Day 7 of Juicing

Well day 7 and feeling great.  Noticed slimming in my face, hubby has noticed my stomach getting smaller.  Not hungry, but am having cravings.  Hubby had a slice of pizza and I really wanted a bite, and I love bread so finding I'm craving bread, toast or crackers, something to crunch!  But all in all it's been a good 7 days.

Went up to see the doctor this afternoon to get my weight and blood pressure checked.  On day 1 of the fast I went up to do the same and my blood pressure 181/105 and my weight was 298.5 lbs.  I was so shocked at my blood pressure that I forgot to calibrate my scale at home, so haven't checked my weight until today.  Oh yes the doctor ended up giving me another pill for my blood pressure, now that makes 3, well really 4 but I hated taking the water pill.  Well today my blood pressure was 120/80 EXCELLENT!!!  My weight was 284.3 lbs that is a 14.2 lbs loss in just 7 days!  This is what I lost in 7 days minus .0.8 lb.  Looks like a lot doesn't it!

What motivation to keep doing what I'm doing with a weight loss like that!  The only trouble I have had is toilet issues but they have since cleared up and cramping.  But with the help of a Facebook page called Rebooting 101 - All about juicing, the folks there are so helpful.  When I asked about cramps they advised to drink more water, that is essential, also Coconut Water.  I knew about pickle juice being good for cramps, clears them up right away, but someone suggested Apple Cider Vinegar works well, without the extra stuff in pickle juice for those on juicing.

I thought at the beginning if I mentioned I was doing this juicing fast that everyone would think I was nuts, but I did mention to a few folks and I told them today my weight loss and blood pressure and they are so happy for me!

Will keep blogging when I get more news to tell how I'm coping...so remember in the words of Joe Cross, "Juice ON"

Juicing Day 3...

Well pleasantly surprised in how I feel, they said the first 3 days would be the hardest, actually they have been fine for me.  Yeah Me!  My husband came to me and said the past 3 days you seem happier.  Well I feel good, not hungry, and I'm working  toward something.  

The thing is about 13 years ago I had an operation on my stomach where they put a ring around the entrance to my stomach and there is so much I can't eat, and frankly I eat the same thing over and over again.  So deciding to do this juicing fast wasn't hard, eating the same things and not healthy things didn't give me anything to look forward to in the food department.

This was me before the operation on the left, I lost 70 lbs from the operation, the other 80 lbs I lost on my own to get to the right side picture, a loss of 150 lbs.

This is me today, 80 lbs heavier

  

Then there is beer, I love beer, and I know the amount of food I eat hasn't lead me to gain 80 lbs since moving to Newfoundland, it's been the beer!  So I stopped drinking it a couple of weeks before starting my juicing fast, and I'm fine with that.

So things are good.  The grocery store in town was able to get me some kale, been using spinach in place of kale and had my first drink with it today and was surprised it didn't have as strong a taste as I thought it might have. Got myself some parsley, mint, so looking forward to using them.  Tomorrow we are going to Grand Falls to the larger grocery stores and try to get some of the things the store in town can't get in for me.

Eventually I'd like to get my husband to juice a few meals, so been letting him try all of the juices and he really likes the taste.  Hopefully if sees a change in me he might be willing to try it as well.

Well it's late and that's about all that happened today so I'll close off now...

Juice on...

Juicing Day One...

Well got my juicer yesterday and went and did some shopping to the one grocery store in town.  Let me tell you they didn't have much, and some of it was rather poor quality, which is frustrating.  

Bought:

• 2 bunches of Celery
• 2 bags of Spinach (they had no Kale, waiting to see if they can order)
• 2 bags of Carrot
• 2 cucumbers (that is all they had)
• 6 green apples (paid $8.14)
• 6 red apples
• 1 bag of small red apples
• 1 bag of small oranges
• 4 pears

At the cost of $50.37, boy, oh boy this is going to be costly.  Side note is I live in a small community in rural Newfoundland, with only one grocery store in the town.  I have to go 100 kilometers to get to a town with 2 major grocery stores and the prices will be better but not by much, if I can even get all that I need.

My first juice was delicious, really enjoyed it, carrots, lemon and apple.  Coconut water for mid-morning break and Joe's Mean Green Juice for lunch (substituted spinach for kale).  

Fact, not hungry...thoughts coming, "shouldn't I eat something?", but pass on them, surprising really not hungry.

Went up to the doctors this morning just to get a up to date weight and blood pressure, as the medicine I eventually want to get rid of for lowering blood pressure.  Weighed in at 135.4 KG, hate those scales, converted it's 298.5 LB.  The got blood pressure checked and it was off the scale, just what I need my first day!  On the manual blood pressure meter it was 160/105 not good, so the doctor sent me to have it taken on the automatic meter and it was even better 181/105!  So they gave me a pill to lower the pressure and I was to come back in a couple of hours to take it again, it was 186/95, well now another pill.  I'm really shook up right now, it's never been that high.  I'm going back again tomorrow and they will check again, then determine what they will do.  Have to take measurements as well and post them.

Will keep this blog/journal up to date with daily information on my blood pressure, weight and how my juicing journey is progressing.

In case you would like to see the movie that started my journey, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, here is the link to watch it on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/user/FatSickandNearlyDead?utm_source=Reboot+Your+Life+Newsletter&utm_campaign=81a31cfcf1-Anniversary_Email&utm_medium=email

In the words of Joe Cross...Juice on!

Getting Ready to Juice!

Saw the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, on the Food Network here in Canada on April 5th and before the movie was over I was online ordering a Juicer!  I phoned the company last week (April 11) and wondered why my juicer hadn't been shipped and they said, "funny we got a run on the juicer and we sold out!"  I told him I wasn't surprised and then told him about the movie being on and probably that was the reason they sold out.  Well I heard from the company on Monday (April 15) my juicer has been shipped and should arrive on Tuesday (April 23), well that's Canada Post for you, but still looking forward to juicing my way to health!  

Haven't wanted to tell anyone about the juicing, yet just in case I failed, but not planning on failing!  I live in a small town in rural Newfoundland, where we don't get a wide variety of fruits and veg, nothing exotic anyway!  Also because of this I know I will be paying a premium on fruits and veg, so decided to tell the produce manager of our 1 grocery store in town about my upcoming juicing adventure about ordering more produce in and told her I would compile a list of things I need, she said she would do her best to get the things I need in. For anything else I might not be able to get in town, the next nearest grocery store is 100 klms away, so I guess that will be a Juicing day trip! 

Will let you know how things progress!  

Juice on!

April 5th, 2013 - A new start on life...

Who said watching TV isn't life changing?  Well it was for me, Bill went up to watch a ball game or curling or hockey or something equally boring (to me!)
So my chance to watch one of my favorite channels, The Food Network.  Well there was a movie on, unusual but I started watching it.  The more it went on the more interesting it became.  It was a story about a man named Joe Cross, he was 100 lbs overweight and I came to learn he had an auto immune condition, that was like hyper active hives and he was on pregizone a heavy duty steroid with tons of side effects.  Well that part that got me was about being 100 lbs overweight, as you know I'm a big gal myself and if he had a way that I haven't tried to loose weight, I was going to listen and see what he was going to do.  The movie was called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, which would certainly catch your attention.

As you can probably guess from the picture here, his way to effect weight loss and to get healthy was to juice.  Well as anyone who really knows me, they know I don't like Vegetables!  But I continued to watch to see how it went and it did peak my curiosity.  

Well it was the best hour and a half I ever spent!  I was amazed how he lost the weight and wasn't hungry.  He did struggle with seeing others eat, and at first the smells of food he used to eat, food addictions.  But he suffered though and did the juicing fast for 60 days, yep that's right 60 days!  He lost the weight and eventually went off all medication he was on.  Did he crave the food that got him sick and fat afterwards?  No...he looked forward to eating a salad, a nice juicy apple, did he ever eat anything he ate before, yes but sparingly.  Juicing got him to a place where he had so much energy, he just had to move, moving helped with the weight loss...and his adventure back to health!

At mid point of his journey he met a truck driver and spoke to him about his weight as he was a very large man and he found out that Phil had the same auto immune disorder Joe had.  Asked him how he felt and told him about his juicing journey and how he was going to try to heal himself from the inside out, even took the truck driver to his car and juiced up some vegetables and fruit, then let him try some...he liked it.  Then you saw Joe saying good bye to him and if he wanted to try it sometime, Joe said he would help him.  

Well Joe continued on his journey and finished his fast, and on day 61 had an apple!  He was down the weight, he was healthier and man oh man what a difference in his appearance!  He eventually got off all the medication he had been on for years.

You don't see the time frame in the movie but it was 6 months after he met the Truck Driver in Winslow, Arizona that he phoned Joe and asked for help.  Joe was back in Australia, working on the movie, but being a man of his word he came back to the States to help Phil, the truck driver.

So then started Phil's journey, he committed to a 10 day juice fast.  But Joe said you have to go to the doctor to make sure everything is ok to go on the fast.  He found out he was heading toward diabetes, heart failure, even death, he weighed in at 429.6 lbs on a 6" 1" frame.  The doctor said it was ok for him to try the 10 juice fast, and they say the first few days are the hardest, about day 3 is when people quit, but not Phil he got to 10 days and felt really good, he even lost 20 lbs!  He continued on to 20, 30 days until he ended his journey at 60 days, just like Joe.  At the beginning of his journey he could only walk 5 minutes out and 5 minutes back.  At the end he was swimming and even jogging and what an amazing transformation, he lost 200 lbs!

Well I can tell you that changed my life, you say watching a movie, "Oh I really liked it" or "I loved it" ... but change my life, nope never before.  The reason I say that is, at the end of the movie I made the commitment to give this juicing a try.  I was online ordering a juicer!

Went to see the doctor today and told him I was going on a juice fast for 10 days, he was hesitant, he said you will have to have some protein.  But I said it was a total juice fast of only vegetables and fruit.  Then he said, "well 10 days would be ok".  But if I get to 10 days and I'm ok, even feeling better, I'm going onward.  I'd love to go 60 days like Joe and Phil, don't know if I can do it, but I'm going to try.

Phoned the company asking why my juicer hadn't been shipped in a week and he said it was the funniest thing but a real run on that particular juicer went out and they sold out, but another order of them was coming in and I should have it shipped out in a few days.  I laughed and told him, I'm not surprised and proceeded to tell him the story I just shared with you.  He asked me what the name of the movie was again and he wrote it down, he was going to watch it as well.

Well I've spent my days looking for juicing recipes and getting in a positive frame of mind.  I love my beer and that is going to be gone, bacon oh I love that too, but farewell dearly beloved Bacon and Beer to pass these lips no more.  Don't get me wrong I'm having some before my juicer arrives but after that it's juicing for me!  Wish me luck!

http://www.youtube.com/user/FatSickandNearlyDead?utm_source=Reboot+Your+Life+Newsletter&utm_campaign=81a31cfcf1-Anniversary_Email&utm_medium=email 

I wrote all this before the juicer arrives so I will not back down.  In the days ahead I will be posting pictures of my journey, hopefully I will encourage others to get healthy by my example.

In the words of Joe Cross, Juice On!