Day Forty

Sorry I've been gone. For once, it wasn't totally my fault.

First, I got sick on Christmas day. Not because I started eating again, but because some random stomach bug decided to hit and stick around for about four or five days. I'm feeling better now. Eating lots of veggies, fruits, nuts, and soy. I'll tell you one thing that really helped me get rid of the stomach flu was lemonade. Not crap fake lemonade. I had Jay get the stuff from Simply. It's just sugar, water, and lemons. It helped a lot and stopped the pain.

Lately, since the bug had gone, I've been eating cucumber, mushrooms, tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, and very little dairy. Some of it's cooked, some not. I do have to say, it's really hard to find faux cheese without casein in it: dairy protein. I don't want it, don't need it. And I'm trying tto understand why nondairy cheese has it at all? I get it with people who are lactose intolerant, but what about us who don't want dairy at all? Very annoying. I'm going to a vegan store on Tuesday; I hope they have straight soy cheese without any dairy anything.

This is a hard process, all in all. I can't seem to get away from the ranch dressing. I need a substitute to feel comfortable with. It's not that hate the oil dressings, but they're not so good for dipping. Little frustrating, that.

I also had a little... debate with someone about juice fasting. I get why people think it's not healthy. To say it's unhealthy because it deprives you of nutrients is just false though. To say it's potassium rich and low on protein? Sure, but those problems are easily solved by taking in some salt (like with broth) and by adding that plant protein I can never recall the name of. Done safely? It's fine. And I just really hate the term unhealthy, People throw it around too much. Is it healthy to take tons of pills with tons of side effects because some doc is getting paid to suggest them? Is it healthy to plug our foods with growth hormones? No, but we do it anyway. I think people need to really reevaluate what's really healthy. I for one, watched Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead; I watched two totally unhealthy and overweight men go from sick to not sick in a matter of sixty days. I've watched others do it. I've seen the youtube videos of people who completely changed their lives.

For some of us, a slow steady change from eating crap is ok. It works. It helps. But, for others? Sometimes we need a swift kick in the ass and total makeover for our eating plan to do it.

So please, quit telling me juice fasting in unhealthy. Many things are unhealthy.

Day Thirty-One

Ok, guys, today was great. Awesome, actually. Food is good. Good food is even better. I've been eating mostly raw, healthy and little dairy. and by little I mean a little cheese on my salad. Had a bocca burger with some pickles and mustard. That rocked.

I learned some things today, but before that: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I'm Buddhist, but I still celebrate. Because Christmas for me isn't about God or Jesus; it's about family (whoever that is for you), love, faith, and spreading goodness in the world. So, just want to get that out first.

I think a lot of people think when I say I'm going 'mostly' vegan that I mean I'm in it for animals. Let me be the first to say that I abhor the way animals are treated in the food industry (in general), but that's not my primary reason. I am doing it for me and Gary's health. My family's health if they're in for it. That's why I say 'mostly vegan'. What does that mean?

It means I can't afford completely organic or wholly vegan stuff. So, I'm still going to eat regular bread. Vegan bread is expensive, and so long as milk is the last listed thing? I'm good. My main concern is casein and animal protein in large doses. My goal is to avoid clogged arteries and cancer growth. and so far, I think I'm doing a fairly good job of that.

I really hope this helps someone like me. Someone who doesn't want to go really go veganish for just the animals, but for them. I know some people who are completely vegan are like, you're awful. Well, I don't care what you think. At least I'm not eating straight eggs, milk, and meat anymore, right? That's my point of view.

Anyway, I wanted to give you guys a post of some kind. Have a wonderful holiday and enjoy your family. Because--really--that's what this whole thing is about.

Day Thirty

I'm done with the fast! a full 30 days with no solids! And I celebrated the end of that fast with my wrap!

The Wrap!

I use romaine lettuce, mushrooms, fried tofu (firm and organic), tomatoes (sliced small), broccoli, and a little mozzarella cheese. It all went into a sun dried tomato and basil wrap. Super yummy. I loved it. I could taste everything; the newman's ceasar dressing I used was awesome too. No high fructose corn syrup and all natural flavors.

I also weighed myself today. I usually weigh anywhere from 150 to 160 depending if I'm on my period or not. I'm 145! And that's on my period. So, I'm kinda wondering what it'll be once I'm off. I'm so happy. At the very least I've lost 15 pounds (I usually weigh 160 on my period).

It's been about... 20 minutes since I ate the wrap. No stomach pains. So, good.

Oh! I went grocery shopping and bought an Amy's vegan pizza with soy cheese. I'll let you guys know how it is once I try it.

Overall? Awesome! I'm super happy.

Oh, Gary plans on breaking his fast tomorrow morning. I made him a wrap for work. ^^ I did forget the black olives though.... gonna have to pack those up on the side.

He had some back pain, but that's nothing new. Hopefully all will get better with the food we'll be eating now.

Thanks for reading and supporting, guy! Night!

Day Twenty-Nine

My day was boring. Boring as hell, peeps. Well, for the most part. I did go to the store, avoided the Public scale--again--and got a bunch of veggies and some tofu for Sunday night after midnight. I know most people who make videos of the their fast breaks will wait till the morning and eat an apple or something. Screw that, I'm eating at 12:01 in the morning. Yum.

I bought broccoli, cauliflower, celery (for mom--I hate it), romaine, mushrooms, cucumber ( I love that stuff), newman's ceaser dressing (it's all natural with no HF corn syrup), wraps, and a bunch of other stuff. It smells so good, especially the tomatoes. I bought four of those. I wish I could buy organic, honestly. But, organic is expensive most of the time. I really wish it wasn't. But, eating this way is still better than eating a bunch of greasy burgers on the dollar menu.

I'm really excited about checking my weight tomorrow. I'm not sure if I told you guys, but I fit back into my size 5 jeans that I love! When I bought these, I couldn't even get my thighs in them; now, they're a little loose on me. It rocks. I do have some muffin top coming over, but I'm ok with that because I know as I keep eating healthy and start working out I'll lose more gradually, slowly, and healthily.

I'm really proud of myself. I feel good, I'm eating better, and I feel more positive about my life.

Thanks for being apart of this with me. I probably won't post until after I eat my salad wrap tomorrow night. So, plan on a 1 AM post.

Day Twenty-Eight

Today... was a bit on the.... painful side. It sucked for a good many hours, trust me on that.

I get up today, go about my day a little bit, make my juice. For some reason I had to have a fruit juice, felt like I needed it. And then the cramps hit... hard. All over my lower back, abdomen, and the tops of my thighs. I've had my share of periods, but never have I had anything like this one. And there was no real cause for it to be this way. I'm honestly not sure if it's because of the fast, or something else. But, I'm gonna get it checked out if it happens again. Just in case it's not the fast.

But, I'm also telling you about this in case anyone else has the same problem and wants to know more about it. It could be an iron deficiency, sugar, ect. But... I'd see your medical professional. Do what you want, but that's just me. You don't want to find out much too late it's because of a bigger problem.

On another note, I have two days left. Pretty awesome. I think a harder part of this is still going to be Christmas Eve and Day. Even though I'm coming off the fast I still can't eat like a mammoth  Not that I do, honestly. But, I need to keep off the rich foods. I need to keep it light and ease back into other foods. I suppose I keep writing that here to remind myself how important it is.

Not sure.

Anyway, small post today. Thanks for reading and supporting me. Night!

Day Twenty-Seven

I sped through today, honestly. And not that this has anything to do with my juice fast, but I got some Christmas shopping done. All of it's done. Completely. We didn't spend a whole lot of money this year. I'm ok with that. While I love buying people things for the holidays, I enjoy knowing what it's really about. And everyone I bought for will appreciate the small things they got and love them.

My mother sent me a camera. A camera with a 26x optical zoom. I open the box, expecting like... something cute or small. Nope, it's probably a 300 dollar camera that retails at 1k. I look at this thing and I'm like... omg, wow. If you know me, and you know why this is such a wow.... Then you'll know. To make a long story short, my mom and I have had a little... not a falling out... we've just been on two sides of the fence for about a month because of incident I feel she completely neglected my feelings over. I'm not going to go into details here; and you know that's because I don't air my dirty laundry. I'm just explaining why I was wowed. Now, I don't feel guilty... but I know this is her way of apologizing. And it's an awesome gift. While I'm not as into photography as my mom... I love a good camera for cons and costuming pics. And damnit... now I have to call her. I wanted to wait till I saw her in person. But... with this gift... it just... UGH.

Anyway, enough about my personal life.

I've got a bag of healthy super awesome rosemary and garlic potato ships waiting for me in a bag by my bed. I can't wait to crack them open and eat a few after midnight Sunday. Kind of like my reward for doing so well on this fast thing. I'll be careful not to eat too many. I really can't stress how much I don't want to get sick.

Speaking of sick...

I honestly didn't realize I'd ever go to the store, look at junk food, and say, 'Ew.' But, I have been. I have zero desire to eat it. I've been craving nothing but healthy food for weeks. Apparently Gary has too. And I read about this a lot from other juice fasting blogs and forums. It's.... kinda awesome. I really don't want to go back to that kind of food. Especially when I go vegan completely.

I must sound like such a fanatic. Gary says I'm obsessed. I guess I am a little. I'm just happy, and I want to share that happiness with others (if they're interested).

Anyway, it was another great day. Love you guys, thanks for all your support, readership, ect.

Three days left!

Day Twenty-Six

Four days left. Man, it's going by faster than I imagined. I slept way too long today. I don't feel bad physically because of it, but I personally don't feel right about it. I need to make sure I get up earlier tomorrow. Which, is kinda hard when I stay up late. (Long term goal: Get to bed earlier; get up earlier.)

I have some new announcements today; ya know, besides being four days away from breaking my fast and moving into my (mostly) raw diet. (I should just say: essentially vegan diet.) Much of it stems from my night with Gary last night (he's feeling much better, by the way) and watching Forks Over Knives again. It really got me thinking... should I eat animal food products for the rest of my life? I know I can, but I also know that they can cause cancer, heart disease, and a whole slew of other problems in the long run.... should I?

My response, and Gary's, was a resounding no.

I've decided that my New Years Resolution will be to be completely vegan by the end of 2014 (and to exercise more, but we all try that--right?). This will be a major accomplishment for me (if I manage it). All my life I thought vegans and vegetarians were unhealthy. I was exposed to supposed ones and balked at their unhealthy skin, low energy, and (let's face it) dis-likable disposition because they were so against anyone eating meat---mostly because of animal treatment (I hate PETA, by the way). However, when I watched Forks Over Knives, I was exposed to an amazing MMA fighter who was a hard core vegan. His body was solid, his energy was high, and he looked happy. His recovery time was amazing, according to him. It was then I realized, like with most things, there is a wrong way to do something... and a right way.

I'm going to do this the right way.

Gary doesn't do soy products because it lowers testosterone. I'm a woman however; soy would be fine for me and very healthy. I could do it. I might end up missing cheese, but I won't miss meat. 'Cause, folks, let me tell you... Black beans look super yummy as a burger patty.

We talked about a lot last night. We made major decision about our future. Let me be clear though, this isn't about saving animals. It's about saving ourselves. It's about being healthy and mindful. Helping animals is just a bonus byproduct we're both happy to contribute to on another level.

Please don't be sad for me, those of you who think I'm crazy. Root for me, cheer me on, and wish me well. This is something I do for me and a better life. And I'm happy about it.

I hope that you keep reading, rooting, and wishing me well. And please don't miss out on my new blog for a sustained healthy life at Hooked On Healthy because this blog will eventually end in January when this diet goes to another level completely.