Juicing

We finally bit the bullet and bought ourselves a Breville juicer yesterday.  I've been wanting to try juicing for better health ever since I started seeing green juice recipes on Pinterest a couple of years ago.  Watching the documentary by Joe Cross: Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is what cemented the idea for me.  I've seen the movie twice now, the first time alone, and the second time when I shared it with my husband.  The stories shared are eye-opening and compelling - they have inspired me to want to do better, and to want to be healthier.    

We had some green juices along with a light dinner last night, kind of just sampling a few different recipes we've seen.  This morning my husband made me the "Mean Green" juice that is recommended by reboot with Joe for breakfast.  He tried a green smoothie by adding a banana and a cup of milk. So far it seems to be going well.  My juice was pretty good but I think our ratio of cucumber was a little bit off – I needed it to be a little bit sweeter.  I do have to say I feel satisfied enough. it is 9:28 and I am hoping that will hold me off until an appropriate lunchtime…

My short-term goal right now is to replace one meal a day with some form of a green smoothie, and see how that goes. If it is sustainable and I'm able to lose a little bit of weight then I will consider maybe replacing two meals a day and so on. I'm not quite ready to do the full on "body reboot" as advertised by Joe Cross just yet.   I want to sort of take it down by notches and see how that goes...be sure this is something that I can sustain while also working full time and raising a family.  One thing is certain and that is that there are tons and tons of resources available out there, many of them free, that will help me along this journey.  One I've already used more than once is this great PDF that gives you the correct ratio for different green juice or smoothie concoctions.  I plan to laminate this and tape it to the wall right next to our juicer for easy reference.  

I am also really liking the relatively low investment cost of this idea, and the fact that it is all based on natural foods that are much healthier than what I have been eating. Even when we did the LA weight loss plan – having to buy their bars and pay for their program and all of that – it seemed a little...I don't know...gimmicky somehow?  We are still working our way through and trying to figure out the formula for what we actually need in order to sustain a week's worth of juicing.  Still though, going to Sam's Club and literally filling our cart with fresh vegetables and fruit felt really good - really life affirming.  Even if I don't manage to lose the weight I want to lose, I know I am going to be healthier, and be doing my body a favor by consuming so many vegetables.  I'm kind of thinking of it like an army inside my body - and all of this produce is my fortification of that army. 

Overall I do already feel better. I have not had any coffee since Sunday, and I don't have any headache so far. Hope I didn't just speak too soon.  I also have the same (or slightly more) energy that I would feel on a normal work morning, but this is without coffee. I plan to blog about my journey a little bit, mostly just to chronicle the process, and to keep track of my learning process and any great resources I find.  Only time will tell, but the idea that I can fight back against my life-long struggle with obesity, and against all the processed, refined CRAP out there by using my body's natural healing powers, and following a plan that is both simple and sustainable in terms of cost and upkeep - well that is empowering, and I'm definitely ready to give it my best shot!!