End of The Road

Well today is Day 30 - I've made it.  For the last 30 days I have been trying real hard to change my eating habits - as they were not the best.  My snacking was the biggest problem as chocolate is my downfall - BIG TIME.

Over the last 30 days I have had:-

No Alcohol (that was not hard)
No Coffee (that was sort of hard)
Very Little Sugar - when I did eat it I got major headaches
No Rice/Potatoes (not hard at all)
Lots of fresh fruit and vege
Lots of fruit and vege juices
Tried out new raw foods

Overall I have lost weight which is great - not a huge amount but enough for people to notice and enough for me to fit into clothes that I have not been able to for years.  And enough to make me feel a little more confident about my body image.

Your comments and messages have been so motivating and to know that I have also provided inspiration to others is just great.

As I continue on this journey I won't be blogging as much - as I am not a cook or have no inspiration when it comes to creating dishes in the kitchen.  So I can't post yummy recipes here that I have created - I do get my recipes from other sources (of which I always give credit to)

I will continue to juice for week long detox's and eat raw food (and some cooked)  but I will not fall back into my old habits of buying chocolate every time I visit the supermarket (which is every day)

But I do need to start exercising - I need a major kick up the backside to get me going.  And I will let you know when I stumble across some extra yummy recipes.

I have decided to concentrate a little more on my other blog which you can read here - I have been neglecting it....

Thanks for following me over the last 30 days - its been great.

Day 28

Missed posting yesterday due to the bad storms we had here in Queensland  - we were not badly affected like a vast majority of Queensland.  Thankfully we live on the 5th floor as the houses around us had water coming in to their homes.

This morning I started with a green smoothie - spinach/mango/water/banana.  Nice and bright green.

Lunch I had raw crackers with tomato which made a nice change from the last two days as we have been having my husbands yummy carrot and coriander soup.

For dinner we will have chicken (grilled) and cauliflower mash.

Feeling good so far

Pros and Cons of Summer Here In Oz

Well its week two of Listmaina and the prompt this week is to list five things I love about my current season and five things I could live without .  So as I live in Australia it is summer here.

Five Things I Love About Summer

1.  I love that I live five minutes from the beach and I have an amazing view when I go walking.

2.  The smell of cooking on the BBQ - the only thing that beats the smell of someone BBQ'ing is when my husband BBQ's.

3.  Eating healthy food and feeling lighter because I am doing so.

4.  Wearing maxi dresses and lovely flowy skirts - nice bright colours and feeling pretty.

5.  Drinking freshly squeezed juices and making yummy smoothies.


Five Things I Could Live Without During Summer

1.  Sweating - my job involves spending alot of time driving around in my car and visiting people in their homes - so I am in and out of my car all day.  So each time I get out of my car it gets hotter and hotter and becomes my very own mobile sauna - hence my pants stick to me, my shirt sticks to me and I feel like I am melting all day long.

2.  Storms - as we live in QLD we are prone to storms of varying degrees - like last night and today.  This is the radar last night.

3.  Getting dark so early on a summers night - I want day light savings, I love day light savings.  Bring it to QLD.

4.  Mosquitos - nothing worse than sitting outside at night time and a few hours later realise that you look like one big mosi bite.

5.  Sunburn - my husband I are usually very careful - but a few weeks ago we were at the beach and I had purchased the new clear spray on sun protection.  We were applying it at the beach and it was windy - so you guessed it we did not get even coverage - and boy did we pay for it the next week.

So what are the pros and cons of your season - where ever you are .  Link up here and join in Listmania.

Day 26 - What A Day

Today has been almost cyclonic conditions here on the Gold Coast - it has not stopped raining all day and the winds have become stronger by the hour- and they say the worst is yet to come.  Thankfully we live in an apartment on the 5th floor so we will not get flooded - but we have had to bring in some items from the balcony just in case they turn into flying missiles.  So stay safe if you are living in Queensland.

Breakfast today we had a great juice - I got the recipe from here - it was so good.

For lunch I convinced my husband to make his awesome Carrot & Coriander Soup - wow it was amazing.  It has carrots/coriander/chillis/ginger/onion/spinach/garlic and dried apricots and vege stock.  It was spicy and sweet at the same time.  And he made enough to feed an army.

Tonight for dinner we are having chicken - I can smell it cooking now - it smells like the Middle East in my kitchen as the recipe has cardamon in it - which is a popular spice which the arabic use primarily in their coffee - of which I am not a fan but I do love the smell.

Day 25 - Wet and Windy

Image courtesy of a google search

Happy Australia Day to all my Australian readers - hope you have all had a great day.  Unfortunately here on the Gold Coast it is pouring with rain and windy, so most of the celebrations here have been moved indoors.  We were planning on a beach weekend but I don't think thats going to happen.

This morning I had a white egg omelette with tomatoes and mushrooms in it - bit of a change from a juice/smoothie.  But it did keep me going for a long while.

Lunchtime I made us a smoothie:  spinach/cacao powder/tahini/rice milk/frozen banana - yummo...

So how did we spend our wet Australia day - we have been watching the new series of Greys Anatomy (my fav) and Revenge - not very Australian, but what else to do on a wet rainy day.

Tonight we will have steak (my first bit of red meat in three weeks - so I really think that I need some) and some sweet potato chips.

So how did you spend your Australia Day????

Day 24 - Feeling Much Better

Thank goodness today I have woken and feel much better.  Certainly feel like I have much more energy anyway and the headache has gone.

Today I did not eat breakfast as I was fasting for blood tests - so after the test I snacked on some of the Quintos that I spoke about in a previous post.  I got home about lunch time and made a Jason Vale Smoothie - with rice milk, tahini, manuka honey, cacao powder and a banana.  Wow what a fantastic combination of flavours - it tasted like a chocolate peanut butter banana milkshake - really it did.  But a little sweet.  Try it.

I spent the afternoon making cacao balls - this is where I get my chocolate fix from, and they don't send me on a sugar high like the processed chocolate bars do.  And then I cut up all my bananas to put in the freezer - I use these for smoothies.

Tonight we are going to go out for dinner to a local Vietnamese restaurant that we found a few weeks ago.  I have the menu so I have already chosen what I will have.

1)  Tofu Roll - Rice Paper
2)  Green Papaya Salad

At least I know I can go out for dinner and find some healthy food.  So I'll let you know what its like.

Oh PS:  I have a flourless orange cake in the oven - hope it turns out ok.

Day 23 - Ketosis

Woke this morning and felt sooooo tired - I could have slept on for the day.  Thankfully I did not have a big work load today.  As while I was visiting a client I began to feel like I could not function.  Have not felt this tired for a long time.

So I took myself off the the Doctors as in the past I have been B12 deficient so thought I should get some bloods done again.  But on a urine dipstick she told me that I was in Ketosis and as there was no sugar showing in my urine she turned to me and said "You are starving".  I certainly do not look like I am starving but obviously am in Ketosis.

The definition of Ketosis is:  Ketones build up when the body needs to break down fats and fatty acids to use as fuel. This is most likely to occur when the body does not get enough sugar or carbohydrates.

So this could explain why I am feeling this way.  I would be interested to know if anyone else on a juice fast is in Ketosis.

What did I eat today:  Green Smoothie for breakfast.  Kitz Crackers with tomato and a small tin of salmon in springwater.  Dinner was cajun grilled chicken with coleslaw (homemade).

So lets hope I wake and feel better tomorrow.

Listmania One - Currently I Am

I can't live my life without lists as my memory is like a sieve with really big holes, I go everywhere with lists of all sorts.  So when I found Listmaina created by Deb from  Home Life Simplified via a blog from IBOT - which is the acronym for I Blog on  Tuesdays - I thought that this was right up my alley.  So each week I will add in a Listmania Post.  So this weeks List is:

Currently I Am:

Reading:  Trailing by Kristen Louise Duncombe - this is the blurb about the book taken from Amazon

Recently graduated American psychotherapist Kristen Louise Duncombe moves to New Orleans to begin her work life, but those best laid plans go awry when she meets and falls in love with an Argentinian doctor.  They marry and end up overseas because he works with the Doctors Without Borders (in French Medecins Sans Frontieres).  They make their first home in Nairobi, Kenya, then move to Uganda and finally to Paris.

I love these sorts of books as I have lived in the Middle East so I enjoy hearing and reading about others adventures.

Listening To:  My washing machine - just put a load of washing on, and the birds churping outside

Laughing At:  Simon Baker making Kookaburra Noises on the Ellen Show

Swooning Over:  Still swooning over Novak Djokovic taking his shirt off after his tennis match the other night.

Planning:  to take a holiday sometime soon

Eating Lots Of:  Fruit and veges as part of my 30 day juice/raw food journey

Feeling:  the worst I have in a long while - so tired today that I feel like I can barely function (except to write this list)

Discovering:  new recipes and foods as I try to become healthy

Looking At:  the threatening grey clouds outside hoping for a storm tonight

Wearing:  A pair of black pants that are almost two sizes to big for me now and that makes me happy

Cooking:  Cajun coated chicken on the BBQ tonight

Wondering:  If tomorrow morning I will wake up and feel like running a marathon

Trying Out:  My first  Personal Training Session next week - oh dear I'm in trouble well my body will be anyway.

Well there you go List One complete - how about creating yours and sharing it on Listmania

Day 22 - Discovered New Gadgets

Well it was weigh day today - so I reluctantly stood on the scales expecting a BAD result - but I was the same as last week, which I suppose is a good thing.  I have been slowly adding food to my diet as well as still juicing/making smoothies - and I have not been exercising (bad I know) so its pretty good really.  Over the last three weeks I have lost a total of 3.2kg (7lbs) so I am happy with that result as I think losing a little at a time means that hopefully it will stay off - and they do say that 1kg a week is about right.  Exercise will feature in my routine next week.

Speaking of exercise when I was at the Food and Wine Expo over the weekend I entered a competition to win a months free personal training - well I got the phone call today - and no I didn't win but they offered me a weeks free personal training as well as being able to take a weeks worth of classes.  So my first session is on Feb 4th - hopefully this will kick start me in the right direction - might very well kill me but lets hope not.

Started the morning with a bit of a naturally sweetened smoothie:  rice milk/banana/cacao powder/dates - so it was a bit like a chocolate milkshake and oh so yum.  Got the recipe from the lovely Robyn at Girl On Raw from her book Smoothies and Juices for Newbies..

Then I snacked on some chocolate at about lunchtime and now I am suffering - headache, dizzy, and overall feeling like rubbish - so removing the sugar from my diet really is a good thing.  So no more!!!!!

Made another smoothie which was really nice and made heaps to - so I have saved some for later.  Water/banana/blueberries/avocado/spinach and some Coconut Magic's Coconut Oil - this really is the best coconut oil I have tasted- I use it for all sorts of things.

Tonight for dinner we will have homemade coleslaw and grilled chicken.  But the cool thing for me is that I discovered a new gadget in the kitchen.  First let me explain that I am no cook - never have been never will be, my husband describes some of my cooking as the three B's - Boiled/Burnt/Buggered.  I can cook basic and thats as far as it goes.  I am willing to give it a go but thankfully my husband loves to cook and is really good at it.

But we have been watching Jamie Oliver and he uses the plastic attachments in the food processor to make coleslaw (did not know what all these attachments were for ....honestly) so I decided to give it a go - and here is the result.....

How cool is that - lol you are probably laughing at me by now  - but I really did not know what all those bits were for.  So I have a new friend in the kitchen now...

Bananas were on special today - so I will leave them out for a few days and then freeze them for my smoothies.  And if you live in Australia a great place to buy spinach from is Aldi -they have these big plastic tubs for only $1.99 each.

So today was a good day.... 

Day 21 - Missed A Day

Sorry I did not blog  about what I ate/juiced yesterday - had a bad day and was dog gone tired last night - so I hope todays post makes up for it.

This morning we had a goji berry smoothie taken from the Joe Cross Website "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead"  - really filling.

On my way home from work I stopped off at Mrs Flannerys Health Food Store to buy some of the lentils that I talked about in yesterdays post.  I bought two packets: Red Chilli and Coconut Fusion, but in future I will buy them off the website as they are cheaper bought from there.  So I can't wait to cook them tonight.

I found all sorts of raw goodies in the shop - I could have spent a fortune, instead I spent a small fortune....

So what did I buy:

1)  The lentils as mentioned before

2)  Kitz Crackers - Fresh Herb flavour and Mexican Buckwheat Flavour, I am snacking on one  of the Mexican Buckwheat ones and wow its good.

3) Quinitos - which are Quinoa and Rice Snacks from Olive Green Organics - they look yummy and have very little saturated fat in them.

4) Then I bought another packet of my trusty ole seeds - these are great to add to my smoothies. On the packet it claims that in every 100grams there is the equivalent to over 10 fish oil tablets.  They are also great added to a little yoghurt and orange juice - a bit like a bircher museli except you only need a little as they keep you real regular - which is an added bonus.

5) And because I was hungry at the time I bought a Emma & Toms Life Bar Banana - its a raw fruit and nut bar - oh it was so good.  This is the info that I found on the website :

Dry Fruit and Raw Nuts
All Natural
No Preservatives
No Added Sugar
Good Source Of Fibre
One Serve Of Fruit (Australian Guide To Healthy Eating)
Kosher/Pareve
Made in Australia

So I got some real yummy healthy snacks to try- so it will be salmon and red chilli lentils for dinner today. 

Day 20 - Girl On Raw

Just wanted to let you all know where I get alot of my yummy smoothie recipes from.  There is an amazing inspiring woman - Robyn, who is originally from Australia living in the Middle East and she has a fabulous website called Girl On Raw - she has just published a smoothie and juice book for newbies - which has some fabulous recipes in it - so make sure you check it out.

It gives you information on everything from juicing/making smoothies, weight loss/weight gain, equipment needed, ingredients, organic foods and lots of other great information along with some great recipes.

Day 19 - Food & Wine Festival

After a naughty day yesterday I started the day with a blueberry smoothie with extra chia seeds to fill me up before we headed off to the Food and Wine Festival.

When we walked into the centre where the festival was being held we are hit by a yummy BBQ smell - and by the time we got there we were feeling a little hungry.  But we did find a stand that was giving samples of green smoothies which was really yummy.

There was loads of stands sampling wine - which does not go down well with me - I'm a very cheap drunk....lol.....  But we did find a stand called Lentilicious - they were sampling there flavoured lentils - and wow were they delicious - I could eat lentils forever.  I tried the Coconut Fusion lentils and they just melted in your mouth and they are so healthy and good for you.  But they were running really low on stock so I will go and buy some either on their website or instore.  I can't wait to have some more.

BUT I was bad again - amazing that one bad thing can lead to another - but its my fault and only my fault - my willpower went AWOL for a while.  My husband was making a bacon sandwich so I had one also - and oh my it was good.  I feel so terrible that I have been bad - but I will have to get back on track tomorrow.

Carrot/Apple/Ginger juice this afternoon along with a big walk.  And I will juice for dinner.

Tomorrow's a new day and a new week  - so back on track tomorrow.

Day 18

Thank goodness today I am feeling much better - head is all good.

Started the day with a green smoothie - spinach/water/mango/banana/chia seeds - it comes out beautiful and thick and such an amazing green colour.  I love to eat it with a spoon.

This afternoon I am off to a Tupperware Party - have not been to one of these for many years.  But I am assured that there will be healthy food for me to eat.   But I will juice up before I go.  Have made a watermelon/pineapple/ginger juice, and a nice refreshing lemon/mint/apple juice  - so I should be right.


POST TUPPERWARE PARTY

I did not end up drinking the second juice before I went to the Tupperware party as I really did not feel like it.

At the party I snacked on cucumber sticks and had a small piece of pita bread (and I mean small)  but I did have a piece of cake (BAD BAD BAD choice)  it was a flourless orange cake - and it was the most amazing cake I have ever tasted.  The only ingredients were : oranges/eggs/almond meal/small amount of sugar - it was so moist and light.  But now I have a headache - I have not had sugar for a while so I feel like I am on a sugar high.

So back on track tomorrow.  Might have to exercise all day to make up for eating a piece of cake.

The Tupperware party was great - some really good new products - I did not buy anything as I'm sure if I had come home with any plastic my husband would not have let me in.  As while we were living overseas I bought plastic containers like they were going out of fashion, because  I wanted to have a pantry that had all matching containers - but as it turns out my pantry is the pull out type so containers really do not work in it.

Day 17

Started the day with  green smoothie - spinach/mango/banana/water/chia seeds.  It came out really thick so I put in ice to thin it out - really yummy and filling.

I worked today (on the road again) and I felt a headache coming on - so by the time I got home my head felt like it was ready to explode and I felt nauseated.  I managed to get a Passion 4 Juice Master juice down (just) and thats all I have had today.

Not quite sure what I'll have for dinner as I still feel blah!!!!!!  Sorry for the short post today.....

Off to a Food and Wine Festival over the weekend - maybe they might have some green juices there - yeah right - but you never know.....

Day 16 - Introducing a Little More Substance

Started the day with a Goji Berry Smoothie (from Joe Cross)  love this so much - as you've probably guessed by the amount of times that I have made it.   I find that I do not actually need much more during the day as the Chia Seeds really make it filling (I imagine them expanding in my stomach and filling it up)  Try putting some in a glass of water and leave them for a while and see how they expand.

Lunch I had a green juice smoothie with pears/apples/celery - nice and refreshing over ice.

As I was browsing the internet today I came across some really good vegetarian blogs - I have thought about going vegetarian for a while now, I don't eat alot of meat anyway.  But I came across this recipe from "The Fig Tree" for a Curried Quinoa Mango Salad - it sounds and looks so good that I went and bought the ingredients.  I already had the Quinoa in the cupboard (not really knowing what to do with it)  Not sure how my husband is going to like this - but we will see.  I have bought him some Salmon just in case he baulks at the idea of eating vegetarian.

I have seen recipes with Quinoa in them but did not really know anything about it or how to prepare it. So nows my chance to give it a go.

This is what it looks like before you cook it:

I purchased it from a local health food store - but I have also seen it at the  Woolworths Supermarkets.

This is what is written on the back of the packet:

Quinoa pronounced Keen wah is an ancient food that is not yet well known in Australia.  The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred.

The quinoa grain is high in protein, calcium and iron, a relatively good source of the B vitamins. It contains an almost perfect balance of all 8 essential amino acids needed for tissue development in humans.  The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids.  Quinoa also contains albumen, a protein that is found in egg whites, blood serum and many plant and animal tissues.  Quinoa grain is gluten free which makes this a nutritious and flavourful alternative grain for those with gluten sensitivity.  Quinoa would be a worthy addition to anyones diet, supplying  variety as well as good nutrition.

So the verdict: well it tastes good - this is on its own.  Here it is cooked.

It has a nutty taste and texture to it - but as I put together this recipe - it tastes even better.

And here is the finished dish - tastes amazing.....

Day 15 - Oh No Creme Eggs

Yep its weigh day today and I was not expecting a very good result seem as I have added food to my diet.  BUT I only put on 200g - so I am pretty happy about that.  YIPEE!!!!!

BUT OH NO the supermarket has Cadbury Creme Eggs - they are my all time favourite - I reckon my body is 80% creme egg - thats how much I like creme eggs.  When my husband and I lived in the Middle East we would spend a small fortune on creme eggs when they hit the shops.  I even got my brother to post me some one year as at one stage you could not buy easter eggs at all - seem as they don't celebrate holidays like that.  But times are a changing.

Anyway I will have to be very strong willed to stay away from the creme eggs.

SO this morning after being pretty chuffed at the result on the scales - oh and my BMI and body fat percentage had gone down as well - so all is good.  As I was saying I started the day with a blueberry/banana/chia seed smoothie which was to die for - made with rice milk.  But because I used both frozen bananas and blueberries it came out very thick so I had to eat it with a spoon - but it would be perfect for a really hot day.

Lunch time - well I have been snacking on cranberries - probably full of sugar (I hope not)  I have been meaning to get up off my backside and make a juice all day but have not got round to it - too many houseworky things to do on my day off, not a good excuse to not eat I know.  Bad bad....

For dinner we are having cajun grilled chicken with mixed salad leaves and orange - yummo.

But I did also make some raw cacao balls to eat when I get my chocolate cravings - these are so good and I got the recipe off the facebook page of "Addicted to Raw" so check it out.  She also has some great green juice recipes on there.

Day 14

I had a terrible sleep last night - I think I was on a sugar high (maybe) from that protein ball I ate yesterday - its the first bit of anything sweetish that  I have had in 14 days.  Well thats what I think it was anyway.

This morning we had a smoothie - the goji berry one from Joe Cross - except I made the one with raspberries and we found it quite sour (I used frozen raspberries) I much prefer the taste of the one made with blueberries.  But thats my preference  anyway.

Lunchtime - and I've had a really busy day driving a long way - so I come home and open the fridge and I want to eat something that I should not - like the spaghetti bolognaise that my husband made - and let me tell you he makes a fine spag bol.  But instead of dipping a big spoon into the bowl I take out the grapes instead - good on me!!!!

I will weigh myself tomorrow so I don't want to ruin it - but I am not really expecting to have much if any loss due to the fact that I have introduced food into my daily regime - usually just at dinner time though.  But who knows I might surprise myself.

Dinner time I had the leftovers from last night - my cauliflower and spinach dish.

 I am still  badly craving sugar - thats what you get for having a chocolate protein ball I suppose.  I munched on some grapes but I want SUGAR soooo bad.  Think I might have to go to bed early and hopefully wake up not craving sugar.

What do you do if you are craving sugar - any juices that will solve the problem........

Today I'm linking up with "Essentially Jess" for I Blog On Tuesday.

Day 13

Well its Day 13 - unlucky for some!!!!

Maybe the unlucky part for me is that I decided to have a Boost Juice Choc Protein Ball - which are just to die for (in my opinion anyway)  so I decided to Google the nutritional content and I was not all that happy with what I found - they actually have quite a high fat content.  So I don't think I shall be having one of those again.

I started the morning with a banana/mango/water/spinach smoothie which I blended in my Vitamix - it was bright pea green (but was delicious)  it was quite thick.  As I took the lid off my Vitamix the plastic  piece that goes into the top of the lid fell into the blender (thankfully it was off) and I picked it out and went to lick it and proceeded to drop a huge blob of bright green smoothie all over my nice clean PJ's - my husband thought it was very funny.

Lunchtime  I had a boost juice two and five juice - which has (off the top of my head) orange, apple, celery, beetroot in it - its actually really nice and refreshing.  I travel on the road for my job so being able to drop into a boost juice bar and grab a fresh juice which I know is full of goodness is just great.

For dinner tonight I will have a cauliflower and spinach vege dish.

I will weigh myself again on the 15th morning - but I am not expecting to lose much weight as I do not have all that much more weight to lose.

I hope everyones journey is going well.  I would love to hear about it - please feel free to leave a comment.  I love to know that you are reading my blog.

Thanks .....

Day 12

Day 12 - off to the beach.

Before we headed off to the beach we had a smoothie for breakfast with water/banana/spinach/blueberries and a little raw honey - nice and filling.

So we head off to the beach for some R&R - packed some watermelon and grapes for snacking on and loads of water.

Beach was busy busy busy - nice breeze so not too hot.  Watermelon and grapes went down a treat.  Two hours at the beach is enough for today as our bodies have not really seen the sun this summer - but we were not the whitest people on the beach.

Home for lunch time - salad and a little salmon for me and my husband had left over homemade pizza from last night which smells devine.

I can't believe how strong I have been over the last 12 days - usually on a supermarket trip I would always buy a chocolate bar of some sort.  But I have not had any chocolate in 12 days - now thats some accomplishment  believe me.  I have watched my husband eat chippies, chocolate, thai food, biscuits, pizza just to name a few things and I have not swayed not one little bit - so proud of myself.

I will have salad for dinner with a little protein to go with it.  Roll on Day 13.  I really think this journey has been made easier by the fact that we are having some hot temperatures here and its so good to have a nice juice over ice when its hot.

Day 11

Weekend again - I find this the hardest part of the whole thing.  During the week you are busy and on the go - but the weekends are more laid back and you have more time on your hands.

Last night my husband wanted Thai for dinner so I had a look at the menu to see what I could possibly have - I thought the chicken salad would be a good option - probably the best anyway.

So we went to pick up the food and when we got it home they had given me some unknown beef dish instead - so I did not eat it- obviously the reboot gods were looking out for me.

To start the day I had a watermelon/pineapple/ginger juice which was actually really good.  I also juiced a lemon/apple/mint juice for the afternoon - this is a great refreshing juice over ice - esp on a hot day like today.

For lunch we had the goji berry smoothie which is really filling - and we snacked on grapes.  Tonight I will make a salad and add a small amount of chicken.

Day 10

This morning my husband and I had a smoothie to start the day with pomegranate/blueberries/chia seeds/spinach and water - so delicious and filling.  Those little chia seeds really fill you up.

I was out and about again today until 1300 and I had only had one drink all day so I stopped off at boost juice and had an orange/strawberry/banana juice - which was really good actually.

I am still feeling good too.

Two years ago when we went on holiday to Thailand I had some trousers made - not to measure but a copy of a pair that fit me perfectly.  So they made these pants for me but the material they used did not have any stretch in them (like my others) so I knew straight away that they were not going to fit me any time soon.  So I politely refused to try them on in the shop and just said "oh wow they are perfect" - well guess what they fit me now - two years later.

I was showing my husband this morning that I could now fit these pants and he said "didn't you fit them two years ago"  LOL.   He then asked me to try on a pair of jeans that I bought probably about 8 years ago.  Now these jeans mean alot to my husband as  he  painstakingly walked around for hours trying to find me a pair of jeans that I could fit in to as I had lost alot of weight then.  And it was a mission let me tell you as I have a very odd shaped body - so its hard to find jeans that fit.  But anyway what I'm trying to say is that I fit these jeans now and it FEELS GOOD.......

So to end the day I will juice a couple of vege juices as I tend to have alot of juices with fruit in them.

But all is good at Day 10.......

PS How are you going??????

Day 9

Started the day with a apple/kiwifruit/celery and cucumber juice - tasted good.

I am sleeping like a baby - the last few nights I have not woken up at all during the night which is fantastic - I wake in the morning feeling so good and very well rested.  My skin is glowing, my hair is shining so overall all is good.

I've been snacking on carrots and grapes today as I was out and about.  Had a vege filled juice from Boost Juice for lunch.

This afternoon I went for a smoothie and yes you guessed it - it was the goji berry smoothie - I will wake up one morning looking like a goji berry I am sure ...lol - but it is so good.

Dinner tonight will be prawns and salad - which we were going to have last night but for some reason we didn't.

And for those of you wondering how my husband is going - well he's NOT.  He thinks its ok to drink juice all day and then come home and have a meal at night along with two iceblocks  or maybe some junk food - I knew there was no way that he would be able to have only juice. But I suppose at least he is trying.

I also had fun cleaning out my wardrobe today and the best part is that more and more clothes are making their way into the wearable part of my wardrobe - feels good to be losing the weight.

Heres to Day 10.  Oh and no chocolate for 9 days how awesome is that.

Day 8

Still feeling good and felt even better when I stepped on the scales - I have lost 3.4kg in 7 days - yipee so happy about that.  Incentive to carry on for sure.

I started the day with a yummy pomegranate smoothie which was delicious (not a juice I know)

Then I headed to the beach for a few hours - and I took lots of water and some grapes to snack on while I was out.  I stayed there for 2 hours and came back looking like the sandman.  It was so windy and with having sunblock on the sand just stuck to me.  Free exfoliation ...lol

This afternoon I had a Goji Berry Smoothie (not a juice I know) I just love this drink.  So I have not really had all that much today but I have had alot of water.

Tonight I will eat salad with prawns, and that will be me done for the day.

Day 7

Well I have made it to Day 7 - which was my original goal as I was going to follow Jason Vales 7lbs in 7 Days Plan so I gave achieved that anyway.  BUT I will keep going.

This morning I had a smoothie with water/spinach/banana/dates/cocao powder - and I have had this many times before - but as my taste buds have gone haywire it was not at all pleasant.  It was gross.  For me not to like chocolate flavour is really saying something.

So I will juice for the remainder of the day and then I will add a little food into my diet from now on.  I plan on having a salad with chicken slices/mixed salad leaves/radish/tomatoes and a few slices of orange for dinner (my husband wanted to eat Salmon Pasta - which he makes so well, but after what I achieved after 7 days I don't want to blow it in one sitting)  I feel the need to add food into my daily routine now - but healthy food.  I certainly do not feel like cakes/biscuits and certainly not chocolate - isn't that amazing how changing my eating for just seven days has changed the way I think about food.  I can only imagine what a good 60 days would do.

I have willpower but I really admire anyone who had completed the 60 day reboot program - but I really do not think that I can do this, I am getting to the stage where I feel really juiced out and can't stand the smell of vege juices.  Some days the smell just really gets to me.

Its 2000 and I've just had my first dinner since I started and it was very healthy - but my stomach is doing somersaults - I've shocked it with food.

Anyway heres to Day 8 - I will weigh myself in the morning and see what 7 days has achieved.

Day 6 - Part 2 - Lack of Concentration

Well I only got about 2hrs sleep last night - I was wired, and have woken with my alarm at 0600 and feel  good (bet I'll crash later tonight)

I managed to get a green juice down this morning - my taste buds seem to have come right now - thank goodness.  On my travels today I sipped on an apple/kiwifruit/celery juice.

Feeling quite good today - just a bit heady but I think thats lack of sleep - this afternoon I had another of Joe's Goji berry smoothies - I just love this one.  But I do think that maybe I am having too many fruit laden drinks - I will have to change this.

I did weigh myself at he beginning of Day 5 and I was down 3kg (6lbs) so I am pretty chuffed about that.  But I do think that I might have to start adding in some raw foods as my lack of concentration or should I say sleep - almost got me into a car accident today.

Firstly I drove straight over a traffic island - which I really did not see (made a terrible noise so I hope my car is ok) then I nearly rammed into the back of a van - lucky I have good reflexes.  So I reckon food might be on the menu tomorrow.

But in the meantime I will end the day with another green juice - which consists of what I do not know just yet.

I was ready to quit last night but due to feeling better and the results on the scales I will juice on

Day 6 - Part One - Awake at 0100

Well yesterday was a bit of a shitty day really - come dinner time I felt juiced out, even though I had only had two juices all day.  Everything I put in my mouth tasted just awful, and I still have this lingering awful taste in my mouth.

My husband was cooking a steak for dinner and I so wanted to eat a piece also - but I didn't.  I then went to the fridge as I could not bear to drink another juice, so I started peeling some mushrooms to cook up and eat- then my conscience got the better of me and I put them back and had a cup of mint/ginger tea instead.  

But I guess I can't sleep as I'm not all that nourished today - who knows.  So I'm facebooking and blogging until I feel that I can sleep.

Hopefully this awful taste goes away and I can start drinking juice again -as my fridge and benchtop are overflowing with fruit and vege just waiting to be juiced.

Day 5 - Taste Buds Not Working

Woke really late today - big sleep in which was nice. 

Shared the Goji Berry Smoothie with my husband this morning, and he saw me putting avocado in it yesterday so he made sure that I did not put any in this morning (I did tell him that he drank a juice the other day that had some in - and hes not impressed with me)...LOL...  So anyway I made the smoothie with goji berries/blueberries/banana/spinach/chia seeds and coconut water - it was still just as good as yesterday.

I must say that I am still feeling a little heavy in the head, but I am hoping that it will pass soon.  And I would love something to chew on - so I might eat a carrot or something.

For lunch I had a juice from the shop RAW ENERGY at Coolangatta on the Gold Coast.  I had the Mint Magic which was apple/pineapple/mint/ginger - it was real good.

This afternoon I whipped up a smoothie in my Vitamix.  Water/banana/spinach - usually I love this but my taste buds are BLAH - this tasted just awful, needless to say it went down the plug hole.  So I am trying to get some watermelon into me, even this tastes a bit off, and so does the water I'm drinking.  Oh dear whats up with this - has anyone else experienced a similar thing????

My husband is supposed to be joining me tomorrow in this juicing journey - but I'm really not too sure if he will or not.  For lunch he has eaten a whole bag of chippies and today hes downed two red bulls - he sure is going to go through detox hell if he does decide to do this.

Not sure what I'll drink tonight but I'll sign off for the day.  Need to get juicing again for tomorrow - back to work - on the road again.

Day 4 - Feeling Much Better

Last night was the worst - OMG I have not felt so ill in a very long time.  Headaches, nausea, running to the toilet and overall Blah!!!!!  I went to bed early hoping to wake and feel much better - and I do - YAY....

And my willpower withstood me last night- cooking meatballs on the BBQ for my husband and then putting together a yummy sandwich for him - torture.  I just smelt not tasted.

So today I feel sooooo much better, thank goodness.  Started the day with a hot water with lemon then followed with a Super Juice which had apples/pineapple/cucumber/lime all juiced then blitzed in the blender with some avocado (and my husband drank it - but he does not know that it had avocado in it - which he hates!!!)

Mid morning I had a pear/apple/celery/lemon juice while my husband sat beside me and ate baked beans and bacon on toast - my willpower is being tested to the max I tell you.

Form my afternoon juice I actually made one of Joe Cross's smoothies - OMG it was so good, this will now be one of my favourite drinks in the future.  It had goji berries/blueberries/avocado/coconut water (off the top of my head thats all the ingredients but I am having trouble accessing the website so cannot tell you for sure - will update as soon as I can get on to the website)

We are off to the movies tonight so I plan on drinking a juice before I go which will have all these goodies in it.

Parental Guidance what a funny movie - it was great, but so was the smell of popcorn (even though I never eat cinema popcorn).  I did not end up having my juice before I left so I have come home quite hungry - so I've finished the day with the Passion 4 Juice Master.

Heres to Day 5.....  How ate you all going????

Day 3 - Feeling Not So Good

Well its Day 3 - and I'm not feeling to flash.  I managed to get through the morning with no problems but this afternoon my head is banging and my stomach is not all that crash hot either.  Is it bedtime yet???

I started the day with a hot water with a the juice of half a lemon and a tablespoon of Coconut Magic's Coconut Oil - it really is the best tasting coconut oil I have had, and it has many amazing health benefits also.  Check out the website.  Then about an hour later I had a juice with  apple/cucumber/celery.

My mid morning juice was another of Joe Cross's recipes - it was the Nashi Pear Juice - of which I used  a different pear, but it was still really good.  I love all this experimenting with different fruit and vege its so exciting.

For my afternoon juice I wanted a good ole favourite of mine from Jason Vale's 7lbs in 7Days Plan the "Passion 4 Juice Master Juice, but I needed a fresh banana - I have loads of frozen ones of which I could have used I imagine, but anyway I took a trip to the local fruit store.

And I got all these bananas for $1.35 - what a bargain.

And I picked up this nice big piece of watermelon to make a watermelon juice for later today.

Nana Nap - now I like the sound of that, I think I might just go and sleep off this nasty headache of mine and hope that tomorrow I wake feeling better.

Before I go here is a picture of the Passion 4 Juice Master that I made - now if you were lying by the pool you'd swear that you were drinking a mocktail - its that good.

Day 2

Its amazing how our brains work  - on my travels today I have seen trucks delivering gourmet bread, billboards with food, and I got out in the carpark of a shopping centre and the smell of food was soooo good.

Because I am not eating food I am aware of everything that has anything to do with food - as normally I would not even notice all these things.

I did go to bed feeling quite hungry last night - probably due to the fact that my stomach has been stretched to capacity over the christmas holidays and now its wondering what on earth is going on!! And it did not help that my husband sat next to me last night eating a packet of chocolate covered marshmallows.

Anyway onwards and upwards as they say.

I started the day with a Green Juice which had the following in it:  pineapple/mango/spinach/ginger and water.  This was mixed in my Vitamix - nice and quick...

Today was the first day that I was not at home while I was consuming juices - my job is on the road so I have to keep my juices cool.  I purchased these great spill/leak proof containers from David Jones (but I am sure you can get them at other retailers also.  The brand name is Contigo and it did the job perfectly. I had them in a cool bag also with big ice blocks.  They come in various sizes and colours.

Contigo Water Bottle

My mid morning juice was a simple one of carrot/apple and ginger - I love this juice its so refreshing.

No headaches yet - waiting for Day three to kick in and then we'll see.

This afternoon I made Joe Cross's Crisp and Clean Green Juice of which has cabbage in it - but I think I put far too much cabbage in as it has a very strong  taste - but its still enjoyable.

I just love that green colour

To end the day I will juice  up two of Jason Vales's recipes.  My favourite is the "hot and spicy" which is three apples juiced and then warmed on the stove top and sprinkled with cinnamon - a nice way to finish the day.   I must say I feel pretty good - mind you its only day two so I guess it can only get worse as my body goes into detox mode and then I'll be bouncing off the walls as time goes on.

BUT ALERT - my husband has just informed me that we have VIP tickets to the Gold Coast Magic Millions Race Day - just great!!!!!  No food or champagne for me - what do you think the chances are of them having anything other than juiced grapes!!!!!!

Unexpected Start

Day 1

Well I was not going to start my juicing until Monday - but as we all know "I'll start on Monday" rolls around far too often.  So I started today - Wednesday.

Firstly I was going to follow Jason Vale's 7lb's in 7 Days Program - which I have successfully done before.  But after christmas I watched the movie Fat Sick and Nearly Dead  and was greatly inspired by the results that were obtained by juicing, and made me look closely at the rubbish I was  trying to fuel my body with - and its not good.  I have a major sweet tooth.

Hence I have now decided that I will do a combination of the two - as there are many yummy recipes from both of these inspirational men.

In the movie Joe Cross did a 60 day juice only fast - and in America of all places.  Gosh I found it hard today walking around the supermarket looking at all the food that I could eat - but my willpower withstood the test.  I will start with a 30 day juice only fast and see how I go and then I might continue.

My goal is to lose 10kg (22lb).  So we will see how I go.  My husband is supposed to be joining me on Monday for his start.

So I started today with a simple Carrot/Apple/Ginger Juice.  I used the following:

7 Carrots

2 apples

Small piece of ginger

It was really nice.

For lunch I had a juice from Boost Juice (as I was out shopping)  which had apple, beetroot, orange, celery and I gave the boost a miss as I am not sure what exactly it is.

This afternoon I gave a Green Juice a go which consisted of:

4 Leaves of Kale

4 handful of baby spinach

4 stalks of celery

2 apples

1 whole lemon

I found the taste a little bit strong due to the Kale - but it was still drinkable.  Here is a picture of it.

And  this is what my fridge looks like today - overflowing with goodness.

I will make the Crisp and Clean Green Juice to get me through the rest of the day.  (click the link for the recipe - taken from Joe Cross's website.

Now all I need to do is add some exercise into my daily regime.  I have an exercise bike which has not had very much use at all - so time to change that.....

Please let me know if you are following the Reboot Your Life Plan or Jason Vales 7lbs in 7 Days Plan and how you are going.  

Until tomorrow...