What got you into juicing?
I first went to a Jason Vale seminar back in 2003, and although it got me really excited, I got bored of my (very cheap and annoying) juicer and gave it up for a few years.
Fast forward to 2009. I got engaged and I was determined to find a wedding diet that worked. I was at my highest ever weight and I thought, “If I’m not going to do it for my wedding, when would I EVER?”.
I remembered how good I felt when I was drinking a lot of juice and thought about trying it again. At the same time I got into raw food, and this time I bought a decent juicer (the mid priced one) that Jason recommends, and I got his juicing book free with it.
I also got myself a rebounder and inspired by Jason’s book, decided to lose weight for my wedding. I was so confident that I bought a dress two sizes too small!
What results have you had?
Weight wise, I lost the two dress sizes for my wedding, and have even lost more weight since, a total of 10kgs, which for me was a miracle because my weight had been going up and up since university.
More than that, I feel like I have a juicier life. I stopped working for people and places that zapped my energy, I felt happier and have a much better mood these days. I started my own business and just feel like I have the energy to do anything I set my mind to.
My hubby has been brilliant. I think he was initially sceptical about drinking juice, but it’s really changed his life too. He’s lost about 3 stone by eating a more healthy diet and incorporating juice into his life. I’m really proud of him.
Our wedding was a proud day because we both just felt so healthy and happy!
I even started a business, called Raw Brides, for other women who want to use the power of juicing and raw food to get fit for their wedding.
How has Juicing changed your life?
My hubby and I start every day with a fresh juice or a smoothie. We gave away our microwave, toaster and even our TV! Our most prized possession in our house is our high speed blender, although our juicer still gets a workout.
Our healthy lifestyle has definitely changed us. Instead of pigging out every weekend on pizza, we do yoga together. Our holidays used to be spent gorging ourselves, and then lying exhausted by the pool. Now we get juiced up and we have so much energy to explore and meet new people.
We even juiced on honeymoon! We found hotels and resorts that would cater to us in Bali, as well as searching out wheatgrass shots in Singapore and finding juice bars all over the world. We even took our own powdered wheatgrass with us that we mixed with water.
We had the energy to really experience our honeymoon. We went rock climbing, horse riding, surfing – we even did a four day fasting and yoga retreat!
I also had the confidence to wear a bikini for the first time in years. The juicing combined with the rebounding zapped my cellulite and wobbly bits.
What advice you would give to someone sceptical about juicing?
You have literally nothing to lose and everything to gain. Juicing works like nothing else for weight loss, clear skin, energy, mood and even happiness.
What’s your favourite juice?
My favourite is the sherbert lemonade – so zingy but when I’m in the mood for something simple and green, I’ll blend pineapple and rocket.
Denise Duffield-Thomas
