Long Overdue

*Deep sigh*...its been SO long, too long in fact that I don't even know where to begin. Let me start off by apologizing for my absence. I could go into a long, drawn out spiel about how hectic my life was but there's much to discuss so I will just sum it up: I was busy and way less successful with my weight loss than I had hoped to be. I found myself gaining and losing the same d*mn 10-15 pounds no matter what I did or how hard I worked so I gave myself a break and tried to maintain until I could regroup and find something new to try. That something new came unexpected but worked like a charm. Some time ago, four of my co-workers did a juice detox. I thought they were CA-RAY-ZEE! Lol, they have had success for the most part but 2 things about their journeys was very off putting:

1. Only 1 out of the 4 that did it was able to stick to it for the full 30 days.

2. 3 out 4 of them gained back what they had lost.

I didn't like those odds at all but yet something needed to be done so I began asking my coworkers about their journeys. The sad truth is, none of them practice healthy lifestyles i.e. eating primarily healthy and being active so its no wonder they weren't successful at maintaining their losses. Once they completed the detox, they resorted back to eating large amounts of fast/fatty/fried/carbohydrate filled foods and not working out at all. Knowing that made me feel a little more at ease because I don't eat carbage and I actually do workout. I didn't want to put myself through something just to end up back where I started 3 weeks later and because fitness is a big part of my life I am confident that it's not going to happen.

So after arming myself with knowledge on juicing and watching the documentary "Fat, sick and nearly dead" (it's on Netflix for those of you who are interested), I started juicing on 4/30/12. I began by drinking purely Naked Juice as I didn't have a juicer at the time lol.

 I got my juicer from from walmart, it's a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice extractor (try saying that 5x fast lol). It was $70

 When I picked up my juicer I also picked up some "supplies". While waiting for my juicer to be shipped I researched recipes and gathered a grocery list of all the items I needed. I should have saved the receipt because I forgot how much I paid for all of this lol.

So my first batch of juice was a complete and utter FAIL! I don't like celery or raw carrots so why I picked the recipe that I did is beyond me but needless to say, that sh*t went down the drain! A few more failed attempts and I went back to drinking primarily Naked Juice.

 The first juice I made that I actually like was from my own recipe. I called it "Citrus Punch"

1 Orange

1 Lemon

1 Grapefruit

1/2 Pineapple

My 1st day was a breeze. Once I resigned myself to the fact that I wasn't going to eat food, my stomach didn't put up much of a fight. I didn't suffer from hunger pangs or headaches at all. The only thing that was hard was my mind telling me I WANTED to eat even without my stomach telling me it NEEDED to. I was a complete b*tch for 5 whole days. I was moody, short-tempered and depressed and I knew I couldn't go on for 30 days or even 2 weeks like this so I ate the healthiest meal I possibly could have: Baked salmon with steamed broccoli. At first I was disappointed in myself for giving up but then I remembered everything isn't for every body and there is more than 1 way to skin a cat. So I continued to juice fast but eat 1 sensible meal of a protein and veggies for dinner.

 My first week, the only workout I did was the intense program on the just sweat option on Just Dance 2. Even after adding 1 meal to my regimen, I still lost 14 pounds  in 7 days. I plan to continue this way of eating until I reach a certain long awaited goal. I plan to workout a lot more intensely than doing just dance. I renewed my membership to Lucille Roberts last week and I did a 2hr workout my very first day. I will most likely do so 4-5x a week. I take a protein shake before working out I also take vitamins cause even though my goal is to lose weight, I don't want to hurt myself. 

Well, today is day 21 and I have lots more to tell but it'll have to wait until next post because this one just kicked my ass lol. It's almost a week overdue but I hope you've enjoyed this post as well as my return. I will be updating more often but I update my Instagram DAILY with thinspiration and fashion so follow me @Bitchy_Bella.

I took this pic yesterday. The scale is being ignorant after the first week lol so I stopped consulting her and focused solely on the way I look and feel.As you can see, my thighs are my biggest problem area (they annoy my LIFE!) so I will make them my main focus but I think they're naturally destined to lose slowly as I am pear shaped. I see the changes in my body so I'll continue to go hard for what I want. Thanks for your patience and for being a part of my journey.

XO-----Bella