365.

ONE YEAR WITHOUT FAST FOOD :)

can you believe it? i can't! this is such an exciting goal to have reached. it doesn't feel like it was a year ago. and now i'm here, on the other side. it feels so good. and thank you to everyone who has been so encouraging to me through this personal challenge.

some things i have learned over the last year about my previous relationship w/ fast food: 

1. i am no longer an emotional eater b/c what i would go to for comfort was fast food. no more! 

2. i don't have a desire to eat fast food. i actually think i would feel bad, emotionally, eating it again. (though i'm not ruling it out in the future, but i would like to go as long as possible w/out it.)

3. if i were to calculate the amount of money i have probably saved over the last year i think it would be somewhere around $500-$700. maybe even more. (that's ridiculous!)

4. i feel so much better, inside and out. i was eating so unhealthy three months prior to giving up fast food. it's really embarrassing how much of it i was consuming. 

some words of encouragement for anyone wanting to give up their fast food habit: 

-fast food is a convenient option when you are in a hurry, don't want to cook and are on the road. i get that. but it is not your only option. fruits and nuts are an easy snack to curb your hunger while on the road or while you wait for a meal to be prepared. you can choose to eat better.

-ask someone to take the challenge of not eating fast food w/ you. it's always helpful when you have someone else to walk through something w/ you, even as trivial as this may seem. accountability is so helpful. crucial even.

-take it one day at a time. i didn't begin w/ a year in mind. i just started out hoping to see that i would be able to go a long time choosing to eat healthier things. challenge yourself to a month. the first week was the hardest for me, but i did it. and so can you.

-telling people about what you are trying to achieve will help you. they will encourage you when you need it. they will help you. they will cheer you on as you reach for your goal.

may we all choose healthier options NOW.

you CAN do it!

juicing recap...

drum roll please ....................................................................

i lost 5 more pounds! that makes my grand total, after seven days of juicing, 12 pounds lost! woo hoo!

it's over. i can honestly say that it was one of the most challenging things i've ever done in my life. there were times i was not sure i could do it. but i'm glad i did it, and now i'm glad that it's over. i was ready for it to be over. i don't think i will ever do a seven day juicing cleanse again. i would do a one day or three day juicing cleanse though.

i still had good energy for two days after. the first day after was an experience. it was weird eating regular food again. and i ate really well, mainly whole fruits and veggies if what i was juicing. i don't think it mattered what i ate though, my body definitely had to adjust to solids again.

by day two of eating food again, it felt weird mentally to think about the fact that my body was no longer clean. i was putting things back in it that were good for me nutritionally and everything, but it wasn't going to be the same. that may sound strange. i know i will get over it. i'm happy to say that i am definitely more aware of what foods i need to eat to make myself feel the best and look my best. i'm hoping it is a routine that sticks and i will do my best to see that it does. i also need to remember to forgive myself if and when i give in. 

thank you to everyone who has stuck around to hear about my journey. thank you for all of the encouragement and love. thank you for the time you took to read my story. may you all have the discipline and courage to take your next step into a healthier life :)

day 7: juicing

on my final night of the juicing cleanse i got nine and a half hours of sleep. i had the day off and was able to sleep in so that was nice. i had more of a "brunch" juice since i slept late. it was weird thinking that i was making my final juices, and nice at the same time.

my final juice ingredients :)

in case you were wondering what the food cost has been for me over the last week, my total spent was $150. i still have some carrots, celery, a pineapple and some ginger left over. i plan on cooking the carrots tomorrow night for dinner. i will definitely eat the celery and pineapple, but i'm not sure what to use the rest of the ginger for yet. 

my friend lauren came over and i had her juice some carrots while i filmed it. i hope you enjoy seeing my juicer at work :) it's crazy how fast it juices them, right? also, i sound silly :)

tomorrow i will have my final weigh in and be able to finally eat solids again. i'll be sure to update you on my total weight loss and how i'm feeling after eating real food again.

come back tomorrow for my juicing challenge recap :)

day 5: juicing

i got seven and a half hours of sleep last night. again i felt really good, but i also got in a two hour nap :)

due to that nap, i threw my juicing schedule off and only drank four juices. but i wasn't hungry and made sure to drink lots of water in between.

another yummy juice in the books! (not pictured: ginger & blueberries)

if you didn't notice the link in day 1 to the new juicer i chose, please scroll over the word Breville, click the it and you will be directed to the store where i purchased my new juicer. one of the main reasons why i chose that juicer is b/c the spout where you put the fruits and veggies in is so much bigger. and as i stated before, it's quieter and the clean up is so easy.

last night i bought some pears to put in my remaining juices. excited to try those. today i started saving the kale, spinach and carrot pulp from my juices. i plan on using them in some recipes on tuesday, which i will of course share w/ you all. 

here's the pulp!

there are only two more days left in my juicing challenge. i can't believe i'm almost there. i'm almost finished. it has surely been a challenge and also a learning experience. and so many people have been so encouraging to me about this process. thank you again if you were one of those who have spoken words of encouragement to me and if you have said a prayer for me during this time.

see y'all back here tomorrow :)

day 1: juicing

first things first - i bought a new juicer! my old one did a good job in the two years i've had it, but it was time for an upgrade. the new one is a beauty :) it does a great job at the actual juicing, keeping the waste of the fruit and veggies at a minimum, makes less noise, AND it is so easy to clean!

for the days following up to the juicing challenge i made sure to eat really well. i got lots of protein, fiber, fruits and veggies in my system. i worked out the day before as well. "they" say you are not supposed to work out a lot during a juicing cleanse b/c you won't have the energy for it. i plan on walking some later in the week though.

the night before the first day of juicing i got 9 hours of sleep. that is not normal for my life, but i want this juice cleanse to do what it does and a good night's rest is sure to help.

i started my day w/ 24 oz. of water, which i will alternate throughout the day between juices. i didn't actually have my first 24 oz. of "breakfast" juice until 11:30 am. on a typical day, i tend to either not eat breakfast or just something small, and drink coffee. and i always eat a late lunch. after the first juice i had another 24 oz. of water. i waited too late to drink my "lunch" juice, so i did get a little hungry around 3 pm, but drank the juice and did not feel hungry again. i followed that juice w/ more water. 

*juice for my breakfast, lunch and snack.* (ingredients: lemon, apples, cucumbers, spinach, romaine lettuce, tangerines, blueberries, celery, bell pepper, carrots & pomegranate.)

*juice pulp aka waste.*

around 4:30 pm i had another 24 0z. of juice and again followed that w/ water. (my apologies if you are already bored.) i left work around 6:45 pm and went home to juice my dinner :) followed by more water and then i had another "snack" juice around 10:30 pm.

*dinner juice consisted of these fruits and veggies.*
(not pictured: spinach, romaine lettuce, pomegranate, bell pepper and cucumbers.)

i had so much energy at the end of the day! it was kind of hard to wind down. i read a little and finally winded down around midnight. when i checked my blood sugar before bed it was in the range it needed to be and i was so happy to see that. i was concerned my blood sugar might drop so it was good to see that it was consistent w/ what it normally is.

a side note for any of you coffee lovers out there wondering if i felt sluggish w/out any - i've been drinking decaf since august. my doctor suggested i stop drinking caffeine after i went to see her for my weird heart palpitations. apparently those are normal for a lot of people, but she told me i could either take something for them or change things in my diet. i obviously chose to change things. within two days of not drinking caffeine the weird heart palpitations basically stopped. it is a rare occasion that i have them. and if i ever have any caffeine it's when i drink the occasional chai tea from my favorite local coffee shop, Lula's :)

see y'all tomorrow for day 2 of my juicing challenge.

                   

day 2: juicing

my first full night into the juicing challenge i got 7 hours of sleep. i thought for sure when i woke up i was going to be groggy, per usual, but in fact i was not. i felt really good and had a lot of energy during the day. 

i realized from day 1 that i needed to drink more juice throughout the day and not wait so long in between "meals." i did really well and alternated 24 oz. of water between each juice again. however, i did not pay close attention to what times during the day that i juiced. i was more concerned w/ trying to drink the juice five times a day. and i made sure to start my "breakfast" at 9:30 am. 

yummy juice for the latter part of day 2: carrots, cucumber, tangerines, strawberries, lime, celery, apple, tomato, pineapple and bell pepper. (not pictured: spinach & kale.)

food smells from today were extra strong. i wasn't even hungry all day, but i was wanting what i couldn't have. it is weird not eating solids. when i cook, i just throw things together most of the time. and that's exactly how i juice, which has worked for me so far.

i thought day two would be easier than day one for some reason. but it wasn't. as i said before, i wasn't hungry at all, which was great. however, by the end of the day i just wanted to chew something! i was honestly craving a hamburger :) before bed, i kept wondering if i had bitten off more than i could chew w/ this challenge. (pun intended) and i prayed that i would really crave the juice. my peeps have shown me so much love and have been so encouraging. i thank you immensely for it all. 

maybe i already started planning my first solid meals for when the 7 days are up :) a townhouse salad for lunch sounds about right, doesn't it? 

5 more days to go! see y'all tomorrow :)

150.

it has been 150 days since i last ate fast food.

you may be wondering what i mean by fast food.

to me that consists of certain restaurants that may or may not have golden arches, crowns, stars, cows or  a little red headed girl w/ braids in her hair in their logo.

i just felt gross from eating so much of it over the 3 months prior to stopping.

it was a decision that needed to be made and i love a good challenge :)

it's a new discipline.

the first week was so tough, but i really have not craved it since.

keeping it real though, i miss french fries the most.

what have you given up to create a healthier lifestyle for yourself?