I found myself with a tiny bowl of rice, chewing very thoroughly and enjoying every morsel. The thing is, I didn’t feel bad about it at all, and now I’m totally happy concocting incredibly healthy and delicious dishes. The first thing I did was take a trip to Trader Joe’s to stock up on groceries. I did a great job, buying a ton of leafy green veggies, some grains and beans and a few condiments. I also got one treat. They were sampling Honey Roasted Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Butter. OMG, it was amazing. Delicious. Delectable. So, I bought it and then promptly divided it into two baggies with 5 ravioli and a few leaves of Sage and popped it in the freezer. I intend to eat it with lots and lots of greens, and a tiny little bit of butter. But, not right away.

So, while I only had a few ideas in my head about what I would make is that broccoli soup I mentioned a while back. It’s SO yummy and also very healthy. Here’s what I do. (apologies, I rarely cook with a recipe, and especially not when I’m making soup.

The night before I intend to enjoy the soup, I put curry powder and some crushed red chilies into some plain nonfat yogurt. This is critical, it makes the soup creamy without cream, and the curry is perfect with Broccoli.

In the soup, I start with Onion and Garlic, a tiny bit of olive oil, and cook it until it’s started to caramelize. I then dump in a bunch of Broccoli, stems and all, chopped up into smaller pieces. You can also add a bit of rice here. Stir that all around to heat it up and get the Broccoli a bit cooked, then dump is some stock (I used chicken) to cover the broccoli. This time, I also put in a bit of celery salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. I cook that for about 15 minutes, but stopping before the broccoli darkens. Then, blend it all up, adding Spinach leaves to make it very green and also add some extra veg to the mix. I don’t cook again after this, just put it into the fridge for enjoyment later on. You know how soup is always better  the next day. Yum Yum.

The great thing about eating now it that everything tastes so good, and just a tiny bit fills me right up. I had a cup of soup last night, along with an Arugula salad with Couscous and Quinoa. It was very yummy.

Tonight, I had a bit more soup, and a salad I made with cucumber, quinoa, lemon juice, and a sprinkle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Amazingly delicious in it’s simplicity. I also had two tiny tangerines.

 

So, while the scale hasn’t changed since I started eating again, I know that will change soon. I’ve put in two days of very solid workouts, the first on my rowing machine, and today in a yoga class. I signed up for 30 days of yoga, and will supplement with walking to dogs and rowing afterward. I think it’s a good plan, and the food definitely makes me feel fueled up to accomplish this.

Here’s to eating again, with a focus on health and continued weight loss.

Until next time…

I’m feeling so proud of myself. I’m down almost 18 pounds (just .2 to go!) and have 6 days left on my first ever juice fast. It’s clear to me now that losing 20 pounds is well within reach, and I’m headed in the right direction. I’m happy.

Last night, I went out with a friend. We intended to go to First Friday here in Oakland, but gave up after not being able to find a parking spot and realizing it was pretty late anyway. So, we went to get some dinner. Okay, I did not have dinner, but I did go. My friend took me to this amazing looking/smelling sausage restaurant in Old Town Oakland… and I really didn’t feel very terrible. I did chew up an spit out two of her french fries, which were delicious, but the taste alone made me feel completely satisfied, and I didn’t really care that I was fasting. I do admit to having a small glass of red wine, though. I thought about it, and decided that it’s not  a problem. It was small, and I don’t intend to give up alcohol completely anyway. One glass is one glass. Red wine is good for you in moderation. I also enjoyed a can of sparkling water, because I brought it with me and I love that sparkling water. This one had a hint of grapefruit. Yum.

After she ate, she decided she wanted to tour me around San Francisco, and I agreed that was a good idea. We headed over the Bay Bridge (such pretty lights!) and into the Mission District, and then up into the hills to catch the view from Twin Peaks. It was Really, Really, Beautiful.

The night was clear and cool, and I’m so happy to have gone. We drove around some more before heading back to Oakland. I headed straight to bed after chugging a glass of water.

This morning, I’m having my Ginger and Lemon “tea”, and I’ve made two flavors of juice for the day. I’ve not been using the Tomato and Garlic as much as before because I’ve only been making 1 juice most days, and I don’t want the Garlic all the time. I wanted it today.

So, Here’s the before and after for my two flavors of the day:

The Red one contains Beet, Carrot, Orange, and Kale.

The Green One contains Celery, Tomato, Turnip, Garlic, and Cilantro.

I’m headed back to the grocery store in a while, to stock up on what I’ll need for my last few days of fasting. I’m running low on everything, this was the last of my kale.

Although I did not report out on what I did for day 18’s juice, I did record it. Here’s what I had yesterday. Cucumber, Lemon, and Green Apple. It was not as delicious as I had hoped it would be, but it was quiet refreshing. I think I’d peel the cucumbers next time I want more cucumber flavor, I could tell it was there, making the cucumber juice less sweet than I would have liked. I’ll give it another go this week.

Cheers!

Okay. I’m feeling great, and took the time this morning to think about where I’m going and how/when I’m going to get there. I’m on the 17th day of my fast, and I’m on pace to lose between 20 and 25 pounds before this is all over. That’s thrilling, and I want to be able to keep up the losing when I begin eating again. I’m working to set myself up for success, and I began by calendaring a few things out. This helps me focus, and I know it will help me keep things in context when all I want is a bunch of french fries a few weeks from now. (Actually, what I want is Broccoli soup with curry yogurt… a totally healthy and delicious meal option that I cannot wait to make. I’ve only got 9 days left of fasting, and I’ve been a little stressed about what and how I’ll eat when I’m done. So I made a Pinterest board and have been shopping for inspiration. It’s weird how comfortable I am thinking about food while not having any. Weird and awesome.

So, here’s my plan. Ultimately, my goal is to have lost 50 pounds by the end of this year, which would have me moving into 2014 with just 30 pounds left to lose. An awesome New Years Resolution sounds lie one that includes “keep up the good work”, right? I have 3 more months to lose 36 pounds in order to make this a reality. With 9 more days of fasting ahead of me, this seems entirely possible. I know the holidays are coming. I’m arming myself with motivation now.

After I’ve achieved this initial goal, my next goal is to lose 10 pounds a month until I reach 170, which should be by the end of March is all goes well. I think I can do this all without doing another fast, but It’s easy to think that throwing in a 3 day reboot, or a 10 day, or a 15 day, will be relatively simple now that I’m comfortable with this.

So, six short months from now, I’ll be back to the weight I was my junior year of college. Not my leanest, which was 160 and mostly muscle when I was rowing, but a respectable and comfortable size. I’m 5’9″ with a large frame, so 170 is exactly right for me. I highly doubt I would want to do all the working out I did in college to achieve that 160. I ate like a pig, and I really think my thoughtlessness in transitioning out of rowing and into more normal lifestyle was part of the problem (read, most of the problem) with my ever-expanding waistline since then. It’s been 11 years since then, so 6 months of hard work and careful choices (and then continued hard work and careful choices to maintain!) are no major demand.

OMG, maybe I will even be in a bikini next summer. It’s very possible!

So,  I found myself at the Animal Hospital at 1am, as my little dog’s health issues were causing both of us strife. He got meds, and I think he’s feeling better today… but it remains to be seen if his digestive system will start doing what it’s supposed to do. This poor cute pup has some issues, I tell ya. And he’s begging for dinner as I type this. Oh my. 

Anyway, I knew he needed to go to the vet, all day Sunday I knew. It just wasn’t such an urgency that I needed to do it on a Sunday. Come midnight, I was convinced. I didn’t drink enough juice, and had a bowl of miso soup, so I’m a little puffy today. That also might be because there wasn’t enough sleep last night for either of us. 

Anyway, the scale said I an exactly the same weight as yesterday. I am somewhat suspicious of the scale, but at least the number didn’t go up. Maybe it’s the salt. 

So, today, I didn’t juice until well after the workday was over. I was busy, and drank the leftovers from yesterday this morning along with a few cups of water. I was fine. My tummy is doing a little gurgling, though. I will have some Senna Tea tonight and see if maybe there isn’t a bit more in there to eliminate. 

My tongue is slightly coated with white, but I can tell it’s decreasing. I feel really good. I did find myself wanting a little of the white rice I’m feeding the pup, but I didn’t want it bad enough to break my fast. 

So, Here’s my juice. A lovely blend of Beet, Cucumber, Green Apple, Spinach, Lemon. And, yes, it’s sitting next to a decorative pumpkin… It is Fall, afterall! 

This morning, the morning of day 13 in my juice fast, I smiled at the scale. My scale told me I weigh 237 pounds. Yes, still a significant amount of weight left to lose, but, my goodness does 237 sound so much better than 250. I’m happy. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to achieve so far. 

I didn’t get out of bed until noon, I read my book and totally lost track of time. It was nice to not be so rushed and to take a day to relax. It was nice to not have a grumbling stomach to appease as well. 

Except, I should have been up a bit earlier. I went to the movies with one of my friends today. This movie theater is super cool. They serve food and drinks and bring them to you in the theater, where there are an array of chairs and sofas. Check it out! Definitely not your average movie theater.

 

My juice today, which I did not get around to making until after the movie, is quite a variety. I threw it together when I got home, needing to put something other than water into my system. It’s got Kale, Spinach, Strawberry, Red and Green Apple, Cucumber, and Orange. It’s yummy, but certainly not pretty. It’s an ugly brown/green. I don’t really care what it looks like, but certainly no one is putting this blend in a clear bottle. 

I ran to the Berkeley Bowl this evening, to refresh my supply of greens and pick up some bubbly water. I love bubbly water. I also grabbed a few pre-juiced juices to have on hand. I’ve realized that it would be good to have some back-up when I’m running behind, so that what happened on Friday won’t happen again. I actually did have a back-up to take to the movies with me today, but it was gross. I do not recommend Tomato Kick by Naked Juice… I like their other stuff, this one was terrible. Not even a poor comparison to V-8, which isn’t all that great either. 

So, as I wrap up day 13, feeling proud of what I’ve accomplished so far and excited to continue with this excellent progress through the remaining 12 days of my fast, I’m feeling confident and satisfied. That’s and awesome way to feel. 

I conquered the Eat Real Festival today without even thinking about eating. I did a tiny bit of wine sampling at the start of my shift in the wine booth today, just so I could know what the heck I was talking about, (I do love wine!) but that was the extent of my cheating, and, hey, what’s 2oz of fermented grapes gonna do, really? nada. not even a tiny buzz.

I had a great time today, working the “Wine Shed”. I’m really glad I went. I will go next year, when I’m at goal weight and can enjoy all the amazing food there was on offer along with doing the volunteer thing.

I lost more weight overnight, and I was happy with what the scale said, but did not update it… I’ll report out tomorrow, my official Half Way mark. Day 12, on the whole, has been pretty good.

Today, I ran out of time to juice. Poor planning and a little drama with my little dog, and I just had to get the show on the road. I had a presentation to make in San Jose, and I wanted to make sure I gave myself plenty of time to get there. I also had to stop at Target to pick up some candy for the session.

Yes, I bought candy today. No, I did not eat any of the candy, not even a single Jolly Rancher. (Woot!)

So, while in the store, I also picked up some Naked Juices. I figure they were the closest I was going to get for the time being…  the closest juice bars are a little to far out of the way for me to be in a hurry.

I lost another .6 pounds overnight, putting my just over 11 pounds. I’m very happy with losing a full pound for each day I’ve been fasting. Very cool.

Tomorrow is going to be tough. I’m volunteering at a festival with a ton of food and drinks all around. I’ve prepped my juices to take with me already, and a pack of gum, and all of my willpower.

That’s right. Pineapple, Kale, Mint, and Nopal are in my cup today… and I deem it the “Piña-Kale-ada”. It’s quite yummy, and the Nopal thickens it a little.

Never had Nopales? It’s the leaves of a prickly pear cactus. They can be a little slimy, but I really like them. The first time I ever had them was in scrambled eggs, and I’ve also had them in salads and in tacos. I like them. The place across the street from the school I used to work in makes juices, and the lady there would add Nopal sometimes. Like all veggies, there are great health benefits to Nopales. Just don’t juice too much at once, because of the slime.

I’m down almost 11 pound now, having lost another .6 since yesterday. That’s been the trend lately, about half a pound a day. I think that’s probably just about right, and I hope I can keep it up for the duration of the fast. I’m just 15 days away from my 25 day goal, almost to the half-way point, and feeling really good about my progress so far.

There has definitely been ups and downs, but the reality is that the time I’ve spent thinking about food is really pretty productive. I’m looking forward to eating healthfully, to continue the weight loss while enjoying the texture and satisfaction of food. What I want to eat, what would make me happy, right now, is a little bowl of brown rice with some Sriracha, scrambled egg and Soy Sauce. I want to eat an apple, and I want some rotisserie chicken. All healthy, all acceptable soon enough. Those Orange Chicken fantasies don’t happen all that often, and it’s been a very long time since I’ve had any actual Orange Chicken… I can resist that without a problem.

The thing I think this fast is helping me with, aside from all the awesome weight loss and cleansing, is learning to enjoy small tastes of a particular flavor. I’ve been able to crush cravings with a dab of hot sauce, or by a bit of miso soup. I do not need to eat an entire container of yellow curry to be satisfied. I’ve done it, though. Plenty of times. So, I will apply the lessons I’ve learned during fasting… I think, when I begin to eat again, that this will be the challenge I face, but one I know I can be deliberate about. Portion control isn’t a new idea at all.