''How do you all cope?''

I saw this question asked by a fellow MyFitnessPal participant.

"All these cravings are driving me crazy. .. How do you all cope? =/"

This was my answer:

I look at it like this... I WILL BE ALIVE THE NEXT 3 MONTHS ANYWAYS... And I tell myself that.

Seriously!  I'm going to be here.. so I can be here FAT or I can be here Healthy and Fit and enjoy life!  I have chosen to be here as a healthy fit person!  Something that I let go for way to long.  I have the unfortunate stretch marks on my stomach to show for my horrid choices and lazy ways... funny thing is.  My choices were not HORRID... I was not a big soda, or candy person.  I was simply a BIG lover of food.  I'd pack it in.  Instead of slowing down and enjoying it.  I'd simply keep shoveling it in.  Why? Because it was good!  Food was good! Food IS good!  When it comes right down to it.  I have decided that once I hit my goal (166 pounds) that I will seriously maintain.  How to maintain? How to get me there.  By savoring each bite.  One bite at a time.  By slowing down and ALLOWING the food to sit on my taste buds longer.  You no longer 'taste' the food once it passes the back of the tongue.  So... I'll enjoy it.  I'll let each bite resonate on my tongue for a bit longer and I'll take smaller bites.  I'll eat less and truly enjoy the meal a lot more!

I'll do all that I can.  And I'm not taking any 'diet pills' or supplements. I'm simply consuming the most nutrient rich foods that I can.  The Standard American Diet consists of a lot of 'white' food (rice, noodles, breads, sugar, etc...) that has been stripped of most of their nutrients and minerals. That is what we eat.  And we feel that we need a lot of it!  Give us the most bang for our buck!

We don't need that. We simply need a nice meal and a bit of self control.  Small bites... (place your fork or spoon down between each bite will help too) Allow the AMAZING food and flavors that we love to hangout on our tongue and in our mouth for a few more seconds. That we can truly enjoy those flavors before we send them down the pipes to be decomposed, broken down and absorbed. Allowing us to satisfy the desire for flavorful food and will give the stomach time needed to tell the brain that it is full.

One of the best thing (imo) to overcome eating bad things when a craving hits is having less of the 'bad' things in the house.  Have your fruits and veggies in the fridge ready to go.  When I buy grapes, strawberries and blueberries for the family, I wash them when I stick them in the fridge.  That way they are ready to go and become a quick snack when a craving hits. You can do this for apples, pears, etc...  I also wash off my greens first. Collards, kale, cucumbers, or whatever else I have.  It takes a few seconds and then they are ready to go whenever a craving hits.

For anyone taking the steps to lose weight and to get their life back... Best of luck to you all!

My Progress: 35.8 Pounds Lost in 28 Days!

Blueberries and Rainbow Collards!

This morning I wanted a real treat. Something crisp!  Something with a cool and refreshing flavor!

I also wanted nutrients, vitamins and some protein.

The craving for lettuce came over me.  Usually I want to throw in Romaine lettuce when I am craving nutrients.  This morning I wanted something different.  Upon opening the fridge there was a brand new head of red leaf lettuce and about a cup and a half of rainbow collard... bring it!

My breakfast:
About a cup of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries.
3 bartlett pears
5 medium pink lady apples
1/2 a head of red leaf lettuce
About 1.5 cups, of rainbow collards (all of it... stems and leaves)


This made 46 ounces of juice.  I consumed 32 of those and saved the rest for a few hours later.

I entered in all of the ingredients in MyFitnessPal and this is what they gave me:
Calories    Carbs    Fat    Protein    Fiber   Iron
1,035         265        0        21         71       63

The rainbow collards alone added 14 grams of protein!  BAM!

This juice was amazing!  And since I keep all of my produce in the fridge.  It was exactly what the cravings asked for.  It was cool, refreshing and PACKED with nutrients, vitamins and protein!

When I put in my new weight at MyFitnessPal...
217.2 POUNDS! I received this little message!

Congratulations!

You've lost more than 10 lbs since the last time your goals were set!

I weighed in officially at 252 pounds on January 12th!

Only 27 Days Later...

I am now 217.2 pounds!

I feel more energized than ever!

Fitting Better

Several years ago my wife purchased me a nice jacket. Around the first of the year we were in Sedona, AZ And I was complaining about how it did not fit anymore. It was way too tight and it was all I could do to zip it up.

I weighed in this morning at 218.6 pounds. I just got done putting on the jacket to go outside... Expecting the same discomfort, just because the last time I put it on I remember it not fitting well. To my enjoyment and surprise jacket fits perfectly fine.
In a few months I might just have to go and purchase another one... I like this kind of a jacket can be taken in.

Over 33 pounds lost in only 25 days. I have not done a workout today or even yesterday because we just got busy with the kids and family.

Juicing works for losing weight even if you are not able to work out every single day. My intentions are to go ahead and do my work out that I planned for this afternoon,  this evening when the kids go to sleep.
And hopefully in the morning I will be down another half a pound or another pound.

22 days into juicing... and I had my first HOT meal (Juice).

I'm human. I am.

I have cravings too.

Most of which I have found the will power to ignore, modify or overlook. At times though, embracing them is the best way to overcome them!

I actually enjoy going to dinner with my family, knowing that I will not be eating. I will be smelling the food.

Crazy? Not really.  When it comes down to it, making a big scene over "not being able to eat" would be much worse.  And in reality, I LOVE flavorful, excellent, unique and intriguing foods and dishes. The flavors, the spices, the way they can all come together to make one's mouth water.  Excellent.  I also love spending time with my kids, having clean arteries, and not carrying around so many extra pounds.

When I go to dinner, walk by a restaurant or through a kitchen, I take in all the smells and aromas. They remind me of what I had and satisfies my cravings.

The other day someone told me (or I read it somewhere) that once your food passes your taste buds, it is gone.  I knew this... but now I really think about it a fairly often.  There is so much truth to that statement.  On my way to 252 pounds I would pound food like none other!  I knew that I could punish at least two plates of food and a pizza... a large pizza was something I would finish on my own, without even thinking about it. I'm not talking about your normal pepperoni or meat lovers pizza.  No, I would do gourmet pizzas.  If I was going to eat, I wanted it unique and as flavorful as I could get it!

Why? Because food is good!  It tastes great! Smells amazing! And it is a social activity that builds friendships, brings families together and helps individuals bond in ways that other activities may not be able to.

Two nights ago I had a craving for a hot meal like none other.  I had not thought of it, it truly had been over 20 days since I sat down to a warm meal or eaten with a spoon or fork. I pulled out the Breville juicing / cookbook. I was determined to make something warm even if that meant I would juice a bunch of vegetables and then warm it up on the stove.  To my surprise upon opening the book I discovered three soups.  Two called for meats and one did not. I picked the one with the most vegetables and commenced juicing!

The recipe: "Gazpacho"
4 medium tomatoes
4 sprigs of parsley
1 large clove garlic, peeled (I used about 1/4th a clove)
1 small onion, peeled and trimmed (I used a tiny onion that I picked up from Sprouts)
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 red pepper
1 Lebanese cucumber (I used an English one)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar <-- Omitted this.
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crushed ice <-- Omitted this (My Gazpacho was going on the stove.)
3 tbl chopped fresh basil -- sprinkled on top <-- Didn't do.

It may not have looked the best... but it HIT THE SPOT! And slaughtered the craving!

After warming up the juice that came out of the Breville, I poured it in one of our bowls and grabbed a spoon.  After about 3 bites, I grabbed a large hot chocolate mug and poured it in there and drank it.

My Progress: 30.6 pounds in 22 Days!

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!

Best Monitor?

Do you have a favorite heart rate monitor or way that you track calories?

I want something that will track most accurately track my calories lost. After searching, I'm at a loss as to what is a GREAT and ACCURATE heart rate monitor and calorie tracker. I feel that I need a heart rate monitor.  When I looked online I found over 2,900 results in the Sports and Outdoor section on Amazon alone! When I sorted those by four (4) stars and up, the results were still over 700! When sorted by low to high, 506 results came up, but not all were monitors. The Health and Personal Care department had over 1,900 results.

What heart rate monitor do you suggest? The top one on amazon is the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor. It has a 4 star rating with 1,103 votes giving it that rating.  Are monitors with a chest strap, like the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor better or more accurate? It also has 4 stars, but only 428 votes.

Any suggestions or ideas on which monitor will work best would be greatly appreciated.  Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments or send me a tweet via twitter @84days84lbs

Actual Calories Burned...

...do we even know how many one actually burns in a workout?

A sad day progress wise hit two days ago.  While stepping on the new digital scale that was purchased just after weighing in for the first weight loss contest, I was shocked to see my first 'plateau.'  I wasn't that surprised that the weight hadn't changed much as I hadn't competed a workout as of yet. We did spend the day doing things around the house, drinking some juice and just kind of enjoyed the kids.  Thinking that those daily activities would burn off a few calories at least was what led me to being surprised at the numbers being displayed on the scale.  The day before it read. 224.6  When stepped on yesterday morning it read again, 224.6  Ugg... are you serious, not even .2 of a pound difference?  Quickly stepping off and getting back on once again confirmed my weight. 224.6 WoW!  No change. That became the first day since I began this journey with NO change in my weight loss.

I was determined to do more and force the scale to reflect my efforts.  I took care of things around the house, played with the kids, got things ready to go to Dinseyland with some friends and then, they cancelled. Hmmm... this actually worked out, as we rescheduled for another day and went about our day. Which helped me, as I had been looking forward to crushing the next Insanity workout!

Around 11:30 p.m. I hit play on Insanity's Pure Cardio.  After completing that workout I felt great... dead, tired, and exhausted due to the nature of the program but, I felt like I had surely burned some calories.

*The next morning (today).*
Upon waking up and laying in bed for thirty minutes I finally stepped on the scales: 223.8 -- Down .8 of a pound. The thought rolled in; "Hmmm... I wonder what the scale will say after an Insanity workout if I don't do anything to add weight?"  I threw my workout clothes on and headed to hit play.  I was about to "Bring it!" on a whole different level! In the back of my mind I wanted to limit my water intake to the bare minimum, possibly none... as water weight is still weight. I wanted to see if the scale would reflect any weight loss after the workout.

First things first...

I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE DOING WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ.

This is a BLOG post of ACTUAL EVENTS.  I am not a Doctor. I had an idea and I ran with it.  I don't intend on repeating it verbatim again... It was a test. The results were mine and mine alone. This is for readers to see and comment on, but I do not suggest anyone doing this.

I hit play on Insanity's Plyometric Cardio Circuit DVD. This took place only about six (6) hours after finishing up Pure Cardio the night before. I took an inventory of how I felt, as I planned to drink a minimal amount of water to test how many calories I would burn. All was going well... and then the kids woke up.  They wanted to help and join in. The 37 minute workout turned into probably 57 minutes, as I kept having to restart some of the exercises. And from time to time, hold a child while doing "butt kickers" or wait for one to get done; "Daddy! I'm stretching." so I could have floor space again.

Throughout the course of the workout I felt fine... exhausted, but not dizzy or lightheaded. When Shawn T called for a water break, I gave it a thought and then just kept running in place or, I went to the sink, took a big mouthful, and then spit it back out.  Allowing my mouth to become wet, as it was drying out some.  However, I felt okay and didn't actually consume any water... not a single swallow as I worked out.  I was determined to see what the scale would say. After completing the workout my boy wanted to play... so, we ran around the living room and then played "horsey" and other activities.  I was thinking, my heart rate is still up.  I'm still burning calories.  Much like a log smoldering after the flames die out on a campfire... I knew my body would still be burning calories for a while after my workout.  After playing for about 10 minutes I headed upstairs, took a shower and took care of the morning "business" all before weighing myself.  Doing ALL of the above without drinking any water as of yet.

I stepped on the scales: 221.4! 

Yes, that is what it said!  I stepped back off... and stood on it again. 221.4 again! WoW!

From the time I stepped on the scale before the second workout to when I stepped on it again, I dropped 2.4 pounds! I immediately drank some water. Went down stairs, told my wife the news and then consumed 24 ounces of the protein and caloric juice that I blogged about yesterday.  After doing so, I felt... Full. Satisfied and I could tell I needed to be more hydrated so I drank another 16 ounces of water.  After that I have made sure to drink 16 ounces or more every hour as throughout this day.  It is now 4:28 and I feel great! I don't feel sluggish, maybe a bit tired (anyone doing two (2) Insanity workouts in less than 7 hours would probably feel tired though) but, nothing abnormal.

With the above said, I tried to Google how many calories one would burn in an Insanity workout. Since everyone's body is different and everyone works out differently, ball park figures (at best) were all I could find.  Somewhere between 300 and 800... WHAT??  That's a huge difference.

I want something that will track most accurately track my calories lost. After searching, I'm at a loss as to what is a GREAT and ACCURATE heart rate monitor and calorie tracker. I feel that I need a heart rate monitor.  When I looked online I found over 2,900 results in the Sports and Outdoor section on Amazon alone! When I sorted those by four (4) stars and up, the results were still over 700! When sorted by low to high, 506 results came up, but not all were monitors. The Health and Personal Care department had over 1,900 results.

Those of you who are reading this, I would love to hear from you.  What heart rate monitor do you suggest? The top one on amazon is the Omron HR-100C Heart Rate Monitor. It has a 4 star rating with 1,103 votes giving it that rating.  Are monitors with a chest strap, like the Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitor better or more accurate? It also has 4 stars, but only 428 votes.

Any suggestions or ideas on which monitor will work best would be greatly appreciated.  Feel free to leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments or send me a tweet via twitter @84days84lbs

Time to go drink some more water and make another juice!

Progress 30.6 pounds lost in 20 Days!

Dessert... via a Juicer!

In case you are on a mobile device and cannot see the tracker above... I added my updated weight and days gone by at the end of this post so that you can see it too!
-----------------
I watched this video about raw sushi on twitter/youtube last night. While doing so jicama was brought up.  The guy raved about how 'good' the juice is and well, I just happened to have two of them in my fridge. I have never used them before and wasn't sure what I was going to do with them... besides, hopefully juice them.  Well, after his words in the video, I decided I'd try it.

When I pulled the jicama out of the fridge I was surprised to see wax all over them.  A quick search online says that grocery stores do that... sadly, even the ones purchased from sprouts had wax on them.  I wasn't about to "juice" wax so I peeled them... usually I juice the entire fruit (with the exception of citrus) or vegetable as the juicer kicks out the remnants.

While searching for how to clean off the wax I came across this Strawberry and Jicama juice recipe (list of ingredients and photos are below). The recipe called for mint... which I did not have, so I omitted it. The author of the site called this more of a "dessert."

The ingredients:

1/2 lb strawberries
1/2 medium Jicama, brown skin peeled off <-- Peeled only because of the wax.
1/2 cucumber, peeled <-- Did not peel it.
1 Chinese pear, quartered and seeds removed <-- Did not remove seeds.
2 sprigs mint, plus some leaves for garnish <-- Did not have mint on hand... still tasted great!

My wife smelled it (as she ALWAYS does) and then tasted it... "Wow.  That is pleasant.  I'll have some."

She always wants the things that taste good. Can you blame her? It was refreshing and was much sweeter than other juices that has been created since starting this weight loss journey.

Tip: Use a few extra strawberries if you want. The jicama I used was a pretty good size, if you don't have a 'medium' one, just know that the jicama is rather sweet by itself... but not a strawberry or orange kind of sweet.  I found myself wanting a few more strawberries to make it just right.  Had I had a 'medium' jicama or only used half of it, the 1/2 pound of strawberries would have been fine.

**UPDATE**

In case you are on a mobile device and can't see the tracker above.

This morning's weigh in: 221.4! 

This after doing two rounds of Insanity!

Total thus far: 30.6 pounds lost in 20 days!

It SNUCK right up on me!

I was responding to a tweet when the number of days I've been juicing came up.  I didn't know.  I lost track.  I simply have been juicing and not thinking about the "days." Each meal, 3 to 5 juices a day.  If I want to consume it, I'm juicing it.  I had one exception... one morning I had to run to the Emergency Room and knew I would probably be there for a few hours!  Since it was an emergency I grabbed a bowl of the rolled oatmeal that I made the kids that morning and just consumed that.  I'm glad I did as we were there for about 6 hours... I didn't eat again until we got home. When we arrived, the juicer got flipped on.

This is a photo of our fridge... 

...well the bottom half of it. II have been buying MOST of my fruits and vegetables from Sprouts. I discovered that for variety, Sprouts or a Farmer's Market is key to getting the most for your money.  $50 at Sprouts goes a lot further in terms of getting all ingredients for multiple recipe, then it does at Costco.  For sheer bulk / quantity, Costco is great for that. Unless of course you find a place that will give you a great deal on bulk items.  I purchased 20+ tomatoes two days ago and have already used most of them.

I juiced my first juice on January 12th. 

Today is the 21st day of juicing!

When you're the stay-at-home-dad you're always in demand.  It was all I could do to think about, do I have food needed for the next day then to think dreadful thoughts that sucked energy away and could possibly make me not want to continue.

How do I feel? I feel great, energized and ready for anything!  I still have pounds to lose and a lot of them!  However, the headaches and ill feelings that people say they experience when doing a reboot or a cleanse, never happened.  I had a slight, ever so slight headache on the second day... but that passed and has never been back.

I'm looking forward to successfully completing my goal! I feel great and am getting proteins, minerals and vitamins... and practically NO fat! I believe MyFitnessPal says I've consumed 5 grams for the week!

Attention iPhone, Android and Mobile Readers!

It has come to my attention that the super efficient weight and day tracker that a friend coded for this blog, doesn't show up on iPhones, Android units and other phones... UNLESS you press the "View web version" at the bottom of the blog, as you view it on your mobile device.

I received this image from a friend who has been following my weight loss.

This is what I see.

However, when viewed in the web version on your phone, a laptop, or pc then you should see this.

There is also a FOLLOW @84lbs84days on the right side that is not showing up on mobile devices.  I'm not sure why this is happening.

Please click the "View mobile version" at the bottom of your mobile device to see the updated pounds lost!  Additionally, feel free to click the follow button and follow me on Twitter.  I tweet a new post is published and also throw random thoughts and tweets throughout the day.

Thus far, I have lost 27.4 lbs in 18 Days!

Thank you all for sharing this blog with others and for coming back daily to read and to see the progress!

*Update:*
Just added... the Google+ button for the site, now you can +1 this site... the button is on the right side, below the About This Blog and Twitter Follow Button.

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.