Seven full days of nothing but juice.

I did it.  And I know you can too.  When we actually make a decision to do something, we feel it. It takes something that sounds crazy going in and turns it into a done deal. Commitment. Preparation. Focus. And a willingness to say no to what used to be in it’s place.. to choose differently.

Ya know, that’s another thing I feel I really learned this week.  I learned by experience that I actually can say no to things.  I can say no to the stuffed crust pizza on my counter.  I can say no to the delicious breaded chicken things that just came out of the oven.  I can spend an evening with friends, have a great time, and not consume the same dinner.  I can choose differently when I eat, and actually not change much else.  I’m not saying I’ll never eat with friends anymore or never indulge in Dominoes, of course I will.  I’m saying that I know that anytime I decide I don’t want it, anytime I decide to put health on top, I can.  And it’s all good.  Real friends will support you.  It reminds me of that Daily Zen, “You will be like those with whom you surround yourself.  Your environment is stronger than you are.”  In effect, we can be the change in our environment.  And it’s COOL!!

Ok, enough waxing poetic, time to get down to business.

If you want to do this, here is my how-to list:

1. Commit.

Make the decision inside yourself to do it.  Feel the kick of deciding to do something hard core.

2. Preparation.

Buy your juicer.  Buy your food. (You will very likely need to go to the store a few times for fresh foods with fresh nutrients.)  Read about how to do it, educate yourself to stay safe, make a plan that you like, and talk to your friends and family about your plan.

3. Focus.

Once you start, separate yourself from environments that don’t support you.  Until you feel strong enough to resist cravings.  No cheating at all.  Hard core = health = skinny n hot = awesome = success.

4. Track your progress.

Weigh yourself, try on your skinny jeans, journal how you feel.. whatever is going to show you over time that it’s working.  Because once you see it working, your motivation to continue and complete will be far greater than any craving that hits you.  A core energy shift happens.  The commitment grows bigger than the cravings.  It can happen with step one if you feel powerfully mentally inspired, but if it doesn’t, focus and track your progress until you feel your energy shift as described.  Then you’ll know you’re good.  And if you have any weakness come up, just go back to step two and re-focus.

5. Enjoy your success.

Let the positive energy of what you’ve done, and are doing, fill you up.  As it fills you up, it supports you forward.

6. Decide next steps.

Make a conscious decision about how you’re going to move out of your fast.  How are you going to reintroduce solid foods?  How are you going to keep juicing in your routine?  How are you going to add exercise?  Practice eating smaller portions, etc.  This step basically helps us carry forward what we’ve learned into the new lifestyle we’re creating.  We hear all the time how people go on diets, lose a ton of weight, and then however many months later it’s all back on.  Consciousness is the key to creating a new healthy lifestyle.  Consciously deciding what you’re doing next and why. Remembering what worked for you now and employing that in the future when you need it. Learn.  If we never think about portion size, it makes sense that we would just finish what’s on our plates.  Or eat pizza til it no longer looks appetizing.  Or get the two-entree meal at Panda Express when we definitely only need one (guilty).  With consciousness, we can use this systematic approach to any part of our health-living experience, or life in general.

7. Have fun.

Look at all of this as a fun experiment.  Something you’re trying out to see what happens.  To see what you learn.  We can always decide at the end of our experiments what we want to keep and what we want to ditch based on what our goals really are.  As such, there’s no real attachment to any of it.. it’s cool.. it’s fun.. it’s an experience. And all of it is helping us get closer and closer to our goal.  For me, I got closer to my goal of sustainable healthy living. I hardly used a single recipe all week because I thought it was fun to just mix and match on my own. Did that stop my learning?  Hell no, it supported it. Commit to the bigger goal, and have fun with the rest.

8. Share your experience.

Thank you for following my little journey here, everyone!! Knowing you all were there reading, expecting the next entry, and getting inspired by my success… that completely supported me the entire time.  It’s like the biggest form of accountability.. having to answer to all of you.  So thank you.  And if you do try this, I absolutely encourage you to put your experience out there too.  I bet you’re pleasantly surprised by all the support and cheerleading you get from your friends. 🙂

Of course this is my list from my personal experience.  I bet your list is tweaked to be more you.  Cool.  I would love to hear it!  Post it here and let me know how you’re doing or how you did.  Love it.  Thanks, team, we got this!!

Ok, as promised, a pic of the skinny-n-hotness, 10 pounds down, and still fully energized sans Red Bull! It’s a f*cking miracle, I tell you! 😀

PS. This might sound weird, but my first “solid” meal this morning was homemade guacamole. It’s fresh vegetables with no added salt or anything, healthy, not too difficult on the insides, and I freakin’ LOVE it.  Soooooooo delicious.  This is a recipe I cannot take credit for though.. my lovely friend, April Joy gave this to me:

5 Avocados 4 Roma tomatoes 1 Fresh jalepeno (seeds removed) 1 Bunch cilantro (leaves only) 1/2 Red onion (use less based on your taste preference) 3 Limes (squeezed in, including pulp)

I may have modified April’s recipe to include more lime, more red onion, and no salt, but basically this is her masterpiece, and credit where credit is due!  Now… I gotta get my skinny a** to the gym! LA Fitness, here I come.