10 Day Juice Fast: Day 10!!!

Well Saturday was Day 10 of my juice Fast. I lost a total of 13 pounds and Feel AMAZING!!!! I had improved deep sleep and felt extremely well rested each morning in comparison to previously not being able to stay asleep at night and feeling tired and sluggish the next morning.

The last day of the fast I discovered that the Robecks smoothie shop around the corner from my house made fresh juice. I ordered the "ABC" juice off the menu :)

I have decided to only drink water and fresh juice and avoid diet sodas and diet drinks like crystal light. I have also decided to avoid processed foods. No more frozen Lean Cuisines and Smart One meals. I'm going to stick to salads, fruit and steamed/grilled veggies. I do eat fish and chicken (baked or grilled) but will limit my consumption of it moving forward. I'm thinking of only having one meal a day and juice for all other meals during day.

The hardest part of the juice fast was preparing the juice and then cleaning up my juicer after. Towards the end I started to get lazy and was so happy I found the Robecks so I didn't have to go home to make more juice for the evening of Day 10.

I've had solid food on Sunday and today and I already feel a little different despite my choices being salad and steamed veggies.  I also purchased another large "ABC" juice from Robecks that I plan on having for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.  I wanted to take another day off from juicing and cleaning up my machine.  I will make another big batch of juice tomorrow since I still have lots of veggies and fruit left over.

I can't explain how AMAZING I felt!!! I had no idea that all the food and drink I was consuming was affecting my body the way it was. It's like I've been living under a cloud and now the sky is clearing up and I can finally see and feel the warm sun. I would suggest everyone try to juice fast/detox/cleanse at least once so you can feel the benefits of restoring your body to its natural state.

I'm very certain that this is what the "Rich and Famous" do to lose weight quickly.  I mean if I had someone making my juice for me and I could chill at a resort for a month while fasting/detoxing then I would have easily kept going and lost tons of weight.  Take a look at this juice fast spa retreat in California called We Care Spa  http://www.wecarespa.com/.  Does anyone want to sponsor me for a month long retreat :-)

10 Day Juice Fast: Day 5

It has only been 5 days juicing but the way I feel right now and the weight loss so far is very promising with making this part of my lifestyle.  So far I have lost 10 pounds!!!  If I feel the way I do today on day 10 I might attempt 15 days.  I wonder if doing a 7 to 10 day juice fast every other month to manage weight would be a good practice to incorporate into ones lifestyle?

So when you do this juice feast/fast it is a cleansing of toxins in your body.  This causes your body to detox, which might cause you to throw in the towel.  I never felt the detox affects that much.  I actually believe I was detoxing on the first day of juicing because I followed the advice of Living Food Village and cut out cooked food about 3 days prior to Day 1 of juicing.  My first juice was Wednesday night which was my dinner. Thursday evening Day 1 of juicing I was a little stressed from work and really tired from only getting a couple hours of sleep the night before. All I wanted to do was get some Chinese food, climb into bed and watch a good movie.  The cravings really test your little angel and devil on your shoulder.  And boy were they going at it..."Hey you should just start the fast tomorrow, go ahead and get the Chinese food"..."You committed to doing this so stay strong, I mean it's only 10 days".  And my sister didn't help matters by teasing me and saying stuff like, "A big ole juicy cheeseburger would be really good right now, and I might order some Chinese food, yeah chicken and broccoli"  But I made it through and here I am on Day 5 and I haven't had any solid food since my salad for lunch on Wednesday April 18th.

Kelly Vaccarelli who is leading everyone who signed up to do the 10 day juice feast has suggested that some folks think about sticking with the feast and complete 21 days.  She explained how experts say that it takes 21 days to break a bad habit and develop a new healthier habit.  I would love to be able to complete 21 days...BUT feel I will end up giving in and eating at the Cinco de Mayo event that I purchased tickets for.  At this point in my journey I don't think I would be strong enough to go and resist having a cocktail or eat the food.  Maybe I might just pass on going because the payoff of losing this weight and gaining a healthier habit and lifestyle looks a lot better than a couple of cocktails and bad food ...

What we are juicing today!
Picture taken by fellow juice feast participant.

10 Day Juice Fast: Day 3

Going into day 3 I can't believe I've not eaten any solid food since lunchtime on Wednesday. I've done alternate day dieting before but this is the longest I've gone without eating. Mentally it is kind of baffling when I think about it. This juice feast really makes you realize just how much our culture is centered around food and drinks with socializing. It was beautiful out Friday evening and I just ended up turning down invitations to hang out because most wanted to do dinner and drinks and it would have been torture to sit there and have nothing but juice. I honestly would have caved if I even attempted to be around others eating and sipping on cocktails.

This is an interesting journey that I'm constantly telling myself don't give in keep going, it's only 10 days. Im really thankful that I found living raw/juice feast website that provides a great support system. The daily emails and feedback make all the difference in the world.

I really want to complete all 10 days of this juice fast. It's Saturday and beautiful outside!!! Time to test my will power :)

ABC Juice: Apples, Beets and Carrots

10 Day Juice Fast: Day 1

Hey Folks!!! I'm still here and trying to find the right program that works for me and make it part of my lifestyle.

Well nov 2011 I got it in my head that I wanted to try juicing. I received a juicer from my parents in Dec as a gift. Well I finally took it out if the box last night :) and made my first juice !

Today is the first day of a 10 day juice fast I committed to do with an online group that is assisting us on everything you need to know as a beginner juicer for this 10 day detox juice feast/fast.

My first Juice

1Year4Days: 2011 Recap

Hey Folks!!!  I know you thought I had given up on the whole 50 pound weight loss journey.  But I am still here and will continue to work toward reaching my goal of losing 50 pounds.

+20lbs Dec2010

-20lbs Dec 2011

Well lets recap all the different diets and exercise programs I attempted to incorporate into my lifestyle.

1. The How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days from the book "The 4 Hour Body"
• Lost 8lbs and didn't seem like something I would consider doing continuously
2. Counting Calories
• Lost additional 4 pounds for the couple of months I focused on calorie counting.  I think this works for me, but you have to stay focused and make sure you track everything
3. Roller Skating
• I really enjoyed roller skating and think if I did this at least twice a week it would make a huge difference with losing weight and keeping the weight off.  This is something I think I could continue to do and add to my lifestyle
4. Salsa Dancing
• Salsa dancing was fun, but it requires you to have a partner.  Currently I am single, so it really doesn't fit into my lifestyle as something I can depend on doing throughout the week.  But who knows, maybe in 2012 I might find that special someone who is game for going out and doing the latin 2step!
5. Going to the Gym
• SMH...I think I went to Golds Gym maybe 3 times this year.  I know not working out is the major reason why I haven't dropped as much weight as I have hoped for.  I recognize that I am just lazy and trying to find the easy answer to losing weight and keeping it off.  
6. P90 X
• P90 X is made for someone who is already dedicated to working out on a regular basis.  For someone like me, I think it is a little to much to soon.  It is difficult to go from no exercise to 6 days a week worth of exercise(avg 60 mins per workout).  I believe I would have had better luck with 30 minute workouts 3 times a week.
• After the first month of P90X I was burn out and think I averaged 1 workout per week during second month.  The last month I didn't even do 1 workout.
7. Phentermine (appetite suppressant)
• Phentermine is appetite suppressant that can be prescribe by your doctor.  It is great if you need a little jump start to help kick those food cravings that occur when you decrease your food intake.  When I take phentermine I am to get through the day without feeling like I am starving, which usually leads to over eating.  
• I am currently only taking phentermine when I feel I need it.  This month I actually have not taken it because I no longer feel like I am starving between meals.  I rarely crave unhealthy food now and noticed that I crave healthier foods (fruit and veggies)
8. Weight Watchers(WW)
• WW worked really well for me and I am still participating in the program.  When I finally joined WW in June I had put on weight about 6 pounds and felt myself slipping back into old habits.  I lost close to 18 pounds while on WW, bringing me very close to 25 pounds total.  Unfortunately November 2011 I fell of track and let the holiday dinners and desserts get the best of me.  By the time December rolled around I had gained about 6 pounds.
• WW is great for the support and if you attend the weekly meetings will encourage you to be more accountable for what you eat.

I didn't reach my 50lb weight loss goal, but I am happy to say that this time last year I was 20lbs heavier.  When I look at my weight loss compared to my starting weight in Jan 2011 I feel pleased with the progress I have made.  

I will continue to share my weight loss journey with all of you until I reach my goal.  For my next post I will share some of the new exciting things I will be doing to help me reach my goal.  

Looking forward to a happy and healthy 2012!!!

+20lbs Dec2010

-20lbs Dec 2011