Changed Juicers...

Since aren't using a juicer this cycle of the juice fast just to compare the differences between a fast with a juicer and one without, it seemed a good time to change juicers.

We initially bought the Big Boss Juicer.  The juicer worked fairly well, but what I didn't like about it was that the way the spout was designed, when the juice fell into the glass it would splatter sometimes.  That was a minor thing, but what caused even more mess was when juicing harder veggies like carrots, the machine would often shake.  When the juicer shook the seams around the blade came loose and pulp and juice would splatter through them getting tiny bits of pulp and juice all over the counter and anything withing shooting range.  The juice also came out very foamy.

Dougs Word Clocks

This guy has the most amazing clocks.  You have to take a minute to look at his site Dougs Word Clocks

He takes orders and he has put together a kit that you can order to assemble your own if are technically inclined.  He is also on Facebook and Maintains a blog.

Chuckle for the Day - Phone Ancestors

From Humor

Juice Fast - Cycle 2 - No juicer this time

Monday we are starting our 2nd Cycle of the juice fast.  The first cycle we relied on the juicer, this cycle we are not going to use the juicer and instead rely on 100% prepared juices (Low Sodium V8, V8 Fusion, NOT V8 SPLASH!!) and a basic green juice prepared in the blender.  Preparation time, cleanup time and cost will be reduced.  Sam's case of V8 is only 50 cents a can for the 12oz cans.

24oz Tervis Insulated Tumbler

For the basic green juice we will be using Spinach, Celery, Cucumber, Lemon and Lime.  We will also be using the blender for Red Cabbage, Bananas, Apples, Strawberries and Pears.  To help make the juice more liquid we will be using coconut water, kefir or V8 mixed with the greens in the blender depending on taste desired.

Utilizing the blender will make the juice have more texture depending on your blender settings and length of time run.  Having the additional texture will be helpful to me in the morning and evening when I'm taking my medicine.  Sometimes taking my pills with nothing in my stomach causes queasiness.  Additionally, the thought is that having the extra fiber from the pulp will add to the feeling of fullness.

We are probably doing this in reverse.  If I had thought about it before, it would likely be more logical to have started the fast with the thicker blender juices and worked to the thinner juices, but, hindsight is 20/20.

Chuckle for the Day - Mittens

From Humor

Cycle 1 of Juice Fast Completed (10 days)

Well we finished the first 10 days cycle of the juice fast.  Now we are taking a 3 day break and will resume on Monday with another 10 days (Cycle 2).

It took all of this to make 1 glass of juice

Jerry ended up losing 11 pounds and I lost about half that.  We did not exercise except for our weekend walks around the lake with the dogs,

My results should have been better, but I had too many smoothies made with high sugar fruits and not enough veggies.  I ended up with my sugar too high and my sodium levels too low.  Most people do not have to worry about their sodium levels, but I take an anti-convulsive that causes sodium levels to plummet, so I have to make sure I get enough sodium.  I ended up having a little dizzy spell and took to eating crackers at night.

Chuckle for the Day - Garden Hose

From Humor

Taking advantage of the beautiful day

Me & my boys power walking in the New Year!

Juice Fast - Week 1 - Tips and Shopping List for First Timers

At the end of Week 1 of our Juice Fast, here is where we are:

Husband - down 8.5 pounds
Me - down 5.5 pounds (I had some cheese & crackers)

Going into this we really thought it would be harder than it turned out to be.  Our first trip to the store for produce we kind of  "winged" it and ended up with more than we needed which was a little overwhelming trying to fit everything into the fridge and cleaning.

I would highly recommend having a better strategy than we did on the first shopping trip.  At the bottom of this post I have a shopping list that I think would be a good "first timers shopping list".  After a few days, you will have a better idea of what you like and don't like to tweak your list.

The 100 Workout - No Equipment Needed

My hubby and I just started keeping this hanging on our fridge and under the TV as a reminder to get up and do something.  We are not aiming to do it all at once, but to at least finish the list every day.