My Juice Fast: Day 30

Oh my goodness y'all....It's here--The last day of my first ever Reboot! It's been life-changing, a HUGE learning experience, eye opening and so much more.  From learning how my body feels without meat and dairy to learning about factory farms....To loosing over 20lbs and seeing new muscles grow, this Reboot has been incredible and I'm so glad I did it!

It was worth the extra time it took to juice each evening, when I was used to just throwing a quick lunch in my bag of soup or turkey burgers....NO more...Ok, yes to soup, but NOT processed, junky soup with tons of salt that only sounds healthy. 

I also want to give a HUGE shout out to everyone who's been following my journey during the reboot, who has sent me a message of encouragement or just endured my rants about how much better I feel now...haha  I seriously appreciate all the support.  Y'all are AHHmazing!! 

(Notice how my wedding ring is sliding around now...it's waaaay looser.)

So what happens after today....I've shared a little bit about how I will be transitioning into a plant based lifestyle and will slowly starting bringing in whole foods while still juicing as well.  I can't wait to share lots of vegan food ideas and I learn more about how to fuel my body instead of use food as a source of comfort.  Plus, I'll still be working out consistently and building the It's My Evolution website...if you haven't checked it out yet, CLICK HERE!!

So what made me decide on a vegan lifestyle at this point...well, just go to youtube and type in Factory Farm....Ok, that's acctually too much.  Just try watching this info-packed video on Youtube that gave me some great perspective:  https://youtu.be/W4HJcq8qHAY

Plus, the way I feel without meats and dairy make me not want to go back...not at this point anyways!

Thanks for sticking around to share this 30 days with me and I hope you'll continue to follow along....the journey's never over :-)

PS:  And to perfectly end this 30 Day's I've been featured on the Reboot website...AHHH!!!!

My Juice Fast: Day 27

Day 27 and I feel like I'm on a roll, but this weekend is the BIGGEST hurdle, because with just 3 days left I'm flying out of town for a weekend business trip to Phoenix, AZ...I'm pretty much winging it so we'll see how it goes.  The only thing I really have to plan for is Saturday, because I won't get there till later tonight and I will be back home early Sunday morning.  If you wanna see how I make it work, be sure to follow me on Instagram:  @KTaylor427

But let's get back on track with where we are now...yesterday was Day 27 and this morning I confirmed I've now last about 21pounds, check out the progress and change from just one month:

It's amazing what juicing has done for my body, but more importantly, my overall health.  The only times I've felt less than 100% on the Reboot was the first 2 days when I had a light headache/caffine withdrawl and then yesterday when I had a sore through. (My hubbys sick, but luckily I snuck by with just a sore through.)

My pants are all loose, I can breathe clearly, the extra mucus I always struggled with due to allergies and asthma is gone.  I only coughed a bit yesterday, because of the sore throat. My hair is growing like a weed and I just have so much more energy.  The list goes on and one....

Plus, this journey lead me in the direction of veganism, I mean if I feel so good without meat and dairy, why just go back to it?  Then, I went to youtube and binge watched "What I Eat In a Day- Vegan" videos and I was so inspired....as watching these I stumbled upon a video about becoming vegan and it contained clips from Factory Farms and a light bulb went off....this is for me!  

So after Monday, I'll be sharing by journey into veganism.  Now, I don't want to say I will be a vegan forever, but it feels like what's right for me now....so we'll see how it goes.

I'm not gonna lie....I'm pretty excited!!

Have you ever tried a Reboot?  What about vegan food?  I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

My Post-Reboot Eating Plan

I've been thinking a TON about what I'm going to do once I've completed the 30 Day Reboot....I started out terrified.  How am I going to make healthy choices with all those food options?  Juicing made it so simple for me.  But after lots of research, youtubing (that's a thing, right?) and general planning, I think I have a good idea of how I am going to slowly end the reboot and transition into a healthy eating plan.  

First I want to share a few of the benefits I've felt from only juicing yummy fruits and veggies...

-I have waaay more energy.  Prior to the reboot, my energy was at an all-time low and sometimes (more often than not) I would be in bed at 7pm and still tired the next morning.

-My allergies and asthma are under control...No more coughing and sneezing fits every morning.  Before rebooting, I always felt like I was kind of sickly....that's how I've been since a kid.  Chronic upper-respiratory infections, sick every time I travel and caught something every time someone was sick at the office.  

-I've lost 20lbs.  Prior to the reboot, my unhealthy eating was catching up to me and I had bounced up to 150.2lbs (my normal range was 133-135lbs), but now I'm at 130.2lbs.  My tummy no longer looks bloated and I just feel good in my skin.

-I am focused on eating clean, body nourishing foods.  Pre-reboot I was on a fast food bender...the hubs and I were eating out more than eating at home.  Chicfila at least once a week....eating out almost every meal during the weekends....it was not healthy!

So as you've read....the benefits have been huge and honestly, I'm just not willing to give up the way I feel.  I feel soooo good, so that's why my pre-reboot eating and my post-reboot eating plans are like night and day.  So here goes....my plan is to slowly ease back into eating as follows:

Week One Post-Reboot:  Add in whole fruits and veggies while continuing to juice.

Week Two Post-Reboot: Continue Week 1, but also add in grains & legumes.

Week 3 Post-Reboot: Continue Week 1 & 2, but also add in Soy.

Week 4 & Moving forward:  Stick with a vegan, plant-based diet.

Stay tuned, because starting next week I'll be sharing lots of vegan meal ideas and tips for ending a Reboot successfully.

Have you ever tried going Vegan or are you a Vegan?  What made you decided to change your way of eating?

My Top 5 Juice Recipes

Hey everyone, I've received lots of messages on Facebook asking for me to share my fav juice recipes so I gathered my top 5 favs and am sharing them with you today.  Before we get started, I just want to give you a few tips that have helped me make juicing simple & efficient.  

First, I found a grocery store that sales all their fruits and veggies by the pound....this is much cheaper than paying per item.  The grocery store I use is Sprouts, but if you don't have one near you....look for a store that charges for weigh, it makes a big difference! ;-)

Another thing that's really helped me is having 10 or so mason jars....I was lucky enough to find mine at Dollar Tree.  I also got some large ice packs there too, which make it easy for me to take my juices on the go and keep them fresh.  I won a large cooler with wheels from Beachbody during a Team Cup contest last year and it's been awesome for traveling and taking to work with me.

Last, but not least, always have lots of distilled water on hand.  When you pour your juice in the jar, if there's any room left in the jar (I usually leave 1/2 the jar empty), then fill it the rest of the way completely full with distilled water and close the lid very tightly.  This will keep your juice fresh in the fridge for up to 24hrs. I make my juice the night before and then use my cooler and ice packs to take it to work so it's just grab, pack and go in the mornings. 

Ok, now on to the good stuff....the yummy recipes:

1 small lemon, 2 apple, 3 celery stalks, 1 carrot, 1 cucumber, 3 large kale leaves, a little parsley and a handful of spinach.

1 peach, 40 grapes, 1 sweet potato, 3 carrots, 1 small beet, 3 large kale leaves, a handful of spinach and a little parsley.

2 apples, 1 lemon, 2 celery stalk, a handful of spinach, 2 lrg kale leaves and 4 carrots

1 cucumber, parsley, 4 large kale leaves and 2 green apples

2 peaches, a handful or grapes and blueberries, 1 sweet potato and 2 carrots

Have more questions about juicing and the 30 day Reboot?  Comment below and I'll be glad to help out!  This cleanse has been a huge eye opener for me and I can't wait to see how these changed stay with me moving forward past the 30 days.  

My Juice Fast: Day 22

Happy Monday Y'all!  Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend....the hubs and I soaked up this weekend since the next month's worth of weekends I'll be traveling for work for 3 of them and he'll be going with me to see my fam for one too.  Plus, the holidays are quickly approaching so we'll probably be traveling a lot then too.  

Luckily, I LOVE to travel, see new places and spend time with our families...Keep an eye on the blog, because I'll be sharing my adventures in Phoenix, AZ, Seattle, WA, Irvine, CA and my hometown.  

Oh and on another now....I only have 8 days left of the Juice Fast and then I'm going to be eating vegetarian....maybe even vegan, we'll see.  I seriously feel better than I've ever felt....I feel de-bloated, energetic, my allergies & asthma are under control, I'm not overly emotional and i just feel so good.

I'm also down 18.4lbs and weighing 131.8lbs.  That's the lowest I've been in over 3 years....I feel healthy and fit....and I don't even miss fast food.  Isn't that crazy awesome?!

I also wanted to share my progress pictures with y'all.  I took pictures on 8/31 prior to getting started and have taken them along the way to document my progress.  I also just finished 4 weeks of Hip Hops Abs yesterday and today I started a new workout program, Slim In 6.

I can tell that my hips have really deflated and my mid section has thinned out and toned up too.

Oh and tomorrow I'll be sharing a few of my fav juice recipes with y'all, so be sure to check back then.  

Sober Saturday: War by Jamie from Jamie Dreams Big

Hey everyone, Today I'm sharing something a little different and sharing a guest post here on It's My Evolution.  Jamie and I went to college together and she has an amazing story to share.....She also posted this on her own blog:  Jamie Dreams Big and i just had to have her share it here for all of you as well....so here goes: 

Happy Sober Saturday!!

I am jumping back into Sober Saturday (It’s bi-weekly now) with a very transparent story about an experience that happened to me about a year ago. This experience was one of the scariest things that ever happened to me and though it wasn’t about an addiction to anything, it taught me soooo much about myself.  I had a difficult time recording this video and even now I’m nervous about posting it. I didn’t do a lot of editing AT ALL because trying to perfect it became a distraction from actually posting it and moving on. I’m ready to FULLY live in the freedom that comes from overcoming something and if that means getting it out then I’m up for it.

Here’s the story…

WAR-

A SUSTAINED EFFORT TO DEAL WITH OR END A PARTICULAR UNPLEASANT OR UNDESIRABLE SITUATION OR CONDITION.

After visiting many Doctors in New Orleans and Ft Worth (really just to comfort my family, I already knew what it was) and after many, many tests nothing was found. I grew even more frustrated and thought of ALL the possibilities that could happen and that took my focus away from actually dealing with the situation. I’m someone who values things being done properly so all I could think was  “What am I doing wrong?” “What did I do to upset God?” “Why isn’t he helping me?”  But this was about me realizing the strength that God had ALREADY given me.

I was so devastated and broken because I’d never experienced anything like this. After losing confidence in my appearance and even my capabilities I cut all of my hair off (I wanted to see myself differently. I think that helped…) and I have strayed away from using my imagination so much. This was the first year since I started theater that I didn’t participate in any form of theater really AT ALL. I allowed this experience to become bigger than me. I had to realize who I was and what I’ve already done and what I’ve already overcome and then FIGHT for myself and my dreams. I had to get a lil cocky! Lol. I had to go to War and show Satan and myself that I’m strong enough to win and then, WIN! This wasn’t a pleasant experience by far but it allowed me to look at how I was dealing with it and realize that that is how I deal with most things. I allow my mind to take something and build on to it… I allow myself to make things bigger and treat them as though its real and true. (Apparently the eyeballs WEREN’T all over me… Lol.) As I stated in the video, the mind is a powerful thing. When you are convinced of something in your mind you begin to act as though it is fact. Your reaction, actions, your body, everything responds to what your mind tells it to.

This Sober Saturday isn’t about being Sober from any addiction but its about identifying a dysfunction in your behavior and correcting it. The war isn’t always going to be against Satan or someone else… on the worst days the person you are and the person you are supposed to become will have to fight. It’s tough work but its so worth it. This is a part of my journey… And the physical illness woke me up to allow myself to heal and grow spiritually. I cannot stand Satan but I’m glad that he brought the warfare because God turned it around to benefit me and has really taken me to a new level of living.

Do the work guys! And fight for yourself… God believes in you enough to keep you here and to put you on this earth for a purpose. If it’s good enough for him to believe in… out of EVERYONE ONE THE EARTH, he chose you… If he believes it, you are capable!

Thanks so much for sticking with me.

Sober Saturday is back in full effect so if you have something to share please don’t keep it to yourself. Someone is somewhere waiting to hear a story like yours to take them into the next level of living… DO IT! Email jamiedreamsbig@gmail.com

Muah!

Jamie 

PS FROM KENDRA:  Huge thanks to Jamie for sharing her story on I.M.E. today.  Isn't she amazing?! 

My Juice Fast: Day Eighteen

Still feeling great and chugging along right through Day 18. I've been creating my own random juice recipes along the way....most are hits, some are complete flops, but it's fun to create new things!!  I also purchased some smaller beets and adding one in to a recipe gives it a kick in a waaaaay less overwhelming way.  The large beets I was previously using were way too concentrated!!

So anyways, let's get on to how Day 18 went.  Of course, you probably have my morning routine memorized by now, because I like to keep things simple & consistent.  Morning Hip Hop Abs workout at 4:15am:

Here's what I wore:

Patterned Top- $5 at Maurices
Striped Cardi from The Limited- $2 at Goodwill in OKC
Dark Denim- $7.90 at Forever 21
Blue Sandals- Gifted from NaNa from Cato
Diamond stud earrings- Gifted from NaNa
Bracelets- Charming Charlie & Maurices
Long Chain Necklace- $1.99 at Charlotte Russe

Tried a new flavor of coconut water yesterday-->> Pineapple by Harvestbay.  It was ok, but doesn't compare with my fav lemonade flavor.  I also didn't like that the fruit flavor came from concentrate, but that's not a huge deal breaker.  

What do y'all think?  What's the yummiest coconut water flavor you've tried?

The juice flavors I made yesterday were on point!!!  I need to start writing down my recipes and keeping track of what I like....I followed all the Reboot recipes at the beginning, but now I've branched out and just create my own based on what I think would be a good combo.  Surprisingly, it works out most of the time! haha

After work, the hubs and I went to Best Buy and I got to spoil him with a few present, which I NEVER get the chance to do so it was nice to be able to give back to him.  He seriously does so much for me...provides for our little family, loves our Zoey & Noah (Those crazy furbabies) and truly takes care of me....whether I'm sick or emotional or entrepreneurial and passionate-- He always seems to have my back.  #ThatsLove

He's the one who started me on this crazy juicing journey and he has been encouraging me all along the way.  If you decide to try a juice cleanse...whether it's one day or thirty, make sure you've got a cheering section for when times get tough or doubt sets in.  It really helps!! 

My Juice Fast: Day Seventeen

Good morning y'all!  AHHHH after my workout this morning, I hoped on the scale and BOOM I am back and at the lowest weight I've been in about 3 or 4 years.  I had pretty much hovered at 135lbs since the end of 2012 and I had steadily maintained it until we bought a house and started eating out more than eating in. I got up to 150lbs in August 2015 and I was terrified of going backwards...Plus, I felt awful, fluffy, tired all the time, getting chronic upper respiratory infections, I was deficient in Vitamin D and my allergies were off the charts. By August, I even struggled to stay a wake at home past 7:30pm. 

I was in a health slump and my eating wasn't doing me any favors....yes, I was working out daily, sometimes twice a day, but no amount of working out could change my body if I didn't change what I ate.  Now this is where the cleanse comes in.....my hubs had been encouraging me to try a cleanse to help heal my body and I was kind of resistant to the idea until we stumbled upon Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead on Netflix and I watched in awe.  Seriously, I just had to give it a try and now I'm so glad and thankful to be on this journey!!!  What a whirlwind!  Now I'm down 16lbs and at 134.2lbs.  I still have 13 days to go to hit 30....crazyness!!

Anyways, I just felt led to share a little bit about what's brought me to the Reboot and how I'm feeling with 17 days done.  

Now let's fast forward to where we are now and do a little review of Day 17:

I woke at my normal time, 4:15am, but this morning it was actually cold so I threw on my new leggings ($5 from Rue 21) and one of my fav pink hoodies (the hubs and I went to San Fran on our honeymoon) and I did my Hip Hop Abs workout.  I can really see & feel a difference on the side of my stomach....it's firmer and I can actually flex a teeny muscle there now.  #Progress

After my workout, I made the hubs pancakes and an omelet, got ready for work and we headed out the door.  Here's what I wore:

White Tee- $5.99 at Ann Taylor Loft

Black Denim- $7.90 at Forever 21Studded Patent Flats- $10 at Charlotte RusseStatement Neacklace- $2.95 at CatoGold Earrings- Came in a set from MIZ Outlet, 6 sets for $5Bracelets- Charming Charlie & Cato

It's so simple to stay on track with juicing at work since I only have what I brought to eat....yes, we have an on-site cafe, but when I already have juice in my bag it's easy to make a good choice.  Having juices prepared and ready to go are seriously a time-saver and so handy!!

After work I had to run by Sprouts to stock up since on Sunday I was exhausted and just grabbed the bare minimum from a grocery store on our street that's a bit pricey.  Sprouts has great quality, super inexpensive fruits and veggies....seriously, I love it!!  Got all this for $38!

After I finished grocery shopping, I headed home, made dinner for the hubs, watched some Big Bang Theory, took a bubble bath and then fell asleep while catching up on Youtube vlogs. Nights like those are prefect, comfy, relaxing week nights. My husband has taught me so many valuable things through our marriage and one of them is how to slow down, relax and rest.  I don't always have to be on the go...running from one activity or event to the next.  It's healthy for me to chill, decompress and do 'nothing' sometimes.  How freeing is that?!

Hope y'all are all having a fabulous week!  Comment below and let me know where you like to go to stock up on your fruits and veggies....I'm always open to trying new stores.

My Juice Fast: Day Sixteen

Officially over the 1/2 way mark....and I'll be honest the weekend trip and feeling not so great yesterday had me wanting to throw in the towel.  I have a headache in the afternoon and my right knee, hip and wrist were all really sore....probably a combo of working out and walking around the outlet mall for like 9hrs straight.  

When cleansing, rest is sooooo important and I, for sure, didn't get enough of that this past weekend, BUT I did have such a fun time that it was worth it!! ;-)  So let's rewind and start Day 16 from the beginning.....here's how it went:

Woke up at my normal 4:15am and knocked out my Hip Hop Ab workout....OOO and I got my FREE shorts in the mail for finishing Brazil Butt Lift and sharing my results on Beachbody's website....seriously, every time you finish a workout program from Beachbody they send you free workout gear.  It's awesome!!

After my workout, I got ready for work, ironed my hubby clothes, made him breakfast, packed out food for the day and we headed out the door.   Here's what I wore:

Printed Top- $3.99 at Goodwill in OKC

Tank Top- $2 at Rue 21
Dark Denim- $7.90 at Forever 21 in OKC (My go to place for inexpensive comfy jeans)
Brown Sandals- $12 at Payless
Key Necklace- $2.99 at Forever 21 in OKC
Gold Diamond Stud Earrings- Came in a set for about $3.50 from Charming Charlie
Bracelets- Charming Charlie & Target Style

After work, the hubs and I went on a random Monday night date....luckily I brought some extra juice along.  He had Italian food and I sipped on my green juice. It was a nice little treat to get out after work on a Monday...we normally do date nights out on Thursdays. 

After our date, we headed home and were both so worn out that we quickly got our pjs on and planted ourselves on the couch...we watched Jeopardy, Family Fued and a little Big Bang Theory....then while I was dozing off he watched some Mondy Night Football. 

I think my body was really trying to heal itself, because I was worn out...had a headache and I was just overly sore...my right hip, knee and wrist all hurt.  I fell asleep on the couch and never moved! haha  BUT I think that's good, because I think that means the cleanse is doing it's job....it's repairing my body which had been so weak, drained of energy and prone to getting sick way too often.  

We'll see how it goes as I keep on trucking along...

What else would you like to know about juicing other than how it fits into my routine?  Would you like to see a how-to or recipes? Let me know in the comments!!

PS:  I'm officially down exactly 15lbs as of the day this is posted...woot, woot!

My Juice Fast: Day 13-15

Wow, what a fun whirlwind of a weekend!!  Hope y'all had a great one too!  Let's get this week started with a little review of Friday (Day 13) through Sunday (Day 15)-->>  Officially 1/2 way to my ultimate 30 day goal. 

Let's start with Friday, Day 13....I woke up Friday morning and got my Hip Hop Abs workout done as usual:

I can really tell such a difference in my tummy and waist in just two weeks...I feel like I've deflated! haha  I think I was holding in tons of water from all the fast food and added salt I'd be eating.  Thank goodness that's all out of my system!!

After my workout, I got ready and headed to work.  Here's what I wore:

Oversized Cardi- $10 at Rue 21
Coral Top- Thrifted
White Tank- $2 at Rue 21
Dark Denim- $12 at Talbots
Brown Sandals- $12 at Payless
2 Gold Bracelets- Came in a set of 3 for $5 at Charming Charlie
Gold and diamond earrings- About $3 at Charming Charlie
Beaded Necklace- Gifted from NaNa from Cato

After work the hubs and I headed out to see a movie.  We ended up seeing Mission Impossible and I was really surprised at how good it was.  We weren't planning to see it, but with not many choices left that we hadn't see, we went for it and I loved the action and story line....not bad at all! I stayed on track with juicing and since the movie was an early one I just has my last juice about an hr late...I was hungry, but not starving. 

After the movie, we went home and I did all my juicing for Saturday and then packed my bags for a girls weekend with my Mom. 

I woke up Saturday at 4:15am and got a quick Hip Hop Abs workout in before packing up my car and heading out on the road:

After my workout, I got ready, finished packing, loaded up and the car, said goodbye to the hubby and headed out on the road to OKC.  

Before leaving town I had to gas up my car so I went inside the store and got some water & Argo Tea for the road.  I'd never tried the tea before, but it was delish and I love that it came in a glass bottle...totally saved the bottle for juicing!! 

My mom and I met up at the hotel around 9am for breakfast and then we headed straight to the OKC Outlet Mall. Oh my goodness y'all...we seriously shopped till we dropped....we shopped from about 10am to a little past 6pm with just a short 30min break in there for lunch.  It was so much fun....juicing was way more spread out the normal so that was a little tough, but I kept at it and made it work the best I could!! :-) 

After we finished shopping, we went back to the hotel and went through all our goodies, seperated out loot and then went to bed around Midnight.  

I still can't get over how cute the lobby of the Crown Plaza Hotel was...just so stinkin cute!!!

On Sunday morning, I woke up around 8am, got all dress and we went to breakfast in the hotel...don't worry I stuck with my juice.  I'm not afraid to take my juice in a resturant...hahaha  I mean, I'm not just going to miss out on fun times, because I'm focusing on my health. #BestOfBothWorlds

After breakfast, we went for one last little shopping spree at Target before we each headed home in separate directions.  Mom got me a few cute things for my daily planner, electronic monopoly for my hubby and a food processor for me post-cleanse....check it out:

I can't wait to try out this vegan cookbook once I'm finished cleansing...it has 500 recipes...craziness!! At Target I also grabbed a few all natural, non-gmo, organic juices from Target to drink on the way home since I wasn't able to juice at the hotel the night before.  They were all really yummy.....thank goodness!!

After I made it back home, I just relaxed with my hubby, juiced for Monday, took a long bubble bath and watched the Cowboys game. Hope y'all had a great weekend too!