Wow! I just want to thank everyone for all the comments, advice, high-fives, and especially those who've decided to take this journey with me. I am truly humbled and honored. I wish I could comment back to each person! Maybe I will have some time this weekend. Life is bizz-ay!
I thought I would share how my day looks. The first thing you should know about me is that I am a divorced single mom, raising my 2 kids solo since my daughter was 2 and my son was 2 wks old. She's 17 now, and my son is 15. They are very active, awesome kids, so I spend A LOT of time chauffeuring them to their events, when I am not working full time, trying to keep our house in some sense of order, and you know, feeding them, because they have gotten used to the eating thing. (Spoiled!)
So my day starts at 4:15 a.m. Ouch, that hurts to even type! I spend 15 minutes in prayer (in bed), and then I get up, feed my cats, do my "internal cleansing" (enema), and then start making juice. I make about 4 quarts, and put them in mason jars and refrigerate them immediately, except for one that I go ahead and drink. I take my morning supplements (described yesterday.) Then at 5 am, I wake up my daughter Nora, who starts getting ready to go to the gym with me, while I clean the juicer and the kitchen. (Does everyone's kitchen become a disaster when they juice, or is that MY special gift?!) Then I throw on my work out clothes, and it's off to the gym by 5:30 a.m. I walk for 40 minutes on the treadmill, then lift weights for about 20 more, then do a dry skin brushing before I take a shower and get dressed for work. It's now 7 a.m., I rush home, grab my juice and go to work all day. I drink my juice through out the day. At lunch, I like to walk in the park across from where I work and listen to praise music and refresh my spirit. It is easy to feel close to God in the beauty of the nature He created! Since I don't "eat" anymore, I get a whole hour to do this, and it really makes my whole day. After work, I figure out what to make for dinner for the kids, and usually walk over to Limbo or People's to get the ingredients I'm invariably missing. After dinner, we tidy up, and I try to get some chores done before settling down for a snuggle with Nora while we watch a tiny bit of tv (Nora is obsessed with Gilmore Girls:) This time is much more about bonding with family than watching a show.) Then we have family prayer time and I put the kids to bed, which is awesome that they still let me! Finally I get some computer time, as Joe has most likely been on it this whole time, making up for those months when his back wouldn't let him sit for any length of time. He's either watching movies (which are his passion, he wants to be a director) or going on YouTube. (He and I bond other times, spent many, many quality hours together while he was sick.) So I finally get to see Penni's video, I get to read the awesome comments on my blog, and I get choked up. And I try to blog or comment a bit, and then holy cats! How did it get so late?! Do my evening routine (brush, floss, wash, supplement!), read some scripture, say my prayers, and good night, sleep tight!
Next day, we start again. The weekend looks similar except replace the work with taking care of parents who are both in wheelchairs (from what I believe are diet related problems!) and during the school year, you'd add in taking Nora and Joe to at least 15 things a week, including dance practice, volunteering, a musical he's in, etc. I love summer!
I guess what I'm saying is that if I have the time to do a juice feast, probably anyone can. Dave has to juice three gallons at a time to take it on the road! He brings his juicer everywhere, and has a 100-ft extension cord so he can juice at truck stops. Just like anything, you have to prioritize with what's important. I am getting so much out of this juice feast! I'm only on day 8, and already I've gotten: weight release, new friends, a deepening of my spiritual path, a slightly cleaner, more organized, less cluttered home, and feel a huge sense of direction and purpose for what my new life is emerging to be.
What day I'm on: 8 out of 40
How's it going: Still going really well. I am pretty much past hunger most of the time. The fatigue is getting better. I am feeling so much love and support, I know I can do this!
What I'm Excited About: Penni's book is coming out today!!! Also: weekend! Woo!
What I'm Drinking: I got a big grocery delivery (organic produce from the awesome Annette) so I am sticking with this little number till the produce is used up: kale, romaine, celery, cucumber, tomato, red pepper, lemon, and ginger. It is actually pretty yummy, and I call it "green gold" because of the super high nutritional profile. I will switch up juices when I run out of these goodies!
Detox? How to put this delicately? I went #2 on my own today, no enema, and was surprised at how much volume. Since I haven't had any solid food, I know that stuff was just hanging out in my intestines. That is a gnarley thought, and yet, better out than in! I am excited about what I am able to get rid of. Healing happens!
Emotional Detox? Right now I am just elated with all the support.
Emotional De-cluttering: I am realizing that I need to assign a certain time in my schedule to the spiritual aspects of my juice feast. I need to get back to reading scripture, no matter what, before bed; prayers upon rising and resting, no matter what; and now I've decided that lunch time is going to be a praise walk every day: walking in nature (the beautiful park across from where I work) and listening to praise music. I have my list of limiting beliefs and my prayer of affirmation that corresponds to each one, and I will glance at it, and repeat the prayers quietly(!) several times through out the day. Also on that list are people that I haven't fully forgiven (including me!) and I see their name, and silently send love, forgiveness and acceptance to the person or the situation.
Physical De-cluttering: This is on my list for the weekend. Again, I am tackling the kitchen. I am going to try to do this more consistently daily, like every morning, get rid of 40 things. Wow. That's a challenge! Think I can do it?
Advice From Dave: Great talk last night, all about the spiritual aspects of the juice feast. Dave is on another spiritual path from me: I am Christian, whereas he talks about the chakras and the kundilindi and the Life Force. But what we have in common is this: we are both acutely aware that we are SPIRITUAL beings, having a HUMAN experience, not just human beings having a spiritual experience. Whatever your spiritual path, a juice feast will help you go deeper. When you clear away the excess, and all the mind-numbing compounds even in the healthiest of foods (think of the content lazy fog we get in after an excellent meal) you are left with the essence of you, your spirit. You can take advantage of this time to release what is no longer serving you. Let go of fears, resentments, old baggage. Change how you think about yourself and the possibilities for your life. Press the reset button on your LIFE, not just your digestion. Like a caterpillar, go into this cocoon of your juice feast, use this time for transformation, and come out a beautiful butterfly, ready to spread her wings and fly to a new possibility.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Juicy Life--Day 7 of My 40 Day Juice Feast
I wanted to start with a little word on the Dr. Gabriel Cousens' plan that I am doing via Dave The Raw Food Trucker vs. Katrina and David Rainoshek's www.juicefeasting.com. There is no difference! David Rainosheck used to work for Gabriel Cousens, and Dr. Cousens strongly advocated the juice feasting program found on www.juicefeasting.com. :) The only modification Dr. Cousens makes for his diabetic patients is the "only green juice" thing, and that is because they have insulin resistance and poorly regulated blood sugars. But all the other info is the same.
The biggest difference is that Dr. Cousens only dedicates one chapter in his book, "There Is A Cure For Diabetes" to juice feasting, while the Rainosheks' website is an extensive and comprehensive resource about nothing but juice feasting.
I haven't really talked about the supplements I am taking on this juice feast, but I am taking some. Here is what is recommended by Dr. Cousens in his book:
Fresh Organic Green Vegetable Juice (4 Qts.)
Herbal Teas
Hemp Oil or Flax Seed Oil (1-2 T./day) (Note: buy refrigerated only because it goes rancid fast)
Kelp Granules (1/4 t./day)
Bee Pollen (1 T. day)
Green Superfood Powder Blend (1-2 T./day)
MSM (1-3 T./day)
Vitalzym (3-5 caps, 3x/day)
Natural Cellular Defense "NDC" (15 drops, 4x/day)
Chrorella/spirulina (1 T/day)
E-3 Live (1-3 T/day)
Nano B complex (1/2 t. 2x/day)
Herbal and Mineral Supplements (as recommended by your Health Practioner)
Royal Break-Stone Tea (2-4 cups/day)
Liver Gallbladder fluke parasite cleanse (for parasite cleanse only at the end of an extended fast, such as 92 day juice feast)
Enema- daily, every morning
Dry Skin Brushing, every day
Hot/cold/hot/cold showers, daily
Yoga (15-30 min/day)
Walking (30 min/day)
Weight Training (15-30 min, 3x/week)
See? It's not just about juicing an orange and living on it for 3 months! I am not able to afford or even locate all the things Dr. Cousens calls for. But Dave really emphasized how important it was to follow the protocol as close as possible. So I do: 4 Quarts Organic Green Veggie juice, Rooibos (herbal tea), Flax seed oil, bee pollen, MSM, Vitazym (I got a sample of this and have been using it, but now I am out and I can't find it at my health food store) Spirulina, an herbal women's hormones balancer prescribed for me, an enema daily (yikes!), dry skin brushing (ouch) hot/cold/hot/cold showers (starting to enjoy these), walking 40 min/daily, and weight training 20 min 3x/wk.
What Day I'm On: 7 out of 40 (1/6 of the way)
How's It Going: Pretty well. I seem to be getting into the swing of things. I am thrilled to pieces to report that I acheived two goals since starting this juice feast: I have now released over 100 lbs (106!) I had been "stuck" at 90 lbs off, but getting juicy got the scale moving again. The other goal is that I got under 300 lbs! I can now say I weigh 200-and-something. Woot!
What I'm Excited About: Penni's new ebook "Real Juice Daily" is coming out this week! Woo-hoo! I am so excited to get that book, I cannot even tell you. Penni is such a good writer. I enjoy her blog so much and I know this book is going to be funny and interesting besides having lots of great information. How amazing is she that she can still put out her book, even while dealing with an emergency that would make any parent's heart stop?!
What I'm Drinking: A lovely and nutritious blend of kale, celery, cucumber, romaine, tomato, and red bell pepper with a little ginger for flavor and as a natural analgesic. How does it look? Well, it kind of looks like...bile. But it's tasty I swear. Wait! Why are you walking away?! Come back!!! Please?
Detox? I have had an ache in my belly, over what is my stomachor possibly my spleen? The boils down south are healing. I am having a LOT of fatigue. I figure this must be detox because most people talk about how much energy they have while juicing.
Emotional Detox? A little bit grumpy and short tempered, I'm afraid. Pity my children. I'ma do better today!
Emotional De-Cluttering: Just observing my feelings and trying not to get over worked up. Made an inventory of limiting beliefs, and I am working on affirmations to overcome them, using the resources from Louise Hay.
Physical De-Cluttering: Um, I really ought to be doing some. Heh.
Advice From Dave: We didn't talk yesterday. Probably all his new clients from RFR were keeping him busy. :)
The biggest difference is that Dr. Cousens only dedicates one chapter in his book, "There Is A Cure For Diabetes" to juice feasting, while the Rainosheks' website is an extensive and comprehensive resource about nothing but juice feasting.
I haven't really talked about the supplements I am taking on this juice feast, but I am taking some. Here is what is recommended by Dr. Cousens in his book:
Fresh Organic Green Vegetable Juice (4 Qts.)
Herbal Teas
Hemp Oil or Flax Seed Oil (1-2 T./day) (Note: buy refrigerated only because it goes rancid fast)
Kelp Granules (1/4 t./day)
Bee Pollen (1 T. day)
Green Superfood Powder Blend (1-2 T./day)
MSM (1-3 T./day)
Vitalzym (3-5 caps, 3x/day)
Natural Cellular Defense "NDC" (15 drops, 4x/day)
Chrorella/spirulina (1 T/day)
E-3 Live (1-3 T/day)
Nano B complex (1/2 t. 2x/day)
Herbal and Mineral Supplements (as recommended by your Health Practioner)
Royal Break-Stone Tea (2-4 cups/day)
Liver Gallbladder fluke parasite cleanse (for parasite cleanse only at the end of an extended fast, such as 92 day juice feast)
Enema- daily, every morning
Dry Skin Brushing, every day
Hot/cold/hot/cold showers, daily
Yoga (15-30 min/day)
Walking (30 min/day)
Weight Training (15-30 min, 3x/week)
See? It's not just about juicing an orange and living on it for 3 months! I am not able to afford or even locate all the things Dr. Cousens calls for. But Dave really emphasized how important it was to follow the protocol as close as possible. So I do: 4 Quarts Organic Green Veggie juice, Rooibos (herbal tea), Flax seed oil, bee pollen, MSM, Vitazym (I got a sample of this and have been using it, but now I am out and I can't find it at my health food store) Spirulina, an herbal women's hormones balancer prescribed for me, an enema daily (yikes!), dry skin brushing (ouch) hot/cold/hot/cold showers (starting to enjoy these), walking 40 min/daily, and weight training 20 min 3x/wk.
What Day I'm On: 7 out of 40 (1/6 of the way)
How's It Going: Pretty well. I seem to be getting into the swing of things. I am thrilled to pieces to report that I acheived two goals since starting this juice feast: I have now released over 100 lbs (106!) I had been "stuck" at 90 lbs off, but getting juicy got the scale moving again. The other goal is that I got under 300 lbs! I can now say I weigh 200-and-something. Woot!
What I'm Excited About: Penni's new ebook "Real Juice Daily" is coming out this week! Woo-hoo! I am so excited to get that book, I cannot even tell you. Penni is such a good writer. I enjoy her blog so much and I know this book is going to be funny and interesting besides having lots of great information. How amazing is she that she can still put out her book, even while dealing with an emergency that would make any parent's heart stop?!
What I'm Drinking: A lovely and nutritious blend of kale, celery, cucumber, romaine, tomato, and red bell pepper with a little ginger for flavor and as a natural analgesic. How does it look? Well, it kind of looks like...bile. But it's tasty I swear. Wait! Why are you walking away?! Come back!!! Please?
Detox? I have had an ache in my belly, over what is my stomachor possibly my spleen? The boils down south are healing. I am having a LOT of fatigue. I figure this must be detox because most people talk about how much energy they have while juicing.
Emotional Detox? A little bit grumpy and short tempered, I'm afraid. Pity my children. I'ma do better today!
Emotional De-Cluttering: Just observing my feelings and trying not to get over worked up. Made an inventory of limiting beliefs, and I am working on affirmations to overcome them, using the resources from Louise Hay.
Physical De-Cluttering: Um, I really ought to be doing some. Heh.
Advice From Dave: We didn't talk yesterday. Probably all his new clients from RFR were keeping him busy. :)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The Juicy Life--Day 6 of My 40 Day Juice Feast
What Day I'm On: 6 out of 40 (approx 1/7 of the way)
How's It Going: Yesterday was kind of hard. I made a rookie mistake of not making enough juice. You are supposed to make 4 quarts, then drink 1/2 quart, wait 90 min, drink another 1/2 quart, wait 90 minutes, drink another half quart, and so on. I ran out of juice at 4 pm and didn't want to bother making more. Mistake! Not going to let myself get that hungry again.
What I'm Excited About: I'm getting a new juicer! I have been using a Jack La Lanne, which has been fine, but it does a lousy job with greens, which are vital on a juice feast. So a dear, awesome, wonderful friend decided to get me a new juicer without me even complaining about the old one! (I am kinda sorta broke so I would not have been able to do it on my own.) How amazing is that?! I'm walking on sunshine! I can't wait till it comes. It is an Omega so I will be able to make nut butters and ice cream after the juice feast is done. And during the juice feast, I will get that green "gold" and it won't waste all my greens and not even juice them. Woo-hoo! *Does A Little Happy Dance!*
What I'm Drinking: Tomato/sweet red pepper/basil (so good!) Today I am adding celery and romaine to it. I am adding flax seed oil and taking spirulina caps. There are other supplements I need to be getting--I will talk about that tomorrow.
Detox? I've got boils (something I've experienced ever since I went raw, big time detox going down.) They are in delicate places we shan't speak of. A-hem. But anyway, they are not giving me too much pain, and this too shall pass. Diarrhea stopped. Headaches off and on, but then, I let myself get too hungry. Overall, not too bad.
Emotional Detox? Yep. I'm pretty melancholy, for me. If it wasn't me, you'd never know. I've been told I'm kind of a relentlessly cheerful person. I just choose to be happy, whatever the circumstances. This feels different, though, like there are things coming up that I'm meant to get rid of. I am quiet, meditative.
Emotional De-Cluttering: Just sitting with these feelings and trying to figure out where they are coming from and what they are trying to teach me.
Physical De-Cluttering: Excuses, excuses, but it has been a busy couple days. It's on my to-do list!
Advice From Dave: He's sending me all the 411 on the International Day of Juicing on September 12 in Seattle. I will get that out to all of you soon. He warned me again that I NEED to be taking supplements, so I am going to get some, as much as I can afford. I want to do GOOD for my body, not harm. I have been doing the dry skin-brushing daily, and the hot-cold-hot-cold showers (fun!) but I need to start enemas now that the diarrhea is gone. Woo-hoo, something to look forward to! lol
He also told me if you are interested in having him coach you (he is an awesome coach!) give your phone number to me. I will forward it to Dave and he will call you. Easy peasey.
Have a great day and thanks for supporting me!
How's It Going: Yesterday was kind of hard. I made a rookie mistake of not making enough juice. You are supposed to make 4 quarts, then drink 1/2 quart, wait 90 min, drink another 1/2 quart, wait 90 minutes, drink another half quart, and so on. I ran out of juice at 4 pm and didn't want to bother making more. Mistake! Not going to let myself get that hungry again.
What I'm Excited About: I'm getting a new juicer! I have been using a Jack La Lanne, which has been fine, but it does a lousy job with greens, which are vital on a juice feast. So a dear, awesome, wonderful friend decided to get me a new juicer without me even complaining about the old one! (I am kinda sorta broke so I would not have been able to do it on my own.) How amazing is that?! I'm walking on sunshine! I can't wait till it comes. It is an Omega so I will be able to make nut butters and ice cream after the juice feast is done. And during the juice feast, I will get that green "gold" and it won't waste all my greens and not even juice them. Woo-hoo! *Does A Little Happy Dance!*
What I'm Drinking: Tomato/sweet red pepper/basil (so good!) Today I am adding celery and romaine to it. I am adding flax seed oil and taking spirulina caps. There are other supplements I need to be getting--I will talk about that tomorrow.
Detox? I've got boils (something I've experienced ever since I went raw, big time detox going down.) They are in delicate places we shan't speak of. A-hem. But anyway, they are not giving me too much pain, and this too shall pass. Diarrhea stopped. Headaches off and on, but then, I let myself get too hungry. Overall, not too bad.
Emotional Detox? Yep. I'm pretty melancholy, for me. If it wasn't me, you'd never know. I've been told I'm kind of a relentlessly cheerful person. I just choose to be happy, whatever the circumstances. This feels different, though, like there are things coming up that I'm meant to get rid of. I am quiet, meditative.
Emotional De-Cluttering: Just sitting with these feelings and trying to figure out where they are coming from and what they are trying to teach me.
Physical De-Cluttering: Excuses, excuses, but it has been a busy couple days. It's on my to-do list!
Advice From Dave: He's sending me all the 411 on the International Day of Juicing on September 12 in Seattle. I will get that out to all of you soon. He warned me again that I NEED to be taking supplements, so I am going to get some, as much as I can afford. I want to do GOOD for my body, not harm. I have been doing the dry skin-brushing daily, and the hot-cold-hot-cold showers (fun!) but I need to start enemas now that the diarrhea is gone. Woo-hoo, something to look forward to! lol
He also told me if you are interested in having him coach you (he is an awesome coach!) give your phone number to me. I will forward it to Dave and he will call you. Easy peasey.
Have a great day and thanks for supporting me!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
The Juicy Life--Day 5 of My 40 Day Juice Feast
To organize my thoughts, and provide some consistency to my journal, I created a template that I am going to use every day.
What day I'm on: 5 out of 40
How's it going: Overall, really well. I am now teamed up with the gorgeous Annette from RFR, with Thubten from www.myrawyear.com (I am working on him to check in to RFR!) and the awesome Dave The Raw Food Trucker, who is both our coach and juice feasting with us. Plus, lots of my RFR peeps have said they would join in on some level. Thanks to all of you for your support and your knowlege and advice. I am taking it all in with gratitude!
What I'm Excited About: Annette has a lisence to buy organic produce wholesale, so my juicy journey just got a heck of a lot cheaper! Love that girl! (Not only for her connections, I swear! She is just an incredible lady, and I'm so happy to have her for a friend.)
Yesterday, I met with Thubten (pronounced Tube-Ten) and we got some veggies and he is going to help me with my blog and I am going to give him rides to some raw events because he is carless by choice. He is also a great guy and lots of support and has done this before. I got to introduce him to my beloved Limbo, home of the cheap Organics, and it was fun to see someone else get as geeked up as me over organic cantaloupes for a dollar.
What I'm Drinking: Yesterday was Cucumber/Mache all day. Yuck. I had to choke it down. I had gotten a huge (huge!!!) bag of organic mache at Limbo and I have always enjoyed it in salad. But in juice? Um, no. Gonna pass on that one!
Today I choked down the last of the Cucumber/Mache for breakfast, and for the rest of the day I am having Tomato/Sweet Red Pepper/Basil, which I tasted and it is FABULOUS. A definite winner. Plus I can easily put the pulp into my kids' raw pasta sauce for dinner. Awesome.
Detox? A little, not too bad. I've had diarrhea pretty much every day, nothing to worry about, but it did make for some humorous runs to the bathroom! I had a headache the first day, but that went away. I have had occasional foot and joint pain, but again, pretty mild and I've been able to deal with it fine.
Emotional Detox? A little bit of feeling sorry for myself, I have to admit. Mostly when I was choking down the nasty juice from yesterday. It was fleeting, and I snapped myself out of it. No one is making me do this. I could stop at any time I choose.
Emotional De-cluttering: Made a mental list of people I've been unwilling to forgive. Praying to have sincere forgiveness.
Physical De-cluttering: Started getting rid of kitchen stuff. It will feel so good to have enough space for my raw food needs! (I rilly rilly rilly want to get rid of the microwave, but I am fighting the kids on it. Sigh.)
Advice From Dave: We had our phone call check in and he said he is totally up for staying on juice (we were originally going to do juice/Rainbow Green Live Cuisine Phase 1 and alternate between the two.) He congratulated me on reaching 100 lbs released, and warned me to follow the advice in "There Is A Cure For Diabetes" exactly to have a safe extended juice feast. (For the record, I am not and have never been diabetic, but this is the program that Dave had so much success with so he recommends it.) So I will be supplementing with some borage oil, and taking spirulina, and some other supplements. When I complained about no fruit (!) in my juice, he reminded me that the following are fruits: zucchini, bell pepper, tomato, avocado, and cucumber. What I can't have is SWEET fruit, because when it is stripped of its fiber it becomes dangerously high glycemic. Sweet fruit is only appropriate for smoothies. Good to know! Anyway, Dave continues to be awesome and supportive and a great coach. So glad we are all in this together.
Tags:
What day I'm on: 5 out of 40
How's it going: Overall, really well. I am now teamed up with the gorgeous Annette from RFR, with Thubten from www.myrawyear.com (I am working on him to check in to RFR!) and the awesome Dave The Raw Food Trucker, who is both our coach and juice feasting with us. Plus, lots of my RFR peeps have said they would join in on some level. Thanks to all of you for your support and your knowlege and advice. I am taking it all in with gratitude!
What I'm Excited About: Annette has a lisence to buy organic produce wholesale, so my juicy journey just got a heck of a lot cheaper! Love that girl! (Not only for her connections, I swear! She is just an incredible lady, and I'm so happy to have her for a friend.)
Yesterday, I met with Thubten (pronounced Tube-Ten) and we got some veggies and he is going to help me with my blog and I am going to give him rides to some raw events because he is carless by choice. He is also a great guy and lots of support and has done this before. I got to introduce him to my beloved Limbo, home of the cheap Organics, and it was fun to see someone else get as geeked up as me over organic cantaloupes for a dollar.
What I'm Drinking: Yesterday was Cucumber/Mache all day. Yuck. I had to choke it down. I had gotten a huge (huge!!!) bag of organic mache at Limbo and I have always enjoyed it in salad. But in juice? Um, no. Gonna pass on that one!
Today I choked down the last of the Cucumber/Mache for breakfast, and for the rest of the day I am having Tomato/Sweet Red Pepper/Basil, which I tasted and it is FABULOUS. A definite winner. Plus I can easily put the pulp into my kids' raw pasta sauce for dinner. Awesome.
Detox? A little, not too bad. I've had diarrhea pretty much every day, nothing to worry about, but it did make for some humorous runs to the bathroom! I had a headache the first day, but that went away. I have had occasional foot and joint pain, but again, pretty mild and I've been able to deal with it fine.
Emotional Detox? A little bit of feeling sorry for myself, I have to admit. Mostly when I was choking down the nasty juice from yesterday. It was fleeting, and I snapped myself out of it. No one is making me do this. I could stop at any time I choose.
Emotional De-cluttering: Made a mental list of people I've been unwilling to forgive. Praying to have sincere forgiveness.
Physical De-cluttering: Started getting rid of kitchen stuff. It will feel so good to have enough space for my raw food needs! (I rilly rilly rilly want to get rid of the microwave, but I am fighting the kids on it. Sigh.)
Advice From Dave: We had our phone call check in and he said he is totally up for staying on juice (we were originally going to do juice/Rainbow Green Live Cuisine Phase 1 and alternate between the two.) He congratulated me on reaching 100 lbs released, and warned me to follow the advice in "There Is A Cure For Diabetes" exactly to have a safe extended juice feast. (For the record, I am not and have never been diabetic, but this is the program that Dave had so much success with so he recommends it.) So I will be supplementing with some borage oil, and taking spirulina, and some other supplements. When I complained about no fruit (!) in my juice, he reminded me that the following are fruits: zucchini, bell pepper, tomato, avocado, and cucumber. What I can't have is SWEET fruit, because when it is stripped of its fiber it becomes dangerously high glycemic. Sweet fruit is only appropriate for smoothies. Good to know! Anyway, Dave continues to be awesome and supportive and a great coach. So glad we are all in this together.
Tags:
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Juicy Life--Day 4 of My 40 Day Juice Feast
I am now on Day 4 of a 40 day juice feast. Wow, I am 10% of the way through! I want to document my journey here. I would love to have advice from experienced juice feasters, since I am very much a newbie. I would also love it if anyone who feels so inclined would like to try it along with me. It certainly doesn't have to be 40 days! You could do a day or two, or longer if the Spirit moves you.
Juice Feasting is really a modified fast. You are giving your body a rest from the heavy work of digestion and allowing it to do the clean up and healing work it always wanted to do, but never had time for because it was busy digesting your dinner. Fasting has numerous benefits, among them healing, an increase in energy, and for me, an important part is a deepening of my spiritual experience. Like anything that is worthwhile, it can be challenging. The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the feast is going to feel incredible, I suspect. But even more, the act of doing such a loving thing for yourself, of purging yourself of toxins and leaving behind all that is no longer serving you, can be so healthy mentally and emotionally as well as physically.
I am doing 40 days because in the Bible, that is the number that symbolizes completeness. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days, it rained for 40 days during Noah's great flood, the Isrealites wandered in the desert for 40 years, etc.
Already from this juice feast, I feel closer to God. He is my Source and the center of my life; all good things and all love flow from Him. Every time I have any discomfort or temptation, I choose to go to Him over and over for strength and comfort, and that is a very, very good thing. I am being filled with compassion for my fellow men, women, and especially children, who go to bed hungry and not by choice. They cannot just pick a day to end their hunger. I feel incredibly blessed by all the amazing produce and the abundance that is flowing into my life. I can feel the pure life energy contained in the plants that I juice nourishing me, deep down, even at a cellular level. I feel clean, and light. I know that I am being healed, even to the depths of my being.
I am working also on detoxing myself of emotional baggage: people and situations I need to forgive and send love to; limiting beliefs that are holding me back that I am willing to release. I am cleaning my house, literally, as well, giving away things that no longer serve me that they may bless someone else.
I would love to have you along for my journey, either as a co-juice feaster, a sage adviser, or a supportive spectator. Together, we are healing our lives, one day at a time.
Juice Feasting is really a modified fast. You are giving your body a rest from the heavy work of digestion and allowing it to do the clean up and healing work it always wanted to do, but never had time for because it was busy digesting your dinner. Fasting has numerous benefits, among them healing, an increase in energy, and for me, an important part is a deepening of my spiritual experience. Like anything that is worthwhile, it can be challenging. The feeling of accomplishment at the end of the feast is going to feel incredible, I suspect. But even more, the act of doing such a loving thing for yourself, of purging yourself of toxins and leaving behind all that is no longer serving you, can be so healthy mentally and emotionally as well as physically.
I am doing 40 days because in the Bible, that is the number that symbolizes completeness. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days, it rained for 40 days during Noah's great flood, the Isrealites wandered in the desert for 40 years, etc.
Already from this juice feast, I feel closer to God. He is my Source and the center of my life; all good things and all love flow from Him. Every time I have any discomfort or temptation, I choose to go to Him over and over for strength and comfort, and that is a very, very good thing. I am being filled with compassion for my fellow men, women, and especially children, who go to bed hungry and not by choice. They cannot just pick a day to end their hunger. I feel incredibly blessed by all the amazing produce and the abundance that is flowing into my life. I can feel the pure life energy contained in the plants that I juice nourishing me, deep down, even at a cellular level. I feel clean, and light. I know that I am being healed, even to the depths of my being.
I am working also on detoxing myself of emotional baggage: people and situations I need to forgive and send love to; limiting beliefs that are holding me back that I am willing to release. I am cleaning my house, literally, as well, giving away things that no longer serve me that they may bless someone else.
I would love to have you along for my journey, either as a co-juice feaster, a sage adviser, or a supportive spectator. Together, we are healing our lives, one day at a time.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The Juicy Life- Day Two
Yesterday, I started my juice feast with Dave, the Raw Food Trucker. I am a total noob with juicing, so I am just faking it till I make it. In the morning, I had a quart carrot top/cucumber/lemon. Not bad, but needed more sweet to balance out the lemon. I am doing the Tree of Life detox, so no sweet for me for the short run.
In the afternoon, I had a simple cucumber/kale, (I got an awesome deal on organic cucumbers!) To my huge surprise, it was mildly sweet, and kinda yummy.
Today I'm having beet greens with my cukes, and later spinach with them.
Dang this is getting to be a boring post! Ok, let me talk about why/how long I want to do this.
I am going for 40 days. In the Bible, 40 is a number that is symbolic of completion. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days and nights, it rained 40 days and nights during Noah's great flood, the Isrealites wandered in the desert for 40 years, etc. You get the picture. I always walk for 40 minutes on the treadmill. :) (I do weight reps in sets of 12, another Bible number. I am not OCD, it's just for fun and for meaning.)
I am doing this for my health, but also for spiritual reasons. I will keep those between me and the Big Guy, but I just want to mention that fasting and prayer is very powerful and in the past, it has really deepened and enriched my spiritual life.
I am not mentioning my juice feast to any family or friends outside of my kids. So you guys and Dave will be my support system. I think I have a REALLY GOOD support system! lol
I am a little disheartened by all the waste involved in juicing. So far, I have made a filling for live swiss chard rolls with the pulp. The kids say it tasted really good with the Asian Tahini dressing (I got from It's A High Raw Life Michelle K right here in the culinary center.) I put it with a sunflower seed/tahini pate and rolled the chard leaves like a burrito. They looked yummy, and there was much scarfing and smiling among the teenagers, so I assume it was a winner.
I think I will be making lots of pulp crackers, too! Or just freezing some of it to use when my 40 days is complete.
Also, all the juice recipes I've found have fruit, which is obviously tasty, but I don't get any. Does anyone have any "veggie only" juices that are the bomb? Don't leave a sister hangin'!
Looking forward to a juicy day!
In the afternoon, I had a simple cucumber/kale, (I got an awesome deal on organic cucumbers!) To my huge surprise, it was mildly sweet, and kinda yummy.
Today I'm having beet greens with my cukes, and later spinach with them.
Dang this is getting to be a boring post! Ok, let me talk about why/how long I want to do this.
I am going for 40 days. In the Bible, 40 is a number that is symbolic of completion. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days and nights, it rained 40 days and nights during Noah's great flood, the Isrealites wandered in the desert for 40 years, etc. You get the picture. I always walk for 40 minutes on the treadmill. :) (I do weight reps in sets of 12, another Bible number. I am not OCD, it's just for fun and for meaning.)
I am doing this for my health, but also for spiritual reasons. I will keep those between me and the Big Guy, but I just want to mention that fasting and prayer is very powerful and in the past, it has really deepened and enriched my spiritual life.
I am not mentioning my juice feast to any family or friends outside of my kids. So you guys and Dave will be my support system. I think I have a REALLY GOOD support system! lol
I am a little disheartened by all the waste involved in juicing. So far, I have made a filling for live swiss chard rolls with the pulp. The kids say it tasted really good with the Asian Tahini dressing (I got from It's A High Raw Life Michelle K right here in the culinary center.) I put it with a sunflower seed/tahini pate and rolled the chard leaves like a burrito. They looked yummy, and there was much scarfing and smiling among the teenagers, so I assume it was a winner.
I think I will be making lots of pulp crackers, too! Or just freezing some of it to use when my 40 days is complete.
Also, all the juice recipes I've found have fruit, which is obviously tasty, but I don't get any. Does anyone have any "veggie only" juices that are the bomb? Don't leave a sister hangin'!
Looking forward to a juicy day!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
My Dinner With Dave The Raw Food Trucker
Some of you may have heard about Dave, the Raw Food Trucker. He is pretty well known in the raw community because of his awesome Youtube videos. Dave is a remarkable guy--he used to weigh 430 lbs. He was also diagnosed with cancer, and had diabetes that was bad enough that he almost had to go on insulin. That would have meant giving up trucking, which he loves. Instead, Dave had some great friends who introduced him to the raw food diet, and he released over 230 lbs, is cancer free, and has normal blood sugars! He is also warm, funny, and genuinely caring. I know, because I got to have dinner with him!
Monday afternoon, Annette from here at RFR messaged me that he was coming to town and there was a spur of the moment meetup planned at our favorite live cuisine restaurant, Blossoming Lotus to meet him. I was excited about meeting Dave, but honestly I was just as excited about meeting the fabulous Annette!
So I had a great meal and met lots of nice people. A lot of folks had never heard of Raw Food Rehab, so you KNOW I gave them the 411! Gotta share the love. We've got such a good thing going, but we can't be greedy and hog it, lol. There were so many people that showed up to meet Dave, that he ended up sitting at the other end of the table, but said he'd come see us a little later. So Annette and I had a great visit. It was like that line from the song The Rainbow Connection, "There's not a word yet/ For old friends, who've just met." She is a fabulous lady and I got to hear all about her raw catering business and I showed some stuff on her iphone and we laughed and ate, my two favorite things!
Sadly, Annette had to leave before Dave came to our end of the table. But when he did, I totally hit it off with him. We had a great talk, and I ended up driving him back to his hotel (his truck is in the shop.) He gave me great advice about "long-haul weight loss" since he's released more than 200 lbs, and I have released almost 100 but have a 150 more to go after that. He mentioned that he'd like to try another juice feast, and asked if I and another guy we met who has released a lot of weight, but like me, has a long way to go, would join him.
I have never tried a juice feast! I have always fallen firmly into the Green Smoothie camp because I believe the fiber is a sponge that gets rid of your toxins (I got that from Victoria Boutenko, whom I have tremendous respect for.) I have also water fasted, but 10 days was the longest. But our gorgeous Penni has been educating us about juicing, and then I meet Dave by chance, and he suggests a juice feast, and I'm starting to believe that God is trying to show me something, here.
So, ok, I am willing! Dave, Thubten (the other guy) and I are all going on a juice feast this month in honor of International Day of Juicing that is coming up next September 12. I am going to feast for the month (yikes!) and then I am going, along with Dave, to the big International Juice Feasting conference in Seattle at the end of my feast. I will get to meet Matt Monarch and Angela Stokes Monarch! (Here I am rubbing elbows with all these raw food celebs! I've had Rawdawg Rory and Amanda at my house, I've had dinner with Dave The Raw Food Trucker--next thing you know I'll have high tea with Ani Phyo or something!)
I am nervous but excited about trying juicing. Dave said that if I can't do it, it is perfectly fine to go back to eating, but we are going to stick to Gabriel Cousens' Rainbow Green Live Cuisine, Phase 1 recipes. That is the plan that Dave had so much success with, and the one he recommends for the short run.
So I will fill you in on my juicy adventures as we go along here. I feel like such a name-dropper! This is just so kewl. Any advice for me on juicing? Of course I am joining the Liquid Lounge and reading everything I can find about it. I am more wanting advice about the sticking to it for a whole month! I know Penni did months and months. Also, am I going to go broke buying all this produce?! Time will tell!
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