Nutrient Extracting – Day 5 (My New Love – POM)

Current Weight: 249.6

Cigarettes Smoked: 1

Hello World! I ended up gaining 0.2lbs between yesterday and today. But I know better than to stress it.  Primarily, there is no reason to stress because you are not supposed to weigh yourself everyday anyway.  I am just doing it for blogging and documentation purposes.  Plus, because I am a self-proclaimed nerd, I like to log them on a special graph and it shows me my “true weight” taking into account daily fluctuations.  If you want a detailed explanation of how that all works, you can visit Hacker’s Diet for more information on how that process works but if you don’t need the gory details, the weight tracker on Calorie Count does the same thing as well as allows you track your nutrients and has a whole bunch of other resources that are out your disposal. Your weight fluctuations daily, even hourly — depending on what you are eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, etc.  Your muscles can even retain water after strenuous exercise.  So you will literally drive yourself insane if you try to weigh yourself everyday unless you are tracking it for the purpose of finding an overall trend line between your daily fluctuations (like I am). So I encourage you to do the reading, but I may blog about that in a more simplified way at a later date.

MY NEW LOVE

Moving on…Continuing with my NutriBlasting went great today! I am down to 1 cigarette in a day (which is great compared to 1/2 pack  per day just a week ago).  I’m still feeling great — I think my body likes actually being nourished! Not to mention, my energy during the day is soaring.  So I decided to try something new, aside from my traditional NutriBlast blends…I bought a couple of pomegranates because I had always heard that while messy, they are REALLY good for you.  I normally wouldn’t eat this fruit, but since we’re using the NutriBlast, I figured I’d give it a shot!

My new fave, the Superfood….the Pomegranate! – Image courtesy of www.wisegeek.com

A little history about the POM

The pomegranate has been coined the ultimate superfood.  It is rich in B and C vitamins, iron, folic acid, and cancer and free radical fighting antioxidants.  The pomegranate actually has 3 times as much antioxidants than red wine or green tea.  You don’t eat the skin or the rind (or membrane) on the inside…instead, you eat the seeds.  Which are a little hard to release, but we’ll get into that in a second.  It has many health benefits.  Such benefits include:

• Decreased risk of heart disease
• Blood thinner, eases blood flow to the heart
• Promotes healthy cholesterol levels
• Lowers risk of Cancers, primarily Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer and Skin Cancer
• Reduces effects of Osteoarthritis
• Combat Erectile Dysfunction (ED) since it promotes blood flow
• Fights cell damage due to free radical oxidation
• Pomegranates are naturally anti-inflammatory in nature

As you can see, there are many health benefits of the POM.  Not to mention, oil can be made from the POM and it is great for your skin and hair as well.

Eating the POM

I had never eaten this fruit before and I’ve heard how messy it can be, so I went online how to get to the seeds the easiest and the cleanest way possible.  I found this YouTube video to be very helpful.

1. Cut the ends of the pomegranate off (you will want to use a plastic cutting board because it will stain your countertops or wooden cutting boards)
2. Scour the sides of the pomegranate all the way around
3. Fill a bowl with water
4. Put the pomegranate in the water
5. Break the pomegranate apart along the scours you created
6. Gently push the seeds out into the water
7. Pull off the excess membrane from the water or use a strainer to remove it
8. Strain the seeds and rinse.  You will be left with a beautiful bowl of pomegranate seeds.

These are great to eat by themselves or as toppings on your favorite foods or salads.  Some people suck the juice out of the seed and spit out the hard part of the seed.  That’s up to you but the hard part of the seed is beneficial as that is where all of the fiber resides.  Fiber is necessary to bind up toxins in your intestinal track and help you excrete them.  There are also many pomegranate recipes.

Creating My POM Juice

I wanted to create my own fresh pomegranate juice using my NutriBullet.  I emptied all of the pomegranate seeds into the large NutriBullet mixing cup.  I filled to the Max Line with water.  I blended until smooth.  The NutriBullet pulverized the coating of the seeds and released all of the juice and nutrients, making them bioavailable for absorption by the body.  There were a few of the small hard parts of the seed that were left in the juice (another YouTube video mentioned this) so we strained.  They were very tiny and there weren’t that many.  You can leave them in your mix if you want, then you will receive the added fiber benefits of the pomegranate seeds.  Or you can strain your mixture and pour into a cup to enjoy.  Either way, this juice was absolutely delicious and filled a 16 oz glass. I’m excited to add ice and possibly other fruits to the mix!

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Nutrient Extracting – Day 4

Current Weight: 249.4

Cigarettes Smoked: 2

Well folks! I must say that it’s getting easier.  I still believe that the nutrition thing is easier than the smoking bit, but both are seeming a lot more do-able.  Stepped on the scale and wahoooo! Yup, 5lbs down in 4 days!  I haven’t even added exercise into the picture yet.  I’m still having a surge of energy…which can be quite annoying at times, especially when you want to sleep and can’t. I guess I can start being more productive now.

When people see me drinking my NutriBlasts, they typically ask me the same questions:

“What is that?…It’s green!” — Yes, it is green, it is a NutriBlast, kinda like  a healthy smoothie, and it’s good for you.

“What’s in it?” — Well that depends, my favorite blend at the moment seems to be combining about 1 1/2 cups of fresh spinach, 1 whole naval orange (peeled), a handful of frozen pineapple, 1/4 cup slivered almonds, 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and then I fill the rest with water and blast away! It’s really yummy and tastes much like an orange creamscicle.

“So….that’s all you’re eating all day? Aren’t you hungry?” — Yes, I have a NutriBlast 3 times per day, drink plenty of water and unsweetened green tea in between.  I don’t typically get that hungry…I don’t really feel deprived and every  meal actually tastes like a treat.  LOL It may not look like it, since they’re all green, but they do taste good.  If I get hungry, then I can have another smoothie…since it’s all things that are good for me and I’m not consuming fats or refined, processed foods, I don’t have to count calories.  If I’m hungry, I get more, if not, then I just keep drinking water…it’s pretty simple.  I’ve never felt more nourished in my life.

“Don’t you miss chewing food?” — No, not really. I’m kind of lazy and I tend to look for ways NOT to have to do anything.  I go for convenience.  Sipping is convenient.  No cooking, no cleanup, no mess, and it’s portable. LOL

That’s usually how the questions go.  People tend to turn their noses up when they see me walking around with a green drink.  But when I am much more energetic and have lost 5 lbs in 4 days without even trying…who can deny that what I’m doing is good for me.  Bio-available nutrition is speaking for itself.  My cells are no longer starving, they are getting what they need, so now my body can release the fat and water it’s been saving for a rainy day.

As far as smoking cessation, I still couldn’t go completely without it today, but I’ll keep trying. What can I say?

For more information on bio-availability of nutrients, please visit http://www.eufic.org/article/en/artid/Nutrient-bioavailability-food/

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Nutrient Extracting – Day 3

Current Weight: 251.8

Cigarettes Smoked: 2

I started off doing pretty well today.  I made what I call a Citrus Fiber Burst Nutriblast — Spinach, an Orange, Orange Flavored Psyllium Husk (ask me about my favorite brand), 1/2 Apple, Frozen Pineapple, Mango, Strawberry, and Peach Chunks, 1/2 Cup Almond Milk, Filled to the Max with Water, and Topped with Slivered Almonds. 🙂 YUM! It was green, but it tasted like an orange creamscicle!  I think this will be my staple drink.  The digestive benefits of the raw fruits and vegetables as well as the added psyllium husk will serve to fill me up more as well as the fiber will help to bind up those gunky toxins and help push them through the digestive track to be excreted.  I continued the day drinking my other smoothies for lunch and dinner.  I didn’t cheat with any food, but I had a hard time riding in the car by myself and not smoking.  I smoked 2 cigarettes.  It actually didn’t taste good anymore…not that smoking ever tasted great, but it was more yucky than usual.

So I’ve made it a point to say to myself, “You’re not going to smoke unless you feel like you’re going to explode.” So that’s what I’m trying to do.  I don’t want to smoke because I’m bored or out of habit or because I’m stressed.  I don’t want to do it at all.  But if I feel like I am about to die, for right now, I suppose I can wean myself by having 1 just to kill the “itch”.  Pretty soon, I’ll be down to not smoking at all.  I’ve quit before, I can do it again.

My energy is still through the roof.  It’s the weekend.  And usually on the weekend, I try to lay around and sleep as much as possible.  It’s been really strange the last 2 days, although I’ve wanted to take a nap, I just couldn’t go to sleep.  So now is the time to try to do more around the house and get more active.  I’m glad to be making progress!

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Nutrient Extracting – Day 2

*This post is from January 5, 2013.

Weight – 251.8lbs

Cigarettes Smoked – 4

As you can see, today was a better day. At least for all the withdrawal I’m going through, I did manage to lose close to 2lbs in a day.  It’s funny, it’s easier to give up the unhealthy foods, but for some reason, I don’t feel like I can do without smoking.  I succumbed to temptation and went out and bought a pack.  I smoked 4.  I feel pretty bad about it…, but i refuse to beat myself up about it.  I’m human, and capable of flaw.  But I am trying.  I’m trying to use the image below as incentive to stay quit. LOL When you think of it, cigarette smoke is pretty nasty.  But overall, I had more energy today than I did yesterday and I feel lighter, less sluggish during the day. I’ve been experimenting with different fruit and veggie combinations with the NutriBullet and I must say they are all pretty tasty! Either that or I am really hungry…maybe a combination of both.

Reasons to quit

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Nutrient Extracting – Day 1

*This is from January 4, 2013, I was behind in setting up this blog.

Weight – 254.4lbs
Cigarettes Smoked – 0

Well Day 1 went ok I guess…Here is a look at my first NutriBullet NutriBlast! I had 3 Nutriblasts (one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner).  I drank lots of water in between…and I changed up the ingredients as I saw fit.

Spinach, Carrots, Apples, Grapes, Cranberries, and Pumpkin Seeds

Finished Product

Surprisingly, it was pretty tasty…I would have never eating spinach or cranberries by themselves so I was pretty proud.  Overall, I felt a little tired and run down as well as cranky most of the day.  The crankiness was probably from lack of Nicotine.  The hardest thing about this is that I’m trying to change 2 habits at once (eating and not smoking).  So it left me as an unhappy camper today.  It’s also hard that I have to prepare normal meals for my 5 year old son.  So yes, I did cave and had a piece of baked chicken, some white rice, and green beans after my dinner smoothie.  I’ll try to do better tomorrow.

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A New Year, A New Me

Over the holidays, I pretty much did nothing but laid around and watched documentaries on Netflix.  I ended up watching tons about food, nutrition, and wellness.  Ultimately, my documentary-fest, ended up turning me off of the industrialized farming, meat, and dairy industries.  I was also appalled at the effects that processed foods and drinks pose to our bodies (I’ll get into the details of all of those in another posting). Needless to say, I decided that I needed to make some changes, not only for myself, but for my family as well.

The Problems:

• I’m overweight.
• I smoke (not in the home or around my child, but I do smoke).
• Although I’m overweight, I tend to not eat enough and what I do eat is probably not that great.
• I hate most vegetables and fruits (ummm, I only like green beans, apples, oranges, grapes, and watermelon…that’s it!).
• I suffer from health conditions that could improve if I lost weight and stopped smoking (i.e. Lymphedema and PCOS – Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome).

So why do I do this to myself? The truth is, I don’t know.  Part of it is out of habit.  I get so caught up with work that I don’t want to take the time to eat or drink a glass of water, so I tend to only eat dinner when I come home.  Dinner usually consists of a meat, starch, and a vegetable.  I don’t sit around eating cupcakes and pies all day (although I do love cake).  Most days, I probably eat less than my skinny counterparts, but that is where the problem lies.  Essentially, I have halted my metabolism and my cells are starving.  They are holding on to whatever I give my body and then some.  As far as smoking, I guess I do it for 3 reasons: stress, boredom, and habit.  I’ve programmed myself to smoke 2 cigarettes every 2 – 3 hours.  So out of habit this is when I want to smoke.  Also, I do it out of stress…stress at work, stress at home, it’s all unavoidable, but when I’m stressed I reach for a smoke.  Also, when I want to be alone, I step outside to smoke because I know no one will come out there and bother me because they can’t stand the smell.  Selfish…I know.

The Solutions:

• Quit Smoking – attempt cold turkey or wean myself off, whichever works
• Find a way to affordably incorporate fruits and veggies into my life and cut back or eliminate meats, dairy, and processed foods.

So that’s it? Yup…that’s it.  It’s simple….my problems will be resolved if I can do those two things…sounds simple, huh? Not really.  But I am going to do my best and use this blog to chronicle my journey.  I hope that if I can make it, that I can inspire one of you to make some important changes that could add years to your lives.

The Plan:

• Evaluate and Purchase a Juicer/Extractor
• Buy Fresh Produce on a Budget
• 40-Day Juice Feast
• Quit Smoking Cold Turkey/Wean Off

So, I originally was attracted to juicing (especially after watching Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead) but I thought to myself, it’s going to be very expensive because you have to use soooooooo much fruit and vegetables to make 1 glass of juice…and the important stuff, the fiber and nutrients are typically discarded as waste.  At that point, the NutriBullet became a much more viable option for me.  I figure, it breaks the fruits and vegetables down into tiny parts that make the nutrients bio-available…ready for absorption into your blood stream.  This is called nutrient extracting.  The way I see it, I’m getting more bang for my buck here…I don’t have to use as many fruits and veggies to get the nutrients and my body will be able to digest them easier.  So I went online and ordered.  The NutriBullet is available at Target for $99, but since I am on a budget and didn’t want to come out-of-pocket all at once, I ordered online for $19.99/mo for 6 months. I did also purchase the extended 25 year warranty.  Plus, since I am so picky and can barely tolerate most fruits and vegetables alone, I was thinking that if they are blended together, maybe I won’t mind them as bad and can consume things that I otherwise would have an aversion to.  It was delivered on 01/03/2013 and I started my program on 01/04/2013.  Smoothies for my 3 meals and water in between! Let’s see if I can make it the entire 40 days!

For more info on the NutriBullet, please watch 

 

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