The Results Are In! The 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse by JJ Smith

I've already posted about this book a few weeks ago before I started my own cleanse and I am here now to give my complete review of the book and to share my results.  Previously, I mentioned how easy the cleanse was to understand and what a great job JJ Smith did of explaining the process and laying everything out. Now that I've made it through the 10 days I can also testify to how tasty the green smoothies are. I do have my favorites: Day 3, 6, 7 and 9. Since there is a different smoothie recipe for each day, there is no chance of getting bored with them.

As far as the cleanse itself, I was very surprised that I rarely suffered from a headache. I've done a detox before and had terrible headaches that lasted for days but that was not the case here. I am a die-hard coffee drinker and I was expecting the worst but thankfully the worst never happened. I did drink 1 - 2 cups of Chinese herbal detox tea each morning but it was decaf. I would have to say that not having a headache was the biggest surprise of all of this detox cleanse.

Because I snacked on raw veggies and small handfuls of unsalted nuts that provided me with protein, I never felt like I was starving myself and I never went to bed miserable like I had anticipated. Since I was eating every 3 to 4 hours, whether it be a smoothie or a healthy snack, my stomach was never totally empty. For me, the evening times were the hardest. So I would save my peanuts for that time or I would have an apple, which is great for increasing blood flow, so I never felt sluggish. And if you feel the full cleanse is too much for you, you can do the modified cleanse where you drink smoothies for 2 meals and them have a sensible dinner of chicken or fish with a salad or veggies. The modified cleanse is the best way to maintain your weight loss after you've finished the full cleanse. JJ Smith has done such extensive research for this cleanse that she thought of everything. Each smoothie serving is a complete meal source providing all of the nutrients your body needs to function properly.

Now, with all that being said, I'm not trying to say that I never missed eating or wanted real food during this 10 day period. Honestly, this was one of the hardest things I've ever done. My problem is I love food and I love eating! I know it was helpful that I did not participate in any social functions or gatherings while on the cleanse. I did spend the day with one of my friends once but I packed up my smoothie and my snacks and water and took them with me. And my friend was sweet enough to wait until I was not there before she started grilling the meat that she was making for her family later that night. I really appreciated that even though I told her it wasn't necessary.

One of the keys to a successful cleanse like this is to drink a lot of water. In this case, I drank 64 oz per day. It sounds like a lot but that is key if you are trying to remove toxins from your body, not to mention it helps in the weight loss aspect as well. I drank water constantly throughout the day and even kept a bottle on my nightstand during the night. I also drank an 8 oz glass of water before each smoothie and also first thing in the morning. As a result of all that water, I noticed a difference in my skin and my nails grew very fast as well.

Another thing I noticed is that I began sleeping better. I used to never sleep through the night and would often sleep with the TV on but I actually didn't need the constant drone of the TV to keep me asleep. Since I've completed the cleanse, I am still sleeping better than I have in a while. Probably because I am still being very picky as to what I put in my body, but more on that later.

As for my results, I am very pleased with the outcome. I lost a total of 11 pounds and 5 inches in my waist. The shorts that used to be uncomfortably tight and unwearable are now slipping on easily and are not uncomfortable at all. People have noticed that my waistline is smaller and even my neck is thinner. On top of all that, I feel great! I forgot to take my morning dose of blood pressure medicine the other day and normally I would have felt a shortness of breath or heavy beating of my heart, but I felt perfectly fine all day as long as I didn't over-exert myself. And yes, I did take my nightly dose of meds. I'm not crazy enough to think I can quit taking my BP meds but it was a relief to not feel bad when I'd forgotten them that morning and wasn't home to take my pill. I go to the doctor every 4 months for him to check my liver and kidneys and after this cleanse I am sure my lab report is going to be glowing. In fact, I go to the doctor on August 12 and I'm anxious to hear what my doctor has to say.

The bottom line is that I've learned so much from JJ Smith and her green smoothie cleanse and I plan to use that knowledge to continue living a healthier lifestyle. I'm still not eating red meat, sugar and pasta and I don't plan to for awhile. I really don't miss the sugar at all and I am not a soda drinker so that is an easy one for me. My downfall is coffee but I've cut myself back to one cup per day. I plan to still drink smoothies sometimes when I feel I've over-indulged and to get some good nutrients. They are so easy to make and the truth is they taste really good.  I plan to use them, along with daily exercise, to hopefully continue to lose at least 1 or 2 pounds a week.

The 10 Day Green Smoothie Cleanse was a positive experience for me and one that was definitely worth the hard work. And remember, I lost those 11 pounds without working out. I would never recommend a cleanse unless I had tried it myself and really believe in it. If you decide to do this cleanse/detox, I highly recommend reading this book ENTIRELY before you start. Its a quick read with tons of important information that is necessary for a healthy cleanse. Will I ever do it again? I'd have to say Yes, I would.

THE 10 DAY GREEN SMOOTHIE CLEANSE (Kindle Edition)
Author: JJ Smith (@jjsmithonline)
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: February 2014
Length: 192 pp
Source: Purchased

Weekend Cooking: Two Books That Offer Healthy Guidelines for the Food We Eat

Many of us have made the decision this year to take control of the food we put into our bodies and to maintain healthier eating habits. For me personally, I began this journey two years ago after realizing that for the first time in my life, I needed to go on a diet. But it wasn't a diet I needed. It was a lifestyle change that I could adapt and continue to practice for the rest of my life. I began reading the nutrition labels on the food I was buying and learning what to stay away from. There's a lot of information in those labels if only you take the time to understand what they mean. Now I look at food a lot differently than I used to and I don't buy food just because it tastes good. Even though it may taste good, that doesn't necessarily mean its good for you. For two years now I've completely cut out processed foods from my diet and I can tell a significant change in my body. Most of the food I eat I prepare fresh at home from ingredients I choose. I rarely eat fast-food and when I occasionally slide, I immediately regret it because of how it makes me feel and then I vow never to to it again.

For today's post I wanted to share two books that I've come across that have helped me tremendously in my quest for eating healthy. The first book, HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE,  is a self-published ebook by Ceps Weston and is available on Kindle (for 2.99). Though not written perfectly, the information provided in the book allowed me to overlook the sub-par writing. (In my opinion) I read this book in a day and though its not an in depth, technical book, it is very helpful in identifying ingredients you should definitely stay away from and why.  This book would be great for those just starting to realize that they want to have more knowledge about what they are putting into their bodies.

The second book I want to mention is a much more in depth look at food in general and the benefits of eating real food, not food that the 'industry' tells us is healthy and good for us. This book came out in 2008 and was featured on many of the morning news shows for its bold statements about how the food industry manipulating the public into thinking they're providing us with healthy alternatives. Its a very interesting book written by Nina Planck, who is a renowned food expert who grew up on a farm in Virginia eating 'real' food and selling it at farm stands. Her knowledge of food is very broad and is not at all related to food trends, just simple whole foods.  This book is aptly titled REAL FOOD: What To Eat and Why. In it, Ms. Planck shares her wealth of knowledge about foods that have been around for thousands of years and the benefits of them. For anyone looking to learn about food and maintaining a healthier lifestyle I highly recommend this book.  I promise you won't look at food the same way again.

Thanks for stopping by today and I hope this post was helpful to you in some way. for more great cooking posts, please stop by Beth Fish Reads and check out all the other contributors for this weekly event. 

The Saturday Skinny: WW Week 13 - Reading Labels

Welcome to the weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by The Saturday Skinny! I woke up to much cooler weather this morning than we've been having here in central Florida. Right now, its only 50 degrees outside! That is going to make for a great walk this morning!

I've just completed my 13th week on Weight Watchers Online and I am pleased to report I am right on track! I lost another 2.2 pounds this week, bringing my total weight lost to 21.6 pounds! I am so pleased to have surpassed the 20-pound mark!

This journey has been so enlightening to me and I've learned so much, not only about myself, but about nutrition in general. I've realized that there are many foods and snacks out there that I thought were healthy only to realize they really aren't. One big surprise was granola. I really love granola and used to eat it with my yogurt and I ate granola bars as snacks. But not any more. Granola actually isn't that healthy and is not helpful if you are on a weight loss plan. Recently, I picked up a box of granola cereal that was advertised as a 'healthy alternative' and after looking at the nutrition label and reading the ingredients, it was very clear that it was not healthy at all. I use my WW PointsPlus calculator religiously to help me stay on the right food track and when choosing cereal, I don't like to go over 4 points per serving. I found that most granola cereals are at least 6 points per serving not counting the milk. I also found the sugar levels in many of them were higher.

This revelation about granola lead me to do some research and I came across this article called Not-So- Healthy Health Foods on MedicineNet.com that was very interesting. It talks about how some 'healthy' foods are not that healthy and how to spot the hidden pitfalls of these foods. Before joining WW, I used to only read the calories and fat on the nutrition label, but now I read all of the nutrition label of everything I eat. These labels are there for a reason and we should take advantage of them and not just accept what we're told through advertising. You can learn a lot by reading those labels.

Another area that was an eye opener for me was fruit juices. I'm not a soda drinker and I always prided myself for drinking a lot of juice instead, thinking I was choosing the healthy alternative. Boy, was I wrong! Some juices are almost as bad as soda because of the sugar levels. Tomato juice has become my favorite juice. Thankfully, I love the taste - as long as it's cold and it only has 1 WW Point per 8 oz. serving. I have a glass every single day around 11:00. There are many healthful benefits with tomatoes and tomato juice, including fighting cancer cells. But the liquid I drink the most of is plain ole water with lemon. You can never have too much water and even though I fought it in the beginning, I have changed my thinking and I have seen the benefits in my own body. First and foremost, it helps with weight loss and secondly, my skin is so much clearer than before. Because of my age (47), I am having some dryness on my face and since I've been drinking as much water as I have, I've noticed a huge difference!

There is so much nutritional information out there if we only take the time to read it. I cringe when I think back at how I used to just grab whatever I was craving off the shelf without even looking at the label. That is how I ended up 20+ pounds overweight in the first place. Once you get in the habit of reading the labels and understanding them, it will become second nature to you.

I'd like to thank you once again for stopping by and sharing my weight loss progress. I'm on the downhill side now and I am even more excited to reach my ultimate goal. Be sure to let me know how you are doing on your journey as well. I look forward to hearing your story!

Worlds Healthiest Foods

I found this great website during my online travels that I want to share.. It’s called “The Worlds Healthiest Foods” located at http://www.whf.org/. Actually it is a not-for-profit organization called The George Mateljan Foundation.

The website is packed with all kinds of nutritional information and offers healthful recipes and tips too. I found it educational and interesting. For anyone who is trying to eat better and learn how to prepare foods in a healthier way, this website would be invaluable. There are over 100 recipes that you can search either by ingredient or nutritional element. For example, I have extreme hypertension, so I searched for foods with Omega 3 fatty acid benefits to help lower my blood pressure and to help promote red blood cell function, which will also help with my retinal disease. The recipes are not complicated nor do they use gourmet ingredients, so you don’t have to worry about the cost or finding specialty items.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be a burden. You can use your imagination and come up with your own recipes using foods you like.