sopheetsa
March 8th, 2006, 06:11 AM
Dear Dedicated Green for Lifers,
I ended my MC last Friday. I can't say it was by the book: I started eating right away (after a 52 Day MC)--instead of doing a day of orange juice, and then another followed by vegetable stock....
But all went well, at least at first, with respect to the issue that concerns me now. I had to restrain myself from writing ODES about each BM: the first was MAJOR-- a synphony in coconut brown, a hairy diffuse mass. The next, more delicate, long and entrail shaped, a light nearly translucent green (from the avocados I'd eaten) and so it went, each having a unique character--till the fatal day: I had been awaiting my Vita-mix with great anticipation. I wanted to start on Boutenko's green smoothies ASAP! I didn't just order one I ordered TWO--convinced that radical change was not possible, without radical change: I thought to BRING ONE TO WORK and have it at the ready for travel as well. I even bought the special smaller quart size pitcher for this purpose.
I ended my fast last Friday, the Vita-mix arrived Saturday, (the day mom was released from the hospital.) I would dedicate my SUNDAY to getting STARTED on my new path of making green smoothies! I spent the day outdoors, running, then at the gym swimming, I had a great big spinach salad, and bought the ingredients for my first smoothie: organic kale, blueberries, bananas, blackberries, kiwis...
I never used the Vita-mix before, so I watched the video, I read the start-up manual...I cleaned the thing-- I prepared my ingredients--and MADE MY FIRST SMOOTHIE! At first it wasn't sweet enough- so I added more bananas, a total of 3 to give it a tasty smooth consistency.
I didn't drink it all at once-- just ONE CUP, the rest I saved for the next day, bringing it to work with me in a fancy airtight sealed jar, designed and made in Italy. It was about 2 cups worth, and I spooned it out during the lab meeting. MMMMM it tasted good--although it was not as lush as say-- eating a mango. This was Monday.
Calamity struck-- when was it-- well first Tuesday morning-- I had a tough time moving my bowels-- but still THEY MOVED. I went to the gym, and weighed myself on the digital scale-- and I actually weighed LESS than the day I ended my MC by a pound! All seemed well enough-- but as the day progressed-- by early afternoon-- I knew I was having a problem! I spent the better part of a 1/2 hour to 3/4 of an hour in the bathroom-- I was definitely constipated. It reminded me of a story someone told of her first pregnancy-- how she tried every position... Well there I was in a thankfully private bathroom, trying EVERY POSSIBLE POSITION-- mainly squatting-- But all to virtually no avail.
The stuff that eventually came out-- slowly--painfully-- was the DENSEST stuff I'd ever seen! It was clearly GREEN, dark GREEN, and it was a fine dense, intense thing! The water was practically completely extracted.
My theory is that the Vita-mix certainly does keep the fiber-- but it is ground so fine-- that it stops up the machine! (the body that is.)
Obviously other people have NOT been having this problem, so what did I do wrong? Perhaps I USED TOO MUCH KALE, and TOO MUCH BANANA! Banana can be constipating...I guess so can finely ground kale!
I was highly reactive to my situation. Rather than juice again (this was only yesterday) even though I had brought my Vita-mix to work, I decided to chop & eat the ingredients AS A SALAD: So for lunch I had a large bowl of chopped up kale, apple, blackberries, 1 carrot, and I added a fig & 2 pecans. Over this I dribbled some cold pressed organic olive oil and one full lemon. MMMM. Delicious to eat!
Concerned that I need even more fiber in my system, I followed that with a late afternoon snack of:
3 oranges
2 kiwis
1 blood orange
and a handful of blackberries
Before leaviing work I also downed a mango, and I might add for breakfast I had had a cup of chopped up cabbage and other "roughage"....
Finally-- and maybe I shouldn't have, for dinner I had another cup and a half of mixed veggies & beans, mostly raw.
I hadn't eaten this much quantity, or volume, to date-- post cleanse, but at this point I was desperate-- so before going to bed-- I had an avocado with lemon having read that avocado was a great source of fiber, the perfect mix of soluble and insoluble...
This morning-- woke at 4 AM-- with intense constipation again! I spent a long time extracting a dense plug of that same "green" highly dense stuff. After that I ate a mango- having read that a mango a day-- keeps constipation at bay!
Well-- i'm far from in the clear- and somewhat upset! I want my new lifestyle to work! Any thoughts? They'd be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, desperately plugged up!
Sophie
I ended my MC last Friday. I can't say it was by the book: I started eating right away (after a 52 Day MC)--instead of doing a day of orange juice, and then another followed by vegetable stock....
But all went well, at least at first, with respect to the issue that concerns me now. I had to restrain myself from writing ODES about each BM: the first was MAJOR-- a synphony in coconut brown, a hairy diffuse mass. The next, more delicate, long and entrail shaped, a light nearly translucent green (from the avocados I'd eaten) and so it went, each having a unique character--till the fatal day: I had been awaiting my Vita-mix with great anticipation. I wanted to start on Boutenko's green smoothies ASAP! I didn't just order one I ordered TWO--convinced that radical change was not possible, without radical change: I thought to BRING ONE TO WORK and have it at the ready for travel as well. I even bought the special smaller quart size pitcher for this purpose.
I ended my fast last Friday, the Vita-mix arrived Saturday, (the day mom was released from the hospital.) I would dedicate my SUNDAY to getting STARTED on my new path of making green smoothies! I spent the day outdoors, running, then at the gym swimming, I had a great big spinach salad, and bought the ingredients for my first smoothie: organic kale, blueberries, bananas, blackberries, kiwis...
I never used the Vita-mix before, so I watched the video, I read the start-up manual...I cleaned the thing-- I prepared my ingredients--and MADE MY FIRST SMOOTHIE! At first it wasn't sweet enough- so I added more bananas, a total of 3 to give it a tasty smooth consistency.
I didn't drink it all at once-- just ONE CUP, the rest I saved for the next day, bringing it to work with me in a fancy airtight sealed jar, designed and made in Italy. It was about 2 cups worth, and I spooned it out during the lab meeting. MMMMM it tasted good--although it was not as lush as say-- eating a mango. This was Monday.
Calamity struck-- when was it-- well first Tuesday morning-- I had a tough time moving my bowels-- but still THEY MOVED. I went to the gym, and weighed myself on the digital scale-- and I actually weighed LESS than the day I ended my MC by a pound! All seemed well enough-- but as the day progressed-- by early afternoon-- I knew I was having a problem! I spent the better part of a 1/2 hour to 3/4 of an hour in the bathroom-- I was definitely constipated. It reminded me of a story someone told of her first pregnancy-- how she tried every position... Well there I was in a thankfully private bathroom, trying EVERY POSSIBLE POSITION-- mainly squatting-- But all to virtually no avail.
The stuff that eventually came out-- slowly--painfully-- was the DENSEST stuff I'd ever seen! It was clearly GREEN, dark GREEN, and it was a fine dense, intense thing! The water was practically completely extracted.
My theory is that the Vita-mix certainly does keep the fiber-- but it is ground so fine-- that it stops up the machine! (the body that is.)
Obviously other people have NOT been having this problem, so what did I do wrong? Perhaps I USED TOO MUCH KALE, and TOO MUCH BANANA! Banana can be constipating...I guess so can finely ground kale!
I was highly reactive to my situation. Rather than juice again (this was only yesterday) even though I had brought my Vita-mix to work, I decided to chop & eat the ingredients AS A SALAD: So for lunch I had a large bowl of chopped up kale, apple, blackberries, 1 carrot, and I added a fig & 2 pecans. Over this I dribbled some cold pressed organic olive oil and one full lemon. MMMM. Delicious to eat!
Concerned that I need even more fiber in my system, I followed that with a late afternoon snack of:
3 oranges
2 kiwis
1 blood orange
and a handful of blackberries
Before leaviing work I also downed a mango, and I might add for breakfast I had had a cup of chopped up cabbage and other "roughage"....
Finally-- and maybe I shouldn't have, for dinner I had another cup and a half of mixed veggies & beans, mostly raw.
I hadn't eaten this much quantity, or volume, to date-- post cleanse, but at this point I was desperate-- so before going to bed-- I had an avocado with lemon having read that avocado was a great source of fiber, the perfect mix of soluble and insoluble...
This morning-- woke at 4 AM-- with intense constipation again! I spent a long time extracting a dense plug of that same "green" highly dense stuff. After that I ate a mango- having read that a mango a day-- keeps constipation at bay!
Well-- i'm far from in the clear- and somewhat upset! I want my new lifestyle to work! Any thoughts? They'd be greatly appreciated!
Thanks, desperately plugged up!
Sophie