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Creative Writing!

6 minutes of writing on the sunrise

The damp morning air was a welcome smell, replacing the dingy odor of the bathroom on the bottom floor. I much prefer fresh cut grass and dew to stale water in a multi-hued brown toilet bowl. The air was so good to my nostrils that it invigorated my whole being begging me to take a second look at life. As I turned my thoughts around I turned my shoulders as well to glance on the eastern horizon. It was Valentines day in the sky. Between the roof eves of the walkway and the fading creme of the brick wall was an arrow straight canvas of reds and pinks. Maybe my heart beat more alive because red is the color of love and pulsing blood or maybe the sun rising at such an hour that I should still be in bed gave me a reason to rise myself.

...and many more...

So it has been many days since the start of that crazy juice fast thing my family and I embarked upon. I wanted to write a recap blog after a bit to see how it had effected me but I also wanted to write a day 10 blog. All I have to say is...oops. I got a little busy with crazy family stuff and waiting on a couple babies to be born- still not here yet by the way. I can't be sure but on day 10 I think I drank some juice. Yeah probably did that. And then I am pretty darn sure that I ate a huge amount of food and felt very sick for a while. Then I drank some more juice. We (my friends and I) did a tropical mix- papaya, pineapple, mango, and kiwi- yum! We called it the contraction cocktail! (It didn't work) Also...Pineapple juice straight is amazing!

SO, why did I eat so much? Because it was there. And it was a party. And everyone else was eating. And there was so much good stuff. And I chose not to use self-control.

So how is it going many days later you ask (actually I don't care if you asked or not I am still gonna answer)? Well I would say good. Good even though I didn't juice today at all. I've gained a a few pounds back since I started eating again. I'm not upset about that. I expected that actually. The massive weight loss isn't really possible long term unless you juice long term and have lots of weight to lose. Plus a good majority of it is water weight- you drink, you pee- you drink, you pee. But it was a good jumpstart or detox from my fatty beach vacation.

The beauty of the juice cleanse isn't the weight loss-it is the shift in mindset. My family thinks about food a lot. We always have. I remember very vividly one day when one of my sisters and I were really bored and we laid on the floor in the dining room listing all the food we wanted to eat. We did that for like an hour straight. Gatherings are about the food. We think about food before bed. We think about what we are gonna eat after we work out. It's pretty much constant. Well, that hasn't changed. We still think about food all the time. But two things have changed- 1) we think about healthier food more and 2) we think about the choices we are going to make when it comes to eating. Yesterday we talked a lot about going to olive garden for dinner. I thought a lot about the ramifications of my actions and thought a lot about how I could just have a healthy option there. I chose to eat two plates of salad, two breadsticks and two bowls of pasta. If that sounds like a lot that is because it was. But I made that choice consciously. I thought about it. I was in control. Maybe it doesn't sound like it but I was. I didn't just sit there and mindlessly eat or accidentally stuff myself. And sadly stuffing myself on purpose is an improvement.

Okay here is some honesty for ya: I love me some excuses. The summer is very full of excuses. Once I got past the excitement of the 10 days and pushing myself to do something pretty crazy, I accepted a lot of excuses. And I guess I still kind of plan to. It is summer. There are parties and get-togethers and babies to bake cupcakes for and ice cream to eat while babysitting little kids. It's also why I sleep in and watch lots of smut tv. Its kind of fun. But to be honest I am really looking forward to school starting so that I can get back on schedule. It is my hope to juice one meal a day- probably breakfast. It is a great way to start the day. Tons of vitamins and all that! I will probably throw some Kale into the mix every now and then when I'm feeling a vegi-crave.

So bottom line- juice for health not for weight loss.

Think before you eat.

Juicing or eating healthy is expensive but much cheaper than hospital bills.

It's easier to do something if you just make up your mind to do it.

Self-control changes everything.

Support can move mountains.

Okay, I gotta go get some kids teeth brushed and say some more prayers to get that baby moving!

Days 8 and 9

Man, I really need to write each night so I can stop trying to recap two days.

My brother went home late night of day 7 so there has been a different vibe around the house. It's like trying to get back to normal life- like the adventure of the juicing has worn off. Now it's like a chore and hard work to fit in with what else we have going on. Day 8 We only got two juices in mixed with other food. I like to count mine as three because I took a jar of lunch juice with me to have later in the night. Today we have only juiced once and are trying to squeeze another in before bed. It's hard when it isn't your focus. My sister is trying to prepare her classroom for the start of school, I am trying to help Rachel prepare for the birth of her baby and the day just zooms past. I haven't been drinking enough water either. Shame on me.

So the deal with the juicing and living normal life is that it requires a lot of thinking ahead and planning. The first few days we just sat around and felt hungry and vaguely distracted until it was time to juice again. All of our thoughts were around juicing so we had everything we needed on hand and time to make each individual meal. But with normal life you run out of fruits and veggies and have to run to the store to make a juice. You have to juice early if you are going to be gone later or make extra and carry it with you in an ice chest or come home at meal times.

Don't get me wrong, I think juicing is a great thing. By saying that it gets hard I am not trying to discourage anyone. In fact it kind of encourages me. Pretty much everything worth while is hard. The struggle proves this is a lifestyle change. A conscious choice not a quick fix. We should struggle to make good choices in our life!

I have lots more to say about long term and short term effects of juicing and more on the juicing experience itself but I will save that for day 10 or a wrap up blog.

I gotta go throw some kale in the juicer and get my drink on!

Days 6 and 7

My bed.

That's where I am writing from. It's the only place I want to be. I'm so tired I could cry. Or maybe I'm so emotional I could cry. Or maybe I am so full I could cry. Maybe all three. I'm getting ahead of myself. This is the end of day 7. Let's not taint day 6 with another day's baggage.

Day 6...umm right day 6. Did I have a day 6? Where am I? Oh yeah. I woke up and drank some juice (any one sensing a pattern here?) then packed a bunch of fruit and veggies in an ice chest for the day. I stopped at the hospital to see my dad and then headed out to my friends to lend a hand. I spent a good part of the day pretty active, folding laundry, vacuuming, mopping, dishes, and putting together the bassinet for the baby. Being that active really made me notice how hungry and thirsty I was. I would eat a piece of fruit or some veggies between each activity. My stomach just kept growling. I swear I am more hungry eating and juicing than when I was just juicing. I juiced some lunch- my favorite- apple, pear, and carrot. Rachel even agreed it wasn't half bad. Dinner time rolled around and brace yourselves everybody- I ate. I had a bout a quarter of a baked potato, half a chicken breast and a bunch of green beans. I didn't have to eat meat. I could have stuck to veggies but I was interested in easing myself back into meat. I knew I was going to be having beef soon and didn't want that to be the first meat back into my diet. I made it 5 days just doing fruits and veggies....not bad I guess.

It was weird sitting at the table and eating a meal. It was a delicious. Rachel is a spectacular cook. But I didn't have the same feeling for the food as I was eating it. I guess that is good. No, probably great. They say this fast is supposed to retrain your pallet. I think it is retraining my brain. Breaking my attachment.

For a late night snack on day 6 Rachel had nachos. I had cooked zucchini.

Alright, day 7. I think the word of the day is letdown. No, I take that back. I had a great day. The word of the night is letdown. That is how I feel right now. Letdown. I feel the letdown after a big fun day. I feel the let down of expecting something that didn't happen (I guess babies don't just come because you want them to). I feel letdown by the way people can act. And I feel a little like I let myself down.

This morning I got up and juiced then went for a walk and lifted weights for a little bit. My friend was coming to get me for pedicures at 2 so I made the fastest green juice possible. Necessity really does push you to new heights. I had no idea I could put together the juicer, juice, and take it all apart in 5 mins. I also had no idea I could chug 16 ounces of spinach, apple, orange, carrot juice in 30 seconds. I spent the day shopping with the girls and then we headed to Rachel's baby shower. It just so happened to be at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Now here's the deal, I'm not letdown by the fact that I ate out or that I chose to eat what I ate. It was a calculated and conscious decision. But where I feel like I let myself down is in quantity. I didn't order tons of food- that was a good move- but I also didn't listen to my body- that was a bad move. When the food stopped tasting good I kept eating. When I could feel my stomach getting full I kept eating. I just wanted to clear my plate and move on. It wasn't mindless per say, it was more like I chose not to look at what I was doing. I feel very full and I really don't like that feeling. I wish I would have made a better choice.

So somewhere in there is a juicing life lesson. You know how they say that you shouldn't just sit around and let life happen to you? Well I think food is the same way. Don't just let food happen to you. You could wake up one day and not know how you got to 40 or wake up one day and not know how you got to 400lbs. It's all about the actions- the choices-being alert to what you are doing.

I don't know, I don't think I'm making very much sense tonight. Maybe I had too much beef and not enough juice. Or maybe I just need to go to bed.

Oh yeah, my family told me I was the biggest loser tonight at 12 lbs in 6 days. My sister said she always knew I was the biggest loser in the family. I think I might be offended if I was more alert.