Author: Roselyn Kasmire
Ladies and gentlemen. Winter is over. So begins the impending doom. Can you guess what is around the corner? I’ll give you a hint. Most of us dread this time of year. Ding ding ding!!! You guessed it. Bathing suit season. Personally I put on 10 pounds during the winter. There is nothing I despise more than going to the store with the worst lighting ever to try on bathing suits. On second thought, I can’t blame the lighting.
Sometimes we make excuses for not eating right or we are simply too busy to go to the gym. Ask yourself. Am I one of those people? If I’m being brutally honest, I am indeed. I can’t even keep ice cream in the freezer because I’ll eat the whole thing while watching my favorite TV show. I came to a painful realization that I need to actually work hard to start eating healthy and exercise to get back into shape.
Recently, I ran into one of my girlfriends who is a cancer survivor. One of the things she attributes to her success is “clean eating”. According to Fitness magazine, clean eating focuses on consumption of whole foods or “real” foods; those that are un-or minimally processed, refined, and handled, making them as close to the natural form as possible. She told me about a local store named Squeeze that cold presses their raw juices, making for a potent nutritional boost. I decided to give it a try. And learned about the Squeeze juice cleanse. It seemed like a good way to kick-start my weight loss journey. I went right over to the store. The owner of the store Maureen Mansour was there greeting customers. I ended up talking to her about the juice cleanse. She was very informative and gave me informative literature which explained how cleansing is beneficial to the body. I purchased my three day cleanse and was excited to start it the following day.
The next day, I woke up and started my first day cleanse. The taste was not bad at all. I actually liked it. Now, let me tell you this was not an easy task for me especially working in a school and being surrounded by so many yummy treats. Even the students were asking me what I was drinking. Me being a jokester, I had to mess with them a little. I would tell them my green juice was booger juice which grossed them out and my red juice was blood. But that didn’t last long since they are eighth graders. They seemed very interested in what I was drinking. I explained to them what I was doing and they also wanted to try some. It felt good to know that my healthy choice inspired curiosity among my students. It helped me succeed that first day. I felt like a champion.
Then came the challenge. Warning! Do not and I will repeat do not be tempted to go and meet people out for dinner when you are cleansing. I was so proud of myself during the day for sticking to my juices. Later that night, I had some friends who invited me out to dinner. I informed them I was not going to eat but I’ll come and hang out for a little bit. This is where it all went wrong. I arrived at the restaurant and to my dismay, steaming atop the table of friendly faces, sat a single seductive slice of Margherita pizza. The smell of the basil hung heavy in the air. It was like a magnet pulling me closer. Like a drug. How can I possibly resist that last piece? The internal fist fight between my brain and stomach raged on while the hungry auto pilot took control. I had to do it. Food never tasted so good. Yet, after eating it, I was disappointed in myself. But it gave me the determination to be stronger the following day. Now, I was really determined. I made a promise with my brain and said, “I’m going to do it tomorrow”.
On the second day, I woke up feeling fresh and determined. By the way, prepare yourself, as you will have to use the bathroom. Basically, your body is getting rid of everything in your intestine. Cleaning you out! No details needed. Back to feeling fresh. I went to work this time bringing some juice for my students. During lunch I did provide them with a juice. At first they made their stinky face but when they tried it they actually liked it. I was feeling good, I survived the day with no slip ups. When the evening came I was in the clear. I made it without snacking in-between. I was feeling great. I went to bed feeling proud and healthy.
By the third day, this was a piece of cake (thankfully not literally) since my mind was in the game. You know the saying mind over matter? Well, that was my brain doing all the talking. My stomach had no chance to win this battle. I had more energy and felt amazing. I had no problem following my juice schedule. I actually went back to Squeeze to talk to Maureen, to tell her about my progress. I did end up confessing how I cheated the first day. She said it was OK, it definitely happens, and that there is also a juice cleanse which includes a regular meal. Yet my stubborn self wanted a challenge and challenging it was.
Just to be able to say I did it, I purchased an extra day of juice to have a solid three days. And I’m glad I did. It made me feel proud, motived, and most of all healthy and self-determined. My overall experience with the juice cleanse was positive. I felt more energy, overall health and well being. This was a great way to kick-start my weight loss journey. As for gym goals? Maybe Monday sounds like a great day to start….stay tuned:)
Squeeze Juicery | 770 Elmwood Avenue | Buffalo NY | 716-882-2541 | Facebook