Day 3, February 3, 2014

Today is day 3 of 'Eating in the Raw'.
Here it is three days back from my cleanse with a not so happy realization.  I have discovered that I still have the same issues with food that I had before I took control of my health...fear.  Cleansing gave me clarity of thought because I was distanced from food.  I was able to think and plan easily because I was not having to deal with my food issues.  Well 'they're back!'...I find myself thinking about food all the time.  What, when, where, how much should I eat...it's exhausting.  I fear slipping back into my old destructive eating patterns.  You know...just a bite won't hurt.  But for me, it does.  It sends me down a path of destructive behaviour.  Losing myself in food allows me to lose myself in other ways...I am less connected to myself when I'm abusing food.  When I'm consciously eating, I'm so very present in my life.  So that thing that allows me to 'slip away' is where the issue with food lies.  Food is my coping mechanism when I'm stressed, tired, bored or angry.  It is my drug of choice.  I know this...it is not new to me...but I allow myself to do it anyway.  Sometimes, it's just the easy way out in the short term.

I know I have work to do.  My health depends on it.  Food and I need to learn to get along...this love hate relationship is getting us no where.  It's not like we can break up, we are stuck with each other and must find balance.  I don't want to spend my life worrying about weight and health, I just want them both to be resolved.  I think thirty years of worrying about this shit is long enough.

What is it they say? Eat to live, don't live to eat...that for me is a total mind f..k.  I love food, I takes up a huge amount of my daydreaming...it is my creative outlet.  I just need to learn to be creative with the healthy aspects of it (even if I find them boring at times).

THE ARTIST'S PALLET

Day 2 February 2, 2014

Today is day 2 of 'Eating in the Raw'.
I woke up this morning missing my juice cleanse...seems crazy, I know.  I had a system when I was juicing...I knew what I was going to have and when I was going to have it.  Now, I feel a little lost.  Too many choices.  I'm a little bored with trying to figure out what to eat.  There is also the fact that the rest of my family will only tolerate my raw food as a side dish, but I still have to cook their meals!  I know...a collective 'shut your moaning face' from my friends and family still on a juice cleanse.

So I will try to be more positive, and motivated to take on this Raw food challenge.  The first thing I must remember...take the raw meal out of the fridge to warm up a bit.  I was shivering after my dinner today.  Most of the day, I just ate what was easy.  I made my juice, ate a piece of fruit...dull.  I made a veggie smoothie for lunch...not a success.  Tasted like...well, if you have ever tipped your lawnmower over after you cut the grass, and sprayed it with the hose...that's what my smoothie was like!  Then...I got creative!  Raw Veggie Sushi, I just made it up of things I had on hand.  It was great!

Day 1 February 1, 2014

Well here it is...day one, eating in the Raw.  I woke this morning like a child at Christmas.  All I could think about was THAT apple.  It was magnificent...everything I thought it would be.  My body had no problem readjusting to food.  Took me a while to eat it...chewed it to death, but all is fine.

Here are the final #'s from my 'Big Fat Juice Cleanse'...weight lost 26.4 pounds!!  Total inches lost (on the four areas measured), 26 inches.  I feel great.  I am down 3 sizes, and am experiencing energy that I don't ever remember having.  My skin is clear, my joints don't ache, I'm not taking any medication, and my mood is very good.  All in all, wonderful experience.

Now about the raw diet...I am f...ing exhausted from NOT cooking.  All the preparation is beyond belief.  I didn't exactly start out simply.  Not my style.  I made Nut Meat (giggle), Nut Cheese (giggle), Tacos.  I started making them at 10am and finish completely at 5pm.  There is a lot of washing, soaking, chopping, mixing, blending, puréeing, and assembling.  I realize this will get easier as I get more familiar with the process, and perhaps make stuff with less ingredients.  It will be interesting to see what my men think of them at dinner tonight...(giggle).

It feels good to be back in the eating world...I'm still drinking 42oz of vegetable juice a day, but, mmmm, food...even if it is not cooked.

Here is a photo journey of my Raw dinner Tacos!

Day Thirty January 31, 2014

Today is day 30 of 'My Big Fat Juice Cleanse'.
Here it is!  Day 30, the last day of my juice cleanse...what a ride.  I have learned so much about myself in the last month.  I have learned that I can do stuff when I have a reason I believe in.  I have become aware of my weaknesses, and my strengths.  I have discovered what normal can feel like...and I really dig it.  I have learned that I have been living in a bad food, alcohol, sugar haze for ages...and I'm free!

I spent much of today reflecting on all of the above.  I know it's only thirty days, but I can hardly remember how bad I had been feeling, because I feel so dam good now.  The limits I was putting on myself...too old...too fat...too scared...not smart enough...are gone.  I feel so very empowered to move forward with my life.  I feel such gratitude as well.  I have the support of an incredible family, and wonderful friends.  I'm very interested in pursuing nutrition education...and dam it, I am not too old.  The way I feel is not a coincidence, it is about food.  I crave more learning.

Tomorrow will be my next phase.  Raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds for thirty days.  I am well armed for the challenge with a refrigerator full of fresh organic produce, and a pantry of nuts and seeds (even in mason jars like the hippies do).  I also have a collection of wonderful (non)cookbooks loaned to me by a friend, she even lent me her vegetable spiral thingy (raw foodies know what that is).

So tomorrow is a big day...what to eat first?  I know I must ease back in...that is my plan, but all I can think about is the beautiful ambrosia apple I bought.  It will be my first solid food, I can already taste it.  Who would have thought that thirty days ago, my first real craving at the end of this would be an apple...not me!  This cleanse has given me clarity and focus about my health...and for that I am truly grateful.

In tomorrow's blog, I will give you my physical stats...weight lost, inches lost...that kind of thing.  I will also be renaming the blog...Juiced will be soooo yesterday tomorrow.  I hope you will check in from time to time to see how the progression continues.  Thank you for all the support and wonderful comments you have given me during this.  I couldn't have done it with out you :)

Day Twentynine January 30, 2014

Today is day 29 of 'My Big Fat Juice Cleanse'
Well...one more day to go!  So I thought it fitting to have one more blog about poop.  Please contain your excitement...it is a very important topic in regard to your health.  Do worry, I'm not going to talk about my poop...just poop in general.  It's funny, talking about sex is easier for people then talking about poop.

Believe it or not, you can grade your poop.  There is a guide called 'The Bristol Stool Chart'.  Google it, I'm serious.  It will rate your specific sample (tired of typing poop), on a scale of 1 to 7.  The ideal specimen is a 4.  According to the chart, there are 4 aspects to the perfect poop.
1. How well is it formed (come on, we all look!). The ideal form is soft, smooth, and snake like.
2. How often do you go?  One to three times a day gets the high points.
3. How easy is the job of 'getting it done'. You should have no struggle, and there should not be too   much urgency.  In other words, if you can read the paper, and your wife wants to know if you are   still alive, you are in a battle...this is not good.
4. You must feel that you have had a complete evacuation (or download).  No pooping, then pooping     again 20 minutes later.

Poop is important, it is like your digestive compass.  If you had a bad score...you have a digestive problem.  Digestion is the key to health.  There are three key 'monsters' when it comes to digestive disturbance, Leaky Gut, Inflammation, and Gut Dysbiosis (infection or parasite).  I am not talking about the more serious digestive illness here, like Celiac or Crones.  Not that the others are not serious, they are just more readily repaired.  Well guess what the number one trigger is for the three monsters...that's right, Gluten.  It aggravates all three.

There are three things you can try if you have these digestive issues, or any digestive issues for that matter.  First...ditch the gluten.  Most people start to feel better within a week of doing this.  If removing gluten alone didn't resolve your issue, remove sugar.  Sugar feeds bad bacteria, I fact, sugar just generally sucks!  Get rid of it, even if your poop is fine.  Sugar causes inflammation, which as we know is the mofo of all disease (or at least 80% of them).  If issue still not resolved, next on the chopping block should be soy products.  Soy messes with your hormones anyway.  Besides, if the soy you are eating is not 100% organic...you are just putting some kind of GMO frankensoy crap into your body anyway.

There are a couple supplements that help with digestive problems as well.  Take a good quality digestive enzyme.  Swedish bitters also help, because a lot of people with pooping problems don't produce enough stomach acids, also a good reason to ditch meat from your diet.  You need some seriously good stomach acid production to digest meat (that's right, one for the Vegans).

A few more problematic foods to avoid are, eggs, dairy, over consumption of nuts and nut flours, and eating too much fruit.  These of course are just recommendations if your Bristol Score sucked.  If you have serious issues...see a pro poop doc.

I hope everyone had a great poop score...yay 4's!!  and I promise, this is the last poop blog during this juice cleanse!

Day Twentyeight January 29, 2014

Today is day 28 of 'My Big Fat Juice Cleanse'.
For the past three days I have been 'attending' a virtual conference called "The Future of Nurtition".  I have listened to 28 hours if interviews and lectures by some of North America's best and brightest nutrition and lifestyle healers and experts.  Some were riveting, with unrelenting brilliance...some, not so much.  However, I have come away from my hours spent, with mind bending information.  Fascinating talks about epigenetics, hormone imbalances, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, food sensitivities and allergies...and the list goes on.

My mind is swimming in information.  There 'really' is a 'future' of nutrition.  I had no idea how much growth and advancement holistic theories have encountered in the past few years.  The information is both new, and slightly overwhelming to me. I will need time to process it's meaning.

There was one specific realization that became abundantly clear to me.  There is not a 'one size fits all' way to eat in existence.  Each of us are so unique and individual.  Our genetic make up, our hormone receptors, our mental state, our level of stress, physical fitness, food sensetivity...all of these things impact what we should be eating.

Of course it is a given that food should be organically grown, or raised, but it is not a given as to who should eat what.  Diet is a personal decision, that needs to be made by the individual.  You must experiment, try them on, see if they fit.  Not everyone will thrive as a Vegan, just as, not everyone will thrive as a Paleo.  It is an individual experiment to discover which way will allow your body to perform at its highest level.

The best that can be suggested is...research how you think you would like to eat and why, try it on, if it fits, wear it.  If it doesn't, research and try some more.  There are also scientific ways to help determine which way of eating best suits you...genetic testing, thyroid tests, blood sugar...all of which can be available from a Naturopath or holistic nutritionist...or even your general practioner.

Optimal health is an evolution.  What works now, may need to be tweaked down the road.  Keep an open mind and listen to what your body is whispering to you...it doesn't always yell.

Day Twenty Seven January 28, 2014

Today is day 27 of 'My Big Fat Juice Cleanse'.
I have been hearing from a lot of friends that they are interested in juice cleansing.  Adding juice to your diet is a no brainier, it is delicious, and makes you feel good...but, juice cleansing is a whole other animal.  Not that it can't be done...it just takes some planning.  I thought it might be useful to outline the steps I took before and during this cleanse to ensure my success.

The first tip is to find a buddy.  This is so much easier when you do it with someone.  Doing a juice cleanse can make you feel isolated socially...someone to share in this understanding helps a ton.

Make sure you explain what you are doing, and for how long, to your family and friends...less explaining, and puts their minds at ease...so they don't think you have developed an eating disorder...in my case...as if!

Be accountable for what you are doing...journal, blog, make a pact with your juice buddy, etc..  Voicing your plan makes it more real, even if it is just to yourself.

Reflect on your goal, or purpose for cleansing, daily...it will help reinforce your commitment during the brutal withdrawal phase.  Are you cleansing to lose weight, heal your body, detox, reboot?? Whatever your reason, know it, and reflect on it...it may start to change as time passes in the cleanse. One reason for embarking on this may grow into many as you experience the benefits of juicing.

Clean up your diet before you begin.  No processed food, sugar, wean off caffeine, limit meat...all of which I stupidly did not do, and ten days in with a caffeine withdrawal headache, I wished I had.

Abandon all vices...no over the counter meds...no caffeine...no cigarettes...this is a cleanse after all.

Know yourself, and how you handle stress...have coping mechanisms in place...this is not easy at the beginning.  Be kind and gentle with yourself...rest often...be a bit of a princess for a couple of days...your body deserves this.

Finally...if you are not sure if this is right for you, or if you really want to do this...ask yourself this question:  "If you knew today, that you will live to be 100 years old.  What would you do today?"  I heard this question in an interview with Dr. Fab Mancini...check him out...love this guy!  I know he meant it in a broader understanding, but...it also touches on what we are doing to improve our health, not just treating illness, but taking steps to be proactive.

If you have decided to do this...I wish you all the wonderful experiences it has brought to my life, and if I can support you in anyway, just ask :)