Being sick for the last week and a half has really thrown me off my groove. First, I couldn’t keep up with my mile walk everyday because I couldn’t breathe. My cardio is bad to begin with, but then add in chest congestion and coughing, and it’s no wonder I survived this past week!  Also, Corey and I were both sick, so we couldn’t go grocery shopping. Over the weekend, we started to eat what was left in the house and it didn’t coincide well with eating healthy. My weigh-in this morning showed the lack of exercise and eating healthy!

I’m feeling a lot better today. I still can’t breathe very well because I’m still getting over the congestion and cough. But, I no longer have the aches and pains that go along with the flu, cold, bronchitis, whatever we had. So, I’m on the mend, which is a good thing.

After work today, we’ll replenish our stock of healthy food and I’m hoping to be well enough to start walking again on Wednesday. I really hope the weight gain is mostly just fluctuation or water weight so it’ll disappear quickly. If not, I know what needs to be done and I’m ready to do it!

I’ve finally started going back down with my weight since I stopped doing the juice fast. Well, I guess I’ve been going down, but I’m finally lower than I was before I gained a little weight back from when I started to eat again. In fact, I’m 16 lbs. down now! Only 4 more lbs. to go before I hit my first benchmark!

Do you know how much weight 16 lbs. is? 16 lbs. is the same weight as two 8-lb. bowling balls, the size I’d typically use when bowling. Two 8-lb. bowling balls of excess weight is gone!

The most I gained back after I started eating regular food again was 2.8 lbs. So, not too bad. It just took me longer to lose that 2.8 lbs. plus the 2.4 lbs. extra that I’ve lost as of today because of my period last week.

Also, I stayed with my niece and her family over the weekend so we could watch the season finale of The Walking Dead together. I realized that I need to be more diligent during the weekends and prepare better when I’m staying at someone else’s house. I basically ate healthy the entire time I was there, but because I didn’t have my regular snacks around me and I was sick of Subway, I did eat some not so good things for me. But, I tried to at least stay within my calorie limit so I didn’t overdo it too badly.

We’re going up there again this weekend for my great-niece’s birthday party. I’ll make sure that I bring snacks and my regular food so I don’t have to even make the choice of what to eat while I’m up there. I think that will definitely help.

Anyway, I’m doing really well. I’m excited to feel these changes. I’ve noticed that my clothes are becoming looser and my face is looking thinner as well. (I’ll post another Weigh-In Wednesday next week so you can see my progress.) I can’t wait to see what I look like in another 16 lbs!

In my latest post about my juice fast, I said that I was ready to go the whole 60 days having received a green light from my doctor. However, I made the decision that two weeks was a good amount of time to detox and went ahead and started eating again yesterday. You may feel that I gave up. I can understand that. And, I don’t think I did. I assessed the situation and made the decision that was right for me. I didn’t make it lightly either.

At the end of Day 14, I was trying to figure out the best course of action. And, I realized an important fact. My multivitamins that have helped me feel better more than anything in the last week require a full stomach. When you’re doing a juice fast, your stomach is never really full, even after just having drunk a juice. I noticed that I’d get an upset stomach shortly after. It’d go away and I’d feel better, but I didn’t like the idea of having an upset stomach every morning for the next 46 days and since the multivitamins are more important to me than juicing, I sided with the multivitamins.

I’ll keep juicing. On some days, I’ll have a green juice for the added nutrients from the veggies in it. And, every few months, I’ll do a week long detox. I’ve learned a lot from this juice fast and how much eating mostly veggies and fruits can help me.

As I began to eat food yesterday, I made several decisions to help me progress with my weight loss. I’m still eating mostly veggies and fruits, but I’ve added in nuts, seeds, legumes, and some whole grains. I’m staying away from dairy and other animal-based products. However, once a week, probably even less than that, I’ll have a lean meat such as fish or poultry. I’ll also continue to stay away from all processed sugars. The only sugar I’ll be consuming is from fruits and those naturally found in the healthy foods I’m eating. (By the way, I can say definitively now that it’s dairy causing my digestive issues as after having eaten a whole wheat tortilla yesterday, I’ve had no issues whatsoever.)

Yesterday, I felt fantastic. The food I ate was so yummy and it was so healthy for me. I stayed below my calorie intake and I even turned down a delicious and decadent looking piece of chocolate cake at my cousin’s farewell.

Although I’ve gained 2.2 lbs., I know it’s because of the solid food and hormones. Let’s just say a relative is coming to visit in the next few days that’ll wreak havoc with my weight for about a week. I’m sure those pounds will go away quickly after the visit’s over, if not sooner.

I’m in a good spot and can’t wait to see my progress as I continue this healthy lifestyle with real, solid food.

Day 12 (3/7/12)

I got a call from my doctor today. My vitamin levels are normal, so I don’t have any deficiencies. And, I actually feel much better today. I was still tired this morning, but that’s because I just don’t sleep very well at night. I have as much energy as I normally do today, so I think the multivitamin is helping.

At this point, I have no excuses to not continue on with the juice fast since all my levels are normal and I’m feeling better. I’ll continue forward as planned in 10-day increments.

PS–I discovered definitively last night that milk or wheat is the culprit for my digestive problems because one of my vitamins contains milk and wheat. Fortunately, it’s just a digestive helper (ironic, no?) so I don’t need it. I can narrow down the culprit after my fast.

Day 13 (3/8/12)

I’m still going strong. I dropped another 1.8 lbs. and add that to the .2-lb. loss from yesterday and I’m now down 12.8 lbs. total! I’m almost to my first reward, which I’m very excited about because I have some books in mind to buy.

I’m still feeling a lot better. The multivitamins must be doing the trick. (Thanks, Debbie, for suggesting them in the first place. I should’ve listened to you a lot sooner. And, thanks, Corey, for making sure we bought some right away!) I did realize yesterday, however, that I haven’t been consuming enough calories for the last few days, barely 800 calories if that. I should be consuming at least 1200, so I’ve upped my juice intake today to see if that makes any difference too.

When the weather is nice, such as it is today and was on Monday, I’ve been going for a walk for about 30 minutes. It’s nice to get outside and soak up some vitamin D and enjoy being outdoors a little bit.

Day 14 (3/9/12)

I discovered last night while I was drinking my last juice that I miscalculated my calorie intake. I was actually getting enough calories because I wasn’t taking into account the size of my juices. I drank over my calorie limit by quite a bit yesterday. Oops. And, as a result, I gained .8 lbs. today. Oh well. I’m sure it will go away quickly since it’s all liquid based.

It’s hard to believe tomorrow’s Day 15. I’ve been contemplating whether I should continue on. There’s no reason I shouldn’t since I got the green light from my doctor. The only reason I’d stop now is because I miss chewing or eating real food. But, I can do this for at least 15 more days. It’s not that bad now that I’m used to it. I just have to stay in this frame of mind and remember what I’m trying to accomplish.