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."