42 Day/ 49 year old JuiceFeasting Body Pictures

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Okay- it's time for the big reveal, drum roll please.... hahaha! j/k
I only lost 9.5 pounds, but all my clothes are so loose! Sorry I didin't take any before pics, but you can tell from the pants that there was a pretty big change. The pants were never tight, but they did fit a whole lot better 43 days ago.

If you read the comments from the previous post you will see that I said I was not at all disappointed that I quit earlier than I expected. The OCD part of me is a little miffed that I didn't make it even half way, but I'll get over it :P  I also said I probably should have quit earlier b/c I feel like a kid who was brought up by over protective parents and has finally been set FREE!! FREE to INDULGE!!! (and bulge- NO!!) I feel a little out of control tasting everything in sight regardless of what it is!! That is so NOT me! I'm forcing down juice to try to help curb that.

I ate my prunes very happily this morning, but 8 oz. was a lot! It took me a while to eat them, and afterward I was pretty full. Transit time? 6.5 hours!! lol   which is pretty good- I heard up to 12 hours is healthy. I'm actually looking forward to 2 rounds of prunes tomorrow. The hubs was out late last night. I called him to ask if he could pick some prunes up for me on the way home- what a sweetheart, he did! So I got up right away and put them in water so I could start to break first thing :)

Oh oh oh- sorry... the drum is still rolling? okay okay!!

Had to throw in bodybuilding pic in there :P

Again, I lost all the fat (9.5 pounds) in just 2 weeks. After that it was detoxing, cleansing, healing and lessons in self control.

So I'm done for now... well, sort of. I do have 6 days of breaking out of this. I will continue posting though as I do plan on making a career of sorts out of the raw food/health/nutrition field. I will continue to educate myself on the culinary arts as well as in nutrition and health. I plan on posting lots on those topics as time goes by.

Celebrate life- keep it raw!
~(RawesomelyFit) Wendy

Day 41

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Day 41
Feb. 9, 2012
Thursday AM

Physical & Psychological:
I've been sleeping much better lately- so happy about that. My cough is getting better and better- no serious coughing spells for many days now- even with Kerm moulting on my shoulder! That is about the only result I can see right now except the few things that came before- like improvement in skin condition and loss of body fat.

I made it yesterday on just water until almost 3:00!! So today I am feeling slow and low energy, but that's okay with me. I did go to the gym, but didn't have much umph, so just took it easy for 40 minutes on the Life Fitness eliptical. Did 12 minutes in the Beauty Angel following that.

My body feels a little sore too- in the back mostly.

Oh- no foster parent training at all this week- woohoo!! YES! that was going to be hard. And the Saturday lunch got canceled too. I'll miss seeing my friend, but will not miss sitting in a restaurant smelling all the wonderful smells and watching her eat! I don't know how people who go to work everyday do this!

I will juice fast again, but probably not for this long. After this- a week or two will be a piece of raw cake!

Juicing:
Juiced forever last night and made over a gallon of garbage green juice. No tomatoes- I used apples this time. The juice with tomatoes is tasting bitter to me now. I know b/c of Pam's experience that this is a sign of further detoxing- yay! So the headaches are probably detoxing results too. No tomatoes and still have the pressure in my head.

I have already had broth today and water kefir, but no juice yet- very hungry though. But once I start work it's easy to put off  juice for later.

Day 40

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Day 40
Feb. 8, 2012
Wednesday AM

Physical & Psychological:
Well I decided to water fast as long into the day (everyday) as possible from here on out (maybe :P). I'm hoping to be able to go until noon, at least, but if not, that's okay too. I'm hungry, but it just seems that drinking juice in the mornings gets my metabolism going, and I get hungrier. This is also very healthy for eliminating any tumors or abnormal growths.

I still have a headache- it comes and goes. I don't think I'm doing enough tomatoes for this to happen, so I'm chalking it up to detoxing.

Worked out this morning- 1/2 hour on the Arc Trainer, burned a little over 400 calories :) The Beauty Angel was occupied so I did 5 minutes on the massage chair instead and left.

I think about the stand still I've come to on the building of my website and think that it's very indicative of this fasting period. Fasting is supposed to be a time of rest and reflection and of thought mostly. It feels natural to have slowed down, even though I'm frustrated by it. I was so hoping to be much further along with it at this point.

Very frustrated with my computer- it keeps freezing up on me!! ARGH!

Juicing:
I really miss my broth! I still have juice left from the other day, so I don't need to juice again until tomorrow- not happy with not having any broth today :( I'll just have to have more tea I suppose. I'll be ordering more honey today and also the respiratory pack from a new company I was introduced to- I'll mention more on this company tomorrow.

Day 39

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Day 39
Feb. 7, 2012
Tuesday AM

Physical and Psychological:
I keep forgetting to report my resting heart rate: 48!!! WHAT?! It's always been around 72! This is amazing to me. I have heard that juicing can lower that, but wow! I have noticed that while doing cardio it is much harder to get my heart up to where I used to, but I'm not going to really push myself at this point. Today it was up to 123 or so, and I was sweating. I did half an hour on the Arc Trainer :)  good workout. Then 12 minutes in the Beauty Angel.

I was actually scheduled for foster parent training today and yesterday, but come to find out it really isn't necessary!! >:  which I'm very happy about- just wish these people would get their act together.

I was in such good spirits yesterday- not sure why or what was different. Today I'm feeling pretty good too, but didn't sleep all that well, so a little tired. I am struggling with this whole thing, but am determined to stay on it- even if my heart is not really in it. My cough is progressively getting better- I have a bad day here and there, but they are getting fewer and further between. It is rare that it interrupts my work (phone calls) anymore, which is such a blessing! I wonder how long it takes to remake your lungs??? 6-9 weeks to make a new liver and a whole year to turn over your bones. The lower energy does contribute to feeling a bit down- plus the weather is overcast today too... and still cold, but not frigid.

My head is still feeling a bit "off". I think it's the tomatoes- ugh! I heard they can give you a headache, but I don't care- I like the flavor of the juice, which is uber important to me on this JF.

I watched a video on skin care the other day. I stopped using baby oil on my skin last year after I found out it was all petroleum!! It did do quite a bit of damage by the time I learned that though- very saggy old lady skin :(  But I just found out that almost everything that is not organic has some kind of petroleum product in it- which suffocates your cells and leads to unhealthy metabolic processes. I had just gotten a bunch of skin care for Christmas too :(  I hate waste, but don't want to use it just because I have it if it's not good for me. I went to the health food store and was very happy to see some great organic skin care that didn't cost an arm and a leg!! yay!! :) So- continuing to learn and clean up my own act ;-)

Juicing:
Going through my juices slower- which is fine by me. I could water fast the rest of the way if I wanted, but don't want to do that, hahaha ;)  I should have made more broth the other day, but thought I'd have enough to see me through- NOT, darn it. So I juiced some oranges and will have some with water kefir, and I'll drink another tea instead. I'll juice more greens again tomorrow and make a BIG ol' stock pot of broth.

Day 38

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Day 38
Feb. 6, 2012
Monday AM

Physical & Psychological:
I had a great night's sleep last night- 8 hours!! :) I was pretty tired last night and got to bed by 10:00. I'm feeling restless, restless with my life too, not just my body. I don't want to be in front of this computer all day anymore. I feel like I want to be outside, but it's still cold, and alas, I have to work- which is in front of this computer! And I really do need to work on my website while it is still cold out. I wonder if I'm just trying to distract myself from the discomfort of juicing and not eating???

Which brings me to my next point. It's really amazing how much our lives focus and center around food! It's also amazing how much comfort, enjoyment and pleasure we get from it. And it's also amazing how much it can bring one's life to a stand still. What I mean by that is- if you are always grabbing for food to comfort yourself from the discomforts of life than you aren't focused on the solution to your problems- you're just using food as a pain killer.

Juicing is a great way to remove food as an obstacle to move forward in your life- to solve issues at the core level, not to mention the physical benefits as well. I'm still hating this- it's a struggle every single day, but I'm in a better mood today, I think, hahaha. I'm so looking forward to next Tuesday when I'll be at the "top of the hill" in this journey- it will be the mid-way point, half way.

And I found out that I can break this fast in 6 days- woohoo! Thanks Pam!! :) I thought it was going to take me 3 weeks- what a drag that was to think of, now I'm excited! Back on regular (raw) food in just one week! YAY!! :) So happy about that.

I didn't workout all weekend- will walk today though, and have a Brilliant Mind meeting right after :)

Juicing:
For some reason I didn't mind juicing this morning. I juiced and cleaned up thoroughly in just under 2 hours. I made 6 quarts of juice- enough for 2 days :) And I'm not done- I'll juice some oj later on today sometime- probably at dinner time. And I can't wait to juice my fruits- didn't do that yet either- maybe tomorrow night or Wednesday.

Weigh in:
I weighed in yesterday- down another 1/2 pound. That makes me a solid 126. I'd actually like to lose another couple pounds, as crazy as that sounds, just to get rid of more toxins being stored in the fat cells, but not sure that is going to happen. I think it would almost be easier to water fast- this juicing keeps the metabolism quite cranked so I always feel hungry!! And I'm not drinking more than 3 quarts of juice a day either- I just can't spend that much time or money. 3 quarts plus maybe a master cleanse, teas and broth.

Day 37

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Day 37
Feb. 5, 2012
Superbowl Sunday!

Physical & Psychological:
I'm starting to put these 2 together b/c they always seem to be so tightly bound together... interesting. Or at least they seem to be difficult for me to separate when thinking and writing. On that note- there seems to be a direct corrolation between how my body feels and my attitude about things- kinda low energy... interesting again! It's an effort to push forward.

Feeling rather tired, but sleeping better. I have enough energy to do what I need to do and maybe walk 1/2 hour- so that's good. I feel like my body is really in detox mode now- it's kind of a rocky road. I so want to quit and just eat, but I know this is the most critical time to stay on.

I should be able to weigh in later- probably didn't lose any more, but who knows- we'll see. I know that being hungry is a good thing for this short of a time frame. I'm starving any tumors or abnormal growths that might have been lurking. The body will feed according to priority- and abnormal cells are not a priority.

Juicing:
I'll have to do some shopping today. The weather has gone back to COLD again- ugh! But that means that the produce will keep better in the garage. I can buy a week's worth that way :) I don't like the greens with apple, but I do like carrot and apple- so I'll do some of that this week. I like my greens with tomato, salt and garlic :) I also should order some more honey this week too- I think the master cleanses are a good idea once a day.

I'm glad I have enough juice for today- do not feel like juicing! I don't feel much like shopping in this cold either- just want to take a nap...

Day 36

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Day 36
Feb. 4, 2012
Saturday PM

Physical & Psychological:
Woke up last night with pretty severe side pain- right side abdomin-ish radiating possibly from the back- kidney/adrenal area maybe??? I think yesterday's struggle was a major detox effect. Those are hard to get through b/c you want to return to "normal"- which includes eating solid food. I just had to remind myself that to "break through" I need to push through. It's indicative of life (and I know that!) if I falter on my JF (juice fast/feast) then it's likely that I do and will falter in life. I need to find my way through things. I need to find a way to solve things and push through to the goal. I'm excited I made it!! Today is a much better day, but every day is still a struggle against eating solids. This whole thing is very pschological for me.

Did not workout today.

Went to the Body Systems class and am excited about the business potential I'm finding there- as well as a community that supports healthy living :)

Juicing:
Juiced for quite a while this morning- made my usual green juice (half a gallon), and also over a quart of carrot/apple/a little celery/ a little radish (radish is good for the skin :) I also made a gallon of broth from all the pulp :)

Day 35

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Day 35
Feb. 3, 2012
Friday AM

I feel at this point every day I do this is another day to celebrate. It's tough- I get pretty hungry sometimes. But I seriously want to push through psychological, physical and emotional barriers. I am more drawn toward the fruit juices, I really like those. I haven't had a master cleanse for a while either, but next week I have foster parent training for 3 days- so I will definitely be into the master cleanses for convenience.

I feel like if I can just make it another 12 days to get over "the hump" I'll be okay.

Physical:
I slept great last night except for the 3 times I had to get up to pee! UGH! so annoying. My head can still feel weird/stuffy on and off. This morning when I got home after working out I had a really euphoric feeling- hard to describe, not light headed, but just very light and expansive.

I'm feeling very thin, but I have felt that way for the last couple of weeks without having lost weight- so who knows. Not sure if I'll weigh in on Sat. or Sun. b/c of my schedule.

Did 30 minutes on the arc trainer and 12 minutes in the Beauty Angel.

Haven't done an enema lately- should probably try to do that sometime soon.

I coughed a lot yesterday :( darn it! Still no meds, no alcohol, no chocolate! Something to be proud of! :)

Juicing:
I juiced enough yesterday for today as well :) I like having a day off from juicing. It's though- I'm getting kinda lazy about making enough juice, but I'm trying to keep my intake up there.

Pschological:
I covered this at the top, but I'm really proud of myself for making it this far. Good things have happened since I've been doing this, and I don't want to stop. I feel like this is going to make me a stronger person, and a healthier one. I've been learning so much. I want to continue to see the physical benefits too. Next week will be a challenge with training, but I am determined to make it through, even if I drink mostly master cleanses- that will be fine for a short time. I won't be able to work on my website hardly at all next week :(  ... another set back there- darn it.

The weather has been gorgeous this last week or so- so warm for this time of year! It feels like spring is in the air. It contributes to the feeling of wanting to "change" something, or start something new- like get off the juice, only b/c in my mind I was thinking that spring wouldn't come until I was just about done with it anyhow. I was thinking I'd juice through the winter and be off of it by the time the really nice weather set in. But I'll be fine- I need to deal with it.

Day 34

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Day 34
Feb. 2, 2012, Happy Groundhog Day!
Thursday AM

Well today is Groundhog Day. I live only about an hour and a half from Punxsy, where Punxatawney Phil may or may not see his shadow. I've never been to see the production, but that's okay, I'm not fond of the cold ;) This is the anniversary of the day I met my husband!! We are both living that day over and over, hahaha!

Physical:
Still tired. But new ocurrences are taking place- my head feels weird. It feels kinda stuffy like I'm getting a sinus infection (which I know I'm NOT). I think something is being cleaned out in there, kinda cool! And there have been sightings of UFOs (unidentified floating objects) in the commode! kinda like white bits or flakes. I can't imagine anything passing through that could remain WHITE with all that green dye in there!

I'm doing research on bee pollen for my website. WOW! What amazing stuff. I think it's the pollen that is curing my cough. It's great for just about everything, but respiratory issues are on the top of the list. I have a bit of a confession here to go with this. At night my birds get about a teaspoonful of Ben and Jerry's strawberry cheesecake ice cream while we watch a movie together (Daisy loves to watch TV!) They eat their ice cream and watch a movie with me for about an hour or so before bed (Kerm and I usually fall asleep, lol). Well ice cream is one of my all time weaknesses :( So while dishing it out I probably get about a teaspoonful myself. I noticed that I cough more at night after doing that. I thought- could just a teaspoon really be effecting me like that?!!

So I decided to make a bee pollen concoction for myself for ice cream time to help me not do that. I make: 1 T bee pollen, 1 T honey, 1 T coconut oil (all of which I am allowed to have on this cleanse, however, I'm supposed to take the coconut oil alone- oh well!). I did this last night and hardly any coughing at all! woohoo!! The honey and coconut oil have anti-fungal, anti-microbial and anti-biotic properties, plus the power of bee pollen- powerful medicine I'm thinking, and it tastes great too :)

Today is a day off from the gym- feels good to take a break :)

Juicing:
I decided I do not like apples in my green juice for now. I like it with tomatoes, salt and garlic. That seems to be the only way I can drink 2 quarts of it a day.

I have a 1/4 of a tiny watermelon left, a pineapple, grapes and some apples for a special treat for this evening- can't wait!!

Psychology:
Pushing forward on my website, doing research and taking notes to write up more pages. Hopefully by the time I get this section built out I'll have my 10 inbound links and I can then begin to monetize- woohoo!! I kinda feel like I've hit a wall here, but will press on and press thru! I know the steps I need to take.

I just been too tired to clean- hopefully this weekend! The weather has been nice, so I'd like to hit the garage sometime soon.

Day 33

My website: http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 33! That means I'm down into the 50's now for days left- woohoo!!
Feb. 1, 2012
Wednesday AM

Physical:
Slept well last night, about 7 hours :) Walked 30 minutes on the treadmill again today- did 2 miles, then 12 minutes in the Beauty Angel :)

I'm not getting all the green juice I'm supposed to. I think I'm getting tired of it :/  I'll make the tomato kind again today and see if I can get that down that any better. I had made apple yesterday. It's so weird- when I drink the hot broth it's like there are gremlins in my system- man! all the gurgling and rumbling!! But not so with the juice- so strange.

Healing: I used to have this tough patch of skin on my lower lip. Almost everyday I could peel it off! It's GONE!! And I never used to be able to put my hands in water w/o the skin around my nails getting tough and hard like callouses- so annoying! I have my hands in water all the time now! wow! The skin still gets kinda hard, but not like before- and if I pick at it it doesn't peel away down to the flesh like it used to- no more sores!! I used to think I was neurotic or something :P

And I think my cough is VERY SLOWLY improving as well. It's not completely gone, but definitely seems better. This one thing is enough to keep me on the juice. I've had this cough for probably over 5 years now. I would be so so excited to see it completely gone/healed.

Juicing:
Well like I said- not getting all the greens I'm supposed to- need to focus on that more. Not too much more to report here. But I can see why people don't make it the whole 92 days!

Psychology:
I did work on my website yesterday. I finished watching a video on The China Study and had to totally revamp my kefir page! Up until yesterday I wasn't sold on Veganism, but after watching that video- I am now! I don't think I will ever knowingly eat an animal product again. The number one predictor of prostate cancer is dairy products! The higher the consumption of animal products the higher the cancer rate and the higher the rate for lots of other diseases as well. I'm done with animal based food. Coming from the bodybuilding community- this is HUGE for me. I am now happy to just be lean, fit and healthy instead of muscular.

I also played around with trying to embed video onto my site- it was easy!! woohoo! So I got that great video on my page about protein :) I also secured another inbound link- yippee!!

Still need to clean out my office! ARGH!

Day 32

You are invited to visit my website @ http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 32
Jan. 31, 2012
Tuesday AM

Physical:
I got to bed around 10:00- woke up twice, slept kind of restlessly. Didn't want to get up @ 6:00, but alas, I must! Juiced 1/2 gallon and got the broth from the pulp going- I LOVE the broth! Out the door by 7:00 to get the kiddo to the bus stop and off to the gym. Walked 30 minutes- probably too aggressive again- cuz I'm tired and feel kind of weak. But it felt good at the time :) Then did 12 minutes in the Beauty Angel- hey, I need all the help I can get!

I'm feeling much better now and much cleaner and less toxic now that the Chlorella's have moved out! Whew! Had a very successful colonic yesterday :) They didn't seem to do much good with the Chlorella's taking up residence. I am very tired today- I'm sure I'm detoxing at the next level- woohoo! I want a nap!!

Juicing:
I don't seem to mind the juicing much anymore. I'm sure it's due to the new Breville juicer :) It's a beast- so fast! It does waste more than the Samson, but since I'm making broth from the pulp I don't much care. And it seems to not make that much difference in how much juice I get. And I'm able to juice while making dinner for the fam. and get most of it cleaned up before the food is on the table- so I don't feel like I'm taking "extra" time to do it. I do my fruit juice at that time.

Psychology:
I'm forging ahead on my website- started another section. I'm too tired to clean right now, it's all I can do to maintain the kitchen.

I was so surprised when we went to the car this morning at 7:00- it was 43*!! Wow! Is it still January?! Even for February that is fantastic! It was gorgeous out, and the sunrise was beautiful to top it off :)

Day 31

You are invited to visit my website @ http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 31
Jan. 30, 2012
Monday AM

Was having severe computer issues yesterday :( Nothing can put me on my last nerve faster than computer issues!! UGH! But I'm thankful- so very thankful, to have enough warning to back up everything I want to keep! Woohoo!! And hubby is working on it as I type :) I think it's going to be okay, but if not, that's okay too. We have a great computer guy who will clean it off and restore it for $35!! The important thing is I got to save everything- whew! I have a really old back up computer that will suffice for work if I have to take this one to the shop.

Physical:
So I was up til midnight last night trying to solve my computer problems so I didn't get the sleep I would have liked, so I didn't go to the gym either. I was pretty tired all weekend, so I'm not upset about not going to the gym.

I'm still amazed at the solids passing through my body!! WTHeck! I'm not eating anything!! I thought the Chlorella family had all evacuated! I do feel better with each "passing moment" though! ;-) Love Cascara, magnesium and deep cleansing tea!

Juicing:
I feel like I spent the entire weekend in the kitchen! Between shopping, juicing, fixing meals and cleaning up- YIKES! I only drank 1 quart of my green juice yesterday, so I still have a quart for today. I think I will take a break from juicing today :) I drank 1/2 the quart for breakfast and am sipping on broth now, I also had some orange/grapefruit/kefir too. I had plenty of that as well, and tea, and I can always make a master cleanse or two if necessary.

There's a lot about juicing in the winter that I don't like, but one thing I do like is having the cold garage for produce storage! When I do this again in the summer I know I'll have to be making more trips to the store b/c of storage insufficiencies.

I made a batch of fruit juice yesterday with the Breville- really hit the spot: watermelon, grapes, strawberry with a splash of lemon- YUMI!! It was hard not to guzzle it.

Psychology:
Not getting things done as fast as I'd like is really making me suffer emotionally! It just seems to be taking forever to build my site and clean out the house!! There's not a whole lot left to clean, but I'd still like to get 'er done. Still TONS to do on my website though- that will be a long term project. I feel like I'm becoming an octopus with the raw food business (a tenticle growing for each area I consider)- so many areas to explore, so many things I want to do with it: writing webpages, writing ebooks, teaching classes, taking classes, writing my blog, keeping in touch with other blogs and forums... etc!

Day 30

You are invited to visit my website @ http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 30
Jan. 29, 2012
Sunday AM

Physical:
This adventure into the land of just juice has really been a fantastic learning experience. I've learned so much about my own body already. I am so much more in tune to my digestive system now, and have become better acquainted with the goings on in my liver as well. It's fascinating! I love learning how to manipulate my body by what I feed myself- it's such a feeling of self mastery and control- the antithesis of being a victim- love that!

So yeah, yesterday morning I thought I had rid myself of the green alien inside me, but I continued to give birth to siblings! I couldn't believe how many of them there were- the entire Chlorella family had taken up residence in my intestines. I gave them all a ride down the water slide from hell!! lol

Also feeling very thin today after the birthing experience yesterday. To induce labor I took extra Cascara Segrada and Magnesium Citrate powder- not sure how much of an effect the cleansing tea might have had too.

Brenda shared some nice teas with us yesterday at the class. I hate herbal teas, but tried the Deep Cleanse by Bija- YUM! I had to go next door and buy a box- so glad I tried it! Very surprised I like it, and it goes perfectly with my juicing journey.

I'm also not so cold today- woohoo!!

Slept pretty well for about 5 hours, but woke up at 3:00, read from 4:00-4:30 and went back to sleep- restlessly until 7:00. Still a bit tired, but I'm chalking it up to healing/detoxing :)

Juicing:
Oh man, did I make a mess this morning!! It would have only taken me 1/2 hour to make 1/2 gallon of juice, except for the mess! Still love my new juicer, but it did seem a bit more wasteful today- spitting a lot of unjuiced bits out the back. But, I am boiling broth with it- so I'm not too upset over it- more flavor for the broth :)  and the juice is really good! I juiced:
2 pounds Tomatoes
1 pound Kale
1 head Celery
1 Cucumber
1 bunch Parsley
2 heads Romaine

I added just the right amount of salt, garlic, cumin and chili pepper today for Mexican juice :)

I'm all out of makings now- will take a shower and do some shopping here in a few.

Psychology:
I so want to get to clean out my office- but the birds live here during the day and totally freak out if I'm not a good girl and just sit in my chair with my computer! And by the time I put them to bed, I'm done! I have a plan though! It will happen!

Working on my website- slowly... regrouping... cleaning out my MKL and will go back over the action guide and Key Words. Need to research for a coupla more pages before I build out another section. So I do have a plan there too- just need to push forward.

Feeling better- not so cranky. Ken thanked me for being nice yesterday! hahaha! I'm happy to not be exercising much.

Day 28

You are invited to visit my website @ http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 28- wow! the time is really ticking by...
Jan. 27, 2012
Friday- woohoo!

Physical:
My face is starting to clear up a little :) Still have 1 big red zit on my right cheek. I'm noticing an improvement in the moisture content of my skin as well. I used to get calluses around my fingernails- it drove me crazy! But the worst part is I'd bite at it and pick at it ,and I would end up with sores around my nails and it hurt! If I put my hands in the water one time during the day I could guarantee this dry hard skin around my nails- it was maddening! I can't say it's completely gone, but it is much better. When I bite or pick at it it doesn't peel away down to the flesh like it used to- so no more sores!! YAY!! :)

Also- my chronic cough is gradually getting better. I don't have as many "hacking sessions" as I used to- yay again!! And coughing rarely interrupts my phone conversations anymore (I am a phone contact customer service rep!).

Slept well again last night :) And I did decide to workout yesterday. I did 30 minutes on the eliptical and went 4.15 miles! That's a record, and my pulse was lower than normal too! wow!

Juicing/ Time/ Money:
I'm not keeping track of money anymore- since I did it the first month and it was approx. $300. That includes the honey that I haven't used up yet, but doesn't include my order from Swanson Vitamins b/c those items aren't actually necessary.

My, did I say my? ...et em, my husband's Breville came today- woohoo!! not in time to use it before work though. But I had some time just now and made over a quart in just a few minutes!! This thing is a monster! I am very very pleased with it. It did the apples so wonderfully :) There was hardly anything to strain! What a great investment.

Psychology:
I've been very grouchy the last few days- poor Ken! A coupla things I'm thinking might be the reason why: not enough sleep those 2 nights and working out too hard (causing too much stress physically). I'm resisting taking my anti-anxiety meds, although Ken is encouraging me to do just that... I think he'd really like to see me calm down! I made juice with celery and spinach in it just now, so hopefully that will help too.

Day 26

You are invited to visit my website @ http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 26
Jan. 25, 2012
Wednesday AM

Physical:
UGH! Couldn't sleep after 3 AM!! which means I got only 4 hours sleep :/  But knowing I needed the rest I just lie there until 5:00- got up and went to the gym :) I decided today to do light weight/ high reps- I got 25-30 reps on most machines, and I worked pretty hard on the steps in between- good workout. Then I did the Beauty Angel since there was no wait and I had time. Back home- breakfast for the kiddo, made my juice for the day, cleaned the kitchen, took a shower/ make up/ hair/ made the bed by 8:30!! woohoo! Love it!

But I am a little tired and not looking forward to the struggle of the day b/c of it :/ I did have a small master cleanse with chlorella right before bed, but had no trouble falling asleep. I'm thinking it's coritisol... I'll drink the master cleanse for dinner and save the green stuff for before bed- see if that helps, plus I'll take some ashwaghanda tonight too.

I feel like I've lost more weight b/c I'm too lazy to make enough juice! It's just too much work with the Samson- can't wait to get my Breville- hurry up Amazon!!

Juicing/ Time/ Money:
Spent about 1/2 hour making my Italian Juice. Yesterday was Mexican with cumin and chili powder; today is Italian with Italian herbs :) Yumi!

Psychology:
I am loving this journey. I kinda feel a little more settled on just juice- is it getting easier to not eat or am I just getting used to the battle? not sure.

I've known this, but it just rang true to me yesterday- every commitment is a choice that negates something else- meaning every time you choose something you are NOT choosing something else/ we give up something in order to have something- it's like a trade off. And also- every commitment is tested... just some random thoughts...

I feel like my life is taking on new directions, opening up new opportunities. If it hadn't been for Juicefeasting.com I would never have found Raw Food Rehab- which has really enriched my life. And through them I discovered more closely Russell James and ordered his new course yesterday!! woohoo!! This is what I will use to bring raw food to Altoona. I hope to teach a 10 week course at the YMCA using his material :)

Day 25

You are invited to visit my website: www.raw-food-for-health.com

Day 25
Jan. 24, 2012
Tuesday afternoon

Physical:
I feel amazing today! Got almost 8 hours sleep, was up by 5:30 to juice. Off to the bus stop, then to the gym, home by 8:00 to shower (skin brushing first). I'm still a wee bit tired though- will try to get to bed early again to catch up from the night before. Yesterday I was really dragging by afternoon and was a little cranky- it was a tough day, but I made it through :)

Had an awesome workout this morning- gave it probably about 95% effort- just had to ;) Went up in weights (even though I shouldn't be!) I'm very happy with my workout performance level.

Face is still a bit broken out- darnit! forgot to do a mud mask while I was having a colonic :/ Yeah, and more foulness from that, but not quite so bad as past times. I really massaged my gut all the while too- could hear lots of sloshing and gurgling going on. I'm sure I broke stuff free/loose. I was suprised by the amount of waste that was removed since I strain my juices real well- it had to be stuff that had been impacted.... grossness!

Juicing/ Time/ Money:
Juiced from 5:40- 7:00 including full clean up- made over 3 quarts of hard core green juice:
3 heads Celery
1 bunch Parsley
1 pound Kale
10 oz Spinach
2 cucumbers
3 heads Romaine

Take 2 cups of that and mix with a pound of juiced tomatoes, 3 cloves of garlic (woohoo!), cumin, chili powder and salt- omg, soooo YUMI! I can't get enough of it!!

I also used my Jupiter to juice lemons, oranges and a grapefruit. I have enough juice for today, and enough green juice for tomorrow and Thursday, but will need to juice apples and/or tomatoes to mix it with :/  I can't wait for my Breville to come!! Instead of reporting on how much time it takes me to juice I feel like I should be reporting on the time I am not juicing- ugh! If I didn't need to strain it, it wouldn't be so bad, but the Samson is horrible with pulp from fruits or anything too soft :(

Started more water kefir today- decided to add some of that in. Thanks Ayn! ;)

Psychology:
I find myself saying, "I'm so excited" a lot lately! I'm so full of energy (most of the time) and life just seems so much more exciting!

Didn't get a chance to clean anything out yesterday- too busy with work and had to hit the rack early. But I did forget to report that I went through lots of stuff in the laundry room the other day. Getting a lot done! But I did work a little on my website yesterday- so that's a good thing. I really need to start focusing on that more too. AHHH! so much to do, so little time!

Day 23

You are invited to visit: http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 23
Jan. 22, 2012
Sunday AM

Well I couldn't be more excited! I found the Raw Food Rehab Center and have been making friends with like minded crazy people such as myself ;-) I was able to ask my "Why no tomatoes?" question and got a great answer- they are in the nightshade family and if picked before ripe they contain a poison.

Physical:
I've been sleeping well. Got another 8 hours last night- woohoo! That feels so good- I really need that.

I didn't workout yesterday- went shopping and juiced. I will today though.

I've been getting a few pimples I don't normally get- more toxic release- yay!

I weighed in yesterday- NO CHANGE!! woohoo! I held steady which I worked hard to do. I feel like my weight is down today though, but with no scale I won't know until Friday when I go to Heidi's.

Juicing/ Time/ Money:
I spent $50 yesterday- brings my total to $265. I spent 2 hours juicing yesterday, but that isn't quite accurate b/c it only took me about 45 minutes to do the greens. I spent the rest of the time messing around with the tomatoes. I found out I can juice tomatoes! woohoo! Love the tomatoes and garlic. So this is what I juiced:
6 heads Romaine
1 bunch Parsley
9 oz Spinach
1 pound Kale
2 heads Celery
That made almost a gallon. I take 2 cups of that, 1 pound of tomatoes, a clove or 2 of garlic and a little salt and mix in the Vita-mix- YUM! of course there is lots of straining involved, but it's worth the effort. I love it, but my bird doesn't- she wants to know what happened to the apples!! She loves my sweet green juice! :)

Psychology:
Still wanting to get on with the cleaning out of garbage. I took 2 big bags of stuff to Goodwill yesterday and cleaned out a small portion of my big walk in closet. I'll wait for a few month to go through my dress pants as they are all big on me now. Still working on maintaining beautiful thoughts, and need to keep moving forward on my website- I've been stuck lately :(

Day 21

You are invited to visit my website: http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 21! (the end of week 3 with 10 more to go- UGH!)
1/20/12 Friday afternoon

Physical:
Energy level is high- I don't usually feel tired until evening/night, and even then sometimes not. Weigh-in is tomorrow, can't wait to see if I lost or held steady- trying to hold steady, but the grumbly tummy says I probably lost.

I have had no side effects of any major detox since I have eaten a clean raw food diet for the past 10 months or so. I did go thru 3 or 4 levels of detox when I started the diet.

Worked out this morning- 30 minutes circuit training- doing well, trying to hold back a little. 12 minutes in the Beauty Angel also.

Juicing/ Time/ Money:
I juiced some lemons this morning with my citrus juicer- only took a few mintues. Love my Jupiter citrus press! I might have enough green juice for tomorrow, not sure. I'll need to shop though anyhow for juicing on Sunday (if not Sat. night)- need some greens.

Psychology:
Took some time to clean out more garbage from my closet. I have more than a huge garbage full now! Still not done with the closet, but just keep plugging away- so much other stuff to do! It's psychology b/c it's about cleaning out my life- making things simple, clean and organize and letting go of crap I don't need or use.

I found a fantastic website yesterday that will enhance my raw food business, but it's all on the culinary arts!! UGH! makes me so hungry watching all those videos! I joined the weekly academy he has, so I'll have to watch those anyhow, but apart from that I'm going to try to stay away from that until this is over. I need to join the green room, which I think I will do here in a few minutes.

The world of health and raw food just seems to be really opening up to me. I registered for The Body Systems classes being taught at the health center also. So I'm busy busy arming myself with knowledge for my business.

Day 20

You are invited to visit my website: http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/
Day 20!
Jan. 19, 2012
Thursday, AM

Physical:
I was very hungry yesterday, and when my husband heated himself lunch it nearly drove me insane! Yesterday was tough. I did workout- 30 minute express circuit training. I'm feeling good though. I'm feeling thin, but not sure if I've lost any more weight from Saturday or not. I'm dealing with stress pretty well on my own. I'm sleeping well too- I just need to get to bed earlier. It's getting easier to push the later hours now so I need to make a concentrated effort to get into bed by 10:30, 10:00 if I want to read.

I took the day off from working out today to juice. But also, my body needs a break... a rest day.

Juicing/ Time/ Money:
Okay- I juiced this morning for a LONG time! just under 3 hours!! But I put the pulp from the apples in the Vita-mix with a lot of water and processed and strained. It makes a watery sweet green juice when the green is added. I like it. It makes the apples go further too. I think it's worth the time it takes. I made 1 full gallon of green and a gallon of apple with the water. No kale at the store yesterday so the juice was made of:
3 heads Celery
6 heads Romaine
2 bunches Parsley
1 Cucumber
10 oz Spinach
That made a full gallon, then I juiced 22 apples. 2 hours and 45 minutes including clean up.

Add $7.50 to my juicing total... which is now $215.50 for almost 3 full weeks- not too bad I think. Plus I still can't believe how much money I'm saving from not buying all the specialty raw items I used to buy, such as: cacao, coconut oil, raw nuts (are expensive!), goji berries, stuff like that.

Psychology:
Still wanting to clean things out. I went through more of my closet yesterday and got a big pile of clothes for Goodwill :) I won't miss any of it! I can actually SEE what I have in there now. I still have more to go through- I don't have a lot of time, so I take 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there and just do what I can.

I'm also trying to monitor my thoughts. My theme for the year is BEAUTY, not so much the outward appearance either. But who doesn't like beautiful things?! But more so I want my LIFE to be beautiful, my thoughts, my heart and yes, my surroundings. And I'm starting the year off by cleansing and beautifying my body- the inside. Beauty starts within.

Day 18

You are invited to visit my website: http://www.raw-food-for-health.com/

Day 18, Jan. 17, 2012, Tuesday AM

I seriously can't believe I've made it this long! 18 days with no solid food. I've come to the conclusion though that this is just not going to get any easier. Our bodies are designed for solids and I'm resigned to the fact that this will be a daily struggle.

Physical:
I think it will be a chore keeping weight on! I am really enjoying the feeling of being thinny though :) I'm below my ideal weight, but I like it. I feel great, I feel light and full of energy. I wake up in the mornings ready to go!! I can't remember when I've ever felt like that. I always had to drag my butt outta bed, feel my way to the coffee maker and stare into space for 2 hours until the engine would start!

And once again, the thought of having to take 4 days at this point to break my fast is enough to keep me going. After 12 days of fasting you can't just dive into solid food- there is a protocol to follow to re-awaken the digestive system that has been basically asleep.

Up at 6:10- morning chores, drove Steve (foster son) to the bus stop at 7:00 and off to the gym. 30 minutes of express circuit training, back home for skin brushing and shower. Even though my energy level is high, I'm starting to feel the lack of reserved energy for working out. I'm sure my glycogen stores are very low since my calorie intake is low. I don't want to stop the weight training though, so I'll probably just reduce the intensity of the cardio/step portion of the circuit.

The last 2 nights I've had a "special" juice for dinner. When I went shopping I bought strawberries, grapes and cranberries- juiced in the Vita-mix and strained 3 times, and it was still thick! I looked at that and thought, "I'm sure my body is going to find a way to make something solid out of this"- and sure enough! I haven't had an actual BM in probably more than a week. I've heard that people continue to pass solids, but I'm convinced it's b/c they aren't straining their juice well enough.

Juicing/ Time/ Money:
I spent 2 hours juicing last night- made 1.5 gallons again.

8 oz. Kale
10 oz. Spinach
6 heads Romaine
2 heads Celery
20 apples

When I got home from the gym this morning I made:
2 T honey
2 T lemon juice
2 T chlorella
about 10-12 oz water
pinch of 100,000 HU cayenne
I feel I need the extra protein from the chlorella. That drink provides me with about 18-20 grams of complete protein! And it's actually not bad tasting either- just ask Kermee, my Hahns Macaw- she couldn't get enough! haha I have to share everything with her- she insists! lol

Psychology:
Well, seems to be kinda boring on this front, but I still haven't taken any medication and don't even think about it much at all anymore :) I cleaned out more drawers yesterday- need to keep moving forward cleaning out the garbage and access. I want my life to be "light", simple, serene, beautiful, peaceful.