Articles in the Weight Loss Category
Do the best you can and can the rest! (Words of wisdom from my grandma
)
Someone asked me if I’d summarize what my goals were for the 30-day juice fast and reflect on my journey. So, here it is…
I’ve thought about it, and my goals for this 30-day juice fast were to:
- Cleanse and detox my body from when I fell off the 100% raw wagon.
- Enter a calmer, more peaceful state of being.
- Do some old-fashioned soul searching.
- Break my coffee habit.
And I accomplished all of those things–even though I had to break the fast a tad early due to being attacked by those nasty red wasps and getting sick from that.
While I was on this juicing journey, I also made a decision (well, I made several but this one is about my relationship with food): I’ve decided to stop being so hard on myself.
During my 100% raw “spurts”, here’s the foods I miss the most:
- organic Greek yogurt (Oikos is my favorite!)
- omelets (stuffed with veggies)
- steel cut oats (with cinnamon, raw honey, and nuts)
- steamed brussel sprouts (with coconut oil and herbs)
- steamed asparagus (drizzled with coconut oil)
- mock mashed potatoes (made from cauliflower)
- stir fry
- baked sweet potatoes
As I pondered the above foods, I realized something (an epiphany?)–all of the foods I’ve listed here are on the extreme end of what’s considered “healthy”.
I’m not craving greasy fast food here, people. I’m not wanting
donuts or cake every day. Ice cream isn’t my weakness.
Life is short, you know? So, if I wake up one morning and crave an omelet (made from free-range, farm fresh, organic eggs–from my own farm–and overflowing with yummy veggies, I’m going to eat it!
I have been high-raw for the past several years. The high-raw lifestyle has improved my health, helped me lose over 100 pounds, and is the foundation of my diet life.
Gena, over at Choosing Raw, recently answered a reader’s question about how “perfect” her eating habits are. Her post truly resonated with me.
The message I took away from her post is that while eating an omelet once in a while, or having some cooked steel cut oats is something I feel is healthy and make me feel good, it may make you cringe (whether you’re on the 100% raw side of the fence or the processed, cooked food side).
So, if what I eat seems totally unattainable to you, don’t try to eat just like me. If I can inspire you to clean up your diet (even a little!), that’s fantabulous!
Example:
Maybe, at least part of the time, you could have a big salad with fish on the side instead of your normal fish sandwich with greasy fries. So, if you feel like you can’t live without your fish sandwich and fries, just choose the healthier option I’ve listed (or one similar) at least part of the time. Sound good?
Oh, and I forgot to mention what I ate yesterday:
- small banana for breakfast
- I fasted through lunch
- For dinner, I had a yummy salad:
Yum-O!
(Note: All of the following ingredients are heirloom + organic from my own garden, except for the hemp seeds, spinach, and blueberries!!)
handful baby spinach leaves
handful heirloom lettuce
Manitoba Harvest hemp seeds
raw heirloom okra (it’s delicious, y’all!)
handful blueberries
few heirloom baby carrots
Enjoy the journey; make the better choice most of the time; and treat yourself for your dedication–you deserve it!
Don’t forget about the other contests I’ve mentioned recently! And catch up on the juicy details of my 30-day juice fast.
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. 
Note about yesterday evening: I was hit with tiredness out of the blue!! I was having a great day, feeling energetic, alert, etc., and then it just hit. That happens to me sometimes during these longer juice fasts. That’s my body telling me it’s just needing me to slow down a little and allow it to rest. I even took a 10 minute power nap! I ended up going to sleep earlier than usual but I didn’t sleep that well. That happens sometimes too but it’s the first really restless night I’ve had on this 30-day juice fast. Also, I ended up having TWO brown juices for my dinner juice(s) last night–they’re truly pick-me-ups (and I needed that)!
Today’s Details
I was surprised after not sleeping well that I’ve felt okay today–not fantabulous, not super energetic, but an “okay” I can be happy with. I haven’t taken photos of my juices today because I’ve had errands to run and have been gone for part of the day. But I do have photos for you!!
Oh, and I haven’t felt hungry today either. The digestive system is getting some Zs!
Breakfast
My day started out the same as always: With a cup of hot lemon water. After that, I had a glass of cucumber juice. It’s so refreshing, I knew that’s what I wanted for breakfast today!
I put some more cucumber juice in my E3 Live cup to take with me and also grabbed a container of water with one tablespoon of organic apple cider vinegar so I wouldn’t be thirsty or get tired while I was running errands.
Lunch
For lunch, I had about 16 ounces of my brown juice (if you’re just tuning in, it’s only brown because of the beets mixing with the greens).
Snack
For a snack, I had my tablespoon of E3 Live and also a glass of herbal tea with lemon. Yum-O! 
Dinner
For dinner, I’ll probably have a green juice.
As always, rest assured I’ll have had plenty of good old water and herbal tea before day 8 ends!
Reader’s Question
I receive this question from readers a lot: Will juice fasting help me lose weight? I addressed this question with an article at Raw People: Juice Fasting for Weight Loss. But I’ll discuss it here, too. I have lost weight during various juice fasts I’ve done–anywhere from 20 pounds up to 30-ish. I’m not following my weight on this juice fast because it isn’t about weight loss for me, it’s about cleaning my body and getting back on track after falling off the 100% raw food wagon. I confessed to the cooked foods I ate: Confessions of My Not-So-Raw Moments. The foods I ate weren’t all that bad and it was during an extremely high-stress situation (losing 3 young family members and almost losing my Dad). So, I have forgiven myself and moved on. I am 100% raw right now because of the juice fast, but before I started this juice fast, I was only 90%+ raw and although that is still excellent and I should be proud of myself (and I am), it isn’t the 100% raw status I was striving to maintain.
So, this juice fasting journey isn’t about losing weight for me (although I won’t be upset if it happens!), it’s about enjoying the serenity of the fast and being in tune to myself spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.
The answer to the question: Yes, many people do lose weight while juice fasting. Like I stressed in my article for Raw People, though, losing weight isn’t at all what juice fasting is about. If you’re heavier (200 lbs and up) you may lose 30 pounds or more during a 30-day juice fast. That’s from my own research. You may even lose around that much if you’re a little under 200. And some people have lost 50 or more pounds during a 30-day juice fast. It all depends on your body, that you’re not limiting your juice intake, that it’s 100% raw juices you’re drinking–and not storebought, etc.
But if you lose weight on a juice fast and don’t transition from the fasting mode correctly and just go back to eating junk, then you’ll gain all of that weight back!! Sorry, but it’s true. 
You have to target the root of why you’ve gained weight before you can successfully keep it off.
As you’ll see in the photos before, I’ve lost a significant amount of weight. I didn’t start juice fasting until I’d already lost around 50 pounds or so, but raw juices and juice fasting have been a huge part of not only my weight loss, but my maintenance.
Before & After
More before and after photos are available on my Before & After page.
Just tuning in? Catch up:
Day 1 of a 30-Day Juice Fast and Juicer Mishaps
Day 2 of a 30-Day Juice Fast–and AMAZING GRASS!!
Day 4 + Wheat Grass Galore + a Juicer!!
Until tomorrow… happy juicing!
Contest Alert!
Don’t forget about the Living Tree Community contest! (You’ll win a 16 ounce jar of Coconut Mango Persimmon Butter AND an 8 ounce jar of Raw Almond Butter–both organic!!)
Upcoming Contests Featuring these Fabulous Companies
- 2 books by Nomi Shannon, The Raw Gourmet (These two books have GORGEOUS photos and the recipes are amazing!
- 2 Food Matters DVDs (Haven’t had a chance to watch this one yet, but do check out their site–they have a RAWsome message to share!!)
- Detox 4 Women by Natalia Rose (I read this book last night and it’s awesome; it really helps you understand water retention, etc!)
- Living Tree Community (Raw almond butter and organic coconut mango persimmon butter!)
- Oh Nuts! (raw macadamia nuts and pecans) <— These are seriously delicious nuts–and they’re JUMBO sized!
- E3Live (Green-tasting (which I don’t mind!), but I REALLY notice that it’s making me feel better. It was definitely put to the test through my recent stressful events!)
- and MORE!
You’ll definitely want to stay tuned!
So… be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll also receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and juice fasting tips and encouragement to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health–and more personal posts about stuff that’s going on in my life. 
By
Health Websites and Blogs
Health sites and blogs are abundant all across the Web, but which ones should you invest your time in? Which ones share accurate information? I’m sure there are a ton of other fabulous health sites out there, and I might have even come across them, but today I want to focus on just three of my recommendations and why I recommend them.
KathEats.com
Health Blog: KathEats.com
Health is #1 priority with Kath. I’ve been reading this blog for quite a while. I love the fact that Kath reached her goal weight and successfully maintains it by exercising, eating healthfully, and staying focused on ultimate health. Kath isn’t a vegetarian but she doesn’t eat a lot of meat. She also finds ways to incorporate tofu and veggie burgers into her meals. You’ll find lots of salads as Kath loads up on the veggies. And, you’ll be absolutely amazed at her creativity when it comes to eating oatmeal almost every morning! She even has a special Tribute to Oatmeal page that she updates once in a while. Kath is so personable, you can’t help but be inspired to live a healthy life when you read her posts. I can’t say enough great things about KathEats.com (a.k.a. KERF). Enjoy your visit!
Wellsphere.com
Health knowledge made personal
I’ve been visiting Wellsphere.com for a while now and recently shared with you that I’ve been welcomed to the Wellsphere Health Community as a Top Health Blogger (which I’m thrilled about!). The variety of topics at this site is simply amazing. From vegetarian to weight loss to sports to fitness and exercise to information on various illnesses and green living, there is a massive amount of resources in the Wellsphere Community. I guarantee you won’t be able to get to it all in one visit – you’ll have to visit time and again and absorb it in snippets. Wellsphere.com is definitely a health site you’ll want to bookmark and return to from now on. You can also join the Wellsphere Community and actively participate in healthy conversations. I’ll see you there! (Add me as a friend if you join.)
Dr. Emily Kane
Health and Alternative Medicine
This health site is new to me. I discovered it when Esculon Magazine (owned by Alexandra Mihaescu) mentioned HealingwithJuices.com in an article about juicing: “Learn all about juice fasting and what it can do for you from Dr. Emily Kane and Michele Tune.” I hadn’t heard of Dr. Emily Kane so I went to check her out. Her site is full of alternative medicine-related articles. One of her articles that I enjoyed immensely and find to be a fabulous resource is Tips for Reducing Stress. Be sure to take your time and have a look around, dig through her archives, and gobble up the natural health knowledge she so willingly shares with her readers. You’ll be glad you did!
I’ll be sharing more fantabulous health sites in upcoming posts – including a new one I’ve been working on – so be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and tips to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health.
Have you ever visited any of these health sites? Did you bookmark them? Did I leave out any important aspects about these sites? So, which health sites do you frequent? Join in (or start up) the conversation and spill the beans!
Here’s to life, health, and healing with juices (and smoothies!)
By
Michele L. Tune
Last week we talked about taking our life and health back in 2009. We also looked at how to focus on short-term goals so we can actually reach the health goals we set for ourselves. Today I’d like to talk to you about continuing to make that happen. Choosing health over temptation isn’t easy. In fact, it’s far from it. When everyone else is pigging out on luscious looking deep-fried foods and oversized sodas, milk shakes, or liquor it takes more than a little self-control to be able to sit on the sidelines and eat a salad, sip a water or unsweetened tea, and focus on your health instead of “being in the moment” with the crowd that surrounds you. Right?
I paid my dues doing that. I’ve lost over 100 pounds and it didn’t happen because I joined in with the others at the table who were eating whatever they wanted. Yes, I had to sit through people gobbling up gorgeous chocolate cake or creamy mashed potatoes. But I made it. My sacrifices paid off and I can hardly believe how different my life is now compared to then. My weight loss happened (slowly) because I decided to take my health back.
I’ve only shared a teeny bit of my story but here’s a quick summary: After barely surviving domestic violence, I was in pretty bad shape. My life was in shambles and I honestly never thought I’d see the pieces fit back together again. I was so broken, so depressed, and in such bad health my future looked hopeless at times. In my 20′s, my medical records read like a senior citizen’s (seriously). I suffered all sorts of health issues and was on numerous medications to control them, and required a few surgeries. My weight ballooned up to near 300 pounds and I literally experienced “laying on my death bed” – it was bad…
Raw juices and juice fasting has been a huge part of my healing process.
Someday I hope to publish a book about my journey, but until then I’ll blog and share snippets and I’ll do my best to be that inspiration you need when you’re home alone and you’re only connection with the world is your computer – or when the house is sleeping – and food and unhealthy drinks are calling your name. It’s my desire to be comfort when you need it, a resource for raw juice and smoothie recipes when you want to whip one up, and to be a friendly voice so you know you’re not alone on your weight loss and/or health journey.
Let 2009 be the year you focus on you. If you don’t take care of you, you can’t take care of those you love. You’re worth it. You’re health is worth it. Life is precious. You deserve ultimate health. What is your health worth to you? Mine is priceless.
Be sure to subscribe to Healing with Juices’ Feed for free updates. You can get free updates to your email as well (sign up here). You’ll receive inspiration, juice and smoothie recipes, and tips to help keep you motivated toward your ultimate health.
Here’s to life, health, and healing with juices (and smoothies!)
