Pictures from before and week 1

May 2, 2008




On the top is me just before starting the juice feast. Below is me on day 7. Hmmm. Maybe the slightest difference? Suddenly I have a neck, although I did just return from a yoga class in the second picture.

Before (top) = 182 lbs
Day 7 (below) = 175 lbs

Today's Juice:

• 1 Qt Grapefruit, orange, dandelion greens, spinach, peppermint, spearmint, applemint, lemon balm + 1 tsp bee pollen
• 1/2 Qt tomato etc from yesterday
• 1/2 Qt Butternut squash, apple, ginger and water with cinnamon (yum!)
• 1 Qt and 1 cup tomato, arugula, cuke, celery, lime, onion, garlic, yellow pepper, salt, onion powder (not a great idea, ick), tumeric, 1/4 tsp kelp, 1 tsp spirulina, olive oil
• 1 1/2 qt carrot, apple, beet and water
• coconut oil
• 1 cap cascara sagrada

I did do an enema tonight, which released some stuff, though I still feel bloated.

Felt very sad missing Molly this morning. Went to a great yoga class, though. Very inward focus, just what I needed.

Day 13 - post 2 - Feeling Sad

May 8, 2008


Baking holiday cookies at Wendi's

Today I wanted to eat again. I tried to convince myself that a raw food diet is just as good. I didn't eat, but later, while doing yoga in a quiet space, I looked up a picture of me on the beach, holding my beloved Molly, and the sadness just flowed: I cried and cried.

I'm grateful to have had 8 years with my loving daughter, but it went too fast. When she died, at first I could not accept the present moment at all. My mind literally tried to figure out how to go back in time (if all time exists now, why can't I go back?) Or, if not that, then how do I jump to a parallel existence (the ones that all the people in quantum physics talk about), - one where she is still alive?

Eventually I let go of that, but then I latched on to the anger I felt at the doctors - and myself for allowing her in their clutches (I can't possibly say "care", that's for sure.)

And finally, I just sometimes feel this incredible sadness and emptiness that she is not with me physically on this earth anymore.

One week on the New Earth webcast with Eckhart Tolle and Oprah, they talked about how when loved ones pass, you can actually feel their spirit with you more, if you can be open to that. I haven't experienced that peace yet, but it's comforting knowing that.

Leela Mata, of Peaceful Valley Ashram, told me that my sadness holds Molly to this past incarnation, and to do my best to let that go so she can move on with her journey. Mostly I feel like I do a good job, but sometime I just miss her so much.

Day 14 -- two weeks!

May 9, 2008


I think I'm going to post pictures monthly, because there doesn't seem to be a lot of change. ... To see Before and week 1 pictures, visit this entry

Today's juices:

• 1/2 qt: yesterday's fruit with spinach juice
  
• 1 qt: watermelon juice (organic! Juiced with skin)
  
• 2 qts: salsa juice + hemp oil and spirulina
  
• 1 qt: beet, carrot, celery, cuke, apple, parsely, arugula, mung bean sprouts, spinach
  
• 3/4 qt: apple juice+ water + 1 Tbsp liquid chlorophyll
  
• Tbsp coconut oil with spirulina and a drizzle of honey (yesterday, Ella said this tasted like frosting, and it totally does! I will frost a raw cookie or cake with it when I'm done with the fast. Though I might put raw cacao in for the spirulina ;-)
  
• (I'll probably have some watered down oj with chlorophyll and bee pollen later)

Yoga class today at Breathe yoga studio was divine, but difficult.

Then we went to visit D's parents...went on a walk in the park, but then back to their house while they ate Chinese food (oh, it smelled good) and I sipped my salsa juice. At least I wasn't alone: Dave finished Day 10 of the Master Cleanse today! He is so ready to eat. He usually can't stand Chinese food and says the smell makes him sick and today he said it was the hardest thing not to eat yet, it smelled so good.

He's hungry!

I'm hungry, too, though. Last night all I dreamed about was eating and eating and more eating and when I wasn't eating I was talking about going to the grocery store to get more food to eat. I woke during the night with such huge hunger pains! I tried having my leftover fruit juice, but it tasted too bitter (though this morning it tasted fine.) I'm hungry right now, too.

Start Weight: 182 lbs
End of week 1: 175
End of week 2: 172

Day 16 - Happy Mother's Day!

May 11, 2008

Here I am, making my Mother's Day juice: strawberries, apples, and lots of mint and lemon balm from the garden - it was really good!



Happy Mother's Day, everyone! Cheers!



For Mother's Day this year, I got myself ANASTASIA, the Complete 9 Book Set, By Vladimir Megre - yes, the WHOLE set. I've already read the first one, and it was really great.

My juices:

• Leftover apple juice from yesterday
• 1 qt: Mother's Day juice: strawberries, apples, bunch lemon balm and mints with water and chlorophyll
• leftover savory juices from yesterday (about 3/4 quart) with hemp oil
• coconut oil, spirulina and honey
• 1/4 avo with lemon and salt
• shared the water of a young coconut with Ella
• made 2 qts: corn, tomato, cuke, carrot, celery, lemon, lime, cilantro, sprouts, spinach, green apple, onion, yellow pepper, garlic, ginger - drank a quart so far
• also made a quart of watermelon juice

Yesterday I cleaned out my freezer and found old spirulina tablets, so I am finishing those.

Today I am cleaning out our spice and herb cabinet...it is overwhelming. So many little plastic baggies from the coop -- some so old the writing is gone. I put my newly bought dry herbs: raspberry leaves, nettle, and hawthorn berry, into jars. I've organized the seaweed. Washed the cabinets...it looks great in there...but I still have about 50 little baggies that are in limbo (I've thrown out a bunch) - maybe I have enough little jars to store some, I'll have to see.

Day 23 - I need a blue sky holiday...

May 19, 2008

Where is the moment we needed the most
You kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
They tell me your blue skies fade to gray
They tell me your passion's gone away
And I don't need no carryin' on
...Daniel Powter, Bad Day

I did juice today, but what made the day so BAD was that in Trader Joe's, I saw the doctor who was responsible for Molly's "care" (read: death). I always wondered what I'd do if I saw him...all I managed was to leave the store and retreat to a nearby yarn store and wait for Dave and Ella to finish shopping (and cry and cry.) To top it off: he has the reputation of being THE BEST doctor in all of Children's Hospital. Yes, the best they offer is a doctor who would not listen to us, over medicate to the hilt (until she was unconscious, therefore "more comfortable" in their view,) and not feed her for a week, then insist she's too thin (duh!) and needs G-tube surgery. This is why we all need to stay as healthy as possible and keep away from the doctors! And the sad thing is - I knew that - but I was at a point where I thought I needed some help figuring out what was wrong/why she was so uncomfortable, and I walked right into the lion's den.

Ok, enough of that. Later that day I asked Dave to take my week 3 picture, and that did not go too well, either. When I related the story to my friend Wendi of www.purejeevan.com, she told me to post the pics (and story) anyway, so here it is:

So first, I ask him to take my picture so I can put it up. He stays sitting on the couch and when he takes the picture it's at an "up" angle, and I look like a giant:



So I ask him to please stand up so he can take a level picture, but instead of standing up he just holds the camera above his head and clicks, but of course his hand moves and it turns out fuzzy and out of focus:



And finally, by the time he gets up I am so annoyed it's impossible to smile for a nice picture:



But anyway, you can still contrast it to my "before" picture (just 23 days before):



My juices today:

• orange juice with bee pollen and chlorophyll
• quart of gvj from yesterday
• quart watermelon juice
• quart delicious: tomato, cuke, celery, carrot, pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, spinach, sunflower sprouts, cilantro
• I also had my MSM, hemp oil, coconut oil with spirulina and honey, and avocado, which must totally be a crutch because after seeing that doctor all I wanted to do was EAT, so I settled with the avocado....

Pulp Ideas - day 28 (week 4!)

May 23, 2008


before (above), and at the end of week 4

starting weight: 182
today's weight: 165 (lost 17 lbs so far!)

I'm sleepy today and it's only 6:45 pm.

I went running this morning (23 minutes) and then to my yoga class, which was nice. Today I drank juice while the family and in-laws ate food from a delicious Thai restaurant, not easy! My juice was intense: most of the greens were wild edibles including garlic mustard, comfrey, plantain, dandelion.... plus chives, arugula, spinach, kale from the garden. I think the garlic-mustard, chives and arugula made it quite sharp (and it was bitter, too, probably from the dandelion greens.)

My juices:

• pineapple, mints, plantain and comfrey
• squash, tomato, cuke, celery, garlic and wild edibles + garden greens
• watermelon juice
• juice of a young coconut (but then I also ate the very young, pudding-like flesh
• yam, carrot, celery, ginger, garlic, spinach
• juice of 1 grapefruit and 3 oranges with water and 1 Tbsp bee pollen

I also took six tablets of spirulina, put hemp oil in my veggie smoothies and had MSM (which I think makes me feel nervous/anxious...I'm going to have to watch that.) Also had roobios red chai with honey.

It's also hard to type right now because the middle finger on my right hand has a painful crack. (That's not meant to be complain-y, I'm just noting a symptom, here.)

And here's a response to another question: what do you do with all that pulp? People wonder about all the pulp generated by juice feasting, so I was thinking about some suggestions of use for it (especially to people who are also eating with juicing.)

• We have started mixing it into our dog's food. Today I put it in with black beans, nutritional yeast, olive oil and cheese and she ate a good amount. Just be careful not to have onions in it...onions are bad for dogs.
  
• compost it. We do this a lot and at least then it goes back to the earth and nourishes the soil we will use for the garden next year.
  
• If cooking: put it into muffins, pancakes, cakes, etc. If it's savory (like mine was tonight) I put it into black bean/mung sprout pancakes that I made for the family for dinner (oh, my, did they smell good!)
  
• put it into dehydrated flax crackers...yum.
  
• When I was eating cooked foods but juicing a lot, I would mix some mayonnaise right into the pulp (mostly carrot and some celery) and this was excellent as a sandwich spread! At the time I used regular mayo, but you could use raw mayo, too. It would make a good sandwich spread, cracker topping or dip.
  
• Use it in raw mock tuna salad. Ani Phyo calls for carrot pulp in mock salmon recipes.
  
• Use for raw carrot cake - especially good if you've made apple carrot juice! Can use the pulp and mix some raisins and nuts in, with some cinnamon, cloves or other spices...very good.

There are lots of recipes for raw carrot cake and mock tuna salads in raw food prep books, and recipe sites on line, like www.goneraw.com or www.living-foods.com. (The recipes on goneraw seem amazing...I cannot wait to try them when I am eating again.

So...hopefully this is helpful!

And finally...

who is that crazy lady doing a handstand?
:-)

Day 30 + Garden pics

May 25, 2008

harvesting comfrey from our garden - to dry

Day 30! For me that is monumental because I am often unable to stick with positive dietary changes for very long. I actually have quite a bit to write, but I am soooo tired. Last night (water fasting), I slept from 6 pm until 9 pm, and then was awake all night! I finally did fall asleep from about 4 am until 7 am, but wow, I am tired.

Today I wasn't into my juices at all. Nothing tasted great to me. I decided to go a week without nightshades (tomatoes and peppers) to see if that helps my joint pain and stiffness (more on this tomorrow). I did juice the last 2 of my tomatoes today, but I made another green juice without tomatoes and it was just yucky. Carrots, celery, beets (orange beets), garlic, lemon, greens....

I also made a quart of watermelon juice and a couple quarts of apple, pineapple, strawberry, mints and greens with chlorophyll. That was more palatable (as was the w'melon juice.)

The final quart was squash, tomato, garlic, greens, celery, lemon...and even that did not thrill me. I didn't drink all the juice for today and I am hungry now. Dave is squeezing me orange juice and adding bee pollen right now.

I'll write more about the tomatoes tomorrow, but now I'll leave you with pictures from our garden:

I never realized that sage flowers look like this:



Here is one section of our garden...see the cilantro in the close row:



Our fig bush (maybe we'll get figs this year!) with our blackberry bush in the background:



the bed of greens - lettuces, spinach, collards, chard:



Look at all the mulberries getting ready to ripen:



Our peach tree's first year for peaches! I hope they get big and ripe:

end of week 5! (Day 36)

May 31, 2008



I didn't get to post yesterday, but above is a picture taken this morning: after 5 weeks of juice feasting! You can visit here for "before" and "week 4" pics.



A couple days ago I learned about Black Locust Flowers from Anthony (The Raw Model)'s blog, and we had to go out in search. We found one just down the street, overflowing with ripe flowers! We harvested them and of course I had to try them (or I'd have to wait until next year.) They were sweet and delicious and would be lovely in juice. The one we found was really just past it's prime, but driving around we see them everywhere, so if another opportunity presents itself, I'll harvest a bunch more for juice and report back.

Here is a closer view of the flowers:



They look like pea flowers and the tree is in fact a legume. Here is more information about Black Locust Flowers.

My juices today:

• 2 quarts watermelon with 1 Tbsp chlorophyll
• 1 1/2 quarts beet, carrot, apple, garlic, ginger, celery, cucumber, parsley, cilantro, greens with hemp oil, kelp and spirulina
• 1/2 quart orange juice with water and bee pollen
• 1 qt tomato, yellow pepper, onion, garlic, cilantro, celery, basil, olive oil, lemon, salt - I decided to add the nightshades back in because a week without them didn't make any difference in my achiness

And back from grocery shopping, so I did chop up a bit of avocado with DULSE (which I was absolutely craving...still am) and fermented veggies. I wonder if I'm craving salt/sea veggies because I haven't been quite getting my full bunch of celery in every day? That would put me lower in sodium and probably craving it.

Oh, a special note: those jam/jelly bags from the kitchen store work brilliantly! Really, really well (dare I say better?) They are nylon, but don't have the tie string, instead they have an elastic band around the top. So I couldn't hang it up, but it didn't really matter - I hooked it around my big measuring cup and held it open, poured in the blended juice (yeah! The blender is sooo much easier to use and clean than the Champion!) and squeezed it through. So easy! So sturdy! I'm so happy about that! They were: Fox Run Kitchens (TM) 2 Jelly Strainer Bags for $3.99 at "In the Kitchen" - a kitchen store in The Strip (Pittsburgh.)

Week 6 Pictures

June 6, 2008

Top: Today, after 6 weeks of juice feasting; Below is the before picture

Wow, I really do see a difference. Which makes it stink even more that I ate some (cooked) food tonight. Yes, I am annoyed with myself. I was so tired and hungry after having been out all day and my green veggie juice was so oddly tasteless and uninspiring, which I have no idea why. I'm also stressed that my parents are coming Sunday and I know they'll want to eat out and they don't know I'm juice feasting and they are not usually supportive of things like this. But as my husband says, "there's no reason you can't go and juice again tomorrow."

Starting weight: 182 lbs
Today: 161 lbs

Today's juices:

• almost a quart juice of a bunch of oranges with water and bee pollen and chlorophyll.
• 1 quart beet, carrot, apple and greens with hemp (very good)
• 1 quart watermelon with chlorophyll
• 1 1/2 quarts green veggie juice: greens (I'll write about them below), yellow pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, tomato, cucumber, celery, cilantro, parsley.

Above are my garden greens and weeds that went into my juice today. You will see some nice big red clover blossoms on top! Today I've included information about some of the herbal greenery that goes into my drinks: comfrey, plantain, borage, red clover, lamb's quarters.

Comfrey: Peter Holmes, in The Energetics of Western Herbs Volume II, writes: "There is no doubt that Comfrey has always held pride of place as the foremost botanical for promoting tissue healing." It is mainly used for treating bone fractures, hemorrhages, wounds and ulcers, as well as all types of lung ailments, especially bronchitis. It is also particularly effective in treating painful arthritis, gout and the like.

Plantain: In Holmes' book plantain is categorized as "clears heat and toxins, reduces infection, inflammation and relieves swelling; promotes detoxification, removes lymph congestion and benefits the skin."

Plantain: Plantago Minor

Borage: Similar to comfrey, borage also clears heat in the lungs. It also relieves constipation and promotes lactation (great for me!), supports the heart and lifts the spirit. Nice. I had some in my juice today...I'll be sure to add some more leaves tomorrow. (The blue star shaped flowers haven't bloomed just yet in my garden.)

Red Clover flower: According to Holmes, red clover flower promotes detoxification, clears damp (a term used in Chinese medicine), dissolves deposits, relieves eczema and reduces tumors; promotes urination and relieves irritation.

red clover blossom on the left, lamb's quarters to the right

Lamb's Quarters: my herb book does not contain lamb's quarters...but this is one of my favorite edibles! Here is what wildman's website says: "This European relative of spinach and beets, which grows throughout the North America, bears large quantities of edible, spinach-flavored leaves you can collect from mid-spring to late fall. It's one of the best sources of beta-carotene, calcium, potassium, and iron in the world; also a great source of trace minerals, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, and fiber."

close up of lamb's quarters

Much love,
~ Melissa

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