Juicing- Day 47- I DID IT!!!

I'm done.  I set my juicing goal for May 4th, I set my weight goal for 30 pounds and I accomplished both goals.  Did you hear that?  I accomplished two goals!!!
It's been very challenging, one of the hardest thing I've ever done, but it's been so rewarding.  Now that I'm done, I'm scared.  I'm worried that I'll go back to my old habits, that I'll start eating food out of boredom, stress, or just because it's there.

I discovered a few more tips that I wish I'd learned earlier:  Mason jars are the only way to go for juicing.  Spaghetti sauce and salsa jars allow air to get in and the juice has a really bad taste after a few hours.  Mason jars keep the freshness (and nutrients) a lot longer.  Another tip:  put all your juice ingredients together in a baggie so in the morning all you have to do it grab it and shove it in the juicer.  Also, add cucumbers to everything. You don't taste them and they make your skin glow!  And one last tip, when you are talking to medical professionals refrain from telling them you are "juicing."  It makes it sound like you have a steroid problem.

This week, I've started making smoothies.  I make the juice just like normal, then blend in an avocado or a banana depending on what mixes better.  It makes the drink much heartier and fills me up!
So I will continue to juice one or two times a day. I will eat a healthy dinner with my family starting with fruit and vegetables only, then slowly add in some grains.  I think I'm going to stay away from meat.  I plan to do a juice fast every 6 months or so. That's my plan.

I'm researching the best way to go off a juicing fast and I've determined that I will start slowly with fruits and vegetables only.  It's been really tempting to reward myself with a treat, to think about all those foods that were off limits and to just jump in, but if I'm trying to break bad habits, then rewarding myself with food is not the way to go!  There is a grilled pimento cheese sandwich at Buckhead that I've been thinking about for a month and a half...but I digress.  It also is helpful to know that if I don't eat something light my stomach will probably retaliate.  Lots of people have been asking me what I'm going to eat for my first meal, and it's know it's not very sexy, but tonight I will eat an apple.  Maybe I'll go crazy and eat a Honeycrisp!

Please let me know if any of you decide you want to try juicing!  I'm a great cheerleader!

PS:  Did you hear that?  I DID IT!!!

The Food Diaries

I had a horrible sweet tooth, I had a taste for anything fried, I ate late at night.  I comforted myself with food when I was stressed.  When I worked closing shifts I had a ritual of going through the Taco Bell drive thru for a treat- because I earned it, you know?  Sometimes I went to Sonic for breakfast and lunch (and a happy hour Route 44 Sweet Tea.)

Then I started paying attention to what a friend (and co-worker) was eating.  She started bringing giant amounts of food with her in plastic containers.  She seemed to be eating all the time- crunchy, colorful, fresh food.  She was no longer getting snacks from the cafe.  I watched as she graciously turned down food that others offered her (cupcakes in the breakroom, etc.)  And she was getting smaller and bouncier and happier.
So I copied her.  I asked her lots and lots of questions.  I watched recommended films (Forks Over Knives, Food Inc, etc) I read recommended books (The China Study, Live to Eat, etc) and I started bringing giant amounts of food with me.  I realized that a lot of it was planning.  I had to plan for different scenarios and not be caught off guard and panic and eat a fried Snickers bar.  I started writing everything down because I found that I did a lot of stress and mindless eating.

Even though I was writing every morsel down, I was still eating the wrong things.  I was packing my lunch every day but it was full of processed everything: granola bars, lunch meat, small amounts of chips, and a treat of some sort.  Yes, it was under my allotted calories, but it was still junk.  So, I started eating clean.  If I couldn't pronounce something in the ingredient list, I didn't get it or eat it.  I cut out meat.  I starting eating massive amounts of fruit.  And again, I planned.  
So now I spend a portion of every week slicing and dicing my fruits and vegetables.  Each night I pack my lunch- more than I can ever eat so that I won't get desperate and hungry and wind up eating a cheesecake.  I stopped counting every calorie because if I eat what I bring there is never a problem. And I am getting smaller and bouncier and happier.

It's challenging at times.  I have teenagers in the house and they require some junk food, but luckily my husband eats the same as I.  Don't get me wrong, I could still go for a fried Snickers bar, but I don't have that crazy CRAVING for junk that I used to have.  You know those people who talk about how fruit is so sweet that it seems like a treat?  I am those people now.