New food: Beets!

In my juice cleanse I've tried some beets. I'm definitely not a fan of them in the juices, but maybe I'd feel differently eating them regularly.

I Did A Juice Fast!

I finished my first goal! I completed a cleanse. I followed the 3 Day Plan from Reboot With Joe, which you can find here. I bought and set up my juicer, went shopping for some great organic produce (with the help of the shopping list included in the PDF), and got started.

The first day went pretty well. My stomach was a little uneasy that first day, I think it was in shock! I felt very normal on day 1, until about 5:30 when I just crashed. After a nap I was okay, but from then on my energy level was pretty low.

Day 2 was easier in that I knew what to expect, but I was much hungrier. I was really missing food, and I wasn't craving anything in particular but I just missed eating food. Day 3 was definitely the easiest because I was less hungry, but my energy was at an all time low.

I was able to finish though! I went for three whole days only consuming juice and water, and I lost 5 pounds! I know I won't keep all that off right away, but I'm hoping my fast will kickstart my 25 pound weight loss. I don't feel any different after my fast, but I am more open to trying more fruits and vegetables and including more of those in my diet.

My fast was difficult, because I didn't enjoy any of the juices. I don't think I finished a single one! Juicers need to be cleaned after each use, so I had to at least wipe it down after I made every juice. My juicer isn't difficult to clean, but it was a time consuming process. I felt very tired and weak the whole time, and my lips got incredibly chapped. I was also very scatterbrained the whole time, which is unlike me. I was really hoping that my unhealthy cravings would go away and I'd only want fruits and veggies, but that didn't happen at all!

While I'm glad I tried this, and I do plan on including juicing in my diet in the future, I don't think I'll be doing another juice fast. It was incredibly difficult, and I'd much prefer to eat my fruits and vegetables than to drink them!

First book!

Finished a book today! Well, an ebook... but I'm counting that too, because 25 is a lot. The book was Doctor Who: The Spear of Destiny. It was pretty good, it's part of a book series for the 50th Anniversary and this is the third book in the series. So I'll have more of these to list later on!

Juice Cleanse!

I'm starting on my goal of completing a detox or cleanse tomorrow. I'm doing a three day cleanse that I found at rebootwithjoe.com. Here is the link if you want to check it out! I might post updates day to day, but I may also just wait until the cleanse is over to tell you all how it went.

Today I went shopping and bought about $50 of fresh produce. Right now it's taking up our whole fridge! My parents are being very supportive, and I'm just really anxious to get started. I'm really interested in seeing how the cleanse will affect me, since this is all very new to me. I'm also excited to complete my first goal on my list!

I made a video about my goals!

I've officially announced my project on YouTube! Welcome, YouTube friends!

First new food: Rhubarb!

My dad got some rhubarb from the farmer's market this weekend. We had no idea how to prepare rhubarb, but my mom found a recipe for a dessert with strawberries and rhubarb. The dessert was really good, and I actually liked the rhubarb!

I set this as a goal because I'm kind of a picky eater, and I don't like trying new things. This was definitely a good experiment though, so I hope I like the next 24 foods just as well!

Starting On My Greeting Cards!

My birthday helped me start on my goal of sending 25 greeting cards! Today I mailed 5 thank you notes to relatives who sent me birthday cards and money. It feels great, because I know they'll really appreciate my cards!

About My Weight Loss Goal

I've done my official weigh-in, so I can give you my starting weight and goal weight.

Weight as of 5/18/13: 203 lbs
Goal weight: 178 lbs

25 pounds is a lot to lose, and this is not a goal that's right for everyone! However, two years ago I weighed about 250 lbs, so I know how to lose weight (and keep it off). Although this will be a challenge, taking off 25 lbs in a year is a completely attainable goal. I'm about 5'8", so this will move me from the obese category to the overweight category. Still not to a "healthy" weight, but much better! I'll keep you posted on my weight loss periodically.

Why 25 things?

Yesterday I turned 25. I want this to be a productive year in my life, where I make a lot of positive changes. After much consideration, I've finally set my 25 goals- and now I can start working on achieving them!

On this blog I'll be updating periodically, either when a goal is in progress or when I achieve one. Keep checking back to see how I'm progressing!