Day 60!

My original juice feast goal was 30 days, and here I am! I'm not doing 92 days, because of upcoming travel plans, so the current debate in my house is when I should end the feast. Avery, the amazing boyfriend who's been on juice with me whenever he's home, suggested I finish with the last day of the month. But that would be day 61, an unattractive prime number! I can't finish on that day. 62 isn't bad, but honestly I'm trying to push it as close to my travel time as possible, while still giving myself at least a week of transition.

I made a strong green juice this morning--apple/kale/spinach/ginger--and right now I'm sipping an ice cold cantaloupe juice. Life on juice is good!

Day 56 - You Have to Actually DRINK the Juice!

While my cousin was on her 15-day juice feast, she ran into a few days when she couldn't get the number on the scale to go down. Weight loss was her primary reason for doing the feast, so she was pretty frustrated.

That's pretty unusual on a such a short feast. During the early days, the pounds tend to fall away pretty fast. She didn't have a huge amount to lose, but she'd made a radical change in her diet and she'd started exercising. She should've been losing the weight.

After probing a bit, I found out the lazy bum hadn't been drinking enough juice! I made the first and last juice of the day--always green juices. She'd drink those, but then she'd maybe make one in the middle of the day, and sometimes not even that. She wasn't fueling her body with enough calories or nutrients. Once she picked up the quantity of juice, the number on the scale returned to its downward path.

Here's a juice feast tip: You have to actually DRINK the juice!

Today's juice:
pineapple/kale/spinach/ginger
grapefruit/orange
watermelon
grape
(1 more TBD)

Day 54 - Missing the Kitchen

As the end of my feast draws near--just 8 days to go--I realize it's been easier than most people think it could be, I'm not really ready for it to end yet, and I miss the creativity, textures, and tastes of whole foods. I still prepare many of my family's meals, but my inability to sample as I go greatly inhibits my ability to be spontaneous. That's just the way I've learned to cook/prepare food over the last many years.

What I really miss are the times when food prep becomes a loving mediation--Heifetz flowing from the ipod player; a countertop covered in red, green, yellow, purple, and orange fruits of nature, and an end result that pleases my family (most of the time), and makes me feel good about serving them fresh, delicious meals created from the best foods on earth.

Okay, so those meditative food prep days are the exception, rather than the rule. Perhaps a lesson I can take from this juice feast is to make sure those days come more frequently.

Today's Juice:
pineapple/kale/spinach/ginger
watermelon
grapefruit/orange
kale/apple/pear/lemon

Day 52 - Supplements

Over the last few weeks, I've added some supplements to my juice routine. My spirulina arrived in the mail, so I take a tablespoon of that when I'm having a straight fruit juice.

Bee pollen is specifically recommended for protein. I've added it back in, especially since I've been working out a lot, but I don't really like it, so it's tough to get down. I have a basic rule about not consuming foods Idon't enjoy, so rather than push myself so hard to get the pollen down, I try to up my greens and get more protein that way. Pollen has lots of other great benefits, but it's not working for me.

Hemp seed oil has a perfect balances of omega-3 and omega-6. Under normal circumstances, I'd much prefer the nutrition of the whole seed, but on a juice feast, this supplement helps prevent my fat consumption from going too low. 1 tablespoon each day.

Kelp granules are pleasant tasting, and provide iodine and other nutrients. MSM is a sulphur compound, which supports healthy skin, hair, and nails.

I still take my daily supplements of probiotics, DHA, and Vitamin D3. I normally take a multi with B-12, but I need to restock on that.

It seems like a long list of supplements, but they're all fairly unobtrusive. Pop a tiny pill or take a teaspoon, and I'm done. I'm not a huge fan of pills and potions, but I accept that my diet is always imperfect, and select supplements can shore up any weaknesses

Day 50!

It's day 50 of my juice feast, and I'm pleasantly surprised at how easy it's been. After my weekend long walk/jog (about 2 hours), I volunteered this morning at a fundraiser for my daughter's theater school. We threw a fish fry, and the baked beans looked and smelled delicious. After that, I headed over to Whole Foods to use their free wi-fi and get in a couple of hours of work on my novel. All around me people were eating foods I know are delicious, including raw cinnamon rolls and fresh salads. There's was no sense of temptation, especially since I bought 2 juices for myself. Since I started the feast, my biggest treat has been having someone else make my juices for me.

I feel like I should do something to mark the day, but this post is as close as I'll come to celebrating. I can't believe I have only 10 days left in my feast. I'm looking at the calendar to see if there's a chance I can extend it. It's not likely, since I have so much travel coming up, including 4 days in a cabin with a mini-fridge and no access to a grocery store. Hmmm . . . I'll have to think about it.

Today's juice:

pinepapple/kale/mache/ginger

watermelon/orange/berries

(Melon is best consumed alone, but today I walked on the wild side.)

orange/grapefruit

One more TBD

Day 49 - A Juicy Buzz

Not too long ago, a SAD-eating friend came over and we discussed my juice feast. After a round of questions and good natured objections to the whole idea, he jokingly asked, "Can it get you drunk?"

Well, no, but it can get you buzzed. Seriously! I don't know anyone whose intention is to juice feast so they can "get high," --that would be sad--but I've occasionally found I do get a slightly-out-of-myself feeling when I drink certain juices. A few days ago, I made an apple/beet/beet green/ginger/lemon combination for my cousin, and she asked me what I put in it. She was having a similar buzzy feeling.

The beautiful thing about the juice feasting buzz is that there's no sense of being out of control, sick, or destructive. It's more of an appealing lightness.

All buzzes aside, I'm blissed out with my current juicy state. I prefer not to contemplate the end, which is only 11 days away.

Today's juice:

pineapple/kale/spinach

pineapple/orange

watermelon

Final juice of the day TBD

Day 46 - Oopsie!

Another juice mishap today: I was running my mouth and sitting down to a beautiful cantaloupe juice when the jar slipped from my hand and spilled all over the coffee table. The girls sprang into action with towels. Even though I splashed a few files and papers, my laptop escaped unscathed. Thank goodness!

My energy is excellent these days. When I don't get enough sleep at night, I take a late afternoon nap, but I'm able to workout for 2 hours at a time and my work hours are consistently productive. I can honestly see why some people are reluctant to complete their feast at the 92 day mark. Even though I'm committed to 60+ days, I find the idea of extending often surfaces for me. Ah well, the timing's probably not right for that.

Today's juice:
watermelon
cantaloupe
orange
Vitamineral Green

I know. I know. I missed my green juices today. It's rare that I do that, but sometimes I have to be not so rigid with myself. I made sure to have a heaping spoonful of the Vitamineral Green, so I didn't have a mineral-free day. Tommorow I'm back to my pineapple green juice!

Day 45 - It's Contagious

Check out that green juice mustache!

There's not a lot to report on my juicing experience at the moment. It's become a pleasant routine over the last several weeks. While I'll certainly enjoy eating all the fruits of summer when I can, I can't say I miss foods or have any cravings these days. My current intention is to complete the feast at 60 days. I'd love to do the full 92-day protocol, but I'll be spending some of that time in a cabin with no access to a grocery store or farmer's market. We'll have just a mini-fridge and whatever foods I can bring along. I don't want to take what's been a very pleasant experience and make it stressful. I'll see how I feel at the end of June, but for now it looks like 60 days will do it.

I'm pleased to say that my super supportive boyfriend continues to have a juice for one of his meals each day. The rest of his day is high raw and high vegan. He's loving the results he's gotten from juicing, including a more balanced attitude about food.

My cousin came to stay with us for a while as she relocates to Atlanta. After a few days spent settling in, she surprised me by declaring she wanted to do a 15-day mini juice feast! I was happy to have her along for the journey. She insists that after just 7 days on the juice feast, she can see a significant difference. Her skin is clearer and she's down 5 pounds. It makes sense that she'd see remarkable changes given that she's coming off of a diet that included burgers, Chinese takeout, and fried foods on a semi-regular basis. She's a fruit and vegetable lover (thank goodness), but she's just starting to lean away from those health-harming foods.

Most wonderful of all, my 11 year old has started making her own juices. She's done smoothies for a long time now, and she still loves them, but every other day or so, she makes herself a green juice. How kick-butt awesome is that? Pineapple with ginger, greens, and lemon is her current fave. I'm one proud mama--just wish my older daughter were here to dive into all this yummy juiciness with us.

If you haven't started juicing yet, don't wait any longer. You don't need an expensive juicer, just your blender and a nutmilk bag. Go for it!

Good Morning Day 40! and My Chlorella Reaction

I'm excited to wake up and greet my 40th day on my juice feast! I opened my eyes around 5:30, puttered and performed my ablutions, and then went off on a 3 mile jog. The house was quiet when I returned, so I got in an hour of writing before my little one (whose almost as tall as I am) arose.

This morning, I'll start with a pineapple/kale/mixed greens juice. I also have some watermelon waiting for the afternoon.

Since I've been exercising a lot, I've been indulging in a couple of sweet fruit juices in the middle of the day. I like to balance that with something green, but I don't always want the green taste to interfere with my enjoyment of the fruit juice. I've ordered some spirulina crunchies, but while I wait on those, I've been having chlorella tablets as my side dish.

I like the taste of the chlorella, and even though it sticks in my teeth like mad, I could munch down 10 or 20 without a thought. For the first couple of days this seemed to be fine. Then the ear itching started. This is a yucky symptom I usually suffer if wheat somehow finds its way into my diet. I haven't had a problem with this in almost a year. Since I haven't juiced a piece of toast, I don't think wheat is the issue this time.

I took a break from the chlorella for a couple of days and then tried again. Back to the same old ear-itching! I believe I purchased a reputable brand with no fillers, but obviously there's no way to know for sure.

For now, I'll wait on my spirulina crunchies and leave the chlorella for other folks to enjoy.

Day 32!

Just a quick note to say I'm still juicing! My original goal was 31 days. Going forward, I'll assess on a weekly basis. For now, I'm committed to finishing out this week, but I'll admit there's a voice in the back of my head whispering, "Just make it the full month." Obviously, I'm enjoying the feast. My energy and productivity have been great for the last several days!

Today's juice:

tomato/basil/spinach

cantaloupe

grapefruit/orange

broccoli/apple/spinach