Lose 6 Lbs in 4 days Through Juice Fasting!

Current Weigh in: 153 Lbs

    Wow !!! I am still in shock, I couldn't believe the scale when I stepped on it this morning and the scale read 153 Lbs. All I can say is juice fasting is one of the most difficult things you can do, you will crave fatty foods like you have never craved them before. You will be faced with temptation. It won't be easy, but it's sure worth every single day you sacrificed.

 The first question many people ask me is :" isn't that unhealthy to go so many days without eating?" .The answer is no, juice fasting is one of the best things you can do for your body. It can be dangerous for those that do not know how to fast in a correct way. My method for fasting is very simple, I drink four large glasses of authentic vegetable and fruit juice . What do I mean by authentic? I am referring to home made all natural juice. So grab your blender or your juicer and let's get juicing . A lot of people assume the "vegetable" juices you buy at the supermarket are all natural. That's completely false, those juices tend to be filled with so much preservatives and not-so-fresh ingredients. The best time to drink your juice is within 20 minutes of making it, in some cases when you are using the proper juicer and have a good glass container you are able to store the juice for 2 days maximum before it has lost all of its nutrients. So why would you buy a juice that has been sitting in a refrigerator for weeks?

       The second most important thing about juicing is drinking plenty of water . You should always drink large amounts of water whether you are fasting or not. Water will help you feel a bit full and make the fasting process much easier.


The biggest mistake a lot of people make is not consuming protein. Protein is essential for your body. During your juice fast, you should try to consume one glass of protein shake, and I am not talking about those sugar contaminated Special K ones. I highly recommend Lean Body and Muscle Milk. If you buy the bottle version of it, split the servings into 2.

Please stay tune for my next post on the benefits of fasting. You will be shock what fasting properly can do for your body.

Juice Fast for the Next Three days !

   Today's Weigh in : 159.9 Lbs

       Due to the high amount of stress I have failed to follow my 30-day Weight loss diet plan but I am still very determined to meet my 20 lb weight loss by November 16. In order to make up for the lack of effort in the last four days I will begin a vegetable juice and protein shake fast. On average I can lose a pound per day for every day I fast, so my total weight loss after the fast should be 3-4 Lbs ; which will give me a head start on meeting my goal .

     As for working out , I have been failing at that too. Whenever I feel like I am not eating healthy I refuse to go to the gym, I know it's a very stupid way of thinking. In my opinion, healthy eating and working out go hand in hand, there is no point of going to the gym and doing a 2 hour workout if I will come home and indulge in cheat meals.

      I will be uploading pictures by the end of the fast to show of if there is any difference or not ;-)

Day 1 of My 30 day Extreme Fitness Challenge

                                                Day 1 : Weigh in at 162.6 LBS

    My current measurements are 36GG- 28 at the smallest part of my waist, 36 by the belly button and 40 inch hips. My goal is to be 140 Lbs, 34F, 26 at the smallest part of the waist and 34 inches for the hips. I also want to lose my flabby Bingo wings.. During my weight loss I was so focused on just dieting and doing cardio that I completely ignored the importance of weight lifting. Now I am paying the consequences for my actions.. I feel like I can fly if I flap my arms, my wings are simply ridiculous  I've tried hiding them with long sleeve clothing but that doesn't work during the summer time. My only option is to do something about it. I don't care if I never achieve the results of a body builder, all I need is to lose the excess dead skin beneath them. 

You can see the excess fat around my arms !

I want to get rid of the pouch and reach a flatter stomach.

The 30-Day Extreme Fitness Challenge

                                      Can You Transform Your Body in Just 30 days?

                 

        For the past 11 months I have been dancing around the finish line. I am always in the high 150's or low 160's but I have never quite reached my goal weight of 140 lbs. Every time I reach 155 lbs I start to feel comfortable and start telling my body "it's okay to have a few cheat meals and gain 5 lbs" . I have been able to maintain my body under 165 lbs for the past 11 months even though I eat soooooo many  cheat meals per day .Thanks to that 1 large glass of vegetable juice I have per day my metabolism is super fast.

Here is my breakdown of  cheat meals the last few days:

Tuesday: Honey Fried Chicken with Fries    
Wednesday: Large Domino's Bacon/Pepperoni pie , 3 bowls of Cinnamon toast crunch
Thursday: BBQ spare ribs with french fries, 1 bowl of Cinnamon toast crunch
Friday: 1 large Snickers Milkshake from Baskin Robbins
Saturday: 2 bowls of Cinnamon toast crunch, 1 large bacon cheese fries, buffalo wings, Butterfinger deluxe milkshake
Sunday: BBQ pork ribs from Pig Heaven, 2 slices of pizza, 1 bowl of cinnamon toast crunch
     
       Total Weight gain for the week: 2.1 Lbs 

   First  of all I want to say  I don't promote or suggest this type of eating to anyone. I've been eating like this for the past few months.. I eat large quantities of cheat meals, eat healthy for  2 days and lose the weight from the cheat meals instantly.  I'm tired of being so close to my goal weight and not reaching it due to my bad eating habits. Losing the first 65 lbs was the easiest because I wanted it so bad. But once you are 15 lbs away from your goal weight it becomes so difficult because you become comfortable with your new body.  I realize that in order to reach 140 lbs I am going to have to put the same amount of effort and determination that I once did when I first began this journey. This reason has led me to begin the 30 day Extreme Fitness Challenge.

What is the 30 day Extreme Fitness Challenge?
           I am doing my own version  of the 30-day challenge, I am not following any books,guides or particular diet plan. My fitness challenge consist of doing things that have worked for me in the past, not something that has worked for someone else....The 30 day challenge is about becoming the best you can be. Giving fitness and health a 100 % . I am really curious to see the amazing changes that can be done to my body with  eating extremely healthy and working out . So let's break down the plan just in case you want to follow it at home:

• No Sugary drinks-  I always say it's best to eat your calories than to drink your calories. A small can of soda can contain up to 48 grams of sugar. ( No store bought juice, no iced tea, lattes, milkshakes, energy drinks ) If drinking coffee for you is a must then use Splenda. In other words , You can only drink water,  skim milk or tea without any sugar.

•  Drink plenty of water- It's not only about drinking water, it's about drinking the right amount of water for you. Use the suggested water calculator to know the amount of water you should consume Water Calculator . According to the water calculator, I need to consume 81 ounces of water for weight loss
• Fruits and Vegetables - Since I don't eat fruits and vegetables in solid form I will continue juicing them. The best way to juice for weight loss is to stick to green vegetables, the greener the vegetable the better it is for you. I will use cucumber, kale,spinach ,carrots and celery  For fruits , I will only use a small amounts of fruits since I don't want to consume too much sugar, so a slice of pineapple and a green apple is enough for me. I plan on drinking a cup of my "Life" juice (my veggie/fruit juice) with lean protein for every meal. 
• Lean Meats/Fish only- Start off by throwing out your cooking oil because there won't be any frying for the next 30 days . You can broil, bake, grill or steam your protein. Nutritionist suggest eating 2 servings of lean protein per day. You can eat chicken , Fish or Turkey. Red meats such as Pork and beef should only be consumed once a week. For those that plan on doing weight lifting during their journey I suggest purchasing a good protein shake powder such as Muscle Milk Light ( if it's not light then do not consume it).  There are other plenty of other good protein products in the market just do your research.
• Avoid Salt-This is a lesson I learned the hard way. You will be surprised at all of the items in your kitchen that contain hidden salt. One day I decided to take a look at the nutrition label for some of the seasoning condiments that I was using for cooking. One of them contained 1000 milligrams of salt per teaspoon , no wonder I wasn't losing weight fast enough.  Sodium will give you that bloated look and make your body retain water. By cutting sodium from your diet you can lose up to 5 lbs of water weight.
• Low Carbohydrates- If you feel the need to eat carbs then try to stick to whole wheat .Whole wheat turkey sandwiches are very healthy and are easy to pack for work/school. 
• Healthy Snacks- It's important to eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day to speed up your metabolism . Between meals you can consume fruits, low fat yogurt, protein bars , nuts or even munch on vegetables.
• Salad Dressings- One of the greatest mistakes people make when dieting is to add poison to your salad.. Yes, Poison, that's what dressing really is.  You are eating this great bowl of healthy vegetables and then you add this unnecessary excessive amount of calories and fat to your veggies. If dressing is a must for you then switch to low-fat dressings or use vinegar  If you continue pouring on the bottle of Ranch dressing to your salad you will never see results. The great thing about juicing is I don't have to worry about dressing, the juice itself is so sweet. 
• Exercise- I plan on lifting heavy weights since I am more focused on toning than losing and running 4 miles a day 4 times a week 

      Overall, my goal is to lose 22 Lbs, tone my arms and thighs as well as see "some" type of abs and a flatter stomach . 

Truth Behind Weight Loss Products

      The biggest mistake people make when trying to lose weight is trying to find a shortcut.  I'm sure we have all seen the commercials for weight loss pills, fat burning creams , liquids, shakes, powders and the list goes on. The market for weight loss products is a multi billion dollar industry. Why? Because everyone is always in search of some magical product that will melt the fat away effortlessly. In reality, this product doesn't exist, usually any product that provides results tends to cause negative side effects even those who claim to be side-effect free.  I can tell you from personal experience that all of those products are gimmicks because I have used them all. I spent over $2,000 dollars in the past five years buying weight loss products.

I have used HCG (3 times), Hydroxycut, Jillian Michael's fat burner, Fruta Planta, Alli, LipoFuze, Lean System, fat burning creams, a few detox cleanses etc. All of these products require you to adapt to a healthy lifestyle in order for them to work, of course if you eat healthy you are going to lose weight but that weight loss is not coming from the product is coming from YOU and YOUR EFFORT !

Myth #1 : If it's FDA approved it must be safe

       A lot of people assume that just because a product is on the shelf and it's approved by the FDA then it must be safe : WRONG!. You all have seen or heard the commercial for the popular product Hydroxycut , this product has caused 23 people liver damage and one death. Yet the product is still available to you thanks to the FDA. Don't believe me ? See for yourself CBS report  .  There are some products in the market that will give you the results you desire with one side effect ; death! The biggest chemical compound for many of these weight loss pills is simply Ephedra and pure caffeine. For those aren't familiar with the term, Ephedra is a plant which contains Ephedrine and pseudo ephedrine ; a compound that stimulates the heart to beat faster, your metabolism to speed up and constricts blood vessels. This compound is utilized in the medical field to treat anaphylaxis shock, not weight loss. One of the most popular Ephedra based product is Xenadrine which has caused 1400 medical complaints of health problems including high blood pressure, strokes, heart attacks, liver failures and 80 deaths. Yet is still available for purchase..Ironic, isn't it?

Myth #2 : If It's Herbal/All Natural it is safe

         False! A majority of "herbal/natural" weight loss pills are extremely dangerous especially since many of these products aren't even regulated by the FDA.  I was a consumer or should I say VICTIM of an all natural herbal pill called Fruta Planta. A friend of mine recommended it to me, she had lost 50 lbs effortlessly. I decided to try it too, specially since it was easily available online for about $20 dollars. I remember I lost about 10 lbs within one month, I started feeling dehydrated all of the time and then one day I collapsed and was taken to the emergency room. One year later I found out that Fruta Planta was being recalled due to 2 deaths and 3 heart attacks. The pill contained a substance called Sibutramine which is the main compound in Meridia. Sibutramine has been banned in every continent due to the fatal side effects. In the United States there were 29 deaths  caused by Sibutramine (Meridia).  

Myth #3: Don't be Fooled by the Paid Actors

   One of the things that captures my attention when watching the infomercials for these weight loss products is the "astonishing" results . You always see someone who was "fat" and within a few months turns into ripped, muscular and thin. What a lot of people tend to forget are that the majority of the time those "real customers" are simply paid body builders or fitness models. They simply use the old " reverse" trick. For those that aren't familiar, the reserve trick consists of hiring a toned person, snapping a few photographs of them, you give them 2 weeks to load up on sugar and carbohydrates to give them that bloated look , take another set of photographs and those become your "before" photos. It's simple, cheap and the trick works wonders. Do you really think that person got a six pack, toned biceps ,muscular legs,  lose 100 lbs in 4 months and got a tan based on a diet pill? Nope, the results are as fake ad the product they are advertising.

Check out this video just for a quick laugh : Body Transformation Within Hours

I learned my lesson the hard way : " There is no shortcut to a toned beautiful body, and if there is, it usually involves a high risk ". So next time you are watching a late night infomercial or at your local Walgreens and see a weight loss product simply remember that "a beautiful body is not worth dying for , it's worth working hard for".  

Till Next time my friends,

Gisselle xoxoxo :-D

           

Lose 30 Lbs in 45 days

                                 
    As I mentioned before, I had never tasted fruits or vegetables in my life so beginning a healthy lifestyle for me was extremely difficult. One day I saw a documentary " Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" , which followed an obese man with significant health problems through the journey of detoxing his body through juicing (squeezing fresh fruits and vegetables without preservatives). For 60 days he consumed only vegetable juice, by the end of his journey he had lost 80 lbs and his health problems were under control without any medications. I went online and found hundreds of success stories of people losing an insane amount of weight in a very short time through juicing.  I decided to give juicing a try and I am so glad I did because it has changed my life.

Purchasing my first juicer: I decided to purchase the same juicer used in the documentary which was the Breville JE98XL for $150. Available here . I really recommend investing in a good juicer like this one since you are going to be using it very often. The cheap ones aren't designed for daily use and will break after a few uses. I've used four different juicers before and this by far has been the best yet.

Beginning the juicing journey: After purchasing the juicer, I visited the website associated with the documentary that explain the different juicing diets as well as recipes. For more info . I chose to do the "Classic Reboot" which consists of 15 days of juicing and eating. I don't think my body can handle the "Long Weekend Reboot" program of juice only. I decided to do my own spin on their version of the program, drinking 2 cups of vegetables/fruit juice a day and eating 4 pieces of lean meat per day.

 I suggest you browse through juicing recipes and select at least five that you are willing to try. I decided to just go to the market and buy all the vegetables and fruits that caught my attention. I don't follow recipes anymore, I simply throw all of the veggies in the juicer, add an apple,pear and pineapple and that's it.












                                           
    Top Ingredients I recommend you to buy:

• Pineapple
• Green/Red apples
• Carrots (80% of the recipes require carrots due to the sweetness it adds)
• Pears
• Celery
• Spinach Leaves
• Kale
• Cucumber (not very tasty)    

      My Least Favorite Ingredients:

•   Strawberries (Don't juice very well)
• Raspberries