Tag: weight maintenance

Joe Cross’ 5-Day Juice Challenge – Preparations

Joe Cross’ 5-Day Juice Challenge – Preparations

We had a marvelous Christmas and enjoyed ourselves immensely . . . perhaps too immensely. The scale is now telling me that I have gone a little too far with my celebrations and it is time to make some changes. I had a good experience 

Lenten Clean Eating Project: Final Results

Lenten Clean Eating Project: Final Results

Perhaps you suspected my lack of posting was due to a sugar coma after eating only “clean” healthy foods for the 46 days before Easter. I certainly did my share of feasting on Easter and will tell you about our celebration in the next post. 

Lent: Days 41-44

Lent: Days 41-44

It seems I am not the only Fredericksburg fan of "It's All Good."  Look who is featured prominently on the library cookbook display!
It seems I am not the only Fredericksburg fan of “It’s All Good.” Look who is featured prominently on the library cookbook display!

You would think that with just two days left to go, this would be the easiest part of my Lenten healthy eating plan, but it’s not. This week has been one of the toughest of the whole diet. It may be because I am looking forward to the end of this experiment and all the delicious treats that will come with it. It may be because last week I was fasting and juice fasting for most of the week and my body would like some calories to recover from that shock. It may be because I am just burned out after 40 days of intense cooking. And finally, it may be because I have to prepare for the second biggest holiday of the year with no carbs to help me out.

I gave myself a break from exercise this week as I have just too much else going on. I also have been sneaking a few extra tastes and portions into my meals as I just feel so incredibly hungry.

My husband has also started to express concern over my weight loss. “Do I look anorexic?” I asked. He paused for a while and then said, “I wouldn’t lose any more weight.” So, I seem to have reached a Rachel Frederickson-like point. However, like Rachel Frederickson, I just want to finish this project and then will engage in some chocolate therapy. With just two days to go, I just have to hang in there a little bit longer.

Day 41

Starting the day with the body builder smoothie.
Starting the day with the body builder smoothie.
The spinach muschroom egg white omelet (with black beans because I was hungry).
The spinach muschroom egg white omelet (with black beans because I was hungry).
For a present for a visiting family member, I made  "Dark Chocolate Bark with Almonds, Coconut and Sea Salt."  My husband wants me to make this again for us.
For a present for a visiting family member, I made “Dark Chocolate Bark with Almonds, Coconut and Sea Salt.” My husband wants me to make this again for us.
Spent the afternoon admiring the cherry blossoms near the Potomac.
Spent the afternoon admiring the cherry blossoms near the Potomac.
It was a beautiful day.  Warm but very windy.
It was a beautiful day. Warm but very windy.
Arriving home, I used up some vegetables for a version of the "Sunset Juice" by Joe Cross.
Arriving home, I used up some vegetables for a version of the “Sunset Juice” by Joe Cross.
Sunset juice.
Sunset juice.
Healthy Tuna Salad on greens.
Healthy Tuna Salad on greens.
Chicken and White Bean Chili.
Chicken and White Bean Chili.

Day 42

Another spinach mushroom omelet for breakfast.  Spinach for breakfast is delicious and really does give you a boost of energy.
Another spinach mushroom omelet for breakfast. Spinach for breakfast is delicious and really does give you a boost of energy.
Avocado cacao smoothie.
Avocado cacao smoothie.
Healthy tuna salad over greens.
Healthy tuna salad over greens.

As luck would have it, that afternoon, we had a power outage lasting about 3 hours. It was not until after 6:30 p.m. that I could get into the kitchen to start my dinner. I was starving!

Meanwhile, my husband went out and picked up Little Caesar’s pizza for himself and the children. While they sat enjoying their meal, I was hard at work in the kitchen slicing vegetables and cooking my next meal. This was hard to bear. It made me think about how hard it is for “slow food” to compete with “fast food.” Sure, slow food tastes great and is very good for you but that convenience factor is such a treat. It’s nice to have someone else do the cooking rather than having to do it all yourself.

While waiting for the power to come back on, I treated myself to two apples and an extra generous scoop of almond butter.  One of the apples turned brown immediately after slicing.  If you experience this, throw the apple out.  It was mushy and tasteless (but of course I ate it anyway!).
While waiting for the power to come back on, I treated myself to two apples and an extra generous scoop of almond butter. One of the apples turned brown immediately after slicing. If you experience this, throw the apple out. It was mushy and tasteless (but of course I ate it anyway!).
Lately, my kitchen is not only overrun with produce for my recipes but also plant experiments for our homeschool science curriculum.  We germinated some cucumber seeds.  It is really thrilling to see a small plant emerge from just a seed wrapped in a wet paper towel!  What a miracle of life!
Lately, my kitchen is not only overrun with produce for my recipes but also plant experiments for our homeschool science curriculum. We germinated some cucumber seeds. It is really thrilling to see a small plant emerge from just a seed wrapped in a wet paper towel! What a miracle of life!
I needed some more salad dressing so I made the "Parsley Dressing," (which also helped me to use up leftover parsley from the juice cleanse.
I needed some more salad dressing so I made the “Parsley Dressing,” (which also helped me to use up leftover parsley from the juice cleanse.
Dinner: the imperious "Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili" and greens with parsley dressing.
Dinner: the imperious “Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili” and greens with parsley dressing.

Day 43

Wednesday was a fasting day, which was horrible hunger-wise but a nice rest from cooking.

Fasting salad: salmon, avocado and black bean.
Fasting salad: salmon, avocado and black bean.

Day 44

Resurrecting the huevos rancheros egg white omelet.  I have given up on having my omelets not stick to my pan.  It only works once right after the pan is seasoned.  I try to get them out as complete as I can but sometimes they are a bit like scrambled eggs.  A nonstick omelet pan is probably the solution.
Resurrecting the huevos rancheros egg white omelet. I have given up on having my omelets not stick to my pan. It only works once right after the pan is seasoned. I try to get them out as complete as I can but sometimes they are a bit like scrambled eggs. A nonstick omelet pan is probably the solution.
Turning to the sweet potato shake to curb the hunger pangs.  Strangely, it didn't have the same effect this time.
Turning to the sweet potato shake to curb the hunger pangs. Strangely, it didn’t have the same effect this time.
The imperious sweet potato chili and salad with parsley dressing.
The imperious sweet potato chili and salad with parsley dressing.
My son LOVES the sweet potato chili!  He licked his plate clean and asked for more!
My son LOVES the sweet potato chili! He licked his plate clean and asked for more!
Snack of apples and almond butter.  I went with two apples this time because they were both small.
Snack of apples and almond butter. I went with two apples this time because they were both small.
Dinner: leftover chicken and white bean chili and salad with parsley dressing.  As proof that men do like Gwyneth's food, my husband said that I could make this chili any time!
Dinner: leftover chicken and white bean chili and salad with parsley dressing. As proof that men do like Gwyneth’s food, my husband said that I could make this chili any time!

Nutritional News

  • Is Your Diet Making You Mad? – This article introduced me to the word “hangry” meaning the anger brought on by hunger and lack of carbs. It also quotes Dr. Drew Ramsey, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University “[L]imiting carbs impedes the brain’s ability to synthesize mood-boosting serotonin. Sugar also stimulates areas in the brain that are linked with pleasure and addiction, . . . preliminary research demonstrates that a withdrawal from sugar has similar symptoms to those of an addict withdrawing from heroin.” Boy, doesn’t that feel true!
  • Married couples who diet more likely to argue, study finds – And this article adds scientific proof to the “hangry” pheneomenon, indicating that people are less able to control their anger when their blood sugar is lower. Fortunately, there have been no arguments in my household but this week in particular, everyone has noticed that my typically endless patience is a lot less endless.
  • Simon Schama’s History of the Jews – In the “food for the soul” category, I encourage you to watch Simon Schama’s “The Story of the Jews” on PBS. We are huge fans of Simon Schama and I was thrilled to see he had a new documentary out. In the way only he can do, he effortlessly walks you through centuries of history, highlighting key points and characters in a most fascinating way. I learned a lot from watching this and I liked seeing how personal the subject was to him.
  • And along the same lines some wonderful healthy Passover recipes here.

  • GOOP CEO Quits After Paltrow’s Uncoupling – It continues to be a challenging year for Gwyneth Paltrow who now must find a new CEO for GOOP. I have enjoyed the GOOP newsletter and wonder how it will change when the writers will be based on Los Angeles rather than London.

48 hours and counting!

Lent: Days 37-40

Lent: Days 37-40

It’s been a long, difficult week but there is just one week left to go on my Lenten clean eating diet! This past week, counting the juice fast, I had 5 fasting days and only 2 normal eating days. Amazingly, I didn’t feel completely drained 

Lent Days 34-36: The 3-Day Juice Cleanse

Lent Days 34-36: The 3-Day Juice Cleanse

I survived the 3-day juice cleanse and learned so much! This was a completely new experience for me so below is my newbie guide to a 3-day juice cleanse. Background The 3-day juice cleanse I followed was developed by Joe Cross, an Australian businessman. He