Thank you, Pinterest!

Wow! I pretty much doubled my followers on here just by utilizing the awesomeness that is pinterest.com!

I know I haven't blogged since my 60-day juice fast, but things have been pretty hectic in the Jenkins household. My hubster was working out of town right up until a few weeks ago, so we've had some catching up to do (liiiiiiiiiike, showing off my new bod!). :-)

Aside from that, I'm pretty sure I am lactose intolerant and/or allergic to milk! Which explains SO much. In a previous post, I explained about some tummy troubles I'd been experiencing since last summer. I assumed the bloating tied in with the pain in my side, but after the pain in my side went away, I ended my juice fast and had my first small sprinkle of cheese on a healthy fish taco. I looked almost 6 months pregnant an hour later! This picture is not doctored, I went from fit to painfully bloated in ONE HOUR! Ouch!

Then, I had the flu on Christmas day. I made myself some soup, already assuming I was lactose intolerant. I took some Lactaid and ate some healthy tomato soup with milk. The ENTIRE next day my mouth and tongue were numb! It was scary! Allergic reaction?

So now I won't know for sure until my next doc appointment in February, but I have to pretty much avoid cheese, milk, and I'm assuming any other dairy...??

The only comfort is knowing that while I have to experiment with some new (restricted) recipes, I always have my juicing secret to fall back on! I can juice for a few days at a time, collect my thoughts, and try recipe after recipe until my taste buds adjust to my new cheeseless (SAD!) diet.

One perk? Pampering myself! I feel newly motivated to buy new jeans (my weakness!), FINALLY cut my hippie hair after an entire year, and get some new makeup!

Confidence is PRICELESS.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

*Oh yes, I'm totally channeling Miss Jessica from Santa Claus is Coming to Town...

DAY 60!

I finally made it!

Total weight lost: 19lbs exactly.

I feel SO good about myself, and I am going to continue this journey into next year! My goal is to continue to have juice for breakfast, then once a month do a ten-day juice run to reboot my system. I already have a subscription to Clean Eating Magazine, and I have TONS of healthy recipes ready to go!

I also haven't had any stomach pain since about day 40, it took a while for it to go away but it DID. Juice is a miracle wonder drug, I'm convinced!

I'm going to have this blog lean towards healthy recipes and ideas, so stay tuned!

Day 53

ONE MORE WEEK! Day 60 is right around the corner, and BOY am I ready for some real food!

I just got an email from a rep for the Reboot Team, and they want to include me as a "success story" on their new and improved website launching later this month! Talk about motivation!

REBOOT.

Day 47

Sigh. I miss mastication.

Day 45-1

Day 45

I don't like beets. Period. If I wanted my juice to taste "earthy", I wouldn't wash my vegetables.

Day 40! Woohoo!

It's day 40, and I feel like it's time to step up the game. I've hit a plateau with my weight loss because my husband is working SO much and isn't home to watch Syd while I jog. Aaaaaaand my jogging stoller has a popped tire. Geez! Maybe I can drop Syd off somewhere early in the AM and jog on someone else's street!

Day 36 - Pictures of The Daily Grind

I always go to Winco for my veggies. Picture a Super Wal-Mart with 90% food and 100% less teeth. True, my chances of contracting head lice go way up by shopping there, but luckily the fruit and vegetable section is usually empty! Now, the junk food sections are a different story....

All kidding aside, the prices REALLY can't be beat. I spend $19.38 for two days of food. That's $9.69 per day! Joe stated that the average juicer spends about $14 per day. I'm definitely getting enough to eat, so it must mean that Winco is a win-win!

My morning fruit breakfast. The only thing I switch out is the nectarine (I usually grab whatever is on sale, like plums, peaches or similar).


My daily veggie intake. This is enough for the entire day, including lots of water and tea.


I always strain my drinks! Nothing grosses my out more than getting a chunk of unkown SOMETHING in my mouth (*ahem*... JAMBA JUICE).



The fruit usually fills this mug (plus some), but I started chugging before I remembered I was supposed to take a picture!


My "drop cloth". The juicier the veg, the more colorful my walls become.


Green GOLD!


Eeeeeeewwwwwww.


Soup Du Jour!

PRICE BREAKDOWN (for one day of juicing). It obviously varies slightly from time to time for the items priced by weight:

Jalapeño (did you know it's actually a fruit? Cool!): $0.07

Spinach bunch: $1.38

Kale bunch: $1.28

Celery: $0.24

Carrots: $0.47

Hot House tomatoes: $0.97

Apples: $0.74

Cucumber: $0.68

Strawberries: $2.98

Nectarine: $0.88

Day's Total to fill my belly: $9.69

Day 36

I'm going to try and take some pictures step-by-step of my juice preparation, just in case anyone wants to see my main recipe and how much juice is produced!

Almost to day 40, YAY!

Day 33

Wow! The time keeps flying by, I keep forgetting to post entries! Although, I really have nothing new to post. :-)

I have been researching healthy eats at local restaurants (my family LOVES going out to eat, I need to be prepared!) and healthy recipes. I think I want my first dinner to be a variation of THIS.

Day 31

It was day 30 yesterday, and thank goodness I've kept busy! I had a booth at our local Vintage Barn Sale, so food was the last thing on my mind. The past few days have been CHAOS!

Still juicing, still going strong, still feeling great!

Day 27

Grilla Bites Jungle Juice (Apple, carrot, pineapple, lime, and ginger), YUM!!

Day 26

Although I miss the taste of comforting food, I do NOT miss bloating, heartburn, headaches, indigestion, discomfort, and tight clothing.

Day 24

My husband is going to be working on a new contracting job, so he'll be gone A LOT. Who will hold me accountable when I want a bag of popcorn at night?

This is going to be so tough...

Day 23

Weigh-in day! I'm down 13lbs since I've started the Reboot cleanse, and I feel fantastic! I'm not even halfway through, and my husband has already treated me to a new pair of beautiful linen pants (which I NEVER wear).

By 'treated' I meant we had some Kohl's cash to blow. :-)

These are the progress pictures so far, and they'll only get better from here! Juice on!

Day 22

I've been having vivid dreams about eating (i.e. CHEATING), then waking up feeling depressed because my cleanse has been ruined. I feel like I'm going crazy!

Day 21

I just keep feeling better and better! I think having my weight melting like the butter that got me here the first place TOTALLY ROCKS. I hope I can get more people to join me after they see the before/after progress pictures!

To think my life changed because I happened to be bored one night and was running out of documentaries to watch. Looks like I picked the right one!

On another note, the pain in my abdomen (see DAY 4) has not subsided like I thought it would by now. Maybe I'm just impatient, or maybe it takes almost the entire 60 days to get that change. Either way, I'm sick of it. Pain pain GO AWAY!

Day 20

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

Day 19

I am seriously concerned that I am a food masochist, and it will come back to bite me in the ass.

I've been making my husband these amazing, gourmet dinners. I have a slight aversion to garlic (a side affect from pregnancy that decided to NEVER GO AWAY), so I've been making dinners where I can use lots of it. No cleanse-threatening temptations on my part.

Last night I made him homemade garlic fries (yuck) as a side dish to this melt-in-your-mouth avocado bacon burger. The bacon almost tortured me enough leave the house. It smelled so good, and I really questioned this entire experience just because I smelled a little pork.

Sigh. I hope my healthy habits stick with me after I creep back in to eating solid foods, because delicious cuisine makes me weak in the knees.

YES. And YES.

Day 18

Nothing new to report, still kicking butt with juicing consistently and NO CHEATING! It gets tough during family dinners and getting fliers for restaurants in the mail (mmm, chicken artichoke pizza).

Although, at this point I have juicing locked down to routine. I know the best veggies, best combos, and the time seems to be going by quicker and quicker. I didn't even realize I had skipped a blog post!

When I start to feel discouraged, I just remind myself that I've already EATEN the junk food that I'm craving (many, many times), and look where it got me? C'mon, Kristen. It's only 60 days...

Day 16

Not gonna lie, feeling a bit blue.

I won't be able to make the trip down south to see my good friend get married. I should have known fate was not in our favor when we picked up my vintage dress from the dry cleaners a few days ago and the elastic around the waist was flattened out (i.e. RUINED).



It is really difficult not to turn to food (or even aspirin) to make myself feel better. I woke up way too early, so I'm also exhausted. All I want to do is give a pizza some lovin'.

The rest of this already-long day is going to be a major uphill battle, so wish me luck...

Day 15

I'm 1/4 of the way through with the Reboot cleanse!

This evening will be my third round of pictures and third official weigh in (when my hair is piled on top of my head instead of down straight, I weigh 4lbs heavier! Time for a cut...??). I promise I'll post progression updates as soon as I feel a little more comfortable...

On that note, I have tons of energy AND I'm losing weight, which makes me a very happy girl! I just cleaned out both closets and was FINALLY able to let go of so many items.

I think clothing affects me emotionally. I have many pieces I had to buy after Syd was born because nothing in my closet fit. Two years later, why am I still buying the sizes that make me feel depressed and unhappy? I have a gigantic, perfectly good (perfectly expensive) wardrobe that I should be wearing!

So goodbye and good riddance to my weighty (ha ha) piles of disheartening duds!

Day 14

I just discovered THE tastiest recipe:

2 apples

Lots of carrots

THEN

...pour that juice into a blender with one banana, add a bunch of cinnamon and ice, hit "liquefy", and VIOLA! It tastes like candy!

I've had SO much more energy, that I don't feel the urge to sit at the computer scouring the FSND Facebook page for support and motivation. My motivation IS my energy! I'm still going to try and post at least once a day. :-)

Day 13

My colorful lunch:




These are THE reddest, ripest tomatoes I've ever seen! Straight from my friend's garden:

Day 12

Today was rough. Ran out of veggies, and we are a one car family, so I was stuck at home making meals for my toddler all day... HUNGRY!

But I made it, put another X on my calendar. One day at a time...

Day 11

I found my new favorite breakfast recipe! Yields two large glasses.

1/2 basket of blackberries
1/2 basket of raspberries
1 basket strawberries
3 apples
4 large carrots

And I've finally perfected my own "green" recipe:

1 bunch kale
1 bunch spinach
1 large cucumber
2 large carrots
2 apples
2 tomatoes
4 celery stalks
1 large jalapeno

It makes enough juice for about two days, which I seal and refrigerate. It tastes grassy (which I like), then spicy, then the aftertaste is sweet. Yum!

Day 10

Yay! My first big milestone! I have every ten days circled in bright red on my calendar. This feels REALLY good.

In other news, Day 10 could aptly be named Test Day #1. My good friend had a bridal shower, and these were the hors d'oeuvres:

Can you imagine the food that will be at her wedding in TWO WEEKS?!

Her mom sent me home with some straight-from-the-garden tomatoes and these funny, round yellow cucumbers (lemon cucumbers)! I can't wait to try them...

Day 9-1

Today was SUCH a great day. Tons of energy, and I even recruited my sister-in-law into the Reboot movement! She ran out and bought the same juicer, so I ran over to her place and gave her some tips and tricks before she gets started.

It feels so good to know that I've influenced even just ONE person! I think once I'm able to get before and after progression photos, more people will open up the the juicing possibility. People always like that visual proof. :-)

Day 9 - HELLO? IT'S FREE!

Great day at our local farmer's market! I got home and made my tastiest Mean Green yet! It tasted fairly grassy, then spicy (from my added jalapenos), then a sweet aftertaste from the apples (and I added a few carrots). I'll bring my real camera next time and capture some of the tasty produce!

I think a lot of people out there are thinking that I'm getting paid or making commission by how many people "join the reboot". Um, NO! The only reason I started this cleanse is because you DON'T have to join a program or watch the scale or count calories! All you need is the juicer!

I want my friends to do it so I have accountability partners, or maybe even to meet up and swap juice recipes and progress stories. It's very isolating since so many activities and social gatherings revolve around drinking and food.

I just found a spot on the Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead website where you can host a showing! How fun would that be?!

Day 8-2

I was invited to dinner with a few friends tonight, but I had to decline. I don't believe I'm strong enough yet to refuse a bite of this or a sip of that. Sigh, it would have been nice, but it will be SO much more rewarding when I go out with that same group of friends much healthier (and lots-o-pounds lighter!).

I've decided that I would rather have ONE nice, crispy slice of bacon after 60 days than cheat and have that slice mean that I have to start this process ALL OVER again. Yes, I want to continue my journey of health after the Reboot is done, but I have to have SOMETHING to look forward to! :-)

Day 8-1

Mean Green on the go!

Day 8

It's amazing how much of my day revolves around thinking of, preparing, and eating food. Now that my meals are pre-planned, I have SO much time on my hands!

I think it would be fun to have a t-shirt reward à la Phil's Aussie tee in the documentary. I found THIS shirt on eBay, but if I'm going to spend that much, why not make my own? I have a really neat idea that I'm playing with on customizedgirl.com, but I'm not going to share it until I can purchase it!

Day 7-1

Can you guess which dinner is mine?

Here's a hint; it's NOT THE JUICY, CHEESE-FILLED BURGER.

Day 7 - ONE WEEK!

I made it! No cheating! I can do this.

Day 6-1

Dinner and dessert, pure fruit and veggie smoothies from Jamba Juice.

Day 6

Inconveniences:

1. My husband and I share a truck, which he uses for work during the day. I am stuck at home with my two-year-old, and the kitchen is unavoidable.

2. Our knives are cheap and small, and it takes me about 45 minutes to get one batch of juice. I would probably have more luck sawing through fruits and veggies with a primitive flint knife. I wouldn't say no to THIS knife, or THIS one. A girl can dream.

Perks:

1. My tot is getting to try lots of different healthy foods!

2. I am learning self-control and discipline. I've always had a high metabolism, so I've never had to teach myself those things where food is concerned.

I've made sure there are going to be little milestones on this journey to break up the monotony of seeing this scary, SIXTY DAY FAST. Tomorrow, day seven, will be one milestone. Then the double-digit milestone, and so on. I'm going to treat myself to little things on those days (back massage from hubby? Purchase something from my etsy.com wishlist?).

I'm still hungry for real food, but I haven't broken yet.

Day 5-2

Wow. It was really hard not to stick my finger into Syd's pasta to test the temperature by sucking it off of my finger.

Or to sip the last little leftover bit when I heat up her bedtime milk.

Habits. :-(

Day 5-1

I got a quick note on Facebook from Joe Cross, the man behind the film AND the program, and it really made my day! How motivational to have such and influential person take the time to inspire progress!

I woke up with a mild sore throat again this morning. I'm definitely not used to drinking so much!

I went on my normal 1 1/2 mile walking route this morning, alternating between walking and jogging.

My energy level is getting stronger, but I still find it hard to deal with the juicing towards the evening. I love the atmosphere of dinner; cooking with a glass of wine, chatting, laughing, careful preparation, and the first bite of that mouth-watering meal! I've been handling that by going to bed and reading when my husband makes his dinner. I also light a giant lilac candle to cover the delicious smells coming from downstairs.

Hopefully that part will get easier soon...

Day 5

My breakfast invention: Morning Bloody Mary.

4 large tomatoes
6 celery stalks
1/2 lemon
Black pepper or cayenne pepper to taste.




Yum!

Day 4-2

I'm starting to crave real food again, so I'm going to bed early. Again. My nightcap: Bruschetta Juice (recipe HERE).

Day 4-1

I'm having Weston take progress pictures once a week, but I'm not going to share those until I'm done.

They're too discouraging right now. :-/

Day 4

On June 1st of this year, I had my first doctor's appointment for a pain I was experiencing in the right side of my abdomen. There was no cause. It was just a dull pain that would get worse, then wane, at random times throughout each day.

Three pregnancy tests, two rounds of laxatives, two x-rays, two ultrasounds, three doctors, five blood tests and one CAT scan later, NOBODY IS THE WISER. I have, in the words of the docs, a "tiny" ovarian cyst on that side. They all seem befuddled that such a "tiny" thing could cause so much pain, so nobody will draw any kind of conclusion.

My stomach still hurts, and when I lay flat on my back, you can SEE that the right side is ever-so-slightly more elevated than the left. Ew, right?

This is the driving force behind my decision to do the juice fast. I truly believe that my body can heal itself, since nobody else can.

This morning I woke up with a sore throat, which I have to assume is caused by how much juice/water/tea drinking I've been drinking. This won't deter me, though, because if I can fix my toddler meals without taking little bites, and if I can watch my husband eat garlic bread and steak while I sip veggies, I can push past a little soreness in my esophagus.

Day 3

I definitely enjoy (GASP!) the basic "Mean Green" juice that Joe drinks in the documentary. You can find the recipe HERE (halfway down the page).

My secret is adding jalapeños. It fools my stomach into thinking that I've just eaten spicy Mexican food or similar. I've also been drinking lots of decaf tea, the warm water makes me feel fuller when I just can't drink another drop of juice.

I also notice that I feel much better in the morning than at night. No cravings or urges to cheat, possibly because I jog in the A.M. and I have that boost of energy. I'm going to start going to bed earlier (maybe with Sydney at her 7pm bedtime?) and read books until I just can't stay awake.

Sigh. Only 57 more days to go. :-)

Day 2-1

I am so hungry. This is going to be harder than I thought.

Two facts about me?

1. I am passionate about cooking, because

2. I am addicted to the taste of food.

Going through these first few days of juicing for me will be comparable to a drug addict quitting cold turkey. It sounds lame when I write it out like this, but if you want more info, HERE you go!

No joke, this sucks and I want to quit. Let me just get to day SIX, and I know it has to get easier...

... and this is my inspiration. I was in my early twenties. Those jeans are hanging in my kitchen right now.

Day 2

It's about 6:40am, and I have a dull headache. I know it's just my body craving sugar and fat. I'm going to watch the documentary again to get some inspiration.

I have to try and drink the rest of this batch of juice right away so I can move on to something I enjoy, otherwise my motivation is going to drop.

I think this recipe comes out to be about 3 large glasses. It doesn't seem like a lot while I'm drinking them, but I juiced A LOT of veggies for the V28 recipe! Or maybe it seemed like more because it took forever.

Find the V28 recipe HERE (bottom of page).

It's going to be a long day. Maybe I can get my husband to take me thrifting to find some awesome vintage glasses to drink out of (like my fantastic Miss Piggy glass). :-)

If these aren't motivation, I don't know what is: Vintage Drinking Glasses.

Day 1-2

First glass from my "V28" batch...

Day 1-1

Total cost of the veggies: $33.00. My first batch of juice is the V28 recipe. I thought it was going to taste like Spicy V8, but it's much sweeter. I do like the spice, but I don't enjoy sweet AND spicy at the same time. I probably won't make this one again, I'm definitely curious to try the fruity combos...

Day 1

Juicer acquired.

After watching the documentary "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" I have been pining for a juicer of my own. My awesome parents came over today and surprised me with the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. Let's get this started!

I have decided to juice for the entire 60 days. I really want to change my body AND my lifestyle, so I'm going full force. I will document my progress as often as I can, possibly with pictures (if my bravery kicks in).

For info on what Reboot is, follow this LINK.

You can find the documentary on Netflix. Watch out, YOU WILL BE INSPIRED!