The WHY? To this 30 day juice fast

Have you ever been so sick, but have no idea of the why? You change the way you eat, you take supplements, go to the Doctor only to find out they know less than you. They treat you like you are crazy, do not really listen to what you say then you get accused of not taking your medication. I have been fighting that battle for the past 8 years. I have been accused from not taking my medication, to lying about my pain, about my food intake. Even Family thought it was all in my head. I was diagnosed with so many things and then nothing at all.

I will not give some one else control of my health. My well being is my responsibility. No one better than me knows what my body needs or how it responds to medication, food, stress. In January I was rushed to the hospital. I could no longer support my own weight. I had no strength. My protein levels were so low I had gained over 100lbs on water weight. Blood counts were the lowest possible ( I  got 6 pints of blood) The pain from the swelling was just nothing I can describe in words. Other than by telling you it felt like some one was cutting at my skin with a knife. My body had started to shutdown. I was eating but nothing was staying down. My body was on starvation mode.


   I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired. Mentally I just couldn't do it any more. I couldn't take the stares the whispers. It did not bother me from  strangers but it killed me from my own family. ( I know  I never  said  anything and maybe you all didn't even know I knew, and its OK) I felt bad for my husband he had a broken wife, mentally emotionally and physically broken. I had good  days and I had OK days, the bad days I did not let anyone see. My husband saw those a few times.  I sat several times on the floor of the bathroom with a bottle full of pills and a bottle of wine. It was my husband who finally got me to understand that was a coward way to face my world. that I was being selfish and only thinking of my own pain and not his. That is the last time suicide entered my mind. I believe in God and believe in miracles. I just  didn't see it happening to me. I wanted to die, I wanted the pain to end the endless vicious cycle to end.

Oh so many said pray, if you pray you will find the answers, I laughed and said right. Thank you God, they were right, on the bad days God got me through, on the good days God got me through. I am here because He did not leave me. Because I have family, friends who even  when I was weak they were strong believers of God's truth.

After so many doctors, so many tests, so many diagnosis.... they decided on a open stomach surgery, I was scared it wasn't the first time or the second. I knew this was the last time. I even told the surgeon "I think you are going to kill me in the operating table". I prayed with my Mom and decided on yes to the surgery. My Family was there and I can't tell you  how much that meant for me. and how much it hurt to see the worry in their eyes. I tried to be brave the whole time, I lost it when I saw my Pastor and my Husband run into the room where they were prepping me for surgery.

I remember waking up from surgery, for the first time in 8 years I was not in excruciating pain. The pain from the surgery was not even close to what I had been living the past 8 years. The surgeon not only saved my life, but found the why to it all. The road to recovery was  going to be a nice one I was told.

Due to the amount of water fluid I had been retaining I had complications after surgery. I was rushed to ICU and after a couple of days of fighting I agreed to an induced comma. to try to give my body time to heal. It was only supposed to be 2 to 3 days. Apparently God had other plans. Not only was my family told I had 24 hrs left, to not sure if she will ever  recover. A month later I awoke. Had two feeding tubes one connected to my stomach, and one through my nose. Antibiotics,pain killers, had to relearn how to walk, how to talk, how to take a breath.

Funny thing, I wanted to LIVE....... it had been a very long time but I wanted to LIVE... the pain that I was feeling was  real to me and to everyone. The struggle was real to the world.

I really felt I needed to explain that  so you  will understand my WHY?






 Food will become my Doctor. I am a strong believer that what you eat can heal you as well as kill you. Food is a horrible addiction. It can be a drug worst than heroin.  Thanks to my wonderful friend JP( I will keep that short). she talked about juicing. which got me to research and find out more information. It made sense to me. You drink green juices and you absorb 100% of the nutrients straight into your system. It goes to your blood stream not to your stomach ( remember mine is compromised) it solved one of my issues. wow wonderful! then she talked about  a juicing fast! As a support to her I did it for 15 days before her wedding. And Imagine what happen?
I was feeling better. my vitamins levels were going up faster than ever. My skin sores were healing, my hair was growing. I had energy, I felt alive. The mental fogginess was gone. I had been declared legally blind. Prior to all this. and guess what I could see. not only in well lighted areas but in dark areas. My night vision was back. I have not been able to drive in a long time.

  I did a second 18 day fast but only did 2 full juices a day and one full meal. to detox my system of all the meds, and try to get rid of the drug dependencies that I was stuck with. After this fast I was able to sleep for 8 hours straight. Thanks to the Medications I was taking I gained 50-lbs (yikes).

 So I'm taking a 30 day challenge to get healthier. To loose this unhealthy weight that does not belong in my body. To clean my mind from old habits. To clean my spirit of old hurts. I'm doing this because I BELIEVE in God's promises. I BELIEVE IN HIS TRUTH.

If you got to the bottom of this, Thank you. This is not for everyone. Eating healthy is, living healthy is. Thank you for being with me through this journey. Blessings!!
Idalia

Tip #1........ ROUTINE.....

If you want to have a positive juicing experience then you may want to get into a routine. I've found that having a routine is the key for success.... Just like you brush your teeth before going to bed........ 

 

 

 

 1: Wash,scrub all your vegetables, peel any non organic vegetables like lemons,oranges, I advice you to use all organic vegetables. If you wouldn't want unwanted chemicals on your food you definitely don't want then in your body

OCT 30,2012 Juice: 4 carrots,2 cups baby spinach,2 cups of baby mixed greens,1 lemon peeled,2 Valencia oranges peeled,4 pieces of celery stalks, 10 cloves of garlic, 2 knuckles of Ginger, 6 pieces of fresh turmeric,6 baby mini sweet bell peppers,1 cucumber,2 small sweet potatoes,2tbl spoons of Cayenne pepper......

2: Have your juicer ready to uses at all times, which means washing after every use.....

I reuse my produce bags and cover my detachable pulp basket, makes super easy to clean.

3: Get in the routine of cleaning your juicer before you sit and enjoy that cup full of wellness. That's even before you put juice away. Clean your work area, put juice in containers, store all your equipment........

I have a pantry shelf with spots for baskets of fruit, vegetable bowls, juicer, as well as other pantry staples like chia seeds, nuts and grains.

4: Make it a family adventure, from the shopping for fruits and vegetables, to the juicing process.

We had this gorgeous boys stay with us for a week and they too got involved in the juicing process. Jacob is a little over 1.

This handsome little Boy picked the fruits he wanted, help me scrub the veggies, he help clean the counter and made juice for himself and his little brother. Hilan is 3 years old

 5: Now sit, relax enjoy your cup of good health...... 

My Husband on the Left, Me on the Right...... we packed our lunch and had it on the go on one of our busy weekends.

 

 

 

Happy Juicing.... Share the love everyone.....

Pre-30 day juice fast check list

There are several things to prep before starting your juice fast. Here is my long check list:

1: having a working juicer is very important: There are so many out there. How to choose what works for you. For me there were several things I needed mine to do. Give me the most juice for my veggies and fruits, including leafy greens. I wanted it to juice nuts ( to make almond milk). Easy to clean, easy to work with.













2: fruit bowl: (I don't like to make trips, so I gather all my fruits into a bowl), juice bowl ( if you are making more than 32 oz at a time)











3: Mason jars... To store your juices. Very important to have good working lids, with seals.












4: vegetable scrub brush; to scrub your vegetables as well as to clean your juicer after every juice adventure.









5: clean wash towels... There's going to be spills... Trust me I don't care how careful you are, there will be spills and accidents.

Having the tools you will need in the next 30 days in an area where is easy to store is also important........ More Tips to Come soon. only two more days!

Hello World!

 I think I should start by telling you a little about my self. I am happily married to my Best Friend. We try to do everything together and when we can't we cheer each other on. We are the two annoying lovebirds everyone hates but secretly everyone wants to be like. This year has been a wild ride. At the beginning of the year I spent 3 months in the hospital, one of those months in ICU in a comma. I've had several health issues in the past 8 years. In January it came to a head. I was blessed by the Doctors, Nurses, Family, friends, and the many Prayers that got me through it all.......

Picture one : First week in January before going in to ER

Picture two:  not sure who took this one but the date is from my time in ICU while I  was   in a comma

Picture Three: was taken right after I left Hospital in March

Picture Four: I took this picture about two weeks ago! two months of clean eating.

 OK, so this my first Blog. Thanks for being interested in my crazy adventures. In two days Im about to go into very new territory. I'm starting a 30 day juice fast. for some this sound plain nuts I know 30 days of no solid food, green juices, water What am I thinking? well very simple.... I want to be healthy, I want my life back I have wasted the last 8 years of my life due to sickness. I am done with that. I will record my journey, my success, my struggles... the joy, the sadness everything...... If you know me personally, you know I am Happy to be alive and I cherish every moment and the people in it as well as those not in it. Something very important in my life is my Faith. I am a Christian and well I don't apologize for my faith. I am growing in every aspect in my life and this blog will try to show that! I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I do! again if you have made it to the end of this thank you!!!! I appreciate your support.

 Blessings!!!! With Love Idalia!!!!