Big Changes.

So most of you are probably wondering how drastically I changed overnight? I guess a little more background on my lifestyle is important. Born and raised in Florida. I've been a meat lover all my life -- fresh fish, venison, beef, chicken, pork, you name it. My parents are huge hunters, so I've had all kinds of 'interesting' varieties of meat. (haha) Grew up loving dairy and all the goodies that came along with it -- milk, ice cream, cheese. Huge soda drinker and Starbucks fan. Pasta was my passion in life. Along with chocolate. Recently, I'd developed a little nasty habit of having 2-3 drinks a night at home. Quite embarrassed of that last one actually and it helps to admit/track your faults in order to know how far you've come. My little family and I would eat out at least 2 nights a week, sometimes 4-5 during a busy week. And nothing was taboo for us: Thai food, fast food, pizza, sit down restaurants.

When I was young(er) adult, I could eat anything I wanted and not blink an eye. But I noticed over time that my body and metabolism were slowing down drastically. In March of 2010, I found out I was pregnant and my body went downhill quickly from there. I lost 15-20 pounds from morning sickness in the first couple months and then gained it back + 45 more pounds! After I had Kadence in November, I thought for sure it would all just 'melt away' and I'd be able to get back to my old self again. Boy was I wrong. In almost a year and a half, I've only lost roughly 20 pounds. I thought watching what I ate (sometimes) and starving myself (the rest of the time) was the key, plus I didn't have any sort of workout routine in the mix.

After seeing my buddy and watching the two documentaries, I literally saw a light at the end of the tunnel for myself and decided it was 'go big or go home' for me. I didn't know where to start my research for a juicer, so I headed on over to http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/ to see what Joe used in the film. From there I had a pretty good idea of what I personally wanted (there are TONS of options, do your homework) and started searching for the best place to buy. Well, nobody informed me that juicing was the most popular trend right now and that it would be impossible to get the two juicers that I was interested in -- literally 1-2 month wait on some of the Brevilles. So I decided to borrow a friend's juicer to make sure that it was something I was going to be able to commit to before spending the money. After almost a week of 2-3 juices a day, I was hooked and already feeling like a different person. I'm getting a little ahead of myself though.

(backing up a little) So after the documentaries, I knew I wanted to make a change and found tons of forums that encouraged people to 'wean' themselves off certain things before jumping right into a juice fast. It helps make the transition a little smoother. Here's where the drastic part came in. I went cold turkey on everything I knew -- no pasta. no meat. no dairy. no processed food. no fast food. no white flour. no caffeine. no alcohol. nada.

So back to the juicing 2-3 times a day part -- it wasn't easy and luckily I have an amazing wealth of food resources here in East Nashville. I knew my body had way too much to overcome as it was, so I didn't do a juice fast right away. I did incorporate smoothies (to feel fuller) and once a day I'd eat a solid meal from one of the many vegetarian restaurants in the area.

I'm not going to lie to you -- the first few days weren't pretty. Not only did my body not understand my new eating pattern, but I was going thru caffeine and alcohol withdrawal. I went thru fatigue, moodiness, light headaches, acne, and just overall general blah for several days, but I kept at it. After a couple days, the fog lifted and I realized how amazing I felt. I still was having some withdrawal issues, but my mood had improved and I had this sort of clarity in my day to day functions. I felt perkier. Happier. The pounds on the scale were starting to slowly fall off. I was hooked and off I went to buy my #3 choice juicer, the Breville Juice Fountain Plus.

So, that was almost a month and a half ago. I still haven't done an all out juice fast just yet (I'm starting one in a couple days) but I've already had some great results. I've lost 8.5 lbs and have gotten the lowest I've been since I was pregnant. And it's stayed off. No teeter tottering back and forth like before. I still juice 2-3 a day and eat a solid meal usually at night or sometimes for lunch. I occasionally do eat meat, but only chicken as I feel like that's the lesser of the evils AND only when it's on top of a salad. I caved and had a few drinks on Cinco De Mayo after not drinking for a full month and a few with my mom for her birthday this past weekend. I'm still pasta and processed food free. No soda, sweet tea or Starbucks still. Slim to none on the diary and white flour.

I think Yahoo summed it up best for me a week or so ago -- I'm a 'Flexitarian'. I do what I can to maintain a vegetarian lifestyle for the most part but occasionally deviate from it. I now know how good I can feel and look maintaining a lifestyle that I've chosen for myself. And it's just that, a lifestyle. Not a diet. Not a fad. A lifestyle.

Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone and try something new?