This is an post put together after answering a question about meat, from someone who is getting ready to start a juice fast. The initial question is below. Following it is my reply and insight. Today is my 129th day of juicing. Juice make about about 90 to 95% of my daily intake.
"Thinking about starting a 15 day reboot this coming Saturday. I’ve already noticed that when I drink a juice now, even though I’m only prepping, that I immediately have the craving for more food, something to chew on. I’m a carnivore by nature, I used to tell people I’m a meatatarian. I own the world’s best grill, a Green Egg, and I normally use it at least twice a week. Cooking vegetables on it, not so much.
I cook a lot of steak, hamburgers, prime rib, etc. With all that in mind, has anyone like me tried this before? I’m not talking fried chicken. I LOVE to eat steaks and red meat. I seriously worry that I will not have the willpower to follow through with the reboot. But due to my past bad eating habits, I am really wanting to do this for the health aspect as I have some health issues. The weight loss will be nice, but I’m more concerned with health."
Like you, I grew up eating steaks, bacon, ribs, top sirloin, roast, you name it… if it was red, it was on our plate. Growing up on a meat and potato mentality diet. Down home Montana, country lovin’ cooking! Then add in the side dishes. You know; chicken, fish, pork, lamb, deer, antelope, wild boar, yeah… you name it, I’ve probably eaten it. And of course we just had to have mayo / miracle whip, gravy, butter, cookies, jello, etc… If it was “animal” based, it was in our face! And we went back for 2nds, 3rds, you name it! We cleaned up… I cleaned up! I have been juicing now for 129 days… straight! I currently consume about 90 to 95% juice! I was 252 pounds on Jan 12th, 2013! By April 14th, I was down to 181! That’s over 70 pounds in 14 weeks!
My overall health was my biggest push! My step dad has ten… yes, 10, stints in his heart! Yes, he’s not “biologically related to me… worse (haha) he’s consumptionally related to me. We have (had) the same eating habits, as he taught me everything I know! Yes, I just coined “consumptionally related.” Certain things are not genetics. Having a clogged heart due to horrible eating habits, being obese due to the same reason, diabetes due to lack of control, discipline and bad eating… there is a trend there. “Bad (but OOOOHHHHH so good and tasty) eating habits! When he received his 10th stint, it scared me. Not because those stints were in me.. but because I ballooned up from 166 to 252 and I was on track to follow suit… his fat suit, I already put on, and had passed his weight by 40 pounds! I was then trying on the let’s destroy the heart and body internally without slowing down and being here for my family accessories.
At only 32… I was doing great! And my two little ones, I love them and love playing with them. But this fat body was popping and sore at any turn… at 32???? What??? Yeah! So.., I watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and the recommendation of some friends and, wow! I turned my life around!
With all of that said, I’m not a nutty juicer or “vegan” that has no sense of what taste good or that has a warped sense of reality. Instead, I’m now an educated person who doesn’t have room for all the junk, fillers, antibiotics, salt, chemicals, etc… When you learn that 2 + 2 is 4, it is a fact. It isn’t something that can be denied. Now, if you believe it or choose to believe it, that is up to you. But the fact is what it is. 2 + 2 = 4. Over the last 129 days, I’ve learned that most meats that Americans have placed in front of us have massive amounts of antibiotics in them. This is done to make sure the animals are “healthy” enough to be slaughtered for our consumption. The sad thing is, this doesn’t just apply to a juicy cut of steak! No… no, it also applies to any and all food products that we consume that come directly from these same animals. When we go to the store and buy something, even something like dressing. We don’t know if the “eggs” or “milk” used in the dressing came from grass fed, non-antibiotic or hormone injected animals. All we know is, the ingredients say eggs or milk. Tons of products that are made into processed products from animals. And if the common sense sinks in, we know that in America most companies like to create their products as cheap as possible and then mark the cost up. Thus giving them the biggest return for their buck. A corporation wants to take care of the shareholders, not their consumers. If it taste good… they’ll be back. Well, I for one will no longer allow my tongue to dictate my waistline or the number of pills, medications, and trips to the doctor’s office due to being unhealthy by all the stuff blindly consumed that “taste” good. And this is coming from a guy who loves food, flavors, etc…
Simply said, if food was what we all thought it was, I’d be more okay with consuming it. However, a burger in 2013 isn’t the same as a burger in 1913. As I said, the today animals are fed things and given antibiotics to help them be “healthy” enough to be consumed by humans. Finding range (grass) fed meat, in my opinion, is worth the extra cost. If I was going to have a burger, I would pay the higher cost to find meat that wasn’t packed full of all of the chemicals, dyes, fillers and other things.
I want to be healthier and to have clean arteries. Having a life that is filled with fun times and memories, includes living a long and full life. As much as I love good food. As much as I have always enjoyed beef, fish, sushi, chicken, turkey, exotic and creative meals, I don’t have room for those things in my life, not when what we think we are consuming and what we actually are consuming is so different. I understand that not everything I consume is organic. At least though, I can attempt to limit my intake of all the chemicals and enjoy a healthy life. This lifestyle is giving me just that.
Fruits and vegetables provide more protein than most people think and know. I read something the other day that said once an item is heated up then it damages the protein! Actually, only half of the protein is usable by the human body due to the damaged state. Then, as humans we only absorb about half (maybe 40 to 60%, depending on the source) of the protein that we consume.
Imagine a piece of chicken having 20 grams of protein.
Cook it: Only 10 grams are now usable by the body
Eat it: Only about 40 to 60% of the protein is actually absorbed by the body: <– I'll say 50%
Yield: The body just received 5 grams of protein.
A head of romaine lettuce has 8 grams of protein in it!
I made this juice: It had 23.96 grams of protein in it! Need I say more?
1/2 a red cabbage (747 g (7.49 grams of protein))
1 small Beet Root (54 g)
1 bunch of Cilantro (81 g)
1 bunch of Kale (393 g)
2 Cucumbers (638g)
Calories 336
Total Fat 4.24g
Calcium 763mg <– almost as much as 2 glasses of milk
I then juiced 5 fuji apples and mixed them in… as the red cabbage is strong! I highly recommend at least 5, maybe 7. Or… reduce the cabbage to 1/4 a head (about 375 grams).
The data above is for the recipe "juiced" not as a solid. I use juicerecipes.com/build to quickly see the protein levels and nutrition information (vitamins, calories, minerals, etc…) of what is in the juice. It also shows the data juiced and not juiced… I love that!
You can add vegetables into the juicer or consume them in a salad and viola! You can continually get more protein absorbed by your body than eating a piece of chicken. A 250 gram head of Kale (I prefer purple kale) also has 8 grams of protein. Add that to all the other nutrients, vitamins, and benefits that vegetables have in them, and they becomes superfoods that easily trump the nutritional value of meat!
Anyways… the point is, vegetables and fruits have more to offer than most people know. And when it comes down to it, I'm getting the protein levels I need. Here are my lab results: http://www.84lbs84days.blogspot.com/2013/02/lab-report.html I'm healthy and I feel full and I'm getting more nutrients than a piece of beef or chicken is going to offer.
"Thinking about starting a 15 day reboot this coming Saturday. I’ve already noticed that when I drink a juice now, even though I’m only prepping, that I immediately have the craving for more food, something to chew on."
My suggestion: Adding a sweet potato to a juice will add substance to your juices and help you feel fuller longer. There is a morning juice in the Breville handbook that includes sweet potatoes:
4 sticks of celery
1 sweet potato
4 oranges
1" piece of ginger <-- I don't use ginger
Its fullness factor is amazing! And, I know for sure that it works for sustaining oneself over a few hours!
"I seriously worry that I will not have the willpower to follow through with the reboot. But due to my past bad eating habits, I am really wanting to do this for the health aspect as I have some health issues. The weight loss will be nice, but I’m more concerned with health."
I did not know that this website existed when I first started juicing. I simply saw the documentary, was inspired by Phil's comment that he felt full and then told my wife that if that man can feel full, this fat man can feel full too! And I started. I started by sending a text to my neighbor and asking if he had a juicer. By chance, he happened to, and I used his until mine arrived. My overall health is what pushed me. I wanted to be healthier internally! I didn't want clogged arteries!
"Any words of advice? I feel certain nightmares are headed my way. Thanks for any input."
Don't allow your tongue to dictate your overall health or your waistline! When you consume food… real food that requires chewing, slow down. Enjoy it. Take smaller bites. Once the food passes your last taste buds, you no longer are "enjoying" the flavor. You don't taste or enjoy food as it is being digested. Make your bites smaller. Place the fork down between bites and literally allow the food to be in your mouth, on those taste buds longer. If you really enjoy what you are eating, savor those flavors. When I was on my road to getting fat, I would eat 2nds and 3rds. My wife said one time, it isn't that you are eating unhealthy food, it is the quantity of the food that is making you fat. She was right, for the most part. As I've never been a huge sweets, chocolate, junk food or soda person. I mean, I've consumed those things over the years. But never really was hooked on them like some people are. For me, I wanted full flavor, amazing and even exotic foods! I would fire up a grill and make amazing food or go to top notch restaurants to find amazing food and flavors! I didn't think about what I was doing and how 'bad' it for my overall health! I loved consuming amazing food and I love to cook… so I was in a win win situation!
I have learned a few things to help with the transition and also have discovered ways to hopefully keep the weight off. A lot of people warn me that by losing 70+ pounds in 14 weeks I risk gaining it all back and more if I am not careful. I'm doing all I can to make sure that that doesn't happen.
Someone else chimed in with; "The most important part is to educate yourself. Watch the movie, ‘Forks over Knives’ and other health related documentaries. This will really help your will power because you will better understand why you are doing what you do.
Have you seen; "Chocolate, Cheese, Meat, and Sugar — Physically Addictive" He starts out with a little tidbit called "How to magnetize a baby." It is pretty funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWi6dXCT7I
If you haven't heard of "The China study" yet. It is a book that I was told to read by the same friends that told me to watch Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. You can find it on: amazon, half.com or possibly eBay.
During the reboot process, know that whatever it is that someone lets go of, soda, chocolate, coffee, meat, etc… when the body isn't getting what it wants or what it is used to getting it can have a tantrum! Headaches, soreness, upset stomach, feelings of emptiness, mental fog… each person is unique. However, all may have similar things they go through, the intensity of each will be unique to each person as it will be based upon how attached / addicted they are / were to the item(s) they no longer are consuming.
In my juices I need variety in what I consume! I used multiple recipes along the way including those found here; http://www.makeitvegan.com/juice-recipes/ I knew for sure that the couple that put this page together has been eating healthy and juicing for over two years. They are the ones who told me about Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. The amazing documentary by Joe Cross. I read this the other day;
"Commitment means staying loyal to what you said you were going to do long after the mood you said it in has left you."
I don't know who said it as it was on a post / sign on facebook. What I do know is there is much truth in that. Often inspiration sparks us and our actions, but then it comes to us and our willpower to move forward and gain success! No one can eat for me. Nor could anyone workout for me and have my body reap the success of their movements. Likewise, I wasn't going to get a stint in my heart because of my step-dad's eating habits. Since I was eating like he ate, I was on my way to possibly being clogged up and heading his direction.
With eyes open wider than before. No matter what the social setting is, no matter what anyone says after you start your new lifestyle, as you get your life back. Just know that their words, attitudes, opinions and actions will not change or affect your overall health and the quality of life you have internally and externally. Only your actions and what you consume will do this.
One of the hardest things I ever heard came from the mouth of my sweet wife, and this was before I started juicing. Last year I tried the "vegan" diet, without juicing. I was socially a mess. I didn't know how to act, I made a big deal of things, I was a wreck… a mess! That was more difficult than going cold turkey into juicing. At one point she turned to me while we were driving down the road and just bluntly said, "If you were a vegan when I met you, we never would have gotten married!" That was hard to hear. Eating always has been a huge part of our lives. It is something that brings family and friends together. Well, now, I come to activities, full, as I juice before or consume it on the way when we are driving. I stick the juice in a metal water bottle, then I can bring it with me too. People just think it is water and don't ask question. And at a restaurant, I used to make a big deal looking for a "vegan" menu or vegan items. Now, I simply say "I'm not eating." or "I already ate." or "I'm not having anything." And I let it go… the staff doesn't care. And if they do, so be it. My wife loves it as I now help with kids even more, since I'm not eating and she enjoys her meal… haha! Well, my life is better and healthier.
"Most people seem to say the worst of it is over for them by day 3, or as late as day 5 – for me, it was day 8. I woke up on the 8th day and actually felt good! The first 7 days made me feel weak, depressed, lusting after meat and also gave me some killer headaches. But by day 8 almost all of that had disappeared. So if you’re anything like me, try and tough it out that first week… the next week it will get a lot easier. Good luck!"
This is why I say 3 to 8 days, instead of 3 to 5 when I talk with people. As a meat lover, turned into a juicer, I know that 7 or 8 days into this one can still have cravings and headaches if they were really attached. Typically 3 to 5 days is what most people experience. But 8 days ins't unheard of. Which is why I never recommend the 5 day fast, as I can't comprehend why someone would want to end their fast right before the surge of energy hits. I'd say nothing less than 10 days, that way someone can feel the pleasure of when the energy hits! I know this was a novel, but I feel for you and I know that had I known some of these things, my outlook and juicing experience would have been different!
Best of luck to all of you and anyone else who is also a "meatatarian" or is just starting out! Feel free to message me or connect via my facebook page: Reboot Support Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebootSupport I started this page the day that this website featured me as a "success story."
Stay Calm and Juice on.
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