Day 5 - The end of my long weekend...

It's amazing how much produce is in my fridge and there are still so many combinations of juice that I want to try. I'm trying experiment as much as possible, especially over the long weekend because from tomorrow, it's back to work and I have to be honest that I'm a little nervous about how that's going to go.

My plan for tonight is to do some mass juicing and bottle it all up for tomorrow. I haven't really been making any juices in advance, as I prefer to make them as drink them as fresh as possible, but part of the reason I bought my fancy schmancy masticating juicer was for the fact that they claimed you could make juice and store them for up to 72 hours in advance (which reminds me, I really should blog about the juicer itself, so stay tuned).

Anyways 72 hours seems a little longer for me, but I'm going to try keep it to making and drinking them within 24 hours. In an ideal world, I'd get up at the crack of dawn and juice away before work, but tomorrow morning I'm meeting some coworkers for a 7am run, so I have to be up and out the house shortly after 6:30am. Doesn't leave much time for juicing. Preparation is going to be key and the only way I'll be able to continue with my juice.

I am not looking forward to people's reactions at work and even though I already told one or two people (who have been interested and supportive so far) I've decided that I don't want to tell anyone else just yet. Wish me luck on that one....

Day 4 Update

So I never would have guessed it on Thursday night (the evening of Day 1) that I'd have made it to day 4, but here I am.

It hasn't been easy, but it also hasn't been as hard as I would have imagined.

First of all, I'm so pleased with my decision to start this on September 1st. Even though I am thousands of miles away from home, September 1st always signals the beginning of Spring to me. Almost 12 years in the US and that hasn't changed and so despite the fact that I am actually moving towards the end of Summer and into Autumn, there was just something cleansing about starting my cleanse now.

However, the main reason that I picked Thursday September 1st, was because I knew I'd be off work from the 2nd through the 5th, and having no idea how my body would react to this process, I wanted to be able to relax at home and be able to rest and sleep whenever needed.

My body is definitely in a strange state of dichotomy. On the one hand, I truly feel fantastic. I can't believe that I haven't had any caffeine, let alone food, in almost 4 days, and yet I still feel pretty good overall. My mood is great and for the most part, the side effects and headaches especially are few and far between. On the other hand, I am feeling pretty weak at times and find it takes a few minutes to steady myself when I stand up. I was supposed to run 5 miles today for my training, but I could barely walk 1 miles earlier, so for now, I'm putting that run on hold. Pity though, because I've got a fresh young thai coconut in the fridge that I'm dying for, but saving for a post run treat.

Most of my juices have been pretty good. Here are some of my favorite combinations so far:

Apple/Beet/Carrot/Ginger

Kale/Celery/Cucumber/Zucchini/Lemon

Carrot/Orange

Cucumber/Celery/Tomato/Zucchini/Spinach/Garlic

Peach

Cantaloupe/Ginger

Kale/Pineapple/Coconut

Spinach/Grape/Apple

I'm open to try anything although I'm aiming for 80% vegetables and only 20% fruit. It was harder at first, but I'm getting the hang of it and am upping my greens.

Got any suggestions?

p.s. Spent Day 3 Apple picking - got some amazing Gravensteins and will post on our trip - and juice - next!

Day 2 and going strong(ish)

So last night was pretty awful. My headache set in full blast and I really felt like I'd been hit by a truck. It wasn't fun and all I could think about was pizza. I eventually passed out around 9pm, which never happens and slept the night away.

I definitely felt better when I woke up compared to the night before, but I did wake up with my headache which lingered for the majority of the day.

I don't normally eat junk food, but it's amazing how many cravings I've had today for all sorts of random things - most notably I'm dying for some Tom Yum soup and more recently a burger, fries and onion rings from the Counter. No clue how I'll get through another 28 hours left alone 28 days and I'm really questioning if I can make it a full 30 days.

I'm just going to play it day by day and see how I feel. I'd really love to make it 10 days and then anything after that would just be a bonus!

Tonight's dinner was amazing - Kale, Spinach, Cucumber, Celery and Lemon juice! It was fantastic. I followed that with a shot of fresh peach juice. Heavenly!

Why is Caffeine a no-no during the reboot?

Yes, I've been thinking about coffee all morning and I feel like I can smell it (well I really can - there's a Starbucks in the building.)

But Stacy Kennedy shares why staying away from coffee is the best thing for me:

http://jointhereboot.com/why-is-caffeine-a-no-no-during-the-reboot/

Day 1 of my 30 Day Juice Fast and Detox Cleanse

My husband has brought up the topic of doing a fast or clease for a while now and I have always dismissed his suggestions before he's even gotten them out of his mouth.

I mean really? A fast? No food? "There is NO way that I could ever do that!"

When I hear the word "fast" it conjures up all sorts of unhappy and miserable associations for me. I think of being hungry and of starving. It reminds me of religious fasts that I do once a year on Yom Kippur, which last about 25 hours and include no food, no water, no nothing. It's not something I look forward to and it's always something I'm relieved is over when I finally get to break my fast. I miss food, during that one day, but I miss coffee more and I inevitably end up with a raging headache or migraine.

So, I'm sitting here, still slightly incredulous that I actually decided to do this. The most recent trigge for me was watching a documentary called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" www.fatsickandnearlydead.com (and if you haven't seen this, then I highly recommend you go check it out. It's available for instant streaming on Netflix.

I was amazed to learn how powerful and healthy a juice fast could be and so here I am on Day 1.

I'm pretty excited, although I won't lie, I'm probably more nervous and scared. I know it's not going to be easy or pleasant, but then I haven't been all that good to my body over the years and so I know that I'll feel better when I get to the end.

I don't know how I am going to go for 30 days. Maybe I won't?

I have no idea how I will get by without any caffeine - I'm craving coffee already.

And I miss food already.

Wish me luck and good health!