We All Get Older, We Don't All Get Grown.

Today I decided to visit some friends in Orange County, so I packed up my juicer and headed up.  I felt like Joe Cross in the documentary haha.  Once I got up there I bought all the veggies I needed for the weekend from Sprouts.  It was cool explaining to everyone why I'm doing this and the encouraging response from everyone.  We headed up to LA to check out the Griffith Observatory and afterwards everyone as hungry, so they stopped at Taco Bell.  I sat there in the car with a cup of water while everyone chowed down on their Double Deckers and Chalupas.  It smelled good, but I just closed my eyes and said a quick prayer and got through it.  Looks like I can see my physical, mental, and spiritual goals are already  being put to the test.

Juicing Recipe of the Day:

• Honeydew Melon!

Once again, today was pretty normal.  In fact, I think that I may not be drinking enough juice.  I got so busy that I didn't think about eating and just wasn't hungry.  I definitely need to fix that because i'm sure it's not healthy at all.  I did crave mexican in the evening though.  I just wanted something to snack on like tortilla chips and salsa.  I had to remind myself I can't do that and then I was fine.

Oh and I did something pretty stupid too...I watched an episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.  All the food looked so good!  But it actually really wasn't much of a temptation because i'm committed to this and going to see it through.  34 more days just seems like a ridiculously long time away though.  So, like any goal, I decided to break it up into smaller, more achievable goals.  All i'm worried about now is to get to Day 10 and then i'll worry about Day 20 after that.  Good plan, I think.

Juicing Recipe of the Day:

• 1 Apple
• 3 Carrots
• Pineapple (i used a whole one)
• Ginger (optional)

This blog is going to get pretty boring if all days were like today.  Maybe I should track my weight or something, so at least I can write about my results.  But today was just like any ordinary day, except instead of solid food, I drank juice.  I felt energized, normal, and haven't really had any cravings.  I can be around people eating other food now, without having to walk away, so that's a big step.

I think my goal for tomorrow is to be a little more active with my day.  Maybe go for a run or something.  That might make this a little authorized challenging.  Some friends of mine are doing a 10 day fast and it sounds like they are drinking juice every 2 hours...if that's how i'm supposed to do it, then i'm screwed.  I usually drink about 3 or 4 16-20oz glasses of juice a day and lots of water.  I might start adding flavorless protein to some of my juice as well...that'll keep me buff right?

Juice Recipe of the Day: Cantaloupe & Carrot

• 1/2 Cantaloupe
• 4 Carrots

From what I learned about this process, I went into today knowing that it was either going to be the most difficult day of this whole adventure or much better than yesterday.  I'm pleased to announce that it was MUCH better than yesterday.  Unlike the past 2 days, I woke up with energy and a will to get stuff done.  If it keeps getting better from here on out then i don't see this being a huge struggle for me at all.  I even got in a little core workout.  I still had some hunger grumbles throughout the day, but that's my own fault.  I wanted to finish whatever it was that I was doing before making a fresh batch of juice.  I think if I drink more water than that will keep me satisfied longer too.

My only obstacle I had to overcome was at bible study tonight.  Someone brought some secret recipe, homemade mac-n-chesse and I wanted to get down.  But instead I kept my head down and walked right past the food table.  I couldn't escape the smell though, haha!  I told most of the people there what I was doing it and I got some familiar negative reactions, but this one girl was really positive about it.  She just let me know that if I allow it, this experience is going to bring me so close to God.  I hope so.  i think that would be pretty rad.  Also, I realized my default answer to people when they ask me why i'm doing it is, "I don't know".  The problem is that I do know.  But maybe I'm afraid of being told those are dumb reasons, i don't know.  Either way, today was a good day and i'm looking forward to trying new recipes tomorrow!

Juice Recipe of the Day: "What Was Left In The Fridge"
So I wanted to make another batch of ABC, but I ran out of apples.  So instead I mixed a bunch of veggies that I had left over and came up with a pretty tasty juice.

• 2 beets
• small bag of carrots
• 1 granny smith apple
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 cucumber
• 1 lemon w/ half of the rind left on

HARDEST DAY SO FAR...BY FAR.

I've been hungry all day and had cravings for food I don't really ever eat.  I fatigued, have a headache, and disheartened.  37 more days of this?!  I started to doubt that I could do it.  After praying and spending some time in the word, I felt better, but it was still hard.  Luckily I saw that Dr. Joel Fuhrman program the other day because I learned that I'm going through the process called "Toxic Hunger" (if you're interested read this article I found: http://toyourhealthnutrition.blogspot.com/2010/02/toxic-hunger-main-cause-of-obesity-by.html)

Basically, what i'm having is toxic food withdrawals.  It's not that i'm really experiencing true hunger, it's just that I am having withdrawals from going cold turkey on the foods that I used to eat.  Mmmm Turkey, haha jk!  Think of it this way, if a heroin addict stops doing heroin just out of the blue, they are going to have withdrawals that are going to suck.  Same thing happens when you stop your addiction to food.  Actually knowing this helps, but today still sucked.  I just laid in bed all day and watched movies because TV has way too many food commercials.

Here's some texts I sent to my friend tonight:

• Text #1 @ 5:32 pm: "My first meal will be, but not limited to: rolled tacos, chicken enchiladas, pizza, in-n-out, onion rings, nachos, rice, and hot wings.  Can you plan this feast please?
• Text #2 @ 5:45ish pm: "and cupcakes and ice cream."
• Text #3 @ 7:05 pm: "and a tostada"

Today was a lot tougher then yesterday, but still manageable.  My stomach grumbled a little, but I kept telling myself this will pass and it will get easier.  My energy tank feels like its on empty and I felt lazy all day and didn't really want to do much.  I got my haircut today and told my stylist what I was doing and she thought I was crazy.  She shaved a Breville Juicer into the back of my head to give me inspiration.  I didn't even ask her to do that, what a jerk!  Juuuust kidding, but she did think it sounded crazy.  Her daughter eats gum that she finds from under tables though, so don't hate.

One lesson I learned today is that I need to stay prepared.  I need to keep my fridge stocked with fruits and vegetables, or else i'm going to starve.  I went on a hike with a friend at Mission Trails in the late afternoon.  In the back of my mind, I hoped I wouldn't pass out because of my lack of food... that would've been pretty embarrassing.  But it was easy, I had all the energy I needed and then some.  The last time I tried a week-long juice fast, I tried to do a couple crossfit workouts as well...BAD IDEA.

Juice Recipe of the Day: "Mean Green"

• 1 bunch of Kale
• 4 stalks of celery
• 1 cucumber
• 2 granny smith apples
• 1/2 lemon (i used a whole)
• Ginger root (thumb size)

Today was pretty easy actually.  I wasn't really that hungry all day and when I was it was manageable.  I originally planned to start on Monday, but I figured why not just do it now.  I didn't need an extra day to "splurge" before I started my fast.  So many people say, "oh yeah, i'm starting next week" and then they never do it or they struggle even more because of eating so unhealthily the day before.  I figure if i'm gonna make a life change, I might as well start today.  I know it was a good decision, but I don't think I could've picked a worse day to start.

Sunday = football, beer, and bad food.  I started craving all those things, simply because I couldn't have it.  You know the saying, "you always want what you can't have".  Well, I must be the perfect example of someone like that.  I got two last minute tickets to the Chargers/Titans game but ultimately decided not to go because I guarantee that I would have started my fast over tomorrow.  The social aspect of this whole thing is going to be difficult.  One thing I didn't realize is how much commercials and TV shows advertise or revolve around food!  It's RIDICULOUS.  I had to walk away from watching football multiple times.  Oh and another thing I didn't really take notice to before, but EVERYONE posts pics of their delicious looking food on Instagram.  I seriously have to monitor my use of IG big time.

During halftime I stopped watching the Raiders/Dolphins game and went to my room to lay down.  I started flipping through the channels and when I got to KPBS, I noticed a familiar person doing some sort of educational programming.  It was Dr. Joel Fuhrman who I recognized from the documentary Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead talking about nutrition, health, and pretty much exactly what I was trying to accomplish.  This was perfect for me because I learned about what my body will be going through during these next 40 days and it encouraged me, as well as gave me a heads up for the obstacles that will soon come.

Lastly, I went to church which was good because it got my mind off of myself and more on God.  I was pretty out of it though.  Everything seemed fuzzy and slower, but my sense of hearing felt enhanced for some reason.  I could've also been the Norco I had to take for my elbow and knees on an "empty" stomach.  Either way, I made it home safe :)

Juice Recipe of the Day: "ABC's"

• 1 Apple
• 2 Beets (trimmed)
• 3 Carrots