J Day 24: You Tube bound...

J Day 24

Weight: 298

Juice: (Video) Yellow tomato, cucumber, romaine, kale, carrot, apple, red cabbage and green pepper
          Breakfast: Beet, cucumber, pepper, romaine, hot sauce

The fast has gone viral! I have posted my first ever You Tube video today, Beth are you finally proud of me?

Well...three days ago reminded me that the eating healthy part of my life is what i struggle with the most.  It is confession time: Wednesday after the celebration meal i went out for a couple of hours on an errand then went to the store and bought a can of salt and pepper cashews... I ate the WHOLE D@RN CAN.  The caloric content was a whopping 1200 calories!  I went to them like a junkie looking for a fix.  I apologize to all of the people that have been supporting me, i did not fail but rather learned a valued lesson, be accountable during and after the fast to someone.  This person must help you be honest when you do something like this.  I was ready to say forget it to the whole thing but was reminded that all good things take time.  The sodium has messed with my system, as i would gander it would do to most people ingesting that much sodium on an clean and empty digestive system.  I have been reminded that it is a journey and there will be hurdles, thank Cin, but won't give up.  Enjoy the video. 

J Day 21 (Part 2): Celebration!!!

J Day 21

In honor of the milestone day my family and I celebrated with...food. I know how can this be a fast from food if your gonna eat.  Well, that's what having an exit strategy and moderation after the fast is all about.  Tonight we tried the salad dressing and taco recipe that i have had in my head for over a month now.  I am full. And i am apatitically (there's one for ol' Hubbard) satisfied.  Here is what we had...

Salad: Spinach, romaine, tomato, fresh shredded carrot (do it yourself don buy already shredded) and cucumber
Dressing: 2 cloves of garlic (crushed), 4 oz red wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons good quality extra virgin olive oil, 2 teaspoons mustard (Dijon tonight), salt and pepper to taste and hot sauce to taste

The dressing will be slightly broken and runny. Dress your salad in a large bowl before getting individual servings, this will just coat the leaves and lower the caloric value.  The garlic, mustard and hot sauce make big flavors for the blandish greens.

And for the main coarse...

Turkey tacos: 93% lean Turkey, black beans, no fat cottage cheese, tomatoes, lime, hot sauce, herbs and spices all rapped in a romaine leaf.

I am happy to say i could not finish this plate. I will be back full strength tomorrow on the fast but it was a good celebration...39 days to go, I CAN"T WAIT!!!

Thanks for the love.

Peace

J Day 21: Milestone please.....

J Day 21


Weight:

300lbs

I went to bed last night at about 1:30am.  Before i went to bed i just thought, "Kolby (that's what i call myself, fa a long long way to run), I wonder if?" well that thought had nothing to do with weight it was about a sandwich; part cheeseburger, part mac and cheese, part Philly, part mozzarella sticks, part steak fries smothered in cheese and served on a roll??? I FOUND IT: The Fat Sandy at Muchies 4:20 cafe in Florida: http://www.munchies420cafe.com/the-menu

Oh ya I forgot 300lbs!!! That is 43lbs in 21 days. I could not believe it if i wasn't doing it. I have essentially lost my 5 year old son off of my body. 39 days remaine and it looks as if there is no stopping in site. My wife and i jested at the start of this how long i would last and i saw myself getting off 20 maybe 30lbs in the 60 days but if this stays the course and i only lose 1lb a day average, for the remainder of the 60 days, i will be 82lbs lighter in 2 months! If you are doing the math that is 11lbs away from 250 which is the next mile stone after 50lbs. However...

THIS IS NOT A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM! I say that for myself because i know how easy it can turn into that.  Crack is a weight/loss program; you can wait to lose your house, job and shed a few pounds. This is not a weight loss program.  The weight loss is the gift that comes with being healthy and the pounds lost becomes a good indicator that i am getting healthier but it is only one indicator of many. The lifestyle that comes at the end of this 60 days is the key though. I i go back to eating that which resides above, more than once a year, i am in for doom.  I will be there one day though enjoying a Fat Sandy (with 4 friends) and a double portion of their Greek salad... but today it's juice time. 

Lot's of Love

Peace   

J Day 19: Quick post

J Day 19

Will not be revealing any weight until my scale at home will register, so my next weight will be 299 or under cause the scale only goes to 300.

Just keep swimming...this is juicing and lasagna.

Thanks.

Day 18: The first hard day.

Day 18

Weight 306
Struggles: I haven't talked about the struggles yet because quite frankly there have not been, bar the Hell Days...today was a struggle.  I have cooked for my kids and even my wife since the fast has started, no problem.  I have sat in the room with others eating, no problem.  Today though it has been bad.  Let's go backwards a day and start there.  
Yesterday was the first time in a grocery store for me in a while.
I don't frequent them first of all but now they seemed like they would be a problem and boy was it.  I LOVE food. Walking the isles of the mart with wals killed me.  I was pissed buy the time we left and could not get all the flavors of even simple things like olives out of my head.  I was there because i was getting supplies for a catering at church today, start struggle #2.

 I prepared two massive lasagnas, prepped for Caesar salad so on and so forth.  Today i cooked and served food to over 60 people by the time it was over i was going insane, i went to the kitchen and scrubbed dishes just to get away.  I know that in 42 day or even tomorrow this will (can) be over but i believe that this exposes the true struggle, I LOVE food.  This is why an exit strategy is probably the most important part of this whole thing.  I will be talking more in the next couple of weeks about it.  If i go back to my old lifestyle and old eating habit this will all be for not.  OH! I don't know if you noticed i am 3lbs away from 40lbs!  That makes it worth it and the time that has already been given back to my family, well worth it. Peace.

J Day 16: And then there was one...

J Day 16

Weight: 310lbs **today i have lost 10% of my original weight**

Juice: 36oz; beet, romaine (which is killer), spinach, cucumber, red and green pepper, apple, lime and introducing... YELLOW TOMATO

Water: 1.5 Gallon

So maybe you guessed from the title that my wife is out.  She fells better and is at the start of making a huge transformation in her eating habits and diet but the juice fast is over for her. 7 days, 8lbs and a detox not bad at all.

Well, the company that i work for has bought a juicer to put in house!  The owner of the company is not nearly as heavy as i am but has seen the transformation not only with weight but energy and stamina and vitality and ATTITUDE!  He, like me (and most reading this) has done everything he can to fell "better" but nothing has worked...long. He plans to start next Thursday and have his hell days over his weekend off.  I have shared with him the strategy that i would like to share with you now.

1. The fast is not a quick weight loss tool that can be scraped as soon as you hit your goal. The object is to cleanse or detox the body from the years of CRAP that we have thrown in it.  This is what is achieved on days two through five, that's what the headache and body discomfort and diarrhea are all about.  If the objective is weight loss alone YOU WILL FAIL! 


2.  The moderation and balance of what you drink during the fast is key.  Fruit juice taste excellent but contain lots of fructose.  A balance of fruit and vegetables is key.  I try to do 2/3 vegetables to 1/3 fruit by volume of juice.  Beets and carrots are vruits, yeh i said it, vruits.  These are also high in sugar and should be considered and a 1/2 veg-1/2 fruit.  Vegetables taste best right after juicing and any bitter taste can be cut with lemon or lime juice, fresh not out of a container.


3. WATER, WATER, WATER!!! You can not, can not, can not drink to much water.  Clear pee is a sign of a good amount of water going through your system. DRINK LOTS OF WATER.


4. Have an exit strategy.  If you leave this fast and go back to your old eating habits you will have just wasted all this time for nothing.


So over the next couple of weeks we will talk about an exit strategy.

With today being a mile stone i wanted to thank a few people who have helped me get to where i am today. With their prayer and kicks in the rear i have stayed the course and have felt encouraged though out this so here they are:

*My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, thank you for allowing me to serve.
*My wife, I love that you love me, keep me strong.
*My sons, "daddy you can't eat that your juicing, can we go swimming again?"
*Dad, thanks for the ice milk at 13.
*RG prayers, thanks for your support, see you Monday.
*Marvin's Produce LLC in Taylors, SC. Thanks for the great deals on produce!
*Bahram Mehrabani, Owner of Tortilla Maria Organic Tortillas in Greenville, SC. http://tortillamaria.com/.      Thanks for listening and calling me fat (Bahram's name will come up a lot as we talk exit strategy in the future).
*Fergy, not the singer, the pastor. Your health journey inspired, i guess i just needed LEAD to do it. Remember?
*NHCC family that has been watching with anticipation and praying that this does not become an idol, THANK YOU.
*Last but not least Pastor Matt; mentor, brother, friend.  Praying that the fish quenches your hunger.

Thanks Everybody!

J Day 13 and 6: Video killed the blogstar

J Day 13 and 6

Wait: see that's a pun we are done with the daily weigh ins and will be doing them incrementally.

Juice: Apple, carrot, cucumber, kale for dinner and mixed fruit (fridge clean out)

Just a video tonight got to get to bed enjoy...

J Day 11 and 4: Free Pizza

J Day 11 and 4

Me: No weight
Her: 2.5lbs

I'm sorry the blog was suppose to be pizza free, but that got a lot of hits. This juice day is over and bares the questions why?  Why are we doing this. The simple answer is health.  30+ years of living a life of great food and lots of it.  I was once a chef and enjoy the better of the food groups; fat, meat, salt and meat.  We do not eat high on the hog we eat the whole thing and there is where the problem lay.  It is not bad to ever eat BBQ especially if you live in the greatest BBQ state in America, South Carolina, in your face Kansas City!  I jest, we love food and don't mind eating it. We have never wondered what it was going to do we just ate it...and here I am.  Health has been declining in our home for 7 years or so. We are knocking on 40's door and we want to come in healthier that we came into our 30's. There is nothing wrong with food it just needs to be moderated to ensure that we are eating not just for pleasure but also for sustenance and maintenance of our body.  This is my plan, this is based merely on preference and has no medical standing.

Phase 1: 

J Days: Day 1-15 

Just juice and water. That's it. 1/3 fruit, 2/3 vegetable.  No exercise, no change in activity, just juice.

Phase 2:

J Days +: Day 16-30

This is Phase 1 plus walking. I hope to start with a mile and increase as it goes, this has to happen everyday rain, sleet, snow or shine. The mall is a great place on a rainy day or a treadmill in the YMCA.

Phase 3:

J Days ++: Day 31-45

This is Phase 2 minus 2 to 3 days of walking replaced by other more strenuous exercise; hiking, biking or any other activity that you come up with.

Phase 4:

Smooth Days: Day 31-45

This will add the bananas, avocados and other items that can not be juiced to make smoothies and start to introduce some fiber back into my diet.  This will help the body acclimate back into eating food again.

On Wednesday i will share what the post fast will look like.  Thanks for reading see video below.

J Day 10 and 3: Can You Please Pass the Juice.

J Day 10 and 3

Weight: Me: 321lbs
            She: My wife will not disclose her weight but will update us as it comes off.
Juice: Cranberry, Apple, Grape and Kale, Tomato, Cucumber, Carrot, lemon

My wife has joined me on this crazy journey.  Today she is in the detoxins and hating it i however am as pumped as ever.  Day 10 feels great, no hunger pangs even though i have only had 24 oz of juice for breakfast almost 12 hours ago.  I am just settling down for my dinner veg juice and it is tasting better than ever.  23lb weight loss is defiantly motivation but the way i feel and the energy that i have is great.  I saw a lady online today that is doing a 150 day fast, and that now seems nuts. I will have time, finally, tomorrow to totally spell out haw the total 60 days will go it will be in 4 parts one of which will be over in 5 days since i am 1/6th of the way through this already.  Thanks for looking at the blog, please leave some encouragement for us if you are following our progress.  

 GREEN JUICE RULES!!!

J Day 5: And the results are in...

J Day 5

327lbs

WHAT! I can not believe that 16lbs came off in essentially 5 days.  I can not explain it and won't count it a pattern until later on this week.  I am taking the next three days for myself so there will not be a blog until day nine which is Friday and we will reconvene and see what the weight loss total is then.

Juice: Apple, carrot, tomato, cucumber, lemon and kale
Water: Gallon+

Health wise today was a break through. I felt the best that I have since Thursday. Saturday and Sunday SUCKED.  Day 3 and 4 are horrible and i wanted to give up but as per my video last night my wife said and i quote, "You are choosing not to be a diabetic by doing this fast." Pain now that is quick or pain later that lasts a long time.  I may still get diabetes but i am working on the prevent side now.

Below is an inside joke hope you get it.

 

J Day 4: A Glimmer of Hope?

J Day 4

Sill no weight at home till I hit 299

Juice: Carrot, Pepper, Tomato and Cucumber for dinner and apple, mineola, grape for breakfast.
Water: Gallon

J Day 3: ...and the Pain Continues

J Day 3

I can't weigh myself because my scale only goes to 299lbs.  I have been using the scale at work.  This is a scale we use to weight potatoes and onions on and even it needs adjusting to weight me. 

Juice: Kale, tomato, carrot, apple, strawberry, blueberry

Water: It is 6:25 and i'm at 1 gallon going to try to hit 1.5 before bed.

Today is my first video blog. I did it this way because quit frankly i feel terrible. I hope that the image in the video changes over the next couple of weeks from grim and bleak to vibrant. 

STRUGGLES: Today eggs and meat and cheese in tortillas for breakfast filled the house, i watched from behind my juice to the point i had to leave.  I can smell dinner cooking in the other room and it is pushing me further into frustration with this whole thing...but that why i'm here.  I haven't yet talked about why i'm doing this because i want to not do it in this hungry, head ache and truly poor attitude that i'm in.

J Day 2: Let the Pain Begin

J Day 2

339lbs

Health: My head is killing me and has been most of the day. I spoke to a nutritionist today and she told me that this is the detoxin stage.  I have felt like yacin most of the day but it never happened.  I know that this is temporary but i almost quit today.  Tomorrow is gonna be the first of the Hell Days.  I am not looking forward to it.

Juice: 48oz Kale, mineola, green pepper, grapes, celery, tomato
Water: Gallon

I am not hungry at all but dinner was rough.  As i sat with my family tonight and watched them eat guacamole, and chips i got temped to say forget it.  I wish i had something great to say but i don't so lets go with a old school...Hang in there.

J Day: Let the Juice Fast Begin

J Day

343lbs

64oz juice: Apple, pear, carrot, mineola, pluot, green pepper, red cabbage.
64oz water

Pluots

 Mineola

I felt good all day, my energy was up (almost annoyingly), and i just plain felt good...however it is now 10:24 at night and i don't feel so well.  My body feels hot.  I'm not hot but my insides feel hot.  I have the heavy jaw feeling you get before you yak and i just feel ylaa.  Physically im about a 7, I have held onto a slight headache since 3ish and now the ylaa feeling.  I am having trouble concentrating because the screen is making my head hurt a little more.  Sorry not more.      

J Day Minus 1: Shame

J Day -1 (I know i'm late)

I didn't want to see.

Like a prisoner on death row getting his last meal or a Catholic on the last day of Mardi Gras just before Lent, I went for it. Below sits a 16oz Ribeye steak, extra rare, smothered in blue cheese and butter.  Ya that's hollindaise sauce (egg yokes and butter) next to the butter across from the onion rings, and i wonder how i got this way.  The asparagus was embarrassed and did not want to be in the picture. WTD.  I celebrated my wedding anniversary last night so it was justified...no really that's how dumb it sounds when we justify something stupid like eating a...wait... 3500 calorie meal at 9PM!!! I couldn't type i was so full last night. So there it is the last supper for 60 days, was it worth it?    

J Day Minus 2: Beef Don't Juice well

J Day -2
Weight: 342

Michael A. Morales has a great system for keeping track of your progress that i will be stealing from, thank you Michael A. Morales and your book, 30 Day Juice Fasting Journal July 2011. (How many plugs do you need to give someone before they are not mad to hit you with a plagiarizing lawsuit.) So...in the book there is a simple matrix that involves; weight, vitals (heart rate and BP), general feeling, exercise, fasting difficulty and cleansing reaction.  I haven't figured out exactly which i like and what i want to add or subtract but i will give it a go in 2 DAYS!
I am calm.  i know that i do not do this on my own, that the results are not just for me and that on day five when i want to quit i will have the support of friends and family.  Thank you.

This is my real juice diet, enjoy.

J Day Minus 3: Long Mondays

J Day -3
342lbs (i guess?)

Mondays are a long day. Next week this will be J Day +5 and should test the limit of the fast. It's late. Going to see a man about super food tomorrow? I don't know either but i will defiantly post what it be.  I will be adding some cost analysis in with the blogs as we go so there should be something in it for everyone.  Got to get some sleep, the day starts at 5am (see posting time).

Peace

J Day Minus 4: Getting Ready

Day -4
342lbs

Getting everything together for the fast. I am starting this journey on Oct 6th, no significance to the date but i have been advised that day 3 and 4 are the "Hell Days". These two days are  filled with anger, poop and more anger and poop.  This is the day that most quit.  I am doing it on a weekend as not to be at work for that kind of fun.  I'm not scared yet...but i defiantly advent Thursday.

Equipment:

Juicer: Breville Juice Fountain model JE98XL in our possession.  This has a 850 watt motor, this thing is a monster.  I did some tests today with fruit, large amounts of juice with fairly dry pulp, I'm satisfied.

Bottles: Two Nalgene 32oz bottles, you'll want two if you have a job and need to take your juice for breakfast and lunch to work with you to store in a fridge. **Got some advice that juicing some lemon will allow you to keep your juice fresh throughout the day for work issues.**

   

That's it so far. I will be here every night with health, weight and other updates.

Thanks for your support. 

g