Day 58 - Ahead By (Half) a Century

Today was a pretty big day for me, as I crossed the 50lb threshold. I weighed in at 246.8 pounds, which means I'm down 52.2 pounds since the start. It's gonna be a race to the finish though, as I really want to get to that 240 mark, or even 239 for an even 60lb loss. Homer Simpson weighs 239 pounds, but I like to think he's a lot shorter than me.

This Friday will be the last day of my juice fast, and my last weigh-in will be Saturday morning. Then, weather permitting, my sister and I will be rafting down the Chattahoochee. After all of this rain, the water level should be pretty good.

I posted another progress photo on my Photo Timeline page from this evening. It feels pretty good to be able to get my Strongbad t-shirt on. It's a little small still, but I couldn't have gotten it over my head a couple of months ago.

I've been giving more thought to my eating plan post-fast, and I'm really considering a whole food plant-based diet, which is essentially vegan. It just seems like such a departure for me, but when I think about where the Western diet has gotten me, it makes even more sense. I watched a documentary on Netflix last night called "Forks over Knives" that really put it into perspective. The only place I found the film lacking was that it was all about the why, and not the how. So I'll be researching that for myself.

Anyway, here's a clip from the movie.

Day 55 - Sprint to the Finish

Well, here I am at day 55, so to speak. Last week was a rough one, as is evidenced by my weight tracker. It may have been juicing fatigue (not actual fatigue, just boredom), or me just looking for an excuse to eat solid foods, but that's what I did and my progress paid the price. I've been back on track for the last few days, and I know I will keep it up through the end.

I'm currently at 251.0 lb, and I'm confident I can reach my goal of 240 by the end of the fast. Then it will be up to me to keep as much of that lost weight off as possible. I have a rough idea of a plan, but I definitely need to come up with something concrete in the next week. I've known for a long time that preparation is the key to success, so I need to follow my own advice and prepare.

On the physical side, my activity has fallen off a bit, too. It is partially due to a shoulder injury I'm trying to rest, and also due to my sleeping patterns having gone off the charts. Waking up at noon or later has become a pretty regular thing over the past week. I know I feel better when I'm working out, so it's just a matter of getting back at it. I'll be going to bed early to break the cycle and wake up in time for my 9AM AquaFit class. They're probably missing the class "showoff."

This morning's juice was strawberry, honeydew and cucumber. It was not as good as it sounds.

So here I stand, with 7 days and 11 pounds to go. Piece of cake. Err, watermelon.

Day 41 - Chug-a-lug and Mustachery

Today's post is a video. I've been slacking in the video department, so I made a really green, really big juice to make up for it. Enjoy.

Day 36 - The Big 4-0

It's been a little bit since I checked in last, but I hit another mark today, so I figured it was as good a time as any for an update. I weighed in at 258.8 lb, which puts me down 40.2 lb from the start. Things have been going pretty well since the break, and I'm moving right along. I figured out that I have 4 weeks of fasting left, which will end on September 10. The day or two after the fast, I'll be eating raw foods (fruits and veggies). I'll be figuring out the eating plan I want to go with in the meanwhile. I'm leaning toward something heavily based in produce and reduced carbs and meat. I haven't figured out actual proportions yet, but that's the general sense of what I think will be best for my overall health.

The working out has also been going well. I am dealing with a shoulder injury right now. I'm nervous I might have a torn trapezius. But without health insurance it wouldn't matter if I knew anyway, as surgery is the only option in that case. My current activities include AquaFit and racquetball (my left shoulder is the injured one and is not used). I'm really liking the AquaFit class, and there are plenty offered during the week. If you haven't taken one, I recommend it. You get a good workout without overheating or inflicting strain on your joints.

Here is my picture from this morning. I posted another version of it in the Photo Timeline. I haven't looked at that page in a while, and I was surprised to see the difference from the start. What a difference a month makes!

Day 27 - Aaand We're Back

Well, the trip to New York did a real number on my progress. I hit 267 and was feeling pretty good. Then came the food outings. I put on 10 pounds like it most people put on shoes; with ease and little thought. So I was feeling pretty down about my situation, even though I had tried to mentally prepare myself. When I got back to Georgia, it took me a couple of days to get back into the juicing. I would start the day with nothing but liquids (not juice, but not solid food either). But by the end of the day, I would just settle for whatever food options were handy. I didn't go overboard, but I wasn't back in the swing.

A couple of days ago, I fired up the juicer again. It wasn't a huge step, but it just took doing. The fact that I procrastinated on the produce shopping wasn't helping. But that's over now and I'm juicing and not looking back. In two days of juicing, the weight I put on has dropped off, plus an additional pound. I weighed in today at 266.2, so I'm feeling pretty satisfied. I'm still planning on adding the additional week to my fast because the time I spent gaining weight in NY was time I could have spent losing weight. So even though I'm at a lower number now, I would still have been lower.

I've learned something important during my time fasting. I haven't hated myself once while I have been juicing. When I would eat, and inevitably overeat, I would feel such guilt and shame afterward. I noticed when I was driving home from the gym a couple of weeks ago that I have only had positive feelings about myself lately. It's an entirely different world when you're feeling good about yourself, and I want to do what it takes to keep that feeling going. I hit a bit of a milestone today by reaching 1/3 of my weight loss goal. I don't plan to lose 99 pounds during this juice fast, but I do plan on making my goal. I will make my goal.

Day 25 - The New York Compromise

I've never held myself as a person of great discipline. For whatever reason, the juicing comes easy to me, so I don't see it as something requiring a lot of discipline. That being said, it comes as no surprise to me that it has been tough to stick to juice alone during my trip to NY.

I have decided to make a couple of alterations to the original plan. I'm not going to freak out over every little thing I eat, but I am going to try to keep a lid on it. But to compensate for the inevitable backslide caused in my deviation, I will add another week to the juice fast, for a total of 67 days. Don't get me wrong, I'm not abandoning the juice while I'm here. I'm still trying to keep the food to a minimum.

Having dined out twice yesterday, my weight went back up three pounds, as was to be expected. It did motivate me to take Buckley for a 2.5 mile walk at 6:00 this morning. We were both frightened of the unfamiliar surroundings that accompany this unknown hour. But we stuck together and survived. I haven't been taking it too easy during my stay here. Between laying down a laminate floor in the upstairs of my parents' house and installing a new mailbox, I'm sure I've sweat out a baby back rib or two.

While this feels like a disappointment, I feel better knowing that I will be making up for it in the end with the extension. Thanks for your support and encouragement. It means a great deal to me. Seacrest out.

Day 21 - I Love NY / Life in the Sixties

I Love NY

Hey everybody. I know it's been a little while, but I can finally sit down and write. I made the drive up to New York, and it was a breeze with my pal Buckley riding shotgun.

Sense memory is an amazing thing. As soon as I walked in the door at my parents' house, the overwhelming feeling I had was "time to eat!" My mom wasn't even cooking anything. There was just something about walking in that sent the sensation rushing in. You'll all be greatly relieved to know that I dismissed the feeling and held firm. Before I left, I made some homemade V-8 juice that didn't taste anything like V-8, but was good in its own right. So that's what I had.

I've been here over a full day now, and it's business as usual for me and my juicing. My mom is even getting in on the act, which will definitely help. I've been to a couple of farmer's markets and a roadside stand. They didn't have a lot of variety, but what they did have was excellent in quality. I think I have most of what I need for the week, except for apples and oranges. You'd think those would be the easiest to find. Well, you'd be a dummy. It's okay though, I'm a dummy, too.

Life in the Sixties

I hit a little milestone today. I weighed in at 269.2 pounds today. That's down 29.8 from the start of this endeavor. I was relieved to see the number, because I checked in at 272.6 yesterday. The road trip didn't knock me off course, so I was surprised to see the number go up. But there it was. I won't say I did a dance when I saw the 269.2 this morning, but I did let out a "Woohoo!"

I've got my eyes on a much bigger prize, but 30 pounds in 21 days feels pretty good. It just dawned on me while writing this post that I've gone almost as long as long as my last juice fast. And I'm not even feeling close to quitting. There are a few reasons I can see contributing to that. First, this blog and the support I have been getting from people have made a huge difference. Secondly, I'm not watching cooking shows and thinking about the things I want to make when I'm done juicing. Even though they were healthy foods, they were still a distraction from what I was trying to accomplish. My desire to succeed is much stronger this time, and I know I can go much further this time.

Day 16 - Crisis Averted and Plenty o' Rust

Crisis Averted

Who would have thought limes were evil? Certainly not me before yesterday. That was before one of them set out to destroy my juicer. In battle there is a saying, kill the head and the body will die. In juicing, the juicer is the head, and this dastardly lime went for a kill shot.

I was making a citrus-y, fruity drink for myself and decided to add a lime to the mix for a little twist. First off, you can't peel the damn things, because the skin is so thin and leathery that it pulls the whole fruit apart if you try. So it had to go in whole, and that's where the trouble came in. I dropped it in the chute and started to press with the plunger and the juicer just stopped.

Panic didn't set in just yet, because this has happened before. The last time it happened, I just unplugged the juicer and let it rest for about five minutes before it fired back up again. No such luck this time. The feeling of dread was outside, looking in through the windows. I went online to find the operator's manual and saw that there was a reset button on the bottom of the juicer. Problem solved! I turned the juicer on its side and found the button. I gave it a press and... nothing. Dread was inside the house now and looking over my shoulder at the carcass of my juicer. The thoughts that went through my head were nothing less than nightmarish. I instantly saw myself binging on junk food because what the hell was the point now? I picture myself gaining the weight I've lost in spectacular fashion. It was a pretty grim scenario.

I decided to let the juicer rest for 10 more minutes and give it one last shot. And like the old Chevy in the horror movie, it fired right up at the last second. The obvious moral here isn't that it helps to read the manual, or cut the peel off of limes before juicing them. It's that limes are evil and out to destroy lives. Maybe it was the ordeal getting to me, but the juice wasn't even good. Too much lime.

Plenty o' Rust

I got a great surprise gift this week. My sister, Lisa, put me on her LA Fitness membership, so I now have gym access. The Tucker location of LA Fitness has to be one of the nicest gyms in the area, so I was excited to check it out. The first workout I had was great. I did about 40 minutes combined of cardio. I also did some back and bicep work. I was careful not to overextend myself for two reasons, I don't know what kind of energy stores I have when tested and I don't want sore muscles to deter me from keeping to a schedule. Day 2 was a success as well. I just did cardio and that was closer to an hour total.

On my third day there, the basketball court was calling me and I went in to shoot around. The half-court game that was going on ended and they asked if we who were shooting wanted to play a game. We started playing, and after about 5 possessions, my lungs were on fire. I called a time out and asked a guy who was watching if he could sub for me. He did, and I went to the water fountain post haste. After I drank a quart or two, I went into the locker room and ran the cold shower over my head. I didn't think I was in shape to play basketball, and now I had confirmation. I am proud of myself that I didn't pack it up though. I went upstairs and did 45 minutes of cardio.

Less Depressing Stuff

I have an exciting weekend coming up. I have two job interviews tomorrow, and I'm babysitting my nephew on Saturday. Then on Sunday, I'm hitting the road for a week-long trip to my hometown of Youngstown, NY. Like I said in an earlier post, I'm bringing my juicer and scale and will keep updating from the road. And limes are evil.

Day 13

Today is going to be a video blog. The fast has been going very well, and this morning I weighed in at 273.4, which is a loss of 25.6 lbs. I'm really happy with the way things are going, and the falling numbers make it easier to stick to the program.

So, without further ado, here is today's entry:


One additional note: I'm planning a trip to WNY for my dad's 60th and my cousin's wedding. I will be eating solid foods while I'm there, but as rarely as possible. I'm bringing my juicer and my scale, and I'll keep up with the program and blog while I'm there. But I can't pass up some of Ronnie's ribs!

Maybe a little too easy?

The first thing people usually say when I tell them I'm doing a juice fast is, "That sounds so hard. I could never do that." I will then reassure them that they could, and it's really not so hard. I'm not out preaching about it, but I feel compelled to inform people that I'm not in possession of any super abilities.

The truth is, it's not really that hard once you get past the first few days. In fact, in the past couple of days I have only been having one juice per day. It's not something I've been trying to do, but the reality is that I'm not thinking about it that much, and I don't really feel that hungry. I'm going to make an effort to juice at least twice a day, because I know I'm only cheating myself of nutrients I need. Plus, when you're on a fast of any kind, your body's metabolism slows down. I don't need to slow it down any more that it has already, lest the whole exercise be rendered moot.

The bummer of the week is that the passcodes I tried for the office fitness center didn't work, so I'm stuck working out outside like some kind of animal. I haven't started that yet. I don't know what it is, but when I've had a long layoff from working out, there is a reluctance verging on fear about starting to work out again. I guess it's the almost-instant reminder I get of how out of condition I really am. A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. I guess it's time to stop looking at the other 999.99 miles and take the first step.

Day 8

Breakfast is served!

Day 7

Let's Go Shopping!

In order to stave off boredom, I'm trying to have a little fun with my day-to-day juicing related activities. Here's a video I made of my trip to the farmer's market.

Day 6

I’m cruising right along with my juicing, and the pounds are falling off. It gets tough at times, but I’m coming to realize that the times when I’m most tempted to deviate are when I’m hungry or bored. I’m also a bit of an emotional eater, so if something is upsetting me, I tend to reach for comfort foods. I know I’m far from alone in that respect, but there’s something cathartic about getting it out there in black and white.
I’m feeling pretty good right now and I’ve been getting support from friends and family, which is awesome and very much appreciated. I’ve always been a smartass/cynic, so it feels good to be doing something positive and getting encouragement for it. While I’m on the subject of encouragement, now is as good a time as any to mention my friends Katie and Whitney have started a weight loss blog of their own. They’re both going to lose 40 pounds and document it at http://mysistersaloser.blogspot.com. Be sure to check it out and show them your support.
The energy levels are getting back to normal, on the way to increased, so I’m going to start exercising. I have been walking with the dogs pretty regularly, but I need to step it up a bit. I canceled my gym membership last month, so I’m hoping the passcode I have for the fitness center at my old office still works. I think I’ll start off with the elliptical and gradually integrate some treadmill work. I really want to get back into running again. It’s probably the activity I miss the most from my fitter days.
Well, I’m gonna sign off. If you’re reading this, do me a favor and leave a brief comment below, even if it’s just “Hi.” It would be great to know who’s seeing this.

Day 4

I'm not going to be writing entries every day, or taking pictures for that matter. I will upload pictures and videos I think will be of interest. That being said, I am going strong with my juicing and I feel like I'm getting into the groove, and the adjustment period is nearing its end.

I went to the movies last night. It's amazing how much a food craving can hit you. I walked into the lobby and the smell of popcorn just smacked me in the face. It was pretty rough for a minute, but the craving subsided. If you want to test yourself, walk into a movie theater 3 days into a fast. If you're feeling like you could break, I would advise staying away. The fact that the smallest popcorn is $6.00 should also help dissuade you. I think movie popcorn has a higher percentage markup than diamonds.

The movie I went to see was Horrible Bosses. I was a little skeptical going in because the reviews weren't fantastic, but they weren't bad either. So I didn't have high expectations for the movie, but I think it would have surpassed them even if I did. I'd put it behind Bridesmaids and the first Hangover movie as the best comedies of recent years, and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, adult comedy. There is a lot of swearing and a little bit of nudity, but it doesn't rely on gross-out gags, which was good by me.
I'm not going to be writing entries every day, or taking pictures for that matter. I will upload pictures and videos I think will be of interest. That being said, I am going strong with my juicing and I feel like I'm getting into the groove, and the adjustment period is nearing its end.

I went to the movies last night. It's amazing how much a food craving can hit you. I walked into the lobby and the smell of popcorn just smacked me in the face. It was pretty rough for a minute, but the craving subsided. If you want to test yourself, walk into a movie theater 3 days into a fast. If you're feeling like you could break, I would advise staying away. The fact that the smallest popcorn is $6.00 should also help dissuade you. I think movie popcorn has a higher percentage markup than diamonds.


Oh, and one of the trailers was for this movie, which looks pretty entertaining:

Day 2

Apple, Orange, pineapple and grape juice.


Dinner: Spinach, kale, carrot, ginger, celery and green pepper.


 

I'm not going to be posting my weigh-in results on the individual pages anymore. I made a page named "Weight Tracker" that will have results on it. Check it out!

Day 1

Dinner was carrot, tomato, lettuce, ginger, celery, bok choy and green pepper.



Weight: 292.8 lb
Change: -6.2 lb
Mood: Tired and a little hungry, but feeling good about my choice.

Notes: I feel alright today. I felt hungry for most of the day, but that's exactly what happened last time. I just have to focus my attention elsewhere, or remind myself that the feeling goes away after a few minutes. The tiredness that accompanies the first few days of a juice fast hit me like a truck today. I just slept for a couple of hours in the middle of the day. It's sort of like a grand carb crash. My body was expecting to be recharged with a bunch of calories, but when they weren't there, the whole operation just shut down and it was nap time. A few more days of this and it's smooth sailing. Which reminds me, if you're thinking of doing a juice fast, start on or just before the weekend. You'll be wiped out over the weekend, but ready to go for Monday.

 

A Farewell to Solid Foods

My night tonight consisted of dinner at Zucca in Decatur (there is a 50% discount on ScoutMob) and shopping for produce at Super H-mart. The pizza was as good as it looks, and it was definitely a grand sendoff. But like most meals of that nature, the momentary enjoyment gives way to unpleasantness. I feel stuffed and lethargic. It actually makes me look forward to the feeling I get during a fast, which is lighter and cleaner.

My official night time pre-fast weigh-in goes as follows:

Weight: 298.4 lb
Change: -.6 lb
Mood: Stuffed and looking forward to starting
Notes: Feeling pretty good about the juice fast. I just need to keep my eyes on the prize and avoid trouble. Should be too difficult, for a while anyway.

Preparation

I need to mentally prepare for this juice fast on which I am about to embark. I should also get some produce.

Weight: 299.0 lb
Mood: Tired and a little depressed
Notes: Wow, one pound short of three bills. That is nothing short of pathetic.