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.