Juice Reboot- Day 6

It's the end of day 6 and I've made a decision to break my fast a day early...

First of all, it's amazing that I made it through the day. The family ate burgers at The Habit while I drank my juice. I smelled hot buttered toast at dinner time while I again drank green juice... but I held strong!

Honest Results: down 9 lbs and I'm a little disappointed. Not about the weight but I never felt as though I detoxed and didn't experience increased energy. Some people spoke of a great "high" from the juice. I just felt like myself, only slightly hungry between meals and slightly irritable (maybe more than "slightly" if you ask Matt or Maddie).

 I did learn a lot about my eating habits and plan to eat more veggies and buy organic. I'm very conscious of food prices so will do my best to look for good organic deals and visit our awesome local farmer's market that we're so lucky to have on Saturday mornings.

Overall a good learning experience about the foods I've been eating and I'm hoping some of the silly cravings go away. My body really doesn't need eight beers on a Friday night. I'm now really aware of the mindless nibbling... I think that comes with the mommy territory but I'm vowing to not eat that extra chicken nugget that Maddie didn't want or to finish off her meals after I've had my own.

So I'm down a few lbs  but more importantly have had a mental shift (or as Oprah would say, "my a-ha moment").

I do plan on juicing my lunches throughout the week. Partially because I have the produce and partially because I know it's sooo good for me!

Thanks to everyone for your support!

Juice Reboot- Day 5

Things are going ok.. I had thoughts of quitting today. Not because I'm sick or feeling week but because I'm not really feeling any different than before. Although, I will say I'm a lot more conscious of my eating (or lack there of) these days. I bought enough fruits and veggies for my meals though Monday so I'm going to stick through with it. I have to say, this endeavor has been VERY expensive. To buy organic fruits and veggies for 21 meals has added up to $100+. That's way more than my entire family's budget. I tried to not sweat that part of it and focus on the benefits.

I stepped on our home scale this morning and I was down 12 lbs... yep, 12 lbs in 5 days. I'm consuming way less calories than normal and my body is using its reserves, aka my big belly for fuel. I expect that number to go back up when I stop the reboot BUT it's nice to see that scale move and know that I don't have to starve myself for that to happen. Not that I could do that, I'm not big on being hungry.. which is probably why I'm the weight I am in the first place.

I "cheated" a bit today by trying Kale Chips.. really easy to make 350 degrees, cut the stem off of curly Kale leaves and rinse/dry well. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and  drizzle in olive oil (or use olive oil spray) and seasoning salt (I used garlic salt). 10-15 minutes later (mine took 11), kale should be browned on edges and the entire piece will be crispy and very light. Be careful so they don't burn...
It was my first time making and I loved them (although I haven't eaten in 5 days) lol.. Matt didn't really care for them and Maddie wouldn't even go near them. I'd make them again, they were yummy.

Back to Mean Green juice for dinner and feeling full. I'll probably have a mug of herbal tea this evening.
I haven't been getting more sleep. I can't seem to fall asleep before 11:00 (like usual) and still tired for most of the day.

When do I start to feel energized? I'm waiting!
Stop reading if you don't want to be grossed out. ... I thought for sure my "insides" would have been cleaned out throughout this process.. I'm still having pretty normal bowl movements. Um, is that food from LAST MONDAY!!?? That's gross!!

Ok to continue reading again....

I do notice the mental shift. I always request Bagels/cream cheese/lox for my birthday breakfast... no bagels for me this year. Excited to find vegetarian dishes (especially with all the talk of pink slime lately), YUCK!

Only two more days to go!

Happy Birthday Grandma Phyllis

Sorry we didn't connect today on the phone but you were in our thoughts. Hope you had a very special birthday. Call us so we can come celebrate with you.

Happy Birthday Grandma Phyllis!

Juice Reboot- Day 2

Had a pretty good day... had a great juice this morning: Pear, Apple, and ginger... very good!

We had to plans to visit with Sarah and Bella so I juiced my green lunch and packed it to go. Maddie asked what else I was eating for dinner besides juice. :) Hard to explain my crazy plan to a three year old.

Walked with Sarah today (2 miles) and another 2.5 on the Precor at the gym after dinner.. feeling good!!

Tonight, it's a little herbal tea before bed.

The hardest part has been not putting food into my mouth. I'm realizing now how mindlessly I've been nibbling... off of Maddie's plate, a few black olives while making dinner, licking peanut butter off a spoon. I wasn't really eating those things because I was hungry but because it was there, and of course because it tasted good.

New goal for after my fast: remain conscious of the food going into my mouth.

Scale at the gym said I was down 4 lbs. Could of sweated (or peed) that out but it was nice to see that darn scale FINALLY move!!

Angela

Papa and Grandma Lena Just Left

It's always great to have Matt's Dad and stepmom, Lena visit. We LOVE seeing them and despite the fact that they live in Denver, Maddie is very close to them both. BUT with that, it's also sad to see them go back home.

I will say I won't miss eating out dinner every night! (Hello juice fast!)

Here's some fun stuff we did during this visit:

Strawberry Picking at Underwood Farms (Moorpark)

The season is just starting so the berries were pretty small but it was fun to get out in the field and find some gems. PLUS playing at the farm always wipes everyone out!

We went to the Mall where Papa and Maddie enjoyed a train ride

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Lena was so great to take me shopping for my birthday. I felt like a teenager and her mom taking her out school shopping. It was fun to get a few new tops, a great pair of pants and a pair of shoes I fell in love with. Wow!

Another great thing about having the grandparents in town is DATE NIGHT!

Matt and I went to Larsen's Steakhouse in Simi Valley. Decent food but ridiculously priced cocktails.. can you say $12.99 for a martini?.. I did! :) I think the food was overpriced for the meals we had but I'm so glad we got to go out for the evening. It's a rare occasion and should be celebrated!

My face is red from the overpriced drinks!

It was great to have them here but good to get back to our routine (I'm sure they'll be glad to be home too.)

I do like that not only do we visit with Papa and Grandma Lena but we see a lot more of Matt's sister Alyx too! :) Maddie loves her aunties.

Safe travels to Papa and Grandma Lena and we'll see you soon (via Skype!)

Starting a Reboot

I was reading one of my favorite money saving bloggers, Southern Cali Saver and saw a link to a film she had watched. The movie is called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.. it's a documentary and a real eye opener about the foods we fuel our bodies with and the amazing health benefits of giving your body a break from all that processed stuff and focusing on more fruits and veggies. She was going to try a fast. I always pictured really sickly looking people drinking lemon water and cayenne pepper, and passing out. I didn't realize there was a way to do a fast and retrain your body all while feeling great.

I'm about to turn 37, my weight has been creeping up these past few years, and I've been feeling more tired (and cranky) lately. I can't seem to fall asleep at night but I'm dragging in the morning. We've been going to the gym 3x a week since last year but the scale hasn't budged... I know why... I'm just not taking care of myself. I'm indulging on all that is "bad" for me.. Mexican food, drinks, cheese, Maddie's left overs, etc.  I've even commented a few times and apologized for serving a mostly beige meal. Not good! I'm about 5 lbs short of where I was when I gave birth to Maddie... that's ridiculous.

 I decided to take matters into my own hands and run with the inspiration I got from watching the film.
My plan is to fast on juice for 7 days... more if I feel up to it when I'm done with the 7 days. No food, no nibbles, and no lemon/cayenne drinks. Just raw foods juiced for maximum nutrients.

Two weekends ago we had a garage sale and I made over $300... I purchased my very own juicer, a Breville Fountain Plus at Bed Bath and Beyond (used a 20% coupon plus 10% off because it was their floor model). The juicer has gotten pretty good reviews. It's fairly easy to clean and doesn't make too much of a mess.

It isn't cheap planning a juice fast. I'm buying organic which I've never really done before and look at how much food goes into 1.5-2 glasses of juice (which = one meal).

It's quite a bit of "food" that I'm getting the nutrients from. Think about how much pesticide I'd be ingesting.... What I'm discovering is that organic isn't all that much more expensive than non-organic. Yes some things are pricier but I figure I'm doing this to reboot my system and want to do it as healthy as possible. I'm still looking for sales and deals but now I'm focusing on produce more than anything else.

My goals:
lose the cravings I have in the evenings (I'm a snacker)
lose weight (I'm hoping for 10+ lbs in 7 days) I'll be consuming less calories and therefore losing weight
incorporate more fruits and veggies in my entire family's diet
increase energy... it would be nice to feel energized!
step up my workouts (that should come naturally with the increased energy)


Alright, wish me luck! If you have any juice recipes that you love, let me know. I need to find a few to incorporate so I don't get bored.

If you'd like to join in my enthusiasm, check out the movie, it's truly inspirational.
Here's a link to the full movie on Hulu. Fat Sick and Nearly Dead

I plan on posting updates about how I'm feeling along my 7 day journey.

Park Talk Printables: Sweet Baby Girl Shower- Yellow/Grey/Pink

I know I have a few followers on my personal blog that don't read my Park Talk blog... wanted to share this special party AND check out the party after it that we put together for Sarah's mom. Let me know what you think.

Park Talk Printables: Sweet Baby Girl Shower- Yellow/Grey/Pink: My sister-in-law's niece and her hubby (Holly and James) are expecting their first baby this month. In January her mom contacted me to help ...

Go Speedy

For the past two weeks or so, Matt has been taking Maddie outside to ride her bike around the block. The first time they made it to the park around the corner and Matt ended up carrying the bike back. (not very happily I might add)

Since that time, she zooms all the way around the block and asks for more.

All her hard work paid off this past Thursday at her school's Trike-a-thon. The kids raised money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and had fun with their bikes at school.

They started out by parking their bikes inside and decorating with streamers.

She said this was her "tail".

All decorated with Streamers

At circle time the kids guessed how many laps around their playground they'd do. Many said 2-5.. Maddie proudly said she'd do two. We gave a lump sum donation, instead of a per lap pledge, so it didn't matter how many but I was curious to see how long she'd last.

After a quick snack, all fueled up and they were off.

For every lap they did, they got a stamp from one of the moms... around and around and around... most of the kids were done and playing... not Maddie! Around and around and around she went. She finally exclaimed that she was done and got a much deserved drink of water with her teacher, Teacher Samantha.

Final count? 19 laps!!! Wow Maddie! Way to go! Proud mama moment. So glad I was there to see it and so grateful to be a part of a school that lets me be there for those special moments.

If you'd like to be a part of the Pleasant Valley Cooperative Preschool, registration for the 2012-2013 school year has just opened up. Every day is really an adventure in learning (for both of us!)

PV Co-op Preschool class 2011-2012

Miss Maddie- aka Speedy!