I’ve been hesitating to post about this because I really don’t want a ton of negative feedback to sway me, but I decided to just get this out there anyways. This blog is all about me being open, honest, and laying everything out!
I was doing so well on my diet, lost about 18 pounds, and then went on a trip with my mom for a few days. That trip totally threw me off course, and I just couldn’t seem to get back on track again. Since then (the middle of November), I haven’t lost a single pound. I haven’t gained, either, which is great, but my goal is to keep losing weight. So…..I tried to get back on the diet, over and over and over. I was failing every day, and feeling completely out of control.
And then I discovered juicing.
I read about it online and decided to watch the documentary Fat, Sick, and Almost Dead, which chronicles one man’s juicing journey to health. I decided to give it a try.
I found a fabulous juicer (used) nearby, and purchased it. My plan was to begin a juice fast (or feast, as it’s sometimes called—though I can tell you now that fast is the more appropriate term!) in January. But my husband suggested I do a mini-fast with it this week first, just to see if I ran into any problems.
[editing to say: I should have made this clear, but I didn’t! I am calling this a juice fast just because that seems to be the term most often used. It is not, however, a calorie fast. That is to say that I am still consuming my regular calories for the day! The idea behind this is just that all of my calories are now as highly nutritious as they can possibly be. I am not trying to starve myself in any way!!!]
I am now on day 2 of my juice fast. The picture above shows all of the fruits and veggies that went into my juice yesterday. Here is a disgusting picture of the result:
That orange foamy stuff on top hid the diarrhea-colored juice underneath. I was somehow able to choke it down throughout the day, but I found myself ready to starve instead of drinking any more of it for dinner. The taste was pretty overwhelming, probably because I loaded the juice with chard and kale. The taste seemed to get even stronger as it sat in the fridge. For dinner I made a juice entirely out of fruits (which tasted AMAZING)! But it also sort of broke the rules of a juice fast. For optimal health, the goal is to take in 80% vegetable to 20% fruit. I did not do that yesterday. I think I have to work my way up to that.
Yesterday I was pretty hungry all throughout the day. I would drink some juice, water, or tea and the hunger would subside for a few minutes, but then it came back strong. Other than hunger, I felt no ill effects yesterday. My mood was much better, probably because I could tell that I was finally getting things under control again. I also felt more awake for most of the day, though I did get tired earlier than usual and went to bed at 9:30.
This morning I woke up with far less hunger, but with a bit of a headache. I feel a little bit foggy, but my mood is still great and I feel much calmer than normal. I also feel more motivated and awake than usual. A little more energetic, but the fogginess is keeping me from actually wanting to exercise.
I made juice again this morning, and this time I added more fruit and less greens. It included: 4 carrots, 3 small chard leaves, 1/3 lemon, 1 orange, 2 small apples, most of a cucumber, and 3 celery stalks. All of the fruits and vegetables are organic, which makes this a pretty expensive diet. But it does feel good to know that you are flooding your body with tons of vitamins and antioxidants.
This week I plan to juice until Thursday, which would complete four days of juice fasting. I am going away this weekend, and I want to give myself a day to eat before leaving just in case intestinal issues arise!
I will update with how this goes. I don’t know if juicing will make me feel better or not, but I won’t know unless I try. So, this will be my juicing experiment of 2013. If this goes well, I may try for a lengthy fast in January.
Slim Fast Mommy 