Fresh Food!

My new Jack LaLanne Power Juicer Pro arrived earlier this weekend. That inspired me to go out shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables. Not that I didn't have any, I just now wanted more variety. Here's the bounty except what's in the fridge...

This juicer makes it easy to use the fruits I like without too much prep work. For example, I like oranges, but it's too much work to get all the texture off that I don't like, just to eat an orange.  This way, I just peel the rind off and throw the whole orange in the juicer. Easy!  Also cut a pineapple in quarters without peeling in, and in it goes! It also makes it easy to get the benefits from some things I don't like so much, like carrots (at least raw) because I can sweeten it with fruit.

Here's the before and after of my juice du jour...

 

It wasn't quite as delicious as the pure apple juice I made last night (I had some really ripe apples that needed to be used). But, it was tasty despite having a whole raw carrot, half a cucumber, and two cherry tomatoes in addition to the pineapple and orange. 

I'm excited about this addition to my healthy lifestyle changes. Last night I whipped up a quick dinner of rotisserie chicken (pre-made by the grocer), fingerling potatoes with crimini mushrooms and fresh garlic, and steamed broccoli. It was yummy and satisfying.

 

I think I'm going to make my own omelet for lunch with onion, mushrooms, tomato, and a little avocado on top. I always hated cooking just for myself, but it's nice to know exactly what I'm eating and to see the results on the scale. Two pounds down in the last few days. :)

Loving the Breeze

I have been keeping to my word (for the most part) of getting on track with healthy eating. This includes frequent visits to Whole Foods and lots of planning and preparation. I've been taking my lunch to work most days and eating healthy when I have gone out. Case in point, I had a warm spinach salad at Macaroni Grill yesterday instead of pasta. And, it was really good. When a vendor took some of us to lunch the other day, I had a fancy spinach and goat cheese omelet. Yummy! (and I'm not being sarcastic this time)

While eating said omelet, a discussion occurred at the table about healthy eating and that I was avoiding red meat. I spared telling them that I had my second colonic appointment later that afternoon and didn't want to clog the plumbing. I was also relaying how funny it was that my cats are now pissed that I'm using Rice Dream in my cereal instead of milk because they usually lick the remains in the bowl when I'm done. A couple of licks of the Rice Dream and they both gave me the stink eye. Oh well, it tastes just fine to me (to my delight). I struggled with the idea of giving up my beloved dairy, especially in the form of a glass of ice cold milk or ice cream. My coworker at the table mentioned that if I liked the Rice Dream, I would really like almond milk better. He was absolutely right! LOVED the Almond Breeze (unflavored) in my fiber cereal this morning. I was very pleased at the difference in the smooth texture and flavor even though the Rice Dream really wasn't bad.

Giving up milk, sugar, and bread completely are not going to be easy. Even if it is just for a few weeks during the cleanse. But, after switching to pure Stevia extract instead of sugar, and Almond Milk instead of cow's milk, I'm ever hopeful that it will be so much easier than I expected it to be.

Proof positive is already showing. In the last two weeks of eating healthier, eliminating red meat, limiting dairy consumption to a little cheese here and there, watching the sugar grams on the labels of everything I eat, and focusing on more whole and natural foods instead of processed... I have felt better than I have in a very long time. Not to mention the weekly colonics to get in practice for the hard core cleanse routine! Several people around me have been sick and I've been feeling great. I've had more energy than I have in a long time.

Oh, and I'm also getting better about taking my vitamin D, krill oil, and B complex.  Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, I will be able to ween off all my medications.

Still working on the exercise part. :(  But not until after I have a massage this afternoon.

To good health!!

Taking Back My Health

So the last couple of weeks have been difficult, health wise. In fact, the last couple of months have been difficult.

Strange, sheet-drenching night sweats. Waking up with unexplainable, 24-hour, tailbone pain (alien abduction anal probing gone wrong?  -- not that it could ever go right). Bouts of pure exhaustion even with plenty of sleep. Cluster headaches. And I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple of things. Not to mention the strange "gain 4.5 pounds and suddenly lose it 2 days later" thing. I think I had forgotten to mention that I lost it as quickly as I complained about it. Speculations abounded about perimenopause, arthritis in my tailbone, crazy bacteria, and even cancer.

With all this weirdness going on, I decided to follow my doctor's orders and take the Prevpac she prescribed for the h. pylori bacteria in my stomach. I have always fought taking medication unless absolutely necessary. And recently decided to stop the Crestor after the blood tests proved it was having adverse effects that weren't worth the "theoretical" benefits. First day into the Prevpac and I experienced what I call the "great exorcism". It was the most violent series of vomiting ever, which caused me to have black eyes and tiny bruising all over my swollen face for several days after. That was Super Bowl weekend and after I let my stomach settle and nursed on Pedialyte for a day, I tried the medication again and was in pain and a lot of discomfort all of Sunday.

That's when I decided I'd had it with this whole idea of throwing prescription meds at every symptom. I'm tired of doctors listening to the pharmaceutical companies who are deep in their pockets instead of hearing their patients. I want a more holistic approach to my health. Apparently, I'm very sensitive to chemicals as this is not my first or second horrible experience with medication side effects.

I'm on a mission to recover my health. I'm researching natural methods and ways in which I can make myself function at my best. I just finished reading "Cleaning Up! The Ultimate Body Cleanse". It's very thorough in defining the why, where, and how of cleansing your body of all the crazy toxins that are robbing us of good health.  I'm not naive in thinking it will be easy. I've started this journey in various forms over the last 7 years. However, I realize how important it is that I finally see this through.

I know that it is going to require dedication to routine and follow-through, so I have to work up to it.

I have less than 4 weeks until I go to Puerta Vallarta and so for the next few weeks the focus will be on exercise and healthy eating (not quite to the extreme of the cleansing diets, but getting on the right track). Then after PV, I plan to start the cleansing regimen. There's a lot of preparation that goes into this. Meanwhile, I'm cleaning and organizing my kitchen and my closets to get into a healthier routine.

Wish me luck!

WTF?

My body is clearly not cooperating with me. Friday morning I woke up with tailbone pain for no reason. I hadn't fallen recently. I hadn't done anything to exert myself except for 5 days prior I went walking twice and overdid it a bit. I was taking care to limit my intake of sugar grams. And for no reason, my tailbone hurt pretty badly all day, making it difficult to walk or sit comfortably.

The pain went away over the weekend after some icing and rest. But, I got up this morning and stepped on the Wii Balance Board to find out I've gained 4.5 pounds in the past week. 4.5 pounds!!!! How is that possible?? I would have had to eat over 15,000 extra calories on top of a normal diet (NORMAL, meaning NOT dieting). And yet, I was paying close attention to my sugar intake. I did get a little out of control over the weekend after the whole tailbone thing, but there's no freakin way some pound cake after a week of being good adds up to 4.5 pounds.

It's starting to get really disturbing, all this weirdness that keeps happening with my body and not knowing what the cause is. Frustrated beyond belief!