Woke up this morning and realized NO MORE POLITICAL COMMERCIALS! Yippee!
I toke note of the fact that the sun is rising and I am still breathing air that’s not mine, so apparently God is still on His Throne, still in control, still King of kings and Lord of lords, and no matter how you felt about the result of election you can rest assured of that.
Now let’s talk about something completely unrelated.
I am reading this book
and its changing my life body. And I don’t just mean I am losing weight (though I am) but I am also sleeping soundly, having tons more energy, and even thinking more clearly. Oh, and the cravings? They are gone.
Once upon a time not all that long ago, I was a real health nut. I would tell people I didn’t like chocolate because then it took the option of eating it right off of the table. My friend Tiff loves Kentucky Fried Chicken and I would endlessly tease her about her fast food diet…and I could because I hadn’t eaten at a fast food place in years. When I went grocery shopping, I only shopped the produce section. We bought everything else (grains and nuts) in bulk and fish and meat from local places. I hadn’t bought something processed or microwavable since college (and even then, I didn’t do that much). If everyone ordered an appetizer to share, I ordered a salad (sans dressing). In college, I started every day at the gym, when I traveled with Beth we started most days with a run or a series of lunges and pilates moves (which she hated at the time- now she shows me up!), and when I moved to Seattle I found that walking my dogs several miles up and down the hills was quite a good daily work out.
Now, don’t hear me saying I was thin. Cause I never have been. I don’t have that metabolism or build. The only time in my life I was ever ‘thin’ was a year in High School that I quit eating and started exercising 5-6 hours a day…and that, my friends, was a problem. And honestly? I didn’t look good. And I didn’t feel good because I was always exhausted.
When I got pregnant, I was determined to stay active…which thankfully I was able to do up until the 6 month mark, when I was put on partial (and then full) bed rest. Thank goodness I wasn’t forced to stay in my house the whole time or I might’ve gained 70lbs (or worse!) instead of the nearly 50 I had packed up. Sad thought? I had only gained 26lbs before bed rest… yep! And that is in large part thanks to my furry friends who drug me up and down the massive and steep hills of our West Seattle neighborhood.
I let everyone (read: books, parents, and even my midwife) scare me into eating in ways that have never worked for me. I have never been able to handle animal products… meat is hard for me to digest and even looking at milk products makes me fat. (anyone with me here?) But even though I know spinach has more usable calcium than pasteurized milk, I got scared and I started eating the Standard American Diet. What started out as fear about my baby’s development quickly turned me into an unhealthy eater. I wasn’t just eating cheese because he needed calcium or red meat because he needed protein, I was eating cheddar and hamburgers because my body had started to crave them.
I hadn’t eaten a hamburger (esp. one from a restaurant) since I was a kid! I think the week before Co was born, I had 3.
My disgust for processed foods and “food” made by teenagers at the local nasty fast food joint was gone. I started shopping mostly outside of the produce section. I started ordering appetizers.
And not only am I a lot heavier than I have ever been, I have been sleeping like crap, dealing with depression and fatigue, having a pretty unhappy digestive system, and looking in the mirror at skin and hair that have aged. I used to get carded seeing an R-rated movie, now I’d be scared to step into that booth on the TLC show “Ten Years Younger”- you know what I am talking about?
Appearances certainly aren’t everything and being obsessed with weight or skin isn’t becoming a real woman, but neither is feeling like crap!
Mom and I decided to commit to the ideas outlined in the above book for a month to see if all the things I had heard about it were true.
Its been all of 3 days and I cannot tell you how AMAZING we both feel. No kidding, I am falling asleep easily, sleeping well, and waking up not tired. I feel happier, more clear, and energized. My skin and hair and eyes look brighter (not just to me either). I have lost weight and my digestive system is no longer a thorn in my side (or elsewhere π ) And, best of all, I am craving spinach. Yes, spinach. I haven’t wanted a Cheezit cracker or a taco or chicken strips at all. Haven’t even thought about them.
Don’t be scared cause the book is built on green juices, either. You probably think you can’t drink juiced spinach and endive and romaine, huh? We’ve learned something amazing. I can drink 16 oz of green juice just by throwing a lemon into the juicer! The lemon (or lime) totally cuts the green taste and leaves you with a wonderful lemonade flavored drink that is working hard to refresh your body! Its like magic *grin*
So if you’ve been struggling with weight/cravings/unhappy body syndrome like me, you might think of giving this book’s principles a chance!
ok so i’m totally afraid of the “green juice” but as a woman who deals with the EXACT same struggles on this issue, i think i’ll head over to amazon right now & see what i can find : )
Sounds intriguing! I’ll have to check it out. . .
AMEN ON YOUR FIRST PART REGARDING THE ELECTION! Thank you for saying that. i’m tired of hearing that OBAMA is the antichrist and that he’s wrong for office. no matter who ends up as president, they cannot fix America’s spiritual state! God is sovereign and still on his throne and has a reason/purpose for who he put in office! π God is bigger than our president and can work through that president regardless!
just put it on reserve at my library! this is right up my alley,love it
You advertise well! I’m gonna get the book. And a juicer.
Doesn’t it feel so great to get healthy again!? I just lost 25lbs doing the SuperFood Diet Rx. It was totally all consuming and complicated, but it worked really quickly. Now that I’ve lost the weight, I’m trying to incorporate the tools I learned into every day life, while getting to enjoy some “treats” now and then too! Balance is so hard for me, I’m an all or nothin’ kinda girl : )
Good for you! Hope it continues to go well for you, and that you just keep feeling better and better!
How does the diet work? Do you detox with juices for a week and then gradually work other food groups back in? Is it very time consuming? (I guess what I mean by that is that I have a husband and three kids who probably wouldn’t do this, although they enjoy the fruit smoothies I make, and I’m wondering about the time factor to do two different meals) I am interested though….our neighbor read the “China Study” book and has changed his life completely. Lost weight, exercieses plenty and does no animal products whatsoever.
Take care,
Julie
What kind of a juicer do you have? I’ve been wanting to get one for forever…maybe I’ll ask my hubby for one for Christmas. π
Yep, drinkin’ green slime, I mean juice, scares me.
But I would like to experience all the things you have said: good sleep, more energy, and just plain feelin’ good!
I’ve been thinking about starting something like this when I get back home in December. I’ve never really been an unhealthy eater, but I feel like everything I eat here sits in me like a brick π¦ Maybe that’s TMI, but it’s the truth! It would be a nice change and worth a try!
Thank you SO much for your first few comments. That’s the attitude we as Christians should have from the very beginning… Even in Spain it’s been consuming everyone. Usually one of the first questions I am asked is about the election, but usually I don’t have the time to explain why it doesn’t really matter π
I love that book! Seriously, I have been reading it off and on for awhile now. I have only done a one day fast though so far. I am a meat eater and I don’t intend to change that, but I already am making so many changes in my life that help a lot. Like drinking green tea! I drink a pot of green tea a day for over a month now and it has helped so much. I have only lost maybe 2 pounds, but I feel way better and hydrated. Plus it is liver friendly. Anyhow, I intend to try for a 3 day fast soon. I actually like fasting though periodically. My husband and I did the “Daniel Fast” awhile back and it was great. I am not afraid of vegetables or vegetable juices, but my husband would not go for that. And that is the hard part! I have a hard working husband and three kids to cook for that want their meat and cheese. Oh boy!
still.not.sure.I.could.do.it!!! (i am making a gagging face just in case you are wondering :-{
You make me really want to try it!
Ever heard of the Eat to Live diet? Basically vegetarian (close to vegan, really), relying on whole foods for most nutrients. Kinda cool. I toyed with that for awhile.
The only problem I have with any kind of diet/plan/etc. is that for the majority of people, it’s difficult to maintain forever… for example: if you cut carbs out for awhile and lose weight and decide that you can eat them again, those carbs often kick your butt and make you gain double.
My scientific opinion, of course π
I know that you’re doing it more for the feeling good reasons than weight loss, anyway.
I go on weird jags… 99% of the time, I eat very little meat. Partially because I don’t much like it, and partially because I am very, very lazy and won’t cook it. I love fresh salads and lived on those through my pregnancy. (Everything else tasted like stale dirt).
Eating well is so good for you… but sometimes? It’s so darn hard.
Because really, who doesn’t love cheese?
How much spinach does it take to make 16 oz of juice? Lemonade? Really? Is that lemonade with or without sugar?
I have decided this week to cut out meat for at least a week. To see how I feel. So far, it hasn’t been hard. I went two days, no problem, then accidently ordered a Chicago Dog from Mel’s hotdogs where we stopped on the way to Busch Gardens yesterday. But, it was good and it was the only meat I ate all day. I really did forget until after I ordered it. This is a new concept for me. Today, I made the wrong choice and picked ziti over salad-Ihave felt terrible all day long!
I may just see if the library has that book…Let ya know.
What kind of juicer do you have? I just have the juicer attachment for my Magic Bullet and I have a feeling that isn’t going to cut it.
I LOVE GREEN JUICE π (I call it Plant Blood for fun.)
Congrats on your success.
Cheers,
Kristen
working at 8am this morn, so thought I would answer a few questions here to save time (hope y’all check back! eek!)
-a few people have asked about juicers. I don’t like the Jack Lalane (or whatever his name is- old infommerical man) juicer. Its pretty messy to clean up!
-I have a Breville Juicer and I like it. It can be cleaned in the dishwasher and the parts are easy to clean.
-My dream juicer is the Challenger Juicer, but since its almost $300, its going to stay a dream *grin*
MELODY: CONGRATS!
JULIE: You can just add green juices to your life if you want, or you can do the colon cleanse or liver flush or whatever. We are doing a 2 week colon cleanse, then liver flush, and then kidney flush (each 5 days) BUT you could easily just add green juices during the morning and get benefits! I have a blog friend who did just that and lost 5lbs without really trying the first month. Its not really a “diet”
PENNY: you’d love it- I dare you to try some green juice! (its on, girl)
RACHEL: I love that oyu are already reading it- and that you like it. Wouldn’t it be bad if someone hated the book and posted that in the comments? Then even this post would be heated- no good.
ASHELY: you could so do it. Think: lemonade
JEN: This book really isn’t a “diet” per se…its thoughts on nutrition and it does include a cleanse. But I think even if peeps added green juice just in the morning, they’d get benefits. I have so tried the other diets that backfire- so I agree with the ‘scientific opinion’
CARMEN: my morning drink: 1 head of romaine, 2 handfuls of spinach, handful of endive, 2 stalks of celery, 1/2 inch ginger root, 1 lemon, 1 apple: its 12-16oz of green lemonade: no sugar. the apple sweetens the drink!
Kate –
I was doing the green smoothies for a while, before I got pregnant, and now just want chocolate and nasty food. Even my toddler loved it!
My green smoothie was pretty basic:
big handful of spinach
pear or apple (Eden seemed to prefer pear)
banana
blueberries
strawberries
Oh my gosh. It was SO good.
Hey Kate,
I enjoyed this post. I’ve never heard of this particular book, but I’ve read other lifestyle-changing books such as The China Study.
As someone who’s juiced before, I know how expensive it can get long-term. If you’re ever looking for something to give you the same nutrients without the mess, read up on Juice Plus+ (www.juiceplus.com). I’ve taken it for almost 4 years and LOVE it.
just found your blog this morning. this book looks good.. i love our juicer but don’t use it very often! are you still trying this out?
Oh wow. You could have written my life story in regard to food. I was so much healthier before I had my little girl in August of ’07. I guess I gave in to friends who encouraged me to indulge in food that I wouldn’t have even considered an option in the past. I found that I had become addicted to sugar, fat….
I am newly inspired to seek out healthy options and am excited to check out that book! Thank you, Kate.