Post Juicing Review

So I decided to end my juice fast after 3 days. There were things that I liked and disliked about juicing. My main reason for ending the fast sooner than I expected to were mental/emotional reasons.

The first day was pretty good, my only negative symptom was a mild headache.

The second day my headache was gone, but I feel like I probably didn’t consume enough calories. On that day, I did an Insanity workout, was on my feet and doing some lifting and moving at work for 8 hours, and walked about a total of 2.2 miles in my commute to and from work. That being said, I didn’t pack enough juice to last me the duration of the day. By the time I got home, I had a juice for dinner and passed out almost immediately.

When I woke up on the morning of the third day I felt extremely light headed and dizzy. I felt better once I had some juice in me though. Emotionally, juicing was starting to take a toll on me. My weight had dropped 4lbs in 3 days. That light headed and empty feeling I had in the morning was very reminiscent of when I was active in my eating disorder and was restricting/fasting in an unhealthy manner. I felt like my goals going into the juice cleanse were to detox and revitalize, but by day 3, my only reason for wanting to continue would have been a desire to lose a lot of weight in a short period of time. I really didn’t think it would be wise for me given my past to continue down that road.

The things that I did enjoy about the juice cleanse were that some of the juices truly were delicious. I would definitely like to continue to use my juicer, but just not for 3 meals a day. It also made me want to expand my vegetable diet. There are tons of veggies that I haven’t tried but I would like to or that I have tried in the past but would like to revisit.

From this experience, I feel like I’ve also gained some good insight on my diet and exercise up until this point. I’ve been eating a healthy, mostly vegetarian diet and exercising regularly. At no point have I felt like I was restricting myself or that my intake was inadequate (prior to juicing). I’ve been losing about 2lbs a week pretty consistently. I no longer have any desire to take part in a diet that will make me lose a large amount of weight in a short period of time, the way juicing does.

Overall, I’m glad I tried it, but I’m happy to have ended it after 3 days. I feel like I accomplished what I wanted to and have a better understanding of what juicing is about. I know tons of people have had wonderful experiences with juicing, and I’m not discrediting that at all. I just think for me personally, it’s not the right thing for me to part-take in for an extended period of time.

Here are some of my favorite recipes I made during the cleanse:

Blueberry Lemonade

2 Bunches of Kale

1 Green Apple

1 Lemon

1 Cup of Blueberries

6 Strawberries

1 Cucumber

Morning Juice

2 Bunches of Kale

2 Bunches of Spinach

1 Green Apple

2 Carrots

1 Lemon

1 Orange

1 cup of purple grapes

1 Mango

For far, on my first day back to solid food I’ve had half an avocado, an orange, and a few spoons of applesauce. I plan on getting a small veggie plate for lunch from one of my favorite lunch spots, Dig Inn. It’s recommended to only have fruits and veggies on your first day back, which I’m going to do. On the second day you can add grains and beans. Third day you can add dairy and 4th you can add meat.

Today will be my first day of my recovery week of Insanity. Honestly, I feel more motivated than ever to continue on this path and do my best in the second month of Insanity. I took some progress pictures this morning because I’ve passed my half way point. I do expect to gain a few pounds back in the next few days due to eating solid foods, but I don’t think it will be a crazy weight gain. I’m still right on schedule and pretty happy after looking at my before pictures and being able to see my results. Later tonight I’ll post my progress pictures of me in my jeans. I have some progress pictures of me in my under garments, but I want to wait until I’ve lost a little more weight/the end the B Fit contest until I post those ones.

I hope everyone is having a good week!

End of Insanity: Month 1 and Day 2 of Juice Cleanse

Today was my last day of month 1 of Insanity. I still can’t believe I got through the entire month without missing a work out. There were many nights after a full day of work where I was so sure I would give up and just skip a day. Some how or another, almost subconsciously, I would put on my workout clothes, lace up my sneakers, think to myself “I can’t believing I’m fucking doing this” and get on with my workout. I’m pretty scared for month 2 though. I’ve heard it’s a lot harder and I hope I can keep up. I’ve come this far and I definitely don’t want to quit now.

Today was also day 2 of my juice cleanse. This is my first time juicing. Originally, I wanted to do a 10 day cleanse, but after some more research and because I’m in the middle of Insanity, I’ve moved it down to a 6 day cleanse. That way I will have a full 4 days to slowly reintroduce myself back to solid foods before starting month 2 of Insanity. I plan on doing a full 10 day cleanse at the end of March (at which point I’ll be done with Insanity). I’m actually really liking the cleanse so far. I did have a slight headache during the afternoon yesterday, but apparently that’s fairly common. I haven’t had any serious detox symptoms that I’m aware of so far. I know this sort of thing varies from person to person, but my bowel movements haven’t been anything out of the ordinary. I think it may be in part due to the fact that my diet has been pretty healthy in general and mostly vegetarian, so juicing may not be a drastic change for my digestive system. When I weighed myself yesterday morning, I was up slightly at 161. This morning I was down to 159, most likely from losing water weight from juicing. I’ve heard that it is typical to lose a few pounds while juicing and then to gain some of that weight back once you’re back to solid foods. This is because you gain some water weight back and because there is now the weight of solid food in your digestive system. Whatever the case may be, I’m sure juicing won’t hurt my situation.

I’m getting pretty close to my half way point in my weight loss. I’ll probably post a few progress pictures when I get there but save some of the more revealing pictures for when I’ve lost a bit more.

I apologize for the lack of posts/lack of interesting posts. I just seem to be so short on time and so worn out at the end of the day that being able to post anything at all is a struggle. Only 2 and a half more weeks until I get a short break from working 7 day weeks. I’m hoping to invest in a new camera in the near future as well which may help make some of my posts a little more lively.

Mike and I went to a really nice vegan brunch place called Sun in Bloom this past Sunday before I had to go to work. It’s in Park Slope and was extremely delicious. I highly suggest checking it out if you’re in the area.

Have to start heading out to work, but I promise I will post some of our favorite juicing recipes here, hopefully later tonight! Have a good week everyone 🙂

A-juicing we will go!

Last night Mike and I went to his friend Phil’s apartment for Phil’s 30th birthday. I ended up having 2 glasses of wine and a piece of chocolate cake, but I’ve been eating well all week, so it didn’t kill me. I was actually down to 160 this morning, which means I’m 2lbs away from being half way to my goal weight. I’m still having some problems mentally processing my weight loss. I have moments when I feel “huge” but my weight is consistently going down and most of my clothes feel noticeably looser. It’s very weird to me that I will be in the 150’s soon. Hopefully, when I reach 158 and take my progress pictures I will be able to see some visual differences and it will feel more real.

I made some really good vegetarian stuffed peppers the other night that I will post a recipe for when I have some time! I’m also really excited that Mike and I will be starting at 10 day juice cleanse on Monday. I specifically chose to start on Monday because that way, during the juice fast I will have my last 2 days of the first month of Insanity, followed by my rest day on Wednesday and then the recovery week before starting the second month of Insanity. Definitely did not think it would be wise to attempt a juice fast while starting the super intimidating second month of Insanity, so doing it during the recovery week is perfect. I’m actually pretty scared for the second month of Insanity, but I’m going to continue to push myself and I WILL get through it.

My only concern about juicing is making sure I’m able to get fresh juice. Breakfast and dinner I will be able to use my juicer at home, so that won’t be a problem. I looked on seamless and found a place I can order from while I’m at my internship. I haven’t been able to find a place that can delivery to my job at the coffee shop (where I will be for 6 of the 10 days I’m juicing). I guess I will have to make extra juice in the morning and bring it with me to work in my insulated canteen. I know it’s ideal to drink the juice right after it’s been made in order to get all of the nutrients, but I don’t think I really have any other options. If anyone has experience with juicing and has suggestions/recommendations I’d really appreciate it!

I seriously can’t believe that January is just about done already! Before I know it, it will be March 31st (the last day of the health and fitness contest I’m participating in). Obviously, I plan on continuing my health and fitness journey past that date though. My goal is to get to 149lbs by the end of the contest. That would bring me 3/4 way to my goal weight. It would also bring me to what is considered a healthy weight/BMI for my height and I would be the lightest I’ve weighed in years. Gives me tons of motivation to reach that number by then. Only 11lbs to lose in 65 days in order to reach that goal. Very doable.

Can’t wait to go home, do some Insanity, and then relax. Hope everyone has a good weekend!

8 weeks

Hello Everyone

Gosh, I’ve been super busy lately and honestly, it’s starting to overwhelm me a bit.  Saturday I finally had a day off. It made me wish that I could have every Saturday off, just one little day off in the week. But being that my 3 day internship is unpaid, I really can’t afford to take any days off on a weekly basis In any case, Mike and I had a wonderful time. After doing Insanity in the morning, we ate brunch in Brooklyn and then went to the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Discovery Center in Times Square. We spent a good amount of time in Central Park and then walked to 92nd and 2nd to a wine bar that we had a wine tasting and dinner Groupon for. Brunch and dinner on Saturday weren’t the healthiest meals, but they also weren’t SUPER unhealthy, and I felt like we didn’t over eat. We also worked out in the morning and walked pretty much all day, so I didn’t feel too bad about it. What I did feel bad about was my late night snacking over the weekend. Night time tends to be difficult for me when it comes to over indulging in snacks. I definitely could have been worse. At least the things I was snacking on were all relatively healthy and there weren’t any full blown binging episodes. But I also could have been better. I spent most of yesterday beating myself up about not eating well enough over the weekend, but you know what, I’m only human. And upon further reflection, overall, I’ve been doing a really good job. I need to focus on the positive things I’m doing rather than picking on myself for not being perfect all the time.

I wanted to share this AMAZING recipe I found on Detoxinista’s Blog for Almond Butter Fudge. Mike and I did a Trader Joe’s run early last week and I made sure to purchase almond butter and coconut oil specifically for this recipe 🙂 I seriously could not believe that the only ingredients were almond butter, coconut oil and raw honey or stevia (I used a little it of each). A delicious snack that melts in you mouth.

Today is the 8 week mark since I gradually started to eat better and exercise (and I’m finishing up week 3 of Insanity). I’m at the point in my weight loss (about 13lbs) where I’m starting to see some results, but I still feel like I have a long way to go (23lbs to my initial goal weight). It’s strange to imagine what my body will look like 3 months from now. Over the past 6-8 years, my weight has fluctuated due to my eating disorder from about 150-180. Right now, I’m still within that range. I’m familiar with certain changes that occur to my body within the 150-180 weight range, but anything below 150, I can’t really recall.  I wore a shirt yesterday that I haven’t worn in a while. I remember trying to put it on over the summer and then taking it off right away because the sleeves were cutting off circulation to my arms and it just didn’t really fit well anywhere. The fit was actually pretty loose on me when I put it on yesterday. A little hard to comprehend. Even though I’m still in the 160s, I feel like the amount of inches I’ve lost so far is more significant than when I’ve previously been this weight. I made 140 my initial goal weight because I felt it was challenging and because I hope to feel and look in shape at that weight. I haven’t been in the 140s since I was about 15-16. I’m 5’5 with a large frame. My hands are bigger than my boyfriend’s. I’m not a petite person and I never will be. I just want my body to be the best it can be within it’s own limits. Right now, 140 seems a long way away. But I’m determined to get there and I hope that when I do, I’m happy with the results. I’m worried my mind may go back to it’s old ways and that no matter what weight I get to, it won’t ever be good enough. But I guess I’ll jump that hurdle when I get to it.

Not sure how much time I’ll have to update this week, so have a wonderful week everyone!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal

Hello there!

Not much to update on since my last post. Still spending most of my time working/interning. Can’t believe that tomorrow is the last day of my second week of Insanity. It’s flying by! March 6th (Day 63 of Insanity) will be here in no time!

I wanted to share an easy and delicious breakfast that I enjoy. It’s particularly good after a morning workout.

PB& J Oatmeal

All you have to do is cook yourself a half a cup of oatmeal the way you normally would (I made mine with mostly water and a splash of soy milk)

In a saucepan, on low heat, throw in some chopped strawberries and blueberries. Drizzle honey on top. Stir berries until they become sauce-like. Around 5-10 minutes. Put on top of oatmeal. Add a spoon of peanut butter, chopped almonds, cinnamon and/or any toppings of your choosing.

My appetite has been fluctuating lately. Yesterday I was pretty hungry, so I had a larger dinner than I might have liked to. Today, I’ve barely had any appetite at all. I guess it’s a normal part of my body adjusting to its new diet. Just have to be aware and make sure I’m eating the proper amounts.

My brain is shot right now so can’t really think of anything else to write about. Gunna settle down and watch some Breaking Bad! Have a good week everyone!

Busy Bee

Hello my friends!

Oh what a busy week it has been! Wednesday was the first day of my internship at Warner Bros. Records and I’m loving it so far. It’s definitely keeping me busy. Wednesday was also my rest day from Insanity, which happened just when I needed it to. I was at my internship all day and then afterward, Mike and I went to see my friend Peter in a Puppet Shakespeare performance of Romeo and Juliet! It was a really great show. It consisted of a vibrant and extremely funny cast of actors and actors with puppets. I’m so glad we got to not only support my friend, but enjoy ourselves for a few hours at a wonderful performance. I highly recommend it to anyone in the NYC area 🙂

 

Yesterday it was back to business! After work/internship Mike and I did Insanity: Cardio Power and Resistance. It was the first day of my second week of Insanity and already I’m feeling results. Every time I repeat an exercise video, I can feel myself getting a little bit better. It’s a gradual process, but I’m definitely pushing myself and I feel wonderful afterwards. I’ve been eating well but plan on having an unhealthy treat as dessert tonight.

 

This morning I had to pick up 3 dozen doughnuts for an company related event. The doughnuts were ordered from a lovely little place called Doughnut Plant. I had the pleasure of trying an amazing cake doughnut from this shop several weeks ago. When I was working at the LES coffee shop and closing up, I realized that the person working before me had left a bag with an untouched doughnut in it. I contacted her and she said I could take home and have it if I wanted because she was not going to be able to come back for it. I did take it home and it was so good that I inisted everyone in the apartment try a bite of it. So when I heard that I was picking up doughnuts from this location, I knew I had to purchase some for myself and the other members of the apartment. I got one hazelnut, one tresh leces, and one chocolate, all of them cake doughnuts. It will be a nice dessert after our Insanity workout tonight. Plus, picking up the 3 dozen boxes from LES and transporting them through the Subway to Times Square was a bit of a workout in itself! Everything in moderation!

 

 

 

I hope everyone else has had a nice week! I’ll be back to working the coffee shop this weekend, so my schedule doesn’t really slow down, but I’m feeling good. I’ll try to get some new recipes up here when I have a chance, I’ve just been too busy to even try to make anything new. Next Saturday will be my first day off in a while and my only break from the upcoming month. Mike and I are planning to go to The Harry Potter Exhibit that he bought us tickets for as a Christmas present followed by a Groupon he got for a wine and cheese tasting with dinner.

 

Oh, and has anyone else ever tried food from sNice? I had a smoked tempeh wrap with avocado, mixed greens, tomatoes, cilanto and chipotle dressing from them earlier in the week and it was insanely good. Tons of great vegetarian options.

 

 

Have a good weekend everyone! And keep up the good work 🙂

 

Merry Monday Morning!

Hello Everyone 🙂

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. Just finished one of my favorite breakfasts: peanut butter and banana on whole wheat toast. Today is day 5 of Insanity! I should be embarking on crazy amounts of cardio in about an hour. Yesterday was cardio recovery, which I welcomed. Still made me sweat. It consisted of a lot of yoga poses and holding positions such as staying in a squat which made me curse at the screen. I’m sure I’m not the only person to yell out obscene words to Shaun T haha. But I’m feeling really great about it! I can’t wait to see the progress I make when the workouts become easier to go through.

I’m pretty proud of myself for making this commitment and sticking to it. In the past, I’ve fluctuated in my weight and in my dedication to being healthy, especially when I was active in my eating disorder. I feel like in the last few weeks I’ve been very patient and understanding of myself and this journey I’m on which is making all of the difference in the world. It’s so easy to get frustrated, especially at the start of things because your body isn’t yet looking the way you want it to and it isn’t yet able to do all of the physical activities you want it to. I remember times when I would be at the gym and would catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror or be unable to finish a set and I would head to a bathroom stall and cry my eyes out. But accepting that this is who I am and where I’m starting and not hating myself for it makes the journey a much more pleasant one.

I never would have thought that I would get to a place in life where I loved working out, cooking healthy meals, and where I didn’t spend most of my day hating myself and my body. My diet and exercise were always an unhealthy obsession that I didn’t think I could escape. I was consumed by it, which resulted in years of severe depression and anxiety. I got to the point where it was either giving up on life or getting help. I really hoped that there was a possibility I could live a life other than the one I was living which was filled with self hate and despair. It didn’t seem likely to me. I felt that I was damaged beyond repair and would remain that way eternally, until I gave up. It’s crazy to think about how far away that all seems. If anyone reading this is struggling with the type of feelings and way of living that I have described, I just want to say that there truly is hope. You don’t have to live in the dark. You just need to ask for help and be willing to accept it. A healthy and happy life is waiting for you if you want it.

Even though I have a long way to go in regards to my goals, I already feel much more energized throughout the day, a lightness about me, and a general happiness. The last part is the most important.

Cheers to a good week ahead of us all!

1/4 Way There!

This morning I weighed in at 1/4 way to my initial goal weight, which means I’ve lost the first 9lbs out of the 36lbs I had to lose from my starting weight. I was hoping to reach 1/4 way by this Monday but was getting a little discouraged because my weight wasn’t changing throughout the week. It had actually gone up a pound for a little while, most likely due to some over indulgences on New Year’s Eve and my birthday (New Year’s Day). But I stuck at it and have been exercising and eating with no cheats and will continue to do so! December was a warm-up month for me to get back into the swing of things in regards to exercise and eating healthy, but now I’m on board 100% which will hopefully result in me kicking ass :p

Today will be day 3 of Insanity, which I will be doing as soon as I finish this post. Last night I was getting pretty tired towards the end of the workout and moved to a sluggish pace, but pushed through as hard as I could and I know I’ll get better the more I do it. I love the post workout sore I get from it. Definitely lets me know that it’s working.

Working all day today and then going out tonight with Mike and some friends to see Django. We watched Inglorious Basterds last night and it was better than I was expecting, so I hope Django is good as well. I just realized that I’ll be working 7 days a week at about 30 hrs a week and interning about 25hrs a week for all of January At least I requested Saturday, January 19th off just to keep my sanity in place.  I hope everyone is doing well! Have a great weekend! 🙂

Orange Teriyaki Tofu

Thursday night, I ended up making some orange teriyaki tofu with garlic, peppers, onion, and quinoa. It was my first time trying and cooking tofu, and it really wasn’t bad! I used some firm tofu that I had purchased, but next time I’d probably use extra firm for this particular recipe.

Orange Teriyaki Tofu

Half a package of Extra Firm Tofu cut into cubes

Sprinkle of Salt

1 Pepper Sliced

1/2 Yellow Onion Sliced

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

About 3 Tbsp of Olive Oil

1/2 Cup of Teriyaki Sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Soyaki)

1/2 of a Large Orange, peeled and separated into wedges

Sprinkle of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1 cup of Quinoa

I started with the Quinoa. It was my first time making it, but it’s pretty simply, very similar to rice. Get a large sauce pan. Make sure to pam the pan because the quinoa will stick to it a little if you don’t. Add 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water. Bring the water to a boil without a cover over the saucepan. Once it’s boiling, bring it down to a simmer and cover the sauce pan. Leave it to simmer for about 10-15 mins, or until all the water has been absorbed by the quinoa and the quinoa appears to look clear.

While the Quinoa is cooking, take your chopped tofu and sprinkle a tiny bit of salt on them. Put about a Tbsp of oil into a sauce pan on medium. Add one clove of minced garlic. Then add the tofu and cook for about 9 minutes or until they start browning.

I started the peppers in a wok right as I put my tofu into the sauce pan. Start off the wok with 2 Tbsp of oil followed by 2 cloves of minced garlic. Then add the onions and peppers. The onions should start looking clear and the peppers look more cooked around the same time the tofu is ready. Push the peppers and onions to the sides of the wok and put the tofu into the middle. Pour in your teriyaki sauce. Take your wedges of oranges, squeeze the juices in, and throw the remainder into the wok as well. Sprinkle in red pepper flakes to your taste and stir. Let cook for about 2-5 minutes.

When done, mix together with the cooked quinoa and enjoy!

Insanity!

Hello fellow health and fitness enthusiasts 🙂 I just finished up a tasty lunch I packed from home not too long ago that looked a little something like this:

1 cup whole wheat pasta, 1/4 cup tomato sauce, 6 (1 serving) Trader Joe’s meatless meatballs, some roasted zucchini and some fresh chopped spinach. Yum!

Last night when I as at the gym, I was trying to come up with a new workout schedule. Recently, I’ve been going to the gym with Mike a nights. He gets out of work at 7pm, so by the time we get to our gym it’s about 8pm and we don’t leave until around 9:30, getting home around 10. This is not an ideal situation for me for several reasons. I personally prefer to workout in the morning, when possible. I feel like it’s better for me to get it over with in the morning. It’s much easier to make an excuse or feel tired at night after a full day of work. Working out in the morning keeps me feeling active and energized throughout the day. Working out at night tends to get in the way of my sleep schedule. I’ve been having trouble getting to bed/staying asleep after late workouts because my body is all I’M ENERGIZED AND AWAKE NOW. So I was originally planning to start Insanity next Monday, but I got to thinking about the logistics of me being able to do Insanity in the morning. Based on my work schedule and the fact that we have roommates who are sleeping early in the morning, it made more sense for me to start Insanity on a Thursday and have my off days be Wednesdays. So I started it! Today was the first day, so I did the Fit Test. I had done the Fit Test over the weekend with Mike as an in home workout when I didn’t have time to go to the gym. I improved on just about all of the exercises (except for the burpees which I think is partially due to the fact that I need new gym sneakers with better traction). Can’t wait to see my improvements by day 63!

After the gym, Mike and I stopped and picked up a bunch of fruits and veggies. I also got a package of firm tofu. I’ve never tried tofu and want to find a good recipe to use for tonight. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know! I’ve been loading up on veggies a lot lately and find that I’ve been eating much less dairy and meat. The less I have of it, the less I crave it. Today will most likely be a complete vegetarian day, and I believe yesterday was as well, all without going out of my way to do so. Last night we made ourselves raw veggie/hummus tacos. We used Trader Joe’s corn tortillas. They’re really great and the only ingredients are corn, water, and lime! We spread a little hummus on the tortillas, and in mine, I chopped up some raw spinach, zucchini, and carrots. I sliced the rest of my zucchini and put them in the oven with a little oil, salt, and pepper and we ate those as they were. Added some of the leftovers to my lunch!

Only 86 more days of the health and fitness contest I’m involved in and only 62 more days of Insanity. Even though I’ve only just started both of these things, I’m sure the time will fly. More importantly is the fact that once both of these events are gone and over with, I plan on being fit for life and will remember just exactly where I started from and how far I pushed myself.