighting the urge to get on it again today. I'm letting myself get on it every day this week, but come next week, it has to be once a week.

Day Eight

I am feeling pretty tired today, I woke up this morning early, was out the door by 8:30am to the Swap Meet. Found some CHEAP amazing deals on all my produce, then we went to the farmers market for some things I couldn't find at the Swap Meet. And went to whole foods. Came home, made the kids lunch. And now I am super tired. But my cravings are less and less.I am actually craving veggies and fruit. We made the acorn squash for dinner last night, and it was so good. I bought a few different squashes today to try for dinner. My skin is still transforming everyday. So heading for week two ;) My absolute favorite juice is the Green Goddess! I love it, if you are juicing,you have to try it!

Dinner Recipes

I am going to try these recipes out for the kids this week. 

Lettuce Wraps:

Romaine Lettuce

tomato

corn

avocado

red onion

Jicama

olive oil 

pepper to taste

jalapeno (optional)

Chopped ingredients, toss in olive oil and pepper, serve on lettuce

Inside Out Portobello Mushroom Burgers:

Large Romaine Lettuce

Portobello Mushroom Caps

avocado

sliced tomato

red onion

olive oil

sea salt and pepper

Chili powder optional

Grill Mushrooms with oil, sprinkle spices. Use lettuce for a bun, serve with all other ingredients 

Baked Zucchini with Tomatoes and Herbs

Small zucchini

scallions

onion

plum tomatoes

celery leaves

basil leaves 

olive oil

sea salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 cut zucchini..mix zucchini and all ingredients. Toss with olive oil Bake 20 Mins   

Roast Acorn Squash with Mushroom and Sage:

Acorn Squash

sea salt and pepper

olive oil

garlic cloves

portabella mushroom

onion

fresh sage

red pepper flakes optional

Preheat oven 450 trim end off squash. halve length wise scoop out pulp and seeds. Brush with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast until flesh is tender and edges are golden brown.

Heat olive oil in a medium sauce pan add onions, garlic and saute add mushrooms and sage cook until softened. Fill squash with mixture then bake for another 10 mins.

Day Seven

Well last night turned out to be kind of a bummer. Come to find out, our WII which I was weighing on, was not working at all. So, we bought a new scale last night and it is way off from what the WII was saying, so now I have to wait another week to really weigh myself. UGGHHH! Oh well, another week will go by fast. We went for a walk on the beach last night and I can't believe how much more endurance I have. The juicing helps with so many things. We are going to go on a walk every night and up our exercise from there. I am still eating some veggies and fruit, but after this week I am going to try and do just juicing for 5 days. Chris was annoyed with not weighing in too. His headaches are gone, but his legs have been hurting him at night, which is another symptom of detox. Your legs carry a lot of toxins. I'm determined to keep this going, and refine it every week. Although I haven't seen the weight results, the other results I have seen has made it well worth it!

Day Six

One more day before I get on the scale!!! ;) That alone is motivation to get through today. I did have a little setback today, my son begged me for breakfast at McDonald's, so I caved and I had a bite of his sausage mc muffin :( Oh well, just a bite. At least I didn't get myself one! Went home and had my "Morning Tonic" so I'm back on track. I haven't followed it perfectly, and I'm still feeling all the benefits. Today is my first day not having any coffee, I did have a 1/2 cup the first 5 days. But today I didn't want it, I haven't craved a glass of wine either, because at night I feel relaxed and energized. This is just so much easier than I thought it would be! There are still hard moments through the day, but they are getting less ;) Seeing all the results and everyone's comments on the FB page of Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead is so inspiring and of course, feeling AMAZING myself! We are going a longer walk tonight and I have been stretching every night. LOVING THIS!!

Day Five

WOW! I am feeling so GOOD! It's amazing. Usually my Wednesday is my "drained" day. I'm drained from the weekend and from work. I end up taking a nap after I get the kids to school. Well not today! I got the kids off to school, went to the bank, paid our electric and went to the farmers market. Then I came home put away all the groceries. Juiced ;) and now sat down to enjoy my juice. I can't remember the last time I had this much energy. And ya all are gonna get tired of hearing this, but I have to say it... MY SKIN!! I have paid out so much money to get my skin to look like this, facials, products, products and more products! When in reality, could have been free, by changing the way I ate, because I always have to spend money on food. I have tried so many weight loss programs too. Weight Watchers, Nutri- System, HCG shots, MD Diet Clinic...and yes Weight Watchers definitely works the best, but I didn't feel this good. I was always a little hungry and it was easy to mess up. This juicing is easy to stick to because the results are immediate. Best medicine eva! I love it. Two more days, and I'm getting on the scale ;)...Made some veggie soup tonight for dinner and made the kids eat it too (With their pasta). We went on a walk and took the kids to the park. Made it through day 5 even with Chris going on with his fantasies of pizza..on to day 6!

Day Four

Its still early on Day 4, but I had to post a little before work. I woke up and my rash is gone. My face is still a little red and my arms are itchy, but let me tell you, my skin looks fab!! I am amazed! No facial in the world could give me these results and I'm happy to see improvement already. Especially because I am dying to get on the scale, but I want to wait seven days before doing that. Your weight fluctuates too much, so an accurate weight is once a week. And I have to be balanced with this because I become OBSESSED with the scale. I have had a love, mostly hate relationship with that little piece of equipment. It has the power to completely destroy my day. So once a week I will weigh myself, only three days left ;) I am off to the salon (work) and I'll add more to this post tonight. Felt great at work today, I did get super hungry around 2pm, so I ate my green bell pepper. I had super green juice for dinner, spinach, celery, green apple and cilantro. Had a little snack of three red leaf lettuce pieces, some of my homemade hummus and hot sauce. I had to watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead again...so inspiring. Now I am ready for bed at 10 pm, still feeling energetic, so I am having some bedtime tea. I have felt so fatigued for at least 4 years now, that this energy is amazing..I am so shocked! I heard day 6 is the best..woohoo, excited to get there. Chris is feeling better tonight, is headache is easing up, but his legs are a bit achy...he will get there ;)

Beware of the Beet

So I learned this the hard way a few months back, This is when I was juicing, but still eating my regular diet. Beets are the highest in iron, and I am extremely anemic, so I thought I'd drink a lot of beet juice. I had about two 20 oz glasses of beet juice the first day, and felt ok. (Not pleasant bathroom breaks) Day two I had another 20 oz glass in the morning and in the afternoon I started feeling very foggy and weak. Two hours later, I started feeling ok, but then with lunch I had another beet juice and almost right away I started feeling weak and foggy. So I thought, I'll google it, just to see if it could possibly be the beet juice and sure enough it was!! So long story short: Beets are extremely cleansing so we have to work up to having more beets in our juice. So start out with just one beet juice, mixed with greens and carrots the first week and slowly add as the weeks go on.

Some of my Favorite Recipes

Morning Pacific

2 apples

2 oranges

shot of wheat grass

(juiced)

 add spoonful of spirilina

blend in a blender with a papaya

Cleansing Remedy

  

1/4 small head cabbage

2 carrots

thumb of ginger

Cabbage Soup

 2 cups veggie broth

4 cups water

4 carrots

6 celery stalks

1 head of cabbage

4 cloves garlic

2 zucchini

Salt and Pepper to taste

Day Three

 I woke up today, with a splotchy rash on my face and my right arm. I kinda panicked at first, because, hey I had to go to work, and I work in the beauty industry. I looked it up online, and sure enough, one of the first symptoms of detox is skin rash. Ok, so I asked on Facebook, and others juicing assured me it was normal and should go away in a few days. I didn't put much foundation on, my skin was sensitive and hot to the touch. I showed the girls at work, and they said it wasn't very noticeable and they were all in shock about how much my pores have shrunk and my skin was glowing.  I noticed this too. Which I had just read about new celeb diets and one is about balancing your ph with lots of veggies and fruits. People with high acid have large pores and dry hair. HUGE difference in my hair and skin and I'm only one day three! This encouraged me to get through today. I did come home to a crabby hubby with a raging headache, who spent the day on the beach, he only had two glasses of juice and not enough water. I made him sliced bell peppers with a little bit of hummus and made him eat a little.

Day Two

I had to work, so I had my morning juice and took my lunch juice. I did decide to bring a sliced bell pepper and about 1/4 a cup of avocado. I didn't want to faint at work. I got through the day, and I did have a few bites of bell pepper and avocado. When I got home I was starving and I came home to a very crabby hubby with a headache. So I decided to make some cabbage soup, and that helped us through. Before bed we both had some bedtime tea.

Day One

Day one was hard for me, but not horrible. We took the kids to a local parade and a little carnival (Whale Day) After about three hours, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. It was hot, crowded and I had a raging headache. After that, which I felt like I had heat stroke, I caved and had a small piece of grilled chicken. My headache went away and I made it through the rest of the day. My husband, who is my juicing partner, did great the first day. 

The start of my journey

I was inspired by the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, as thousands of people are. I watched it for the first time about 5 months ago. I ran out and bought a juicer and tried a lot of different juices, but I wasn't quite ready to actually do a juice cleanse. So here I am, still struggling to get my weight off. I need to lose 60 pounds. And one day on the beach, feeling gross, surrounded by beautiful bodies here in Maui, I finally said "I'm done!" I'm done living as a prisoner in my own skin. So I told my husband (who feels the way I do) Lets start our juice cleanse TONIGHT!. We went to the farmers market and bought all our veggies and fruits, and for dinner that night we had our juice and went on a walk. So this is my journey through this juice cleanse. I am shooting for 60 days!