Juicer Replacement Parts

So, if you have a Jack LaLanne juicer like I do, I highly recommend NOT ordering replacement parts direct from the website. 

I needed a new crescent tool (FYI, it is magnetic.  It will stick to the bottom of your baking sheet.  Always check the bottom of your baking sheet before putting it into your hot oven.) and bought one for $7.99 with free shipping (they've since raised the price to $9.99).

Not my disaster, but you get the point.

I got the part yesterday, and it was the wrong color to boot.  I ordered the part in APRIL.  After about a month of using a screwdriver to get my blade out for cleaning, I realized I should probably check on the delivery status.

Turns out it was backordered.  No call, no email, nothing.  The customer service guy (Bob, from India) could have cared less about my annoyance for their lack of communication.  So I took out my feelings on the Facebook page, and apparently LOTS of people have issues with their orders.

In conclusion, if you're in no rush for a replacement part, by all means please order through the website.  Otherwise, try eBay.  Same parts, same prices, faster shipping.

February Group Reboot...

http://www.jointhereboot.com/groupreboot/

... LET'S DO IT!

I'm SO [im]perfect, It's not even funny.

I'm not skinny, and I'm not going to pretend to be.

Yes, when you look at my before and after pictures, the difference seems VERY dramatic, but would you like to know how much I weigh?

140lbs. I am still curvy, and I will probably ALWAYS be proportioned this way... but I love it.

My goal for the juice cleanse was not JUST to lose weight, but to get my body healthy from the inside as well. It sounds cliché, but it's the truth. What kind of life can you live when you don't want your own husband to touch you, especially when he's a ruggedly handsome dude?

I've also never let the scale rule my life. Ever since I hit puberty, I've had some va-va-voom hips and a booty to match. In 8th grade, I won "Biggest Appetite" in the yearbook. My jeans size would always surprise my friends, because I carry my weight pretty well.


These classic lyrics define my body shape to a T: Baby Got Back. Ha.

Anyway, I think the main point I am trying to get people to realize is that I still look like a normal woman, and I have not suddenly transformed into some kind of Super-Healthinator. I still juice daily and eat WAY better than I ever have in my life, but I have my moments of weakness. My battle with food will be an ongoing conflict that I will probably have to deal with for the rest of my life.

So, for the readers who keep asking me "How much weight did you gain back?" and "What do you eat when you end the cleanse?", here are some additional Questions Answered, Part Deux.

1. Don't you just gain all of the weight back? Um, NO! 60 days gave me quite a long time to learn how to listen to my body. Going through this cleanse was like having an epiphany about eating. It didn't matter how many hours I spent at the gym, or how hard or how long I ran, because my diet stayed the same so my BODY stayed the same. My weight fluctuates about 5lbs both ways (which I think is the norm, right?). I am happy to say that I have a closet full of new jeans and I am lovin' the way they fit. :-)

2. What did you eat after the cleanse ended? Like you may have seen in a previous post, I had a fish taco as my first meal. I wish I could say I weaned myself back into solid foods by eating fruits, veggies and smoothies (as recommended by the Reboot team), but like I said... I am totally addicted to food. Once I knew my juice cleanse was almost over, my brain became FIXATED on fish tacos. The only other time I remember craving something that bad was

A. When I worked at Hooters (yeah, yeah, I know.) and I couldn't get enough of the hot buffalo shrimp. Those things are NO JOKE. Thank God I had a high metabolism.


B. When I was pregnant and I seriously could not get enough Pepsi into my system. I don't even DRINK soda (or coffee!), but if I could have safely absorbed Pepsi intravenously, I would have.


Folks, listen to the experts. If I could do it over again, I would have eaten raw foods. Unfortunately, I am impatient and imperfect, so I went as healthy as I could while still making something that would make my mouth happy. My stomach didn't hurt or bloat or anything similar (until I ate cheese), but I may have just been lucky...

3. I can't find the 60-Day program on the site...?? They don't actually have the 60-day cleanse that Joe Cross completed in the documentary as a program option on the Reboot website. It is a potentially risky, VERY difficult fast, and they probably want to play it safe by offering shorter versions. AGAIN, before diving headfirst into the full 60 days...

... TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.

4. So, wait, you STILL aren't a doctor? Erm, no. As I said before, I am not a doctor, dietician, or nutritionist. All I can do is explain what worked for me, and back up my information with some linkage.

I don't know how to end this, so I just want all of you to know...

...that...

...I bought a Shake Weight.

Let the judgments begin. :-)

At my most miserable. No, Kristen! Don't eat the cake!

At my most memorable. Just a reminder that thin ≠ healthy.

My most recent pictures are in the "Boudoir" post (that's all you get, ladies and gents)... healthy and working on myself. :-)

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 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 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 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 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 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 8-1

Mean Green on the go!

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 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 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!