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BUSY, BUSY, BUSY. I've got so much going on at work right now I feel like my head is going to explode. That's the reason I haven't written for several days. Not to worry, though. I am staying the course. I have moments when I'm kind of tired of juicing, but for the most part I am on auto pilot. Still not too much exercise to report and I know that needs to change. I am going for a walk with my dogs every morning, so at least that's something. I've been having basically the same thing every day:
24 oz Carrot/Apple/Beet/Ginger juice
32 oz modified Master Cleanser recipe
32 oz Pineapple/Celery/Greens/Mint juiceTOTAL: 112 oz
plus: 24 oz of some sort of tea - Green, Hibiscus, Una del Gato, etc.
I know that this isn't a full gallon, but this quantity seems to work for me. So until I begin a more strenuous exercise regimen I feel like this quantity is OK for right now.
Today's Weight: 193.0
Today's BMI: 28.5
Total Weight Lost: 17 pounds
It's weird, when I've done regular Master Cleanser I had a hard time going past Day Twenty psychologically. Probably because I was so gosh-darned sick and tired of the stinkin' lemonade. ;)) But this time I am really confident that I will do the whole 92 days. And the reason I've kept with the same juices every day is because I LIKE THEM. When I've deviated early on and tried something else I was always slightly disappointed. Now I really look forward to my juices.
Anywho, once I get through this week things should settle down a bit and I will do my best to write - at least a little bit - every day.
Aloha, Namaste, and thanks for reading,
Ellen
YOWZA! 10 days down 82 days to go. I can hardly believe it. Things have been going smoothly and I am still totally committed to doing this. It's kind of like something I heard in a Wayne Dyer lecture years ago. He talks about making a change in your life and compares it to going through a self-closing gate that slams and locks behind you. Once you've gone through it there's no turning back. Which is very much how I feel right now - that there's no turning back. Baby, I am going through that gate! Part of my reason for blogging about the experience is to keep me real and accountable. And so far it's definitely working. But I also want to share this journey with others and to show them how accessible a raw food lifestyle is for everyone. I feel like I am taking the abundance of knowledge I've collected over the years about health and finally, actually living it.Yesterday I had:
24oz Apple/Celery/Romaine/Ginger juice64 oz modified Master Cleanser recipe24 oz Strawberry/Cucumber/Spinach/Mint juiceTOTAL: 112 ozYesterday's Weight: 197.5
Yesterday BMI: 29.1
Total Weight Lost: 12.5 poundsI know that I've lost a lot of weight pretty rapidly, but now it's slowing down a bit. I did have a good amount to lose - 75 lbs - so I guess this just proves the amount of excess baggage I needed to get rid of. I feel quite good physically and I trust in the wisdom of my body. At this point, I even have a couple of pairs of jeans that were too tight that I can wear now. And a whole closet of clothes in descending sizes that I'll fit into at different stages along the way. ;))Today I had:24 oz Carrot/Apple/Beet/Ginger juice64 oz modified Master Cleanser recipe
24 oz Pineapple/Celery/Spinach/Mint juiceTOTAL: 112 ozplus: 16 oz Peppermint Tea
Anyway. I am very happy with my progress so far. No major crises, no major emotional breakdowns, no terrible cravings. I'm just kind of cruising along. Hopefully it will stay this way throughout the rest of my 82 days. Wouldn't that be nice?
Aloha to all and to all a good night,
Ellen
This new Buddha batik tapestry arrived today. I won it on E-Bay a couple weeks ago. It adds gorgeous color and beautiful energy to our orange sitting room. I am so completely happy with it! YAY! Our house is turning into a haven of good vibes.
Today I had:
24 oz Carrot/Apple/Beet/Ginger juice64 oz modified Master Cleanser recipe
24 oz Strawberry/Celery/Cucumber/Mint juice
TOTAL: 112 oz
plus: 24 oz of Green Tea
Still having a hard time making the gallon mark. I just can't seem to find the time to make juice or go but it even.
The caffeine in the green tea spaced me out a bit today. I really felt a rush within minutes of drinking it and it made me a little hyper. But I had a lot to do at work so it was actually quite helpful to get a nice power boost in the middle of the afternoon.
I've been on the computer all day and my back is kind of stiff so I think I need to sign off. I wish you all lots of juicy goodness.
Aloha and Namaste,
Ellen
Again, I didn't write yesterday. Blogger had frozen my account because they thought it might be a spammer blog????? I have no idea what that's about. But tonight it's back up and running so here I go. ;))
Yesterday I had:
24 oz Celery/Apple juice
24oz Carrot/Orange juice blended w/ ice from Jamba Juice
64 oz modified Master Cleanser recipe
TOTAL: 112 oz
Yesterday's Weight: 200.5
Yesterday's BMI: 29.9
Then today I got up early and took the dogs far a walk. I don't know if I've mentioned that I have TWO dogs. The old one that I spoke of in my first post is a 14 year old Australian Cattle Dog named Marley. The young one is a 2 year old Brindle Bull Terrier mix named Buddha. I love my girls! Today Buddha was extra fiesty so I stopped at the big park near my house and let them run around. It was so good to see them play. Marley would chase Buddha a little bit and then go off and do her own thing. Buddha would run balls out as fast as she could for about 1000 yards or so and then turn and run back. She'd stop every now and then to sniff at the ground and sometimes roll in it. Then she would take off after a bird in the other direction. So much fun. It made me start thinking about how little it takes to make a dog truly happy. We should be so easy to please. When's the last time any of you felt that kind of pure unbridled joy to be alive and out in nature? Think about it. As for me, I feel so fortunate that I have them to remind me to take in these little moments that are so precious.
Today I had:
32 oz Carrot/Apple/Beet/Ginger juice
64 oz modified Master Cleanser recipe
32 oz Pineapple/Celery/Spinach/Mint juice
TOTAL: 128 oz
plus: 16 oz of Hibiscus Tea
YAHOO! I finally made it to the gallon mark. It's true what Angela says in her blog - that you're much better off if you get in as much juice as early as possible. At least I think it was in her blog that I read that. No matter. Whoever said it, it's very true. Planning is key.
I've also incorporated Bee Pollen over the last couple of days. I don't really care for the granules too much but I found chew able wafers at the health food store. I have one n the morning before I take the dogs for a walk and one in the evening when I get home from work. I let it dissolve on my tongue like a lozenge. Yum! I highly reccommend those wanting to do a juice feast to add Bee pollen. It gives me a nice little energy boost at the beginning and end of my day.
Today's Weight: 199.0
Today's BMI: 29.6
Total Weight Lost: 11 pounds
Aloha and thanks for reading,
Ellen
Actually, it's only 10:30 p.m. on the 12th Hawaii Time even though the blog post says it's 12:30 a.m. on the 13th. So it is really the end of Day Five for me. Nothing major to report. I'm feeling better today. Of course I still have moments when I just want this to be over but they are fewer and I am able to work through them more quickly. I'm starting to hit my stride. Haven't lost enough weight to fit into the next size, but my current clothes fit a whole lot better. And I know that it will happen. I've haven't really been doing the skin brushing like I should be. But I did start doing enemas a couple of days ago. Maybe that's why my energy is better. I hate the whole process of the enema but I feel so much clearer afterwards and that feeling lasts through the next day. I have been doing them at night because that's when I have the time. Mornings are a little too hectic for me. But tonight I will add skin-brushing to my nightly ritual. I am also still walking my dogs every morning and it's been getting easier to wake up when the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. I still hit snooze but now I'm doing it for 15 minutes rather than a whole hour. ;)) I haven't started doing yoga yet because I decided to give myself a week to get into the swing of juicing before I added one more thing to my routine.
Today I had:
24 oz of Carrot/Apple/Beet/Ginger juice
64 oz of my modified Master Cleanser recipe
24 oz of Pineapple/Celery/Spinach/Mint juice TOTAL: 112 oz
plus: 24 oz of Hibiscus Tea & 16 oz of Peppermint Tea I am *really* trying to get all the juice in but I leave for work at 8 in the morning and don't get home until 6 at night; so it's hard unless I bring it all with me. And even the days I do bring enough I have a difficult time getting it all down.
Today's Weight: 202.0
Today's BMI: 29.9
Total Weight Lost: 8 pounds
Good night for now and sweet dreams to you all,
Ellen
Well... I am still pretty low energy. I think it has to do with detoxing mostly. And sorry for not writing yesterday. I was was out and about all day and then feeling pretty wiped out once I returned home.Yesterday I had:24oz Orange/Carrot juice blended with ice from Jamba Juice24 oz water with Green Vibrance powder48 oz Blackberry/Spinach/Cuccumber/Mint juice
TOTAL: 94 oz
plus: 24 oz Peppermint Tea
I also took my measurements yesterday (2/10/08):
Bust: 41 inches
Waist: 37 inches
Hips: 47 inches
Today my coworker went out to get garlic chicken for lunch and then she and my boss proceeded to eat it DURING our staff meeting. That was tough. She did offer to pick up some for me, too; but I declined of course. Even though I realize that it is nowhere near the best quality food - it smelled sooo good. I get a little bit of a hunger pang just thinking about it. But I'm well into juice-mode now. And I am sure that it smelled a lot better than it tasted - at least that's what I'm telling myself. ;)) There is no turning back for me. Every little act of discipline makes my resolve stronger. Besides, knowing that I am going to blog about it helps to hold me accountable somehow.Today I had:24oz Carrot/Apple/Beet/Ginger juice64 oz water w/Lemon Juice/Honey/Aloe/Cayenne Pepper/EmergenC/MSM/Green Vibrance32 oz Strawberry/Celery/Romaine juiceTOTAL: 120 oz
plus: 24 oz Hibiscus Tea
Today's Weight: 203.0
Today's BMI: 30.0
Total Weight Lost: 7 pounds
Sometimes during the day I feel like this is such slow going. But I realize that Rome was not built in a day and neither were my unhealthy habits. It's going to take time to undo the harmful effects of the diet I've eaten for the last several years. Time well spent, if you ask me.
Aloha and good night to you all,
Ellen
It's actually 10 p.m. on the 9th here, so still day two for me. I did pretty well today despite some minor obstacles. I don't know if it's the detoxing or what; but I woke up at 2 AM to go to the bathroom and I had started my period. I took some medicine I have for cramps - which was less than ideal during feasting. But I didn't want anything to derail my efforts. I took my dogs for a 45 minute walk as soon as I got up despite feeling crampy and bloated - so I am pretty proud of myself for that. I did like 3 loads of laundry and I also hung some Tibetan prayer flags up on our roof. They are so festive blowing in the wind. The wind is supposed to activate the prayers and release their intentions into the universe. I'm very glad that I finally got them up. Hopefully they will bring beautiful blessings to everyone who sees them. ;))Then this evening my roommate spent 2 1/2 hours in the kitchen making seafood paella from scratch. At first it smelled simply awful. I had to take a little walk down the block. Then I proceeded to burn cinnamon incense in my room all night to try to counteract the foulness. Once he got everything together and into the oven it actually smelled pretty good, but I was still a little grossed out by the original fishy smell. Then my other roommate made cookies. JEEZ! I normally have a very acute sense of smell but when I'm juicing it is ridiculous. I know they both meant well. And they were individually disappointed when I told them that I wasn't going to eat any of it. Oh well. If there's anything that you really get when juicing, it is to honor yourself and not be influenced by other peoples agendas, no matter how well-meaning.Today I had:48 oz of Strawberry/Pineapple/Celery/Romaine juice
16 oz water w/ Green Vibrance powder
48 oz of Carrot/Apple/Beet/Ginger juice
TOTAL: 112 oz
plus: 24 oz of Una de Gato Tea
I'm still not getting in a full gallon of juice so I really need to work on that.
Today's weight: 207.0 Today's BMI: 30.6
Total Weight Lost: 3 pounds
I have a little bit of a headache again tonight, so I'm going to sign off for now. I will try to make a point to take measurements and post a picture tomorrow.Sweet dreams and well wishes,Ellen
Well, that pretty much sums up today. So many habits that involve food. So many little moments when I would normally use food as a coping mechanism. So many social invitations throughout the day to grab a bite or have a coffee, etc. The first few days without eating it always becomes painfully clear how acceptable, and even normal, it is in modern society to self-medicate with food.Out with the old, in with the new.I actually feel good physically and wasn't truly hungry all day. It was just the patterns that have become almost second nature coming up over and over as a potent reminder that I have decided to change. And there's no going back for me. After this feast I will not be the same person. I am embarking on an epic journey towards my real true self. All that is unnecessary will and must fall away.Today I had:24 oz Carrot/Apple/Beet/Ginger juice16 oz plain old orange juice48 oz Pineapple/Spinach/Celery/Mint juiceFor a total of 88 oz
plus: 16 oz Green Tea
So I didn't quite make the gallon mark, but I will try to get all of it in tomorrow.Today's Weight: 210.0 lbsToday's Body Mass Index: 31.1On that note I am going to start getting ready for bed. I'm tired and my back hurts a little and I just want to rest. I will take measurements and hopefully post a "before" picture over the weekend.Aloha and Namaste,Ellen
So... Tomorrow begins my quest. I'm jumping into this a little bit earlier than the rest of the Global Juice Feasters because I've got a couple of events coming up in March and I want to be well into my journey by then.I guess, the question is: Why a 92 Day Juice Feast? I've done several fasting regimens in the past but ultimately returned every time to the dairy rich, processed vegetarian diet that led to my weight gain in the first place. Not this time. I want to give my body plenty of time to detox and I want to give my mind plenty of time to process the physical & emotional changes.I first stumbled upon the concept of "juice feasting" when I was researching a raw food diet for my 14 year old dog. She was diagnosed with heart disease and a little over a year ago began to deteriorate very quickly. It seems that the valves to her heart had been leaking fluid into her lungs for years until it finally got to the point where she could hardly breathe. Almost overnight she went from being a little bit stiff and tired to barely able to get up to go outside. And I had never given her grocery-store variety dog food either. I was buying the good stuff. I had read about the benefits of raw food for humans here and there over the years but always thought it a little extreme. Now I had to do something extreme because my old girl was fading fast. I switched her to Natural Balance frozen raw canine diet immediately after reading about it. And I am happy to report that after about a year on raw I can really see the difference. She still has a chronic cough and she's a little tired & stiff. But she's not debilitated anymore and she's still with me. I expect she'll have a good quality of life into her senior years. There was even a month when I went back to her previous food due to the Natural Balance raw food being discontinued and her symptoms got worse again. I found a new manufacturer of raw pet food, Primal Pet, that is stocked here in Hawaii and got her back on schedule quickly.Sorry for the long-winded intro. But if this sort of thing can work for an old dog going through a pretty severe health crisis, then why not for someone who is healthy to prevent those problems from ever developing? And it was in these online searches for resources on raw food that I came across Angela Stokes Raw Reform website. I was amazed by her before and after pictures and could totally relate to her personal story. Many of the emotions around food that she describes are ones I know far too well. But I guess I wasn't ready yet. Then one day at Borders Bookstore I picked up Natalia Rose's book, "The Raw Food Detox Diet" and read it cover to cover the same night. I went on to read Carol Alt's "Eating in the Raw" and Alissa Cohen's "Living on Live Foods". I went back and read through Angela Stokes' old blogs documenting her own 92 day juice feast and all three of her e-books. But, apparently, I still wasn't ready.About the same time that I first started really studying the raw food lifestyle I also tried Bikram Yoga for the first time. This specific style of yoga was popularized by Bikram Choudhury in the sixties and seventies. It's a 90 minute series of 26 postures done in a hot and humid room. Pretty hardcore, but I absolutely love it. It feels like a shower from the inside out. My practice has not been consistent over the past year, but that is something I plan to change during this 92 day experiment. I will probably not be going to Bikram studio classes because I think that experience may be a little too intense for me during the feast. However, I am committed to do the series at home at least 3 x per week for the next 14 weeks. ;))Anyway. That's my lead in. It all begins tomorrow. Friday, February 8, 2008. That day will go down in my personal history as THE day I stopped reading about it and thinking about it, and began to actually LIVE it for myself.Aloha and thanks for reading.Ellen
