A Super Short Post

Tired, but the Royal Wedding was beautiful! Here's hoping Wills and Kate have much happiness in their lives. I love all the pomp and circumstance, guess you could say I am an American Royalist!

Stepped on the scale this morning, just to see what the juice cleanse had done. Two pounds! In three days. Not too bad and hopefully my body is detoxed. Now I will watch things like sugar, caffeine, cheese, etc. and be very cautious about portions.

On to the weekend!

Day 3

The juice thing is not so bad. I could see doing it twice a year, to restart the body. I could drink the grapefruit mint juice all day, it's that good. Totally not hungry. Chewing gum is not helping my desire to chew some food, but it's what we'll keep doing.

When I picked up my juice this morning, I asked what I should eat tomorrow. (I'm thinking steak and eggs for breakfast is probably not a good idea.) They said just to keep it in moderation and small for the first few days. Mackenzie is out of school tomorrow and I am taking her and two friends out for a sushi lunch.

Tomorrow is the Royal Wedding and I'll be up at 3:00 a.m. to watch. As long as I have a bottle of water with me I should be OK.

The weekend looms! Saturday will be spent watching David at lacrosse games all day, so the eating thing may prove to be a challenge, but this is about eating in real life, with busy schedules, and what so many of us do. First I have to finish the juice cleanse and then we'll see how it progresses.

Day 2

I'm going to start today by saying that I feel really good, I'm not hungry at all, had no headache last night, slept like a baby!

It's noon. I'm still on Juice #1. This time yesterday, I had started juice #3.

I want to chew something really bad. It doesn't even matter what it is. A grape. A piece of bread. A cracker. It's the chewing motion I miss right now. Weird.

I am waterlogged. I know why I'm not hungry, I haven't stopped my fluid intake! It is hard for me to get down this much liquid in a day (96 oz. of fresh juice, and about 36 oz. of water interspersed throughout the day).

I am going to modify the amounts of liquid, because I'd rather get some of the six juices in me, rather than pretty much have to punt the almond milk, like I did last night because I just couldn't drink anymore. I am going to take 12 of the 16 oz. and see if that's a bit easier. And I'll go down to 24 oz. of water in between.

I do need to admit that I did have two Triscuit crackers yesterday with Juice #3. I said yesterday that the Vitariffic juice (the green vegetable one) wasn't that bad, and I meant it. But when you're at 28 oz., looking at four more oz. to go, I needed something to help. Other than that, it's been all juice and water.

The coconut milk is fine, I got that one down without any problems. My disappointment yesterday was with the carrot, apple, beet juice. I was looking forward to that one and it wasn't what I had hoped for. I forgot to ask this morning when I went for my refill of juices if they juice the carrot and beet tops as well. I'm almost sure of it. The juice tasted like there was dirt in it. It was OK, but there was definitely a taste from the tops; it didn't ruin it for me, but I was disappointed. Hopefully today's batch will be better!

The last juice was the almond milk. To be quite honest, I got six oz. into it and quit. I was done for the day.

I never thought the amount would be a problem. I was ready for the taste to be awful, and found that wasn't a factor. I also thought I would be famished, again, not the case.

So, since I've been typing, I've gotten to 12 oz. of #1 and have started #2. The grapefruit mint is my favorite!

And instead of a one oz. shot of wheatgrass, this morning I had a two oz. shot.

I feel really good! That has been the best part of this, no fatigue, no drag, I'm alert and clear, I have been working on a project all morning on the computer and I've been racing through it and getting it done. Other than an occasional gurgle in my stomach, it's been good.

Tomorrow is the last day of the detox. Then it will be smarter choices beginning on Friday.

A Brand New Day

It's Tuesday morning, April 26, 2011, 9:45 a.m. A brand new day.

I stepped on the scale first thing this morning -- 234.5 pounds. That was a bit of a shocker. I hover between 220 and 225, ten more pounds to lose than I had figured. I'm OK with it, as this will be the last time I lose them! (It will be.)

No pictures or measurements. I'll get a picture today. But I may not post it today.

Did the morning school carpool thing and headed off to Tree City to pick up my juices. The cost for the cleanse is $40 per day, so I took care of that. I brought my own cooler with me, so as my juices were being packed up for me to take, I downed my wheat grass shot. It was actually OK. Definitely not like the tequila I had this past weekend, but not an awful thing either.

The juices are in 16 oz. Mason jars, labeled in order for me to drink. The fresh fruits and veggies make for some very bright colored drinks. As of now, I have finished #1, the very green and very veggie Vitariffic. The ginger and pear and lemon help tremendously with the flavor, it wasn't awful to drink, but as I got closer and closer to the bottom of my glass I was looking forward to the end! I have another one of those for later.

I've started #2, the Grapefruit Mint. What a nice change! I could definitely smell the mint as I opened up the jar, and I don't so much taste the mint as smell the mint. This one is no problem.

I've already had 16 oz. of water, and will probably empty my water bottle before I finish this juice.

When I picked up my juices, I was also told that I might get the afternoon headache from not eating food, but probably only today. I had forgotten about that.

The weather is kinda iffy, we had some storms yesterday and last night, so while I need to take the dogs for a walk, I really don't want to be caught up in some weather. And I'm feeling waterlogged, so I may just stay close to home for today. The after school runaround awaits me later today. And I really don't want to get that potential headache.

Good things are happening!

The Juice Cleanse

Right after I say I'm gonna post every day, I take a week off.

I wasn't ready to start for a couple of reasons. Easter was fast approaching, and while I didn't think I was going to just stuff my face with all the Easter trimmings, it seemed like suicide to start just before the holiday. Also, my kids were out of school on Good Friday and also today, Easter Monday, and I wanted to start when I knew it would be just me for the first few days.

So I spent the time doing some more research on some things and decided I'm going to start with a detox. We have a local juice place here in Boise called Tree City Juice and Smoothie Cafe, and they offer a three to five day juice cleanse/detox program. I called to ask some questions and signed myself up. I will start tomorrow morning, just the three day, as it will be the first time I try this.

Six raw juices are prepared, and I will be drinking those all day, every couple of hours or so, with plenty of water. The first and third juice of the day is the 'green' one, it's called Vitariffic and has spinach, parsley, celery, carrots, kale, dandelion greens, lemon, ginger root, and pear; the information says this helps the liver and kidneys. Grapefruit Mint is the second juice and helps with fat burning and digestion. The fourth juice is coconut water, which I know now is all the rage, but I have not tried it as I'm not a huge fan of coconuts. This juice has lots of electrolytes, more potassium than two bananas, and zero fat. Next, there is the CAB juice, carrots, apples, and beets, which promote oxygenation of the blood and revitalizes the skin. The last juice of the day is Almond Milk. Again, not something I've tried, and the only one I'm slightly leery about, as I've read in the past that almonds should be avoided by people with thyroid problems, but I figure as a detox drink it's probably OK and almonds do have lots of minerals and are a good protein source.

They will make these fresh for me tomorrow morning and I will pick all six of them up right after I drop the kids off at school. Oh and let me not forget the wheatgrass shot. I'll have one of those when I pick up my juices. Now, wheatgrass is something I've had before, I used to have an awesome trainer who insisted on a shot of wheatgrass when our workout was done. Wheatgrass is one of those things that has a distinctive taste, but the taste can be affected by how it's grown. Sometimes it was no problem to get it down. Sometimes it would make me nauseous. Tree City grows its own wheatgrass, so I'm hoping that since they are making it in smaller batches and keeping a close eye on it, it will be the former for me, not the latter. The benefits of wheatgrass are disputed, but the chlorophyll from the fresh plant does seem to have some positive effects on the body.

I'm supposed to abstain from coffee, alcohol, and snacks while on the cleanse. I am supposed to exercise moderately. I've been told that the first day is often the hardest for those who have never done a juice fast before. And that by the third day I might be feeling kinda cold. But, I should also wind up sleeping better, should have more energy and clarity, and some weight loss to show for it. Plus, with all the vitamins and good stuff coming in from fresh juices that haven't been heat treated, that has to be good for me, too.

I'm looking forward to this! I have a feeling I'll be drinking something all day, so I'll have to have a bottle with me at all times to get down the juices. Tomorrow is a new day!

The Goal(s)

What exactly am I trying to achieve? I've laid out my plan, now it's time to lay out my goals:

• I do not want to get diabetes.
• I want to buy my clothes off the rack whenever I decide I need to shop for something new.
• I do not want to huff and puff over long walks, fast walks, stairs, etc.
• I want to wear a swimsuit and not feel self conscious. (I know this might not happen even if I were a skinny little thing -- maybe not as self conscious is what I should say.)
• I want to run the Race to Robie Creek next year.
• I want to look better for my anniversary cruise next January.
• I want to show my kids that anything can be done if you set your mind to it.

Some concrete, some not so concrete, two with a time frame, the rest as they happen.

The Plan

In order for this to work, I have to tackle it like a project I'm working on, which means some research, lots of questions, and a plan or timeline. I don't think there can be a timeline because I don't know how my body will cooperate with me. But I can make a plan and have some rules that I will stick to, and depending on those work for me, they can be added/deleted/modified. But I'm going to write everything down and keep track of what's going on. Guess that's the first rule!

1. I'm going to write everything down and keep track of what's going on. (Sorry!) That means food intake, exercise, how I'm feeling, external forces -- good and bad -- that help or hinder, etc. This will be my journal.
2. I commit to exercise five days of a week. It might be working out at the Y. It might be walking the dogs. It might be yoga/Pilates. Maybe it'll be Just Dance 2 on the Wii. (Don't laugh! Some of those Wii games can be a workout!) Starting out with a minimum of thirty minutes every day, more if I can.
3. I'm going to eat well, and by well I mean healthy. I'd like to strive for an 85% vegetarian diet; I'm not eating steaks every day, but I reserve the right to have one if I so choose. I also won't be eating a lot of heavy cream soups when I say I'm having soup, 100 calorie cookie packs (I'd rather have one awesome oatmeal raisin cookie), sugar free anything just so I can have more, you get the idea. My weaknesses are bread, and if I get it, white sugar. One sweet thing leads to another for me, although I can have a piece of hard candy and be happy with one. Usually. If I have more, you'll know...
4. I'm not giving up caffeine, but I will have less than I consume now. I'm also not giving up alcohol, but I can limit it to one drink a week, if I so choose. Can't save them up for three weeks in a row and then have three drinks in one night. I know I have a party coming up where there will be abundant alcohol, and I know I will probably party well that night. I can plan for that. This is about living life healthy, not in a cave somewhere. We're all faced with these choices!
5. I have a water bottle that holds 750ml. I will drink two bottles a day. More if I can.
6. I will try to post every day. If I take a day off, it will be Saturdays/Sundays. I will post pictures that are me and that have not been Photoshopped. I will also step on a scale, but it won't be everyday and no more than once a week, don't be surprised if it goes a couple of weeks. The number can be too important for some folks, like the size on a pair of pants, and some folks are defined by it. I am not, but know that for some, the only way to measure progress is with the number. If I have time, I will also get some starting measurements.
7. I am also going to be taking some supplements, for my general well being. A calcium supplement and some digestive enzymes for sure, I may have one or two more. Still doing some research there.

That's what I'm starting with. I don't think they're awful rules or anything I can't live with. If it's too hard, it's much easier to give up. If you have any other suggestions or ideas, you can always let me know.