The last week in April 2019 I got on the scale and as quick as I got on it I wanted to jump off! I was shook at the numbers I saw. I had to blink a few times before it processed in my mind what I was reading. I was the heaviest I had ever been, this was what I was saying last year but I had added some more numbers this time. Again I was stuck with the decision again to keep going down the road of obesity or make a hard U-Turn down healthy lane. My knees where making every noise possible, going up stairs was a task because of the shortness of breath, I didn’t like how I looked in my clothes, my clothes didn’t like me and neither did I. My energy was so low; I didn’t want to do anything but sleep, which was a clear sign something was up because I’m very lively person.
This time I knew I couldn’t do like I had always done, which was get on a good work out routine for 60 days lose a few pounds and think I was doing something then fall off at the sight of a good burrito. I needed to find something that was going to hold my attention, would allow me to manipulate my menu and something I could have fun with. I decided to change my diet and working out until I figured it out. After witnessing my co-worker drink nothing but a lemonade juice for a whole month I felt like I could do the same. I decided to juice. I juiced in a way that worked for me for 4 1/2 weeks straight I did add in light healthy snacks in between juicing and within a little over a month I lost 12lbs and still going.
So here is what I learned!
Juicer Type: Every Juicer aint the same!!?
There are 3 main types of juicers and then of course there are several brands that offer different bells and whistles. When I thought of juicing I was not aware of this I don’t even think the people that I asked about juicing knew the differences. It would seem that once you cleaned your fruits and veggies you put it in the machine and juice comes out! Sounds simple right? Not exactly. There is the centrifugal (I have this one), masticating and the triturating juicer. All of these juices in fact Juice! but its how they cut and press the juice that contributes to how much juice you are getting. The masticating juicer isnt good for juicing softer fruits like bananas and juices on a lower speed where as the centrifugal juices faster, cant juice soft fruits and veggies or even wheat grass and nuts like the masticating juicer. The triturating juicer is very impressive in it’s abilities and is something I would like to upgrade to one day given that it is the most expensive. At this beginning stage I don’t need such amenities. This juicer has two stages in juicing it cushes the fruit then presses it making the juice richer and is great if you are going to be storing the juices for a few days. The down side is that the process when using this type takes more time. There is so much more to learn so check out this link below on Juicer types.
Ginger is my friend??
Ginger!! Yuuuukkk. I would never eat that. First off its spicy, second have you seen ginger root? How do you eat that anyway? Well as I was given some recipes for juicing the ingredients to majority of the juice included ginger. The first few days I didn’t use it, then people, including my dad who had just started juicing told me to use it and that it was good for me. I thought what the heck why not. Little did I know ginger had some amazing health benefits such as: digestion, nausea, cold and flu relief, inflammation and a few more things. Adding it to my juices didn’t make them taste any worse, a little spice added but that is about it. I didn’t not take the skin off I would just cut a piece off and drop it right on in with the other fruits and veggies. So I guess I like ginger now.
Clean up is important
With my juicer it discards the skin of the fruits and vegies, anything that it can’t get juice out of right off into a container. This is a pretty cool process to watch you would never want to get your finger stuck in there because that blade moves so fast. Anyway once the waste is in the container you have to dump it once it gets full. I was juicing in the mornings after the gym and I realized quickly that I hated clean up and you have to clean the entire thing or your juicer will become trash. A hack I discovered was to put a small bag in the container in the same way you would but a bag in your trash can. Pure genius!!!! easy clean up. Take the lid off pull the container out and take out the bag full of pulp and waste then toss in the trash! Half of the process is done right there. When cleaning all the pieces always use warm and soapy water with a towel to gently and thoroughly clean the blades. ALWAYS take your time on the blades as to not cut yourself!
Drink Slow and enjoy
After juicing all my drinks for the day I always put them in the freezer so that they get cold and stay cold once I put them in my lunch bag. Once I open my juice I always drink slowly I learned this from a JJ cleanse I did once. Check her out I got results with her plan as well. I don’t remember exactly why she suggested drinking slowly but I do know that it helps me with not thinking I’m hungry and I use a straw. The straw is to lessen the affect of the acid from the fruit on my teeth. I have enjoyed every juice I have ever made. They are so refreshing and a great start to my day. After a while eating more than once a day became foreign to me.
Discipline goes a long way but bring some water with you
It best to figure out what you’re going to do ahead of time. I surely didn’t and I had to make so changes fast. I decided that I wanted to juice 2x a day I eventually moved to 3x with no meals. Setting times to drink was very helpfull as well, the juice is a meal replacement so drinking them at certain times is good. I started packing healthy snacks like boiled eggs, fruit, and nuts just to have something to chew on between juices. I drank almost 1 1/2 gallons of water a day, which helped me with feeling full. There is one thing I for got about was my sugar addiction. I enjoy sweets a lot and even though fruit has natural sugar its not the same. I wanted any and everything that was sweet, the easiest way to sweets was through sugary juices you can get at the store like Snapple’s, dole juices, minute maids etc. At my job I always volunteered to bring the juice!! I had to kick that habit, but it did not take long. I knew I could do it.
Lastly please keep in mind that juicing is not cheap. Going to farmers markets and figuring out which stores have good and cheaper produce make a difference on your pockets. On average for a 5-day workweek of juicing I needed about 30 apples! I have never purchased so much produce in my life. People often talk about cleaning the fruit and there are cleaners you can buy or if your like me you won’t trip off of it, just make sure you rinse it off. Most of all I made this fun for myself, I shared my wins with people, I did researched, I hit the gym even when I did not want to and I even went live on my IG showing people my juicing in the moorings which was really fun. If you’re thinking of juicing I encourage you to go for it. My skin got clearer, I had more energy, my iron levels where better and I was loosing weight!!!!
May 2019 a few weeks into juicing
https://www.dummies.com/food-drink/recipes/3-main-types-of-juicers/
LL
LaShara Lashawn 
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