Post Juice Cleanse...The Results are IN!!

You probably think I'm about to tell you how much weight I lost. Well, I would but I have absolutely no clue. I don't weigh myself. The only reason I know I've lost at least 13 lbs since Christmas is because of the Dr. 

BUT...I did not cleanse for the purpose of weight loss. I cleansed for the purpose of healing and renewing. If I dropped a couple lbs then my body needed to let it go, but I ate plenty of calories through flax oils and nuts and so I was getting at least 1500 cals a day with no exercise for 10 out of those 14 days. 

I had 3 primary healing goals. 

1. Rejuvenation:

After 2 months of stress from studying for exams, taking care of 4 kids, eating too much sugar, drinking too much caffeine and getting too little sleep....I felt like I'd aged thirty years. I was lacking in energy. My mood was unpredictable. I was feeling depressed. And I was just unhappy in general. I missed the 2 feelings I love the most. FRESH & FABULOUS. I wear these both very well. Lol. 

2. Allergy Relief:

2 months ago, I was actually feeling pretty good and then BAM! I was stricken with a HORRIBLE allergy to my favorite season of the year...Spring Time. I was running regularly and then one morning I woke up, ran outside, and suddenly felt razor blades in my chest. I could no longer run. I had allergy induced asthma and was on a cocktail of meds including Zyrtec and an inhaler. If you know me, you know how I feel about the overuse of conventional medicine. It doesn't heal disease. It only treats symptoms. I believe in getting rid of an illness from it's source or cause. But for the sake of getting by until my exam, I relied on these meds. I walked around in a cloudy fog, and despised the days I had to get out of bed. So yes...that meant every day. 

3. Clear Skin:

I have struggled with acne all my life. It was mostly under control until a year and a half ago when I had a fairly late miscarriage. I guess it was the hormonal imbalance, but I broke out terribly in cystic acne all over my back. This is a rather tragic thing for someone who stands in front of people in sleeveless shirts for a living. I got to the point where I had to where Tshirts and besides the fact that I HATE sleeves while exercising, I had become terribly insecure. If any of you have acne, then you can relate. You feel like a freak. You feel like it's the only thing anyone notices. 

Anyway, I finally broke down 4 months ago and went to a dermatologist desperate for anything. I was prescribed an antibiotic and Retin-A. While these things helped a bit, they didn't make it go away and every single time I swallowed that antibiotic, I wanted to cry because I felt like I was betraying my body for the sake of my skin. I knew that once I stopped, it would come back 10 fold and I was sick with the thought of being caught in the antibiotic trap. 

I called my derm 3 weeks ago and told her I would be stopping the meds. She warned me that things would quickly errupt and it was a bad decision but it wasn't life threatening, so if that's what I wanted then go ahead and stop. This was a scary decision. I'm still afraid, but so far after 2 weeks of juicing, not only has the skin on my face and back cleared up, but the red and raised scars of past cysts are actually disappearing and fading. WHAT? you'll see....

So....after 3 weeks of Juicing here are my results.

1. Rejuvenation

Rejuvenation does not even describe how well I feel. I am like a new woman. I was depressed. I am now exceedingly happy. I was lethargic. I am now exceedingly energetic. I was stressed. I am now giddy and carefree. I was negative. I am now positive. I was short with my kids. I am now enjoying them. i dreaded the mornings. I now bounce out of bed. And the best part of all...my marriage has improved tremendously. I am lovin on my sexy husband every chance I get! ;)

To sum it up: I FEEL FANTASTIC!!!!

2. Allergy Relief

After 4 days of a hellatious detox, I woke up on day 4 and felt different. My nose wasn't stuffy and I wasn't itchy. For the last 10 days, I have had ABSOLUTELY NO ALLERGY SYMPTOMS! Not one. Is this because tree pollen went away? Negative. It is still VERY high and the grass pollen just came out very high too. So nobody can say I'm crazy. I haven't taken a zyrtec, an advil, a nasal spray, an expectorant, a decongestant, and I haven't used my inhaler once. I feel great when I workout and I've been running outside every day. Oh my gosh. I am so happy to have my life back!!! I was a miserable excuse for a human being these last few weeks. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, I know you've got my back on this. It's no joke. Allergies can rob you of finding satisfaction in anything. I have my life back. I am 100% allergy FREE!!!

3. Clear Skin

I'll just show you the pictures. These pictures are taken on day 1 and day 14 of my healing cleanse. I am not wearing an ounce of makeup in either picture. They are taken at the same time of day in natural lighting. They are not touched up at ALL. They are taken with my cell phone. The only difference is the lighting. I think it was cloudier on Day 1. Oh, and my hair is down on Day 14. But we're looking at my skin...not my hair. I am embarrassed to show you my before pics, but hey! I'm gonna keep it real. 

Day 1. Side Shot of my face. 

Here's a side shot of my face. You can see the redness, the roughness, the discoloration, and the bumps.


Day 14: After!

Again, I am wearing only chapstick. Nothing has been touched up. I have not bumps. My skin is soft and smooth. I have done NOTHING to alter this pic. Zoom in if you must. My skin is even in tone and pink in color. ROCK ON!!!! 

Day 1: My Back Acne

The only difference in these two pictures is that I took the first one with my camera on regular settings. The second one I took with it flipped so I could see where I was aiming, so it's backwards. It looks like the other shoulder but it's not. Look at the pattern of my bumps if you must. 

My bumps are raised and they are red. This is after 4 months of Minocycline and Retin-A


Day 14: After!!

This is the same shoulder. The picture is reversed. The bump on the far right is the same big bump you see in the one above. I have been trying to get rid of this for over a YEAR and this is what juicing did for my acne in TWO WEEKS!!!!!! Again, there is no touching up. This is a totally natural picture.


And FINALLY, there's me! I'll let you decide which one is Day 1 and which one is Day 14. I have NO make up on. This is natural lighting and no touching up. PROMISE. Only difference is my hair is down.

Now THIS is FRESH AND FABULOUS!!!!!!