Hey friends! First of all, I am completely overwhelmed by the response from my last blog post! Thank you for all of the texts, emails, pics & stories so many of you shared! I am truly honored to be a part of your lives and your journey! I apologize that I'm not as good at blogging on a regular basis but I will keep trying to share posts on things I've learned and share some tips that have helped me. This may be a longer blog but there's lots of info to share!
Oh! Before I forget... I also wanted to make sure that I mentioned- in addition to all of the benefits listed on my previous post (http://simplydesignstudios.blogspot.com/2012/06/40lbs-6-sizes-down-part-i-reboot.html) about this lifestyle change, I was actually able to lower my blood pressure from Stage 1 hypertension of 141/92 to a normal range of 117/76 in just 3 weeks. With that, my anxiety came down and I was, in general, feeling better long before I started to see a difference in my weight. I was actually beginning to understand that my goal of becoming more healthy was just that. Be More Healthy. However, the side effects to that goal was feeling better and losing weight. I only mention that because when I'd hit those moments that I wasn't losing weight as quickly as I wanted to, I would remind myself of how great I was feeling and how far along in my progress I actually was. Like I mentioned before, it's really about changing the way you think.
Before I share my journey, I want to reiterate: I am NOT a trainer. I am NOT a professional. I am a woman who's battled weight for nearly a decade and has recently had a revelation about the way I think about food. I am more than happy to share what has and is continuing to work for me- but please don't use my plan as a personal plan for you. Rather, a helpful stepping stone to build your own plan on.
So, about juicing. I know many of you've watched Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead with Joe Cross. You can learn more about this documentary here: http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/. Like me, you're probably scratching your head on the whole juicing process. It's okay. The one thing about the documentary that's a little confusing is your not juicing the entire time. You are eating just raw fruits/veggies for the detox but it's not strictly a juice diet. Some people just juice, and it works for them. However, I strongly recommend you NOT doing that. It's a little more complex than just making juices for 2-3 weeks straight. On top of that, you may find yourself biting off more than you can chew if you are going from one extreme to another. Yes, I'm speaking from experience.
The week before starting a "detox", I weaned off coffee. I'm not a huge coffee drinker but I knew I would have to temporarily give that up and it's easier for me to give up things one at a time then everything at once. I also gave up chocolate... which is HUGE for me. As far as juicers, I purchased the Jack LeLaine juicer and highly recommend it. It runs about $100 and you get more juice with less air. You can even do the trial for a couple of weeks if you just wanted to try it out: http://www.powerjuicer.com/ So, let's talk about juices!
Just to be clear, when I started juicing, I continued to eat. I ate raw and minimally cooked fruits and veggies. I encourage you to eat food that keep your digestive system working at breaking down solid foods. If there's one thing I learned from all the stupid diets I've tried is this: if you remove solids from your diet to get that super-fast weight loss, then you can expect the weight to come back on as soon as you reintroduce it back into your system. Don't cheat folks! This is a lifestyle change, not a fad diet.
And the most important rule for juicing/ raw foods diet:
DRINK LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER!!! AND THEN DRINK SOME MORE!
Generally most detox diets will contain the following foods:
- Organic food and drink (no pesticides or fungicides).
- Whole unprocessed foods (grains, nuts, seeds, etc).
- High mix of vegetables and fruit.
- 2 liters of water per day
- Certain herbs such as Psyllium seed, Licorice root, Yucca root, Milk thistle seed, Gentian root, to aid the detoxifying process.
Most detox programs will avoid the following:
- Alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, and drugs
- Processed and refined foods
- Certain supplements (due to the amount of additives).
Reduction of Stress
Many detox regimes are holistic in outlook. It is important to address other areas of stress in your life, and examine lifestyle as a whole.
(Source: http://www.everydiet.org/detox_diet.htm)
In the mornings, I tend to make fruit bakes which usually consists of mixed fruits, maybe some crushed nuts for texture and drizzled with honey or cinnamon for a little variety. I LOVE juicing fruits because they are sweet but to properly juice, it's a general rule to keep your fruit & veggie intake at a 30% to 70% ratio. 30% fruits & 70% veggies. Eating nothing but fruits aren't good for you. They are digested quickly and there are lots of natural sugars in them. Although natural sugars are better than processed sugars, too much is still not good. Through trial and error, I've learned that you can add either pineapple, apple, or pear to any juice to sweeten them up... even mean greens! I also make things like butternut squash cereal, and yam pancakes. It takes a little getting used to but now I LOVE them! I notice that if I eat regular pancakes, I'm too tired and full so I prefer not to eat them.
For lunches, I love eating salads of all kinds. Fruit salads, veggie salads, green salads, greek salads... you name it, I'm all over it! I've even learned to juice my own dressing. My latest kick has been: raspberry vinaigrette. You may be asking yourself why I would choose to make my own rather than just buying it... well, I've recently learned that several of my favorite salad dressing contain... well, you can read the article here: http://foodtrainers.blogspot.com/2011/08/ditch-bottled-salad-dressing.html
For snacks, I've cut & baked red, purple and any other color than white- potatoes and have made dips from avacadoes to homemade salsa. All natural and delicious. I usually make enough for 2-3 servings so I can eat that a couple of times in the day of have enough for the following day... or just enough for my family to enjoy with me.
Dinner can be anything from a 'barely' cooked stir-fry to veggie sliders, a mean green, to stuffed peppers or mushrooms. It wasn't easy in the beginning to find things I liked so I had to experiment a lot! I started the raw fruits/veggies & juicing detox 3 time before I could finish it. It wasn't easy and for me it was really a "one choice at a time" mindset. And if you made a bad choice for lunch, don't count it as a wasted day and you can start over on the next one. It was simply one bad decision and you can make a better one during your next snack or meal. When you're first starting, it's literally one step at a time! So don't beat yourself up! Just keep going.
Also, please note that if you start this, you will be experiencing detox symptoms. Basically, you are detoxing from processed foods. In processed foods are chemicals & toxins that your body was never meant to digest. You may experience fatigue, headaches (especially for coffee drinker & sweet tooth's, like me!). You may even notice that you are more irritable in the first few days. Also, and I know that no one wants this brought up, but you will also notice a difference with your bowel movements. Please consult with a trained professional about these before attempting this raw foods detox as I'm not qualified to give any advice or assessment on this.
Below are some of my favorite meals I made during the beginning of my journey. I still make most of them now but have added limited amounts of meat/fish... but that's a whole other blog! Also note, some of these contain dairy which isn't part of the detox. You can just remove the dairy from these recipes to make this a true detox, then slowly add it in later.
Here's a video on how to make a mean green with Joe Cross:
MY PINK CREATION
5 Carrots
1 Tomato
1 Grapefruit
1 Apple
1/4 Pineapple
Ginger Root
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APPLE PEAR BAKE
2 Apples cubed
2 Pears Cubed
1/4 Cup of Raisins
1/4 Cup of Dried Cherries
Honey
Cinnamon
(Pecans, Optional)
Simply cube the apples and pears. Add raisins & cherries (pecans optional)
Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinammon to taste
Bake at 350 for about 1/2 hour or until tender.
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| RED BERRY TROPICAL SMOOTHIE 1 Handful of Raspberries 1 Handful of Strawberries 1 Handful of Cherries 1 Chunk on Pinapple 1 Mango 1/2 Cup of Coconut Milk 1 Handful of Ice |
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| MIXED BERRY SMOOTHIE 1 Banana 6 Large Strawberries 1 Handful of Blueberries 6 Cherries Dollop of Frozen Vanilla Yogurt 2/3 cup of Vanilla Almond Milk --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| GREEK SALAD 2 Tomatoes 1 Cucumber 2 Green Onions 1/2 Red Onion Feta cheese Red Wine Vinegar Chop Everything Up. Mix 'em together and sprinkle feta as desired. Add Red Wine Vinegar to taste. |
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| CREAMY COCONUT SQUASH From Page 12 of Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals 1/2 Butternut Squash 1 ½ cups of Coconut Milk 1/4 Teaspoon of Cinammon 1/4 cup of pecans Peel the butternut squash then cut into chunks. Microwave them until soft, about 4-6 minutes. Blend the squash in a blender or food processor, then add coconut milk & cinnamon. Add crushed pecans if desired. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| VEGGIE SLIDERSSweet potatoes Baby Portebellas Kale Tomato Cucumber Onions Avacado Spread (with garlic) Bake Potatoes (not too soft though) and warm mushrooms in the oven Then throw it all together! It's actually pretty darn good! |
