LONG post, guys…and worth taking the time to read!
I know I haven’t blogged much in the last month, and I have a REALLY good reason…this February Juice Cleanse group! These guys have kept me blissfully busy!
Let me digress for a second. I have never led a group cleanse before. I have had one-on-one clients and put the call out for #JuicyJune last year, but have never been responsible for leading a specified, private group of juicers. WELL! What an AWESOME experience! I put the call out, and 547 people responded (we have now swelled to 565). Not everyone participated, and that’s fine…because those who did were truly, truly fantastic! We got such an amazing group of people together – newbie juicers, juice vets, folks in the process of juicing from January, and those who just wanted to make it through the 28 days of February.
What I love most about this phenomenal group of people is how supportive and encouraging they are for each other. If someone stumbled, there were tons of hands to catch them. When someone had a question, there were a myriad of answers. And the successes? Oh my goodness! The cheers were (are!) boundless! It was like getting wrapped up in Juice Love every time I walked up in there! Halfway through, folks were begging for the group to get extended through March…and we hadn’t even finished February!
The point of this post, however, is to share their testimonials. Sometimes, you need to hear that someone else has done it successfully (and happily!) to encourage you to move forward. Well, if that’s what you need, read on! These juice fasting testimonials will get you geeked and show you the power that juicing can give you. I am so appreciative of my folks for sharing their experiences with me and all of you!
Check it out…
“My juicing experience has been life changing. I “only” lost 9lbs in the 28 days, but my mind and body transformed much more than what the scale reflects. I DID IT! I juiced for 28 Days! I can do anything I set my mind to and as a former procrastinator/quitter, that’s a wonderful realization. I feel better physically: fewer aches and pains; I’m not bloated; my blood sugars went from 230-ish to the 80s; my skin is clearer and yadda yadda yadda. BUT the change in my attitude and personality are what stand out. I’m just so friggin happy and for no apparent reason! I’ve stepped all the way out of my comfort zone in so many different ways and great things are happening in my life.” -K.C.
“This has changed my life. I feel better than I expected. Renewed, cleansed, detoxed. I feel energy exuding out of me that I want to share. What a great experience. I have to say I’m hooked. My body demands these whole foods from me. I feel cheated when I don’t give my body a whole food, clean juice. Thank you for inspiring me to embark on this journey that is taking me to a better healthier me.” -M.P.
“I feel better than ever from my head to my feet…I think clearer and my shoes are looser, clearer skin, energy has tripled and I am more aware of what I put in my body…I looovvvvve the juice and the benefits! Juice on!” -L.P.W.
“Juicing has totally transformed my life. My most notable juice feast was a 35 day feast where I lost 18.5 pounds. I feel like crappola the first few days, but after that it’s smooth sailing and I never feel like I am starving. NOTHING has worked for me like this has, and I have been the queen of yo-yo dieting to the extreme most of my life. I had a lot of distractions that kept derailing me last month, but since 2/25 I have been spot on, drinking only water and 96 oz of juice and have already lost 8.4 lbs in 11 days. My excessively dry skin is starting to show signs of hydration. Thanks so much for all your wonderful inspiring videos and this lovely group – Namaste!” -K.L.
“I have been overweight since I was 8 years old. My mental picture of myself was the blueberry girl from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, self confidence ZERO . I have been joked ALL of my life. I was 11 years old wearing a size 10 shoe, and sized 16 dress. After a failed marriage and raising 4 girls by myself, I decided enough was enough and started reading about nutrition, exercise etc… ABOUT MY JOURNEY. A couple of years ago, I had been going on the internet looking up nutrition info and one of the links led to the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly dead. I watched it and felt encouraged. Looking around some more, I happened upon Carla’s website about juicing. The energy this lady has was infectious!! I found myself laughing, crying, smiling thru the myriad of Youtube videos she has made. I thought, I want to be like her when I grow up. Then I said wait, I am like her. I have both 101 juice fast/smoothie recipe books and made a bunch of them before the Feb. group even started but there wasn’t any real accountability. I had high blood pressure, knee pain, left hip pain, back pain some swelling in my lower legs and feet. My self esteem was a false front I put up so no one could see the sad inner child within. THEN….the Feb. Juice cleanse group was formed. I was excited, nervous, doubting myself going into the cleanse but I cannot tell you or express how much this group, the encouragement and camaraderie means to me without breaking out in tears. Within the first 2 weeks, knee pain gone, back has only occasional twinges, hip pain almost non-existent. My skin’s sooo soft I was feeling myself up…lol. The change in the way my clothes fit has me trying on different outfits, just because. I feel ALIVE, sexy and in control of my life, food, emotions for the first time in a VERY long time. I will continue to juice until…who knows! People have noticed the changes and compliment me often. I’m singing LOUDLY in my truck, dancing around my house, running around with my dog…oh the list goes on. EVERY DAY I thank my Heavenly Father for making the beautiful person that I am and for giving me the opportunity to feel it and think it. It’s the food of the earth that HE has provided that makes all this possible for me and for that I am humbled, and TRULY grateful. I feel life bubbling up from inside!” -S.T.
“This group has given me the confidence I needed to see my first 30 day fast through to the finish line! I have so much more energy, my thoughts are so much clearer, my clothes are too big as I lost 23 pounds in total…and that is just the tip of the iceberg as I have now been transitioning to solid foods (for the past 5 days) …but to be honest I have more work to be done on ME and with all of your support I have decided that I will begin anther 30 day fast today! I love what juicing does for me and how it has transformed my life for the better! Carla, you inspired me through your video testimonials and blogs and the way you always “tell it like it is” resonated in me – I will be forever grateful for having found you and for the enthusiasm and encouragement you have shown to all of us! You are a very special and generous human being!” -S.K.
“I am a 54 year old vegan with a pretty healthy diet, but generally I eat too much food even though it is mainly healthy and made by me. My weight loss journey started in January 2011 when I decided to do a little bit of exercise using my son’s Xbox (fruit ninja game – I was very unfit). Then I started reducing my food intake to 2k calories per day. I lost some weight and felt good. (I used My Fitness Pal app)
I have a health issue, a virus that is sparked by certain, otherwise healthy, foods like nuts and seeds. I went to see a herbalist who put me onto a 3 month detox where I was only allowed to eat fruit in the mornings, in the afternoon I could only have fruit plus veg that were not root veg. No rice and many other restrictions. No food after 6pm. I lost a stone in total from January to April/May 2011.
Some of the weight gradually crept back on over the months as my diet returned to normal but I continued with exercising. The virus was still there. I was reading many books on how to cure myself. I kept seeing pointers towards juicing. I thought “No Way” that’s really drastic.
In July 2013 I watched Fat Sick & Nearly Dead. I thought that I would have to give it a go. Somebody pointed me towards Carla’s YouTube videos. They were totally amazing! I did a 60 day juice fast and kept up with my exercises. I also watched Forks Over Knives that is another life changing film, packed with information. They weight came off and I felt great.
In January 2014 I did a 7 day juice fast with some friends, then I saw that Carla was doing a group one during the month of February. I signed up for that immediately.
The fact is that I’ve lost weight during this last juice fast, it has brought me back to the weight I was at the end of the 60 day fast. I lost 9lb in 28 days. I didn’t exercise this time. I’ve discovered that juicing has brought me to my goal weight and will not take me below it – how good is that? I am now exercising again to tighten up the flab. Still on a high juice diet and will remain that way.
Due to this Raw Raw Life juicing family, I also have recently started using enemas. Another life changing event! That was quite a mind bender to get around, but there is nothing to it in the end and it feels great afterwards. I truly believe that this is the key to finally ridding myself of the virus (which is much improved, but still there). I’ve used 1 garlic enema (only because I had just received the kit and wanted to use something), then apple cider vinegar enemas over the past 2 weeks. Today I will start with the coffee enema and that’s probably what I will stick with.
I have lost a total of 3.5 stone (49lb / 22.2 kg) since my journey started. My blood pressure is now normal and all my blood results have come back as good. This is thanks to juicing. It has changed my life. I’ve taken up roller skating and ice skating. Life is good!” -L.N.
“[My mother and I are] doing this thing miles apart: she’s in New Orleans, LA. & I’m in San Antonio, TX, but we talk several times a day, share recipes and try to keep up with what’s going on with the group.
I was recently home for Mardi Gras and that’s when we took a pic, weighed ourselves & got our measurements taken. Believe it or not, we both lost 17 lbs (Mom wasn’t impressed until she realized that was an average of 4lbs/week!) Our hands are on our hips because of our new found waist-lines but most of all, I’m proud that Mom is now OFF of 3 out of 4 meds to control her blood pressure!!!! So, at ages 52 and 70yrs, we’re making lifestyle changes, feeling energized, confident and are committed to another 30 days to get us to our goal. THANK YOU Carla & Juice family for the guidance, encouragement, support and laughter along this journey.” -M.G.G.
“Control over bad habits is a beautiful thing, something that I don’t want to lose, I’m on my 4th day of straight juicing after a bit of slacking and feeling strong, I’m enjoying making juices, drinking lots of water and the positive changes I am witnessing even within this short period. Never has going to the toilet so frequently felt so good. I have struggled with sticking to things til the end so it will be a great achievement once I’ve completed this. Preparing my shopping list for this week and craving berries, lemons, limes & maybe melons. This week I’ve had mainly juices consisting of spinach, carrots, tomatoes, oranges, apples & cucumber. Today I will be having some broccoli,cucumber & spinach. Wanna try wheatgrass too & been in search of kale, which I’m finding is pretty rare around where I live.” -A.A.
“For all the newbies: I want to tell you from experience that once you do this, you will have the tool of fasting with you always to pull out and use when needed. I did three 30 day fasts every other month, about 1.5 yrs ago. Lost 100 lbs. Felt like a million bucks. Memory sharper. Skin clearer. A couple old aches and pains gone. Now, I can fast at a drop of a hat, and juicing regularly seems as natural to me as preparing any other type of meal. This fast we are about to do doesn’t make me timid at all. Easy peasy. I could have started a week ago, but I really want to do it “with” the group. It’s amazing just how easy it is to slip right into it.
I’ve recently moved back to Ohio after 23 years of not being here. As a kid, I’d get bronchitis bi-annually. Fall, and Spring. It would have me hacking like a 90 year old chain smoker. I’ve even cracked rib cartilage from coughing so hard. Usually I’m down for the count for 2 weeks with antibiotics. About a month ago, I woke up with that tell tale signs. Itchy tickle at the back of my throat, and congestion. I knew I was coming down with something, and it always turns bronchial, so, I started juicing. That cold never got beyond itchy throat and a bit sniffly, and those effects lasted about 5 days. I honestly believe that juicing helped fight off what usually gets very bad. I juice regularly now because of the entire process. It’s my secret weapon now!” -D.S.
The last testimonial is a report of how this juicer felt during her 28-day journey! So honest…love this!
“1. I hated juice feasting in the winter. Maybe hate is too strong a word… maybe not. It was too damned cold and my body craved warm foods and liquids.
2. Even though I was not new to juice feasting and had been eating relatively clean since July 2013- still went through detox. Gotta love it. I think with each cleanse/feast your body digs deeper and pulls out junk you didn’t know existed.
3. Some of my detox symptoms: I kept a low-grade headache for the first few days. I also had a hard time sleeping the first few nights- couldn’t get warm enough. I stayed cold down to my bones. Oh, and as my colleagues could attest, my mood, particularly in the early morning, was ummmm sorta ummm irritable. However, after my morning juice, life was good. LOL
4. This juice feast really fixed some emotional stuff deep down inside of me. I cried a lot during my 28 days….cried this morning too. Not because I was sad, but because I felt something. Being a strong Black woman in America, I learned to shield my tender side concerned that the world and those around me would take advantage, try to quiet my voice, think that I was weak etc. The down side is that in making sure the world knew not to trifle with me, I caged my heart and emotions, to some degree. I’m still not one to trifle with ( don’t let the dimples fool ya) but now I allow myself to process my emotions and give myself permission to feel. Now, I cry a lot… tears of joy, tears of happiness, tears of sadness, tears of frustration, tears of laughter, tears watching inspirational videos on FB etc., … and I am better for it.
5. Beauty sleep. After the initial detox of not being able to sleep, I began to sleep peacefully. Because there is nothing for my body to digest or to expend energy on grinding away through the night… sleep is truly beauty sleep. My body can use all of its energy to heal. My normal stiffness, aches, and pains disappeared. I woke feeling extremely rested never recalling any dreams or nighttime awakenings.
6. Let’s talk about skin for a moment: I glow. For real. Wait a minute… I’m jumping ahead of myself. My skin feels like butta’. There is a baby-softness that happens from feeding powerful nutrients directly to the cells though juicing and juice feasting. I am amazed at the softness of my skin without moisturizers or lotions. Ok…now on to the glow. Yeah… I’m glowing. My skin looks radiant and dewy all the time. Old blemishes ( pre-juicing) caused by my menstrual cycle have faded, if not vanished. My make-up routine has simplified—mascara, lipstick, and blush.
7. Prior to juicing, I suffered from edema. My consumption of the SAD ( standard American diet) caused severe water retention and swelling of my feet and ankles. I know now that the culprit was sodium. Even though I never added table salt to my food, the sodium present in the foods I was eating was off the charts. Since juicing/juice feasting—no swelling, no edema, no water retention.
8. Weight loss has occurred while juicing the past 28 days. I don’t know the numbers ( I still haven’t weighed myself and don’t know if I will anytime soon). What I do know is this: In January, my size 14 pants that hung way back in my closet didn’t fit— now they do. In January, my my fitted dress shirts size 14 didn’t fit— now they do. In July 2013, I began my journey wearing size 22 tops and size 20 bottoms. So, the weight loss is happening—and I am thrilled. The difference now is that numbers on the scale no longer motivate me— feeling healthy does!
9. Labido and feeling sexy. Juicing makes me feel sexy. I’m sure it’s a combination of eating well, sleeping well, losing weight,increased energy, feeling confident etc., … but the act of juicing makes me feel sexy and frisky. Makes me feel like I wanna…
10. Energy. This is a tough one to assess.During the 28 day of juicing my energy ebbed and flowed. I also worked 23 days /10-13hr days straight before a day off. So, on second thought, I would have to say my energy was great, otherwise I could not have worked such wicked hours and so many days while sustaining myself on juice only. It was the juice that got me through my February work schedule. So, energy was an A+.
11. Clarity of mind. I no longer have brain fog. Juicing clears up all the fog caused by the SAD diet. I think more clearly, I’m sharper, my memory and concentration have improved.
12. Allergies disappear. Allergies are an auto-immune response to toxins- things our bodies don’t like. Most times, we don’t get a reaction until enough toxins have accumulated in our system and pissed off our bodies . Rashes, skin conditions, sinus issues, intolerance of foods, etc is your body’s way of getting your attention to change your eating, to clean up our diet, to cleanse the toxins, chemicals, etc out of your system.Doing a juice feast/cleanse clears out those toxins and resets your immune system. I used to have sinus issues,phlegm production, stomach upset, bowel issue… prior to juicing in July 2013. This recent 28 day of juice feasting helped to fine-tune my system and to keep allergies away.
13. Feeling centered, balanced, and in the moment. This benefit is hard to explain other than- when I don’t have food on the brain, when I am not thinking about “what’s for dinner or what am I gonna eat for lunch?” it really frees up mental space and energy to focus on what matters. My insides feel calm and centered and I feel very connected to the here and now. There is an emotional release from food and an increased awareness of the universe, life, and what goes on around me.
14. I no longer crave sugar, refined carbohydrates, or processed foods. Even during the 28 days, I had cravings— cravings for hot veggies, butternut squash soup,etc. My taste buds have changed and for the good.
15. Love. This 28 day juice feast has repaired and healed, removed the unwanted and created a greater space in my soul to love and be loved. Overall, my capacity to love has expanded because all that heavy baggage that was once taking up residence and crowding my spirit has left. I feel a love for people… for humankind… even those I do not understand or sadden me. I find myself to be kinder, more compassionate, more forgiving, more empathetic, more hopeful… just a better, more loving, more giving, more fulfilled, more alive me.” -N.G.
My goodness! If that doesn’t inspire you to run and grab some juice…
Raw Raw Life! 