Hi Gang - Michelle here.. Wife to Hubs of 5.5 yrs, Mom to DD 20.5 and DS 17.5 and Honey
age 3.5 .. I work full time.. we are currently down to just one Truck (due to an accident in Nov with a buck that totaled my car) I haven't been very good for the past month as we are currently waiting for my gram to Pass and I can't seem to get it together (sung like in Beauty and Beast LOL) so for this month I'll just mostly be following along .. doing some cheering for you all and with any luck I'll be all set for May (if not before)
Oh unusual about me - for a summer in the early 90's my Uncle's Stock Car sponser was Hood Milk (it's a local company to us) I had to wear the Penelope the Purple Cow suit and hand out candy to all the kids that came out to see the car.. It was so hot one day in Vermont that I passed out.. good thing I had that big HOT cushy suit on!
Just getting out of bed for me lately is gonna have to be good.. I didn't do it on Monday - I stayed home just because I was mentally exhausted I guess.. However I did power thru Tuesday and I even went to Zumba - I feel soo much better when I go - wish she had class 5 days becuase I would go.. Maybe I should check into the Wii Zumba - anyone try it?? Today well I just ate the food I have in my lunchbox .. no extras ..
take care everyone..
to all that might need them... (dona - sorry to hear of the loss of your dad and friend)
Many hugs back to you!! Sorry that you are still struggling. If the Zumba is fun and makes you feel better.... find a way to do it more! It sounds like you need some endorphins right now and exercise is a great way to get them! NOT taking care of yourself is NOT going to change the situation with your Gram.... it will just end up making you feel worse!! So go take care of yourself!!
You'll have to give a full juicing review! I always think about it but I'm afraid I'd be hungry the entire time!
Well, I don't think I'm knowledgeable enough to give a "full review" but I'd be happy to share what I'm doing.
I just keep moving. I try not to stay seated for long. Today I'm off so I'm cleaning throughout the day but I get up and move during commercial breaks. It helps me avoid over snacking out of bordem.
Moving is good!
I knew it was April, but just reading that its a quarter of the way through gave me such a shock! Oh my goodness!
ME TOO!!
And I think that's AWESOME! We're all Disney dorks here. When I used to run, I ran to a mixture of the songs played BEFORE Illuminations! It would end with the old Tapestries of Dream drum section. We're all mad here...
While the ToD is definitely NOT a top favorite of mine, I do have fond memories of that drum music because that was one of the first Disney parades that my kiddos ever saw!
Hmmm.... I guess there's not much I can do today. I will be doing my daily workout at 5, and I've been eating OP this week, so I guess that's good! But, today is part of a very relaxed week since I'm working from my parent's house. But, I do get to eat the delicious leftovers from what I made last night, so that's exciting!
Eating leftovers that YOU made, knowing the nutrition information and such is a great thing to do for yourself! And of course, the workout is a
Secret trip funds are the best! And yeah, I know my fear is completely illogical - I've read the books, seen the studies. I know just walking down the street gives me a higher chance of death than an airplane, but unfortunately, it doesn't help much.
That is the problem with fear/phobias.... they are NOT logical!
That's awesome, Pamela! It's amazing how things that seem so daunting at first get easier, and definitely more intriguing as you go. Way to go!
Thanks!
I have a confession to make - I LOVE SQUASH! Why, oh, why did I not spend the entirety of winter making it?! I made the most delicious dinner last night for my friend and I - Skinnytaste Chicken stuffed with Broccoli and Cheese, with Squash and Asparagus on the side. 7 points for a whole meal of deliciousness!
Seriously - I went back for seconds on the squash. How did I not know how much I loved this vegetable before? Too bad it is about to go out of season haha
What kind of squash? Recipe please!
Yesterday was incredibly slow going - the phone did not ring ALL DAY, so I decided, since my parents have an exercise bike in their house, to start my workout at 4 instead of 5. Of course, twenty minutes in, the phone rings, and then rings again, and then again! I had to pitch this woman over the phone, taking frequent breaks to breath away from the phone hahaha I was sweating all over the place, it was a mess.
Today, I shall be waiting until 5.
Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather! 57 here right now!
Always the way! I can be home all day without a single call.... but as soon as I get on the TM, the whole world seems to need to talk to me!!
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Hey there friends! I told myself NO internet time until the workout was done and I stuck with it! I had a great walk/run outside with a solid 50/50 mix.... not sure why I keep trying to get back to running when I really don't like it, but for some reason I keep trying. And I told myself no more juice until I drink a full mason jar of water so I'm nearly done with that! I really struggle with plain/still water, but my seltzer cannisters are empty! A squeeze of lemon in the water definitely helped though.
For those who are interested, here is a bit about my juicing....
First of all, I saw the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" a few years ago and it was pretty interesting. While I don't agree with his method of weight loss, he definitely seemed to make HUGE STRIDES in improving his overall health by doing a long term juice fast.
I have some experience with juicing from DH's accident a few years ago (for your newbies I'll fill you in quick....DH fell off a ladder, broke every bone in his face/skull, and had to have his face glued/screwed back together and of course his jaw wired shut for many weeks). After his accident and using a relative's juicer, I broke down and bought my own.
The first time I tried to do a 24 hour juice fast, I was so hungry by mid-afternoon I felt ill and gave in and ate. Tried it again another time and had similar results plus it had a bit of a laxative effect.... okay for weight loss, but I didn't feel well. Plus I was miserably hungry.
I did more reading up on juicing and how to prevent the hunger, etc and most of what I've read said to NOT let yourself get hungry. If you are hungry, drink juice. During a juice fast you should also give up caffeine, dairy, added sugar, etc. Just all juice, all the time (plus decaf green tea and water).... no solids.
In the past, I've made one big batch of juice, but this time I tried dividing the juices into individual containers and mixing up different "flavors". I know that BEST case scenario you should make your juice fresh at every meal/snack, but who wants to deal with cleaning the juicer that often??? I made up enough for a full 3 days at once this time, but I know in the future I will make a batch every day (which is why I try to stick to juicing on the weekends).
What I juiced this time: carrots, celery, cucumbers, beets, papaya, cantaloupe, kiwi, apples, watermelon, oranges, grapefruit, lime. My juicer just doesn't do a good enough job on greens to bother with it.... for 16 oz of baby spinach I might get a few tablespoons of juice. So I add the spinach after the fact, in the blender.
I try to make sure my juice blends are AT LEAST 50% vegetable (before the addition of spinach). Otherwise I feel like I am just taking in too much natural sugar. That being said, if it is TOO MUCH vegetable, it just isn't enjoyable.
Quantities: This time around I used 10 pounds of apples, 5.5 pounds of carrots, 8 cukes, 2 full heads of celery, 3 beets (the taste is strong!), 1 large papaya, 1 large cantaloupe, 2 kiwi, 1/4 of a large watermelon, 4 pounds of navel oranges, 2 large grapefruit, 1 lime. That made me enough juice for three days (I will have just a bit of apple juice left.... but I've been sharing the orange juice with DS).
For breakfast and dinner I've been making a juice smoothie with a variety of juices, a scoop or half scoop of Juice + vanilla protein powder, half a banana, two handfuls of baby spinach, a slice of fresh ginger (about the size of a nickel) and once or twice a splash of almond milk. I make a BIG smoothie (fills the blender) and this definitely keeps me full for a while. I drink from a large mason jar that holds 3 cups of liquid and I usually drink about 1 1/2 of these jars. I feel a bit OVER full and bloated initially, but once I burp a few times (the blender adds a lot of air) and it settles in, I feel fine. I probably drink it too fast.
For lunch and snacks I've been sticking with just juice blends.... no banana, no almond milk, no protein powder.
Try to drink plenty of water/seltzer and green tea along with all of this, but that isn't anything new for me.
If I were recommending this for a newbie.... I'd say skip the beet.... the taste is very strong. Buy organic as much as possible and soak/scrub/peel everything else. Apples, cukes, celery, carrots give the biggest bang (as far as juice amounts) for the buck and I actually find carrot juice very delicious! I actually had problems a few years back with my skin discoloring because (presumably) of the amount of carrots and carrot juice I was consuming (it took a loooong time to wear off too!), so I am careful about that. Watermelon also produces a lot of juice, but it is pretty bland (IMHO)....especially this time of year.
The papaya is good for digestion and inflammation, so even if it isn't a fruit you normally eat, it is very mild tasty and sweet and great for juicing.
I've read about people juicing sweet potatoes and cabbage, but I haven't ventured that far yet. A lot of folks juice greens like beet tops, kale, parsley, etc, but my juicer just isn't powerful enough for that, so I do add greens (mostly baby spinach and parsley) to my juice by using my blender... same with the fresh ginger.
Personally, I definitely need the protein from the Juice + and the hemp powder.... otherwise I am just too, too hungry, no matter how much juice I am drinking!
First time around I would suggest staying close to the home bathroom facilities....just sayin'
If you want to do a TRUE juice fast, I think the Juice + powder would definitely be a no-no.... not sure about the hemp protein. I had a friend try to put chia seeds in her juices and it made them too gooey and jelly.... so I haven't tried that.
Anyhow.... I'm rambling as I enjoy my evening meal.... but glad it is the last of the juice for a while!
Hope you all are well! I started typing this post at about 5pm and it is now 6:17.... I've made dinner for the men, cleaned it up, made my juice, and consumed about half of it.... all while trying to finish this post! Off to finish my juice and take a shower!..............p
Or you know, I'll save that money to spend on grad school like a smart person. 
Can't believe we're already a quarter of the way through 2014! 
(we gave ourselves to the middle of May) so some of the stress will be eventually decreasing, but if we are here that means we are buying or building a house sometime this summer. Having said all that, while I lost nothing in March, I am still down for the year and I will take that victory at this point.
), so I know I won't be "full" after lunch, but hopefully I can hold off on drinking that other snack juice until at least 3pm. Otherwise I'll be looking around for dinner before dinner time is here! And I have just enough juice left at home for dinner.... and I'd rather not pull out the juicer again to make more.... but I will if I need to! I'm doing this for HEALTH, not to starve! I know better and my metabolism won't like it if I don't eat/drink enough!
My BABY just turned four yesterday - can't really call him my baby anymore. I am carrying around 2 pregnancies worth of baby weight, and the 40 lbs I packed on when I quit smoking. Enough is enough. I have been with WW since last summer, but I finally turned a corner with my horrible eating habits, so success is coming slowly. I attend meetings on Saturdays, so I will post my results then. 
Need to do it again tomorrow though as I don't have any other opportunity to get my workout in for the day otherwise. Already a bit scared...
