Day 10

Today is the last day of the juice fast! And I can tell you that my body seemed to be needing food about two days ago. I think I may do 5 or 7 day fasts in the future, maybe even once a month because this one helped me so much in so many different ways. Tonight we're taking a friend out for her birthday dinner, so I'll be carefully trying to find something whole, and plant based on the menu - wish me luck!

Today I weighed 167.5, again. No complaints. I'll be juicing and hydrating all day, which is my plan for the future - raw juices, water and tea during the day and then a nice healthy meal in the evening and a hot herbal tea before bed. I also have no intentions of giving up beer, so beer on some evenings as well.

I think my weight will go up some, as they say it always does when you end a fast, usually 4 or 5 pounds. But, I also believe it will continue to go down as I feel great and have more energy from the juice. I should start moving more, maybe I'll get out on my bicycle, or run like I really want to. I want to be a runner - don't know why, don't know if my knees will stand up to it but I'd love to try. The weight will drop slower than if I was on a complete juice fast - but it will still be going down, I'm 100% sure of it.

Today, I'm wearing some jeans that have been too tight to wear for quite a while, so I'm HAPPY!

Long way to go but I'm going to continue with this blog, not sure who will ever read it but it's more like a journal for me to track my progress. I need to get some water and DRINK IT!!!! now.

Day 9

Good Morning!

I'm pretty excited about the end of this juice fast, I am really craving some guacamole!!!
Today I weighed 167.5, that 8.2 pounds gone. It's been a very good exercise in control and will power.
I have been tested in many different situations but I knew what I wanted to do and I did it. Pretty proud of myself for that. I haven't even had a tiny taste of anything but my fresh raw juice, and water and herbal tea.

So one of the main goals here is to totally reset your tastebuds, after drinking raw kale, spinach, celery, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, ginger, apples, lemons and other unknown greens for 10 days straight MUST do something to your tastebuds!

Having No Coffee, No Sugar , No Bread, Nothing Fried  was really breaking some food addictions for me (I think) and it is now my lifetime goal to continue on this path and eat only fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. PLANT BASED 100%

I am quite sure I can do it. The fried part will be the hardest, especially given our lifestyle. Imagine never another french fry? I may end up having sweet potato fries on rare occasion and also tortilla chips because soemtimes that's all there is for me to eat at some places, but I plan to increase my salads greatly, with delicious homemade dressings. I plan to make my own tortilla chips at home, and at some point maybe even make delicious homebaked whole breads with lots of nuts and seeds.

I need to increase my water intake drastically. I am looking forward to my juices today!!!

Last day is tomorrow :)

Here's to health!

Day 8

Monday morning, scale is still 168.4, 1 pound down in 3 days, but 7.3 pounds down in 8 days!
So I'm more than happy.

Yesterday was tough. People in the "community" say that the first 3 or 4 days are the worst, well for me it was day 7 I guess. I was just so hungry. Really wanting to eat. I stuck it out though. I did really well all weekend but I definitely didn't drink enough water. Water is a challenge for me, still.


This morning I realized I didn't have enough greens, used mostly romaine lettuce and salad "spring mix" mixed with spinach. I added carrots, cucumber, celery, apples, lemon and ginger. It's not a nice color, but it is very tasty. It looks a lot more orange in person. I love this juice. I look forward to eating again though.

Day's 6 and 7

Hello again, I made it through the weekend! Whew! It wasn't always easy but most of the time I was fine.
I had a recipe for a juice called a watermelon crush. It had Watermelon, lime and basil in it. I was excited to try it, this would be a dessert/breakfast juice. It makes two servings. SO Saturday I was making Juice and cut the watermelon in half and it was ROTTEN. Never seen anything like it. Of course, I took a picture:

So I got in the car and went to the store to get a replacement. It was pretty darn gross. And yes, it wasn't red and it was supposed to be a regular watermelon, not one of those yellow ones they have now.
Speaking of gross, I made the watermelon crush juice and it was really disgusting, I couldn't even drink it.
Oh well, you don't know if you don't try em. So many people were raving about this juice on the community message boards on the Reboot with Joe website I figured it would delicious!

So Saturday we decided to invite friends over to help relieve us of some of the leftovers we had from last weekends party, specifically beer - but also hummus, chips and bagel bite pizzas (which I wouldn't have eaten anyway since they had meat and cheese on them)  and cracker jacks. I love cracker jacks.
And beer. Well, instead I just drank water and my last juice of the day, which was green. I poured it over ice so it would last longer. Several hours of partying, played darts it was a fun night. It was pretty easy for the most part, I love hummus though - I'm really craving it and guacamole....

Friday night I had done the same thing, green juice over ice in a to go cup with a straw, while visiting with friends at the restaurant- it was good. Even the free chocolate cake didn't tempt me. :)

My weight Sunday morning, Day 7 was 168.4. (happy)

Day 5

Good Morning!

Yesterday was hardish, I got home and Louann wasn't there. Which for some reason made all the food in the house more tempting! Don't ask me why. I am around food sources at work all day too - but all those snacks we have, like chips and little brownies were just sitting there in the pantry. I had none of it!

I made juice for about two hours, and it was all just enough for today! It's beautiful juice. Actually I made a red juice consisting of carrots, beets, greens and ginger which rendered enough for a serving last night as well as one for this morning, which I'm enjoying right now. I sat outside with LuLu while she had a beer and I drank my juice. It was very sweet, so I brought in a lemon and just squeezed some in and it really helps cut the sweetness. I have four 18 ounce bottles to drink today, look at how pretty they are! The green one is a different recipe too - wondering how it will taste.... this is 74 ounces of pure raw juice. Should meet my goal for the day as long as I drink it all!

So today is Friday, Day 5 of this 10 day fast. I feel really good today. It's also donut day at work, which I am just ignoring. But then, my coworker Mike comes in with a box of cupcakes from his wife Dawn, Oh. My. Gosh. they are beautiful. I mean really, Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry and Lemon. Right here in the lab with me. 

I AM NOT EATING ONE!

By the way,  my weight was 169.4 this morning!! Which is certainly giving me strength. Not that I'm counting, but that's 6.3 pounds after four days. Hoping it continues for sure. Juicing is a lot of work, and it takes time and money too - and also it's really changed our life at home. Louann's been eating salads all week and hummus I guess. I miss sharing meals with her. Tonight will be another test, it's our Friday Night dinner ride to an excellent little place that has great homestyle cooking. And tonight they're giving a free piece of chocolate cake to everyone who orders a meal. Did you know that cake is one of my greatest weaknesses? And they have really really good cake.

Day 4

Day 3 went really pretty well. I drank 54 ounces of juice and 64 ounces of water and a couple herbal teas.
I think I am doing really good as far as any detox symptoms and hunger go. It is hard seeing the food in the house though, we have lots of stuff we don't normally have due to a big party we had last weekend. Lots of hummus which I love. Oh well..

Today I only made about 40 ounces of juice even though it seemed like it was a huge amount of veggies (greens mostly) Everything was green except for the lemons.

So I have planned on making juices tonight, enough for two days maybe if I can. It's just too hard to get up early enough and have time to prep, juice and cleanup before getting ready for work. One batch has been working out making a second batch is just impossible for me in the morning. Or not something I want to try to do anyway :)

Yesterday after work we went shopping for veggies, I spent $64 total (not all of it was for juicing but most of it was) So I don't want to let any of it go to waste. I'm excited about making a ton of juice tonight.

Oh my weight this morning was 170.6 - don't know why I gained .2lbs! But I'm not worried about it.

What I am worried about (a little) is heading to the lake this weekend to pickup our camper, and spending the night there with friends who live there. I am not going to end my juice fast early, and I don't want to feel uncomfortable and have to explain myself to anyone either. Ugh. I can pack up my juices and have water on hand at all times, but it will be tempting I'm sure at times, especially the cold beers.

Day 3

Good Morning, today I weighed 170.4 - over 5 pounds gone already. Likely water weight. I haven't weiged this "little" since a year ago maybe? I notice my skin already looks better, glowing and clearer.

But I feel like shit. Just today, and it's only 9 AM, I feel nauseous and just kinda sick, mild headache. They say it's par for the course and that the first 3 or 4 days are the worst. There's a list of symptoms you can expect while detoxing and I think I've got it pretty good considering. The posts I've read from Juice rebooters in the community forum all say to stick it out, you may doubt that juicing is for you and really want to eat something because you think it'll make you feel better, but don't - because right after these rough couple of days you will begin to feel wonderful and energetic. So I'm gonna find out if that's true!

Today I have a morning juice, you have the same dessert and morning juices each day. Today's is called Peach Pie something, it had one large sweet potato, 2 peaches and  a cup of blueberries in it. It's orange and not green for a change :)

I also made a different green juice which has apples and oranges in it. Anxious to try it. I'm trying the peach one now.....I am a bit hesitant to try drinking a sweet potato...it smells like a sweet potato....

Ummm, it's not so good. I think I'll try pouring it over ice and drinking it with a straw, maybe that'll help.
So everybody seemed to love this juice but I don't, oh well. I'll try the watermelon crush next, it has a bunch of basil in it.

Day 2

172.4. I guess it's water weight, but I'll take it, down a  pound and a half after only one day. I know I shouldn't weigh myself everyday, but I probably will.
Yesterday went pretty well. I didn't have enough juice probably, and I have about the same amount today.
Juicing takes a long time, it's a lot of work. The produce takes up all kinds of space in the fridge too. And then there's cleanup. It's really a major life change, even if it's a temporary because it takes so much time and space. I wonder how many relationships get put to the test during these juice fasts. I know mine is and it's only just begun. Something to look forward to!

The juice is not tasting so great either - I need to try to some different recipes for sure. It's ok, the mean green - it goes down pretty quickly and I'm not having to struggle to get it down at least.

I tried coconut water for the first time last night, I do not like it at all, but it's part of the reboot due to it's electrolytes. I'll keep drinking at least some each day - may not always be 16oz. though. Yuck.

I need to increase my water intake today (and everyday) I should be drinking up to a gallon of juice and up to a gallon of water every single day.

Sooo, off to a um, start! may not be a great start, but I'm doing it and I plan to improve as I go and learn .

Day 1

Today is Day 1. I did some practicing with juice recipes, trial and error, timeplanning and shopping expectations last week. While I did drink juice, I also ate food - so today will be my first day with no food, the first of 10 straight days with no food. I am nervous I guess, and am wondering if I'll be able to do it or not. I know I can do it, I just wonder if I WILL.

My weight was 175.7 pounds - for months and months months, it barely ever changes.
Today is was 173.9, maybe I lost almost two pounds just by messing around with juice for breakfast and lunch. I would sure like to think that!!!

I juiced everything I had this morning and came up with about 50 ounces of juice. It's very tart, I guess the Kale, Lemon and maybe the celery contribute to the tart/sour taste. It kicks my tastebuds butt, but it's pretty good and I will drink it all today.

The goal is to drink anywhere from 64 to 120 ounces of juice every single day. So since I only have 50 ounces I'll have to make some more juice tonight.

Going to the store after work with my printed out shopping list. Yikes, looks like a LOT of stuff and will be pricey. But then again, no food, no going out for dinner and drinks...it'll most likely actually be cheaper, and FAR more valuable!

About to have my afternoon snack juice :)

OK - I tasted it finally. When I have food for lunch I'm eating it at 11:30AM sometimes, but with the Green Juice, I waited until 12:30...(I have food issues) So, you know what? It's not BAD. I may mix in some spinach or other greens with the Kale next time, it smells pretty bad. First thing I did was smell it, shouldn't have! I can get used to it I'm sure. I hope to one day soon be craving it. Of course I took a picture of myself taking the first sip. I plan to post before and after pictures of my body as well. Sigh., This is going to be hard at times, I can tell already.

Hello Blog, here I am, just got to work with my first two bottles of Mean Green. I am not starting my juice fast yet - I am in practice mode. Only reason for this is that I have two motorcycle road trips coming up in the next several weeks and I cannot do the fast on the road. I could probably but not with keeping my marriage intact. Imagine having to stop at the grocery store everyday and carry a cooler and a big heavy juicer on the bike, packing and unpacking it so many times....that would be a nightmare.

I made the commitment to start juicing last week. I called Louann and told her about how I wanted to do this and that I found a good deal on a certified re-manufactured Breville kickass juicer. She gave me her blessing so to speak - which is huge because we already invested in a Vitamix that we use almost daily for green smoothies. We love that Vitamix.

The thing is, I went Vegan over a year and a half ago. I lost about 20 pounds and felt really good. I say vegan instead of "plant based" because I continued to eat crap - even though I have given up animal products about 97% (I eat cake on special occasions, like birthdays - and it probably has eggs in it) other than that - animal product free. But chips, nutrition bars, vegan desserts, candy, I'm still eating processed foods as well, but nothing at all like I used to. I do eat frozen meals for lunch sometimes Amy's Organic, Vegan - but processed.

The weight stopped dropping a long time ago, not gaining but not losing. I'd like to lose about 45 to 50 pounds still! Plus, I haven't been feeling good, not 100%, lacking energy, foggy headed, lame memory, poor focus, even my skin isn't as smooth and glowing as it was at first. So....

I took another look at Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. I have been researching into this for some time, learning and reading about people's experiences, visiting blogs and websites of those who have benefited or are just getting started and I am just about giddy, honestly so excited about doing this!

So Friday the Juicer arrived. Saturday I unpacked it, Sunday I washed and dried all the pieces and put it together and then took it apart and put it together again. Then I went to get some groceries :) Then I washed and prepped the ingredients for the Mean Green Juice.
Ingredients

•  1 cucumber
• 4 celery stalks
• 2 apples
• 6-8 leaves kale (Australian tuscan cabbage)
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp ginger

This morning, I made my first batch. It was easy, yielded about 36 ounces. My goal during the fast will be 64 ounces of juice and 64 ounces of water per day if you can believe that! I have yet to taste the juice. I had a green smoothie for breakfast on my way to work. For mid morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and basically whenever I get hungry during the day, I'll be drinking this 36 ounces of juice. Not sure about dinner.

When I pick up the juices, I feel it vibrating in my hand, it feels alive or super special in some way. Can't explain that for sure, but I really think I am going to get fit, strong and healthy with this natural medicine, this plant strong abundantly nutrient dense libation might even get me running, or jogging if my joints allow.

I also bought some great glass bottles - I'm not putting this magical elixir in plastic!