diet

Juicing for 21 Days (Update)

/ Cynthia Peterson / 4 Comments

ImageI began my dietary change to whole foods, which includes daily juicing, 21 days ago. I’d say I’ve adhered to “whole foods” approximately 80% of the time and juiced at least once a day, most days 2-3 juices. This week I reintroduced my 4x weekly 4.5 mile run/walk back into the regimen after the initial detoxification period. 

Despite a nasty bug making its way through the ranks here at the Posse Palace I feel great! My resistance seems to be much higher than my housemates and to date I’ve lost 9 pounds! That is my “scale success”. Some of my other successes include: more energy and deep, satisfying sleep. We’ll see how regular exercise affects my fitness level when I check in next month.

The rest of the family hasn’t adopted my lifestyle as of yet, but we are moving in the right direction! Sean will make juice with me (as seen in the photo above) and he will drink most juices with a fruit base. Soda has been restricted significantly, store bought juices have been banned and water intake increased. Over processed snack foods and convenience foods have been replaced with healthy, home cooked options. Fresh fruits, vegetables and fresh juice is available 100% of the time. 

Refined “white” foods have been eliminated. Dyes, corn syrup and bleach….GONE. 

The rewards are great and I’ve found this lifestyle quite easy to maintain. I don’t feel hungry or deprived because I eat anything I want when I want it. My mindset has changed and I recognize the modern western diet for what it is: pure poison. Therefore I no longer desire it. 

When I pass a chocolate cake it may as well be a box of cyanide, for that is how my minds eye sees it. I knew it would take a major mental shift for me to find success, and apparently God, in His goodness, has granted me the strength and determination to adjust the way I see food. Food is only fuel, a means to power this wonderful machine God has given me I call a “body”. It is up to me to ensure I fuel it properly. 

 

 

Don’t Tell Me it’s “Water” Weight

/ Cynthia Peterson / 6 Comments

ImageIt’s day three of my whole foods lifestyle dietary change and I’m down 6 pounds. If anyone tells me it’s “water weight” I’ll poke ’em in the eye with a hot stick!! I know it’s water weight! You don’t have to remind me, I’ve been at this long enough to understand the properties of weight loss. Furthermore, I don’t care if it’s water weight, fire weight, gas weight or whatever weight what matters is that is gone and I’ll never see that number again!!

Lovin’ the positive self-talk, can you tell? Besides the weight loss there are other “non-scale” related successes. I’m not hungry, my cravings are gone, I’m sleeping better and I feel more alert than I usually do. My intake is not perfect, I had some sub-standard peanut butter and farmer’s market jam on a rice cake, but if that is the worst thing I put in my mouth I’m in good shape! 

80% of my daily intake for the last 3 days have consisted of fresh vegetable/fruit juices. I’m sold, however my family is not. They are trying I’ll give them that, after all this is my epiphany, not theirs. I will keep offering it up and refrain from buying the junk and pray that health by osmosis occurs. I’m not above “hiding” super foods either. This recipe my step-mom sent me is a perfect example:

Follow · 24 June 

 
 

ALL NATURAL PANCAKE RECIPE… NO PROCESSED ANYTHING!!

Ingredients
– 1 ripe banana
– 2 whole eggs

That’s it. Just mix together in a bowl and make sure the banana is all mashed. Then spray your pan with some cooking spray or coconut oil. On a low to medium heat, scoop some of the batter into the pan & give it about 20-30 sec, flip, and done! Serve and eat!

*Some advice would be to make them small so they are easier to flip

Under 250 calories, nearly 14g of protein! No processed anything! These pancakes are gluten free, low calorie. Can be garnished anyway you prefer.

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68 lbs to Go!

/ Cynthia Peterson / 4 Comments

Image

After one day, I’ve lost 2 of the SEVENTY POUNDS I need to lose. Forgive the caps, I’m not yelling at you, I’m yelling at me :D. I feel really good, I juiced all day and enjoyed eggplant for dinner. It’s a good thing I love fruits and vegetables, or this would be a very difficult lifestyle change. 

I’ve adjusted my goals just a bit. If you recall, I stated that I would add daily exercise. Exercise in and of itself is obviously a great thing, but watching a film led me to understand why my body was hanging on to all this fat. It also explained why “forcing the weight off” through exercise before detox was not a good idea, in fact it is quite counter productive. I’m pretty active anyway, so I’ll forgo the additional exercise until my detox is complete, about a week. 

I’m not the only one on this journey, I’ve included my entire family. Not everyone is happy about it as I’ve done a complete house clean out. No more Capri Sun, no more soda, no more store bought apple juice. With a meat and potatoes Dr. Pepper lovin’ husband, a teenager, two 9 year olds and a 7 year old diva in the house I’m not the most popular person around right now, but hey, they don’t gotta like me, I’ve got a job to do!

In the off chance I’ve inspired you to get healthy and have decided to dabble in the whole foods life yourself, you should take a gander at the film I watched yesterday: “Hungry For Change” it explains thoroughly the science behind food addiction, the part the food industry is playing in the obesity epidemic and how to work with your body instead of against it in the healing process. 

http://www.hungryforchange.tv

Here’s to Your Health

/ Cynthia Peterson / 6 Comments

ImageI’ve been battling a weight problem for six years now, ever since my fifth and last child was born. Since then I’ve watched my weight grow steadily up hill until I reached a number of astronomical proportions. I’m not as brave as some, so I won’t give you the number lest you faint dead away from distress. Suffice it to say, I have to lose 70, SEVENTY, SEVEN-TEE, 70 pounds to reach my goal. Wow, that felt good.

Now, how I am I planning to do this you ask? It’s not like I hadn’t dabbled a bit here and there in  the past to shed this fat. I know I have not succeeded until this point because my state of mind. I read voraciously and I came upon the perfect gem in a comment thread in some forum focused on the juicing vs. blending debate and it was a zinger! It was exactly what I needed to reset the self-talk button in my head. I wish I could quote the writer verbatim and give credit, but I can’t find the thread. Here is what I took from it:

“It really doesn’t matter if you juice or if you blend, the reason we are all here is because humans have learned that they can put anything in their mouth that tastes good, now we are realizing that just because we can, doesn’t mean we should.” 

Amen AMEN I say! 

So back to business, how am *I* going to do this? I’m going whole foods baby. If it has an ingredient list I’m not putting it in my body. I once read somewhere that every journey begins with one step and that a long journey shouldn’t commence without a map. My cyberspace will serve as both. 

I plan on exercising everyday, even if its a quick 20 minutes on the elliptical. My food intake will consist only of whole foods and I will write everyday to clear my mind. 

Anyone interested in taking the journey with me? Here’s to our health!