The Juice: Days 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

As we near mid-Wednesday on day what? 10? I am reminded that I suck hard in sharing the ongoing  happenings of our juicing situation. I want to catch you up without boring you to tears, so this is how things have gone since last we met and discussed that which is juicing.

If you’re just joining in, you’ll want to first read the introduction, day one, day two, day three and day four.  Are you caught up? That’s OK. Take your time. No, really.
Are you ready? Let’s go.

Days 5 & 6 were a little difficult again for the both of us. We were still going to bed literally starving, and while I managed to lose 13 pounds since beginning, it was frustratingly unsatisfying in some ways. We spent our days in bouts of either almost manic energy or terrible lethargy, and all I can figure is that the insulin rushes had to do with this. My Sweet Babboo and I were also tiring of the flavors and the process. We just wanted some food, and with company staying with us for a few days, we really wanted to eat something, if for no other reason than to feel a little more…well…social.

Twilight Juice
Makes about 24 ounces

1 beet
4 carrots
1 cucumber
3 celery stalks

Juice and serve.

Evening of Day 6. At midnight we caved, each of us enjoying 1/2 of a single egg omelet I whipped up on the stove, complete with fresh spinach, Cougar Gold cheese (a sharp cheddar), and caramelized garlic. The flavors — as we took our first bites of food in 6 days– were just phenomenal. Even though it was low carb and low cal, we both felt like we were cheating by eating something, but we both still were down a pound the following morning, so… whatEVah!

Day 7. Still juicing twice per day, since we didn’t suffer because of adding in a solid, low carb/low calorie meal, we’ve decided to continue this trend. I went ahead and made this juicy concoction below. No, it’s not low carb, but it was pretty wonderful, and I was tired of only vegetables. I definitely upped my water intake to about a 1:1 ratio with the juices to help fill me up, and find the fruit juice doesn’t make me as hungry; after all, it’s juiced and not pressed, so some of the fibrous goodness still makes it through. I also find that chilling the juice makes it even better, so I can sip slowly over a couple of hours and not just gulp down juice.

Loosey Juicy
Makes about 16 ounces

1 Granny Smith Apple
1 pear
1 peach, pitted

Juice and serve

Mini Mangia Meatballs with Zucchini

Day 8. I am starting to get back into my low carbohydrate mindset and I’m thinking maybe one juice per day is in order, along with a small dinner (we were having two juices, one small meal). I am going with the vegetable juice option today because I actually missed veggies when I went with the fruits. We had the zucchini and my Mini Mangia Meatballs (recipe coming soon) for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed every. little. morsel. There’s something about going fluid all day that really excites you into lavishing even more effort into dinner, especially when it’s this delicious a meal.

Day 9. After enjoying the chipless nachos at Old Chicago, we went for our own. I didn’t snap pictures because I was too hungry, but hubby wishes I had so he could eat the image with his brain over and over.

Very Veggie Juice

Makes about 24 ounces

1/4 onion
1/2 tomato
3 carrots
4 celery
1 cucumber
2 big fistfuls of spinach

Juice and serve
So how are we doing? Here’s the recap:

Sweet baboo continues to lose weight and is down 11 pounds. Now he’s weighing three times per day. When did he become a girl?

I am continuing to move downward and have lost 14 pounds. I weigh once a day, but I only record my weight once per week.

Now the oldest son is low carbing again and started the day we did, and he’s lost 10 pounds since beginning induction again. He just likes peeing on the ketostix…

Extrapolations: All in all, this has been a successful test of will power and portion control. It has been the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, to be honest, and hubby was even more in shock over how hard this experience was.

Good: We haven’t gained weight as a result of adding some food to the juicing because we’re careful to keep serving sizes reasonable. Hubby’s pants are becoming baggy and my son nearly lost his this morning when they reached for the ground. Thankfully, a teen’s natural state is in his underpants.

Bad: We couldn’t go beyond the 6 days. I wish we had been able to, but the combination of impending travel, company and our own hunger drove us to enjoy protein/fat-rich dinners in small portions.

Beautiful: We’ve regained a love for fresh vegetables and fruits, re-energized weight loss, and have definitely grown together as a family as a result. To boot, we haven’t stopped juicing, which says something.

What’s next? Continued efforts as we get ready to travel and to see family. We’ll keep you posted!

Meanwhile, how are you doing in your journey? Are you trying something new? Share your successes and stumbling blocks with me in the comments.