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!

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.