Starting again...

The fast that started Oct 6th 2011 was just the beginning of the journey.  I began to cross train and run in March. My goal to run, anything, in 2012 came true twice.  In May I completed my first 5K.  After the 5K I began to work out with a trainer two days a week  and in October I defeated the 13+ mile / 31 obstacle Spartan Beast.  But to much dismay it was too much too soon.  Two very large injuries have put my getting  healthier to a screeching halt.  I gave up, sat down a threw on a remarkable 17lbs!  At 197, today I have had enough.  I can't creep back up and go to my grave out of shape, fat and bummed out, so... Starting January 1st I will be embarking on a second juice fast. 30 day maybe 60 depending on how I feel February 1st.  This ain't no NY resolution this is the same lifestyle change that I made 14 months ago. My goal is to get another couple of these pictures done before I turn 40.  So in 4 days, tune in and get ready.  

J Day to K2K: Fridge and Freezer

J Day to K2K: Fridge to Freezer

Hey everybody this is the last J Day blog.  I am still juicing for one to two meals still but i have started to eat "real" food and it has been great. I promised a Fridge and Freezer blog and here it is.  What we have ready to eat in our fridge and freezer is vital to the exit strategy.  We are, or may be, impulse eaters; busy days or sickness or laziness or any adverse situation can lead us to making bad decisions about what to eat.  We want it now or "I want it to comfort me" is where we go to make bad choices so stock your F&F with health alternatives.

Fridge   

1. FRESH fruits and vegetables.  I stress fresh because canned fruits and veg are worthless and full or sodium and/or sugar.  Look at the bounty in that pic.  A mixture of items will keep things interesting.  Mix it up, choose things that would not normally be in the fridge like:

Fennel: Great on salads thinly sliced or my favorite, in tomato soup.

Red Cabbage: Use in place of green cabbage, raw cooked Yum-O

Frisee: Bitter greens that make a great salad

Root Vegi's: Use these in place of white potatoes; Rutabagas, parsnips, beets, carrots, turnips

Hearty Greens: Mustards, turnips and collards are great...RAW. Mustard greens give a salad a little kick and collard slaw is wonderful.

J Day 60 (on day 64)...not the end

J Day 60

Weight 278!!! That is a 19% weight loss from my first day on the fast or 65lbs.

No Beard! So Weird!

I feel fantastic, although not today i am sick with a upper respiratory infection so this will be short and sweet. This blog is almost over, although i still owe you a fridge and freezer update so that will happen in the last post before i retire the blog...however, i will be starting the...

Journey to Kilimanjaro Blog

more health tips, juicing as a lifestyle and workout techniques from certified trainers. I'll also share my 5k, 1/2 marathon and marathon updates and Devon's recipes that he has not shared yet (He has lost 28lbs in 30 day!) and the weight loss journey to 225lbs before October 6th 2012!!!

Thanks for all the support.

  

J Day 50: Thanksgiving and things that are (were) big.

J day 50

Wait...yes you and i will until day 60, no more weighins till then but i will be posting more stuff about what to eat after all this is over.  Today is thanksgiving and i have opted to go ahead and eat, ya i said it, eat!  This is not going to be all the crazies of thanksgiving; a salad with loads of veg, homemade little fat blue cheese dressing (see recipe at bottom) and some lean turkey.  Portion is key.  I'll right tomorrow about all the low GI and health stuff that Amber and Cindy made for today.  

So, lots of people wanted to see picks of me when this whole thing started hence the title of today so here are some picks.

   

That's me this summer @ who know what weight, felt like crap climbing that mountain.

As wide as i was...wide. Where is that guy's neck.

Light Fat Blue Cheese Dressing:

1/2-24oz container no fat cottage cheese

1/4 tsp ranch seasoning

1 clove garlic crushed

1 to 2oz blue cheese (this is the only fat!)

water (to thin)

2 dash Worcestershire sauce

Put all the ingredients in the blender, blend on high till smooth, refrigerate 2 hours. 

Happy Thanksgiving.

J Day 43: The first somewhat less fat picture...

Tonight I would like to reveal:

The Brand New, Never Seen

 Kolby G conception,

 Tim Keesee creation,

 single production,

K1 Bass!

Go check him out at

http://tigereyeguitars.wordpress.com/

That's Tim Keesee the luthier and that's me 59.5lbs lighter!  I will make some better picks once it is complete so you can see the crazy grains and beautiful top.  Thanks Tim.   

J Day 41: The countdown begins, 19 days to go :()

J Day 41

Weight ?

Time to talk about the exit strategy:

Step 1: Stocking you (a)pantry, (b)fridge and (c)freezer.

Part 1: Pantry

Items that you want to have in stock that will be flavorful, low in bad fats and low in sodium.

Vinegar:  Lots of different flavors but be wary balsamic has more sugar oz/oz than a COKE!  We stock; red wine, rice wine (low sodium), apple cider, malt, sherry and yes, balsamic.  These are great in making homemade salad dressing and can brighten up soups, flavor fish or chicken and are great for digestion.

Olive Oil: Pure Olive oil for cooking, not a whole lot of flavor but all the benefits of olive oil you can cook with. 

                 Extra Virgin for raw eating, spend some good money here, crappy olive oil will taste like...crap so get something that is a little costlier.  If you know that you just spent $20 on olive oil you are less likely to squander it. 

Sweeteners:  Agave nectar or real local honey.  Some store bought honeys are loaded with high fructose corn syrup so be careful and buy local. go check this out: about GI index and other good for you sweeteners: http://www.organiclifestylemagazine.com/blog/healthy-sugar-alternatives.php

Fresh Made Peanut Butter and Nut Butters: This is whole nut butters no added sugar or salt just ground nuts.  You can sweeten with agave syrup or honey at home in small quantities.  We get ours at Earth Fare, its fairly inexpensive.

Nuts and seeds and Peanuts (which are legumes not nuts):  Whatever you like but limit yourself to 1/4 cup a day total.  Try to find dry roasted or unsalted or even raw and season and roast them them yourself.   Add almonds to a smoothie or fresh roasted pecans on a salad or just a midday snack of my favorite cashews.

No Salt and/or Low Sodium Seasonings: http://www.penzeys.com just go check out what these guys have got.

Basmati Rice: Low GI, need i say more

Whole Grain Pastas: Low GI 

Canned and Dried Beans: PROTEIN, PROTEIN, PROTEIN!  Low in fat high in protein this is the future of cheep protein. 

Parmesan Cheese:  My favorite "salt". Go ahead, look into it, this is a homework project or better yet ask Andy he'll tell you.

Popcorn:  Pop it yourself. Do: 1 teaspoon of EVOO, 1/2 cup of corn in a nonstick popper (see below) and that's it 4 minutes later you have a 150 calories, 10 CUP SERVING snack!!! add some salt free seasonings.     Pop Corn Popper: http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.K20912.desc.Chris-Freytag-Stir-Crazy-6-Quart-Corn-Popper

Fresh Produce: Behind closed doors; fresh garlic, onions, sweet potatoes, red bliss potatoes
                          On the counter; tomatoes, bananas, lemons and limes, apples

Last but not least...

HOT SAUCE!!! I love anything from Blair's http://extremefood.com/shop/home.php but find something that you like, check the sodium and sugar content and then go nuts!

The key is not what IS in the pantry it is what IS NOT in there.  Think smart, eat smart.

Peace.

J Day 37: Happy Rock Day 11/11/11!!!

J Day 37

Weight

My nemesis 290's is now behind me lets go to 263. That's it about me today.

Happy wedding day Kory and Jody!

Here is a picture from their wedding in Jamaica:

They are just down there on the left a touch, down the beach and oh forget it there in

  Jamaica! 

I want to highlight some friends that have started a juice fast for three different reasons. 

1. John has started a juice fast to actually lose weight.  He already works out multiple days a week but wanted to do a fast in order to lower his weight to be more effective in his weight training.  He is in his hell days today and tomorrow the only two things i heard from him today was;  "I hurt" and "I stink". 

2. Devon has done a juice fast before but started again to rejuvenate his health lifestyle but his body has stopped at 240 and has been there for 3 months.  He teaches a class on healthy cooking and i am going to get him to share some recipes for some items like mashed cauliflower and dressing that has a glycemic index of 35! So hopefully we will hear more from him.

3. Jason has started a quasifast. This guy is the healthiest of us all and yet he is supplementing meals with juice.  He is interested in raising his metabolism and just plain getting health.

Sunday I will start talking about what my wife is doing being in her own quasifast and her plans for us in 23 day when my fast is over.  Thanks for the support!!!

Oh ya, Happy Rock Day 11/11/11.  

J Day 32: I hate the 90's...

J Day 32

Weight: I can't tell, no really it is all over the place and i can't pinpoint it. (Friday 293, today 295 WTD!)

This has been a frustrating week. The title would imply that it is the 1990's that i am speaking of but au contraire. I loved the 1990's but the 290's i could live without.  This is where my battles have been lost before. I have lost to and gained to the 290's dozens of times in the past 5 to 6 years, and here i am again.  Ten days ago i hit 300lbs, Friday I was 293 (50lbs lighter than when i began for who ever was counting) but since then i have gained 2lbs?  I am frustrated!  I new that there would be times like this i just had my heart set on the wrong thing, weight loss.  Ha, isn't that what i have been preaching this whole time and there my heart got set and that's all i have to say about that.

My goal is to get healthy enough to train for my life long journey to...  

Mt. Kilimanjaro. This is Kibo, 19,000 feet strait in the air looking over the Serengeti.  My health and weight loss goals will allow me to travel to this, the most beautiful place in the world and take the three day journey up this mountain.  That's my goal so, the fast is just the beginning which means that the blog may need to change it's name from My Fast Juice to My Journey to Kilimanjaro. Who knows that might be a long blog...

J Day 28: The end of 4 weeks...

J Day 28

Weight 295

Not much to say today, work is crazy and home life is as crazy but...4 weeks 48lbs and i feel fantastic even in the middle of the chaos.  In one week the owner of the company i work for, who is also a great friend will be joining in the juice fast with day one. Just like my journey he is taking a weekend off so that the hell days are alone and quite.  I can let you know that my wife is enjoying her modified fast and last i knew she had lost 15lbs and is steady going.  She is satisfied with where she is and feels 1000% better. I will say that the cashew incident i believe is the sole contributor to the weight stall of the past week but it looks as if i am turning around and moving back into the mad rush of getting healthy.  Now time for the second round of thank you's...

Thanks Mom for reminding me that this has been a life long journey and that it has only taken me 36 years to get it.


Lisa Lisa, thanks for being part of the inspiration for doing this crazy thing, tell Amy she sucks for getting good genes.
  
Thank you Marvin's Produce LLC in Taylors, SC for sponsoring me.  It has made the journey that much easier.


Thank you ladies of the Fresh Market Vitamin Shop, you give a fat guy hope thanks for the kind words.


Thank you to all my NHCC friends who continue to pray that i will stay the course, only 3 more days to the end of the month one.



**Speaking of the first month, do you think i can get to 50lbs before 31 days are over?** Tell me what you think below. Once again thank you for the support. oh ya SUSHI!!!

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