4 days post fast...

So, it wasn't until Friday afternoon that my tummy was able to eat anything resembling a meal... and that was a very very small meal. I didn't realize how gradually you need to reenter the eating world after an extended fast. I weighed 106.2 on Thursday morning, forgot to weigh Friday, 107 even Saturday morning and 107.2 this morning. So my weight did not jump back up very much at all, although I was afraid it might. I still plan to drink juice daily but I probably won't post regularly until I do another extended fast. I will pop in every once in a while and give an update though.

Day 11 Breaking the fast...

So last night at dinner time I broke my fast with a perfectly ripe banana. And it was gross. It was too sweet and I did not enjoy it at all. Realized I might want something a little more savory I thinly sliced about 1/3 of a sweet potato and heated it in a skillet. That hit the spot. Left for class and when I came home 3 hours later I was really craving PB&J. (If you know me you know this is a staple in my diet!) So I had one slice of whole wheat bread with some PB&J. It tasted funny too. BOO. It probably wasn't the best choice of food for breaking a fast but oh well.

This morning I made 20 oz of juice. Drank 8, had some peanuts, some pistachios and some apple slices. My tummy was not interested in anything but a bite or two at a time. It doesn't feel bad at all, just "not ready". So in retrospect, I should have done more research on breaking the fast because I am finding it needs to be a lot more managed and disciplined than I thought! I am hoping to be ready for a small salad by dinner time, but until then it is fruit slices and juice for me.

Oh, and this morning my weight was 106 even again.

Day 10 Will I ever do this again? (Juice Fast FINAL Day!)

So, today at dinner I will celebrate the end of my fast with a banana and some strawberries. Tomorrow morning I will drink juice for breakfast have a small salad for lunch and eat light for dinner.

I do feel a pretty big sense of accomplishment. As I said in an earlier post once I determine I will do something, I don't change my mind. This is how I gave birth to four babies sans painkillers. This is how I survived the early weeks of breastfeeding all four of them too. Quitting was not an option. Come to think of it I seem to have a high tolerance for pain and suffering... LOL!

I will keep posting for a while so that you can see how I feel in the days following, how much weight comes back and how quickly etc. I was 106 even this morning so for the entire fast I am down 7.4 lbs.

I think when I do my juice fasts from now on I will do 7 days. It just seems like a better length to me. I do plan to do this again right after July 4. I also plan to try to incorporate fresh juice into my regular diet. I honestly could not possibly get the recommended amount of servings of fruits and veggies in my diet every day if I had to eat/chew them all.

So in a nutshell:

The Best Part of the 10 day juice fast:
1)I did it
2)I learned I could do it
3)I have a new healthy habit to incorporate into my lifestyle
4)The weight loss, just in time for summer
5)The lack of headaches (after day 2)
6)The nutrient infusion I gave my body
7)Waking up early with lots of energy

The Worst Part of the juice fast
1)Smelling Food
2)Dinner time
3)Prepping the fruit, making the juice and cleaning up the juicer every day
4)The extreme muscle soreness/tightness and back ache of the first few days
5)Waking up early with lots of energy (a plus and a minus... haha)

9 is FINE! (Juice Fast Day 9)

So I day 9 is here and I am about the same... feeling pretty good except for my monthly visitor ;-). Amazingly enough I never got a PMS headache this month! It's my usual "warning" sign. Morning weight was 106.6. Someone asked me if I noticed a big difference and honestly I just feel good, but I didn't feel "bad" before, so no I don't see any dramatic changes. I do have more energy during the day and don't feel tired all the time, so that is good. But since digestion takes LOTS of energy you would expect to have more of it if your body does not have to digest food all day. I was going to the gym today just to see what my strength and endurance were like, but I got sidetracked with a petting zoo at Nikki's school. I do plan to go tomorrow before I break my fast. I won't work out hard, I just want to see how my body handles it.

So now that it is day 9 I really have things down to a routine. I make 32 oz of "Green" juice. This is cucumber based (cucs juice really well) with green apple, lemon, celery, and greens. I have found that if I have a really sour batch of green apples then I prefer to substitute a red apple for one of the green ones. The pic below is actually 2 cucs, 5 ribs celery, 4 ribs(?) kale, 1 green apple, 1 red apple, 1 orange, and 1 lemon. This made 32 oz.

My second juice is 16 oz and it is carrot based. (Carrots also juice well). I will juice enough carrots to fill my measuring cup to 8oz. Then I will add fruit like pineapple or strawberries. Even though it is my carrot based juice, I do try to get some greens in every juice I make. You can see the romaine I juiced in the picture below. I also added a rib of celery to get it up to 16oz.

So what I have found is cucumbers, carrots and celery produce a good amount of juice. Greens... just a scant amount. I prefer my juices to be fairly sweet but some people tried some more savory recipes. One of my friends made "spaghetti juice" from tomato, peppers, and garlic. She heated it just to warm and ate it with a spoon! I was going to try it, but never did. But it might be a nice break from the sweeter tastes. Also, I drink my juice in 8 oz servings. I don't sip it, I drink it right down. I don't want the sweet taste in my mouth all day by sipping on juice. This is just a personal preference for me. So I drink 8oz when I first make juice and then again around 11, 2, 4, 6, 8. 48oz seems to be the magic number for me. I do know some people drink a lot more than that.

8 IS GREAT! (Juice Fast Day 8)

Not a lot to report today... all is well.  Morning weight was 107 even.  I am feeling good and I have plenty of energy.  My hunger is fleeting and not intense, but I definitely do experience hunger.  Some have said that after the first few days you don't feel hunger, for me that has not been true. 

I am looking forward to Wednesday evening when I break my fast.  I haven't for sure decided how I am going to do that but it will probably be with some fruit.  I'm thinking maybe a banana. :-)  After going 10 days without solid food you can't just resume eating normally... you have to ease your body back into it.

Tomorrow is the last full day of the fast.  I am doing great, but also really looking forward to eating. :-)

One Week but definitely NOT weak!! (Juice Fast Day 7)

Today marks the one week point since I have had solid food.  Morning weight was 107.4 (Down 6 lbs.) Any weakness or tiredness passed several days ago and I have plenty of energy to get through the day.  In fact I was on my feet in the kitchen all afternoon and don't even feel tired.  I cooked chicken breasts and bacon, made cole slaw, home made hamburger buns and chocolate chip cookies and wasn't really even bothered.  Earlier in the week it would have KILLED me to do that much cooking!   I can tell you that I think this "fast" has been nothing but a positive thing for me.  I went into it not knowing what to expect, but hoping that it would be something I would want to do a few times a year.  I think I will do it 4 times a year.  Early Jan, April, July, and October. 

Looking forward to eating again later this week, but so glad I did this fast!

Cute proof that it's not GROSS! (Juice fasting day 6)

Sooo... day 6 is done!  Morning weight was 108 even.  I drank 48 oz of juice and way more than that in water, and a cup of herbal tea.  My insomnia is still waking me up earlier than I would like, but other than that I have no unpleasant symptoms.  I thought about food and eating a lot more today than the other days, and I am definitely looking forward to ending the fast on Wednesday.  My hunger comes and goes but is never intense and I am not tempted to quit or cheat.   Owe that to my pigheaded side.  Once I have determined to succeed at something, you'd practically have to kill me to get me to quit or give up.  It's an asset and a flaw all in one.

My husband and bigger kids think juicing is gross, but I have one little convert who wants some of mommy's juice every day...

Nathan rocking the carrot, pineapple juice 'stache

Good to the last drop (notice the mark between his eyes from tipping the glass all the way up)

What goes in must come out...

My friend Judy asked about how much water/fluids I drink a day and about ahem... peeing and pooping on a juice fast.  I don't embarrass easily and these are good questions to ask, things I wanted to know before I started.

First the intake.  I am drinking 48 oz. of juice a day (but I am a small person) if you are larger, you will probably drink quite a bit more than this.  I also try to drink that much in water.  I would say I am drinking around 84-100oz of fluid a day.

Next the output.

The first days I was drinking way more than I usually do (I am bad about drinking enough) and I was peeing ALL. THE. TIME.  That seems to have leveled off a bit as my body has adjusted.

Now about poo.  First, we will talk about what I read and heard.  Everything I read said that it is very important not to ignore your colon health on a juice fast.  What is the point of eliminating toxins from your body if you are not eliminating?  So, the most extreme, die hard, health nuts recommend something called colonics.  Look it up if you dare, but let's just say eeew. haha.  The next level seems to be regular enemas to help eliminate whatever has accumulated in your bowel.  If that's as gross to you as it is to me... then you could also add psyllium husk to your juices.  The fiber should keep you regular.   Honestly I am the most regular person I have ever met, I had regular bowel movements on day 1 and a little less on day 2 and 3.  I wasn't sure if I was just already cleaned out or if the lack of fiber was stopping the action, so I decided to drink a cup of smooth move herbal tea on nights 3 and 4 of the fast.   This caused small bowel movements the following mornings and nothing else the rest of the day.  I think I am cleaned out.  I think each persons experience and needs are going to be different here but most of the ladies I am fasting with also feel as though they are pretty cleaned out at this point.

So there you have it folks... that's the ins and outs of it.  ;-)

What a GREAT day! (Juice Fast Day 5)

So we are officially HALF WAY through our 10 days... and for me today was the best of all.  I felt great, I had tons of energy and hunger was minimal.  Although I did make chocolate chip cookies since we were having some friends over... it totally vacuumed having my fingers in cookie dough and not being able to taste test!! 

Weight this morning was down to 108.2.

I woke up early after going to bed late, but couldn't go back to sleep, so I guess you could say I still have a bit of insomnia.  No backache or muscle aches, no headaches, teeth are still furry. 

I can't believe we are half way!!!! 

For those who want to know...

My sweet friend Bethany asked in the comments...

"Hey Renee, I'm fascinated by these posts. Thanks for blogging your journey. This is something I've considered and am bummed I sold my juicer in a yard sale a few years back. I'm so tempted to get a new one. Can you do a quick post about the books or websites you read for information and how-tos? I've only looked a bit and would love to benefit from your research. Thanks! =)"

The inspiration for the juice fast for me began with watching the documentaries "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and "Hungry for Change", when I watched these I thought about my Mama.  She has high blood pressure, type 2 Diabetes, she had thyroid cancer a few years ago, she recently had a heart attack and had to have 3 stints put in, AND she has been struggling nearly 2 years without daily stomach upset and pain.  I wanted to learn more about juicing and try a juice fast to inspire my mama and perhaps be able to help her out in some way... especially with her stomach pain for which Drs. seem to have no answers, just more meds.   (And Bethany, I had a juicer and got rid of it in 2007... I guess the timing just wasn't right back then!)

Anyway, there is a website associated with the documentary I mentioned called http://www.jointhereboot.com/ and it has lots of information, recipes, etc.  If you google juicing or juice fasting you can find all kinds of information, but honestly there has been no substitute for just jumping in and doing it.  Learning by doing is the only way to figure this out.  If you are not sure (like me!) if juicing is going to be for you, just get a cheap juicer from Walmart.  The Hamilton Beach that I bought was about $60 and it works just fine.  From all I have read, the Breville models are a step up and slightly more expensive, but for the long term it is worth it if you get more juice from your produce.  I will be moving up to a better juicer some day.  

It takes me a while to make juice in the morning.  I make all my juice for the day.  Ideally the best juice is consumed within minutes because as air and light reach the juice it begins to oxidize and some of the nutrients are lost.  However, juicing and clean up are time consuming and I just can't do it several times a day.  So the next best thing... I pour it to the brim in 8 oz mason jars so there is hardly any air in the jar.  I drink it all within 12 hours.

I buy organic when it's decently priced, but I figure even conventionally grown produce is better than eating other junk so I don't sweat the organic.  I do peel the cucumbers and carrots because they are part of the dirty dozen of produce that has the most pesticides.  I have found my favorite juice to be a version of what they call the "mean green"...  Approximately 2 green apples, 1 cucumber, 4 ribs celery, a few handfuls of greens (kale, spinach, romaine etc), a lemon, and a 1" slice of ginger.  Lemon is suggested to cut the bitterness in greens.  I actually really like this juice!!  I will also sometimes add a couple of carrots and some eggplant if I am trying to get the ounces up to a multiple of 8.

Last thing... juicing is expensive.  It takes A LOT of produce to make juice for the day.  Being a thrifty gal, I had to get past this.  I just told myself that I have never been the type to go to a salon and drop $100 bucks on hair, nails or the like.  In fact, I have only had my hair cut once in the last year.  So for me, this is a health/beauty investment and I am not even adding up the cost.  (But ALDI's is great for buying produce if you have one near you... so cheap!!)  I will be happy to answer any other questions that I can, even though I am just a juicing rookie. :-)

Getting Better! (Juice Fast Day 4)

So today was insanely busy for me and I was running all day.  So I made my juice this morning.  40 oz instead of 48.  Drank 8 right away at 8am.  I didn't get a chance to have anything else besides water until 3:30 in the afternoon.  Strangely enough most of my hunger is just fleeting moments and usually brought on by the power of suggestion... a billboard, the smell of food, etc.  If I am not seeing or smelling food I feel very little hunger.

Almost everything is better for me on this fourth day... energy was good with sporadic moments of tiredness, insomnia was better, backache completely gone, muscle aches, also gone.  Teeth are still furry and it is still gross.

Todays weight was 109.4 exactly the same as yesterday.  I am not really doing this to lose weight but it is a nice side benefit.

I am currently juice fasting with four other ladies, and every single one of our experiences has been different.  Our struggles are at different times and for different reasons.  If you decide to take on a juice fast, I highly recommend doing it with someone or more than one!  It has been amazing to both encourage and receive encouragement from this great group of ladies.  Tomorrow will be half way!! WHOOP WHOOP!

Over the hump! (Juice Fast Day 3)

This Morning's weight: 109.4
Energy: Up and Down... better today than yesterday
Hunger: Ranges from none to slight. Totally manageable.
Intake: 48 oz seems to be the magic number for me.  I don't think I could fit in any more than that.

So today is the end of day three. According to most testimonies we are done with the hardest days. For me, they have not been overly difficult. I have some symptoms that are uncomfortable but I have not felt like giving up.  I have insomnia pretty bad, and the last two nights I have been bothered by muscle aches and my lower back has ached so bad as to keep me awake. I read this in some information about detox stages...

"...old injuries may become irritated and painful. This is a result of the body's increased ability to heal during fasting. If you had broken your arm 10 years before, there is scar tissue around the break. At the time of the break, the body's ability to heal was directly related to lifestyle. If you lived on a junk-food diet, the body's natural healing ability was compromised.

During fasting, the body's healing process is at optimum efficiency. As the body scours for dead or damaged tissue, the lymphocytes enter the older, damaged tissue secreting substances to dissolve the damaged cells. These substances irritate the nerves in the surrounding region and cause a reoccurrence of aches from previously injured areas that may have disappeared years earlier. The pain is good as the body is completing the healing process. The muscles may become tight and sore due to toxin irritation. The legs can be the worst affected, as toxins accumulate in the legs." 

^^^^ ALL OF THE ABOVE FITS ME TO A "T"!^^^^

Today's goodness

        

Isn't it sooo pretty?

We have FUR! (Juice Fast Day 2 Evening Update)

So I have now nearly finished day 2 of my juice fast. I am going to try to update in the evenings from now on, so I can talk about how the day went.  Overall the actual going without food has not been that difficult for me yet.  As soon as a hunger pain hits I grab a jar of juice and I am good. 

Today my muscle soreness was a tad bit better but still very annoying. I drank about 50 oz of juice total. I went to the gym and did some time in the steam room this evening. I felt like I had brain fog off and on all day and I would say that I am definitely detoxing... This picture doesn't do it justice, but my tongue and teeth are growing fur!! Me and my toothbrush are best buds. LOL!

OUCH! (Juice Fast Day 2)

Yesterday went quite well as far as ease of fasting.  I got cravings for food whenever I got a good whiff of something cooking. (Like the BBQ chicken I made for the rest of the fam).  I drank 48 oz of juice which seems like a bit less than most people, but then I am a small person so it might be the right amount for me.

As far as detox symptoms, the muscles in my legs are KILLING ME.  To the point where I got on the floor to stretch out my hamstrings several times yesterday and had to break out the heating pad in the middle of the night.  At first I thought it was too soon to have that detox symptom, but then I realized I have been drinking plenty of juice since Thursday, so maybe I gave my system a jump start.  Either way, all I have to say is OUCH!  It hurts.  But it helps to know that it is part of the process of ridding my body of toxic junk.

This morning I hopped on the scale and my weight was 110.6   Technically that is down nearly 3 pounds from yesterday.  I have done many 24 hour fasts and I never drop that much that fast, so I am wondering if the scale was a little wonky this morning.  Time will tell.

I am so happy to have 3 other girls on this journey with me.  Makes it so much easier to be able to talk about what we are experiencing, juicing, etc. 

Todays Weight: 110.6
Energy: Pretty Low
Detox Symptoms: Muscles are sore, slight brain fog that comes and goes

Blast Off!! (Juice fast day 1)

So I am feeling a bit better today and have decided to launch!

WEIGHT: 113.4 lbs. 
ENERGY: My energy is always good in the morning, evening is the real test for me!

I made a little over 6 cups of juice this morning, and might need to make some more later.  I didn't write down the recipe, it is just a conglomeration of all the fruits and veggies I have used in the past. 

So here it is my apple, orange, clementine, lemon, carrot, celery, spinach, romaine, eggplant, cucumber juice...  mmmm.... taste 7 out of 10.

.

Tomorrow is the big day...

So, I have been drinking fresh fruit and veggie juice for 4 days now, and I love it. I like that I can get my daily recommended amount of fruits and veggies in a glass, and I even like the taste. 
Really I do. 

Today's juice
1 Green Apple
1 Red Apple
1 Small Orange
1 lemon
1 2" slice of eggplant
2 Ribs Celery
2 Carrots
2 Handfuls Spinach

Taste: 7 out of 10
YIELD: 24 oz.

NOTES: 
Eggplant looks really gross when you juice it.  I came out like this grey/black sludge.  Weird!
I have been told that kale juices better than spinach so once the huge bag I bought is gone, I will get some kale instead.

Tomorrow is the day that I stop eating solid foods and consume only fruit and vegetable juice for 10 days.  Well 10 days is the goal, but I am not going to feel like a failure if I don't make it.  We'll just play it by ear.  Right now I seem to have caught a little virus which may throw a wrench in my plans.  As of right now I don't feel so bad that I think it will stop me from the fast (but I did take some ibuprofen which may be masking how bad I really feel), but I will be playing it by ear in the morning.

Today's juice

Busy day... we went to the zoo.  No time for pics today.  I drank about 20 oz of juice again today.  I anticipate drinking around 3-4 times that on my juice only days.


1 Green apple
1 Red apple
1 Lemon
1 Cucumber
2 Carrots
1 Rib Celery

YIELD: 20 oz.
Taste 6 out of 10

10 day juice fast: Preparation Day 2

So today is t-3 until I begin my 10 day fresh veggie and fruit juice only fast. Today I will stop all caffeine and drink 20 oz of juice throughout the day. I pulled out the juicer this morning and decided to make a juice that contained the variety of colors in the rainbow.

Today's juice: Morning Rainbow

4 VERY large strawberries (RED)

2 Large Carrots (ORANGE)

1 Lemon (YELLOW)

3/4 Cucumber (Green)

1 Handful Spinach (More Green)

2 Handfuls Blueberries (Blue/Purple)

 

Morning Rainbow

Stawberries, Lemon, and Carrot

Finished Product

YIELD: 20 ounces

TASTE: 6 out of 10

Au natural

As part of my efforts to clean the junk ingredients out of our diet, I have learned how to make some things at home, out of natural ingredients, minus the chemicals and preservatives.  Here's a sampling of some things I have made recently.

Peanut Butter

Ranch Dressing

Delicious Dinner Rolls

Tortillas

The ONE thing that all of these have in common is how simple they are to make! Not to mention cheaper! (And anyone who knows me knows I love cheaper!)

Goals

So as I mentioned in the previous post I am starting a 10 day juice fast, along with a couple of friends.  Over the past year, I have been fine tuning my philosophy of food.  I have some general goals for a healthier diet for me and my family.  So far this year we have made steps to reduce as many processed foods, artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, and chemicals from our diet as possible.  How are we doing this? I don't buy any convenience foods.  Almost anything I used to buy I make from real natural ingredients.  I now make my own seasoning mixes (taco, chili, ranch etc.) my own ranch dressing, my own breads, rolls, and tortillas.  We cut WAY back on soda and sugary drinks. We drink mostly water.  Once a week on pizza night we (the grown ups) have mountain dew (I know! I know!).Occasionally we will buy 100% juice for a treat for the kids. We have switched from margarine spreads to real butter.  Butter is natural, margarine was made in a lab.

I have some more specific goals for this 10 day juice fast.  They are:

1) Energy.  I have always been low on energy and being a full time students with five kids, one can never get enough!  I want to be able to be productive for a couple hours after the kids are in bed. 
2) Break the carb cravings.  'Nuff said.
3) Cleansing.  Give my body a chance to clean out some of the junk stored in my cells.
4) Fresh Start.  After putting only fruits and veggies in my body for 10 days I am hoping I will be hesitant to go back to putting some not so healthy stuff in. HAHA.


I may think of some more but for now that is about it.

Switching Gears... The adventure begins.

So, I have been super busy with school and kids and life and this blog has been neglected.  Truth is there wasn't much to tell.  I still fast about once a week, I have maintained my weight in the 112-114 range, and I am pretty comfortable with it.  Of course losing 5 lbs. would be great, but I am not sweating over it.

So I am about to switch gears a bit with the blog.  Two of my friends and I have decided to do a 10 day juice fast and I start Monday.  I am gearing up for it.  Yesterday I bought copious amounts of fruits and vegetables, and this morning I pulled out the juicer for its maiden voyage.  Tomorrow I go caffeine free.

I have some goals for this 10 days which I will talk about in another post.  For now, I just want to talk about making my first glass of juice.  I plan to post the ingredients, the yield, and a taste rating for each juice recipe I make.

So here is how the first juicing experience went down...

Today's recipe: "GREEN GLORY"

1 smallish Granny Smith apple
1 medium Macintosh apple (minus the small chunk I gave Nater)
1 cucumber
1 rib celery
1 small bunch of spinach
1 lemon (rind removed)

YIELD: 16 oz

Right to the top!

TASTE: 7 out of 10

NOTES: 

This first juice was not bad tasting.  I thought the cucumber was a bit strong, so I would probably cut it back to 1/2 next time.  The cucumber yielded the most juice of all.  Probably 4-6 of the total ounces.

Be careful juicing around your two year old.  Nathan was traumatized that the juicer ate the rest of his apple.  Traumatized!

I stored my juice in 8 oz. jam jars. You want to leave as little air as possible because air oxidizes (destroys) the nutrients in the juice. You also want to drink your juice as soon as possible and definitely within 24 hours.

8 oz. Jam Jars

The worst part of juicing is the clean up but it wasn't too bad, and we will compost the pulp for our garden.

The aftermath