St. Patrick's Day Mean Green Juice Cleanse for March to Weight Loss challenge...Slainte Mhath!

Top o' the mornin, mo ghradhs! And a blessed St. Patrick's Day to ye! Today instead of just wearing the green, why not drink green, I don't mean beer (sad face). Here's a Mean Green Juice Cleanse for our March to Weight loss challenge that will have to feelin fightin Irish fit in no time! 

Many people who have struggled with morbid obesity, have found that a "reboot" of diet, AKA a detox cleanse of eating habits have saved their lives. A juice cleanse is one way to not only lose weight but also to boost immunity, gut bacteria and metabolism. 

As a word of caution, not all doctors recommend a detox cleanse or fast. Dr. Now of "My 600-lb Life" cautions against fasts such as the Mean Green Juice cleanse. The concern is that gastric bypass patients such as those on "My 600-lb Life" have voracious appetites. They would not get full with this type of intermittent fasting and so not keep up with the weight loss program. The Mean Green Juice Cleanse may also not include enough nutrients, electrolytes and protein. 

But it could fit within the "My 600-lb Life" gastric bypass 1200 calorie diet after a certain amount of weight loss. When is obesity better managed and the stomach has shrunk, a juice cleanse can be useful. Part of how I lost 100 pounds, without gastric bypass, after age 50, was with intermittent fasting and a calorie restricting 1200 calorie diet. Now that I'm used to portion control and calorie restricting a detox cleanse would be doable. So, here's the recipe.

Mean Green Juice Cleanse for March to Weight Loss

1 cucumbers

4 celery stalks

2 green apples (cored)

8 kale leaves with stalks

1 lemon (peeled)

1 in piece of ginger

Juice and enjoy. Note: some users of this fast drank nothing but Mean Green Juice for two months. This is due to compromised health from obesity. I suggest trying a juice fast preemptively, before getting overweight and only a few days at a time. 

A friend who uses this juice fast, does it in conjunction with intermittent fasting, eating only between the hours of 2 and 7. I would use it with a calorie restricting 1200 calorie diet which was how I lost 100 pounds. 

Whatever you use to lose weight, or stay healthy, make sure you do it in moderation and safely. It's not worth making yourself sick just to get the scale down to a certain number. Stay tuned for more on how I lost 100 pounds and other March to Weight Loss challenge tips. 

Slainte Mhath! 

Perfect keto calorie restricting snack for March to Weight Loss (drum roll, please?)

 Hey my friends! This blog explores how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass with keto diet, calorie restricting on a 1200 calorie diet. This month, I've issued a March to Weight Loss challenge. And today I'm sharing the perfect keto calorie restricting snack to lose weight, reduce inflammation, relieve pain, curb hunger boost metabolism, burn fat, prevent dehydration and even ward off effects of long covid 19! What is this superfood? Drum roll, please...

GUACAMOLE! Yup, homemade guacamole is the perfect dip, spread, snack, smoothie, you name it, guacamole is it! Here are simple keto diet recipe for this wunderkind snack. 

Avocado: cram packed with high electrolyte potassium goodness, MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids), good saturated fats (for keto fat burning and metabolism boosting) and anti-inflammatory properties avocado is great for weight loss, fat burning, metabolism, lowering blood sugar (ergo inflammation and pain) post Covid 19 recovery (which includes avoiding dehydration) . For guacamole, cut avocado around the long end, remove pit (if only using half, leave pit in to prevent browning and spoilage). Scoop out avocado and place in blender. 

Garlic (minced with juice). Garlic is one of nature's best infection fighters (so good for Covid 19 prevention) plus anti-inflammatory (so perfect for preventing and healing obesity) building gut bacteria, providing antioxidants, reducing blood sugar level (so fighting diabetes) and more! 

Cilantro: This handsome herb has a reputation for helping lose weight and fighting obesity and diabetes by boosting metabolism. Add a handful to blender with avocado.

Onion: Another miracle superfood, onions are bulbs like garlic and have many of the same properties: anti-inflammatory, metabolism boosting, fat burning, infection fighting, lowering blood sugar (diabetes) plus even improving brain functioning. Mince and add to blender with avocado.

Tomatoes: These are one of my favorite potassium rich superfoods for weight loss and just plain yumminess. Lycopene is good for metabolism, circulation, prostate and heart health, blood sugar, boosting electrolytes and astringent fat burning and system cleanse. Being essentially zero calorie, tomatoes are the perfect calorie restricting food for the 1200 calorie diet. 

Lemon or lime juice: high potassium, Vitamin C and fiber, lemons and limes are good for gut bacteria, weight loss and infection fighting. Drinking water with lemon was part of how I lost 100 pounds. 

Pepper and Himalayan pink salt: Pepper for the pain relieving anti-inflammatory win and pink salt for infection fighting, electrolyte win!

Blend together and enjoy in place of sour cream, cheese, mayonnaise or salsa. Try this guacamole on tacos, burritos or nachos. Or  just plain. 

No Junk January weight loss challenge pro tip: purge and cleanse

 Hello friends! In this blog, I've been exploring how I lost 100 pounds and keep it off. One of my weight loss and weight maintenance techniques is to do occasional diet revamps such as this one I started called No Junk January weight loss challenges. I'm cleaning up my eating habits by deleting all junk food, fast, fried and fatty foods and sweets. I promised pro tips in case you'd like to join me. I can't promise that we'll all lose weight but I can say from experience that I feel better overall when I eat smarter. 

Today's tip for No Junk January is to purge and cleanse. I'm not talking about using a liver cleanse per se, though it will have the effect of a system cleanse, certainly. No Junk January begins in December with a purge of junk food around the house and in my diet. By Jan 1, I'm going to have all Christmas goodies, chips, salty snacks, fatty and fried foods gone. I'm stocking up on fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, lean meat, keto bread, whole milk yogurt and plant protein powder. 

To achieve weight loss, I need those temptations gone. Part of how I lost 100 pounds 8 years ago, was to pare down food choices to healthy diet-friendly options. So I'm doing a cupboard cleanse of chips, salty snacks, Christmas candy and cookies, baked goods, pie, cake, muffins and fatty processed meat like bacon, ham, sausage, salami and summer sausage ( big favorites around here). I'll replace these with frozen salmon pieces, chicken breast, lemons and grapefruit, berries and leafy vegetables, cut veggies for snacks, nuts and seeds and keto bread. 

You might be thinking, great, but what about non-dieting family members? Won't they get upset if I get rid of their treats? Good point that I'll cover tomorrow. In fact this  method was how I lost 100 pounds in the first place. Oh, and I promised a system cleanse from the cupboard cleanse. With less liver blocking and artery clogging junk food and more leafy greens, berries, seeds, MUFA and PUFA foods, that system cleanse will happen, just you wait! 

Methods like these are part of my Mind Over Platter weight loss method to not only beat obesity but keep it away for good. I'm excited about No Junk January and look forward to hearing from you if you join in! 

How I lost 100 pounds with liver and colon cleanse: detox foods to lose weight

I've been blogging about how I lost 100 pounds without gastric bypass surgery or a weight loss drug. I've shared diet food swaps and mind over platter (mental health) tips to lose weight. But now we come to the part of the weight loss show that you may find objectionable: the detox cleanse. I was able to heal obesity, literally, by purging the pudge. 

What is a detox cleanse? It's diuretic or laxative that helps you (here's the gross part) pee and poop out toxins that have built up in the colon, liver, kidneys and other organs. Meds, pain relievers, prescription drugs and foods like refined sugar, HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), transfat, additives and chemical preservatives toxify organs. A liver detox cleanse can help purify organs and lose weight. 

Using a chemical diuretic or laxative (cleanse) however, can do as much harm as toxins. Fortunately, there are natural liver cleanses that work just as well to fight obesity and help with weight loss. Most are found in everyday foods. 

Fiber, both soluble and insoluble fiber work is a laxative and colon cleanse. Beans and legumes are a great source of both. But part of how I lost 100 pounds was to avoid beans and also soy (I'll talk more about why later). The best fiber sources to cleanse, detox and lose weight are leafy greens, grapefruit, lemons, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, seeds, flax, berries and oats and apple cider vinegar supplements. Sweet potatoes and squash work well too, but I tend to avoid for weight loss because they are high carb and calorie. 

But fiber works best with fat believe it or not. Keto dieters eat all kinds of fats but I tend to focus on on MUFA and PUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids). I do eat some saturated fats from lean meat and coconut oil. Nuts, nut and seed butter and avocado are good source of fatty acids also. They're also super high calorie so I use peanut powder and plant protein supplements. I use avocado for baking in place of higher cholesterol eggs 

The keto diet relies almost entirely on fats but I found that how I lost 100 pounds involved balancing good fats or fatty acids, fiber and lean protein. I make colon detox smoothies with plant protein powder, one half lemon or grapefruit (rind and all), spinach and mixed berries ( blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries). I also use keto coffee and coconut oil supplements which are high in MCT medium chain triglycerides.