2012

It has definitely been awhile since I logged in, but I figure I can just start where I left off.

The things I accomplished in 2011:
I lost 22 pounds since July of 2011

I quit smoking since November 14 2011.

I made it thru my first Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve hanging out with smokers and staying smoke free. I can't explain how long it has been since I made it thru a holiday season without smoking... maybe since I was 15??? It's been awhile considering I am now 36.

I have incorporated making and drinking fresh vegetable and fruit juices into my every day life. I have also tried to keep a lot of raw fruits and vegetable in my diet and try new foods that fall into that category.

I made it thru the holiday season without gaining any weight (and remember I quit smoking too). This was the major factor that I was concerned about. I didn't want to gain any of the weight I lost due to quitting smoking. I am very proud of myself for this one.


So all of this brings me right into 2012. I have managed to stay free of my largest beast of burden - smoking. I have tried to quit MANY times before, but this time I think I have got it down pat. Since I don't have my bad habit of smoking to concentrate on I have started searching for different things to spend my time and thoughts on regarding myself.

Part of my weight loss goals last year dealt with the fact that I am 36 and on prescribed high blood pressure medicine. I don't like that at all. My first goal to reduce my blood pressure was to quit smoking. So far, so good. I also lost the weight to help with this factor. I have been off my medication (of my own accord and I'm sure my doctor would be angry with me) for the past few months. I have taken my blood pressure periodically and it is always on that borderline between normal and high blood pressure. I am ready to take more action to correct my blood pressure.

I have researched using vegetable juices to heal yourself for various health issues when I started incorporating them into my diet. I tried to start a juice fast on my own last Monday and had an epic fail when I came home from work and made chicken tacos. After that I looked into group supported juice fasts and found one through a website I have been following... radiance central.com. I signed up for the 10 day juice fast. I immediately started freaking out about it. Any and every little thing I could worry myself about started taking over. I went to work to talk to a friend about it and she had heard that her church was doing a fast as well and showed me the website. She said she would do her fast with them to help support me. I gained a little confidence about my decision at that point. After talking to my coworkers all day and letting them know I would be fasting and might be a bit cranky or under the weather, another co worker told me she had a juicer that she recieved as a gift and never used in the past two years. I make my juices in a blender and strain them through a cloth produce bag. The revelation of the free borrowed juicer was extraordinary. I can't express how grateful I am that I get to use this juicer. It will save me ALOT of time during my juice fast. At that point I realized I needed to stop whining and get on with it. Everything in the world was telling me this was something that I need to do in my life.

Tonight is the night before the official 10 day juice fast begins. I have never done anything of this magnitude in my life. Last year after Mardi Gras I felt so under the weather I embarked on a water/vegetable broth fast that lasted about 4 days. That took a considerable amount of effort on my part, but I did it. I will be drinking vegetable juices for 10 days, no solid food, no meat, no dairy.

Along with this fast you have a 3 day pre-fast diet and a 3 day post-fast diet. The pre fast consisted of no meat and no dairy. I am on the last night of my 3 day pre fast and have already learned some things about myself. I had already pretty much given up pork since dieting started last July - not for any specific reason, but because I just lost the taste for it. During my pre fast I have had no problem staying away from meat. Yes meat is a convenience, it is every where and in everything that is convenient. This includes fast foods, grocery store salad bars, and my own refridgerator. However, it is not something that I have been craving on my pre-fast and my appetite can be easily shushed by eating fruits, veggies, grains, etc. The no dairy part of the pre-fast has been a bit harder for me. I have stayed dairy free, but I like milk... I like butter... I use them both alot in my every day diet. The butter I can substitute with olive oil for the most part. The milk, cheese, sour cream, yogurt - there is no replacement for - but I have managed to work around them.

I also learned during my pre fast that I am ok with just drinking juice for breakfast. Some time between lunch and dinner I get crazy hungry and want to stuff everything in my mouth. I wait too long between meals and end up in this same position every weekend. I know better, but I just keep finding myself here. I have to take steps to aviod this during my juice fast. I need to always be prepared and have things to turn my attention to when I start looming out of control.

One final thing that I have started this year is returning to the Couch to 5K program that is available online. My treadmill broke at the end of 2011 and I have had to take my workouts outside. Every other day I walk/run approx 30 minutes. I downloaded the app for this program and have used it to help me along with these workouts. So far everything is going good on that end.

I also want to write about how I am hoping this juice fast will get rid of my psoriasis. I have a patch of psoriasis on the lower back part of my scalp that is probably the same size as the palm of my hand. It doesn't sound like much, but for the past 20 years it has itched like crazy... constantly... it is a constant shadow in my mind. It itches, do I itch it? If I do I will have flakes on my collar, how long can I go without itching? I have tried MANY remedies and there is only one constant with psoriasis - there is no cure for it. I even went to the extreme of getting injections every month in my scalp of steroids. That actually got rid of it for a long period of time (maybe 6 months or so) but it returned after discontinuing the injections and is still with me today. I have read that many have gotten rid of their psoriasis by starting with a juice fast and changing thier diet. That is another reason I am taking this journey.

Tomorrow starts the first day of my ten day juice fast. I am excited, I am nervous, and I am reluctant to learn all the good and bad things that are hidden in the back of my head by going without solid food for so long. I am not looking forward to sugar and caffiene withdrawls, but they are something that must be dealt with during the fast. My goals for this juice fast are to find a solution for my psoriasis so that I can remove it from my body, and reduce my blood pressure and implement a new diet into my life to sustain normal blood pressure.

My plan is to set up my yearly doctor's appointments at the beginning of February to see how I have progressed since last year at this time.

I want to continue to move forward on this journey and embrace all the changes and struggles that come along with it.