Day 6

Well, day 6 is over and done with.  For the first time, I blended a banana and avocado in the juices today (not in the same juice).  I've made the executive decision that on Saturdays doing that is going to be OK. In the past I have had issues with not having enough potassium, resulting in leg cramps ("Charlie horses") so bad they felt like someone was tying my legs up into individual pretzels. When those hit while driving, it's epic... in a bad way.  Since bananas (high in potassium) can't be juiced, I was planning on just pawning off the ones I had to my roommate during this cleanse.  However, I think my Saturday exception is a good idea.  Same goes for avocados.

First Saturday concoction:
1/4 cantaloupe (juiced)
1 kiwi fruit (juiced)
1 banana (added in the blender)

Beautiful Colors!

Gotta love my little blender.  It's knock-of "The Magic Bullet".  I have a "good" blender too, but this is perfect for the job-at-hand!

2nd Saturday Concoction:
2 cucumbers (juiced)
1 lemon (juiced)
1 avocado (added in the blender)

Oh, Avocado, how I love thee!

Remarkably delicious!  It tasted a little like plain yogurt (which I haven't been able to eat in a few years).  Oh, it reminded me of that Greek dip... Tzatziki!!  Yes, it reminded me of Tzatziki!!  It was sooooo good when I tasted it that I actually cleaned out the blender cup with a spatula to ensure not a drop was wasted. 

Day 4

It is Thursday night and the close of the 4th day of this juice cleanse.  I feel really good, the cleansing "side-effects" (if you've cleansed before you understand) are tapering off nicely.  As stated yesterday, this has been much gentler than cleanses I've done in the past.

On a side-note before sharing the juices from the day, my boss noted today that my skin looked really good.  She used words like "healthy", "glowing", "rosy", and "radiant".  I am already blessed with good skin, at least on my face (my eczema is a whole other topic).  I'm sure some of the change has to do with the cleanse, but I'm convinced there is another contributor... TOMATOES & SUGAR.

Yes, I am allergic to tomatoes, but only when eaten.  I have been taking a slice of a tomato, dipping it in sugar, and using it as an exfoliating scrub on my face.  One of the days I was home sick in the past, I was camped out on the couch with the TV running.  Good ol' Dr. Oz (my mom loves his show) recommended this technique as a nutritional benefit for the skin, and to promote healthy, younger looking skin (tomatoes have vitamins that are good for the skin, while the sugar exfoliates gently and helps the vitamins get absorbed).  Approaching 28 and being able to pass for as young as 19 to some (on average I'm guessed at 22), I do not need to look any younger than I already do.  However, I acknowledge that I am getting older and in a few years, things might catch up.  It is by far better to preserve what we have, than try to reverse the irreversible.  Anyway, this is actually much less weird than it seems, and rather refreshing. Perhaps since I haven't been able to eat tomatoes for so long, I just miss them so much that any exposure is welcome.

And back to juicing...

All of the juices today were DELICIOUS (and one was just me throwing stuff in the juicer in a hurry to run out the door)!

My coworker's roommate obtained a bunch of "fresh" organic oranges from Florida (fresh, as in flown up here with a friend) and has been sharing them with us at work (apparently there were a ton).  She gave me 2 oranges yesterday, and this morning I juiced them!  There is NOTHING like fresh juiced GOOD oranges; holy moly, I'm in love!

Oh yeah, that's fresh orange juice!!  

 The first juice concoction made this morning consisted of 2 oranges, 1 mango (my favorite fruit), and about a quarter of a cantaloupe.  When I drank this at work, I shared with a coworker and got rave reviews!

So excited about the mango!

Ready to juice!

I confess that I was running out of time when I needed to make the second concoction of the day.  My goal was to combine fruits that I didn't have to do a lot of prepping for, and then pray the juice came out tasting good.  Believe you me this, my desperate experiment went FAR better than planned.  In fact, it might be my favorite juice yet!  I took the last of my strawberries, a bundle of black grapes (and then a few extra), and 1 kiwi fruit and juiced them in a big hurry.  Again, it came out sooo good.  After I drank the first cup of it at work, I was actually looking forward to when I'd feel hungry later so I could drink the other cup.  Crazy, I know.

This made the best juice yet!!!!!

Juicing IS possible with a busy life.  I work full time, am going to school, and it is totally doable.   And there you see my phenomenal studying snack!

Well, it has been a long day so I'm turning in for the night. Tomorrow morning is the next weigh-in.  I'm not all concerned about numbers right now, but am genuinely curious.  If anything, numbers are something to track.  I'm thinking next week I should add in exercise, especially now that I am getting some energy back.  It's a good thing to start feeling human again, right?

Day 3

Day 3 is done and I'm still alive and kicking!  I've had no "hunger headache" since the first day, and have not cheated at all.  I have energy, and for the first time in over a year I don't feel perma-bloated (that's a really bad feeling); my abdominal muscles are my own again!

I've decided not to weigh myself every day like others who have blogged their juice fasting adventures.  Weighing every day can really mess with your head.  I will be weighing myself 3 times per week; Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Today is Wednesday so it is time to report.  Between Monday morning and this morning, I dropped...

7.8 pounds

Crazy, isn't it?  I'm fully aware and very sure that it is all water and crap (literally).  I'm OK with that, it's probably why my digestive system is feeling so much better.  I've always been a "go-er" (TMI, sorry) but this is different.  I know this is a cleanse, and I've done other cleanses (herbal and mineral) in years past; they were always rather rough on "the system".  This cleanse, thus far, has been less traumatic on my body with more positive results (namely the happy abdomen).   

Below are the juices of Day 3:

1/2 cantaloupe + 6 strawberries = YUMMY 

Next time I will add a few more strawberries.  It was delicious, just a little heavy on the cantaloupe. 

1 cucumber + another cucumber = 2 cucumbers

100% cucumber juice is very light and though I woke up this morning craving some, it's not all that super. 

All ready to go to work!
PS. If you have a problem with drinking something green... yeah, avoid cucumber juice.