T - 24 hours ... a few helpful links

SO can I start by saying I'm officially petrified? Yes, I'll admit it....I was fine up until about 10 minutes ago when I was like "yes, I need to blog today about my feelings towards tomorrow"...then it dawned on me...I only have one feeling: Pure terror. I've never committed myself to something this drastic. I'm having doubts that I can do this...that I'm capable of giving up the things I've used as crutches for so long. I'm very emotional today...to think of how I got where I am right now, what I've been through to bring me to where I am right now, & where this possibly will take me. It's all very overwhelming. Knowing what the outcome of this "feast" will be and how my life will change is very overwhelming...but in a good way. I didn't get where I am overnight...and I know I can't change overnight. Still, 92 days is an awful lot of time to give anything. 92 days of juices. 92 days of no chewing. 92 days of no digestion. 92 days of fruits & veggies. 92 days of watching those around me bite into juicy, medium-rare steak while I slurp down a green juice.  Yes, can you see why I'm terrified? I have been preparing for this for weeks...some prepare months. Emotionally I'm ready, physically I'm ready, I think I'm allowed a mini-breakdown before it all starts.

Detox scares me....they say it happens between Day 1-Day 7. Usually only a few days...but you feel like Death warmed over. Yay, how fun is that?! It's like spring cleaning going on in there....nutrients from the juice start nourishing your body, releasing old toxins into your bloodstream. Read about "The Healing Crisis" here. This site is one of my faves for information...it holds a ton of it. Take a look around :) 

I could ramble all day about how nervous I am. I was trying to think of the reasons I'm doing this again and came up with a few:

1. To prove to myself that I am capable of will-power.

2. To prove to myself that I am stronger than I think I am.

3. To improve my clarity & sense of self.

4. To improve my overall health & wellness.

5. To jump start a new lifestyle, be it vegan, raw, or just a modified diet.

6. To find my confidence & self-esteem. 

7. Lastly, my children. They deserve more than this mommy has given them. 

The losing weight part is a cool perk, although I won't be focused on it 100%. I am mainly focused on how I feel during...they say it's life changing. They say your mental clarity is unlike no other feeling you've ever felt. Testimonies I've read say your focus & energy are unsurpassed by anything you've ever felt. I want that. I DESERVE that. The weight is a perk. I know it will melt off at first, mainly because I have a lot to lose. SO I'm putting my stats out there...I'll weigh-in weekly....inches monthly....symptoms/recipes/amounts of juice/water will be recorded daily. If there is any other info you are wanting to know, just let me know...I'll try to include it all so you can get a true-life experience from this as well. 

Stats:

Height: 5'6"

Weight: 363lbs 

Blood Pressure: 131/92 (almost high, if not slightly)

Cholesterol: 202mg/dL (200mg/dL is normal, this is slightly high-risk)

Pulse: 101 avg resting (WAY too elevated) 

Haven't taken measurements today so I'll post those tomorrow, if not at my 1wk stat report. I know you're probably thinking "OMG, how did she let herself get that bad"....and honestly, I don't have an answer....I just did. I just didn't care or realize how much I should have cared. I'm going to need all the love & support I can get for this...as it's a major lifestyle jump for me...or anyone for that matter. I've seen drastic results & although I'm not hinging this on having the same results, I've seen testimonies of 100s of lbs lost in short months. Call it unhealthy if you want, but it's not. I've been medically cleared to do this & am supported by my Dr to do so. She compared it to gastric-bypass & they drop the same amount of weight. Now, taking care of yourself afterwards is where the unhealthy comes in (in my opinion). You have to be willing to keep up with your lifestyle change, you can't just start eating what you've always eaten. That defeats the whole purpose of this. I am going to heal....heal myself, my body, my spirit, my life. I'm excitedly terrified. Join me, be my cheerleaders.....after all, I'm sure you'd look hotter in the skirts than I would....at least for now :) 

I know I've repeated myself a few times this morning...but, my brain is totally running crazy. Thanks for indulging me :) Until tomorrow.....

Easing myself into a Juice Feast

Well, it's been 2 days since I've introduced juicing into my daily routine...not feasting yet but doing as I was told & slowly introducing the abundance of nutrients into my daily diet. I usually have a glass before breakfast (like a spinach, apple, grape & it makes about 3cups of juice which is DELISH!) & then have a bowl of oatmeal...I eat instant & usually 2 packs but the juice (I drink 1 cup, share the rest) has filled me up to where I only eat 1 pack. This alone (the fact the juice fills you up before you eat) would help you lose weight...I am happy to report that after 2 days of this (and I'm sure it's mostly water weight) I'VE LOST 5 LBS!!! and I haven't even started my official feast of nothing but juice/protein supplement as stated in previous post. I'm SO excited about this...I feel a little different, in the fact that I have crazy energy. I'm awake & refreshed after my morning juice. In the afternoon I juice green veggies & an apple together & then I have crazy energy when I was falling asleep before. Un-believeable. I'm sure anyone could get crazy energy from anything...like a Monster drink, Red Bull, etc etc you get where I'm going with this. BUT this juice is 100% natural & full of nutrients your body misses daily. Win/Win! I also tried a Kale, Cucumber, Green Apple, & Ginger juice which was BRIGHT green & great over ice (I've found most green juices are better over ice...as the Kale tastes like fresh cut grass if room temperature...lol).


I was worried my parent's thought I was crazy choosing to juice. And they did. UNTIL I juiced some common store bought combos they love. Yes, I have converts....Not only did they LOVE them, they could tell a HUGE taste difference in store bought & freshly juiced....of course they could right?! So now, Mom wants to know the health benefits...my favorite juice combo right now is Apple/Celery..about 4 stalks of celery & 1 whole apple. Delicious. The benefits of different produce can be found here. That site all-n-all is a good reference I think, for beginners at least. 


My official juice feast will start March 1, 2012. The plan is 92 days with a small goal of 10 days. I will take this 10 days at a time so as to not feel overwhelmed. Maybe by slowly introducing all these juices into my diet beforehand I can lessen the effects of detoxification. Well, that's it for now...just wanted to let you guys know I LOVE my juicer, best money we've ever spent!! 

Officially a juicer owner!

So today we went out "juicer" shopping...um, can I just say that 1) these suckers are expensive & 2) there are TOO many choices! I finally decided on the Omega Vert juicer found here & after a quick run through test juicing when we got home, I'm in love. We spent a total of $100 on produce today, not because I had to have it all but because I couldn't make my mind up with WHAT I wanted to juice. I bought it all....


tomatoes
beets
carrots
parsnips
celery
oranges
apples
papaya
mango
ginger
cucumber
lemon
lime
kale
spinach
salad greens
strawberries
pears
grapes


yeah you get the picture. My fridge is busting at the seams with fresh produce. I'm excited....seriously. As reality settles in that I'm going 100% raw for 92 days, I am excited, anxious, & scared. Why scared? Well, everything else I've ever sought out to do on my own FOR ME, I've failed at. I really & truly suck at taking time for me & caring for me. I am scared that this will end up taking a back burner to life once again....although I have the support of those that love me so this is huge. This comes down to a few goals...mainly, it's to jump start getting healthy. A juice "feast" as the raw experts call it, is a feast in which your body is allowed to clean itself...scrubbing away years of bad food choices & toxins hidden inside...allowing your body to absorb nutrients & enzymes that you miss out on every day...allowing for cellular regeneration & rejuvenation. The goal is to feel energized & rejuvenated after all is said & done. Of course, I expect to lose weight, as I have quite a bit to lose. I am going in blind..no weight loss goals so that I don't get TOO over zealous & expect the unattainable. I've HEARD of people losing 1-3lbs per day...mainly water weight in the first 2 weeks....1-2lbs/day each day afterwards...


Call it unhealthy if you want...but how can you? It's 100% vegan & raw. I will be adding an organic Spirulina/Wheatgrass supplement so as to get my protein & other amazing nutrients. Detox symptoms are said to be harsh and again, I'm scared about that...my body's way of telling me I've abused it for so long. I know that once I get through those few rough days I'm golden. Energy should sky rocket, mind should be clearer than ever, & focus should be amazing. They even say that green juice has age defying effects!! Win/Win if you ask me!!


Ok, so this has been long enough...I'll check back in before I start with bio info & starting numbers...I'm going to bare it all people so no judging...hell judge if you want, don't read if you want...I don't care. This is for me after all....sort of a documentary to myself. I'm not proud of where I am BUT I'm no longer going to be ashamed because I will NEVER be here again....I'm a fatty, get over it....I am. :)