Think Yourself Thin

by JJ Smith

  Searching the Internet, I found a video of this woman who stated I could lose up to 10 pounds without going to the gym. I was so happy because the gym was one place I did not want to go; I then made a purchase that would change my life forever. I bought JJ Smith’s book The 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse and actually read it in one day, while I admittedly ate several snacks. I talked to people at work in search of someone to try the cleanse with me and one friend agreed. Every other form of support came from the JJ Smith Green Smoothie Cleanse Facebook page. The encouragement there was so motivating and spirit-raising, I felt a great connection. I couldn’t wait to post the pic of my veggies, fruits, snacks, and new Nutribullet I purchased. I was so excited to post.

  I knew then this was going to work. Even though I had said it many times before, this time I felt it in my heart. Being a virgin to detoxing, I messed up in the first three days of my 10-day cleanse. Yet the encouragement from JJ Smith herself on the page and others truly helped motivate me and align my willpower with my goal. I restarted my ten days and successfully finished. I was amazed at how good I felt, amazed at my ability to not eat rice, platano, salami or to drink coffee. Being a Dominican woman, that was hard for me. Then it happened—the biggest payoff to my sacrifice—getting on the scale and seeing I was 12 pounds lighter! The excitement I felt was heard throughout the building in which I live. It was then that I thought to myself, “You did this without exercising, girl. Go see what happens when you go to the gym.” That began my next twice-a-month 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse, along with the gym, for the next two years.

  While signing up at the local YMCA, this one question on the paperwork made me think of JJ Smith. The question asked, “What motivated me to begin my membership?” Immediately, I smiled and thought of JJ Smith! She tricked me into positivity. She knew that after seeing the weight loss I would be motivated to push further and want to work out. JJ Smith also motivated me to challenge myself, and I joined something I was always afraid of, an intense boot camp workout program. With the combination of all three, especially the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse, the pounds really started to shed. My results even encouraged family members and coworkers to try the Green Smoothie Cleanse and it has been successful for them as well.

  I never thought that the sad 342-pound me that began my 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse journey in 2014 would ever see a spiritually better 210-pound me with more self-esteem. JJ Smith’s method of cleaning my body has taught me how to eat right and healthy. Her dedication to us through her videos and Facebook page maintains my motivation. I’m truly living now because I’m happy inside and out, no more faking it. Instead of beating myself up, I know how to get back on track if I mess up. I vacation more, have more energy, and encourage others. I am finally the total me I knew and always wanted to be. I am happy and living in my “You Only Live Once” moment to the fullest.

  Jocelyn has gone from a size 22 to a size 6.

  It was December and I was at my breaking point. I suffered from inflammation, bloating, slow metabolism, foggy brain, and severe back and knee pain. In the month of February, I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl! However, during my pregnancy, I worried about weight gain because I was already tipping the scale at 214 pounds. I gained 20 pounds during pregnancy, I lost 20 pounds after I gave birth, and then gained the 20 pounds right back! Frustrated, weighing in at 234 pounds, I joined JJ’s VIP group and my life has never been the same.

  I have lost 75 pounds in less than a year and dropped from a size 22 dress to a size 6!

  My self-image has improved, my energy has increased, I have a clearer mind, there is no bloating or inflammation, and I’m happy to say my back and knee pain are gone!

  What keeps me inspired and motivated every day is prayer and devotion, starting my day with this portion keeps my mind focused on the blessings that I’ve been given. Secondly, sticking close to the Facebook group keeps my mind connected with others who have similar goals. JJ Smith is a great teacher and when I practice the information that she teaches I always have success. Lastly, I am now a mother of a beautiful baby girl and I want to be a positive example to teach her how to avoid obesity and other health risks.

  A few strategies that I have learned to use are to set long, short, intermittent, and daily goals. I also reward myself when I achieve my goals, which keeps me motivated during the journey.

  My mind-set is such that when setbacks arise, I never give up. On the days that I want to give up, I redirect my mind back to my planned goals. Support. Support. Support. I attempted to rid unwanted pounds many times, but without proper support it was an epic fail. So, get the support you need to be successful on this weight-loss journey.

  Michelle has lost over 60 pounds.

  I am forty-five years old and my “get optimally healthy” journey started in January. At that time, I made a commitment to myself to become the most disciplined person I know. I was determined to totally reverse the outcome of my health assessment, which was done in mid-December. I weighed in at 224 pounds, had high blood pressure, high cholesterol and felt plain miserable. Something about those red exclamation marks on a piece of paper ignited a flame in me and started me on my way. I knew I had two choices: do nothing and allow my health to further deteriorate or do something to steer totally away from “danger zone.” Through grace and mercy, I chose the latter.

  In January, I started researching anything and everything I could that had to do with losing weight and improving my health overall (mind, body, and soul). Then came JJ Smith and the world-renowned green smoothies. After extensive research, I added green smoothies to my daily regimen. I told myself at the very beginning that I would not rush the process, as I wanted to MASTER my mind, weight loss, and weight-loss maintenance for good! By the time my health assessment rolled around a year later, I was down 50 pounds and vital statistics were “normal.” The nurse who completed my assessment gave me a “gold star” for reversing my prior year’s results!

  As a result of dropping the 50 pounds, my abnormal breathing pattern returned to normal. Also, my digestive system, which was at the brink of a shutdown, began to function properly again. I was so ecstatic about my results that I challenged myself to drop another 14 pounds just for general purpose. Four months later I was down to 160 pounds for a total weight loss of 64 pounds.

  To stay motivated, I always keep the reason why I started my journey at the forefront of my mind. Frankly, I’ve come too far to turn back now. My family and I deserve the improved healthier version of myself. Also, I challenge myself on a constant and consistent basis to keep improving without stopping. “Me vs. me, I will not lose” is the motto that I live by.

  The one thing I would advise anyone who is on the journey is to feed their mind with as much positivity as they possibly can on a daily basis. It takes a healthy mind to obtain and sustain a healthy lifestyle.

  Carol has lost 70 pounds.

  I began my journey in January. As a child, I was raised in a home with a lot of love. There was love everywhere, but as you know, unless you truly love yourself, there is something missing. Deep down I didn’t love myself as I should have. Years and years and years of disappointment, being self-conscious, upset, and not loving the skin that I was in had come to a head. I tried every diet known to man yet over the years, I kept getting bigger and bigger. When I stepped on the scale and I saw 237 pounds and I was wearing a size 20/22, I’d had it. Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease ran in my family. I already had high blood pressure and high cholesterol and was headed on a freight train toward diabetes and heart disease. I had to do something about it. I saw information on Facebook about a 30-Day Challenge that JJ Smith was going to have. I thought to myself, “Carol, this is your time.” I prepared myself mentally to begin right after I returned home from vacation. I knew I was going to start a few days late, but I had to start in order to save my life.

  My lifestyle change consisted of having two smoothies a day and one clean meal along wit
h healthy snacks. I began exercising three to four times a week and I loved it. I increased it to five-six times a week on some weeks. Part of the DHEMM (Detox/Hormonal Balance/Eat Clean/Mental Mastery/Move) system is to Move. I found that moving helped me as much mentally as it did physically. The inches and the weight just began to fall off. I made sure that I stayed hydrated by drinking half my body weight in ounces of water. That was key to my success because it helped flush the toxins that had built up in my body. I finally got my mind right. I was able to be really focused, in spite of all that was going on in the world around me. Yes, there are still stresses in my life and ups and downs, but I handle things differently with the education and knowledge that I have gained from JJ Smith, the ambassadors, and the VIP group.

  I am so happy and proud to say that I have lost 70 pounds and am a size 10/12. I walk with a pep in my step and have gotten both my sexy and my confidence back. The doctor ran tests and all of my numbers are better. I am now off my blood pressure medication. I continue to drink my water and exercise. I travel a lot for work, so I may not exercise as much some months, but I have still been able to maintain my weight loss. I equip myself with the tools that I need to succeed while I am away from home for extended periods of time. I still make my smoothies every morning, I prepare my snacks, and I plan ahead.

  I am motivated to be around to see my nieces and nephews graduate, go to college, get married, and have kids. I did not want to be the Auntie that passed away at an early age due to obesity and all of the health issues that came along with it.

  If there is one thing that I can tell you as you are reading my segment in this book, it is to never give up on yourself. You have the inner strength to be the best you that you can be. Just take it one day at a time, literally. Plan for tomorrow and then when that day is done, plan for the next tomorrow and then the next. Before you know it, you will be a much healthier and most likely a much happier you. Love yourself enough to take that first step.

  Tonya Register lost over 50 pounds.

  I started my journey a little over two years ago with at 10-day cleanse and had great success losing 20 pounds in ten days. I then signed up to be a VIP member and I participated in JJ’s Flat Belly Challenge. I did have some success, but not the results I wanted because I still had not fully committed to my weight-loss journey. At that time, I had several distractions in my life. I was enrolled in my master’s classes for science of nursing. I found myself divorced and back to being a single momma of five children. Needless to say, my weight-loss journey took a back seat to everything else I had going on. In 2017, I started the year off by marrying my best friend and biggest supporter. After seeing myself in our wedding pictures, I knew I needed to do something. I would do a full cleanse, lose weight and stick to it for a little while before I would go back to eating the same way I had before, putting all of the weight back on.

  I would watch people in the VIP group post about their weight loss and feel guilty because I knew that I could do that too. In November, I got serious about my weight loss. I weighed 198 pounds and had a waist that measured 43 inches. I have a watched my mother and aunts struggle with their weight my entire life and I did not want to do the same thing. Plus, I wanted to be healthy for my children. I wanted energy to play with my toddler and to look good so that I did not embarrass my older children. I did a 10-day full cleanse before Thanksgiving and, of course, everyone thought I was crazy. I heard it all from “Are you drinking sewage water?” to “I couldn’t drink that, it looks horrible?” These same people now ask me what I have done to lose all my weight. I tell people that this lifestyle is easy because I don’t have to count calories or macros of any kind. I eat clean and my body loves it. I did the Killer Curves Challenge this year, a challenge where you focus on losing the weight, but keeping your curves. My waist was 41 inches at the start of it, and as of this writing, my waist measures 27 inches. I am down to 146 pounds and my goal is 138. I have learned to drink my water everyday and I’ve come to understand how detoxing the body does help with weight loss. I have taken what I learned and am currently helping my husband and son lose weight. I convinced my husband to have his hormones checked because he carries a lot of his weight in his stomach area. Initially, he argued with me that everything was okay. I knew better—imagine his surprise when I was right. He is now getting hormone therapy and I am sure that he will start losing weight too.

  This is a lifestyle not a diet. It has completely changed my life and I feel better now than I did when I was in my twenties. I can talk for hours about JJ and the green smoothies because they literally saved me from being overweight and miserable. I try to encourage everyone who is on a weight-loss journey to be consistent and drink their water. I am truly living my best life!

  Kortni has lost 50 pounds.

  I started my weight-loss journey in September. I traveled home for a visit, and while I was there, I had to switch from my loose and flowing maxi dresses and actually put on clothes. It was then that I realized my jeans and shirts were tight! And, of course, when you’re visiting your peeps, you want to take pictures. I guess before that I had not been taking that many pictures. Needless to say, it was not a pretty sight.

  While home, I was talking to my bestie’s sister, Marcia, and she told me how she too was about to get on the ball and take control of her weight. She’d heard about the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse and had been gifted a book. I told her I had lost weight doing smoothies before too and planned to go back to replacing one meal a day with a smoothie. I lost both my father and mother to cancer and did not want that to be my story. I went back home and started going to the gym and having a smoothie for breakfast (only I was not making them the correct way, aka the green way).

  Six months later, I was 17 pounds lighter, and I saw a picture of Marcia. She looked FABULOUS!! I immediately asked what she was doing, and she reminded me that she was doing the green smoothies. She had first started with the 10-day cleanse and had moved on to the Green Smoothies for Life. I committed right then and there.

  In March of last year my life changed. I embarked on the Green Smoothie lifestyle, and have not turned back since. Prior to that, I was constantly plagued by sinus infections, diagnosed with sinusitis. I had horrible allergies and was doing immunotherapy shots (two shots, twice per week for twelve weeks before I was able to reach a monthly dosage) along with taking Zyrtec and Claritin every day. I also had severe acid reflux, IBS, and was prone to migraines. When I started the 10-day cleanse, I immediately noticed a change. I was not having the ice-pick migraines; I was not constantly draining in the back of my throat, and I had more energy.

  I could go on all day about the benefits I have reaped on the Green Smoothie lifestyle, but I have limited space! I have been living the Green Smoothie lifestyle for six months now and have lost a total of 50 pounds and numerous inches. I can honestly tell you what keeps me going on my journey is the ease of what I am doing. If I do not have a Green Smoothie, I am missing it and my body is craving one. And the best part: I feel as if I am eating and snacking more now than when I was eating and drinking whatever I wanted.

  I no longer crave the junk food. I’m never hungry and always satisfied. Yet, I am continuing to lose weight and inches! Who does that? I do, with the help and support of JJ and the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse crew. My skin is clear and glowing and I feel as good as I look. I would tell anyone who is thinking about embarking on this lifestyle, the key to being successful is to detox!

  When I tell you JJ Smith is the truth, she is the truth! She doesn’t just help you lose the weight by giving you recipes to follow. JJ helps you break the chains of food addiction! The Detox/Hormonal Balance/Eat Clean/Mental Mastery/Move System is my life, and something that has allowed me to attain what I’ve been trying to do all of my life: manage my weight and be healthy.

  Sandra has lost 115 pounds.

  I began my weight-loss journey in April, weighing in at 277 pounds. I heard about the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse and began doi
ng research on it for about three weeks. I joined the 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse Facebook page and read all of the testimonials. I saw other people having success on this program and I thought to myself: “Wow, Sandra, that could be you one day!” For years I had tried to lose weight. I made some progress but nothing really significant. I finally made up my mind to give this 10-Day Green Smoothie Cleanse a try, and boy, am I glad I did. This cleanse totally changed and transformed my life. I have lost a total of 115 pounds. I have gone from a size 22/24 to a size 4/6/8!

  I started because I knew there had to be more in life. I wanted more, more energy, the glowing skin, more mobility. I wanted to be around to see and help raise my grandchildren. When more becomes your objective, less becomes unacceptable. I wanted and needed to make a change. With discipline, dedication, determination, and a made-up mind, I did just that! I took a leap and I have never regretted it.

  The health conditions that have improved: I now have more energy. People are constantly telling me that I need to slow down; I merely look them in the eye and tell them they need to catch up! My skin used to itch from me being so toxic, but as a result of implementing daily detox methods, I no longer have that issue because my skin absolutely glows. And all of this was done naturally. No surgery. Just detoxing, becoming aware of my hormone imbalances, eating clean and healthy, mastering my mental well-being, and moving daily.