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I’ve spent my morning looking for foot doctors in my area… but I’m not really that motivated to go to one yet. Everything I’ve read about my “top of foot pain” basically says the treatment is to stay off of it for 6 weeks. I don’t really want to pay for a doctor’s office visit just to be told the same thing! Or worse, pay for x-rays and THEN be told that! So for now, the plan is to stay off of it as best I can, ice it, and be patient. I’m going to try out a cycling class at my gym this afternoon, so hopefully that will keep me happy for the next 6 weeks! (I’m thinking MAYBE I could alternate with some elliptical workouts, too… since there’s no pounding of the feet involved in that either. But we’ll see how it goes…)

This morning I was NOT in the mood for green juice, so I decided to go with a more UltraMetabolism sort of breakfast. I had an organic Gala apple and a scoop of almond butter, sprinkled with cinnamon… Read more

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I was having a case of the Mondays this morning, and did NOT feel like making green juice this morning. Normally, if I would skip my green juice, I would replace it with some sweet, juicy fruit for breakfast… but not today. I went with the lower-carb choice: an individually portioned bag of raw almonds. They were surprisingly satisfying! I thought for sure I’d be hungry in an hour or so… but they lasted me until 1pm! Lunch was a HUGE salad (to make up for my lack of morning greens). I shredded an entire zuchinni and carrot into a bowl, then mashed an avocado into the veggies with some fresh lemon juice and stevia. I topped it all off with an entire bag of mixed greens, then mixed it all together. It was very tasty! I think that will be my standard lunch for the next two days– until I leave for my trip home for the wedding!

This afternoon, I snacked on another pack of raw almonds for some pre-workout fuel, which turned into a bad idea. I had a hard time running because I kept getting side cramps! Overall, I alternated running and walking on an incline the best I could for 45 minutes. I completed over 3 miles, which is very acceptable for me. I ended my session with some upper body strength moves, then I had to hurry off for a tanning date with my fiancé! (he didn’t want to look paler than me… so he signed up for a couple sessions for the big day). Normally, we are very pale people, so we are trying to make our wedding day the exception.

Dinner was the same as last night: 1 whole egg and 4 eggwhites, scrambled and topped with fresh pico de gallo, with a large side of steamed brussels sprouts. Pretty satisfying! I love topping scrambled eggs with salsa– it’s better than most omelets! Post-dinner, I’ve been having some sweet cravings still. So my sweet-substitute is a glass of Natural Calm (the lemon flavor is sweetened with stevia, so it’s still low carb!). It’s surprisingly sweet after cutting out so many sweets from my life. Plus, it’s helping keep my insides moving– always beneficial!!

I’m exhausted tonight, so I’m going to go to bed a little earlier than normal. I realized that my final dress fitting is in 4 days!! Hopefully I can keep this momentum going, and really push myself in my workouts over the next week. Only a little more stress, before I’ll be relaxing on my honeymoon. Ahhh… that sounds so nice. I’ll be having happy dreams tonight.

I’m loving my mentality lately. I’ve gotten to the point that I’m not really stressed anymore! Whatever is going to happen at this point is going to happen, and there’s not much I can do about it now! That’s not to say I’m not still working hard, but for some reason it’s just not making me freak out like I was expecting it to…

Today marks a big change in my diet– I’m experimenting with Jillian Michael’s low-carb “peaking diet.” I am NOT one to endorse eating low-carb, so please don’t think that I’m pushing that idea whatsoever. This is a TEMPORARY situation. I’ve done my research, and even the doctors and health mentors that I really respect agree that eating a high-protein, low-carb diet is the most effective way to lose weight and look smaller in the shortest amount of time. They also agree, however, that this is NOT healthy, and can in fact be dangerous if followed long-term. So let me repeat: This diet is very, very TEMPORARY for me. I’m following it for 12 days, and that’s it. Then it’s right back to my high-raw, mostly vegetarian lifestyle that makes me very happy.

I have a feeling I will be fairily miserable eating low-carb for even this short amount of time, but I think the results will be worth it. Basically, this diet will help me lose any extra water weight and bloat– making my muscles look more lean and defined for my big day. Of course, I can’t follow the diet plan to a “T” because I think I would kill myself eating three protein-packed meals a day. So for breakfast, I’m modifying the plan to include my green juice. I will omit the apples from my juice, to keep it low-carb, and I’ll sweeten them with liquid stevia instead. That way I’ll at least be protecting my body with some healthy enzymes first thing every morning!

Today was Day 1 of the diet for me, and so far, so good. I got a colonic this morning, and I felt heavenly afterwards. Any of you in the Los Angeles area should really check out the Wellness Within Spa. They are terrific, and always give me free probiotics to take after each session to replenish the healthy bacteria in my system. After my appointment, I had a lunch date with a friend at my favorite little restaurant in LA, Aroma. I got the Grilled Atlantic Salmon Salad– yum!! It was a bed of mixed greens, topped with sliced cucumber, tomatoes and a hefty portion of grilled salmon. I probably ate too much. There was a LOT of salmon. But it was so tasty I couldn’t help myself. Luckily, that meal got me through my 6pm workout! I popped a Gaurana pill before I went down to the gym, and pushed through a 65-minute treadmill session. It consisted of 5 minute running intervals, with 2-minute walking breaks in between. If my feet hadn’t started hurting so bad at the 40-minute mark, I think I could have pushed harder, but the balls of my feet were killing me! Maybe I need to invest in some orthotics? I have great running shoes, and they’re not that old… so I’m not sure what would help. Maybe I just need to develop some calluses? Who knows.

For dinner, I’m about to make some scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, 4 eggwhites) cooked in cooking spray, topped with fresh pico de gallo, and served with a HUGE portion of steamed brussels sprouts. I typically prefer roasted brussels sprouts, but oil and salt are not on the menu for me for the next 12 days. B-O-R-I-N-G! Ha ha.

I’m starving! I’ll keep you updated on how my low-carb experiment goes! Nite!!

Last night, I got my new hair extensions! It is such a weird feeling to have 150 strands of hair glued to my head! Guess I’m just going to have to get used to it. My friend did SUCH a great job, and I’m so lucky to have her!

Unfortunately, my hair extension appointment took up my entire evening, and I didn’t get home until 10:30pm last night! I ended up skipping dinner and going to bed. I wasn’t hungry, and I was SO tired! Sitting in a salon for 6 hours took it out of me! I realized today that I did eat NEARLY enough calories yesterday– I only had a little over a cup of pineapple for breakfast, and 3 bananas with 2 tablespoons of almond butter for lunch. Right before my  hair appointment, I had two servings of raw fudge to keep me full. All in all, I think I consumed around 900 calories. Definitely not enough for even my sedentary day!

So today, I’m going to eat more. I have plans to run this afternoon with my friend, so I need to fuel my workout! I know my body will not release any of my extra weight if I’m not feeding it enough!! So far, I’ve only had about a half-cup of pineapple. But for lunch, I’m going to fill up with a big salad, and some more of my favorite– bananas and almond butter. Maybe some more raw fudge, too. I love having to indulge for the sake of getting calories.

I have LOTS to do today, so I’ll update more later!

Cardio:

5-minute warm up
5-minute jogging intervals:
2 minute jog at 5.5 mph
1 minute run at 6 mph
2 minute job at 5.5 mph
2 minute recovery walk at 3.5 mph
(Repeat intervals for 60 minutes)
5-minute cool down

Strength:

Overhead press with 5 lb weights while doing lunges (15 reps each leg)
Upright rows using 5 lbs weights (25 reps)
Step ups on weight bench (25 reps each leg)
Chest Press with 5 lbs weights (50 reps)
Chest Flies with 5 lbs weights (repeated to muscle failure)
2 minutes of crunches (variety of oblique, upper and lower ab moves)

I was pretty exhausted after my cardio work, so I didn’t feel the desire to do much strength training after! Today, I’m going to give myself a break from running, and do 30 minutes of elliptical intervals, and, if time permits, a 20-minute Jillian Michael’s workout from her 30-Day Shred DVD. For the next 2 weeks, my main focus is going to be burning as many calories as possible, focusing mainly on cardio. I know, I know. Strength training is VERY good for me. But I’m in CRUNCH mode right now, and not much change is going to happen in 2 weeks. So I’m trying to focus my energy on what I think will make me look the very leanest in my wedding dress. In fact, I’m debating on whether or not I should try Jillian Michael’s “peaking” diet (from her book, Making the Cut) for the last 7 days before my wedding. My original plan was to stay all raw, with plenty of vegetable juices up until the big day, but she claims you will look your smallest by following her low-carb, low-sodium plan. Any thoughts? Has anyone out there tried the “peaking” diet? I will definitely follow the sweating advice, as well as the low-sodium/drink lots of water advice. But I wonder if eating a high-protein, low-carb diet would make much of a difference in 7 days. Obviously, I want to look as lean as possible!! (And I don’t want any random breakouts from adding eggs or fish back into my diet!!) I’d love to hear any feedback.

I was not very good at juicing yesterday. Not at all, actually. I got so caught up in work that I completely missed breakfast! By the time 12:30 rolled around, I was NOT in the mood to make juice anymore. So I skipped right ahead to lunch, which was 3 bananas with 2 T. of raw almond butter. Not exactly the most nutrient-filled lunch, but I was very happy and satisfied. The bad news is, my day ended up being so busy that I ended up having the same thing for dinner! (only 2 bananas this time) I felt guilty about it, so I ate half a bag of mixed greens (straight out of the bag, like chips!!) and a handful of baby carrots for some enzymes. It was delicious, but I knew I didn’t eat nearly enough calories for the day, considering my cardio session alone burnt off 500 calories! So after my workout, I made some tasty chia pudding. Perfect late-night snack.

I’m thinking another mini-juice fast is in order this weekend. Weekends are usually the hardest for me, eating wise, so if I commit to a juice fast, it helps keep my brain screwed on straight. I think a weekend of juicing and steaming in the sauna sounds perfect! Plus, consuming all that juice should make up for my lack of juice this week!

Hope to hear any advice from you all on how you prepared yourself to be in tip-top shape for a big event in your lives. I know I only have 2 weeks left, but I feel like I can see some positive results if I treat myself right! Thanks for your feedback!

Today, I was running low on juicing supplies, but that didn’t stop me from having my morning juice! This beauty turned out DARK red, because I was out of all my light green veggies to juice. Typically I juice one light green, like romaine or cucumber, and one dark green, such as spinach or kale, in each of my juices. Today, I juiced some kale and the rest of my Italian parsley, along with a large fuji apple, a beet, and half of a large lemon. It was surprisingly good! Must have been a really sweet apple…

For lunch, my fiancé came home and we watched an episode of Mad Men. We are trying to catch up to the current season, and we’re almost there! I think we have 3 more episodes in Season 2. I don’t know what it is about that show, because it starts off kinda slow, but I’m totally into it! Since I was distracted by my TV show, I totally flaked and forgot to take a picture of my lovely salad. I had a happy accident, trying to make some “key lime pudding” out of avocadoes, lime juice and stevia. I used way too much lime juice, and it became a liquidy mess! Way too thin for pudding, but perfect as a dressing! So I poured the whole thing over an entire bag of mixed greens, added some shredded carrot and half of a sliced pear, and it was perfect! Delicious! I’m not a HUGE avocado fan, but I know they’re good for me, so the more ways I can “hide” them in my food, the better. I will definitely be re-creating my salad again soon!

After work, I spent my time at the mall with my friend who will be doing my makeup for my wedding. She took me to the Bobby Brown counter to try out all sorts of stuff! My head was spinning by the end of it! Way too many options for me… I ended up only choosing my foundation and concealer for now. I’ll work on the eyeshadow another time. It was so overwhelming!

I felt like I got a good workout walking around the mall for a few hours, and found myself RAVENOUS by the end of our shopping trip! Of course, then I remembered I had NO juicing ingredients left! Darn it!! Poor planning on my part. I stopped by Trader Joe’s on my way home, but it was rush hour, and there was no parking spot in sight! Just a line of cars, waiting to stalk the next person to walk out of the store, so they could steal their spot! I was in no mood for those games. So I settled on a new dinner decision– I could eat a raw meal tonight, instead of a juiced one. I totally indulged in my favorite raw comfort food: bananas with raw almond butter! I know bananas are a “no-no” on the Clean program, but I got ripe bananas, which are supposedly okay as far as constipation-issues go. I love bananas, and I’ve lost weight eating them before, so I’m not eliminating them entirely. They make me happy, and on a Monday, when I would normally be binging anyway, I figured they were a better choice than most. I also munched away on some baby carrots, which my dog begged for the whole night. She is really getting into eating her veggies! I love it! Her favorites are butter lettuce leaves and baby carrots, but she’ll eat just about any leafy green.

Okay, I’m off to bed. Nite!

Romaine, Kale, Fuji apple, beet and lemon juice– my favorite!

Fresh coconut water. (I drank most of it for lunch, and saved a little for a late-night snack!)

My “dinner” juice was a little different, to mix up my nutrients: Green apple, large cucumber, 1/3 bunch Italian parsley, 2 limes (and a couple drops of liquid stevia, because that sucker was TART!) Not my favorite juice, but it was okay…

Saturday was a HARD day to fast. I went down to Long Beach to visit the Aquarium with my fiancé and a couple of our friends, so I made a large green juice in the morning, hoping it would last me until I found some place I could get another juice. We went to breakfast first, where I sipped on some herbal tea while everyone around me splurged on pancakes and omelets! TORTURE!! But it was a beautiful place to eat breakfast– outside looking at the ocean! So I really didn’t mind not eating. After our time at the Aquarium, we went down to Santa Monica, for some lunch. Of course, everyone wanted pizza, so again, no food for me. They didn’t even have good bottled water, so I ended up getting a bottle of S. Pelligrino instead. I’m not sure if carbonated water is particularly good for you or not, especially on a juice fast, but it was truly my only option. I didn’t feel too bad after drinking it, just a little gurgly in the tummy.

We finally got home in the late afternoon, and I was so exhausted that I needed a nap! I took a brief one, then woke up to make some more juice. It was my favorite, Not-So-Green juice. I chugged it down, then got ready to go to Roscoe’s chicken for dinner with some friends. Yep, that’s THREE restaurants in a row that I went to in one day while fasting. Ugh. I simply drank water while everyone ate fried chicken and waffles around me. Luckily, I made it through, with only a couple moments of feeling sorry for myself…

Sunday, I was planning on getting a colonic. However, last minute we were offered two amazing tickets to a Dodger’s game! We were three rows behind home plate, with unlimited food being served to us! I decided that was the moment to break my fast. I had green juice early that morning, but by 2pm, I was hungry and had no chance of getting juice anytime soon. They were serving a beautiful fruit salad at the game, so I helped myself to a generous portion! Seriously, a heaping plate full of fruit. It had watermelon, honeydew, pineapple, cantelope, and some blueberries. So delicious. I happily munched away at that while we melted away in the hot sun. I don’t know how my finacé could eat fried turkey, hot dogs and cookies while we were so HOT! Crazy!

So far, I’m down 6 pounds since I started. I’m assuming most of that is water weight, but either way, I’m happy! I’m hoping to keep up juicing twice a day now until my BIG DAY. I’m 18 days away! YIKES!!!!!!