Juice Fast // Week 4

I'm on my final stretch this week. Thursday will be 30 days of my juice fast and all I can say is "allelujah!". Seriously, I'm ready to eat!!

Grocery List

4 bundles of curly green kale 

2 bundles of red kale
4 bunches of spinach

10 large carrots

1 celery bundle

3 bundles of red chard
2 bundle of (6) beets

5 cucumbers

2 pineapples

8 pears

8 yellow apples

10 red apples

8 green apples

8 oranges

10 lemons

*I had to buy a little more groceries than usual. I usually do my shopping on Tuesdays and then buy for a whole week. I didn't feel like going shopping yesterday, especially for only a few days worth. So, I did my usual shopping last Tuesday with enough food to get me to Sunday, then I went shopping again on Sunday and bought enough food to last me until Thursday. So this is a rough estimate of the combined shopping trips.

Energy

Energy has been stable. There hasn't been too many changes from my last update. I think my energy level has hit a great level and maintained that throughout my cleanse.

Skin/Hair

I would love to report nearing the end of my cleanse that my face looks clear and flawless, however it is not the case. Honestly, I had moments it was on the bounds of clearing up, but I think it's the stress of my job that is preventing my skin from clearing up. Last night work was so stressful and I went home with two new huge pimples. My hair and fingernails however have been great. My fingernails have not been breaking and are strong, which is amazing dispite this dry, cold weather we are having. My hair has been growing fast and healthy. The split ends I usually have, are not. My stylist was even amazed.

Sleep

Besides staying up to read some good books, I have been sleeping like a baby. The cleanse has definitely helped me get a good nights rest.

Mental Clarity

The beginning of last week I finally had a little bit of the "fog" everyone always talks about. I was a little sluggish, I had a slight headache and felt dizzy for about the first two days. After that, I went back to having clarity and feeling great.

Weight Loss
Can I just tell you that over last weekend I wore jeans. Now for some this is like what?! I hate jeans, even more so the last few months because I felt bloated and fat. I hated the way I felt in jeans and even if I put them on I would feel sick to my stomach about what other people saw when they looked at me so, I would take them off and wear my "go-to" leggings or yoga pant. Even the last few months I felt fat in. So my self-esteem has been low lately. But when I tried on a pair of straight leg jeans I loved wearing with sneaker wedges and they fit perfectly, I was beyond happy. I felt confident and my mom even complimented how slim I looked. I wore jeans the following day and the waist was falling down. I could not believe it! Thank you mother earth for green juice!

Overall

This past week has been harder with cravings and temptations. I will go more into depth next week as I review my whole juice cleanse, but I have no idea how the guy from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead did it for 60 days. Honestly, I don't think you should. The cravings I have now are not for junk foods or random cravings. I believe my body is telling me "It's time to actually eat something!". I really wanted to accomplish my goal of 30 days, which I will, but I think 30 days is too long. I think if people want to do a long fast 2 weeks is a great length and you will receive all the benefits. Next week I will put up a post of how to do your own juice cleanse, my final results and conclusions and other tips on doing a juice cleanse, so make sure to follow!

I thought I would also share my favorite drinks from the week. I would definitely recommend these. Each juice I make is roughly 2 cups worth. 

Tropical Green Juice

1/2 of a large cucumber

1 green apple

2 stacks kale
3-4 bunches/handfuls of spinach
1/2 pineapple 

*My version of a green juice piña colada

Two more days to go. Hope everyone has a great rest of their week, and don't forget to read my other update posts.

Juice Fast // Week 3

OMGosh I can not believe I've made it through three weeks. I still have two more to go and I'm so anxious to start my raw lifestyle. As promised it is Wednesday and here is my weekly update!

Grocery List

2 bundles of curly green kale

2 bundles of red kale
2 bundles of lacinato (dinosaur) kale
3 bunches of spinach

4 lbs of carrots

1 celery bundle

2 bundles of red chard
1 bundle (3) of beets

6 cucumbers

1 pineapple core

7 pears

7 yellow apples

7 red apples

8 green apples

8 oranges

10 lemons

*I swear Whole Foods is always out of some essential item I need. They usually have a stack of large carrots for $1 a pound, but they were cleaned out, so I had to buy bagged up ones, which were smaller and I had to use more in my juicer. Otherwise Whole Foods is the my favorite place to buy produce. They usually have a great variety and it's organic. Total side note but on the news today they said the average length an apple is at the grocery store is 14 months! yikes, buy organic people they don't have that waxy preservative to keep them longer. yuck!!

Energy

My energy continues to improve. It's still hard to wake up in the morning, but once I roll my lazy butt out of bed and wake up a little bit, I'm awake. Like really awake, ready to conquer the day awake. I also have not taken any naps on my days off. This is crazy ladies and gents. Usually my day off is crash day and I take a huge long nap and hate myself for it. No such thing this week. I caught myself yawning a few times at work over the week, but I think I'm falling into too much of a routine at work. I need a change. 

Skin/Hair

Ok, I hate to potential curse myself, but my skin is clearing up. My mom looked at me the other day and said "your skin is starting to look better". I felt like the clouds had parted and angels were singing. I'm still waiting until the end of my cleanse to determine if I still want to go to the dermatologist like my mom keeps suggesting. I hope by the end of my fast/cleanse my skin is clear and flawless. Is that really too much to ask?!

Sleep

My sleep is still amazing, well kinda. I feel like I don't need as much. So at times I sit up at night with energy still. I guess my body doesn't need as much "rest & digest" time as before. I'm still getting great sleep and have no trouble falling sleep either. 

Mental Clarity

This is probably mood, rather than mental clarity, but I have felt great. At work, which 9/10 I dread going to has been better. At work I usually get frustrated, tense and stressed very easily and I keep all this bottled up to give that friendly appearance. So usually by the end of the night I'm drained, I can feel my heart pounding and the muscles in my neck and back tight. This past week was crazy I was cheerful and positive and had no worries. I went about my job calmer and felt relaxed doing it. Although I say this is mood, it is also mental clarity because I see things in a new light now. 

Weight Loss
I feel my body has stayed relatively stable from last week. I can't believe how flat my stomach is and the lack of bloat. My arms look thinner and I look toned, even though my activity has been light. I'm waiting for the fat to melt off of my thighs. Whoever passed on the wonderful gene of fat thighs down the family tree is gonna hear from me in the next life. I'm ever so slightly a girl dreaming of a thigh gap, only because I know my body type could have one. However any weight I gain goes directly to the old thighs. Oh mother nature why do women have to have so many problem areas. 

Overall

So my week started with my mom flinging down a fitness magazine telling me to read the article inside. The article bashed juice cleanses stating they were unhealthy. It went on to say it can lead to dehydration, kidney problems and lack of nutrients and vitamins. One thing, I'm not sure how a juice full of fruits and veggies doesn't have nutrients and vitamins and how drinking fluid throughout the day leads to dehydration. It is recommended to drink at least 8 oz of water with or after each juice along with regular water intake, which I have been pushing myself to do. My mom's other big concern protein. She gave me the concerned mother speech, which I so lovely hate. I decided to please her with adding additional protein to my drinks. I say additional because yes most fruits and vegetables have protein in them, kale and spinach being some of the top. I added chia seeds to some of my juices along with melted coconut butter. Let me just tell you how freaking flavorful coconut butter is. Seriously this juice cleanse has made my taste buds 10x stronger! Unfortunately, what I'm thinking is the fat in the coconut butter did not sit well with me or my digestive system. After that I refocused and remembered one of the main reasons a juice fast is so effective, it allows the digestive system to rest. So I stopped using the coconut butter that day and cut the chia seeds out thereafter. I have no concerns with my protein or nutrient intact and will continue to do what I have been doing with one exception. On week three I added one thing. Yourtea Tiny Teatox. I have seen this all over instagram and thought it would aid in my cleanse and detoxification. So far I love it, especially since it may be the cause of my clearer skin. I will do a review soon. 

I thought I would also share my favorite drinks from the week. I would definitely recommend these. Each juice I make is roughly 2 cups worth. 

Lean Green Juice

1/2 of a large cucumber

1 green apple

2 stacks kale
3-4 bunches/handfuls of spinach
1 large handful of green grapes

*This is a super yummy green drink. It's refreshing and has a little sweetness that will quench your appetite. 

Love Potion Juice

1 beet

1 red apple

1 large carrot
2-3 bunches/handfuls of spinach
1 slice ginger

*I love this drink, not only because its bright red, but it tastes delicious. I could have beet juice all day long.

Have your done a juice cleanse/fast before? I'm curious other peoples results. && if you have a favorite juice I would love to know your combinations! Hope everyone is doing well, don't forget to follow for future updates. 

Morning Orange Juice

Good Monday morning! Mondays area weird, especially for me. Some weeks I hate them like the rest of the world and other week, like this week its a beacon of hope. Why? Well I don't work a normal work week like the majority people. I just finished working over the weekend so this week Monday means one more day until Tuesday, my day off! Either way mornings can suck. While doing my juice cleanse one of my favorite juices has been the one I make in the morning. I posted this combination in my Week One update post, but I wanted to share it again. I have always felt like orange juice was a breakfast juice. Why I feel that way I don't know. The only other time I drink orange juice is when I'm sick. I seriously drink OJ like nobodies business when I start to feel a cold coming on. So much so, I feel like my teeth will rot out by the end of the day. Hey, it's been the way I've stopped some sicknesses died in their tracks. Gotta love that vitamin C. I hope you like this juice. It has such a yummy orange taste, like a raw dreamsicle. Have a good Monday morning and I hope this brings a ray of sunshine to your day!

Morning Orange Juice

1 extra large carrot or 2 medium sized carrots

1 yellow apple

1 orange

Place fruits && veggies in a juice and enjoy!