Recently, Kristina posted about a juice fast she's been doing. I thought it sounded like a great idea, and was just the motivation I needed to start juicing myself.
I'm sure it's no surprise that the past few months I have been absolutely stressed out. Between finishing my Bachelor's degree, packing to move, being away from Johnny for 2.5 months, re-starting work, planning the wedding, and selling the house in IL there's just been a lot going on.
My cystic acne I had years ago returned, making it necessary to go on a lot of meds. I've been in a lot of pain, which lead me to my mom's rheumatologist to get tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis (I'll know the results next week). Overall, I've just felt pretty crappy, have been on a lot of medications, and have gained some weight and been eating unhealthy.
Scary, and embarrassing to say, but I was actually contemplating buying diet pills. With the wedding in 4 months I'm now feeling desperate to shed about 10 pounds. I bought my dress 8 months ago. It used to fit perfectly, but now it's snug. I want to be comfortable on the big day.
So, long story short - I'm going to be replacing one or two meals a day with juicing to see if that helps my body feel better and shed some extra weight.
Today I stopped by my local fruit stand and the grocery store to stock up.
I bought 10 pounds of carrots, 5 pounds of apples, 6 limes, 4 lemons, 5 pounds of beets, a pineapple, 2 heads of broccoli, a head (?) of celery, a big knob of ginger, and 4 peppers for juicing.I also bought a bag of mixed greens, a little butternut squash, and a quart of figs for the sake of yumminess.
The first juice I did was pretty tame. I'd never juiced before and I wasn't sure how I'd like the flavor of everything unsweetened and raw.
Four large carrots and two small apples went into this. It was very carroty, but good.I ate a big meal at work, so by the time I got home I was hungry, but didn't want to eat a huge meal again.
Two beets, two carrots, two stalks of celery, and a lime went into this one. A little more "root vegetable" flavor than I'd like, but still good.
I've also made sure to follow Kristina's golden rule of cleaning the juicer before you enjoy your juice. It's a great motivator and makes it easy for the next time!
YAY! you are going to feel SO awesome in a very short time!
ReplyDeleteonce you get into your routine of cleaning, it won't take but a minute - I run the water warm and grab my scrub brush and all the pieces are clean in no time! I run it all (EXCEPT PLUNGER!) through the dishwasher about once a week.
juice is detoxing, and the first few days my face actually had a couple breakouts - so don't get discouraged if it happens, it's short lived :)
I'm always here for you, girl! XO
Hey Christina!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the juicing - cleaning up before I drink a smoothie or eat dinner is always my MO - it's so much easier than coming back into a room full of dirty stuff. :)
What kind of juicer did you get? I have an old one, but it takes SO much produce for not a lot of juice.
ReplyDeleteIf you like yours - I may have to get one too!
Hope all is well with you!!!
@Errign - I do NOT have that kind of self discipline. I usually leave a big old pile of dirty stuff until it gets in the way and then wash it. haha
ReplyDelete@Jenn -- I'm using my parents' juicer. It's a Jack LaLanne one. It depends on the fruit/veggie, but there hasn't been that much pulp. I've been saving it in a container to see if I will do something with it in the future. From 5 huge juices I would say there is probably 3 or 4 cups of pulp? The booklet says that it has 30% less pulp than other leading juicers. It's the only one I've ever used, so I don't really have anything to compare it to as far as performance or amount of juice/pulp!
Love Kristina's juices! And yay you for giving them a go Christina!!!! You've had SO much on the go these last few months...I wish I could send a hug across the miles to you! Take care, enjoy your Sunday.
ReplyDeleteThis makes me want a juicer. I wish I could afford one! I think it would help sort of settle my stomach and help me lose some weight that has been frustrating me so much!
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