It was December 30th, 2024 and I decided I needed to change. I thought back to what Tony Horton once said during his Beachbody workouts, “Decide.Commit.Succeed.” I’ve always admired Tony Horton of Beachbody and I frequently re-lived those words during difficult times in my life. How did I get to this place in my life though? There’s so much more to reflect on….
I was always very active as a child. I swam competitively for about 10 years, and still in my spare time I enjoyed going to the gym and working out. I walked regularly, rode my bike, hiked, danced, and P.E. was one of my favorite classes. Physical activity was never an issue for me, and I didn’t have any body image issues. Like every young girl, I wanted to look a little bit better in a bikini but it didn’t stop me from wearing one and having fun at the beach with friends.
During college I didn’t gain the freshman 15, I actually lost about 15 lbs through calorie counting and food tracking. I recognized that my physical activity was decreasing due to my work and school schedule so I wanted to be proactive about it, and it worked! I ate around 1500 calories, then experimented with decreasing it to 1400, 1300, and even 1200. My 15lb weight loss over the course of a few months was a big deal for my size at the time, and by my 18th birthday, I was the thinnest I had ever been. Looking back now, I would say I was too thin! Several years later, after having my first two children, I experimented with a ketogenic diet at the advice of brother, Dr. Kyle Flack. Keto proved to be very effective for me and I lost about 20lbs, which was the majority of my remaining baby-weight. My ketogenic diet was sustainable for years, but when I found myself in a serious relationship, it slowly adapted back into the typical American diet of pizza, adult drinks, and popcorn for a movie night.
Let’s fast-forward to December 30th, 2024. At the age of 34, I weighed in at a staggering 100 lbs over my 18 year old self. Coincidentally, this was also my weight before giving birth to my 1st, 2nd, and 4th child. During the past 3 years, I increasingly became the person behind the camera. There have been fewer and fewer photos of me, as I haven’t felt good enough to be the center of attention.
It was time to decide, commit, and succeed. I wanted to put an end to my yo-yo dieting, but first I needed to think back to the other methods of weight loss that I have tried in the past. To name a few:
- Personal training (weight training)
- Calorie counting
- Ketogenic Diet
- Low Carb
- Mediterranean
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Pescatarian
- Alternate day fasting/Intermittent fasting
And now? JUICING. Looking at my history, I question whether or not this will be sustainable.
The core problems I feel when experiencing weight gain include inflammation, swelling, and indigestion. Every single attempt at weight loss listed above proved effective at reducing inflammation and helping me lose water weight, but none of them were sustainable long-term. (I’ll create a separate post on sustainability when it comes to health and wellness.)
Back to the topic at hand… JUICING. One of my motivators was Joe Cross of “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead”. Joe Cross juiced exclusively for 60 days while touring the country and interviewing people along the way.
My other motivator was Jason Vale, the Juice Master. He created a documentary about his 28 day juice cleanse and how it impacted the lives of several individuals on one of his juicing retreats.
I downloaded the Juice Master app, which provided me with information, support, and recipes and shopping lists for 28 days of juicing. As I write this today I’m on Day 19. Some noteworthy points… These juices are delicious and perfectly spaced out throughout the day to help regulate blood sugar and keep me satiated. The prep-work is substantial, and part of me wonders if I’d experience the same results spending an hour working out versus an hour prepping my juices. Struggles I am experiencing come in the evenings….. I LOVE to cook. My husband says these days I remind him of an old Southern Grandma because I say to everyone in my family, “Are you hungry? Can I make you something?” Today, for example, I made breakfast sandwiches for my family early in the morning, and then a few hours later a broke out the waffle maker and made everyone beautiful waffles with fruit and syrup. Both of those meals are absolute no-no’s for me… carbs, gluten, sugar, animal products, dairy…everything bad, and yet I couldn’t resist taking a bite of a fried egg and trying a bite of the waffle. Then at dinner my husband made pizza, and sure enough as my 3 year old sat down next me at the table, I couldn’t resist when she offered me a bite. Previously my other “fails” were when I got REALLY hungry and was craving garlic, I made myself some home-made hummus. Another time I ate one my 3 year olds dino-nuggets dipped in ranch, and another time I had a leftover egg. Now, I know better than to self-sabotage, so when I experience these fails, I forgive myself and continue on with the juicing.
Will I ever be able to do 28 days flawlessly?
No, the answer is no…. I do quite a bit of traveling between camping and kids sports. Juicing is not something you can take with you on a plane, and when staying in a hotel without a kitchenette, it’s nearly impossible. You know what IS easy to do when traveling? Alternate Day Fasting. Perhaps weight loss and sustainability isn’t about finding THE right diet that “works” for you. Perhaps it’s more about filling yourself with such a wealth of knowledge that you can apply certain theories, diets, or lifestyles at different times in your life. Let’s be realistic and look at months or even a year at a time and identify triggers, difficult times, good times, etc.
January: Juicing, 28 days. A great kick-off to the new year after holiday over-eating.
February: For me, this is the month where the seasonal blues kick-in. Vitamin D deficient and tired, I usually lose motivation and get frustrated with diet and fitness.
March: The snow is melting and mud season is coming. Time to get out for a walk, even though it’s what we call in New England “fools Spring”, I use the glimpses of sun while I can.
April: It’s finally Spring and I can usually go all-in on a workout and diet regimen.
May: Vitamin D is getting back to normal levels, I can get outside daily, and I’m usually the most active starting this month!
June: Summer has arrived and I’m busy gardening, mowing, swimming, hiking, and more. While I’m extremely active and motivated to stay that way, some delicious summer foods such as s’mores or fruity adult drinks are impossible to pass up.
July: Camping can bring dietary challenges, but I try to pack lots of trail mixes, fruit, and easy to cook meals to stay healthy while in the woods!
August: My favorite time of the year, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. This is the easiest time of the year to try a juicing regimen.
September/October: This is getting into root-vegetable season, which I love, plus fall hiking in New England is incredible!
November/December: These are my struggle months with the holidays.
Stay tuned for more!
Rural Thymes 
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