Picture from www.jezebel.com
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Update to Juice! Juice! Juice!
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Juice! Juice! Juice!
This topic may not be one of those topics I would usually write about but since it has impacted my life so much I will go outside of my already huge box. I want to talk about juicing!
So. My mom talked me into watching "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," which is a documentary on Joe Cross and his journey through juicing his way back to health. Normally documentaries bore me unless they are about nature in some capacity but from the first five minutes of this film, I was enthralled. It is an excellent portrayal of just how bad we treat our bodies with the food we consume. It really opened my eyes to the fact that food is an addiction and most of us are suffering from it!
Like many others, I was inspired to start juicing after Joe's documentary. I bought a juicer and started a juice fast this past Monday. In hindsight Monday may not have been a great starting point due to the fact that I have a full-time job and lots of animals to care for so I really have no spare time or in this case, no time to wallow in misery. I had to suck it up and get over it.
Day 1- I honestly have NO idea how I managed to get through the first day. I made my morning juice using spinach, carrots, celery, and apples. It wasn't too bad. I drank it with enthusiasm as I was ready to face the day and get healthy. By about 9:30am I was starving (or at least what felt like starving). I made sure to clear out my fridge and drawer at work so there wasn't a single temptation. However, there is a deli in my building and all the smells emanating from it tested my strength of will infinitely. Not to mention the fact that my co-workers thought it would be hilarious to talk about food all day and to visit the deli for their lunch and walk it past my office intentionally. Cruel and unusual punishment I tell you. Then there was the smell of coffee. I have to say coffee has been the hardest thing to quit. I was absolutely addicted to caffiene and that headache took all of an hour to start. When my body realized it wasn't getting it's regular dose of sugar filled caffeine goodness, it started rebelling in a big way. Then I started feeling very sluggish and slow, like I wasn't quite in the present. My vision was a little blurry, my movements were slower than usual, and my concentration was completely gone. I must've typed the same comment into my computer about three time before realizing what I was doing. And I was SOOOO tired that I literally could barely keep my eyes open. I juiced an extra juice to bring for lunch because at work, I don't have the option to make fresh juice. I realized there wouldn't be as many nutrients but there would still be plenty and either way it was an incredibly healthy lunch. It was made up of the same veggies as the morning with a little tomato thrown in. For some reason I could barely choke it down. I assume this is due to the fact that it wasn't fresh. It was horrible. But I managed. I experienced sluggishness and immense hunger as well as the ever present headache throughout the entire day. All I could think about was food! Which makes no sense because I have gone without eating breakfast and lunch before and it didn't really bother me! Damn mind tricks! I made it home, barely and did all of my chores with the animals. Then I washed the juicer, pulled out the produce and made my dinner. Again, pretty much the same veggies but I switched it up and added pineapple. Again, disgusting. I finished it though, cleaned the juicer for the morning and prepared the veggies for my morning and lunch juice to do in the morning. Then I blessedly fell into bed where I would no longer have to listen to my irate stomach. As a side note- I was down 3 pounds at this point.
Day 2- I woke up feeling absolutely terrible. I was nauseous, a bit dizzy, and so damn hungry that my dog's cookies were looking delicious. Even though I had gotten 8 hours of sleep for the first time in a very long time, I felt like I hadn't slept in days. I made my morning juice- spinach, celery, cucumber, and apple. It wasn't bad. I drank it all on my 1.5 hour drive to work. I arrived at work feeling a bit less enthusiatic as the day before. I made two juices for the day as I was so hungry the day before in between breakfast and lunch that I felt I needed another juice. However, I could barely drink the snack juice or the lunch juice. I threw up a couple of times, experienced incredibly bad nausea and cramping and managed to choke down about half of each before admitting defeat. Still, I didnt cave and grab a granola bar. I held tight and when that clock FINALLY struck 5pm was ready to dart out the door. But of course I got an urgent call right then and had to handle a situation first. In my mood, it was lucky I didn't drive the client away. I got home, barely able to stay awake and did all my chores again. The cat and dog food smelled so good, it was freaking me out. However, I started to realize I wasn't quite as sickly as I was that morinng, I had a tiny bit more energy although I was still exhausted and very hungry. I made my dinner juice, orange, pineapple, and carrots. It was pretty good. I started feeling a little more enthusiatric. I still wanted to fall into bed after my juice though but I watched some tv as I fell asleep this time.
Day 3- That would be today and I think my last day on the fast. Normally they are done for 3 days, 5 days, 10 days, or 15 days. Some people go up to 30 days. Initially I wanted to go for a longer fast but for my first one I think 3 is plenty especially since I didn't really prepare myself enough for it and I was eating more processed foods than I realized. I felt pretty good this morning. I am still very tired but the headache has finally subsided. I made a tomato, spinach, pear juice that was yummy this morning. My stomach hasn't stopped growling since I started the fast but I am drinking lots of water. I weighed myself this morning and I am down 5 pounds. I think that is an excellent start. I will finish this day out with just juice and start clean eating tomorrow for hopefully what is the rest of my life.
I have learned so much throughout this process because focusing on research has really helped to keep my mind off of the hunger. Realizing what I was putting into my body made me literally sick. I was addicted to food like most people are and didn't realize how terrible most of it was. I fancied myself a much healthier eater than a lot of people as I stuck to organic as much as possible, ate lots of fruits and veggies, hummus, etc., but I was still eating things that were processed. Now I will pay attention to labels much more, make things at home as much as possible, and avoid fast food like the plague. I want my life to change and this is a great way to do it. It's not just about losing weight anymore, it's about living longer because my body is healthy from the inside out. I am not saying I won't indulge in sushi, or chocolate cake from time to time but I will be eating clean on a regular basis. I will not even buy things that could temp me. Most processed foods are no longer actually foods and that is scary. Think about what you are putting into your body, know what you are eating! Do not think that you are any different when it comes to death by food because it is possible and happening every day. Change the way you eat! I feel better for it. I have wanted to become vegetarian for a long time and this is the perfect opportunity for it! And juice will stay a regular staple of each day, likely as a breakfast choice. It is the BEST way to get all of your necessary fruits and vegetables each day.
So thank you Joe Cross, for hopefully changing my life and at the very least making me a whole lot more aware of each and every thing I put into my body.
So. My mom talked me into watching "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," which is a documentary on Joe Cross and his journey through juicing his way back to health. Normally documentaries bore me unless they are about nature in some capacity but from the first five minutes of this film, I was enthralled. It is an excellent portrayal of just how bad we treat our bodies with the food we consume. It really opened my eyes to the fact that food is an addiction and most of us are suffering from it!
Like many others, I was inspired to start juicing after Joe's documentary. I bought a juicer and started a juice fast this past Monday. In hindsight Monday may not have been a great starting point due to the fact that I have a full-time job and lots of animals to care for so I really have no spare time or in this case, no time to wallow in misery. I had to suck it up and get over it.
Day 1- I honestly have NO idea how I managed to get through the first day. I made my morning juice using spinach, carrots, celery, and apples. It wasn't too bad. I drank it with enthusiasm as I was ready to face the day and get healthy. By about 9:30am I was starving (or at least what felt like starving). I made sure to clear out my fridge and drawer at work so there wasn't a single temptation. However, there is a deli in my building and all the smells emanating from it tested my strength of will infinitely. Not to mention the fact that my co-workers thought it would be hilarious to talk about food all day and to visit the deli for their lunch and walk it past my office intentionally. Cruel and unusual punishment I tell you. Then there was the smell of coffee. I have to say coffee has been the hardest thing to quit. I was absolutely addicted to caffiene and that headache took all of an hour to start. When my body realized it wasn't getting it's regular dose of sugar filled caffeine goodness, it started rebelling in a big way. Then I started feeling very sluggish and slow, like I wasn't quite in the present. My vision was a little blurry, my movements were slower than usual, and my concentration was completely gone. I must've typed the same comment into my computer about three time before realizing what I was doing. And I was SOOOO tired that I literally could barely keep my eyes open. I juiced an extra juice to bring for lunch because at work, I don't have the option to make fresh juice. I realized there wouldn't be as many nutrients but there would still be plenty and either way it was an incredibly healthy lunch. It was made up of the same veggies as the morning with a little tomato thrown in. For some reason I could barely choke it down. I assume this is due to the fact that it wasn't fresh. It was horrible. But I managed. I experienced sluggishness and immense hunger as well as the ever present headache throughout the entire day. All I could think about was food! Which makes no sense because I have gone without eating breakfast and lunch before and it didn't really bother me! Damn mind tricks! I made it home, barely and did all of my chores with the animals. Then I washed the juicer, pulled out the produce and made my dinner. Again, pretty much the same veggies but I switched it up and added pineapple. Again, disgusting. I finished it though, cleaned the juicer for the morning and prepared the veggies for my morning and lunch juice to do in the morning. Then I blessedly fell into bed where I would no longer have to listen to my irate stomach. As a side note- I was down 3 pounds at this point.
Day 2- I woke up feeling absolutely terrible. I was nauseous, a bit dizzy, and so damn hungry that my dog's cookies were looking delicious. Even though I had gotten 8 hours of sleep for the first time in a very long time, I felt like I hadn't slept in days. I made my morning juice- spinach, celery, cucumber, and apple. It wasn't bad. I drank it all on my 1.5 hour drive to work. I arrived at work feeling a bit less enthusiatic as the day before. I made two juices for the day as I was so hungry the day before in between breakfast and lunch that I felt I needed another juice. However, I could barely drink the snack juice or the lunch juice. I threw up a couple of times, experienced incredibly bad nausea and cramping and managed to choke down about half of each before admitting defeat. Still, I didnt cave and grab a granola bar. I held tight and when that clock FINALLY struck 5pm was ready to dart out the door. But of course I got an urgent call right then and had to handle a situation first. In my mood, it was lucky I didn't drive the client away. I got home, barely able to stay awake and did all my chores again. The cat and dog food smelled so good, it was freaking me out. However, I started to realize I wasn't quite as sickly as I was that morinng, I had a tiny bit more energy although I was still exhausted and very hungry. I made my dinner juice, orange, pineapple, and carrots. It was pretty good. I started feeling a little more enthusiatric. I still wanted to fall into bed after my juice though but I watched some tv as I fell asleep this time.
Day 3- That would be today and I think my last day on the fast. Normally they are done for 3 days, 5 days, 10 days, or 15 days. Some people go up to 30 days. Initially I wanted to go for a longer fast but for my first one I think 3 is plenty especially since I didn't really prepare myself enough for it and I was eating more processed foods than I realized. I felt pretty good this morning. I am still very tired but the headache has finally subsided. I made a tomato, spinach, pear juice that was yummy this morning. My stomach hasn't stopped growling since I started the fast but I am drinking lots of water. I weighed myself this morning and I am down 5 pounds. I think that is an excellent start. I will finish this day out with just juice and start clean eating tomorrow for hopefully what is the rest of my life.
I have learned so much throughout this process because focusing on research has really helped to keep my mind off of the hunger. Realizing what I was putting into my body made me literally sick. I was addicted to food like most people are and didn't realize how terrible most of it was. I fancied myself a much healthier eater than a lot of people as I stuck to organic as much as possible, ate lots of fruits and veggies, hummus, etc., but I was still eating things that were processed. Now I will pay attention to labels much more, make things at home as much as possible, and avoid fast food like the plague. I want my life to change and this is a great way to do it. It's not just about losing weight anymore, it's about living longer because my body is healthy from the inside out. I am not saying I won't indulge in sushi, or chocolate cake from time to time but I will be eating clean on a regular basis. I will not even buy things that could temp me. Most processed foods are no longer actually foods and that is scary. Think about what you are putting into your body, know what you are eating! Do not think that you are any different when it comes to death by food because it is possible and happening every day. Change the way you eat! I feel better for it. I have wanted to become vegetarian for a long time and this is the perfect opportunity for it! And juice will stay a regular staple of each day, likely as a breakfast choice. It is the BEST way to get all of your necessary fruits and vegetables each day.
So thank you Joe Cross, for hopefully changing my life and at the very least making me a whole lot more aware of each and every thing I put into my body.
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