[Cattrix]

Happy New Year Leeney, and Everyone! Sorry this so late, the start to 2012 has been far busier than I expected.

Wow those are really true words, if you don't buy it, it's not around to tempt you.

[Leeney]

I start each day with a green smoothie. In it I put lots of leafy greens and as much fruit as I want to give me the taste I'm after. I started out using lots of fruit, but now I like the taste of 'green' and often put only one or two fruits in. I find that if I start the day this way, I do not have cravings throughout the day.

[MonicaC]

So happy to see your post Leeney. I like the idea of a smoothie, what type of greens do you use and what is your quantities? I did a apple banana orange with a tablespoon of coconut oil to my 1 cup of water and it was quite delicious and like to have other breakfast alternatives. Love and Light to you dear leeney.

[karolinakat]

Sounds healthy Leeney!

[Leeney]

Monica, I like to vary my greens. Some of my favorites are spinach, kale, baby bok choy, parsley, cilantro, chard and Romaine. I usually fill up the Vitamix with greens and then add some fruit and about 2 cups of water or green tea. It make about a quart and I drink it throughout the morning. If I have a scheduled workout, I might add some nutritional yeast or other protein powder to the last 1/3 of my smoothie and save it until after the workout.


If you are just starting out with green smoothies, Monica, just add a few leaves of the greens of your choice to your usual fruit smoothie. You won't even taste it.

Oh, and if you have a regular blender, don't try the kale.

[MonicaC]

Hi Leenie, will try more items to my morning smoothie. Good way to get in your allotment of veggies. I try not to put too much fruit as I am trying to make a low sugar smoothie. I like celery, cucumber and an apple or some berries. It was quite filling and a great way to have something filling. I always need filling as I like to feel full. Thanks for sharing your morning recipe. Love and Light.

[MonicaC]

Leenie, fill us in on how maintenance is going for you? You are our goal reached star so give us some inspiration tips. Hugs to you. Love and Light as well.

[Leeney]

Just an update for those of you still hanging around. In another week, I am beginning a new phase in my eating program. I have decided after much deliberation to do a juice feast for 30 days. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it is subsisting on nothing but juices made from raw, organic fruits and vegetables. The calorie count will be in the normal range, so it is not a fast, but all of those calories will be in liquid form. My motivation for doing this is to give my body a rest from its digestive workings. Absorbing nutrients from juice is so much easier on the digestive system than what we're usually used to. I hope to improve health conditions along the way, like some arthritis and skin conditions, and fine tune my metabolism. If I were to drop another few pounds, that would be ok too! I have studied this carefully and am going into it with a lot of online support from another group, but would welcome your support as well. Mr. Wonderful is leaving for a couple of months and riding across the country on his bicycle. He leaves this weekend, and that is why I chose this time to do my juice feast. The down side of this, of course, is that he won't be around to lend his support!

I will keep you posted on my progress.

[Cattrix]

Well that is kinda cool! I'm not sure I could do it as I don't care for juice that much. Good Luck and I hope it works well for you.

Hey Leeney, I ate a salad! *laughing* There must have been something in the romaine lettuce I needed, because, I didn't cook my lettuce this time, I ate it raw, with just a slight smudging of a homemade vinagar mayo and herbs dressing. I put a lot of black pepper on it, I was craving black pepper. I mean Who Craves Black Pepper??

And it was Good! but, I was freezing cold after I ate it though.

I really am trying Leeney, to eat more raw foods, because I know you are right, raw food is good for you.

But it's so cold... most of it is. ew.

[Leeney]

Oh, Cat, I have to douse Mr. Wonderful's salad with black pepper!

Maybe this summer you could go wild and crazy and try a few more raw things!

[MonicaC]

Hi Leeney, I am eager to hear how you find the juicing and what concoctions you will come up with. How exciting. I have read a lot of positive things about juicing as a way to heal the body so will love to know how you find it.
Thanks for always sharing your adventure with us. Love and Light.

[Leeney]

I did a trial run yesterday and everything went fine. I was surprisingly not hungry. I also noticed that I consumed lots less water than I ordinarily would. I had cantaloupe juice for breakfast mixed with some coconut water, a green juice for lunch, and one with carrots, beets and fruit for dinner. We're talking large quantities of juice here!

[MonicaC]

Congrats Leeney on your new juice feast program. I know that you will carefully monitor how you feel on it and adjust accordingly. I am excited for you. 30 days sure go by fast. Love and Light. Keep us posted.

[Kaylagal]

Dearest Leeney,

Hope your juicefeasting is giving you the health benefit you are after. Just wanted to let you know I was thinking about you.

Rhonda

[Leeney]

After spending so much time planning for this juice feast, studying, setting up my kitchen...and getting rid of the dh, heh, heh...day one seems almost anticlimatic! But I’m excited to begin this new phase of my life. So it was a difficult birth you might say, but the baby is fine.

For some reason, maybe because it seems like November outside, I slept in this morning. I’m usually up around 4:30 or 5:00 which is wonderful because then by 8:00 I feel like I’ve got half a day’s work done! I took my weight, measurements and other stats so I can compare them week to week. I was a bit rushed, but made myself a wonderful juice with oranges, strawberries, pineapple and a bit of ginger. I packed about half of it to take to the gym with me and have after my workout and sauna.

Stopped on my way home to pick up my food co-op order and run some other errands. Lunch was tomato, spinach, daikon, mung bean sprouts, cucumber, and garlic. Yum.

Although I was feeling fine, I knew I was going to have to have more fruit for dinner so I could get my calorie count up. I just really like the taste of plain ole veggies! I spent the afternoon taking care of some things around the house, some stuff for work, and reading, and just got finished making my final juice of the day with pears, beets, carrots, celery and an orange.

I have to say I'm feeling pretty good. Remarkably clear headed, and my energy level seems good.

[Leeney]

Week #1 Results

Weight--down 5.7 pounds--@136.3
Waist---lost 1” @ 30
Hips--lost .5” @ 38
Body fat---down 3.8--@32.2
Body fat%--down 1.4%--@23.7%
BMI--down 1.2--@21.3

I have not been tempted at all by food this week. Yes, I’ve thought about it as I’ve driven past places I used to eat, or seen something in an add, but I’ve been letter perfect in my juicing this week and am pleased with the results.

Things started catching up to me today. I slept for 9 hours last night, but was still dragging this morning. I decided to skip the gym today, so I just stayed home and sat and read, guzzled fruit juices, and did some work on the computer. My brain felt fuzzy too. Not thinking really clearly. Could it be that I need more rest? I did go out this afternoon because I had a massage scheduled. Wow! It was just what I needed. I told my friend Michelle, who was doing the massage, what I was feeling and she gave me a wonderful relaxing hour. No working out muscle knots this time around. So this was my gift to myself for a week of juicing. I have next week’s gift all picked out already, but things change, so we’ll wait and see. I’m going to try to take it easy for the next couple of days and see what changes that brings.

So aside from the weight and measurement stats I posted on my first week, I’ve also noticed that: My sense of smell is incredible, mental clarity is improved...this one comes and goes, my complexion looks brighter, energy levels have been good...up until today, and I’m getting more adept at dealing with emotional issues as they come up. Can't wait to see what next week brings.

[MonicaC]

Leeney, congrats that is awesome results. One week down already. It is wonderful to hear of your new juicing journey. I finally am getting my new carpet put in downstairs. It is exciting to get this finally done. I saw a lady on tube who is at 73 rocking it healthy and she is a raw food vegetarian Her name is Mimi Kirk. I thought of you Leeney as such an inspiration for me. Thanks for sharing your wisdom. Love and LIght.

[Leeney]

Week 2 of my juice feast is done and although my measurements and weight haven’t dropped much, I’m pleased with the results. One of my main concerns is to reduce body fat, and that is happening and it is visible. My jelly belly looks significantly smaller and the love handles are getting harder to grab!




Weight - 135, a total drop of 7 pounds

Body fat - 31, total drop of 5

Body fat % -23%, down from 25%

BMI - 21, down from 22.5




My bone mass has stayed about the same and my body water content is slowly increasing which is something I was hoping for because I though I have always drunk a lot of water, it wasn’t always being absorbed at the cellular level. So this is another good thing.




I'm having some trouble pacing myself in my activity level. This is supposed to be a time for rest and recuperation for me, but I'm not used to being inactive and I've been trying to keep up my regular schedule and then feeling spent the next day. Well, it's a live and learn process.

[MonicaC]

Hi Leeney, Did you complete your juice feast program? How did it go? Did you miss solid foods? How did you transition back if you did. Love to hear your updates to get me going again. Love and Light.

[MonicaC]

Leeney, where are you? How are you doing? Miss you.