Day 5

I really thought I would be much better at blogging this journey. Don't worry. I haven't fallen off the wagon yet. Actually, I feel quite satiated with my juices the last three days. I have learned a few things about my taste palate though:

1. I like bland drinks - not too sugary, not too spicy.

2. I am not a fan of grapefruit/orange/lemon. I hate grapefruit, but I choked it down once again today to prove to myself that I really don't like it.

3. So far I have not enjoyed garlic in my juices and I love garlic (cooked, though).

4. I haven't liked any of the supplements - green powder and kelp granules - blah! The green powder I tried in water before the juicefeast and it was slimy and nasty so I dumped it out after a few sips. Maybe it will be better in a green drink, but I'm scared to waste a quart. The kelp granules made my juice "beady" and I didn't think that was pleasant. I haven't really felt the desire to chew although I've been chewing my juices. The bee pollen is not so bad. I haven't tried the flax oil or the hemp oil yet. I guess I'm just not a fan of supplements.

What I have enjoyed is good mixes of greens: spinach, kale, all types of lettuce, cabbage, parsley, etc with all or any of celery, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, alphalfa sprouts, etc. I might be missing some things. I add apples to my GVJ as well. I like pineapple mixed with spinach. Watermelon juice isn't bad, but I think that it will taste best without the green part of the rind (I can't find organic watermelon or seeded watermelon for that matter). I mix 3-4 quarts of GVJ the last few days and that seems to be the best approach for me. Hopefully I'm not hurting anything by avoiding supplements and "warming" foods for now.

I've been really good keeping the hunger at bay. I actually haven't felt hungry at all. Cravings are extremely fleeting as are detox symptoms. I might feel a slight headache while I'm drinking a juice, for example, but it's gone before I'm done. I am a little backed-up though, I think.

I've been doing enemas every day (I really wasn't going to write about this) and that is the only time I visit the bathroom to defecate and it is little more than the water than I put in. I don't feel the need to get more out right now though. After all, I have 92 days!!

One day at a time has been working really well for me and not really thinking about it. I feel good. I feel alive and soon I think I will really be feeling good.

-Nina

Day 2

Day 1 juices:

1L spinach/cucumber/apple/celery

1L spinach/pineapple

1L grapefruit/orange/lemon

1L water/msm/lemon

water throughout day

Day 2 juices:

1L water/msm/lemon

1L spinach/cucumber/apple/celery

3L kale/red romaine/celery/tomato/alphalfa/carrot

I had no cravings on Day 1 for solid foods, but i had trouble getting in all the juices because I had a REALLY busy day. Graduation from my graduate public health program left me with no juices from 9-1. I had drank 2L prior to that (including water), drank my citrus drink after, my spinach/pineapple later, and then it was my daughter's dance recital!! I got home after 8pm and decided not to drink the last liter of greens and save it for the morning.

I knew ahead of time that preparing juices was going to take awhile and it really does!! Tomorrow I start a 5 day class that is 1 1/2 hours away from home. 3 hours of driving and 8 hours of class equals really long days!! I am going to have to search deep to get up early in the mornings to make all my juices!! The plus though is that I won't be home preparing meals (hubby will be doing all of that) so no temptations. The first seven days will be done before I know it.

-Nina

Let the Feast Begin!!

I did some shopping today for my juicefeast starting tomorrow!!! And my Blendtec and nut milk bags were waiting for me on my porch when I got home!!! Here we go!!! Here's some "before" pics at the heaviest I have ever been, 215 whopper pounds!

Getting a Head Start

I stepped up the juicing today with my little Hamilton Beach juicer (which I've been doing limitedly the past couple of months). I'm so anxious to get my Blendtec and nut mylk bags!! At least I know I can still start Saturday even if I don't get them.

Juices today:

1L water/lemon/MSM

1.4L kale/collard/cabbage/cucumber/celery

1.3L red papaya/orange/lime

1L water/lemon/MSM

I've also had a couple of nuts, a very small slice of cheese pizza, and I am planning on making a salad to go with me to work along with the GVJ and water.

MSMmmmm

Today is the first day that I have added MSM to my morning water with half of a squeezed lemon!! I've been doing more reading on the supplements and it looks like I will also want to pick up:

1. Vitalzyme

2. Natural Cellular Defense (NCD)

3. Spirulina

4. Chlorella

5. Vitamineral Earth (to start Day 30)

6. Internal Parasite Formula (to start Day 60)

I also need an enema kit and I already have a body brush (that I haven't been using recently). I am still really excited to get started and think that this is going to be a very positive and life-changing experience for myself. A couple of goals going in:

1. Only step on the scale on Days 1, 30, 60, and 92.

2. Kick the alcohol cravings - no more wine even.

3. Kick the fast food cravings like chicken nuggets, french fries, and macaroni and cheese.

4. Come out the other end 100% Raw and don't look back!!!

5. Study meals the kids will like ranging from whole foods - raw vegan. I can't afford to not use the foods provided to us through WIC, but I can add in a lot more whole, organic produce.

As you can see, I like to make a lot of lists! I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH HOW EXCITED I AM TO BEGIN THE 92-DAY JUICEFEASTING PROGRAM!!! 2 MORE DAYS!!

Supplement Score

I went to my local health food store today and picked up some supplements that I will be using on my juicefeast. The only thing I haven't picked up yet is spirulina and I held off because I got a raw superfood powder and wasn't sure if I needed both? I think I will pick up the spirulina now though after doing some more reading. Here's what I got:

1. Living Harvest Organic Hemp Oil 16.9 FL OZ $16.65

2. Bee Pollen - C.C. Pollen Co High Desert Brand 0.33lb $5.28

3. MSM Powder 1lb (126 tsp or 42tbs) $19.19

4. Garden of Life: Perfect Food RAW: RAW Organic Green Super Food 30 servings $36.15

5. Organic Kelp Granules (from my native Maine Coast) 1.5oz $3.49

Total Spent: $80.76

And get this, food stamps covered it!! Of course, I still have to budget out the rest of my grocery money because we really can barely afford groceries...In case you're wondering, I am highly educated and I was respectfully employed, but my daughter had a condition requiring heart surgery which went undiagnosed for 9 months. They did surgery the day they diagnosed her and we had known that she wasn't "right" for the first 9 months of her life. I quit my job to be home with her and I am NOT ashamed to be getting State Aid for now. We have a plan. For more about my family, visit my other blog.

Accountability

Somehow I am going to need to hold myself accountable for juicefeasting and a raw vegan diet. I don't have anybody to answer to except myself and maybe an online community, but even I dropped of the face of the internet, I don't think anyone would be asking what happened to MY juicefeast.

Today I am so hungry and so tempted by non-Raw foods and I am giving into those temptation just as I have done since this past Sunday. I keep telling myself that there's only a few more days until I start my juicefeast, so why not eat some sugar toast? Why not have a drink? Why not eat the buffalo chicken wings? In a few days I will be eating nothing but raw, organic, fresh juices!! See, I really need some accountability!!

Ready for Detox

So yesterday was not a good day for me in terms of diet. We had some Twisted Teas in the house and if you know anything about me, me plus Twisted Teas equals disaster. I drank them during the afternoon and despite my massive intake of water post teas, I still barely slept a wink and woke up extremely sore.

This only encourages me that the juicefeast is the life transformation that I need right now. You may wonder if I really want this and if I can even do this if I can't resist a couple of drinks right now, but I assure you that once I begin the program, I will succeed. I am strong-willed and I won't allow myself to fail. I am also good at listening to my body.

I found a blog last night that I can finally relate to. This juicefeaster has two children, ages 1 and 2, and a husband who all eat SAD meals and she managed to juicefeast for 93 days. Bring it on!!

Exercise

The last 2 days I pulled out the triple jogging stroller and put in a minimum of 2 miles pushing all three kids to a park and the grocery store as well today. I am feeling more and more excited about starting my juicefeast!! Tomorrow I think we will travel a little further to the health food store and pick up the supplements I desire:

1. Bee pollen

2. Vitamineral Green or Pure Synergy or Nature's First Food

3. MSM powder

4. Spirulina or Chlorella or E3 Live

5. Hemp oil

6. Kelp Granules

I will be interested to see if food stamps will cover any or all of it as they accepted them for the flax seed oil I bought a couple of weeks ago. I also want to see if the farmer's market is up and running down the road from the health food store. And of course, I will continue to read the juicefeasting web site!!

Juicefeasting!!

I am planning to juicefeast starting sometime in the next 2 weeks. I have signed up for http://www.juicefeasting.com and have been reading non-stop for DAYS. I am really excited about this. I have ordered a Blendtec blender, multiple nutmilk bags and green juice recipe books to go along with the juicer and recipe books that I already have. I have been drinking anywhere from 1-2 quarts of fresh juice daily in preparation.

I am SAD to admit though that I am still eating some animal flesh, starches, and cheeses. Becoming a raw vegan is quite the roller coaster for me. It doesn't help that my husband works for Pizza Hut and brings home JUNK all the time. The groceries we get for the kids with our WIC checks doesn't help either: cereal, milk, eggs, and bread galore! I hope the juicefeast helps me to transition to 100% RAW.

I have no real support either other than cyberspace. I briefly mentioned to my mom yesterday that I was transitioning to a RAW diet and told her that meant I would no longer cook my food. She didn't get it and neither does my family. Cravings will be interesting on this feast. We shall see!!

SAD to RAW

SAD (Standard American Diet) is what I have been eating for the last 27 years. SAD is how I feel most days. For the last couple of months, I have been considering a Raw Food Diet as a lifestyle change. My story is bound to unfold differently than most who have undertaken raw foods for a few reasons:

1) I am a mother of 3. My first was born in May of 2006, my second in August of 2007, and my third in January of 2010. They're what I call "Irish triplets" and they all eat the toddler SAD.

2) I gained a lot of weight after having my last child. She had some health issues and after solving, I coped with alcohol. I struggled with postpartum depression and since have gone off of all of my meds.

3) We are struggling financially. We receive WIC for the kids which is heavy on the milk, cheese, and grains. I may be able to go Raw, but my kids won't. How am I to balance my eating habits with theirs? Do I just deny WIC benefits?

4) My husband is not convinced. He will do it, but only if I do everything for him.

I've found, for the most part, everyone experimenting with this lifestyle is single without children. Or if they have children, their husband is supportive. I am not religious and I don't have anyone to travel this journey with me. It is me against all odds, but I hope to prevail. I also am going into this without being a vegan and I am too impatient to ease into it. We shall see!