Coming off of my juice cleanse, I decided to keep eating the same fruits and veggies I had been juicing, just in solid form. This was to continue to cleanse my body and boost my immunity. I kept animal products to a minimum, I probably had a bite of my son's organic chicken, and that was it for the week. I do admit to indulging in a mini cupcake, I felt I deserved it. ;)
Unfortunately, I had to have a procedure on my digestive system for a previous issue (one I mentioned in My Juicing Journey), it had nothing to do with the cleanse; just a timing coincidence. So I couldn't really stick to my plan of "vegan week", I had to fast pre-op, and be on a clear liquid diet 48 hours post-op. I'm still on the liquid diet and it's torture!
I'm sorry for the disappointment, since I didn't post meals as promised. Another time, my dear readers, another time. However, I have lost another 3 lbs this week, so it wasn't a total waste! (Although I'm pretty sure the fasting/liquid diet combo had something to do with that!)
The juice cleanse did get rid of my dry scalp issues, and a scar I had on my knee (it's at least 10 years old) that was yellow and gross looking, it's now moisturized and blended into my skin more. No matter how much I moisturized before, it stayed gross, therefore, I believe getting concentrated nutrition via juicing helped heal it from the inside. I was very pleased! Good luck to all who attempt a juice cleanse!
The blog with a little bit of everything.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Facebook Contest Update
Hey guys, don't forget about my FaceBook giveaway! As soon as my fan page (www.facebook.com/ClusterFudge269) gets to 100 likes, I'll be giving away a $25 gift card to Amazon or ITunes, winner's choice! Even if you're an occasional reader, it only takes a few minutes to "like" me and you'll get updates for each new blog, along with random facts and quotes! Plus, if you win, it's free money!
Friday, July 13, 2012
My Juicing Journey
I decided to cleanse my body via juice fast. One of my friends had just completed one and lost about 11 pounds, on top of that his skin looked amazing! I was so jealous of this man's supermodel-like skin! I had to do this. I don't have an issue with over-eating nor am I opposed to healthy food, I love it. The main reason I wanted to do this cleanse is to boost my immunity, get that dewy skin, and lose the last 5 pounds of baby weight.
I weighed every morning, so the weight difference is from the previous day, not overall.
I recommend researching juicing before starting a cleanse. I did, but I also found out some things along the way than would've helped to know ahead of time. If you have any health issues, check with your primary physician. This is my personal experience, it will not be the same as everyone else's. A good place to educate yourself on juicing is The Juicing Book.
I weighed every morning, so the weight difference is from the previous day, not overall.
I recommend researching juicing before starting a cleanse. I did, but I also found out some things along the way than would've helped to know ahead of time. If you have any health issues, check with your primary physician. This is my personal experience, it will not be the same as everyone else's. A good place to educate yourself on juicing is The Juicing Book.
Let me take you on my journey...
DAY 1: My first juice is carrot, kale, and spinach, from the Health Food Center. It's quite delicious. I drank about 8-10 oz for breakfast, along with a cup of coffee. I'm not giving up coffee because it has 0 calories (I drink it black) and gives your metabolism a temporary boost. After drinking all of that, I felt as though I had eaten a stack of pancakes! I was so full, like I had over eaten, but it was just because I had consumed so much liquid.
The first day really wasn't hard, the only negative was feeling nauseous. I have a health condition that gives me daily nausea (no it's not pregnancy) and it was just worse than normal. Otherwise, it was pretty easy, I didn't feel hungry.
DAY 2: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-).8 lbs
I started the day off with cucumber/apple juice, it was a refreshing breakfast drink.
5pm - Oh God, I'm so fucking hungry!! I made the mistake of drinking cucumber, mango, and celery before work and not following up with another juice until 9 hours later. I do NOT recommend that. I didn't mean to go that long, that was stupid. Being on my feet, I was burning calories that I hadn't consumed, so it made me feel weak and dizzy. A juice fast should not make you feel that way, starving yourself, however, will. Do not starve yourself.
I started the day off with cucumber/apple juice, it was a refreshing breakfast drink.
5pm - Oh God, I'm so fucking hungry!! I made the mistake of drinking cucumber, mango, and celery before work and not following up with another juice until 9 hours later. I do NOT recommend that. I didn't mean to go that long, that was stupid. Being on my feet, I was burning calories that I hadn't consumed, so it made me feel weak and dizzy. A juice fast should not make you feel that way, starving yourself, however, will. Do not starve yourself.
When I did "eat" again it was watermelon, apple, and spinach. It was so wonderful, not just because I was so hungry, but because it was a great combo. I have learned from my mistake and will NOT make that same one again. I also learned that you're supposed to juice watermelon by itself. Oops.
DAY 3: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-) 2.2 lbs
Today was planned much better than yesterday. I had apple/spinach juice for breakfast and I'm about to make broccoli, celery, and spinach for lunch. I haven't been hungry today, although I've had horrible gas. Not like machine gun farts, but just painful stomach gas. I have yet to evacuate my bowels...I need to get some beets.
OH MY GOD, I would give anything to fart right now! This gas is horrible.
As I mentioned before, I have digestive issues, I had to eat a plum because it's not normal to go that long without dropping a deuce during a cleanse. The fiber from the fruit in its natural state took care of my issue. I may have to eat a piece of fruit every other day during the cleanse to aid in digestion. If you have a healthy digestive system, you should be fine with a normal fast. My body, however, refuses to be normal.
I made celery, broccoli, and apple juice for dinner; I added a clove of garlic for the health benefits...it was disgusting. I couldn't even down it holding my nose. I almost threw up, so I had to dump it out after about 2 oz.
My kitchen sink had a clog in it this evening, so I couldn't juice (because I would need to wash the juicer immediately after). I ate an apple to hold me over. Eventually, when the sink was fixed, I remade the celery, broccoli, and apple juice, sans the garlic.
DAY 4: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-) 1.2 lbs
I had watermelon by itself for breakfast. I'm definitely making sure to eat more veggies than fruit, but watermelon is best to juice by itself, and I wanted a treat. I juiced the rind also because it holds nutritional value.
For lunch, I made broccoli, apple, and mango juice for lunch. I was running low on produce, so I had to use two fruits. I'm trying to drink mostly vegetables, but I didn't have much of a choice.
I made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on my veggies and greens. I finally got some beets in the hopes that that will keep me regular during this fast, I would hate to have yesterday's issue. I will be drinking beets tomorrow, but please read this info on beets before juicing them. DO NOT DRINK BEET JUICE BY ITSELF. ALWAYS MIX IT WITH ANOTHER VEGETABLE OR FRUIT. For dinner I made my first love of the juicing world, carrot, kale, and spinach. I used less carrot than the Health Food Center, and I liked it. I enjoyed the sweetness of the carrots, but having it not so sweet (especially after having so much fruit today) was refreshing.
DAY 5: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-) .2 lbs
My morning juice consisted of beets, apple, and cucumber. I rather enjoyed it. I had beets in all three of my juices today, but I have yet to see the "miraculous" cleansing powers of beets (I'm talking about poop).
DAY 6: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-) .4 lbs
I have decided to transition to solid foods early. In the last week, my bowels have moved once. This is not normal and due to my digestive issues, I need solid food. I am choosing to juice twice a day and eat once. I had a salad of beet greens, spinach, and kale for dinner. It was so good! I love greens and I plan to eat mostly raw vegetables and fruit this next week after I go back to solids. I will limit, if not exclude animal products, mostly meat (not that I eat that much of it anyway).
Over the past six days I have lost 4.8 lbs, I'll just go ahead and round that up to 5. I am happy to say I'm back at my pre-pregnanacy weight! All of my blemishes have come to the surface, so I expect my skin to clear up in the next few days. Next week I will give an update on the transition week, with weight loss and meals. This was my personal (very personal with the poops) experience with juicing, I recommend it to anyone who wants to rid their body of toxins, clear their skin, and lose some water weight and bloat. Your experience will not be the same as mine, it may not even be close, but I hope I gave some insight to the world of juicing.
:)
DAY 3: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-) 2.2 lbs
Today was planned much better than yesterday. I had apple/spinach juice for breakfast and I'm about to make broccoli, celery, and spinach for lunch. I haven't been hungry today, although I've had horrible gas. Not like machine gun farts, but just painful stomach gas. I have yet to evacuate my bowels...I need to get some beets.
OH MY GOD, I would give anything to fart right now! This gas is horrible.
As I mentioned before, I have digestive issues, I had to eat a plum because it's not normal to go that long without dropping a deuce during a cleanse. The fiber from the fruit in its natural state took care of my issue. I may have to eat a piece of fruit every other day during the cleanse to aid in digestion. If you have a healthy digestive system, you should be fine with a normal fast. My body, however, refuses to be normal.
I made celery, broccoli, and apple juice for dinner; I added a clove of garlic for the health benefits...it was disgusting. I couldn't even down it holding my nose. I almost threw up, so I had to dump it out after about 2 oz.
My kitchen sink had a clog in it this evening, so I couldn't juice (because I would need to wash the juicer immediately after). I ate an apple to hold me over. Eventually, when the sink was fixed, I remade the celery, broccoli, and apple juice, sans the garlic.
DAY 4: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-) 1.2 lbs
I had watermelon by itself for breakfast. I'm definitely making sure to eat more veggies than fruit, but watermelon is best to juice by itself, and I wanted a treat. I juiced the rind also because it holds nutritional value.
For lunch, I made broccoli, apple, and mango juice for lunch. I was running low on produce, so I had to use two fruits. I'm trying to drink mostly vegetables, but I didn't have much of a choice.
I made a trip to the grocery store to stock up on my veggies and greens. I finally got some beets in the hopes that that will keep me regular during this fast, I would hate to have yesterday's issue. I will be drinking beets tomorrow, but please read this info on beets before juicing them. DO NOT DRINK BEET JUICE BY ITSELF. ALWAYS MIX IT WITH ANOTHER VEGETABLE OR FRUIT. For dinner I made my first love of the juicing world, carrot, kale, and spinach. I used less carrot than the Health Food Center, and I liked it. I enjoyed the sweetness of the carrots, but having it not so sweet (especially after having so much fruit today) was refreshing.
DAY 5: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-) .2 lbs
My morning juice consisted of beets, apple, and cucumber. I rather enjoyed it. I had beets in all three of my juices today, but I have yet to see the "miraculous" cleansing powers of beets (I'm talking about poop).
DAY 6: Morning weigh-in: Difference (-) .4 lbs
I have decided to transition to solid foods early. In the last week, my bowels have moved once. This is not normal and due to my digestive issues, I need solid food. I am choosing to juice twice a day and eat once. I had a salad of beet greens, spinach, and kale for dinner. It was so good! I love greens and I plan to eat mostly raw vegetables and fruit this next week after I go back to solids. I will limit, if not exclude animal products, mostly meat (not that I eat that much of it anyway).
Over the past six days I have lost 4.8 lbs, I'll just go ahead and round that up to 5. I am happy to say I'm back at my pre-pregnanacy weight! All of my blemishes have come to the surface, so I expect my skin to clear up in the next few days. Next week I will give an update on the transition week, with weight loss and meals. This was my personal (very personal with the poops) experience with juicing, I recommend it to anyone who wants to rid their body of toxins, clear their skin, and lose some water weight and bloat. Your experience will not be the same as mine, it may not even be close, but I hope I gave some insight to the world of juicing.
:)
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Practice Safe Sun
In the midst of summer, and all year around, it's very important to practice safe sun. Even if you are not fair skinned, you can still get skin cancer and age prematurely. So keep these tips in mind:
Wear sunscreen. I know so many people hate applying sunscreen, but even if it's SPF 15, apply it. I am amazed at how many people will risk skin cancer for a tan. Wear make-up or moisturizer that has sunscreen in it if the extra step is so difficult. You can still get some "color" wearing sunscreen, but it's never smart to risk bare skin in the sun.
Dress to protect yourself from the sun. Wear a visor or hat to help cover your face if you're going to be outside for awhile. Wear linen or another light material to help cover your skin without over heating.
Stay away from tanning beds. These are HORRIBLE for you! Just stay away!! (By the way, most tanning salons don't change their bulbs as often as they should, so you're getting about half to one fourth of the power you're paying for.)
If you have to have a tan apply a gradual self tanner or take some tips from this video on application. This is Lisa Monique from The Lisa Monique Blog, she has guest blogged for ClusterFudge in the past.
Self Tanner Application
Wear sunglasses every time you're outside. It's not just a fashion statement, it protects your eyes and the skin around them. Crows feet will stay away from you much longer if you're a regular with the shades.
These are just a few easy tips to help preserve your skin. As I've mentioned before in my review of Origins A Perfect World Moisturizer, women's skin starts to age at 23. Not at 43, 53, or even 33, but at 23 years old your skin decreases elastin and collagen production. Prevention is the best weapon when fighting aging. You may not think your skin is getting any damage, but you will find out soon enough; even freckles are sun damage. Those "angel kisses" were actually from a star, the biggest star in our galaxy, the sun. Believe me, 65 year old you will thank 25 year old you for being smart. :)
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