Fasting-Days 11&12

I was not able to post last night before bed. We tried a new juice concoction that was supposed to aid in sleep.....well, it WORKED! A good friend of mine shared the recipe...it is called "Apple Lullaby." (I will share below). I have been having some restless nights....just tossing and turning...no problem really FALLING asleep, just staying asleep. This juice worked better for me than Tylenol PM! The only time I woke up was once to use the restroom (probably because I drank a big glass of juice right before bed, lol)...but I slept so soundly...it was truly a blessing. I would say the only negative side effect was I was a bit foggy when I awoke during the night, almost like I was drugged, and then I had a bit of a time getting up this morning....but that could have just been me. Cj did fine with it :)


My energy levels have remained up and I am really enjoying my days! I tried a new recipe for "dinner" last night which I didn't write down...I just kind of threw it together. I will try it again tomorrow night and see if I can get the specifics on amounts. Tonight we made another batch of the tomato juice, but left out the lime, and it was quite tasty. It's amazing how much a little bit of lime can change the flavor. It was like a spicy V8. Cj really liked it....I think I'm still more of a beet mixture fan :)

I am very happy to report that things are moving and changing in our lives! I feel much closer to the Lord, and my prayer time has a new depth. My Bible reading also is much more fun and interesting. Cj was able to lead a person he works with in the sinner's prayer the night before last and help them to accept Christ! PRAISE GOD! We can both feel and see God working in our lives a lot more, and we feel so blessed.

Cj said that he is still having wonderful workouts regardless of no solid foods...he doesn't feel any weaker and he hasn't lost any muscle size at all. He is VERY happy about this. His energy levels are much higher as well :) I will be starting Yoga on Monday (Cj got me a mat, block, and strap.....and I have a few DVDs that I have been neglecting). I will also be starting at the gym, with Cj, hopefully before the end of the fast...depending on my nanny schedule.



So for the recipes and new breakdown of stats.....

Apple Lullaby (drink RIGHT before bed...it works fast)
2 apples (any variety...we used Fuji)
1/4 of a head of lettuce (also any variety...we used iceberg because it was cheap)
1/2 of a lemon

"New" Dinner" (approx. on amounts.....I just made a large batch for 3 people with a bunch of "leftovers")

1 beet
7-9carrots
1 apple (we used golden delicious)
a large handful of spinach
**I pretty much did everything EXCEPT the carrots first, then just added carrots until it was enough juice.


Stats for Jan. 11th

Weight: 119.2 lbs (I expected a bit of a weight gain coming off of water only)
22.0% body fat
38.8% lean muscle
Waist=29.5"

Fasting-Day 10

So today was a bit of a struggle. It seems that I am fine in the morning and afternoon, but by the time evening hits and it is dinner time, cravings start to get to me. I know it isn't true hunger....just mental cravings. There is something about juice that just doesn't satisfy completely....I know it SHOULD...but I think my mind is just still hooked on the feel-goods of greasy, crunchy, salty, etc. foods. Dinner time right now is my biggest battle. I am thinking of switching to a different dinner juice to help with this. I absolutely LOVE my morning and mean green juices....but dinner is kinda so-so. It is very yummy, but I think it is just easy to get sick of :) lol. Maybe I need an alternate and then I can switch back and forth. The taste of beets is really growing on me, to the point where I am actually looking forward to my "breakfast" from the moment I wake up. It is very satisfying....so maybe I will make a beet drink for dinner?? Beets are super good for you as a blood purifier and a blood builder. They help you to eliminate a lot of toxins by stimulating a chemical in your blood that toxins attach too, and then letting you release them when you use the bathroom :) I have had a few stomach cramps today too.....not sure what it is from....maybe more detox?? Maybe just my digestive tract adjusting??

I went grocery shopping today for 2 days worth of juice supplies for both me and Cj. I was surprised to find out that it was only about $24....so, roughly $6/day for each of us!! Juicing is a lot more affordable than the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" portrayed. I did my shopping at Walmart though, so maybe that is why.

I am very happy to report that a couple of good friends of mine (not affiliated with my church) are jumping on the juice-wagon :) I pray that they achieve their goals and feel healthier than ever!!

Fasting-Day 9

Today was a good day... spend a lot of time with a good friend making lots of juice :) I think the hardest part of this fast is still having to cook for my girls. My sense of smell is super heightened and going from the water to the juice has made hunger come back. Last night about did me in....we rewarded Lela for getting student of the month by getting her a pizza. Driving home from Domino's with a hot, 1/2 pepperoni 1/2 extra cheese, garlicky pizza on my lap was crazy.....then when we got home and opened the box and SAW it.....whoa. Handling the pizza and getting my fingers are garlic buttery....it took all of me to not lick them, lol! I think if I were a single person with my own place, then this would be a lot easier....I could remove all temptation. But that isn't how a fast for God is supposed to go, right? Jesus was tempted when He fasted.

Juicing does have its great points though...having a fridge full of just produce is pretty awesome, not to mention beautiful! And all the prep work and the actual juicing makes me feel like a chef :) Using the juicer is so fun...the girls even like to stand and watch me put the items in and grind them down. Also, I can feel that my energy level is up a lot already!! I feel really, really good...it truly is better than any energy drink or coffee!! The girls wanted to try some juice, so for snack I made them apple-pear-carrot juice. WARNING: THIS WILL CAUSE VERY HYPER KIDS!! :) They absolutely loved the juice and then proceeded to bounce off the walls until dinner time. And the best part?? They EACH got all the nutrients of 1 whole pear, 1 whole apple, and 1 whole BIG carrot! Can't beat that....

I had a thought today, about what was said about how much juice you can make to store with your juicer.....they recommend making no more than 24hrs worth, because at that point most of the nutrients have completely diminished. We all know that heating fruits and veggies also destroys nutrients......so what about store bought juice??? It has been heated so that it can keep for longer, and then it sits at the store, not to mention your fridge, for how long?! How many nutrients do you think can survive all of that?? Don't get me wrong, it TASTES delicious, but I don't think it has anything to offer for your health more than a glass of kool-aid. (Any) Juice is full of sugar...but if all the nutrients are gone??? Hmmm......

It amazed me today how much produce actually passed through my juicer.....there is no way I could possibly eat all of that, even if I ate nothing else at all, in a day. I know you all have seen my recipes, but here is a list of everything that Cj and I are EACH consuming every single day......

2 pears

2 golden delicious apples

1/4 (lg) bag of purple grapes

4 carrots

1/2 of a beet

1 bunch of kale

1 (lg) cucumber

5 celery stalks

2 green (granny smith) apples

1/2 lemon

1" of ginger

3 large tomatoes

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 green bell pepper

2 garlic cloves

1/2 jalapeno

1/4 of a white onion

1/4 of a lime

 

p.s. We altered the "dinner recipe" to be pretty darn good. Just a little spice now and lots of healthy yum-ness!!

Dinner
3 large tomatoes
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/4 jalapeno
1/8 white onion
1 celery stalk
1/4 of a lime

Fasting-Day 8

I thought that I would post a bit about my goals for this fast.

I am fasting for:

-a closer relationship with God and the ability to hear and follow Him more in this life He has given me...and putting prayer first, instead of last.
-my issues with control and patience. I would like to let go of the control of my life and give it all to God. I want to become the Godly woman He has called me to be, and I know that I am my own stumbling block. I need to give up the pride, and tendency to want to lead and manage everything...especially in my home. I would like more patience when things are going against MY plans, lol....and I would like to be able walk and live in the Spirit.
-the salvation of my close family and friends...mostly my parents, who at this point will hear nothing of the Gospel and kind of think I'm in a weird cult. Also my brothers and their families...and some friends who I will let remain nameless on this blog :)

I am believing these things from God. I need to be faithful...and I am going to experience breakthrough in these areas!



Today was an interesting day...very busy!! Having the juice seemed to bring my hunger back, and it was not satiated by just sweet and tangy drinks. I thought for the evening we would try something more savory with a little spice, but didn't really like the way it turned out so we will be tweaking the recipe tomorrow. :)

Now, for the recipes we used today :)
(We are trying to incorporate a "rainbow of colors" in our daily intake so we get as many antioxidants as possible....red, orange, yellow, white, green, blue/purple...we missed blue/purple this first day, but are going to add purple grapes tomorrow....white is ginger, garlic & onion)

Breakfast
1 pear
1 golden delicious apple
3 large carrots
1/2 of a beet

This was actually very good (even though I despise beets).

We did "Mean Green" for the middle two meals, which you can find on yesterday's post.

Dinner
3 large tomatoes
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeno
1/4 white onion
1 celery stalk
1/4 of a lime
**we also added some salt & coriander(because the stores were out of cilantro)

Ok, this one came out WAY too spicey!!! Fire breather, lol! Tomorrow, we are going to try less onion and jalapeno and no spices. We shall see :)

"Dessert"

1 large grapefruit (peeled)
1 large orange (peeled)
1 carrot

This one was YUM-OLA!! :)

And FINALLY.....

Weight:116.8lbs
21.9% body fat
38.6% lean muscle
Waist=29.5"

Fasting-Days 6&7 ((Week One DONE!!))

Sorry for not posting yesterday, I just felt so good and was sooo busy :) I didn't have the greatest night's sleep on Thursday night...I kept waking up what seemed to be every 10 min...but I still woke up feeling quite rested. My mind feels amazingly clear. I feel like I have come out of a fog or some sort, and my brain is now functioning without muck, lol.

Today was a wonderful day. Tibi and I went shopping for a juicer and then went and bought a LOT of produce.  We bought our juicer from Costco for $89.99 (It is a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer...and it works grrreat!). We then proceeded to Winco to buy our produce. On our list was kale, cucumbers, beets, lemons, carrots, golden delicious apples, granny smith apples, red cabbage, celery, ginger root, and spinach. We made our first juice concoction tonight about 8pm.....whoa!....i cannot tell you how great it made us feel. Almost like a high. At first, our brains were tingly...then I just felt like totally rejuvenated with energy!! I feel better right now than I can remember feeling in months or even years!! I am so excited for this juice fast :)

The recipe we used, "Mean Green" (which yielded about 32 oz.):

6 Kale Leaves
1 Cucumber
4 Celery Stalks
2 Green Apples
1/2 Lemon
1" piece of ginger root

It was sooooo delicious!! Kind of tangy...smelled worse than it tasted so don't let the smell fool you :)

I cannot wait to juice tomorrow!! :) We will be trying an apple, carrot, beet juice for breakfast. Probably Mean Green for the middle two "meals" and then not sure yet for dinner. I will keep you posted with recipes and update of how we feel. Also, tomorrow will be another breakdown of weight, etc. stats!

Fasting-Day 5

Today did not start out very good. I was expecting to get to sleep in a little and start my day easy. Instead, I was woken up very early by the SWAT team in my neighbors yard, throwing flash bangs and concussion grenades into their house!! At first, I thought it was gunshots, and so I jumped up and went in to wake up Cj. We both were going window to window to see what was going on...and then we saw the SWAT. At least it wasn't gunshots....but the adrenaline rush that I had combined with jumping up so abruptly made me feel quite ill...head rush, sweats, headache...the works. (This isn't abnormal to me....anytime I get the super scared adrenaline rush, it makes me nauseous. I assumed that it was just intensified because of the fast.) Drinking some water and reclining on the couch made it all better :) I have been feeling colder than usual, and Cj has been jokingly complaining about me turning the heat up, lol. I also have had itchy skin, regardless of lotioning. No biggie though. Overall today I felt very good, just a little more tired than usual. And not body-exhausted-tired...just sleepy. I managed to get quite a few chores done around the house, so I cannot complain :)

A big update (kinda) is that Cj and I have decided to break our water fast Saturday evening around 8pm instead of Sunday morning. This Sunday will be an eventful day at church with us being there from about 830a-330p. I would hate to drink juice that morning and have it have some adverse effects on us that would disrupt our church experience....so we have decided to have a nice glass of juice with some water too, of course, while relaxing and watching a movie Saturday evening :) I will post what recipes or combinations of veggies and fruits we use as we go for anyone interested!

Fasting-Day 4

Whooohoo!! Over halfway done with week done and water only!!! :)

I slept really well last night and had a nice nap today...which helped me feel good. I am feeling a tad bit weak, but nothing compared to the previous days...and the light headedness has gone away completely. My hunger has also gone away completely. It was quite easy during lunch and dinner tonight while cooking for the girls...even with all the smells...so thankful for that!! :) I took a nice, warm, epsom salt bath this afternoon and afterwards, I felt like a new person. I massaged my muscles while in the bath to help stimulate the release of toxins. I also did a cool water rinse after the bath and that gave me a lot of energy for the rest of the day and totally refreshed me! My rings and my pants are a bit less snug, which is awesome. I was a little bit tired at church tonight, and my kidneys and lower back are still a little achy, but nothing that is a concern to me. It is also less than the previous days.

Alrighty....SO, for new stats:

Weight: 122lbs
21.2% body fat
37.8% lean muscle
Waist=30"

I know that the remainder of this fast will not have as dramatic of results as the first few days have. And I am thinking that I will even gain a bit when I start juice this Sunday. I am completely ok with that. This is not about weight loss to me , but about letting my body clean out, and focusing on getting closer to my Lord :) I will, however, be posting new stats every Sunday and Wednesday just to check.