Day 63 - the finish line is in sight!!

First off I do apologize for letting so many days go by without posting, not sure how all this time got away from me and I'm really not sure how people find the time, energy, and words to post blogs every day.  It amazes me!

So, here's the latest update on my weight loss & inches...I am down 45 pounds and 52.75 inches overall.  Pretty crazy right?  Here is a few before and after photos (even tho I'm not quite done yet, I just couldn't wait) that my beautiful daughter took for me:

I have 7 days left before I break my fast, and the thoughts of food (any kind, all kinds, healthy & not so healthy) have invaded my brain and are refusing to let up!!  I am really struggling at this point to not put food in my mouth, but I've come so far that I really hate to give in so close to the end.  I hear that it's pretty common to deal with this near the end of a fast.

I'm learning that the temptations I've felt over the last 63 days have spiritual applications for me as well.  If I can resist the urge to eat when I am surrounded on all sides (and just in the last three nights, I've faced pepperoni pizza, tacos, and homemade blueberry pie!!) every day for 70 days, then I can resist all of the things the enemy throws at me.  If I can just remember that later on down the line, when the going gets rough, I'll be ok.  

God has been so good to me (well, DUH, right?) the last couple of months.  I started out very hopeful that I could make it the full 70 days, scared and worried I would really miss food.  But I've learned that all I really need is Him.  And that He will provide all that I need.  He blessed me with a huge support group on Facebook - where I've made a ton of new juicy friends - (plus some great friends at church and my sister too!) and enough produce (which is huge because our family really struggles financially), and the strength that I needed to do this.  Jesus has never in my life let me down.  I hope that you know Him and that you know how much He loves you too!

I will check in one more time before the end of my fast and tell you the final results afterward.  In the meantime, here is a list of tips (many of which you've already read during the course of my fast) that I put together to help some new juicers I met online.  I hope it helps and again, if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

May the peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be found in you hearts today my friends!  Until next time.....

Tips of the Day!

1. If you haven't started fasting yet, build up to it by slowly cutting out the bad stuff (processed food, alcohol, caffeine, dairy, fat) and start adding in more fruits and veggies. Replace one meal a day with juice for a week, and then 2 meals a day for another week. I had NO detox symptoms at all when I did it this way.

2. Make sure you are drinking enough juice. I drink a gallon a day - 32 ounces for breakfast lunch and dinner. And one gallon of water a day as well.

3. Try to only drink fruit juices in the morning so you have the whole day to burn off the sugar.

4. I do enemas once a week (coffee enemas) and I take Cascara Segrada (you can get it at Walmart for $7-8/bottle) and that keeps things "moving" along.

5. If you get hungry, make more juice!

6. Learn to recognize the difference between hunger and cravings. If you have cravings, do something to distract yourself - go for a walk, write to a friend, take a bubble bath, whatever.

7. Try not to watch too much tv or movies. They are loaded with scenes of people eating & junk food commercials!

8. Journal or start a blog. It helps to talk things out - 99% of this thing is mental!!

9. Surround yourself with people who will be supportive. I actually promised my kids $1 for every pound they helped me lose (I'm going broke!).

10. Make a list of all the reasons you are doing this. It should be at least 10 items long - I think I have 25. Then when you feel like you are going to cave or give in, refer back to the list. It helps to remember all the reasons you are doing it, instead of focusing on what you are depriving yourself of.

11. Weigh yourself no more than once a week - otherwise you are going to feel let down on the days you don't lose, or don't lose what you thought you should have. And keep track of your loss in other ways like how your clothes fit or how many inches you've lost.

12. Watch as many food documentaries as you can (not the chef-cooking-a-gourmet-meal kind either! The kind that educates you on how food works in your body to heal or destroy, and how food is manufactured, grown and/or processed in this country). They are so motivational and you will learn how to eat when you are done with your fast.

13. Make a plan NOW for how you will transition out of your fast. There's lots of info on the net about this - the last thing you want to do is run out and grab a burger the day you get done. You can make yourself seriously sick if you aren't careful.

14. Enjoy the process! This is time you have set aside for yourself, to heal your body, and treat it to all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals it can hold! You deserve it and try to think of it as a treat instead of a chore.