Two days left.

Coconut motherload. 

Antioxidants

Red grapes, pomegranate and blueberries 

Most delicious juice. Watermelon and these babies. 

Coming close to the end

I'm planning out my first few meals. Definitely vegetarian (to start). Soups then stuff that's easily digested then on to other foods. We've decided to commit to eating out only once a month. That will be huge for us. Thanksgiving comes up then Christmas. Both challenging as we are with family.  I've compiles a massive collection of recipes and I'll be going through them over the next few months. 

So. It's my birthday. And I'm on a blasted juice fast

Another day. Another juice. 

Final week. Yah.

Can't wait.  

My every thing juice

Beets, cranberries,papaya,mango, pomegranate, orange, fennel, chard, spinach, kale, pineapple and ginger

Look at this baby. Brussel sprouts

Got em at Trader Joes. 

Been gathering up recipes and ingredients for the end of my fast

I've got Every pot, every pan. I'm ready for solid food. Craving food all the time! 

Just 10 more days

Slogging through. I see the end is near.

Day 50. With 10.5 days to go. 

Basically there are 4 types of people.

I'll use the pool.  The first three, there are those who want to look at it, those who want to stick a toe in, and then those who will jump in!  I haven't mentioned the 4th type. Those who will ignore its existence. 

The same is true for juice fasting and getting healthy in general. So many people want to tell you why it's dangerous.  Have they done it themselves. Well no. But I know of some one who did and it made them sick or they just gained all the weight back. 

It's all mind over matter

You need to make up your mind. And remember YOU matter.   As simple as it sounds, it hasn't been easy. I've watched other fasters go from saying "this is easy" to dropping off the fast. I will never say this is/was easy.  It just isn't. The mental is maybe harder than the physical. Over the weekend I talked myself into "I probably won't lose any more weight so is it really worth it going 60 days".  I should go to solid food now and reboot in January or February.  Nope. I'm sticking with it.  I didn't start this juice fast to lose weight (solely)... I have health issues I hope to address.  So far so good.  Pics of yesterday's food. 

Getting worried. Food is really becoming "a thing"

I find myself thinking about it. Looking at recipes. Taking photos and generally admiring it. 

Another juicing day. :( 

Yesterday's fruit haul

Costco run 

2 watermelons, power greens (spinach, kale, chard). And pomegranate. 

Fat burning water?? I'm skeptical

So on Facebook someone posted a link to a site that had a recipe for fat burning water.  No ingredients look suspect. So I'm game. Supposedly all I need to do is mix this up let stand overnight and drink for the next four days each time I'm thirsty.  I'll drink probably in one day so I don't know if I should mix up a batch each day. 

It's lemon, cucumber, ginger and mint leaves. 

To my surprise. It tastes hot (spicy). The ginger no doubt. 

Juice fasting. It's not for sissies.

It's tough to get motivated day in and day out. I keep my eye on the prize. Day 43. 18 days left.  Today's concoction. Mango, cantaloupe, papaya, beet, peppers, greens, orange, pomegranate and grapes, ginger. And turmeric.

Love the bright colors

Day 42...  Getting tired of juice but love looking at the fruits and veggies. 

It's like food porn

I think I took photos from every angle

Tamarind tea. It is just water infused with tamarinds

I love it. It's really puckery. Yum. Lots of health benefits associated with tamarinds. 

Also. Not food related. I feel super happy today. I don't know if it's seratonin levels or something else. Here's some orchids from my garden. 

Wish I had figured this out sooner

Watermelon juice is BEST with a little mint. Nothing else. Not lime not ginger. I have so hated watermelon juice (when I make it). Until yesterday. I remembered having been in Boston.  A restaurant there had it. I thought they must have better watermelons in Massachusetts.  Nope. It's the mint. Just a tiny sprig.  

I won't sugar coat it. It's day 40 and I'm having a bit of a struggle. The juice fast isn't new enough to "be new" and with quite a bit of time left it doesn't seem to be ending any time soon. It's 3 weeks left to go and I will, of course "push through" -- I've come this far. 

Green and fruity. Made this yesterday

Pineapple, orange, star fruit, pomegranate, grapes, fennel, yellow pepper, Swiss chard, spinach and kale

Raspberry infused water

Day 38. Starting off with some yummy water. 

Reminds me of a Pinterest post

"Get fit in the gym -- get skinny in the kitchen".  It is so true. You are what you eat.  Saw a documentary yesterday about raw diets. Very interesting. 

After drinking watermelon juice yesterday-- lost another pound. Amazed really. 

Fruit waters

Made raspberry infused and tamarind infused water and some watermelon juice

Reboot with joe -- a divine dreamsicle juice

My husbands new favorite. 

Tips?? Today is day 34.

I've completed 33 days (so far) of a juice fasting -- life changing -- experience.  Well, I'm not sure if I'm qualified to give tips.  This is what worked for me.  Go green.  Every chance I get, I add greens to my juice -- even those that don't call for it.  I mostly have organic.  Especially if it (the fruit or vegetable) is on the "Dirty Dozen" list.  Drink plenty of water (I didn't and day 3-- I paid with a splitting headache).  Stay focused.  Eye on the prize.  Whatever food you crave isn't going away -- you can have it --- after.  Don't rule out any food... "I don't eat..." -- if a recipe calls for it -- add it.  Get the juicer that you'll use.  For me, I thought if I could only get my hands on the Norwalk juicer -- then I saw what it takes to make juice with that puppy and frankly I'm not sure if I would have made it this far with that juicer.  It is very time consuming.  From cutting up the produce, to the 2 step process and making "pillows" to have them then pressed.  Know yourself...  This is a big one.  I'm not one to drink a lot of water (early in the morning) -- so before any juice, I have one cold glass of water and one hot cup of water.  I spread out my juice/ coconut water.  My schedule looks like this:

7:30 Water

8:30 Juice

10:30 coconut water

12:30 juice

2:30 coconut water

4:30 juice

6:30 juice 

Then water throughout the day.

I usually have 2 Mean Green juices (reboot with Joe Cross), one fruity juice (with veggies added) and one vegetable juice.  I'll walk between one and two miles a day.  

Also positive affirmations.  Never say "I can't" -- (whether it be I can't eat that, stomach that, etc. -- unless there is a medical reason for you to not have something).  

If you want change -- you have to change...  You can't do "more of the same" and expect different results.  If juice fasting is not for you, it's not for you... If you "retry" every week, only to "eat something" -- maybe look deeper into the reason you eat...

Other people's advice.... this is a big one.  Just because it "says so" on a blog -- that is someone's opinion and possible quite narrow world view.  Unless someone has walked the walk -- actually done it -- I'll go further to say done a juice fast, improved their health, AND kept healthy -- they can talk all they want.  I neither seek NOR embrace their "pearls of wisdom".  Everyone has some opinion.  "You can't do this, you shouldn't do this" -- what makes them an expert?  NOTHING.  

I won't sugar coat it.  It is a long and difficult journey.  I'm human.  I LOVE food.  I do feel jealous when I see others ending their fast, but my journey isn't over yet..  I'm considering going longer than 60 days... I will cross that bridge when I get to it.

I approach this as if my life depended on it, because it probably does. :)

Best thing since sliced bread -- for juicers

The glass straw. Comes with a little brush to clean it. 

Tastes like beef broth.... But it's a veggie juice

It's the one that looks kind of brown.

makes enough for 2 (3 tomatoes, 1/4 cup broccoli sprouts -- or broccoli florets, 2 handfuls spinach, 4-5 dandelion green spikes, pinch of fresh parsley, pinch of fresh cilantro, small (1/8) onion wedge, 4 cloves garlic, 1/2" horseradish slice, 4 celery stalks, 3" piece of fresh rosemary) 

Red juice!!!

Start off with this:

End up with this. 

Tried something new. My new favorite

It's called green lemonade. Delicious.  (from reboot with Joe Cross)

No ginger as in the mean green. And tastes more tart to me. 

Liking the greens.

This is a "fruity" juice but it has it's share of greens.

Here are the ingredients:

Fennel, celery, yellow pepper, dandelion , greens (kale, chard, spinach) pineapple and honey dew. 

I'm on DAY 30 of a 60 Day (if not longer) juice detox...

Day 29

Have my juice stuff in a bowl. Making mean green