Juice detox take two - final thoughts

It's Sunday today, I'm writing this post on the treadmill at my gym. I've just done a sweaty half hour on the cross trainer and I'm now cooling off and typing on my phone.

The five day juice detox ended on Friday, and I weighed in yesterday morning (Saturday) at 13st 10lbs. A 10lb loss. I'm thrilled!! Absolutely delighted!! More over, I FEEL AMAZING!

Friday night was tough, that surprised me. I didn't really help myself though, I had a whole chicken in the fridge about to go out of date and no room in my freezer.. So I roasted it. Smelled heavenly! I did some food prepping for this weekend, knowing I was working yesterday. And I made my lunch for work with the tenderness and excitement that people normally reserve for new babies!!

After 5 days of nothing but fruit and vegetable juice, I was keen to go easy on my body yesterday. Which meant planning, because the lovely cafe at work does not do 'kind' food. 

Yesterday consisted of:

Hot water and lemon juice, and a 'liquorice and peppermint' herbal tea made upon waking and allowed to cool.

Apple and ginger juice shot

Breakfast was a pineapple and green veg juice, so my body was happy going to work.

On my morning break I had a banana and four oatcakes, with peanut butter. I can't tell you how much I love oatcakes and peanut butter. It's my go to snack. I may have been a little giddy as I ate then very S L O W L Y, just because I could. Washed down with more peppermint and liquorice tea.

Lunch was brown rice, salad and tuna, but I only ate half, I couldn't be bothered with the chewing!! But I devoured my plain live yoghurt, honey and blueberries and a little treat packet of dried strawberries. Washed down with 'squash' (juiced pineapple and lemon diluted with water) and some carbonated water.

My afternoon snack was a Nakd bar and grapes, and the rest of my 'squash'. Glorious!!

I was super excited for my dinner. Paul and the kidlets picked me up from work, we dashed home, and then I dashed straight back out for a lovely evening at Lucy's. She cooked salmon fillets, lightly spiced brown rice and asparagus with greens. Like heaven to my mouth and my body!!

Juicing teaches lots of life lessons and I think everyone experiences these lessons differently. I was a size 24 at my biggest, just shy of 18st and after a year of being at a size 14, despite everything my body has been through and accomplishes this year, I have clearly hit my body's happy weight. Regardless of what my head thinks!

If you did the global juice last week, and you competed it as directed, well done you. You have hard core mental attitude! Big up yourself xxxx

Juice detox take 2!

I did a 3 day juice detox last August (see here) and I have embraced juicing ever since - I generally have a juice for breakfast most days. Jason Vale released his latest offering '5lbs in 5 days' and I immediately wanted to join in. The one thing juice detoxing taught me last year, was that its massively easy to consume stuff your body just doesn't need. I was hugely strict off the back of last August, and then as time passed I became more relaxed (and positively went crazy with delicious food throughout December!) but have generally settled into a happy 80/20 pattern. I am lean and mean with my food choices 80% of the time, and relax over the odd muffin or glass of wine 20% of the time. It works for me. As does the gym - I spent an hour on the cross trainer tonight!

As much as I was looking forward to getting involved with this detox, I took a 'food holiday' last week and enjoyed a variety of foods that I wouldn't normally dream of eating (not even in my 20%) like mars bars! Oh how I love a mars bar. But actually, I don't rate the gratification for the cals consumed, so normally steer clear. Not last week! Which in turn meant I was expecting the 'grey' death I experienced last time.

Not so!! Clearly my 80/20 rule works, and whilst my food holiday had a damaging effect on the scales last week, it hasn't effected my overall ability to deal without sugar and other conveniences. Amazing!

My weight normally hovers around 13st 08lbs, a couple of pounds either side of that is where my body naturally resides now (a nice size 14 if I do say so myself, oh yeah!). Happily just inside the defined 'healthy' BMI range. Following my 'food holiday' I was 14st 06lbs on Monday morning.... BOOOOO! So I'm hoping to be under 13st on Friday! I lost 9lbs on the 3 day detox last August... What will happen this time!

I downloaded the app to help me, and I make my own juices using my beloved juicer. Its always reassuring when you see what you have made looks vaguely like the original!!

 

My juice is darker here, because I add wheat grass and spirilina powders to boost the nutrient value.

 

I prep all my fruit the night before, then juice and decant it into sports bottles so I'm ready for anything during the day.

 

And my evenings have looked like this - herbal tea/carbonated water and lemon, last juice of the day and an SOS bar. Jason Vale obviously sells his own, and I was lucky enough to try one (they are an acquired taste!) but I have opted to stick to my fave Nakd bars instead.

 

I'll be back to update on weight loss and final thoughts. Needless to say, I feel great right now!! I also miss food. I am looking forward to making informed choices - and chewing - on Saturday!!

Highlights

Its 5 months today since I had my spine fused and I feel like I am finally in a place where I can see it was worth it and say that I would do it all again. My quality of life is at a point where if I had to stay like this for the rest of my life I would be happy - its not where I was this time last year, or where I hope to be again, but I'm not in a bad place and I could live like this without many complaints.

I finished the 3 day detox last week, and I am now 10lbs lighter than I was. Tomorrow is 14 days since I last had diet coke, squash, coffee and overly processed food. I have just invested in some wheatgrass and spirulina powder to ramp up my morning juices. I think my skin looks great and I feel good - I feel healthy! Zesty! Pleased with myself!
It was hard at work yesterday. I didn't take enough food with me and I stood in the cafe, waiting for the hot water I had requested for my herbal tea bag looking at the cakes and dreaming of coffee. I didn't get any, I don't need it right now. I'm not saying never, I'm just not right now.

 

I have been making plenty of time for the gym and the turbo, and I hope to get back out on my bike with Emma this autumn. 

The only thing I feel disappointed with is running. Running has become my nemesis. This thing that I couldn't and wouldn't do, that I did and grew to love, and that I still can't get back to. Yet.

Last weekend we went to stay with my parents straight after work. Paul wanted to to do a run through of the Ironman route and so he and my dad went out on their bikes, whilst my mum took me and my sister out for breakfast and to feed the ducks.

 

Speaking of cycling with Emma, she held an exhibition this week and displayed some of her paintings. It was fab Emma! Well done!

A colleague of Emma's had done some clay pieces that held huge significance for me and I would love to have the opportunity to ask her what inspired her to make a spine and a spine fused with metal!

We also spent a lovely morning at Bursledon windmill this week - an interactive 'wind in the willows' story session.

Sorry for the delay in posts this week Clanettes! Its been a crazy one, lots of appointments, sewing and working.

Thanks for reading xx

Juicing (post detox)

So. At the time of writing it is the morning of day 4, I completed my 3 day detox yesterday. I feel good this morning!! I feel pretty smug actually, I chose a plan and I stuck to it, even when it got massively ropey on day 2! I prepped my day well enough yesterday to allow me to go shopping and spend the day in town/swimming lessons/at work and still have my smoothies.
The rewards? Well, not only am I no longer addicted to diet coke and coffee and squash, not only am I over my love of artificial sweetener, not only do I feel amazing but I've lost 9lbs!! 9 POUNDS IN THREE DAYS! N I N E  POUNDS!!!

I really really struggled with making the kidlets meals and not 'picking' as I went. I really struggled with my conscience yesterday too - there is a new health food co-op in town (Rice up) and I dragged the kidlets round Southampton so long trying to find the store (eventually I rang Paul and he talked us there using googlemaps on his work pc!) that I promised them chippies after we had been to the new shop. So I'm in the health food shop, I'm choosing some wholewheat pasta, some brown rice noodles, this and that.. and all they can talk about is burger king afterwards!! I need to change their perceptions of food too!!! Plus I prepped all my food to allow me to stay on plan and neglected their requirements, bad mother!

So now I have to decide how to eat going forward. I'm a completely blank slate right now, my body doesn't require any stimulants and I am 'clean'.

Another blog I mention here is Weight Wars and yesterday Bec wrote a post about 'What I will eat'. Did you write this for me Rebecca? This is just what I need to do!!

Coming off the detox, and being massively inspired by the Juice Master (ha ha! That sounds crazy!) here are my 4 golden rules whilst I figure out what I am going to eat going forward:
 
1) Eat whole wheat / whole grain carbs
2) Avoid refined sugar where possible
3) Avoid artificial sweetener as much as possible
4) Avoid caffeine - bye bye diet coke and coffee.

My diet needs to be family friendly. I can't do the health food shop/burger kind scenario again, and I need to be feeding my children food that I wouldn't mind snacking on - I just need to find the balance!

Making a change is scary - I hate not knowing what to eat and flailing around. Ultimately though, I feel like I have made a positive step and this is the way forward. I just need to make it work.

Thanks for reading x x

Juicing! (Detox day 2)

At the time of writing, I am at the end of day two of the three day detox. Today has been hard!! If 'grey' is a state of being, then I am the head of state - the queen in fact!! 

I struggled so much this afternoon that I actually had a nap. It’s hard to describe and give justice to the feeling of a detox, partly because I think everyone experiences them differently and partly because behind the pain, I feel like I am doing something hugely positive.
My main symptom is a headache, its a tight pain behind my eyes - I feel very hung-over.

At the gym last night, Lucy lent me another of Jason Vale's books - Turbo charge your life in 14 days. This book is a real eye opener. I embarked on this detox to lose some weight and kick my caffeine dependence, but then through reading, I started realising that I am (was!) hugely addicted to artificial sweetner too. Then when I consider that actually I am ridding my body of everything that is fast and convenient in today’s world.. And the eating opportunities ahead of me are vast.

Tomorrow is going to be easier - I hope! I have eating decisions to make going forward. I knew I had big decisions to make this afternoon when I cringed about making the rest of my family the pizza I had promised them..

Anyway. At this point Clanettes, I am a worn woman! I am waiting for the high that I am assured will come.. I am ready for bed and the delight of waking up on day three, knowing I am going to complete my self imposed detox. Hopefully the worst is behind me now, tomorrow is the home straight - I love things in threes, triathlon analogies galore!

Today’s favourite smoothie juice was:

 

Come day three!! DO YOUR WORST! Ahem. Tomorrow I am going to Ikea for some shopping.. with flasks of prepared smoothie!

Juicing (detox!)

I have embarked on a 3 day juice detox. My friend Rachel gave me a juicer (she was throwing it away) a few months ago and it has just sat and gathered dust.. Then Lucy mentioned that she wanted to have a detox and she settled on a juice plan by Jason Vale - the 'Juice Master'. Lucy did her detox and together with the Jason Vale website, I am sold on the power of juice.. Plus the fact that I haven't been able to get under 14st since surgery and am now plus another 7lbs following our two week trip round the UK.. So I am currently hopefully cleansing myself of waste and weight!

I bought a copy of the 'Keeping it simple' book (and downloaded the detox app for my phone.)
The 'shopping list' for the 3 day detox consists of:

Plus additional  avocado and some natural live yogurt - I don't know why it isn't included on the list.

So I start every day with hot water and lemon - surprisingly tasty - goes well with my yoga too.

Today's breakfast juice consisted of:

This is what it looked like going through the juicer

Then I blended the avocado with ice, and poured in my juice for a bit more blending

Super tasty!!

I love how the pulp looks after a juice is made - its mostly dry like sawdust

I get four juices a day on the plan, 3 of those contain avocado to keep cals and good fat in there, and unlimited water/mint tea/hot water and lemon... At the time of writing its the end of day one and I have a headache brewing... I will let you know how it goes!