An eventful day.

Sunday... Insanity calls it the "rest" day.  Not a day of vest around here.  Not with two kids.  However, I think the scale knew it was a rest day too.  As it actually moved my weight up a little.  Truth be said, that makes since, as I knew I wasn't going to be hitting play so I drank my juice and started the day without thinking of what the scale would say or reflect.

For some reason I didn't sleep much through the night and found myself wide awake at 3:30 in the morning.  After about an hour I finally fell back asleep.  11 a.m. church means we we're going to get the kids fed and ready for church, etc... We somehow actually got there on time!  With two kids, that alone is a challenge at times.  

After church we put the kids down for a nap around 3:30.  I was thinking that they would sleep while the Super Bowl was on and that my wife and I would get to see most, if not all of it, before they woke up.  Then the big lights out / delay happened.  Oh well... we love our little family and enjoyed the family time as the 49ers gave the game a new surge of energy after the blackout!  It was fun to watch the game turn into a "game!"

Today was the first Super Bowl ever for me to juice all my meals... I feel great! It has been over twenty days since I started juicing! I'm looking forward to completing another Insanity workout in the morning and getting the numbers on the scales to keep dropping!

Today's juices were nothing flashy or special.  To be honest, I was looking for nutritional value over flavor. I need to look into some other great tasting juices as I know there are plenty out there.  Why the value over flavor then? Because we didn't head to the store today... so I made due with what was in the house.  A mixture of rainbow collards, bosc pears, fuji apples, carrots, spinach, and more... not all in one juice.  But throughout the day.  My Super Bowl treat was a strawberry, orange and pineapple juice... wow!  Very SWEET! But a nice treat for sure.

Tomorrow morning I'll be hitting play again. Onward I go... with 166 in sight!

Earned but not used.

After doing two rounds of Pure Cardio yesterday I was very interested in what the scale had to say. MyFitnessPal said I earned 1,200 calories after the workouts. Since I didn't take em' up on that and eat more, I had hoped the scales would reflect the loss.  Since a pound of fat is roughly 3,500 calories, I had high hopes.

This morning's weigh in.. 225.6. Yesterday; 226.4

I was just emailed a list of recipes of juices and also hot and cold meals that are not created in a juicer, but are actual meals that you would eat with a fork.  I have at least 44 more days of juicing. When that day comes I want to have raw recipes and equipment for preparing them on hand so that I can continue eating healthy without having to wait for something to arrive in the mail.  I still plan on juicing, but to mix juicing with eating meals such as Taco Soup, Portobello Strognaoff, Teriyaki Stir Fry and other recipes that were sent to me.

If you have any favorites, please send them my way or include them in the comments. I'm compiling these as soon as I can and will start making some of the ones I just received probably today so my wife can enjoy healthier eating without juicing each and every meal.  She is very supportive but I know she wants more variety than just a juice 4 to 6 times a day.

If you haven't yet, click the "Follow me on Twitter" button.  I throw out daily tweets and also tweet when a new blog post is added.

Thank you for reading this blog! Knowing that you are reading this and following adds motivation and support like nothing else can!  Just knowing that others are watching this "Goal" become my reality helps me stay focused and a lot easier to say; "No thank you. I'm good." When friends offer me chips and salsa or to buy me dinner at a restaurant.

Thank you all!

DDDDDDropping POUNDS The "Insanity" + Way!

I woke up early and hit play on Insanity Pure Cardio! The kids wanted to participate too... we did that.  WoW! Doing an Insanity workout is hard enough. Doing it with children clinging to and wanting me to hold them, absolutely ridiculous! However, I love em' so I entertain them and give in to their requests.  Besides, they add 30 or so pounds to the workouts.

After the workout I entered it into MyFitnessPal and then added in my breakfast juice.  A few hours later the little ones went down for a nap so I pushed PLAY again... Insanity is the program. Insane my decision might have been.  Fatter than I want to be, yes. When my kids say; "Up please Daddy!" I always want to be able to pick them up and play.

Did the second round of Pure Cardio and then entered that in MyFitnessPal and this is what they said...

Seriously?? They want me to consume more?  I'm not trying to maintain my weight... I'm losing it! And losing it with eating calories... When they said; "You've earned 1209 extra calories from exercise today." I just laughed! And, I felt pretty good, as I read that a pound of fat is roughly around 3,500 calories... so, if I consumed 1,267 today and I burned off 1,209 (if MyFitnessPal is fairly accurate) + the daily consumption and burning of calories that one's body does anyway... shaving another 3,500 calories (or a pound of fat) should be easy as pie... I hope.

Below are my totals from today.. yes, I know I need more protein.  I'll probably throw together a spinach or tomato juice and maybe add some carrots or something to increase my protein and iron count... but for right now, things are looking pretty good.

I'm losing and losing a lot! And I feel full, satisfied and great! No light headed feelings. No dizziness. No headaches. No feelings of starvation... this guy feels 100% and has tons of energy!

Motivational words!

Got this text message yesterday:

"You are one of the most determined people I know. When you set your mind to something, not even a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick could stop you."

That is pretty cool!

I appreciate knowing that people are following the blog and adding me to their twitter accounts!  It is motivating to know that people are watching this GOAL become a REALITY!

Thank you!

Today's Breakfast

I entered my breakfast into MyFitnessPal this morning:

Breakfast alone puts me at 490 calories and already 12 grams of protein. The question of iron count came up so I included that in today's tracker.

I juiced for breakfast:

3 Fuji Apples

1 Cup Red Grapes

3 Cups Spinach

1 English Cucumber

1 Cup Broccoli

2 Cups Kale

1/2 of Lemon

The yield from this was about 40 ounces of juice.  I consumed the entire amount and 32 ounces of water.

Today is officially the 14th day of my efforts.

I am down 25 pounds in 14 days!

I am looking for a widget that will add the days at the top blog as each day passes... until then, I'll just tell my you what day I'm on.

My first food entry in MyFitnessPal

I originally signed up for myfitnesspal for the weight loss tracker... not for the site.  My mom and sister-in-law both encouraged me to use it sometime last year.  I listened, not. Well... now, I finally completed my profile and opened it up. I should have done this months ago!

WoW!

You can track Protein, Vitamins, Calories, Fat, Sugars, Salts, and several other characteristics of your diet.

My wife was worried that I might not be getting enough calories... well, upon first entering my info I came up with 2,000 calories for today. Then I changed the apples from Large to Medium and 1,806 came up as my caloric intake for the day.

I'm pretty sure I'm okay calories wise... now, to up the protein a bit.  As I just tore through P90X's Ab RipperX!

By the bag or individually.

As I buy fruits and vegetables I was surprised to see that buying the same item by the bag or individually can be a huge difference in price. The other day Sprouts had Organic fuji apples for $0.99 a pound and the 3lb bags we're $4.99.  Then a few days later the price per pound went up to $1.69 and the 3lb bags dropped down to $2.99

Today I grabbed some star fruit, pineapples and a papaya.  I plan on juicing them, probably completely alone, as I just want to see what that will be like. These will be the in between juices, as I was sure to grab some more purple potatoes, spinach, celery, and other items.

If you are not sure what to juice or what the nutritional and protein values of vegetables will be, a friend posted links to these lists of fruits and vegetables that give details on a lot of them. Not everything is listed and I'm still looking for a list of just raw vegetables, as I'm not cooking any of these.  However, the two lists are a pretty good start.

That same friend has compiled a list of juices that they enjoy and have made.  I have tried a lot of these and will continue to try them.  I use fuji apples, as they are sweeter.

Conversation at Sprouts and beyond.

While at Sprouts the other day I saw a guy buy something I've always overlooked. It was Kale, but a different kind. I asked how he prepares it and he said he juices it.

He game me this recipe:
Cayenne Pepper, Sea Salt, lime (or lemon), Celery, Kale, Cucumber, Cilantro (or Parsley), one Beet and some Wheat Grass.

I didn't buy wheat grass that night, as Sprouts only had one flat and this guy bought it.  But, I figure if he is trying it, why not.  Worst case, I don't like it and or I adjust it until I do.  He mentioned that he's been juicing for a while but only does this one.  I'm pretty set on having a variety. A lot of recipes call for straight vegetables or if they do have fruit they suggest Granny Smith apples.  Nothing against using apples, but I want the sweeter ones.  I'll stick to Fujis and Pink Ladies.

I recently had a conversation with a lady who said she uses the remnants (the pulp, as she called it) to make crackers or muffins.  She gave me some websites to check out.  I haven't done this yet either.

The cost of food came up.  And yes, fruits and vegetables can add up.  However, if you've not buying processed foods or meats, then you still have to buy something to consume.

My mother in law told me the other day that eating healthy isn't that expensive if you're not buying meat, as a pound of beef is $4 to $7. I don't remember the last time I saw produce going for that much a pound.  Then my sister in law pointed out that a pound of beef can go a lot further than a pound of apples.  Well, both are true.  For those who are buying more fruits and vegetables, kudos to you! It is great that people are trying to eat better.  The economy is crazy for a lot of people and I know a snickers bar is cheaper than a plate of fruit. I want to get healthy again.  Besides, if I don't, I'll eventually have to buy medications.  And that alone will be far more costly than fruits and vegetables.

Calories. Protein. Water.

I have been watching my calorie intake and trying to compute how many minimal I need a day.  I heard the other day that you take your healthy weight (what it should be) and multiply it by 100 and that is the minimal amount.  My goal is 166 lbs. With that said, 1,666 calories would be my daily target. Obviously as I incorporate more cardio I will need to make adjustments.

Protein. A lot of sites and people say for my body size I should be consuming around 80 to 100 grams, more if I am bulking up (which I'm not, first things first, lose the pounds).  Upon hearing that I started to analyze just how much I would need to consume.  Then I heard Kristina from rawfullyorganic.com talk about how your body doesn't actually get all of that protein in its blood stream.  Percentage wise, it sounds like more protein gets in the blood stream when it comes from being juiced or comes from a plant based source.  Meats have more protein in them but the amount that actually gets absorbed versus excreted without ever being used, places the protein in vegetables, more viable and possibly reliable.

Water. I'm consuming between 100 to 200 ounces per day. I'm trying to consume a 16 ounce glass every hour to an hour and a half that I'm awake. This way the water intake is spread out throughout the day and isn't a daunting task.

I'm still learning a lot of things. Growing up mainly on the standard American diet of meat and potatoes with greens and fruits there but not as the primary focus, helped me to believe I needed some form of meat with every meal. Now... at 31, I am learning so much and my eyes are open.

After the juicing is over, I do look forward to eating regular meals... but will be sure that those meals are going to be more in line with "raw" eating and most likely organic whenever possible. Why? Because regardless if you believe in evolution or a higher being, this Earth has been growing vegetables and fruits without major issues for thousands of years.  Until "man" and science got involved. Now we have tainted produce. The article below was published on Jan 21st, 2013... only 3 days ago. Already over 30,000 people have liked it on Facebook. Along with it having been tweeted over 1,200 times and shared on google+ over 425 times. The article sheds light on just one of the many problems in commercial crops. "Regulators Discover a Hidden Viral Gene in Commercial GMO Crops" http://independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/regulators-discover-a-hidden-viral-gene-in-commercial-gmo-crops/

You don't know, until you  know. Then, after you do know, you have to make a decision to apply that knowledge or what you know doesn't matter. With that said, my wife is probably tired of me talking about "food" and the new things I keep learning. I'm not turning into a vegetable (or a fruit). I'm just becoming knowledgeable about things that have escaped my radar (or flew under it) for years. The more I learn about the health benefits of different vegetables and fruits, the more I am in awe about how much I've been missing.

No sense in clogging my arteries. Having a sensible and balanced lifestyle that will help add years to my life and give me more time with family and friends is going to be key.

Another day. Another pound.

Woke up this morning feeling like I hit my plateau for sure as I had planned to run or do something cardio wise yesterday, but that didn't happen.  I chased kids, did some things around the house and dishes... yeah, not that intensive.  However, these things had to be done too.

Upon waking up the scale said 230... Down 22 lbs in 9 days thanks to juicing and staying focused.  Now, as soon as we fully recover from our little trip and unload the suitcases maybe I'll get myself started with some form of exercise.

For now.... my little man just ran up; "Daddy! You want to play with me?!!!" and then he clobbered me!

That's a sign... time to go!

A calorie is a calorie.

I knew this... but reading it again helped a lot, especially in this time when I'm so focused on losing weight and getting ME back. A calorie is a calorie is a calorie. Simply said, consume less than what you burn and you'll lose weight.

The problem that got me to my starting weight of 252 pounds was calories versus taste buds and speed of consumption.  For years I have loved the flavor of exotic foods, spices, curries, seafood, etc... you name it, if it was "new" I was game.  I wanted to experience foods and flavors.

I am now... 231 lbs! Down 21 pounds in 8 1/2 days!

(There is a photo of this morning's weigh in at the bottom of this post.)

While trying all those foods, if I enjoyed them, I would almost always leave my plate, clean. For those who believe in not wasting, I was on par for the course.  And my waist... well, it was growing right along too.

I read this morning that if I take longer to consume a meal by cutting it into smaller pieces and then slow down as I chew, I'll enjoy the flavors more.  I will also feel full well before my plate is empty.  I knew this but a reminder (since we're human, which means we've not perfect and we forget things) is very beneficial.  Besides, after the food passes the taste buds the flavorful part is over... You don't actually enjoy the food once it goes down into your stomach.

Now my daily consumption includes the health perks of fruits and vegetables and their bold flavors! Since I am not consuming sodas, manufactured sugar drinks, processed foods, and the like, then I find myself enjoying flavors even more than before. Even juicing vegetables and fruits brings new flavors that I've never experienced before.

I must say that even my wife enjoys most of my juices.  She tastes almost every drink that I've made, out of curiosity.  She has liked about 90% of them. Which says a lot, as she is really picky when it comes to flavors and her meals. I have a list of juice recipes that a friend compiled that I used as a base.  Most of them I have enjoyed, some of them my wife will taste and then say, add another apple... When it comes down to it, do what works for you and your taste buds. I can testify that when you eat something a lot you start to crave it. If I was eating pizza all the time or drinking soda, I would want it more.  I am consuming a lot of fruits and vegetables and I can say that today I find myself enjoying recipes that I was only barely tolerating 8 days ago... The more I consume, the more I find myself enjoying the new combinations and flavors of foods.

The V8 recipe that I found on youtube and blogged about is very good :
"Ingredients: 5-6 Tomatoes 3-4 Stalks Celery Carrots with Tops (1 Small Bunch) Spinach (Large Handful) Italian Parsley (Large Handful) 1-2 Beets with Tops Optional: Romaine Optional: Watercress Directions: Run all ingredients through a juicer. Strain through a strainer if desiring a smoother juice. Pour into your glass... "

For now, I will focus on consuming nutrients, vitamins and of course a healthy amount of calories, but also on burning those calories that I am literally carrying around with me, daily.

V8 Juice...

...was my lunch today! Quick. Easy. And way better (in my opinion) then the stuff you can buy at the store!

Before:

Tomatoes, parsley, celery, beets, carrots, spinach, romaine lettuce and if you want, watercress.

 And the after... 

This was easy and simple... everything went in the juicer. Everything... tops of carrots, etc... The flavor of this... wow. I was actually impressed! I stopped buying real V8 juice years ago as I didn't like the amount of sodium that the label says it has in it.  And now... this, this takes the cake!  Very good!

My juicer.

I've been using the Breville BJE510XL Juicer for two days now. I have mixed feelings about it. Maybe it will grow on me. For now, I'm happy with the amount of juice I'm getting out of it.  However, I don't know if the remnants are more have more juice remaining in them than I'd like. I watched a video on youtube where the remnants were "dry" when they finished. Which means little to no juice was wasted (or lost). With that said, the amount of juice potentially lost may be small enough to compensate for the huge opening that the Breville offers. I'm able to drop an entire Fuji apple down the chute. The time saved for not having to slice up produce before juicing is huge.  And when you're home with two kids demanding you, time is valuable.

Anytime you make something to eat, there is always something to clean up.  With the Breville I find myself cleaning it after every use.  If you have a juicer, you know that the screen is the most difficult and important part to clean.  For me, I'm glad that my wife uses the OXO scrub brushes around the house. I simply turn the screen over and scrub from the backside...

I started doing this when I realized that scrubbing from the inside only attempts to push the remnants through the screen.  Turning it over like this dislodges the pulp, remnants, etc... quick and easily.

Nearly 2 more pounds... gone!

I told myself that I wouldn't weigh myself everyday.  Yeah... that's gone.  I'm not scheduling a certain time to weigh every day, and I only get on the scale in the morning.  The pounds that are dropping like flies are cool to see come off via the numbers being displayed!

This morning's numbers: 

I need to go verify my weigh for some of the contests which I signed up for... and do so before I lose enough that it puts me out of competition before I even get started.

It has been 5 days since I weighed in. I'm down to 234.2 and know that if I want to keep this going, I need to incorporate running or walking or something. I don't want to hit a plateau.  One thing is having signed up for multiple competitions (some had fees to "join" and others did not) means that I have more of an incentive to lose weight and make my goal!

My energy.

I was asked about how I feel.

"I read your blog... there's no mention of any changes in how you feel. ... It seemed like (someone) would feel horrible for a few days if not a week."

I remember seeing and hearing a lot of people saying that the first three days were the worst and then people said they regained their energy. -- For me, all is well.  I did have one lingering headache the second day.  The headache was low, and constant... it lasted nearly the entire day. It has since passed and I feel great!  Energized and ready to go!

I'm looking forward to dropping more pounds.  I have received a lot of caring messages, emails, chats and texts.  A lot of support and advice from those who know me.  Thank you. I will be sure to remember to hydrate and to consciously do so... And, why not, I'll head into the Doc too.  Just to make sure that my "numbers" are okay.

I'm not just "juicing" fruits... I'm making sure I get tons of vegetables too.

--My juicer arrived today.  I'll be returning my neighbor's. Which is great, as he said he wants to start juicing again.--

"No freaking WAY! NO WAY!"

Those we're the words I heard from my wife!

I got on the scales this morning and my wife said, "No freaking WAY! NO WAY! Get me a juice!" So seriously! This is awesome! I'm doing all I can to eat healthy and to lose weight!  I haven't been to the gym, I haven't ran yet, or even went on any walks... I do chase two little kids.  That in itself, can be a lot.  Especially when they want to run up and down the stairs.

This photo was taken at 6:50 am.

I heard that you weigh less first thing in the morning, right after you go to the bathroom and in your birthday suit. So, here I am... at 6:50 in the morning, with the lights off, as I didn't want to wake my wife.

I was so surprised by the numbers that I took my phone, and in the dark said, Jannene... Jannene, look!

Her response; No Freaking way! No Way! Get me a juice!

Well, we ran out of apples last night and Jannene had a meeting at 7:30 this morning, so I ran to Sprouts and got some more.  I left at around 7:05 and was back by 7:20... cutting it kind of close.

I took another picture, the one below was taken after I got back and after I consumed about 2 glasses of juice, as I was 'hungry.'

The photos were taken about 30 minutes apart.

My wife was so stunned.  I am so stunned!  

It makes a huge difference when you are LIVING the changes, not just reading about the changes on a blog or some article.  This is real life... this is me getting ME back!

Surprisingly satisfied.

When my wife got home for lunch today I asked her how she felt.  Her reply; "Surprisingly satisfied." And she said she feels like she has more energy and lighter too.

She had the 'juice' for breakfast and took an apple and a banana with her.  She said she ate the apple around 10:30. And she was eating the banana when she walked up.

We had the 'juice' from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead' for our lunch.  With the modification of the Granny Smith apples.  Instead of using two of them, we did about 7 organic Fugi apples.

She enjoyed it.  After drinking that she made a comment about how 'full' she felt. Upon heading out she grabbed two oranges, just in case.

This is day 2 for me... just fruits and vegetables and a goal in sight.

I headed to Sprouts before the wife was up.

I needed fruits and vegetables for my meals today.

I looked into the Organic section while there this morning.  I feel I scored pretty nicely.  Most of the regular apples were $1.20 to $150+ a pound while the Organic Fujis were on sale for $.99 a pound.  That was a no brainer.  I grabbed several of those.  I'll probably head back and get some more, before the sale is off.

The fridge isn't entirely full of fruits and vegetables, like the one below, as I still need to make room for food for the rest of the family.

I'm committed to making some changes. Some BIG ones. I will be consuming a TON of fruits and vegetables over this journey. And as my mother-in-law pointed out last night, the cost of organic vegetables and fruits isn't really that expensive when you compare the cost (pound for pound) to that of meat or animal products. This took only a second to validate while I was shopping at Vons.  A pound of ground beef was $4.99 or $5.29 a pound, with the Vons card I believe they dropped it down to $2.99 or $2.49. Whatever the price was, I don't remember the last time I saw fruits and veggies for over $2.50 or 2.99 a pound.  The 6 ounce containers of blueberries and raspberries might compete, but I don't purchase them at that size.  I'm more likely to buy them in larger packages.

Since I am consuming so many fruits and veggies, I am also starting to look into where to buy them locally, in case the price is better.  Thus far, our local Sprouts has had great prices, due to their sales.  For now, their Organic section is winning out.

My wife wanted one of my juices this morning.  Good thing I was taught how to share. So, breakfast for one, turned into breakfast for two.  Which means I used up twice as much of what I purchased than what I had planned.  I'm not upset though, if she eats more fruits and vegetables by default, as I am already preparing them, so be it.  No harm there.

Speaking of sharing... the 2 pounds of strawberries that I bought this morning, are almost gone.  The little man and little girl have been wanting them all morning.  Which once again, is fine.  Having a healthy family all around is great!  I let the kids try my juice this morning.  The little man wasn't completely impressed.  While his sister didn't really care for "her juice" but wanted "Daddy's juice." Even though it was the same juice. I gave her my glass and then used her cup.  She then loved it and drank a bunch.

Well, it is about lunch time. I haven't touched the scales today. But I have been contacted by my "competitors" in one of the contests.  They want to form a team of 5, and attempt to win $10,000 in another contest! $2,000 each. Hmmmm... competitors turned into teammates. Interesting concept. No matter how you look at it, it will be additional support and with more people pulling for me, and me encouraging them, we all can lose a lot more!

P.S. If you want, feel free to "Follow" this blog.  I added the follow or member option on the right side.  Also, blogger has a "share" button for social media too at the top of this.  Any and all support is welcomed!

Three contests entered... Slightly over 2 pounds 'lost.'

Weigh in for contest number 2 has been submitted.  It was in the evening.  They say you've heavier in the evening. 249.6 was my "official" weight.

For contest number 3, they determine the winner off of an entire body transformation. No weigh in needed, they base it off of before and after photos. I submitted those, shirtless... no, I don't intend on scarring anyone's eyes with "those" photos on here.  I didn't even want to see them myself.  So, why shirtless you might be wondering.  If I am going to have a chance at being the winner of the "lean" category (based off of transformation and pounds lost (visually), then shirtless will be the best way (in my opinion) for the judges to 'see' my transformation. With that said, they have been submitted. And now, onward and upward.

More fruits. More vegetables. More water. - All will equal less, LESS of ME! And that is the goal!

First 'meal' since weighing in.

Doing this... and doing it right (I hope). I am using my neighbor's juicer until mine arrives.  It should be here in the next few days.

3 apples. 2 large carrots. 2 handfuls of spinach. All combined to make approximately 18 ounces of juice.

 I like pulp in my orange juice. This didn't have any 'pulp.' 

It was pretty carroty. Tasted... wet. Maybe next one will have another apple in it.

 I thought there was a lot of waste with this juicer (what do I know, this was my first "juice," ever). To rectify the waste issue I put everything back through the juicer, twice.

This morning's weigh in: 248.6

I am debating about weighing myself daily or weekly. I know that one's weight fluctuates throughout the day, so I don't want to get hooked up on the numbers. Unless of course they keep dropping like crazy (which I hope they do).