Lately, I have been feeling, well, for a lack of a better word… old. Just old Back pain is a daily issue and shooting sciatica pain knocks me off my feet. And I refuse to take pain relievers. This drives my husband bananas every time he opens the door to a ransacked house and a moaning wife immobilized on the living room floor. Ironically, my sweet, angelic boys become escaped monkeys on those days.
Days begin so slowly that I need to chug my sweetened coffee to get going. And the extra few pounds I have been carrying around is making matters worse. Game over. I have finally come to the realization that I have to make some changes.
One night, after I put the kids to bed, I curled up on the sofa to watch “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”. The documentary followed a man named Joe Cross on his 60 day journey to cleanse his body with juice. After a few days, his medical symptoms began to subside as he lost weight and increased energy. Watching his story really made me evaluate my eating habits. Was my diet making me feel old?
I ate a salad every day, but I was still not healthy. I realized I also ate what ever I wanted. And too much of it. I had to cut out the junk and add more fruits and veggies to my diet. After doing some research, I learned that eating a raw carrot took close to one hour for the nutrients to get where they need to go. If I juice the carrot, my organs will get the nutrients they need within 15 minutes. In addition, I can add kale, an apple, celery, a beet and some parsley to get more nutrients in the same amount of time as eating one carrot. I decided to give juicing another go. But this time, I consulted a friend of mine who periodically juices and asked for her help. We decided to go shopping for a juicer and then went to the farmer’s market to fill up my refrigerator with groceries.
I highly recommend a juicing buddy. My friend is there for me when I’m feeling weak, and she helped me feel better after I cheated. She asked thoughtful questions and listened. She helped me realize that I was an emotional eater. Instead of focusing on the negative, she became my cheerleader and kept me motivated to continue to meet my goals.
I also found a lot of joy having my children help me with juicing. “Mom, can we make a juice?” is the daily question that greets me as the morning sun filters into our room. Its so adorable. My four year old can’t wait to put the veggies and fruit inside “the machine” to watch in amazement as pieces mash up in seconds.
Here is my Juicing Journal:
Day 1: Watermelon for breakfast and juice with peach, apple, mango and kale. Quite a departure from my regular breakfast of coffee with hot chocolate mix. Throughout the day I made different concoctions to satisfy my hunger. The juice was tasty and kept me from running to the refrigerator to snack (my worst habit).
I cheated around 5pm by eating some leftover chicken off my children’s plate. After a conversation with my J. bud, I realized I ate it not because I was hungry, but instead as an emotional response to something that happened minutes before. We did not focus on the negative. It doesn’t matter. She gave me the confidence to keep going.
I spent the evening cuddled up on the sofa with my boys instead of rushing them to bed for my ‘alone time’. I tucked them in with prayers and headed to my room for a good nights sleep. I dreamed about food.
Day 1 shed light on my relationship with food. Not only was I an emotional eater, but after I would put the kids to bed, I would plop in front of the TV and snack on stuff that was not fit to give my children. I have to change my end of day habits, too.
Day 2: Visibly more energy this morning. I made a mango, strawberry, blueberry, and kale juice and had some watermelon. Not tempted as I made breakfast for the boys. At lunch, my carrots, celery, apple, kale and ginger juice satisfied me as I made pb and j for the boys. The sun is out now and we are heading out for a bike ride.
It is a little after 5pm, and I am sick. Really sick (aka: nausea and vomiting). I have a pounding headache and neck pain and the smell of fresh produce sickens me. I cannot open my eyes. The light hurts. I think its time for bed. Texted my juice buddy and got some encouragement. I think I am dying, but I will stick with the plan.
Day 3: It’s 1am. I still have a bit of a headache. I realized I was not drinking enough fluids during my bike ride and I was probably dehydrated. Dehydration during sugar and caffeine withdraw is a toxic combination. I actually feel like a detox patient.
Now I know why so many people are afraid to quit their ‘bad habit’. It hurts like hell.
I have been praying a lot. Last night, it was a lot of “Why God, Why?” and “Help!”
I cannot believe I allowed my body to become addicted to all that bad stuff. As I sat in my suffering, a part of me needed to feel that pain. I felt I deserved it. I have taken advantage of my hard working body for far too long. My God-given body. Tears stream down my face as I write this. We fall into these patterns to take the easy way out. We avoided matters of the heart. We eat away our feelings.
This morning its all about thankfulness. I am thankful I am on the road to recovery. I am thankful I am still young enough to fully enjoy my life. I am thankful I am healthy, and have two healthy boys. I am thankful for my husband who came as a knight in shining armor and rescued me last night. Our Heavenly Father deserves all of my gratitude for my perfect blessings. I am so not worthy. And yet, he still blesses me.
Carry on with juices all day. No snacks or treats, and I am feeling better.
Day 4: Feeling really good. Woke right up and juiced throughout the day while eating eggs and watermelon for breakfast and fish and salad for dinner. No cravings, no overeating. I feel like a new person.
Day 5: Juiced throughout the day with eggs for breakfast. Found a great juice from Bolthouse that keeps me juicing while on the road.
At a friends BBQ I found watermelon and ate a hamburger with no roll. Did not give in to the homemade brownies and other desserts at the party. Although I did have two glasses of wine with friends, I also drank lots of water and went to bed feeling healthy.
Day 6: Woke up feeling great. Went out looking for more juice before church. Had seared tuna over a salad for lunch and another salad at dinner at my friend’s 40th Birthday party. Before this new diet plan, I would crave the desserts while I was eating my dinner. But this time, I am not even interested in the gorgeous cupcake tower and decadent chocolate desserts. I am no longer a slave to my cravings!
Day 7: More juicing courtesy of Bolthouse and sushi and a salad for dinner.
Day 8-9: Back home to make my own juices. My morning juice filled with kale, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, an orange, two apples and a mango kicks off my day. I drink this while eating fresh watermelon all morning long. I love the summertime!
Peppers, onions and eggs for lunch and shellfish with veggies for dinner all while having veggie juice finishes out my day.
We are currently living in our vacation home at the shore this summer. One of the many blessings we have is access to fresh fish daily. Having befriended my local fish market people, they were happy to share recipes with me so I can prepare and serve more of a variety at home. Our family will be able to continue our healthy eating well into winter with the advice found in the fish market.
Its Day 11 and I have made it through the tough part of totally overhauling my diet. I have the occasional weak moment, but it is during these times that I have to rely on our Heavenly Father. He and my juicing buddy give me the confidence to get back up on that horse and move forward.
20 some odd days out: I have been drinking home made juices twice a day and making one for whomever visits us at the beach. Our juice cocktails are a big hit, too. We began to add coconut water to every juice for its health benefits. We mix things up so we don’t get bored, and except for the occasional ‘treat’ we have cut out sodas, sweets, starches and all processed food. I also removed beef, chicken and dairy products from my diet. I will use the occasional pat of butter to saute, but this is also considered a treat. This is a new day, and for the first time, I feel that I am truly honoring my temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
On a superficial note, my skin looks better, my waistline is back, my eyes are brighter and I am not ‘puffy’ anymore. My clothes fit better, my face looks thinner and I have more energy than I have had in years. The only negative I have encountered is the task of cleaning out the juicer every afternoon. Although the extra few minutes of cleaning up becomes a blessing after I learn of another loved one who has jumped on the juicing band wagon in search of a healthier lifestyle.
As I sit down with my mother in law, Meema, to enjoy our morning juice, she shares with me how her Rheumatoid arthritis has settled down and she has consulted with her doctor about decreasing her medications. After adding a daily juice to her diet, she feels better then she has felt in a decade. She looks forward to the day she is pain free and off medication. Meema is now in the market for a juicer.
I went to my optometrist and my eye sight has improved!! I cannot believe it, but my prescription went from -1.5, to -1.0! I have to give the glory to God because I have been praying for my eyesight to improve. Wow, He listens, and He asks us do the work. I love these results, so I have to say I am a God-loving juicer for life!
Hopefully I will get my cholesterol and weight checked sometime this fall when I visit my doctor. I will share the details to let you know if my new lifestyle has changed my health.
Please keep the emails and phone calls coming! I love to hear your experiences with juicing because it motivates me to keep going and sharing!
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