Recently I posted and asked for advice regarding my trials and tribulations about the scale not moving, despite what I considered to be heroic attempts on my part. A HUGE thank you to everyone who responded with sound advice! I examined the factors: I was eating clean, drinking 4-5L of water daily, sodium was low, stress was low(er than usual), my doctor said I was eating the right amount of calories and I was exercising daily (low impact due to foot injury – walking, swimming, yoga, elliptical, boxing drills and/or rowing). I seemed to have the elements right, but my body wouldn't budge.      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Someone Someone suggested I go on a juice cleanse and I thought they were nuts – I love food WAY too much! Chewing food is one of my favorite activities! Plus I have low iron levels and need protein.... and I’ve been on Medifast before (where you drink the shakes and eat the cardboard oatmeal) and it did the opposite of working….and I get hangry and dizzy when I don’t have enough food. My excuses were endless. I believe my exact words were:

I could never do that.

Then last week I found myself 3.8 pounds away from a Kickstarter goal, with the countdown clock reading 5 days left. I was determined to win – or at least to try my best, while staying healthy. So I did the thing I said I could not do. I jumped into juicing – albeit, a modified version of it. For someone who’s obsessed with food, this is a BFD.

I drank four juices per day (three from my local juice place, one homemade), had an apple as a snack and a small salad at lunch and dinner. The salad consisted of romaine with homemade dressing, one hard-boiled egg and shaved: red onion, radishes, fennel, carrots, cucumber and red bell pepper (shaving the veg made it easier to prep and I liked the texture). This plan was approved by my doctor.

The fact that I made my Kickstarter goal (with a pound to spare!) is super exciting. Surprisingly, it’s not the most exciting thing to me. Whether this weight stays off or not, here is what I learned:

  • The Most Amazing Thing: I was rarely hungry. I am still shell-shocked by how this is possible. I get it – there are a lot of foods blended into the smoothies/juices, but I thought I needed more solid food to get by. I was satisfied after a juice or eating just a salad and an apple was the perfect snack. Note: I am totally NOT the “I’ll just have a salad” kind of gal.
  • Cravings? Not that bad. What whhhhaaaat? That’s right. I didn’t crave wine (shocking!). Or burgers. Or BBQ ribs. Or any kind of carbs. What did I want? Chicken. All of the chicken. I looked it up and no surprise, it means I likely need more iron (and also Zinc).
  • I have a greater sense of control. Maybe it’s because over the last four days I’ve just gotten used to saying in my brain “I don’t eat that”? I’m not sure. But this last week I've had an unusually packed social calendar, which included a kid's birthday and today there’s a retirement party at work. Food items that have been literally in my face and that I’ve turned down: Bacon & Eggs, ham, pizza, cheese puffs, Salt & Vinegar chips, cake, ice cream, chicken, tacos, chocolate croissants, bagels & cream cheese & more cake. It’s not that I wouldn’t have turned most of that down before I started my juicing journey, but I usually don’t have so many temptations in front of me and I probably would have failed more than I succeeded.
  • Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. On Day 3, I watched the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. The entire film was eye-opening, but there was one thing in particular that got to me. Almost every person interviewed immediately said the same thing about juicing: I could never do that. They said it without even trying or giving it a second thought.

 

I'm not saying juicing is for everyone, but here's my point: If we stop and think about all the things we have accomplished and/or will accomplish over the course of our DietBets, it's really quite remarkable. There are so many inspirational people on DietBet and so many people who I watch and think: Wow! It's nothing short of amazing to see where they started and where they are now! If we had started our journey thinking progress wasn't possible, none of us would succeed. I hope you give yourself credit for your successes and what you're capable of. I'm guilty of not doing that enough, but will officially ban: "I could never do that," from my vocabulary.

Even though I planned to follow a modified juicing plan for just three days, I’m looking forward to continuing for the next few weeks and adding whole foods back in (of the micronutrient nature), then easing into lean proteins the next week.

Do you have any tips, suggestions, warnings or input about juicing and/or transitioning back from juicing? Feedback is greatly appreciated!