Control yourself, it is your health!

WAHOO!!!! On track still! Down 14 pounds since October 4th!!

Intake today... Approximately six baby Bellas for breakfast spread out over an hour... In my opinion,  making sure you are getting highly nutritious foods and proteins. Also, think about this; Something small, that is high in calories, say almonds WILL NOT FILL YOU UP, not without taking a lot of the item to do so which would be defeating your purpose.

A liquid beverage allows you to spread those calories out over a larger surface area. This allows your stomach to get fuller, for you to feel fuller and for you to eat less overall. As much as I like almonds, couscous, oatmeal, actually that will stay with you... but basically anything SMALL, they don't take up much space in your stomach but do add a lot of calories. Then, you need to rely on your mind. Rely on your own will power and drink more water. If you consume something that is 300 calories in 3 bites... and it is almost un-measurable in your stomach... you have to remind yourself you ate that. I juiced for over 120 days straight and still love the way juices fill me up. I know that a 300 calories "juice" will have the ability to fill my stomach. It does so due to the number of ounces volume consumed, without negatively impacting my calorie intake.

If they recommend 2000 calories a day and you eat 3 meals a day that really is just under 700 calories a meal. Make the effort to spread out your calories, regardless of how many you intend on consuming throughout the course of the day. This actually makes it so that you can feel fuller longer and have a better chance of successfully controlling your intake and therefore lose more weight.

It is only 9:28 in the morning. I will obviously be eating more food than just the mushrooms however, I am consistently keeping my intake in check.

Get Fit Get Healthy Get Ripped

Trainers - Beachbody Challenge

Coach Johnathan Swart

Are you up for the challenge?

Replace a meal a day with Shakeology®, and join me in the club for REAL results!

I'm in, and putting a group together where we'll keep each other accountable to get healthy and fit. First step: You DECIDE that you want to join us.

Then, simply complete the program and submit your results and you get the FREE T-shirt and a chance to win over $100,000!

You can even win $500 each day just for logging your workouts each day!*

  • Click "Take the Challenge," order your Challenge Pack, take "before" photos, and let's do this!
Take The Challenge

*Log your workouts in SuperGym for your chance to win the daily $500 prize.

Beachbody Challenge

Get the Challenge Pack and let's keep each other on track. Follow me and my Team Beachbody® Challenge on Twitter @coachswart or on Facebook at facebook.com/CoachSwart.

YOU CAN WIN over $100,000!

Join my Beachbody Challenge™ group to get healthy and fit and we're gonna make it rain!

  • Daily Prizes*: $500
  • Monthly Prizes: $1,000
  • Quarterly Prizes: $5,000 and an expenses-paid trip
  • The Grand Prizes: $100,000!

Plus, share how the Shakeology® drink helped with your transformation to be eligible for bonus prizes!

Ready to join the Beachbody Challenge with me? Let's get started today!

Ready to WIN? Get Started Today.

The Beachbody Challenge 2011 – 2012 Official Contest Rules:

Running!

So...I finally just decided to grin and bare it and get back into working out. I have been babying my pain and letting it control my physical activities for about 5 months now.

I entered a contest, another weight loss contest, almost a month ago but have not actually done a lot of activities due to the pain.

Well, if I keep that mentality I will never reach 166 but at least I am maintaining! With that said, I started running again! Juice and sgakeology powered running! I'm eating very healthy and still consuming most things via liquid.

I started using the Nike Running app. I'll test out the abilities of this app both indoors and out. Have you used it? I have done just over 4 miles... With the intention to do a lot more!


Nutrition and weight loss via Shakeology!

Many of you know that talking and writing about juicing and Shakeology is huge in my life because they are both something that I believe in so much! Well, I’ve decided to write another post about shakeology! I have been using Shakeology as a meal replacement every single day (and at times I'll have two a day)! It’s interesting how I came about using this product, because I was super skeptical about it at first, and actually refused to try it out. It wasn’t until I started on P90X that I really saw the value in getting healthy and then I realized that the nutrients contained in one serving of shakeology were hard to come by at the grocery store, farmer's markets and other places. When I first made up a Shakeology shake there were only two flavors available. They have come along way since then. Initially I tried it and ended up liking the taste. I had order a month’s supply to see what kind of health benefits I could personally experience. I knew I had 30 days to see how it would impact my life! I took a chance to experience the benefits and decided I would give my best shot for thirty days. To make a long story short, I lost 30 lbs, had more energy each day than I had in a long time, and felt “healthier” overall. I drank shakeology while I did P90X and I felt full and satisfied. I now am doing Insanity and still am consuming shakeology daily.
After I started to get results with it, Jannene started drinking it too. Within the first month she lost a few pounds and she wasn't even drinking it every day! She had been going to the gym and seeing a trainer but wasn't really dropping pounds. Almost like she hit a plateau with her weight loss. When she started drinking shakeology, she started to lose and I found her dipping in and making her own without any regards to how long my "30 day" supply would last the two of us. When I brought that up she simply said I better order some more. As a way to save money we decided to buy Shakeology on Home Direct so that we received it each month and received free shipping!
Since starting on shakeology we both started talking about it with friends and family. My mom started drinking it after she was discharged from the burn unit in Arizona. I suggested shakeology to her after her Doctor told her to buy "Boost" from Wal-mart to help her get the nutrients she needs while recovering. A few months later we all went to dinner and she picked up the tab. I inquired as to why and she told me; "Because of you, I know I am at least 20 pounds lighter!" I wasn't sure what she meant then she told me she ran into a lady that shared a room with her while she was in the burn unit for 20+ days. It turns out the lady gained over twenty pounds after she followed the advice to drink Boost to help her recover! My mom thanked me profusely for telling her about shakeology and how nutritionally dense it is! There are literally hundreds of people that use Shakeology, and many of them have experienced outstanding results. Shakeology works!
One of the best videos about Beachbody Shakeology that Beachbody has created is the “100 Doctors Don’t Lie” video. Here, doctors explain why Shakeology is such a unique product and why it should be used on a daily basis.

Many people immediately have an objection about the price, as I did, but if you use it how it’s supposed to be used, as a meal replacement, then it completely justifies the cost. I know as a meal replacement, I work it into my grocery bill. I'm not having to buy as much as at least one (sometimes two) meals a day come in the form of a filling and satisfying shake. Now that I understand the health benefits and value in Shakeology, the price is a non-issue because I know that I’m taking care of my body and providing a way for my wife to get the nutrients she needs too. Especially since making a juice really isn't her thing. She'll drink the "good" ones I make, but I've never caught her making her own juice, but I have often caught her red handed making a shakeology!

Before we started using Shakeology, Jannene would go out for lunch from time to time spending anywhere from $6-$12, but when she started using Shakeology as a meal replacement she told me she felt full, satisfied and that her appetite has been curbed. We started saving money because it only costs about $4 per serving, so for basically $8, we both get a meal! Plus, who actually knows what we were putting into our bodies from the food at the restaurants? At least this way we are consuming something 100% healthy! Some people eat out for lunch every day or get a gourmet coffee! And that can add up fast! While others say they don't have time for breakfast, so they skip it. Now, with a shaker glass, a blender or even a simple magic bullet a nutritious meal can be made in seconds! And... clean up is fast and easy! With that said, you can’t look at it as an extra cost on top of what you’re already spending at the grocery store as you are replacing what you would spend to purchase at least one meal's worth of groceries, every day. You actually save money! And from a juicer / juicing standpoint, this makes sense! I couldn't purchase the 70+ ingredients in a shakeology for less than what it retails for.
If you’re interested in Shakeology and want to try it first before you spend the money on it, then I have Shakeology samples to send out. However, I will ONLY send you a Shakeology sample on 2 conditions: (1) I’m your coach, and (2) You’re 100% serious about purchasing if you enjoy the taste. It costs me about $6 to send out one (1) sample, so it’s important that you’re serious about it. If I’m not your coach, you can make me your coach by clicking here (it is free to have me as your coach).
Beachbody's Shakeology truly is an amazing product, and one that I’m completely passionate about because I’ve seen it impact not only my own life, but the people I care about most, my family. If you’re looking to purchase Shakeology, click here! If you have any questions about it, feel free to email me, Johnathan Swart, Beachbody Coach at swart23@beachbodycoach.com or swart23@gmail.com

Remember, if you get on Home Direct, which is the option we use, you will get free shipping and it will automatically be delivered to your house each month!

Vacation!

I have found it is possible tohelp maintain my weight while on vacation. It is a bit more challenging, yes. I'll be the first to admit that. Anyone who has ever taken a road trip can probably testify that finding a grocery store immediately off an exit ramp is a fairly rare (if ever) find. However, with a little reflection on where I was (weight wise) and where I want to be it isn't impossible to keep things in check.

I took the family to a Brazilian food place that brings you a huge variety of meat, grilled pineapple, and all kinds of other items... and I ordered the salad bar (which actually had a TON of options! I was able to get full, without feeling left out. I actually "ate" with the family,  instead of just drinking a juice and we all had a great time.

High nutrition content from natural sources and consuming fewer calories than what you burn can aide in improving overall health and maintaining or losing weight.

At a family reunion recently a lot of people congratulated me on my weight loss... but the reoccurring theme I heard was a fear and a caution of "gaining it all back." It is sad, but it appears that people use the fear of gaining weight back and what to do about sagging or extra skin if they do lose weight as a road block... they don't get into shape due to those things. In my opinion, learning self discipline when it comes to eating will prevent gaining the weight back. If you do have sagging skin... congratulations on successfully losing that much weight! Your organs, joints and rest of your body will thank you for it, at least I feel mine has! The healthier, stronger and more mobile me is way better than the fat, slow and unhealthy guy I used to be. I wouldn't trade the new me for what I used to be. Ever!

Remembering that I'm the only one who can workout, eat or take care of my overall health is key for successfully losing and maintaining, regardless if I'm on vacation or home.

Get help!

Where will you find support as you lose weight? How about with my help?

I am a Husband, a Father, a U.S. Veteran and an Eagle Scout! I lost over 70 pounds by consuming juices that I made in a juicer and doing Insanity workouts. This is my most popular blog post page: www.84lbs84days.blogspot.com/2013/05/weight-loss-motivation.html




             January 12th, 2013                                                                                                   July 19th, 2013

I will be your coach for free on Team BeachBody when you use this link! It should say Coach Referral "Johnathan Swart."

I did this as a way to connect with others and to add to their motivation as well. I use the same free account for tracking my own goals, weight loss, etc...

I'm maintaining my weight by working out, consuming highly nutritious calories and I find a lot of the nutrients in my juices and my shakeology! I add it to my grocery / food budget as I know and personally believe that it is one of the most nutritious items I can consume. And with the availability of fruits an vegetables ever changing with the seasons, this is one sure fire way I have to make certain that I get quality nutrients and low calories all year long. You can see recipes here: http://myshakeology.com/esuite/home/swart23/recipes-tropical About a month ago I signed up to be a coach for Team BeachBody. I've been using their products for over 7 months! Their programs helped me to shed pounds! 

I know that with dedication, reflection, encouragement, commitment and support, that reaching one's goals can be a lot easier. Each person is different and each person has to conquer their own goals and achieve their own dreams, but they don't have to do these things entirely on their own! Stay Calm and not only Juice on... but also consume highly nutritious items to potentially get your long living and better health on! Connect with other juicers on RebootSupport's Facebook Page

I joined BeachBody as a way for me to connect with other people and to help them as they progress to and then maintain better overall health. I just saw / read the statement below from BeachBody's CEO... this only allows me to be that much more confident in my decision to join this company. I love helping people find a healthier them!

From the CEO of TeamBeachBody:
Beware a prospect who cares more about "Comp Plan" but little about the mission of helping people get healthy and fit. I'm not saying they are "wrong", I am just saying we might not be the right fit for them.

This is how we are different than other networks. How coaches are compensated is important, of course. And like most networks, compensation follows directly from sales and leadership. 

But the person who is a right fit for Team Beachbody and vice-versa is more interested in how Shakeology® and the Beachbody Ultimate Reset are helping so many people get profoundly healthy, how the fitness programs can be adjusted for people of all fitness levels, and how the overall culture of the business is first and foremost about our mission to end the trend of obesity and lifestyle disease. 

We're different - "weird" - that way.

The comp plan's job is to support and reward success at achieving that mission. The heart to help comes first here. You don't read that on the label. We don't say that in the comp plan. But you can see it in the results people get, and the drive our coaches have to listen and then help, vs. sell sell sell. That is what sets Team Beachbody apart from everyone else. And we're looking for people who want to spend their time and be financially rewarded with that prioritization in mind.
-----------------------------------------------------

If you need anothereason to sign up for the free account...


Take The Beachbody Challenge™ for the motivation you need to get fit and you can win! It's our health and fitness contest that will help you achieve your fitness goals and give you a chance to WIN some serious cash. If you want to get fit, now is the time to do it. Use any Beachbody® program and share your results for a FREE T-shirt and a chance to win over $100,000!
 Daily Prizes: $500*
 Monthly Prizes: $1,000
 Quarterly Prizes: $5,000 and an expenses-paid trip
 The Grand Prizes: $100,000!
*Log your workouts in SuperGym® for your chance to win the daily $500 prize.

Overall Health

My overall health is most important to me now... it should have always been this way my entire life. However, I justified the "cost" and wanted the biggest bang for my buck for years. And I paid for it... my waistline and overall health paid for it, even though my wallet didn't. Now, at 32, I see that I was only begging for punishment. My eyes are open, and I value my health. I will not allow my taste buds or desire to get the most for the least to dictate my overall health. Typically when one desires to get the most, it is in terms of quantity, not quality. Now, quality comes first. The higher the quality, the more nutritious it is, the better off I will be and I am giving my body a bigger chance of being healthy.

I know that nutrition can be the deciding factor of overall health and poor quality of health. The corporate world is really pushing this "low calorie" trend. However, low calories doesn't always mean healthy or nutritious. One must truly look to take care of themselves and take the initiative to grab their overall health potential and do something about it. In society today, most people are so complacent that they just "accept" whatever they are told. Education is key. Being educated and taking action is the only way to make a difference. We all have one body. If we want to give ourselves the opportunity to be around for a long time, we need o take care of it.

What a product may gain when appealing to our palate (taste buds) due to chemicals, fake flavors and scientific breakthroughs, it generally loses in terms of nutrition. Not justify purchasing and consuming cheap, nutrition, amino acid and vitamin lacking foods, because it "looks" good or because flavor scientists and companies make it "taste" good, better or fresh, can lead to better overall health and higher absorption of the nutrients a body needs. Generally speaking, once a body gets what it needs it has the potential to heal itself. A hygienist without their cleaning equipment is pretty useless in terms of actually doing the physical part of their job. Well, food that has been stripped of their nutrients or that are lacking most if not all of them, is pretty useless too.

I now juice most items that I consume. When I can't make a juice due to time restraints, I do drink shakeology (and love these recipes) as it is a proven way to get high quality nutrients in my system. I know vegans and self proclaimed carnivores that love consuming this. The self proclaimed carnivore said about the Tropical Strawberry Shakeology; "It taste like a dessert and I'm getting nutrients. There is no way I can juice like you do, but I can do this."

A friend of mine said it sounds expensive, I told her that it is less expensive than MOST "meals" you get at a fast food restaurant. She said, "Yes, but you are getting a meal." I said, "Are you getting any nutrition and vitamins, or just empty calories in that meal? When it comes down to it, most buns, bread, items, even noodles available at eating establishments across the nation are lacking nutrients, amino acids, vitamins and more." Multiply the $4 to $6 spent on fast food items that are lacking so much, by each day (time) they are consumed and then compare that to the natural ingredients, high nutrition content and the overall "cost" that I was paying before, and this, in my opinion, is by far cheaper and way, way better for the body.

It is amazing to me that people can care so much and give so much of themselves to others, but when it comes down to taking care of themselves and eating well, the low cost, low quality food and beverage items tend to dominate. Health, longevity and nutrition tend to take a backseat to most people, until someone is diagnosed with something. Being proactive can possibly lead to improved overall health and a better quality of life.

I will always give thanks to the motivation and inspiration gained that fueled my weight loss that I blogged about. I know I love the new me along with the freedoms and benefits of being healthier! And I'm pretty sure my family does too. I'm still moving towards my goal of 166 pounds!

Joe Cross surprised me with a mean green toast

My family and I went to visit my parents in Arizona for a mini vacation. Several months ago I told them about my juicing journey. Upon arriving I was kind of surprised to see Joe Cross in the kitchen. Well, not him personally. But there he was smiling on the side of the fridge. Toasting a Mean Green in my direction!
My parents watched Fat, sick and Nearly Dead and then, as they saw me losing weight, they started juicing too. They started with a Ninja and then switched over to this... "Look!" we have the same juicer that Joe uses!

Their excitement for a better life and improved health is awesome! Glad I could inspire even those close to me to take control of their overall health too!

For the ladies...

Often women don't like "competing" against men in weight loss contests due to "men being able to lose weight faster;" so the argument goes.

I recently posted on my RebootSupport Facebook page;
"The one thing that we all have to remember... each of us are on a similar path but each path has unique characteristics that make it our own."

The weight loss contest I joined on HealthyLoser has a "Women's only Transformation Contest!"
Healthy Loser’s Newest Women's Weight Loss Contest pays $1,000 and is capped at 75 participants!

Are you a woman? Do you want to compete against only women and really see and show what you can do?
You can start your transformation today, tomorrow or anytime! Weigh ins for the next Transformation Contest are open from now until 75 are weighed in. Once 75 are, another round is opened.

"The team at Healthy Loser wants to give women an exclusive chance to compete in a weight loss contest for women designed to evaluate the whole contest experience. Not only will female contestants be judged on their weight loss success but they will also be evaluated on their "before and after pictures" and written essay explaining their strategy and experience.

Contestants will have 91 days to complete their transformation using any method or strategy. At the close of the contest,the board of directors at Healthy Loser will make a decision based on the following factors:

1. Weight lost.
2. Before and after pictures transformations.
3. Essay explaining the entire experience of the Women's Transformation Contest.

"The contestant who has made the biggest transformation overall wins the $1000 cash prize!!"

There you go ladies... do you have what it takes to transform yourself more so than 74 others while improving your overall health? If so... $1,000 could be yours! Click here to see all the details on HealthyLoser's Women's Transformation Contest.

Good luck to all who enter!

If you do want to compete against anyone, male or female, you can enter the $5,000 Challenge! Capped at 300 participants, the highest percentage of weight lost wins the top prize of $5,000! Up for grabs is over $12,000 in cash, to be awarded per round.

From HealthyLoser regarding the $5,000 Challenge; "All participants who lose at least 15% of their Body Weight will win Cash."

I personally lost 26.76%!

There you go... go get it! And... Good luck to everyone at losing weight and improving your overall health!

Gaining by Losing

I have gained so much by losing! Overall improved health was my desire, I was tired of being fat, slow and unhealthy. For months almost every day would start the same way, with me looking in the mirror, not happy with what was looking back at me. That body, what happened? What did I do? What did I allow to happen? How... ? Why... ? When... ? And why does every article of clothing have to feel like a giant tarp. At only 5' 10", 252 pounds was mainly fat, not muscle.

On January 12th, 2013 I started my first of several weight loss contests that commenced that month. My desire was to get my life back! I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and thought if Phil and Joe could lose, so could I. And if a "juice" can make Phil feel full, I, this "fat man" could feel full too!

That decision, that moment in time, just 167 days ago, ended up being the first step on a journey that continues today. My desire is to get to 166 pounds and to make myself, fit, internally and externally. The contests I entered were mostly 3 months long. I knew I wanted to push hard and lose all that I could. I wanted my life back. And I knew that I had fat cells to burn.

14,428,800 seconds ago, I could not have imagined I'd be where I am today. Since starting, life has surely thrown a few twists, including around the 15th of April when a lump appeared that scared me. I thought for sure it was cancerous. That was a daunting and scary moment, as I was shocked to find it! I had been consuming juices, vegetables, no red meat, no dairy, no meat at all... 90 to 95% fruits and vegetables, and knew I was getting nutrients. To find a lump, even after I had been told by my Doctor that my arteries are clear, my bill of health "as healthy as a horse," continually checked out. Even being told; "you're the healthiest patient I have coming in here." If that was the case, why the lump? I was initially told it would be two weeks before I could get in. Two weeks... I stopped working out. I continued juicing, but I just stopped. I didn't want to take a chance of making things worse. So, I went from doing Insanity 2 to 4 times a day, to nothing. It was a hard decision  as I knew I wanted to hit 166. But, I also want to be healthy and be here with my family as long as I can.

Fast forward... after my appointment the specialist and my Doctor came to the conclusion that all is well. That nothing is "cancerous" and that the lump may just go away, or I will just have to live with it. The issue is, it is painful. The quality of life impact of having it really is discouraging. I have attempted a few workouts since April 15th, but as I do the cardio, the workouts, or even if my little ones bump into my chest, the pain is horrid and it stops me in my tracks! I'm not sure what I am going to do yet. The doctor says I can have it surgically removed, or I can leave it and see if it goes away. For now, I am waiting as my quality of life is being hurt... in time I will have to make a choice. Surgery never sounds appealing and it might cause more harm than good. At least I know that nutritionally I am doing well.

It has been roughly 240,480 minutes since I started juicing. I love the improved health it brings. I'm now very active with my family. I spend a lot of time with them, and it is nice to be physically active, not just sitting and watching them play. With the economy being the way it has been over the last 2 to 3 years, my wife and I decided it was (and is) best for me to be the stay-at-home-dad for now. This wasn't the plan, but it is working for us. With juicing changing my life, I've found energy, health, the physical ability to play, run and be with my family again. The freedom I've found is wonderful! This blog started as a personal journey, almost a diary, documenting my progress and keeping me accountable. Now, it helps me pay it forward and help others who desire to lose weight, are losing weight and hopefully help those who want to maintain their overall health and weight do so too. I started a support page on Facebook... it is called RebootSupport ( https://www.facebook.com/RebootSupport ) I did this to help out others, and as a way to connect. As losing weight and maintaining it is a journey that can be daunting, maybe even scary... Swing by and say, "Hi!" Also, you can search for the term "Yield" on this blog and any posts that have it will come up and will show you several juice recipes that I made and keep making. I'm not a doctor, and I can only share my own experiences. As always. before you start a weight loss or diet program, you should see yours. I did. Joe Cross did. It just makes sense to make sure you are "okay."

I blogged about the things I did to add motivation to my weight loss. Having all of these help push me forward towards my overall goal... the 166 was and is a tangible number to shoot for, but my real goal was and is overall health. When I went in for an ultrasound of my arteries I was pleased to hear the techs say; "WoW! Look at this! That is what healthy arteries look like!" Knowing that my cholesterol levels (both good and bad) are spot on and that my blood (lab) results are on the up and up, makes not only myself, but also my wife happy. Knowing that internally, I'm healthy... is a huge incentive to keep juicing!

Today marks roughly 4,008 hours since I started juicing. I know for sure that I am healthier now, than I probably ever have been... speaking from the inside out. I know that I have pounds to lose, fat to still burn and muscle to strengthen.

I also know that my life has not been the same. My outlook on life, the way I view food, vegetables, fruits and exercise as a whole is so different than it was six months ago. While losing weight, I blogged and Facebooked about my progress, a lot. People asked questions, which got me searching and learning a lot more. I didn't know what I was doing at first, besides "juicing." Besides being inspired by the documentary, I figured I was pioneering a new lifestyle for myself. And in fact, I was, and am. As each person is unique. Later, about two months into juicing, I found the rebootwithjoe website, completed a profile and then found a community of people trying juicing. They have plans, ideas, support from fellow juicers and even nutritionist that can answer people's questions. After completing my profile, they asked me if they could feature my story, I was surprised, but said, sure... this story is still being shared on Facebook... to date, over 2,800 people have "liked" it and it has been shared over 800 times! You can see the story on their site by clicking here too.

Each person has to decide what is best for them. For me, getting high quality, amazing nutrients has helped me lose 70+ pounds and has helped me improve my overall health. Which is the opposite of what direction my health was going when I was looking for the "biggest bang for my buck" as I used to want to get the most, the biggest meal, the tastiest flavor and I didn't care what it was made out of. I didn't take my health into consideration and I got fat and was unhealthy because of it.

No one else can eat, workout or breathe for me... I have to do these things for myself. I want to consume highly nutritious calories and to maximize my overall health."

weight loss cost

When I hear or read that people say; "You rocked your transformation!" It is cool to be reminded of it. When someone mentions it, it is like, yes! That was successful. And not a "prideful" I'm better than you type of yes. But yes... victory! I finally beat this and am in control. I believe that maintaining the new found life is going to be key. So many people tell me, be careful that you don't gain it all back. I've taken those words to heart and have learned ways that I am implementing to prevent doing just that.

I would like to help people maintain any and all weight loss and better health that they accomplished. Healthy eating, juicing (for those that want to keep juicing) and even a salad, 3 to 5 times a day can help accomplish this. If calories are limited and if someone takes a proactive step to working out, along with minimizing (moderation is what people say (not always do, but that is what they say)) their intake of heavier foods that take longer to digest and process, they can not only be thinner but also healthier.

The truth is, anyone can "look" healthy on the outside and have terrible or unhealthy organs on the inside. Juicing has helped me to detox my system, to flush out my body and to clean out my arteries. I know this and I know that I not only "look" healthy on the outside, but I am healthy on the inside. I'm looking at my overall health, not just the outward appearance. It is sad (to me) when I see thin, young, healthy looking smokers standing outside Sprouts or anywhere. I think, NO! What are you doing? Ugh... but, I can't and don't control them. I just am shocked when I see it. As I think, this is 2013. There is so much information out in the world, why would they smoke? Likewise, I wish restaurants would offer whole wheat pastas, breads, etc... without charging extra. I wish the "white flour" and the "bleached enriched" flour wasn't on the menus, or at least it was only an option, not the standard. Just as we know smoking is bad, so is bleached white flour that has to be enriched. It blows my mind when people do things that only can hurt or damage their bodies, things that I believe should be common knowledge. However, not all things are that common. People have the right to make their own choices. Sadly, the U.S. is so focused on business and making money and then healing, or rather 'treating' the illnesses caused by what is consumed. That overall health is neglected.

I saw something the other day that said not only is America one of the fattest countries it is also one of the most nutritionally deprived. There is a lot of truth in this, if one really thinks about it. There is little to no nutrition in soda, soft drinks, most pastas, breads, prepackaged, processed meals, etc... most of these items have damaged or stripped nutrients, vitamins and proteins in them and the consumer is left a product that is truly less desirable and nutritious than the original product was. However, companies and flavor scientist have learned that people vote with their tongue and their quick, thoughts. So, they focused on flavor and on swift pieces of information. The average U.S. consumer sees "low calorie" and "Made from real..." and that is enough for them. Well, a low calorie diet doesn't mean it is nutritious. And when something says it is "made from real..." and then only has 1, 3, 5 or 10% of the "real" item in it, it doesn't make it healthy for them. But, people buy what they "think" or what they are told is healthy for them. It is easier to feel like you've done your research by reading a quick blurb or being told what is healthy than actually educating oneself and learning what truly is healthy.

Taking care of one's health can look more expensive up front. The average person says they can't afford to eat healthy. However, when they go to the Dr. and a prescription is prescribed they all of a sudden have to make a choice. Bite the bullet and pay for their meds at full price or their co-pay amount or decide they can't afford it and not get them. It is generally cheaper in the long run to avoid hospitals and prescriptions entirely. Yes, for some, there is no way around this. I understand that. However, diabetes, obesity and some other health issues that plague U.S. citizens are not "inherited" traits but are generally a direct result of one's overall choices. Obviously every situation and every person has a unique story or reason why their health is the way it is. And their isn't a catch all thing to aim the finger at. I recognize that a healthy eater with a thyroid problem may have issues losing weight, more so than others doing the same thing. There will almost always be the exception to just about anything one brings up. Being that there are two sides to every argument. The truth is though, overall most people with diabetes, heart problems, clogged arteries, bad cholesterol numbers, etc... can all be healed or improved upon by simply eating healthier, getting high quality nutritious calories, nutrients and minimize their overall calorie intake.

The standard american diet is anything but a diet. It typically is so full of nutritionally deprived food that society has no choice but to be nutritionally deprived if the bulk of our options at restaurants, grocery stores, concession stands, activities, and social events are cheap, low quality and nutritionally stripped. Until the "options" on the menu are healthier, the U.S. consumer is really set up by default to fail and to be unhealthy overall. Other countries limit and even prohibit ingredients that have been proven to be bad. In the U.S. corporations and businesses rule nearly everything. If there is a quick buck to be made, a corporation makes an effort to magnify that. And for those that want to eat healthy, they will be charged more for doing so. When items like a whole wheat bun or other healthy option are asked for they generally are charged more for it. However, when you take something off an item, like no meat in a chicken salad, they won't (or don't) knock $2.00 off the price of the salad. No, you still are charged full price. Even though their inventory stays up, they still have product on the shelf. I guess to be fair, one could order the item(s) they don't want to be "on the side" and then just never consume them. This however is wasteful and wrong too. Then the argument comes up. Do I pay for items I won't receive? Do I just order it as is (or with the items on the side) and then toss em' out, that way someone else isn't getting the 'bad' food that they are charging me for? Do I just find something else to order? When it comes down to it, the food is either going to be thrown out or it is going to be made for you or someone else. The restaurant is going to either make a profit one time, or multiple times off the same item. One time if the (in this case the chicken) is ordered and brought out or multiple times if vegans and vegetarians say "no meat" and are charged full price for the entree. Either way, the restaurant is going to make a profit on just having the item on the menu. This is the same with buying processed foods at the store or getting items from a specialty market. Many corporations know that people want to be healthy, so they charge more for trying to do so. Sadly, marketing slogans and methods disguise truth and people still are being sold unhealthy items, or less healthier items with the assumption that they are getting something healthy.

I've looked at the transformation as the first step into a healthier me and hopefully a longer and happier life. I believe that anyone can do this. I implemented a few weight loss contests into my journey as a way to add inspiration and motivation. If I was was inspired to push myself harder and I had more to shoot for, than I would stay focused. The more items that I had to focus on and the more accountability that was on my shoulders only pushed me even harder. With that said, I signed up for a part of the $8,000 potential that HealthyLoser offers and for a few slices of the $16,000+ that HealthyWage offers, along with three other contests. The HealthyWage offers $150 for anyone that loses 10% of their body weight and that can be lifted to $300.00. They give you six (6) months to lose it in. For me, that was a given. I weighed 252 pounds and I wanted to lose more than 25.2 pounds for sure! And they gave me six months. I knew I'd do that. HealthyLoser pays out money to "all" contestants who lose 15% or more. Their contest is a three (3) month contest and with $8,000+ up for grabs, I figure I'd implement their contest as added motivation as well. With those two cash payouts as incentives, along with the smaller competitions that I joined, I turned on the workouts and started to crush calories as well. HealthyLoser and HealthyWage both have contests running regularly. The advantage of HealthyLoser is that a participant can start anytime. They are given the same amount of time to finish and only 300 people are allowed in each round. Once a round is full, it closes and another is started. Your 12 week period starts and ends per your own time frame (12 weeks after you start). You don't need to wait to start to lose weight. Just sign up per their instructions and start losing weight. Lose at least 15% and you make money for accomplishing your goal. Both HealthyWage and HealthyLoser has a fee, but it is minimal compared to the payouts for successfully completing them.

I believe that anyone can lose weight if they limit their calories and increase their water intake. Adding any kind of physical motion, can aid this as well. Burning calories and or limiting calories that are consumed can create a calorie deficit. Once calories are reduced, mathematically one will lose weight. No one can workout or eat healthy for another. This has to be done. With motivation and support, people can add more inspiration to their weight loss and their goal to have better overall health. Swing by my facebook page www.facebook.com/rebootsupport for this and more. I'm a fan of helping others help themselves!

This person lost weight, I believe that anyone else can too.

Omega and Breville Juicer

I've been a little AWOL since June 5th. Life has been busy, and fun too! With summer here the kids have taken up 90% of my wife's and my time.  Which is wonderful, as we obviously had them, so it is good that we spend the time with them too.  With that said, did you know that amazon.com has coupons? Well, if you didn't, now you do! On top of that, they appear to be unique to your amazon history. So, if you click on the link above, or this one. You'll see what amazon recommends or has, the coupons look to be based upon your history with them. Feel free to bookmark or save the link, that way you can always see the most recent coupons. For me, I'm currently torn between my next purchase. And that is deciding on which juicer I will get. I want to supplement my Breville with an Omega. Not to get rid of the Breville, but to add another tool to my juicing arsenal. I'm hoping that one of the coupons displayed will be for a juicer or other item I've been researching. Like that camera my wife wants. For now, I'm watching for a deal on the juicer.

I've been using my Breville Juicer (the one you see on the right side of this blog) since I started juicing over 150 days ago! I even did a blog post about how I like it over anything I've seen or read about Omegas. However, as time has continued on, my needs have evolved. I still love my Breville, and will keep it, but I want something more. Something that will juice delicate fruits, and greens very well, without a lot of wasted juice. And, if it isn't too much to ask, a fast clean up too. With that said, I've been reading a lot about the Omega VRT 400S HD online and seeing the pros and cons of this type of juicer. Recently I read that the Omega 8004 is a great choice, as the pulp is dry and clean up is easy. Well, the hardest part about the Breville, in my opinion, is the filter and the spout. Everything else comes clean pretty fast, if you hit it right after juicing. If the Omega comes clean easy, that might out weigh the advantage the Bveville has, with its 3" chute. I'm highly considering getting a second juicer as a supplement to the Breville so that I can get the most out of my fruits and leafy greens, while still keeping the efficiency of the Breville when it comes to juicing hard items, carrots, apples, even cucumbers, without having to slice them super small to fit in the Omega.

I mentioned this on the RebootSupport page on Facebook. When I went into Sprouts the other day I was surprised when an employee told another employee; This is him! 84lbs in 84 days! What followed was an unexpected hand shake along with a big smile and then a pretty lengthy conversation. I don't want to talk to much while I am there, as I know they are being paid to work, not talk with me. It was cool to be called out like that though. Especially so unexpected and with such energy.

The question came up about what I did in addition to juicing and of course I brought up the HealthyLoser website and the HealthyWage website. I mean, to have my own desire and motivation to lose weight be backed by over $16,300 in potential payout, just because I looked outside the box. Bring it! Healthy Loser pays out over $8,000 while if one signs up for all of the HealthyWage options, they could potentially walk away with over $11,300 between the $10,000 Team Challenge, the $300 10% challenge and the $1,000 BMI challenge.

To me, signing up for each of these was a given. Just as crucial as breathing. As I knew I was going to be losing weight. So... why not just sign up and do it. And then make a few dollars to supply money to go towards my new wardrobe, the family, any bills, etc... whatever I wanted or needed the money for. I was already committed to losing weight. If you have at least 10% of your body weight to lose, checking out each of the links above makes sense... and you could walk away with a nice pocket of cash.

I don't shop at Sprouts as much as I used to early on, as now I do most of my shopping at red tomatoes farmers market, as they have amazing prices on quality fruits and vegetables! I do however shop at Sprouts when I only need a few items, as red tomatoes is about 30 minutes away from our city. When I go there, I normally buy a lot of items.

Well, it is time to put the little ones down for the evening. I'll try to post more frequently. Hope all is going well. I've now been juicing for 150+ days! I love it! And couldn't imagine my life without a juice. A homemade juice that is nutrient rich and stellar (imo)!

I'm still going towards my goal of reaching 166 pounds. I've decided to start an insane ab workout to help drop those last 10 to 15 pounds... the pounds we all appear to have issues burning. I'm currently juicing about 90% of all that I consume.

Flu Virus


Hey guys! I'm alive! I truly believe had I been 90+ years old and in poor health, I would not have made it through the weekend! I lost 14 pounds between Sunday at 5pm ish and Monday at 6:30 am... all via hugging the porcelain bowl and a little flu virus. Ugh! I don't know what strand got a hold of me, but it kicked my butt. Between the headaches, the pain, the aches, the time in the bathroom, I was useless. My sweet wife bought Pedialyte to help replace the electrolytes, nutrients and some of the calories lost. I'm so glad she did, as my body needed it.

With that said, I'm just getting a chance to read some of the posts this morning. My facebook notifications say I have 39 unseen items. I wanted to touch base via the blog as well. I'll get to those notices on the reboot support page right after I post this. If you don't know, here is the link to it; https://www.facebook.com/RebootSupport Feel free to swing by and say hi.

Monday afternoon the family and I took some much needed family time and spent the afternoon and Tuesday at Disneyland where we met up with some friends.

After hugging the porcelain bowl for over 12 hours the last thing I wanted was any form of liquid, juice, etc... so on Monday I didn't have a juice. The first time in 145 days! I had a juice in the fridge, but I just couldn't bring myself to down any liquid, not after the 12 hours. Instead I made a refried bean burrito with a whole wheat tortilla. I had to get a solid substance in my stomach. I ate it half at a time and made sure I could keep it down. It was nice to finally do so.

Back on juicing! I made an awesome juice this morning. Kale and pink lady apples. Then I added about a pound of carrots and enjoyed that too. For a treat I made a grape juice. I've decided that as I'm still juicing and lovin' life, I'll make sure that the nutrients are the most important thing I get. Calories are a must... yes. But for sure, nutrients.

Today I made breakfast for my wife, and the two little ones. Of course, the boy wanted pancakes, the girl and wife, waffles. And me, a juice. So... I took care of them first and then cleaned up. And then got to making my juices for the day. Just in time for the boy to say he was hungry again. haha

The life of a proud papa, husband, father, cook, family chief, kitchen cleaner, go to person for just about everything, is busy busy busy... :) Not complaining though. Just busy. As I can only imagine that we all are.

I'm staying clear of most processed foods. The whole wheat tortilla has I believe 4, maybe 6 ingredients. Pretty cool. At 145 days of juicing 90 to 95% and then going through the flu bug, I'm contemplating how much percentage I'll be doing from here on out. Thinking about 70 to 80%. Still testing the waters. This may change. I know that now, after completing his fast, Joe eats real food and then does a reboot from time to time. I was inspired by his and Phil's results, but my juicing and their's has not been a verbatim path. No two people's will be, as we all have different elements that make us unique. But... all of us has similarities too, which makes having support while doing this, so very helpful and ideal. :)

A reboot is both a physical and a mental thing. Find your inspiration that got you started and add to it. As you reflect on it often, you hopefully will be able to draw strength from it and make yourself stronger. Yes. It is true, every person is different. And each of us have a unique road.

Each time I found temptations to be strong, I tried to down water, or have a juice. I initially tried to avoid being around temptations, but that isn't practical, especially since I'm the main meal preparer around here. Food preparation and cooking is mostly my job. I love unique flavors and exotic tastes and so does most of my family, so hiding from those things would be very difficult.

I used reverse psychology on myself.
Instead of hiding from the food, the scents and all that goes along with meals, I made a juice. Had the juice on the side and took large whiffs in and just smelled everything as I cooked. If we went to Downtown Disney, a restaurant or anywhere else with immense food scents, I'd embrace all the food smells. It was torture. And I was miserable... at first.

Then, I made a game of it. I told myself that the parts of me that truly ENJOY food are my senses. My taste buds, my nose, my eyes, etc... My waistline doesn't. My waistline hates how much my eyes, nose, ears, and taste buds LOVE LOVE LOVE food... as they just can't get enough of it. So... yes, I took on an attack. I launched an attack and said; "Feel free to smell and bring in everything via my senses but don't consume them." It sucked. It really did. I learned to "savor" all the senses as I just opened my mouth and breathed in deep. Doing so slowly and just enjoyed. I would do so, and happily tell myself, I'm enjoying all the characteristics of food without gaining or swallowing the calories. Yes... that sounds a bit odd. But it worked. And an important lesson is, do what works for you. No one else can lose the weight for you. No one else can put it on for you. Doing what works, works. Don't be embarrassed by it. As no one else will harvest the results that you have the potential to harvest.

Part of my motivation was signing up for weight loss contests to keep me motivated. This helped me when the desire to quit came upon me.

The end results:
I'm getting $300 from HealthyWage for successfully losing 10% of my body weight and I lost 26.76% while participating in the HealthyLoser $5,000 challenge! The two cool things about HealthyLoser are that "All participants who lose at least 15% of their Body Weight will win Cash." They award at least $8,000 to each group and each group is limited to 300 people. Also, you start when you want to. You don't have to wait until a designated starting day. This allowed me to start the same day I found them and not have to wait to engage my newly found inspiration! Which means, I was losing weight on my time!

improving your health


It is inspiring to me to learn that so many of you are looking into improving your overall health!

"It turns out, the one ingredient you need to lose weight is motivation.
Everyone who loses 15% or higher wins cash."

Since overall health is most important and then of course, my family, when some pain appeared I chose to stop working out for about 6 weeks until I got the "okay" from my doctor. During the 6 weeks of not working out, I kept juicing and eating healthy and didn't put back on any of the weight.

How cool is this? The website HealthyLoser (one of the challenges I participated in) has added this blog to their drop down selection due to the number of readers who have been signing up! This is the challenge that pays out over $12,000 and $5,000 to the winner of each group!

"All participants who lose at least 15% of their Body Weight will win Cash."
If you have 15% or more to lose, this challenge is just what you need to keep you focused! This really helped me when the temptations to stop or give up hit. It was hard, but succeeding was my intention and this kept me focused! The cool thing is only 300 people are allowed in each group and then another one starts forming.

It is awesome to hear that many of you are looking into improving your health and using this as a way to add to your motivation and success! Best of luck to you and your continued success!

Being 252 pounds with a goal weight of 166, losing 15% was going to be doable. It was a no brainer for me. And the extra incentive only pushed me further!

The result of this challenge:
I lost 26.76% while participating in the HealthyLoser $5,000 challenge!

1440 minutes in a day


I love helping and interacting with readers on the Reboot Support Page. It is a great way to publicly get support or to connect with privately through messages and not have the world know. I'm the only one that reads the messages that come in.

The page allows for the sharing of tips, ideas and experiences, and also provides the ability for my mind to be open and engaged as people continually send me messages with questions about my reboot and my ongoing juicing lifestyle. Juicing has given me my life back. This is not a trend or a diet for me, this is my new lifestyle. Without it, I'd still be way fat.

The following blog was inspired from a recent conversation with someone. It covers questions about juicers, pulp, recipes, motivation, tips, weight gain / loss question and more...

"I am trying to so research now to figure out if the breville you have been using is more effective then the juicer I am using."

Things to consider:
What is your overall goal with a juicer? Are you looking for the highest juice yield? The fastest way to make a juice? A quick and easy cleanup? A long warranty? All of these are factors when deciding what is most effective. All of these will be different for each person. Which is why it can be hard to read a review and just say, Oh... that's me too, 100%, I want that one for that reason. Usually there are other factors that the reader and the review writer don't share but that come into play.

Also, is the reviewer being compensated?
I'm not. Breville probably doesn't know I exist. I can't image they know me from a spot on the wall at their competitor's break room. With that said, I love the Breville for what it does for me now. However, the more I look into things, the more I want the Norwalk (but it is $2,495) or a high end Omega, but I'm not sure how easy it is to clean. I'll be heading to YouTube to watch some videos and see.

Why do this? Well, times are changing and my little man is almost four so I'll have more time to do things. Also, as I stood over the Breville this weekend, cleaning it, I started thinking about the overall time it takes to juice and clean a juicer. I love that I can literally make a juice with 5 or more ingredients in literally 2 to 5 minutes. I just love that!

Then, the cleanup, and scrubbing the screen (filter) and the other parts has to be done too. I don't know how long it would take to clean an Omega. I know it takes longer to make the actual juice. I've heard as long as 30 minutes. But typically 10 to 20, depending on the ingredients. The prep time and juicing time is what takes the longest. If cleaning is also difficult or lengthy, then that would be a factor to weigh in on as well.

I just watched two videos and it looks like someone might have to then strain their juice if they use a masticating juicer, as it doesn't have a built in filter / screen like the Breville does. I am not sure how long that would take, but it would be one more thing to consider too.

When it comes down to it, each person is unique and you need to decide what is most important to you.

For me, and my family, it is time. I need to have the ability to make a juice fast. Even if that means I come back and clean the juicer in 10 to 30 minutes, as I'm in high demand. I can't imaging standing in front of the juicer, feeding it produce and fruit for 10 to 30 minutes, just to get a juice. Worst case, if my juicer sat on the counter dirty until nap time, it would be "okay" as the juice would be made and the kids would be cared for. Sure beats (in my opinion) having a juice half made and having to stop for 20 or 30 minutes due to kids needing me and then have to come back and commence juicing again.

"How dry is your pulp typically?"

It depends on what the item is. Tomatoes are always wet. Carrots are pretty dry. Apples, somewhere in the middle, depending on the brand. Fujis are pretty dry though and that is what I use the most.

I love juicing grapes with the vines on, and the efficiency of the Breville and it's ability to juice without having to remove them is pretty awesome! Not having to slice / cut up most items is key to making the juices, fast!

Eating FOOD while Juicing
"Yesterday was supposed to be day one... I made it till dinner and after I cooked for my family I ended up eating too."

Any day can be "Day one" just know that Day two is only 24 hours away and that you can build upon that number without doing much, as no matter what you do, the next day is coming, the earth is rotating and the next day is coming.

The question is, are you going to keep eating the way you are, and possibly still keep being sluggish, tired, unhappy or remain the way you are today? The answer is most likely yes, unless you say no, and do something about it.

No one else can eat for you.
It has to be a choice and an action. A choice without action is typically just a thought that doesn't evolve into anything worthwhile.

Cooking and feeding a family... while the cook is juicing!
Is it possible? Yes!
I understand the feeling and the literal requirements of having to cook for the family. In Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, Joe and Phil were able to get away. They didn't have family and friends around them, demanding them, tempting them, eating around and oddly eyeballing them. Instead, they left home. They ventured out, or in Phil's case, went to a hotel. This would be a lot easier if we all could do this. In reality though, most people can't pull themselves away and go juice for 30, 60 or 90 days. Especially if the responsibility of feeding and caring for their families falls on the juicer. When you are going through your reboot, keep that in mind. You truly are accomplishing more than they did with each meal that you juice while your family is there too. Each time you do this, you take a step in the right direction, in accomplishing your overall goal(s). Today is a new day! And a day that only you get to make choices on that will impact and improve your overall health and quality of life!

Tips while cooking while juicing.
Might I suggest, have a juice at the ready, before you start cooking. Have it on the counter, next to the stove. Consume it while you cook. Have it in arm's reach. Then, as you cook, drink it. It takes about 10 to 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that you are full. By the time you finish cooking, you're stomach will most likely be communicating with your brain and you may feel pretty full and satisfied. This can help limit the desire to sit down and eat more food and also limit the amount of food you consume while eating, mainly because your stomach is full. Then, after dinner is made. Grab the juice and go sit down and socialize like normal. Don't worry about not having a plate in front of you. It is one less dishe to clean. :-) Just enjoy the family and the time with them.

With 1440 minutes in a day, a lot of people get fatter and unhealthier in a 30 to 50 minute span (spread throughout the day) as they consume unhealthy, less nutritious foods and beverages. Most people don't spend more than 10 minutes actually eating per meal. But, once the food is gone, they tend to consume snacks, sodas, other caloric beverages and sweet foods to satisfy little urges and hunger feelings throughout the day. The body sends almost (if not exactly) the same feelings for hunger and thirst. Therefore, if someone "feels" hungry they really should drink a glass of water and then wait 5 to 10 minutes to see if they were really hungry or just interpreting their bodies "thirst" for "hunger," as so many people mistakenly do.

It seems like your taste buds did some changing. Do you now ever crave vegetables that you didn't like before?"

I started out juicing the items that I knew I liked "raw" and steamed" and then I ventured out to other items. Yes, taste buds do change. You can look it up online, taste buds change and as you consume more or different things, they slowly adapt and desire more and more of what you are consuming. If all you ate was pizza, day in and day out, you would desire pizza, as that is what the body is used to.

Humans tend to be creatures of habits and for some reason, easy and tasty tend to be the way of life for most. But then, unhealthy lives and many Dr. Appointments come up. I was buying avocados yesterday when I noticed that the lady in front of me (and I used to be the same way, so I am not trying to judge her, just observing) had everything processed on the conveyor belt. Nothing was fresh. Then I saw it, the bottle of pills. I wasn't looking for them, but they were what stood out to me. Besides two headaches (one at the start of my reboot and the other about a month ago after I consumed some gyozas that my little man wanted me to "bite," I haven't had a headache since January 2013... almost 5 months (4 1/2 months)! My eating and overall health has improved. I don't spend money on processed foods, nor do I spend money on pills, medications or other things that I would be, if I was "sick" often or even sick from "time to time." In my opinion, it isn't "normal" to have headaches or to be "sick" from time to time, so long as the body is getting what it needs. I try to keep myself active, and consuming highly nutritious foods.

"Did you gain any of the weight back when adding solids back in?"
Not at all. Also, I am still juicing and still working out. I still want to get to 166 pounds. We just spent the weekend on the road for a family reunion and my weight didn't change upon returning home. I was careful. When we went out for my Dad's birthday to Joe's Crab Shack, I ordered a salad. not a dumb "side salad" but a hearty, BIG salad!

What can a person do to eat well, but not make a scene if they want more than just a "side salad" at a restaurant?

I go through their menu and select items that they list on other salads or entrees and then I write them all down, quietly hand the list / request to the manager and ask if they will make a salad with those ingredients. I have never had a manager say no. The manager has always looked over the list, told me the items they didn't have and what they did have and then said yes. The salad comes out with everyone else's food. There wasn't a big scene made and I looked "normal" to anyone else.

Before, when I was juicing 100%, I would simply consume my juice on the way to the restaurant or before we left. At times, I'd bring it in a metal water bottle and drink it at the restaurant and would tell the waiter; "I'm good." or that "I already ate." This did a few things, one it made it so the bill overall bill was less and it freed me up to help with kids, since I wasn't physically eating my meal at the restaurant. And, it allowed me to talk and communicate more, so I was actually move social than normal. Kind of cool to interact with the family, not just stuff in food the entire night.

This weekend was a bit of a challenge.
Two days I didn't really "juice" and even when I did, I accidentally left the juice at the reunion site. So, I had to order the salad that I mentioned above. On those days, I went vegetable (the salad) and fruit... I made guacamole (which is technically fruit), and consumed that. For me, it was better to eat something "healthy" then nothing at all, and I didn't want the chocolate covered pretzels that were in my wife's purse, hand, mouth... what is she doing!???  haha  I just smiled and continued on.
No one can eat for me. No one can be healthy for me. This can only be done by myself.

"Thank you for the support by the way!"
Anytime, I'm glad I can give you some insights to my juicing experience and the life I have because of it!

Here is a pdf of the Breville booklet that I pull several recipes from
http://www.brevilleusa.com/media/mediaappearance/4532/BJE200XL.pdf

I also use a lot of the recipes on www.makeitvegan.com/juice-recipes

If you have 15% or more to lose, this challenge really got me going! And the payout can potentially be 3 to 16 times the challenge above. With this one, "All participants who lose at least 15% of their Body Weight will win Cash." The cool thing is only 300 people are allowed in each group and then another one starts forming. The payout for 25% or more is a split of $5,000!

And as always, come on by my Reboot Support page on Facebook page and say hi!

Arizona State Visit

Well, this is going to be really short. We're back! We went to Arizona for a family reunion. While there, we discovered no Internet access was available. The laptop stayed off... though this was nice. And it forced everyone to socialize and play board and card games, the weekend was fun filled and great fun!

The intention is to blog again tomorrow, for now, SLEEP! :)

I did juice before leaving, while there and also again at a friend's place on the way out. Juicing was not as dominant this weekend as it is when we are home. It was still and is still a valuable and anticipated part of my diet. I probably  only consumed 75 to 80%, not the normal 90 to 95%.

Now that we are home, the market is calling my name as their are slim pickings in the fridge. I'll have to make a produce run here soon. For now...sleeeeeeep is calling. The call must be answered.

Losing over 70 pounds in 14 weeks has motivated me to get my life back and has given me freedom and energy like I haven't had or experienced in years!

I started this fb community page to give my opinion on juicing and to help motivate, encourage and answer questions. https://www.facebook.com/RebootSupport Often people will send a message or email, one that is  full of questions that they want answered, but don't want to "write" on the page's Timeline, where others might see it. With that said, a message sent to my support page is only read by myself. Knowing that you can have and can get support is one of the keys to successfully completed a juice fast or a #reboot.

Feel free to stop by and ask any questions you might have. Either on the wall, so others can chime in too Or, send me a message and I will answer them the best that I can.


Washing Produce

Making juicing as "streamlined" as possible can help make life go easier and help you stay strong and not fall off the wagon while doing a juice fast or a juice reboot.

In my opinion, I believe it is best to juice at least two different juices each day and have one in the fridge for when temptations come. Having a juice in there for when you get hungry, when cravings hit late at night or just to be there when we take those strolls to the kitchen and open the door just because it is what we do as humans, really can help. This also makes it so you don't need to pull out the Breville multiple times a day. Don't get me wrong, I love my Breville Juicer. I've learned juicing my whole day's amount at one time, making it so that I am using and cleaning it once or twice a day, is a lot easier.

I was asked;
"When do you wash all of your stuff?"

My reply:
It depends on what it is. Often I will wash them when I first get them home (or, come back and do it once the kids are down for a nap or in bed for the evening). That way they are all ready to go. Apples, tomatoes, etc... if I wash and dry them off before sticking them in the fridge then I know they are ready when I am. This also helps because my kids like to open the fridge and just grab produce and bite into it. Having the produce and fruit washed before they do this really helps and I don't have to worry about washing it before they sink their teeth into it. Preparing like this might sound crazy and yes, it does take time up front but it is worth it in the end. In my opinion.

As the stay-at-home-day I cook 90% of the meals in our home. I not only smell the meals in the home. I prep them, cook and then clean up from them as well. The challenges that brings should be obvious. I totally get where temptations to eat and stop a juice fast can come from. When our kids go down for the night or for a nap I update our coupon and deal website, youandyourdeals.com I feel like I need ten of me, just to get through the day. Through our website we help people find the best deal that we possibly can on items they ask about and also host access to coupons, sales and promotions from over 2,000 online stores. The upside to Joe and Phil's success is that they left home. They didn't have to make, smell or consume meals or their juice around their family. It would be easier to do this away from all the temptations. Not everyone can do this. Most of us cannot. I am in no way taking away from their accomplishments, as that is what inspired me. At times though, I can't help but to think how much easier juicing would be to start and commit to if no one else or if life wasn't demanding our attention and time.


A little update:
Today is day 130... 130 days into juicing! I have not worked out since April 14th. What? Yes. I was waiting to get in and see my doctor and then, had to wait for the test results. I was concerned about some pain that I was experiencing in my chest. In the end, they say that all is fine.

I wanted to make sure before I continued on with my goal and weight loss ambition. This is why I haven't mentioned my weight. I've maintained and all is well. But now, with almost a month and half of not working out, I am excited to be hitting play again soon on my next Insanity workout! Seriously! It feels like it has been forever! On the bright side, a month and a half without working out and just juicing has shown me that I can maintain my new weight without a problem. No, 181, isn't where I want to be. But the fact that I've stayed consistent is a huge motivator when I get messages that tell me to be careful that I don't gain it all back.

Time for me to get back on my weight loss goal... I've said it before; "Only you can workout for yourself and get the results. Only you can consume a juice and do the juice fast and have your body reflect the results you want." Since no one else can do it for me... nap time today will be time for me to hit play again!

Best of luck to all of you and anyone else who is starting out or here for the first time!
Feel free to message me or connect via my Reboot Support Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebootSupport I started the page the same morning that the Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (rebootwithjoe) website did their featured "success story" on the weight lost.