Working out.

Yesterday was a BIG day in terms of working out and calories DESTROYED! My wife says I'm nuts!  But is glad that I am getting the nutrients and vitamins to sustain life!

I added in my second workout and the time walking at Disneyland for 3+ hours (except I only claimed 2) and MyFitnessPal said; "If every day were like today... You'd weigh 156.3 lbs in 5 weeks" I didn't even mention carrying a toddler around at Disneyland. haha! I put the number of calories MyFitnessPal says I lost (earned by working out) in the paragraph under the photo below.

Calories... what a funny and interesting thing.  We need calories.  Yes.  We all do!  And they are just about everywhere you look!  The bad thing is often the calories are wrapped around the bad food, the white, processed, bleached, stripped foods and the good food! The bad foods are "accepted" everywhere and desired by most.  Also, they are cheaper to make and for now, sell better in most places than healthier options.  At Disneyland last night I couldn't help but to see the results of standardized American eating... all over the place!  Most of the options at the restaurants ONLY SUPPORT being heavy too! I wanted to get my kids something and just everything was just 'bad' for them. My wife mentioned that IF they made whole wheat pizza crust that they most likely would have to throw most of it away. People like what they like.  I simply said, just imagine if the World had never been introduced to white bread, or stripped products.  Simply said, we (the World) would potentially be a lot healthier.  It blows my mind that a 20 ounce bottle of water costs more in most places than a 20 ounce bottle of soda / pop / cola. The water hasn't had chemicals, additives, sweeteners or other things added to it.  However, bottles of water are probably not purchased as much as bottles of soda.  Simply said the quantity of soda purchased over water allows for more profit margin, which most likely allows for soda to be produced and sold for less than water. Sad... sad... sad...

There are so many heavy people in the world (I am still one of them... so, I'm not bashing anyone). It is just sad to me that so many people are fat due to choice!  Yes, some people are heavy due to medical conditions that they can't control.  However, sadly a lot of medical conditions have developed due to being fat, or as a result of poor choices.  The circle most likely could have been prevented had wiser choices been made.

After talking to Grandma this morning she confirmed.  We were never really educated in vegetables.  We grew up eating meat and potatoes.  And that is what we knew.  However, a burger in 1940 was a completely different 'burger' than what people are getting served to them in 2013.  The simple fact that antibiotics are used in the cattle industry at high levels to keep the animals healthy at rates higher, much higher than they ever would have been in 1940 makes it obvious that the meat is different. I'm not saying people can't eat meat.  I just wish we would have been more educated in the health benefits of fruits and vegetables. had we been, I'm certain that more of them would have been on our plate and consumed each meal.  My two kids both like vegetables.  They also see "mommy and daddy" eat vegetables and other things too.  They are interested in what we are interested in.  Little sponges they are.  Simply said, lead by example and they will follow.  If all we did was eat sugar, drink soda, etc... they would want that too.  They want to be like us.

I need a hand... something I can't do myself. The weight loss team I am on has lost 126+ pounds in 2 months! We are at the top of page 1 if you click on this link --> http://a.pgtb.me/Pr6?app_data=entry_id%3D19570192 We really need your votes to win this mini challenge! The team with the most mini challenges won wins if there is an overall TIE in weight loss by teams!  This is HIGHLY likely as HealthyWage caps each team at no more than 16.7%!  You can quickly "unlike" their page seconds after you vote! We are only losing by 12 votes!!! Voting ends TODAY at 2 PM pacific time!

You can do this once per mini challenge.  If you haven't voted on this photo yet, please do!  If you have, THANK YOU!

The photo you will be voting on is this one:

Last night I did a total of three Insanity Workouts!  WAHOO! Two of them were Max Insanity workouts! Between Insanity (three times), Disneyland, the park, taking the kids to the sub shop for my wife and then taking them to her classroom for a 'lunch bunch' with her kiddos, a lot of calories were burned yesterday. MyFitnessPal says; "You've earned 2591.0 extra calories from exercise today"

I need to step on the scale today and then update the tracker. However, I am doing great and I am looking forward to my next "weigh in." I know I am getting nutrients and vitamins. Even the essential nutrients.  I'm looking to make sure I get calcium though... as I don't want to mess up any bones.  I found a few pages that focus on foods highest in calcium.  I will be making sure that I get that in my body too!

I haven't made a juice today, when I do, I'll post it and the data on here, as I did the last few days.

My Progress (as of yesterday): Lost 50.2 pounds in 57 days! I will update this today.

3 pounds. 72 ounces!

This is a snapshot of Day 2 of the "two week" VLCD (very low calorie diet) to help catch up / jump start the weight loss back on track to the 84 pound goal!  In reality, I am happy that things slowed down and that I listened to my body when the bruised knee happened. I'd rather be a few pounds behind than have hurt myself even more by not taking it easy. From the competitive side, it isn't great to be behind. However, from the physical side, I'm glad that holding back took place as I can still pick up my kids, play with them, run and do just about anything without worrying about the knee. When the falls happened, jokingly I said; "Had this happened a month earlier, I would have broken the floor!"  I truly believe smashing into the floor (not once, but three times) with nearly an extra 40 pounds would/could have caused a lot more than just a bruised knee.  Therefore I am thankful that those pounds were exterminated before my wife and I went on our date that night!

Below the picture of today's (and tomorrow's) "meals" you can see the data of the juice from MyFitnessPal. I took the idea of taking a photo of the remnants from Mike and his Makeitvegan.com website/blog and decided to do my own.  Below you have 3.11 pounds of remnants and the 72 ounces of juice that came from them!

In reality this was going to be today's juice...

...however, the jicamas sabotaged that with their high calorie volume.  It turns out that according to MyFitnessPal two medium jicamas contain 500 calories.  Yup... two jicamas tuned today's juice into a two day mean. Thank you! I'll be fine... really.

This is what is in the juice:
9 roma tomatoes
5 organic carrots
1 bunch of lacinato (dinosaur) kale
2 orange peppers
1 head green leaf lettuce
1/2 kohlrabi
1 baby bok choy
5 persian cucumbers
1 beet (w/o greens... only because I didn't have any)
1 bunch of rainbow collards
1/2 an eggplant
2 medium jicamas
2 heaping tablespoons of TwinLab's Nutritional Yeast
Yield: 72 ounces of juice!

Personally I think this actually tasted pretty decent.  I wanted the jicama as I knew they would add a sweet flavor without the fruity taste that berries would add and to my surprise I think the nutritional yeast settled the flavor down so it wasn't so "gardeny" as my wife called some of the smells and flavors of previous juices I've come up with.

According to MyFitnessPal; this juice has 1,130 calories in it (chart is given below).
The Break Down:
This juice contains 15.69444 calories per ounce!
An 8 ounce glass would contain 125.555 calories.

Consuming 16 ounces (251.111 calories) immediately after making it and then rationing out the rest for consumption throughout the day really paid off. Pouring it into two airtight containers to preserve the juice from oxidation and then in the fridge they went.

A few hours later we took the kids to get hair cuts, mini golfing and then to one of their sets of grandparents' house to play and spend time with. Prior to leaving I took 8 ounces with me so I could "eat" while we were out and about. When we returned home another 8 ounces. Taking time to consume each glass over a period of several minutes to give my body enough time to tell the brain that it was indeed getting nutrients.

That puts my tally for the day at 32 ounces (502.222 calories). With 40 ounces (627.777 calories) remaining in the fridge for tomorrow,  I should be okay.

The kicker is... today's workout started at 10:20 p.m. By the time I was done, it was 11:07. I thought to myself, I can do another Max Insanity Workout before midnight if I skip the 2 minute cool down and the warm up on the second workout, as I am obviously already warmed up.  So... I did it. I did two Max workouts; back to back!  If a routine like this doesn't burn calories, nothing will!  And... with the nutritional yeast, I know I'm getting the amino acids and nutrients that my body needs!

As mentioned above here is the chart from MyFitnessPal that shows what was "juiced" today.

My Progress is still 46 pounds in 55.... now 56 days 

as I haven't been on the scale since I finished my last workout.  

I sat down and immediately started writing this post. I'll weigh myself tomorrow morning (or today, but in a few hours) and will update the pounds at that time.

We need some VOTES to Pull this off!

I have NOT been on the scale yet today... Honestly, I haven't even slept yet.  I was up all night. No workout yet. but I'll do that SOOOOOON!

We WON the last Team Challenge!
http://healthywage.wordpress.com/january-25-2013-team-challenge/

My team is in need! For YOU to vote for our new team challenge! This time it is our "Fitness and Exercise Picture" for our team SLIMPOSSIBLE! 

The link to vote is: http://a.pgtb.me/Pr6?app_data=entry_id%3D19570192

This is a NEW mini-challenge, so PLEASE VOTE AGAIN!. These mini challenges motivate our team to continue our path to success and your votes are critical to help us win. Thank you! Our team members are Nancy, Ashly, Matthew, Myself (Johnathan), and Michael! Combined we have already LOST over 108 lbs! Please support us with your votes as we lose more and more of US on our route to winning a NEW US... and $10,000! Thank you all!

We were told that you can "like" the HealthyWage page, vote and then "unlike" it if you don't want to "see" it in your newsfeed... either way, that choice is yours. For us, we'd LOVE it if you would take a few seconds and click this link to vote: http://a.pgtb.me/Pr6?app_data=entry_id%3D19570192 

PLEASE Feel Free to click SHARE this on facebook, twitter or anywhere! Let everyone know! And to those who have already voted; THANK YOU!

Food Log

I received this question about my food diary on MyFitnessPal... I thought it was a good one and that others might be wondering the same thing.

Q: "When I look at your diary I think wow that must cost a fortune, My hubbs is thinking about juicing. I know we cant put a price on health, but with all these kids I am trying to feed I worry about price often. Do you find it to be expensive?"


A: Honestly, the food lasts a long time.  Also, think about the juicer you get. The more you pay up front for a really good one, the more 'juice' you'll squeeze out. Which means, more bang for your buck. For me, I have two kids... and I need the ability to make a juice fast.  I KNOW that I could be getting more juice out of my vegetables and fruits if I bought an omega or a norwalk, but I don't have that time to prep and the time to juice at that kind of slower pace.  The Breville is awesome!  And I am learning ways to juice more efficiently. I stuff things down inside yellow peppers to prevent them from flying around and little things like that.  The 3" diameter on the Breville is amazing!  I can drop an apple, a pear, a cucumber, a beat, a small jicama, etc... all straight down without having to slice them up.  The juicer will separate the fruit. When I drop grapes in, I do it with stem and all.  The stems go to the catcher and the juice flows out.  I'm really impressed with the Breville for it's speed and juicing capabilities.  However, I want to get an Omega too... that way the smaller, more delicate fruits and greens can be juiced without being 'lost' into the remnant catcher.

I also look at it as, I'm not buying meat, processed food, frozen pre-made meals, or canned foods for myself.... so, I'm saving money, or at least switching where my cost is going. And in the end... I'm not sick, no Doctor visits, or meds.  That saves money.

My mother has diabetes and she actually starting eating more fruits and vegetables a short time ago.  She doesn't have a Breville, she has a magic bullet (which is a lot cheaper if someone is on a budget) and just adds a lot of water to make her "juice." I personally love the juicer though.  She is getting A LOT more fiber than I am, as the bullet keeps everything together. She used to have to give herself insulin shots... she no longer does.

Fruits and vegetables are powerful! Most people just don't know very much about their potential, their protein or their nutrient and vitamin values.  We are designed to eat meats, fruits and vegetables.  The problem is 'man' has gotten his hand so involved in the growth and production process of animals and now science uses chemicals, hormones, antibiotics and other things to raise and care for livestock before it hits the table that we don't consume animals the way our ancestors would have.  Instead, a steak eaten by someone today is polluted with all kinds of chemicals and added items that never were a factor 200, 300 years ago.  Which is why eating "meat" today, unless you pay more to find grass fed animals, is a crap shot... and potentially will land people in the hospital, a doctor's office or the cemetery a lot faster than before. Store bought meat just ins't as good as it once was. I feel that the 'cost' of fruits and vegetables is way cheaper than the alternative. And if you can find a place like the Red Tomatoes Farmers Market that I blogged about yesterday, you'll get A LOT more for even less money! It took me about two weeks to find them, now I am glad I did.  They are about a 30 minute drive away.  When I go, I'll be buying a lot for sure... but their prices are LOW enough that it is worth it.

My Progress: 38.4 Pounds Lost in 31 Days!

aka Roughly 134,400 calories EXTERMINATED!

''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!

Juicing Gone Wild!

The desire for protein and no red fruit came over me tonight...

I grabbed 60 asparagus spears, 3 bosc pears, an entire 'bunch' of Lacinato Kale, and a HUGE Papaya and threw them all into the juicer!

**CAUTION** If you do this, be prepared to exchange out your catcher and have another container on hand... as this yielded over 64 ounces!

Initially I didn't have in mind to do the papaya.  That was before I tasted nearly only asparagus.  I thought, hmmm... I could add more pears. Then I saw it. The papaya was probably 12 inches in length and about 6 inches around.  I got it at Sprouts and had the notion that I'd try it.  A few days ago I tried a smaller one and was surprised by how sweet it was... almost overpowering!  I knew that would do it!  I grabbed it, sliced it in fourths and then slipped each one (rind and all) into the juicer


I called this 'Juicing gone wild!' as look at the specs of this juice alone!
Calories: 881, Carbs: 431, Fat: 8, Protein: 38, Fiber: 51 and Iron: 9

Which combined with my meals (other 2 juices earlier) makes my total for the day:
Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber  Iron
1,844       431    8      67      123    82
*Fiber isn't really THAT high, as my juicer kicks out most of the pulp.

Ideally you can have this for two meals... there is no way I'm consuming all of that in one setting.

In the end... I'd say the drink is good.  However, if I could turn back time I would have only used half of the papaya.  That is one powerfully sweet fruit!

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!

More Apples! "It's all gone!"

This morning the little man was super excited to help!  "But, Daddy! Daddy! I want to help!" After sitting on the counter next to the juicer, I handed him each large item and he stuck it in the chute.  He loved watching the juice come flying out! He would then say; "It's all gone!" After we finished he excitedly yelled; "More APPLES Please!"

I found a recipe on www.healthfulpursuit.com; called "Cinnamon Ginger Nectar."

It called for

• 4 cups spinach
• 1 head romaine lettuce
• 1 English cucumber
• 1 celery stalk, about 10 sticks with leaves
• 1 apple <-- I ADDED TWO Fuji Apples... if a recipe is ever to bitter, I add Fuji (or Pink Lady Apples) to sweeten it up.
• 1 small knob of fresh ginger, about 1 inch section
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 5 drops of liquid stevia <-- I DID NOT ADD THIS.

When I enter this in MyFitnessPal I get the following:

Calories     Carbs Fat      Protein Fiber Iron

450                 97           3       13          35      52

The Protein mainly came from the head of romaine lettuce: 8 from there, 4 from the spinach and one from the apple.

Tip: Anytime (IMO) that a recipe is too tart, apples, red grapes and even most pears can add a nice sweet flavor to offset the bite a juice might have.

Second Tip: Pay attention to what has protein in it.  Before juicing I thought Spinach was the main vegetable that contained protein.  I have since learned that tomatoes and now, romaine lettuce both pack a powerful punch of protein too!

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.

My own Disneyland Marathon... kind of.

I've heard of and actually have looked into the Disneyland marathon but have never done it. However, after yesterday I felt like I had participated in one or maybe an Iron Man.

The day started with me taking the two little ones to Disneyland.  Before leaving I made sure breakfast was consumed and that food for the day was prepared.  I also juiced a lot more, quantity wise, than I have ever done before (I included a screenshot of what I did and the values from MyFitnessPal below).

Upon arriving I discovered that I left the second seat for our Phil and Ted's double stroller at home.  Not having this, presented an immediate problem.  With this particular stroller the seats stack. Thus creating a seating arrangement similar to that of a double decker bus. Making it easy to use, steer and control while still being streamlined.  We bought ours from a lady selling her's on craigslist years ago and we love it!  If you haven't seen a Phil and Ted's before here is what our stroller looks like.  I told my little guy the issue and said that he would need to walk or be carried. He looked at me and said, "I want to walk." I was glad and somewhat relieved.  After about two minutes, the little man said "Up please Daddy" and I knew that my day was going to be interesting. After picking him up and continuing on, I quickly became thankful for all the weight I've lost over the last two weeks.  Seriously, if felt great knowing that I could carry him and push the stroller as we walked in Disneyland from the Mickey and Friends parking lot.

If you are wondering why we didn't take the tram in... simply enough a tram is convenient if you have one adult and one child or two adults and two children. In my opinion it is easier to walk in (pushing the stroller) when you are out numbered and a day supply of food for the kids. Trying to break down the stroller, hold the food bags and keep two kids on their bums, just wasn't something I wanted to attempt.

After about 200 yards it became evident that carrying a 3 1/2 year old was going to be more of a challenge than I thought.  Switching arms every 100 yards or so helped, but still was difficult. Eventually the light bulb turned on... my shoulders!  Stopping to hoist the little guy up and then securing him by his two legs with my left hand accompanied by directions to "hold on and lean forward" we were on our way... as I became the missing seat.  People looked at me with eyes of surprise.  Some smiled. Others shook their heads as we passed.  Upon arriving in the park I had high hopes of leaving the stroller at Main Street Station as the boy wanted to go to the Haunted Mansion.  A quick train ride (while leaving the food, gear and stroller at the station) would have been easy... but the station was closed. Completely blocked off.  Onward we went. At times he walked, but mostly he wanted to be carried. When the three of us got to a ride they would walk in for the most part under their own power, at times they both wanted up... and the stroller was no where in sight.

If you are wondering how many calories one can burn while spending over four hours walking around at Disneyland, while carrying one or two kids... let me know, as I am too.

In the end, we had a great day!  I got a huge workout in and the kids met many Disney Characters, rode several rides and even had lunch with Jasmine, Alladin and Genie!  It was a great day!

To top off my day (night), once the kids went to sleep, I hit PLAY on day 3 of Insanity! A little more cardio to help me with this weight loss adventure!

Before leaving I threw together a 'juice' that was UNLIKE ANY I had ever made before.  I was looking for quantity and sustainability... not flavor.  I knew from previous juicing that a sweet potato / yam would leave me feeling full and satisfied longer than anything else I have previously combined.  I started there... and then added more.

Tip: Juice for flavor and enjoyment most of the time. Sometimes you need (or should) juice for substance. Ideally, getting both is best!  However, knowing that I would need something to last all day, the above all went into ONE juice. After making the juice and having about 32 ounces of it for 'breakfast' I poured the remainder into a stainless water bottle with a few pieces of ice... this way it would stay cold.

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!

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.