Post-Cleanse Update: Juice is the New Black

The Mistress is Baaaaaaaaaack!

I have been, well, unplugged, shall we say, since my trip to California.  It was some much needed time away from the computer, away from Facebook, even away from my phone for a while.... and a couple weeks when JP didn't have to nag me with, "Are you blogging/texting/Facebook messaging/tweeting AGAIN???!"


So here's the lowdown on life post-cleanse and post-vacation...

Let's start with The Bod:

Since I'm a reporter, I won't, uh, bury the lead, as they say....Here are the stats:

During the Master Cleanse, I lost 16 pounds and 9 inches, getting down to my lowest weight in over a year, and 8 pounds away from my goal weight of 145!

Since the beginning of my journey to health, here are the numbers from January to May:
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 176.6  ... 153
Right Thigh: 23 1/2" ... 21"
Left Thigh: 23 1/2" ... 21"
Right Calf: 15 1/2" ... 14"
Left Calf:  15 1/2" ... 14"
Hips: 41 1/2" ... 38"
Waist: 33 1/2" ... 29"
Butt Length: 17" ... 15"
Cheek Height: 9" ... 6 1/2"
Bust: 39" ... 35"
Left Arm: 12" ... 11"
Right Arm: 12" ... 11"

Total Weight Lost: 23.6 pounds
Inches Lost: 26.5"

Here are some recent pics to show you my progress.  Note the blue pants that I found at a thrift store several months ago.  On the day I finished bootcamp, I tried them on and realized they were FAR from fitting...as in, I couldn't even button them up!  Fast forward to 2 months of Perfect Design series and 3 weeks of cleansing....and tah-dah!

Too tight pants in February

Perfect Fit in May!

One of the best parts of losing weight is going shopping for new clothes.  I definitely have not discarded all of my "fat clothes," but anything above a size 8 has been pushed to the back of the closet!  I hit the mall for a few new things....This is what I've added to my wardrobe:

Wrap Dress from Banana Republic

Pencil Skirt with Ruffled Blouse, Banana Republic

Red Patent Leather Belt, Macy's

Red Patent Leather Shoes, DSW

OK, so here's the crazy thing...Not only have I lost weight and inches, I've actually shrunk an entire SHOE SIZE!  I've been wearing a size 11 shoe for almost 2 years.  All of the sudden, my shoes are too big!  The shiny new heels I bought, were a 10!  11 was falling off me!  Wild.

The other positive has been my skin--- I swear, this health spree has taken years off my face!  This pic was snapped a few days ago and I have minimal make-up on.  No blemishes, no visible lines or pores!  This old bat is turning 37 in a couple weeks...Not bad, eh?

Noxema Girl Wannabe in a Van at a Gas Station

The Diet:

In California, there was indulgence, indulging and even some over-indulging.  I don't regret one moment of the deliciousness!  Fortunately, my weight has only fluctuated by 3-5 pounds, even with copious amounts of wine, sushi, tacos and dark chocolate mochas on vacation!  

Since coming back to reality, I've been disciplined about sticking to an anti-allergy diet, which cuts out  gluten, corn, dairy, soy, eggs and caffeine.  I have also permanently cut out pork and drastically reduced my red meat intake.

JP and I have been using our juicer every day....JP is now officially the Juice Pimp.  To see this big dude (well, not so big anymore, since he's lost 20 pounds, himself!) standing there juicing pineapple, kale, lemons, carrots and whatever else he throws in there, is truly a sight to behold!  JP makes a big batch in the morning for both of us.  These are my 2 favorites so far:

Beet, Carrot, Apple, Ginger & Lemon 

Kale, Apple, Lemon & Ginger

We both have been sipping on the juice all day and it is amazing how satisfying and energizing it is!  JP calls it Juice Crack... Screw coffee and bring on the juice, pimp!  Juice really is the new black, bee-atches...try it!  And, I love drinking my juice out of a margarita glass because it makes me feel like I'm getting a buzz on healthy.

Now if we can just save up for a Vitamix Blender so we can start doing the real deal-- smoothies with kale, spinach and all sorts of pulpy fruit!  JP actually re-juices the pulp to get the most out of it, but it's not quite the same nutritionally speaking.

Here's what a typical day of food is for me:

Breakfast: Veggie/Fruit Juice (continuing to sip it throughout the day)

Mid-Morning: Half-grapefruit

Lunch: Chickpea Salad

Mid-Afternoon: Almonds and a small piece of dark chocolate

Dinner: Lean protein (chicken, shrimp, turkey, fish) with veggies

I still struggle with dinner portions, but it's been helping me to pack up leftovers before I serve dinner, so there's less food to snack on after the first plate is wolfed down!  I'm trying to do only minimal tasting during cooking which is still tough, but I'm getting better at it.  We have also definitely reduced our weekly wine intake (vacation aside).  Gone are the Monday through Sunday wine guzzling sessions!  That just leads to empty calories and "eating while buzzed," which should be a felony.

The Workout:

I didn't do much working out on vacation, but have kicked it into high gear since coming home.  I'm going old school Tracy--- rocking out her Dance Cardio '08 and the original Mat video.  See proof below:

TAM Sweat Fest

On June 1st, I'm going to start the Hamelin D'Abell 3 Week Challenge.  Lots of TAM'ers have been "cheating" on Tracy with Hamelin... He has a similar philosophy-- light weights, accessory muscle focus, etc...Here's a sneak peak of his cardio-- it's lower impact than dance cardio, but still effective, from what I can tell.  I love that he incorporates light hand weights into the cardio work.

To sum up, lovelies, I feel better now than I have in years....I have more energy, (and positive energy at that!) more confidence, more joie de vivre!  Getting healthy has not only improved my life, it has taken my relationship with JP to a whole new level as well.  We've been inspiring each other to continue to eat healthy and exercise--- there is more love between us after four years together than I thought possible.  We are SO talking babies.

Life is pretty awesome.

xxoo