Christmas is finally almost here!
For the first few years that Britt and I were married my Christmas spirit was partly ruined by working retail. Not to mention, I was typically deep into final exams this time of year. Now, neither of us work retail or go to school and our Christmas spirit is back! We also have a cute little guy that we get to share Christmas with!
Little Drummer Boy
My favorite Christmas song is "The Little Drummer Boy." I think the love for this song started when I saw a middle school age boy sing it while playing his drum at a Christmas-eve service. The words of the song always meant something to me.
I love how the Little drummer boy starts. He comes to Jesus so he can give Him his "finest gifts." His mood changes once he actually gets to Jesus. I imagine him getting to Jesus and putting his gifts behind his back after he realizes that the finest gifts he has to offer are not good enough for the King of kings and Lord of lords.
I believe, we all come to this same point in our Christian walk. When we come to Jesus and accept Him in our hearts we are so excited about telling the world. We want to do something! After seeing Jesus, we quickly realize we don't have anything worthy of Him.
The Drummer boy would have felt like we feel when we are driving to a Christmas party with what we think is a great $20 gift but that gift is overshadowed when someone gets a brand new car! The Little drummer boy realized that the finest gifts were nothing compared to Jesus. He responded the only way we knew how. "Can I play for you?"
The gifts we have to offer our family, friends, career, and faith are nothing compared to the gifts of life, Grace, Joy, Peace, Health, etc. that we receive freely from Jesus. When we finally reach the point that we are able to set our eyes on Jesus, we will finally know that what we have to offer is simply an overflow of our gratitude for what Jesus did for us. In the end, all we can do is sit in front of Jesus and play Him a song.
It won't seem like much but I have learned from being a father that it doesn't take much to impress. You can ask any Grandma. Ask her if she would rather receive gifts from her grandchildren or have them put on a show for her to watch and giggle at. The joy of life (which is a gift from God) is still our greatest gift we can give back to Him!
What song can you play? Tell someone you appreciate them. Tell someone you love them. Listen to God and wait for opportunities to bless people. Forgive someone when they don't expect you to forgive them. Play the song that is on your heart because this season is not about giving a gift worthy of praise, but rather responding to the greatest gift of all with the greatest gift you have, you.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Beauty
This morning, as I was standing in front of the mirror in my essentials everything hit me. My son was laying on the bed in front of me just smiling at me. He was happy and giggling, there wasn't an ounce of judgement pouring from his body. You see, I was standing there with my mommy tummy, my lines that now encroach the beautiful skin that used to be there, the extra pounds that replaced the perfect number that I once was on the scale, and my son was staring at me in awe. He doesn't need me to show him how beautiful I am, he already believes it. Jack taught me this morning that I need to believe I am beautiful just as he believes it without question. Beauty isn't my definition, it isn't my worth, it is the beliefs and the spirit inside of me pouring out of my skin. It is my heart showing its true character through the shell that holds it, it is the love and joy that I have radiating from my inner being. My beauty is not based upon my outward appearance but who I am within my soul.
As you start each day remember that you are your own definition and your beauty is not a measure of what you see in the mirror.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Is Redistribution of Wealth Biblical?
Is Redistribution of Wealth Biblical?
Redistribution of Wealth is a hot topic in today's political world. Both parties have positive intentions but neither understand how redistribution of wealth can be used in a Biblical Sense.
Redistribution of Wealth is a hot topic in today's political world. Both parties have positive intentions but neither understand how redistribution of wealth can be used in a Biblical Sense.
I am not naive enough to believe that everything that our country was built on was God inspired. However, the general idea of freedom and liberty is the only place where God can operate at his maximum ability. You see, "the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Cor. 3:17). However, we must remember that a governments policy and a book of rules and regulations can not effect the freedom that we feel and experience through Christ.
Now, back to redistribution. The main complaint against redistribution is that we will eventually become a pure socialist economy. The most extreme explanation of this policy is that everyone has the same amount of everything. We know from history that most of these systems did not work. Why doesn't it work? Government takes Biblical principles and ideas and attempts to turn them into a government run program. The governments goal is to make everything fair. However, they don't understand that Biblical redistribution of wealth has nothing to do with what is fair. Biblical redistribution of wealth is God inspired overflows of our heart. It is when us Christians listen to the holy spirit and we find ways to bless those around us.
God can not force us to give anything to anyone. However, the more you understand the goodness and love of God the less and less importance you will put on the worldly stuff around you. Jesus said it like this:
Mat. 6:28-30 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?"
God does not need a government program to provide for his Children. He needs his Children to listen to his voice and receive from Him! Here is how this happens: God wants to bless every Child of God. However, most of us don't receive the amazing life that God has provided for us through Jesus. So, God is so big that he will use us Christians to lift up, and sometimes support, the Children of God when they are not able to receive it for themselves. This is where we come in.
Redistribution of Wealth has nothing to do with giving 10% of your income or some number a government comes up with based on a 100 different variables. Biblical redistribution of wealth has to do with us trusting God and giving with cheerful hearts because God has first given to us.
1 John 4:19 is very simple. It says, "We love because he first loved us." Everything that we have to give to those around us is because God first gave to us. We are able to love because we first loved us. We are able to forgive because he first forgave us. We are able to give because he first gave to us!
How do you know when to give?
Try to listen to what the holy spirit is telling you. Giving because you feel directed to give is the best feeling in the world! When you understand how messed up you are (without Jesus) and how much God has blessed you (through Jesus), you will care less about what the money is going to be used for because God told you to give it. You don't have to second guess it because there is plenty more where that came from! Don't limit God, and raise the bar of how good you believe He is!
Give without strings attached. Know that God has directed you to give and that is all you need to know. Don't hold it over someones head. Never make them feel like less of a person. Let them know that you are supposed to give it to them and God loves them. Make sure they know that you don't care what they do with the money but also be sensitive to if the Holy spirit wants you to direct them. Be extra sensitive to the Holy Spirit if you are like me and you think you know the way everyone around you should live their life. Since I know I am like that, I choose to simply give without even thinking about the need. I simply trust that God knows their need and I am open to listen if they want to tell me about how this will help them with their need. If I try to tell the best way to use the money I am now playing God and man.
Don't turn into an accountant or a financial planner. This may be the only time of this person life that they are experiencing the unconditional love of God in the physical realm. Leave and thank God for His goodness, blessings, provision, and wonderful Grace.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Jack's Birth Story
The contractions went on for approximately 10 hours (2-3 min) and then my body started to slow down and they became 3-5 minutes apart at approximately 8 pm on Wednesday night. At this point I was beyond the point of exhaustion and just wanted to go home, but unfortunately you can't throw in the towel in the middle of labor. This led to the painful decision of starting pitocin, which I worked so hard to avoid. The pitocin pushed my contractions back to 2-3 minutes apart, and then anywhere from 1-2 minutes apart. At this point I was still only dilated to a 4, and knew that I had a long way to go. After many rounds of tears and struggle I gave into the pain medication that I vigorously denied for the last 29 hours of my labor. The anesthesiologist came in a placed the epidural around 12:00am on Thursday morning. At 1:00am the whole team of nurses were in my room telling me to turn off my right side, Jack's heart rate had dipped to 40, because his cord was pulled tightly around his neck. For the remainder of labor, I layed on the left side of my body, this was where Jack's heart rate was steady, which cause my epidural to pool in the left side.
At approximately 7:00 am, 35 hours into labor, I started pushing. This took about 1 hour and 45 minutes, and at 8:15 on Thursday morning I got to meet my little boy. He came out with the cord tightly around his neck, the doctor had to cut it off of his neck, because it was too tight for her to unwrap. Because his umbilical cord was wrapped so tightly he wasn't able to breathe full breaths and had to be pumped with oxygen by the NICU team that was present in the room. The good news was that he didn't swallow any of the bowel movement, but the bad news was that he wasn't quite breathing on his own. The team rushed my little boy to the NICU and gave me just a glance of his handsome face before they swept him away. This was extremely gut wrenching and confusing for me, all I wanted to do was hold my little baby, touch him, kiss him, and love him, and his was gone in a flash.
During the next 2 hours, I couldn't walk because of the epidural, I was flooded with emotions, and wanted to know what was going on with my baby, but no one knew yet. Then the NICU doctor finally came back and said that Jack was doing great, but he had a pneumothorax, which is a pocket of air in the chest that prevents the lung from being able to rise. Jack was in the NICU for the entire 3 days that we were in the hospital. On the last day of our stay a nurse came into our room at about 4:30am and told me the Jack's XRAY did not look good and she didn't think that he would be able to come home with us that day. This was devastating, I did not want to leave the hospital without my boy, this was an awful feeling. I went to the NICU as soon as the doctor was in that morning so I could get the final word on if my baby would be coming home with us, in a moment of joy we found out that our beautiful baby was strong enough to join us! This was one of the best feelings in the world!
my first time holding jack.
Friday, August 17, 2012
Law of Love
It is easy as New Covenant, Grace believing, Christians to get swept up in the "Gospel of Grace" and lose track of some instructions Jesus gave us to make our lives better and more valuable in reaching the world with the Gospel.
Some Grace believers have translated popular teaching topics on rest and freedom to; no more need to reach God's people and show them who you are through your actions. Paul knew this when he instructed some of his disciples to live the kind of life that would not paint them as hypocrites or harm the powerful Gospel through misconceptions of their actions. Today, we can know that we are free in Christ but also choose to limit ourselves so our choices aren't a distraction to those that may want to know about the beautiful Gospel of Grace.
When Jesus says "Love each other as I have loved you" He isn't telling us to carry the load, he is simply asking us to return to our true nature, in other words, the way it should be. When God (Love) made us, He made us in His image. The core of His image is Love. We must understand as New Creation Christians that it is more natural for us to love each other than any other emotion. When I am angry at someone I can feel it sit on my heart, this is because my heart was never made to hold this anger. My heart was crafted to love!
Our Christian walk is very simple. When Jesus said "repent for the kingdom of God is near" He is literally begging you to rethink who you are. Rethink your position with God as a believer. Rethink what it means to be a "new creation." Everything that we are to do is simply going back to the way it should have always been.
Today, remember that loving your family, friends, co-workers, and the slow driver in front of you is your true nature. Jesus told us to return to this person because it is who we naturally are. When you get to the person you were intended to be you are going to see your life change and the people around you change. People are going to wonder why you are always happy, and it going to open up doors to share the wonderful Gospel. Jesus loves you!
Jesus was all about making things simple through examples and stories. I appreciate it because I have a very simplistic mindset when it comes to the Gospel. I don't think Jesus was big on titling things but I call what he commanded us to do the "Law of Love." Jesus made it very simple in John 15:12 when he said "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." We also can acknowledge that our love for His people will never meet His Love for His people. However, we know that the main focus of Jesus' ministry, and Paul's ministry was to simply follow Jesus. We can see this in Matthew 11:30 when Jesus says "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." A yoke was used to guide an animal but Jesus makes it clear that He is pulling the load, when he says "for your burden is light"! Loving people is not a burden, for Jesus does not instruct you to do things that will burden you.
When Jesus says "Love each other as I have loved you" He isn't telling us to carry the load, he is simply asking us to return to our true nature, in other words, the way it should be. When God (Love) made us, He made us in His image. The core of His image is Love. We must understand as New Creation Christians that it is more natural for us to love each other than any other emotion. When I am angry at someone I can feel it sit on my heart, this is because my heart was never made to hold this anger. My heart was crafted to love!
Our Christian walk is very simple. When Jesus said "repent for the kingdom of God is near" He is literally begging you to rethink who you are. Rethink your position with God as a believer. Rethink what it means to be a "new creation." Everything that we are to do is simply going back to the way it should have always been.
Today, remember that loving your family, friends, co-workers, and the slow driver in front of you is your true nature. Jesus told us to return to this person because it is who we naturally are. When you get to the person you were intended to be you are going to see your life change and the people around you change. People are going to wonder why you are always happy, and it going to open up doors to share the wonderful Gospel. Jesus loves you!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Jack-2 weeks
My Jack boy is 2 weeks old today! Time seems to be going so fast, I am already not looking forward to having to go back to work :(.
Jack is doing great and according to our scale he has gained about 2lbs since he was born, which puts him at a whopping 10lbs! He has already outgrown his newborn clothes and is in 0-3 month clothing! I am so proud, blessed, and overjoyed to be able to witness this beautiful life that God has given us. Its so incredible to see the culmination of love that Ryan and I have for each other in such a little human being.
We started using our cloth diapers/wipes when Jack was about 5 days old, it has been going well, although we do have a heavy wetter and have to change Jack's outfit about 2 times a day/night. The nurses in the hospital said that they thought he holds his pee, lets just say that their theory was right. We have to wash the diapers once a day, and we have about 16 in our stash. It's been nice knowing that we don't have to go out and buy diapers. We are coming as close as possible to establishing a "routine". Jack eats about every 2-2.5 hours, sometimes 3 depending on the day. He generally sleeps all morning and is up from 1:30pm until 4:30pm or even until daddy comes home at 5:30. I try to keep him awake so Ryan can see him with his eyes open, but sometimes that isn't always possible.
I have been documenting a few of the cute things that he does daily, its been awesome watching a new life grow and flourish! Yesterday, Jack and I went on our first "trip" to visit daddy at work in Elkhart, he did great, and slept the whole time. Before we left for Elkhart, I changed Jack's diaper, and while i was in the midst of changing him he decided to make business happen. We use cloth wipes and I had an empty container sitting at the end of the changing mat and I was able to catch all of the pee in the container! I never would have guessed what life would be like with a little boy, I have a feeling that this is only the beginning of our adventures!
Jack is doing great and according to our scale he has gained about 2lbs since he was born, which puts him at a whopping 10lbs! He has already outgrown his newborn clothes and is in 0-3 month clothing! I am so proud, blessed, and overjoyed to be able to witness this beautiful life that God has given us. Its so incredible to see the culmination of love that Ryan and I have for each other in such a little human being.
We started using our cloth diapers/wipes when Jack was about 5 days old, it has been going well, although we do have a heavy wetter and have to change Jack's outfit about 2 times a day/night. The nurses in the hospital said that they thought he holds his pee, lets just say that their theory was right. We have to wash the diapers once a day, and we have about 16 in our stash. It's been nice knowing that we don't have to go out and buy diapers. We are coming as close as possible to establishing a "routine". Jack eats about every 2-2.5 hours, sometimes 3 depending on the day. He generally sleeps all morning and is up from 1:30pm until 4:30pm or even until daddy comes home at 5:30. I try to keep him awake so Ryan can see him with his eyes open, but sometimes that isn't always possible.
I have been documenting a few of the cute things that he does daily, its been awesome watching a new life grow and flourish! Yesterday, Jack and I went on our first "trip" to visit daddy at work in Elkhart, he did great, and slept the whole time. Before we left for Elkhart, I changed Jack's diaper, and while i was in the midst of changing him he decided to make business happen. We use cloth wipes and I had an empty container sitting at the end of the changing mat and I was able to catch all of the pee in the container! I never would have guessed what life would be like with a little boy, I have a feeling that this is only the beginning of our adventures!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
One Month After Fast
Today, July 11th marks one month from when I finished my 10 day juice fast. I received an unbelievable amount of support during my fast and even encouraged a few people to think about doing a Juice Fast. If I was someone watching my juice fast and saw that I lost 22 lbs in 10 days I would probably be skeptical of the thought that someone could keep the weight off. So, here is an update of what has happened over the past 30 days.
Immediately after I finished my fast I started eating better. I had 2-3 meals in the first week that I was craving during my fast but for the most part my mind and body had been changed enough during my fast that I felt better when I was eating better foods (how it should be from the start). I planned on gaining 7-10 lbs in the first week simply because I had food in my stomach. It is important to remember that I did not drink as many calories as I was supposed to at the end of my fast because I couldn't find a mixture that I enjoyed. This made it so that I lost more weight than what I should have so I was assuming my body was going to put it back on much faster than what would be considered typical. If I would have continued a strict eating schedule I most likely would have gained 3-5 lbs for the first week after the fast. Since I had some meals that were strictly to fulfill my cravings I ended up gaining about 8 lbs. I watched my weight gain/loss very closely for those first two weeks and without any scientific research outside how I felt I would say that I didn't feel like my body was completely out of starvation mode, and back into its regular mode until 7 days after the fast was over. I could tell for these 7 days that my body was trying to store as much food as possible in case there was another "drought."
Over the past month the maximum weight (in the morning) that I have reached is 259 and my lowest weight was 252 (2 lbs more than where I finished the fast). This was very surprising because at my worst point over the past month I was still 13 lbs lighter than when I started my 10 day fast. I only tell you all this because I know the weight is what everyone is so concentrated on. Allow me to tell you about what has really mattered.
I have felt great! I started running again almost immediately after my fast but it took my body 1-2 weeks before I felt better than I did before the fast. I assumed that doing a juice fast would benefit your body during and possibly immediately after since you are providing your body with needed nutrients that it is not used to having. However, the weight loss mixed with whatever the juice fast did to me has given me a drive when working out that I haven't had since I was training for basketball. I am finally excited about working out again!
I have not changed my eating patterns 100% but I have changed. I have tried to change my mind/eating patterns in the past but it has always been so painful. This time it is easy and natural because my body craves and enjoys the good stuff rather than the crap I was constantly putting in my body before my fast. This part is hard to explain but I guess you have to trust me on the fact that I feel better in almost every area of my life.
I can't end this update without mentioning the best thing that has happened in the past 30 days which is our new baby boy Jack! He is the best, and I am so glad that I decided to make a lifestyle change before he arrived so I can have as much energy as possible for him. Also, I am excited that I had this life changing experience before britt had Jack so we can work together to lose weight and become the healthy, and active parents that Jack deserves.
If you are debating if you should do a juice fast or not, know that God's Grace will give you the ability to change your life at the rate that you choose. God Loves you so much that he sent his Son (God in the flesh) so that you can live an Abundant life (best life you could ever imagine). I knew that I was preventing myself from living this life because of my eating and I can honestly say the Juice fast helped. The juice fast by itself won't do anything for you but a desire to improve your mind and body along with God's Grace can/will radically change your life.
Cheers to better health!
Immediately after I finished my fast I started eating better. I had 2-3 meals in the first week that I was craving during my fast but for the most part my mind and body had been changed enough during my fast that I felt better when I was eating better foods (how it should be from the start). I planned on gaining 7-10 lbs in the first week simply because I had food in my stomach. It is important to remember that I did not drink as many calories as I was supposed to at the end of my fast because I couldn't find a mixture that I enjoyed. This made it so that I lost more weight than what I should have so I was assuming my body was going to put it back on much faster than what would be considered typical. If I would have continued a strict eating schedule I most likely would have gained 3-5 lbs for the first week after the fast. Since I had some meals that were strictly to fulfill my cravings I ended up gaining about 8 lbs. I watched my weight gain/loss very closely for those first two weeks and without any scientific research outside how I felt I would say that I didn't feel like my body was completely out of starvation mode, and back into its regular mode until 7 days after the fast was over. I could tell for these 7 days that my body was trying to store as much food as possible in case there was another "drought."
Over the past month the maximum weight (in the morning) that I have reached is 259 and my lowest weight was 252 (2 lbs more than where I finished the fast). This was very surprising because at my worst point over the past month I was still 13 lbs lighter than when I started my 10 day fast. I only tell you all this because I know the weight is what everyone is so concentrated on. Allow me to tell you about what has really mattered.
I have felt great! I started running again almost immediately after my fast but it took my body 1-2 weeks before I felt better than I did before the fast. I assumed that doing a juice fast would benefit your body during and possibly immediately after since you are providing your body with needed nutrients that it is not used to having. However, the weight loss mixed with whatever the juice fast did to me has given me a drive when working out that I haven't had since I was training for basketball. I am finally excited about working out again!
I have not changed my eating patterns 100% but I have changed. I have tried to change my mind/eating patterns in the past but it has always been so painful. This time it is easy and natural because my body craves and enjoys the good stuff rather than the crap I was constantly putting in my body before my fast. This part is hard to explain but I guess you have to trust me on the fact that I feel better in almost every area of my life.
I can't end this update without mentioning the best thing that has happened in the past 30 days which is our new baby boy Jack! He is the best, and I am so glad that I decided to make a lifestyle change before he arrived so I can have as much energy as possible for him. Also, I am excited that I had this life changing experience before britt had Jack so we can work together to lose weight and become the healthy, and active parents that Jack deserves.
If you are debating if you should do a juice fast or not, know that God's Grace will give you the ability to change your life at the rate that you choose. God Loves you so much that he sent his Son (God in the flesh) so that you can live an Abundant life (best life you could ever imagine). I knew that I was preventing myself from living this life because of my eating and I can honestly say the Juice fast helped. The juice fast by itself won't do anything for you but a desire to improve your mind and body along with God's Grace can/will radically change your life.
Cheers to better health!
Monday, June 11, 2012
Juice fast- It is Finished!
It is Finished!
It is finally the moment of truth. True revelation is nothing without a changing of our minds. I have not only went on a radical physical change but also mental. I feel supercharged, like I can literally do anything. For the first time in years I feel like running, biking, swimming, and doing all the stuff I used to love to do. I feel like eating nutritious foods because they are good for my body instead of because they are low in Calories. My friend Bryan Weisweaver told me a quote once that the ancient Greeks believed that food were our real medicine (I'm butchering it). This is so true. Providing our bodies with the fruits and veggies that it is craving is so much more powerful than any medicine you can put in your body. So, onto what everyone wants to know, how much did I lose?
It is finally the moment of truth. True revelation is nothing without a changing of our minds. I have not only went on a radical physical change but also mental. I feel supercharged, like I can literally do anything. For the first time in years I feel like running, biking, swimming, and doing all the stuff I used to love to do. I feel like eating nutritious foods because they are good for my body instead of because they are low in Calories. My friend Bryan Weisweaver told me a quote once that the ancient Greeks believed that food were our real medicine (I'm butchering it). This is so true. Providing our bodies with the fruits and veggies that it is craving is so much more powerful than any medicine you can put in your body. So, onto what everyone wants to know, how much did I lose?
Before that, here are some other things you might want to know:
Total cost of the 10 day fast: $185
Total lbs of apples eaten: 24 lbs
Total lbs of strawberries: 10 lbs
Total bunches of Kale eaten: 15 bunches
Total bunches of Spinach eaten: 10 bunches
What else? Celery, Carrots, Chart, Ginger, Beets, Kiwi, Lemon, Lime, Sweet Potato, Pears, etc.
So, how much weight?
I lost a total of 20.6 lbs. in 10 days!
So, how much weight?
I lost a total of 20.6 lbs. in 10 days!
So, what was my first meal? Apple! I also had 2 eggs and a piece of wheat toast with nutella on it because I have been craving it for 10 days!
Thanks so much for all of you that supported me through this. Your support has meant everything to me. If you are questioning if you can do it, know that through Christ all things are possible!
Cheers to Better Health!
Day 10 "Last Day!"
Day 10
It's finally the last day. I woke up this morning like every other morning and made my breakfast and dinner. We went to church for worship and left early so I could go with Mike Coble for a golf scramble in Syracuse. This was a little scary because britt is getting into the last stages of pregnancy and I was over an hour away. I ate as much as I could and braced myself for the 91 degree weather. I drank plenty of water and somehow made it through 18 holes. I went to drink my dinner drink and it sucked! This was supposed to be my last juice but it was so bad that I couldn't stand to drink it. This meant that I had to live on 30oz on my last day. Please note that this is neither healthy nor part of the fast. So, I made it home to see my beautiful wife and ended the night resting.
I couldn't sleep because I hadn't ate hardly anything all day and all I could think about was eating the next day. I finally got to sleep after laying there battling my mind for about 2 hours. I thought about getting up at midnight but I decided that would be for someone that was doing a diet, not a lifestyle change.
So, tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives. This has been an amazing experience and I am so glad that I accomplished it.
Cheers to better health!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Day 9
Day 9
To see how Day 9 went you can see day 8. I am still a little tired but I have found ways to keep myself satisfied. We watched "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" again and it inspired me to continue to change my life style after my 10 days are long gone. I know now that the day after 10 days is not the end but really the beginning.
The fast has been great for losing some quick weight and working on changing my mind. Not being able to eat allows me to have some time where I don't have to worry about eating 3000 calories in one meal and I can focus on seeing what causes me to overeat.
So, tomorrow is the last day. I am really excited and happy that I made it to this point. I can't wait start fresh on Monday with a new body and mind.
Cheers to healthy living!
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Day 8
Day 8
Well, today was the last day of the work week. It will be smooth sailing from here. I started my day out by spilling my lunch all over the back of my car so I wasn't too optimistic about the possibilities of what the day would have to offer. I decided to save my breakfast and sip on that throughout the day and chew some gum. Gum is allowed in my fast but if you are going to do one of your own I would recommend thinking about what the gum is doing to your body. For me, I needed it to get the taste out of my mouth and settle my stomach down. I chew sugarfee gum but I am sure it is putting things in my body that I wouldn't like. Once I got home I tried my lunch juice and it was disgusting so I threw it out and made a fruit heavy dinner. If you have been reading from the beginning you would know that I am trying to have a veggie filled lunch and dinner, but I can't take it any more.
Britt and I went on a nice walk along the riverwalk and talked about things we could do that don't have anything to do with food. We came up with a nice little list and I am excited about knocking some of these things off with our Son. It was nice having enough energy to go on a walk but my head is still cloudy and I feel like I am in slow motion at times. Britt's mom decided to come out tonight and stay through tomorrow. Most of our time with her includes a nice dinner and waking up to a huge breakfast so it is going to be weird not eating. Once Marcia got out here we decided to go to watch the fireworks at the silver hawks game. I am sure that prior to my fast we would have replaced this with going for ice cream or some other food related experience. My old company, Melrose Pyrotechnics did the fireworks, and they were awesome! I would highly recommend getting out to the cove on a Friday night to see these! We got home kind of late so I was really hungry and kind of dizzy so I went to bed. For those of you that are thinking about doing a fast, please know that my dizziness is not typical. If I liked the juice (especially veggie juice) I would have been drinking all day and night and would have felt fantastic. Since I hate the taste of the juice right now I am sacrificing feeling good for not having to put another ounce of juice in my mouth.
Recommendation
So, what I recommend is getting a juice and find a "go-to" fruit filled and veggie filled mix. This will allow you to make that recipe when all else fails. Also, since it is such a mind game, your mind will tell you that you like that recipe and it will make a world of difference.
Cheers to better health!
Well, today was the last day of the work week. It will be smooth sailing from here. I started my day out by spilling my lunch all over the back of my car so I wasn't too optimistic about the possibilities of what the day would have to offer. I decided to save my breakfast and sip on that throughout the day and chew some gum. Gum is allowed in my fast but if you are going to do one of your own I would recommend thinking about what the gum is doing to your body. For me, I needed it to get the taste out of my mouth and settle my stomach down. I chew sugarfee gum but I am sure it is putting things in my body that I wouldn't like. Once I got home I tried my lunch juice and it was disgusting so I threw it out and made a fruit heavy dinner. If you have been reading from the beginning you would know that I am trying to have a veggie filled lunch and dinner, but I can't take it any more.
Britt and I went on a nice walk along the riverwalk and talked about things we could do that don't have anything to do with food. We came up with a nice little list and I am excited about knocking some of these things off with our Son. It was nice having enough energy to go on a walk but my head is still cloudy and I feel like I am in slow motion at times. Britt's mom decided to come out tonight and stay through tomorrow. Most of our time with her includes a nice dinner and waking up to a huge breakfast so it is going to be weird not eating. Once Marcia got out here we decided to go to watch the fireworks at the silver hawks game. I am sure that prior to my fast we would have replaced this with going for ice cream or some other food related experience. My old company, Melrose Pyrotechnics did the fireworks, and they were awesome! I would highly recommend getting out to the cove on a Friday night to see these! We got home kind of late so I was really hungry and kind of dizzy so I went to bed. For those of you that are thinking about doing a fast, please know that my dizziness is not typical. If I liked the juice (especially veggie juice) I would have been drinking all day and night and would have felt fantastic. Since I hate the taste of the juice right now I am sacrificing feeling good for not having to put another ounce of juice in my mouth.
Recommendation
So, what I recommend is getting a juice and find a "go-to" fruit filled and veggie filled mix. This will allow you to make that recipe when all else fails. Also, since it is such a mind game, your mind will tell you that you like that recipe and it will make a world of difference.
Cheers to better health!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Day 7
Day 7
Today was pretty uneventful. I had the typical hunger and craving issues but I have definitely turned a corner. I saved my breakfast juice and sipped on it all morning so I could keep my body full with the energy I needed. I also saved the last little bit and filled it with water so I could have it after lunch. My lunch was better today and I started using a water bottle with a small opening at the top. This made it so that I couldn't smell or see what I am drinking. This made it much easier!
Work days are pretty slow since I am constantly thinking about what I would like to eat. I have found that I don't have any desire to give into eating something solid when I go places like gas stations or see what my friends are eating around me. My mouth has stopped watering at the smell of one of my favorite foods but my mind is still focused on what I am going to eat after I am done. I have had weird cravings for avocado because of all the advertisements going on right now by Subway and a handful of other places. Did I mention that I have never ate avocado?
We went to our friends Mike and Nicole's house tonight. They have been encouraging through this time and Mike and I are having a competition to see who loses the most weight. It isn't really a competition for me because I can't lose any more weight than what my body is losing. Mike is running 30 miles over the 10 days and trying to eat better to compare how much weight can be lost while working out compared to juicing.
I have come far enough now that I know I will finish. I find it hard to give up a weekend to my juice fast but I keep reminding myself how many weekends I have spent killing my body with fatty foods.
Tomorrow is my last day of work, which has been an major goal that I have been looking forward to from the beginning. I am excited about finishing this fast and starting a new, healthier lifestyle.
Cheers to better health!
Today was pretty uneventful. I had the typical hunger and craving issues but I have definitely turned a corner. I saved my breakfast juice and sipped on it all morning so I could keep my body full with the energy I needed. I also saved the last little bit and filled it with water so I could have it after lunch. My lunch was better today and I started using a water bottle with a small opening at the top. This made it so that I couldn't smell or see what I am drinking. This made it much easier!
Work days are pretty slow since I am constantly thinking about what I would like to eat. I have found that I don't have any desire to give into eating something solid when I go places like gas stations or see what my friends are eating around me. My mouth has stopped watering at the smell of one of my favorite foods but my mind is still focused on what I am going to eat after I am done. I have had weird cravings for avocado because of all the advertisements going on right now by Subway and a handful of other places. Did I mention that I have never ate avocado?
We went to our friends Mike and Nicole's house tonight. They have been encouraging through this time and Mike and I are having a competition to see who loses the most weight. It isn't really a competition for me because I can't lose any more weight than what my body is losing. Mike is running 30 miles over the 10 days and trying to eat better to compare how much weight can be lost while working out compared to juicing.
I have come far enough now that I know I will finish. I find it hard to give up a weekend to my juice fast but I keep reminding myself how many weekends I have spent killing my body with fatty foods.
Tomorrow is my last day of work, which has been an major goal that I have been looking forward to from the beginning. I am excited about finishing this fast and starting a new, healthier lifestyle.
Cheers to better health!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Day 6 "Tired of Juicing"
Day 6
Today's post is going to be short. I am tired of drinking juice. I am still working on changing my thinking towards this process. I can't find any vegetables that taste good to be so it has been difficult to enjoy my days after my morning juice is long gone. I have found that my mornings and early afternoons are going better and better but after 2 pm has been difficult. The mean green juice that I have been having for lunch and dinner doesn't seem to be satisfying my body. By the end of the day I find myself dizzy and lightheaded.
Work Difficulties
I had a conversation with my boss today about how difficult it has been to concentrate on my work at times. He encouraged me to keep going and stay focused on becoming healthier. I am so blessed to have such a great boss and job!
Eating Difficulties
Britt went out with one of her friends for dinner at Hacienda tonight. I appreciated her being able to go out and enjoy herself since I have been making life difficult but I can't say I wasn't jealous of both going out to eat and spending time with her.
Final Thoughts
I struggle with thoughts of quitting every day. The fast doesn't make much sense to me anymore and I feel like 5 days would have been best for my body and mind in regards to moving forward. I am worried that I won't be able to continue my healthier life style once the fast is over since I am forcing myself to drink the Juice. I am going to continue to count on God to help me change my mind. I am also going to continue to concentrate on God's Grace enabling me to change my life.
Today's post is going to be short. I am tired of drinking juice. I am still working on changing my thinking towards this process. I can't find any vegetables that taste good to be so it has been difficult to enjoy my days after my morning juice is long gone. I have found that my mornings and early afternoons are going better and better but after 2 pm has been difficult. The mean green juice that I have been having for lunch and dinner doesn't seem to be satisfying my body. By the end of the day I find myself dizzy and lightheaded.
Work Difficulties
I had a conversation with my boss today about how difficult it has been to concentrate on my work at times. He encouraged me to keep going and stay focused on becoming healthier. I am so blessed to have such a great boss and job!
Eating Difficulties
Britt went out with one of her friends for dinner at Hacienda tonight. I appreciated her being able to go out and enjoy herself since I have been making life difficult but I can't say I wasn't jealous of both going out to eat and spending time with her.
Final Thoughts
I struggle with thoughts of quitting every day. The fast doesn't make much sense to me anymore and I feel like 5 days would have been best for my body and mind in regards to moving forward. I am worried that I won't be able to continue my healthier life style once the fast is over since I am forcing myself to drink the Juice. I am going to continue to count on God to help me change my mind. I am also going to continue to concentrate on God's Grace enabling me to change my life.
Day 5 "Half Way There"
Day 5
Today has been better and worse at the same time. I don't necessarily feel sick or hungry but rather just tired of Juice. I haven't had a juice that tasted good since Saturday and I really am really craving something with substance. My mind and body have both went through transformations over the past 5 days but my mind is struggling to keep up. I have lost a considerable amount of weight (I am not going to say how much until the end) but my mind is constantly cloudy. When I am able to sit at my desk and forget that I haven't ate anything in 5 days I am fine. It is when my stomach gets hungry or I look at the bottle of juice sitting next to me that I start thinking about food.
Joy of the Lord
I had to stay up kind of late last night because one of my friends is painting our bathroom. We just got an antenna so we can get free HD channels so I was flipping around seeing what was on. I stumbled across a Joyce Meyer's teaching and decided to see what she had to say. In typical Joyce Meyer fashion she was telling me exactly how it is. She was talking about the Joy of the Lord. Now, I have understood for a while that I find joy in food but Joyce had a powerful way of reminding me of what God can do for you in your time of need. She spoke of Paul and his writings in Philippians. Paul said in Philippians chapter 4
"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
If I was casually reading through this I might think, "Paul probably has the perfect life." That's actually not the case. If you study this out you will find that Paul was in prison at this time. Not only was he in prison but he was in the middle of the city where all the sewage drained to and he was ankle deep in sewage. So, lets ask the question "how was Paul able to rejoice in the Lord?" He knew that the Lord is near (in him). This allowed him to be anxious about nothing and pray about everything. Not being anxious about whats going to happen next would give us the peace we are looking for that transcends all understanding. When you focus on Jesus He will guard your heart and mind.
Moving forward with the fast
Is this Juice fast easy? No, in fact I hate it. I wish I would have only did 5 days. I can't even imagine choking down another juice tonight but it is something that I committed to and I have to finish. I know God is walking with me and I look forward to a better day tomorrow.
Be Joyful because God is Good!
Today has been better and worse at the same time. I don't necessarily feel sick or hungry but rather just tired of Juice. I haven't had a juice that tasted good since Saturday and I really am really craving something with substance. My mind and body have both went through transformations over the past 5 days but my mind is struggling to keep up. I have lost a considerable amount of weight (I am not going to say how much until the end) but my mind is constantly cloudy. When I am able to sit at my desk and forget that I haven't ate anything in 5 days I am fine. It is when my stomach gets hungry or I look at the bottle of juice sitting next to me that I start thinking about food.
Joy of the Lord
I had to stay up kind of late last night because one of my friends is painting our bathroom. We just got an antenna so we can get free HD channels so I was flipping around seeing what was on. I stumbled across a Joyce Meyer's teaching and decided to see what she had to say. In typical Joyce Meyer fashion she was telling me exactly how it is. She was talking about the Joy of the Lord. Now, I have understood for a while that I find joy in food but Joyce had a powerful way of reminding me of what God can do for you in your time of need. She spoke of Paul and his writings in Philippians. Paul said in Philippians chapter 4
"4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
If I was casually reading through this I might think, "Paul probably has the perfect life." That's actually not the case. If you study this out you will find that Paul was in prison at this time. Not only was he in prison but he was in the middle of the city where all the sewage drained to and he was ankle deep in sewage. So, lets ask the question "how was Paul able to rejoice in the Lord?" He knew that the Lord is near (in him). This allowed him to be anxious about nothing and pray about everything. Not being anxious about whats going to happen next would give us the peace we are looking for that transcends all understanding. When you focus on Jesus He will guard your heart and mind.
Moving forward with the fast
Is this Juice fast easy? No, in fact I hate it. I wish I would have only did 5 days. I can't even imagine choking down another juice tonight but it is something that I committed to and I have to finish. I know God is walking with me and I look forward to a better day tomorrow.
Be Joyful because God is Good!
Monday, June 4, 2012
Day 4 "JMS"
Day 4
Today started off slightly better than day 3. I woke up feeling okay but really hungry. I made a juice for breakfast with the rest of the pineapple and some other fruits. I decided to only have a few veggies because I am so sick of them. I ate my breakfast and began juicing my lunch. I juiced a mixture of kale, spinach, and celery and added in some fruits for taste.
Work
I felt really great getting to work. I felt a need for something solid in my stomach but I didn't feel terribly hungry. Just as I began to sit down at my desk britt called and let me know the doctor asked her to go to the hospital. I immediately left and drove to pick britt up.
Hospital
We went to the hospital and she had some tests done to make sure her and the baby were doing okay. All the tests ended up being perfect. While at the hospital I figured out that I need to make more juice than what I made for the afternoon. I had about 30oz but this was not going to be enough. I was extremely tired while britt was having her testing done and I was lucky enough to go home and make some more juice before going back to work. I made a fruit filled juice with half a watermelon and two apples. I love watermelon so I thought this would be a good idea. Drinking this juice was like someone playing an awful prank on me. It tastes okay but nothing like biting into a nice juicy piece of watermelon. I got my juices and headed back to work.
Work
Getting back to work was nice because I was able to concentrate on something else other than food, at least a little.
JMS
Britt has affectionately determined that I have "JMS" today. What is JMS you ask? It's like what women go through every month except mine is brought on by my anger at Juice! I don't know if I have ever hated something I have to do all day like I do Juicing right now. No Juice tastes good, and I am upset! So back off! I keep thinking that it is going to get better but with a day like today nothing is certain.
Night
Tonight has been difficult. I am sick of juice. I made the watermelon juice earlier but it was so sweet and tasted awful after a little bit. The sugar gave me a sugar high and then I crashed shortly after. When I got home I made a veggie filled juice to try to get rid of my headache and fill my stomach. This worked but the green leafy taste is sickening after a while. I ate as much as possible and will go to bed dreaming about solid food.
Cheers to being pissed!
Today started off slightly better than day 3. I woke up feeling okay but really hungry. I made a juice for breakfast with the rest of the pineapple and some other fruits. I decided to only have a few veggies because I am so sick of them. I ate my breakfast and began juicing my lunch. I juiced a mixture of kale, spinach, and celery and added in some fruits for taste.
Work
I felt really great getting to work. I felt a need for something solid in my stomach but I didn't feel terribly hungry. Just as I began to sit down at my desk britt called and let me know the doctor asked her to go to the hospital. I immediately left and drove to pick britt up.
Hospital
We went to the hospital and she had some tests done to make sure her and the baby were doing okay. All the tests ended up being perfect. While at the hospital I figured out that I need to make more juice than what I made for the afternoon. I had about 30oz but this was not going to be enough. I was extremely tired while britt was having her testing done and I was lucky enough to go home and make some more juice before going back to work. I made a fruit filled juice with half a watermelon and two apples. I love watermelon so I thought this would be a good idea. Drinking this juice was like someone playing an awful prank on me. It tastes okay but nothing like biting into a nice juicy piece of watermelon. I got my juices and headed back to work.
Work
Getting back to work was nice because I was able to concentrate on something else other than food, at least a little.
JMS
Britt has affectionately determined that I have "JMS" today. What is JMS you ask? It's like what women go through every month except mine is brought on by my anger at Juice! I don't know if I have ever hated something I have to do all day like I do Juicing right now. No Juice tastes good, and I am upset! So back off! I keep thinking that it is going to get better but with a day like today nothing is certain.
Night
Tonight has been difficult. I am sick of juice. I made the watermelon juice earlier but it was so sweet and tasted awful after a little bit. The sugar gave me a sugar high and then I crashed shortly after. When I got home I made a veggie filled juice to try to get rid of my headache and fill my stomach. This worked but the green leafy taste is sickening after a while. I ate as much as possible and will go to bed dreaming about solid food.
Cheers to being pissed!
Juicing Day 3 "Detox"
Day 3
So, I titled today's Juicing experience as "Detox" because it is typically the day that the body detoxes all the crap I have been putting in it. Most people talk about sleeping all day, and diarrhea. I started the day tired, achy, and sore from my 5k race. I immediately started planning what juices I was going to put in my juicer to start my day. I had a great juice and started off with plenty of energy. I took my juice with me to church so if I got hungry during church I could eat. I have had occasional headaches throughout the day but as soon as I drink some of the juice the headache will leave within minutes.
Remodeling the Bathroom
I started remodeling the bathroom a few weeks ago and had scheduled one of my friends to come paint it today. I wasn't really that excited about this because I felt like relaxing the majority of the day. I had to put up trim and get the bathroom ready which made me really tired and even light headed at times when I hadn't ate or drank for a while. Eventually, I finished everything and was able to go and sit down and watch tv with britt.
Dinner
Britt decided to make one of the most appetizing meals I have ever smelled. This was very difficult and my stomach started to ache. The last thing in the world I wanted was a veggie filled juice but that is all I could have. I decided to put half a pineapple in with my greens. The pineapple ended up supplying a lot of juice but I put too much parsley in it which was really overwhelming. I drank it almost all the way down and left about 10oz just in case I was hungry later. This filled me up and took away the desire for solid food.
Popsicle's
I love strawberry kiwi everything. So, I decided to put 2 lbs. of strawberries and one kiwi in and make popsicles and juice. The juice was pretty sour so I put some water in it to dilute it. We froze the juice to make popsicles and they turned out tasting pretty good, not to mention giving me something else other than a liquid to eat.
Thoughts on the Day
So today was defiantly the worse day so far. However, it is one day closer to accomplishing my goal. I look forward to getting back to work tomorrow and continuing to get my mind off food. This is not going to be easy but I am excited to finish this fast and hopefully have a life and mind change. Cheers to better health!
So, I titled today's Juicing experience as "Detox" because it is typically the day that the body detoxes all the crap I have been putting in it. Most people talk about sleeping all day, and diarrhea. I started the day tired, achy, and sore from my 5k race. I immediately started planning what juices I was going to put in my juicer to start my day. I had a great juice and started off with plenty of energy. I took my juice with me to church so if I got hungry during church I could eat. I have had occasional headaches throughout the day but as soon as I drink some of the juice the headache will leave within minutes.
Remodeling the Bathroom
I started remodeling the bathroom a few weeks ago and had scheduled one of my friends to come paint it today. I wasn't really that excited about this because I felt like relaxing the majority of the day. I had to put up trim and get the bathroom ready which made me really tired and even light headed at times when I hadn't ate or drank for a while. Eventually, I finished everything and was able to go and sit down and watch tv with britt.
Dinner
Britt decided to make one of the most appetizing meals I have ever smelled. This was very difficult and my stomach started to ache. The last thing in the world I wanted was a veggie filled juice but that is all I could have. I decided to put half a pineapple in with my greens. The pineapple ended up supplying a lot of juice but I put too much parsley in it which was really overwhelming. I drank it almost all the way down and left about 10oz just in case I was hungry later. This filled me up and took away the desire for solid food.
Popsicle's
I love strawberry kiwi everything. So, I decided to put 2 lbs. of strawberries and one kiwi in and make popsicles and juice. The juice was pretty sour so I put some water in it to dilute it. We froze the juice to make popsicles and they turned out tasting pretty good, not to mention giving me something else other than a liquid to eat.
Thoughts on the Day
So today was defiantly the worse day so far. However, it is one day closer to accomplishing my goal. I look forward to getting back to work tomorrow and continuing to get my mind off food. This is not going to be easy but I am excited to finish this fast and hopefully have a life and mind change. Cheers to better health!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Juicing Day 2 "The 5k"
Day 2
Today started a little earlier than I might have liked because I am doing the annual Sunburst 5k. This 5k has created a lot of anxiety for me because I didn't know how my body would respond to the juice, let alone a 5k that I only do one time a year. I woke up with plenty of time to get ready and really plan my juicing. I decided to have a carb/sugar rich juice to give me energy and help me through the 5k. I drank about 10oz so that I wouldn't be too full. I drank plenty of water but I also began to worry myself about my constant urination that has been going on over the past 24 hours. I really didn't want to have to go to the bathroom while I was running. The Juice I decided to make was:
Three apples
One pear
1/2 a bushel of kale
One Lime
One lbs. Strawberry
This juice tasted great and gave me an awesome boost of energy that I would have never received from my usual cereal or toast with sugary peanut butter. I took a big bottle of water to the race but didn't bring my juice. This day was more than just my 5k, it was also Mike Coble's first half-Marathon, Go Mike! Also, Nicole Coble and her dad walked the 5k. I made the mistake of not bringing my juice since I forgot that we would be staying after my race to see the Coble's cross the finish line. This was not a good decision because I was tempted by all the delicious fruits and junk food, like Cheetos, that were all free at the finish line.
If I compare the race to last year I can say that is was very similar. I felt strong, and I didn't walk. I kept my head down going up the hill that never ends and I was really proud of what I accomplished. I didn't meet my goal of being below 30 minutes but I did my best and finished in 31:10 which is a 10:03 average mile.
Once we got home I drank the rest of my morning juice and got ready for Britt and I's exciting day full of adventure.
Changing things up!
Britt and I came up with a couple good ideas for changing the way I think about the juicing experience. My first idea is to make a awesome batch of lemonade that I can drink and feel like I am having a nice lemonade on a warm Saturday afternoon. Britt came up with an idea to make Popsicle out of my favorite fruits which is awesome because they will be good for me and make me believe I am having something other than juice.
Cookout
Zach Schrock's High School Graduation was tonight and this was one graduation I was not looking forward to. It was great seeing all our friends and wishing the best to the Schrock family but all the food was really difficult. I made sure I drank plenty of my afternoon juice before I got there and I brought it along in case I had any cravings that couldn't be tamed. I was able to talk to a few of my friend and let them know what I was doing. It was great to have the support of my friends moving forward with this fast.
Other Options other than Juicing
Bryan and Tammy Weisweaver have helped me along my journey and I was interested to see how they felt about the fast. They were excited for me but mentioned that they would love to have me over once I am done to try a smoothie that they make in their new blender. The blender sounds awesome and really versatile. For those of you that are thinking about a juice fast, please know that there are tons of other options. The Juice fast made sense to me but if you want to do a fast by using a blender like the Weisweavers have you will get more nutrients out of everything you eat because the pulp, which the juicer throws out, has the majority of the nutrients.
Final thoughts on the big day
I am having cravings for things that I don't think I have ever had cravings for. For example, I have never been a huge hot dog fan but last night at the cookout the smell of a hot dog had my mouth watering. Also, since Britt and I had to drive down main st around lunch time and the restaurants had my mouth watering. I have never smelled a Red Robin hamburger while driving by one until today and man did it smell good! The days seem to be going fast and I can tell that God is holding my hand through this process. Cheers to better health!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Juicing Day 1
Day 1
Day 1 of the Juice fast is great so far! I have never had so much energy to start my day. I have decided to follow somewhat of a schedule but also listen to my body for when it needs nourishment. Part of my rebooting process is teaching my mind and body that food is not meant to be for entertainment but rather nourishment. I am believing that when I am done with this fast that I will be able to pay more attention to Britt when we go out to eat rather than paying so much attention to our entertainment (food). I also hope to be a healthier dad for my son because he deserves it.
For breakfast, I have decided to maintain a 70/30 recipe of fruits and veggies. The fruits will be a natural 5 hour energy and help me be focused early in the morning. For lunch, I am aiming for a 40/60 recipe of fruits and veggies. This will help me train my body to love veggies but also give me energy to finish my day. For dinner, I will try to maintain a 20/80 fruits to veggies ratio so I can provide my body with the nourishment it needs while also providing my taste buds with the fruits that it loves!
Breakfast and Preparing Lunch:
My breakfast was fantastic! It gave me a ton of energy and really filled me up. I feel more satisfied that I normally do with my usual sugar cereal and I am excited about the day. I made my lunch juice this morning and included a wide variety of veggies and a few fruits. I put a whole beet in the juice which might have been a bad idea because it seems to be overpowering the drink. I am focusing on drinking plenty of water and I would be lying if I said my body isn't already responding to this weird supply of nutrition. I am receiving God's Grace today for my mind and body and receiving a supernatural experience while my body detoxes and prepares for tomorrow's 5k.
Day 1 of the Juice fast is great so far! I have never had so much energy to start my day. I have decided to follow somewhat of a schedule but also listen to my body for when it needs nourishment. Part of my rebooting process is teaching my mind and body that food is not meant to be for entertainment but rather nourishment. I am believing that when I am done with this fast that I will be able to pay more attention to Britt when we go out to eat rather than paying so much attention to our entertainment (food). I also hope to be a healthier dad for my son because he deserves it.
For breakfast, I have decided to maintain a 70/30 recipe of fruits and veggies. The fruits will be a natural 5 hour energy and help me be focused early in the morning. For lunch, I am aiming for a 40/60 recipe of fruits and veggies. This will help me train my body to love veggies but also give me energy to finish my day. For dinner, I will try to maintain a 20/80 fruits to veggies ratio so I can provide my body with the nourishment it needs while also providing my taste buds with the fruits that it loves!
Breakfast and Preparing Lunch:
My breakfast was fantastic! It gave me a ton of energy and really filled me up. I feel more satisfied that I normally do with my usual sugar cereal and I am excited about the day. I made my lunch juice this morning and included a wide variety of veggies and a few fruits. I put a whole beet in the juice which might have been a bad idea because it seems to be overpowering the drink. I am focusing on drinking plenty of water and I would be lying if I said my body isn't already responding to this weird supply of nutrition. I am receiving God's Grace today for my mind and body and receiving a supernatural experience while my body detoxes and prepares for tomorrow's 5k.
Lunch
Breakfast has come and went and the veggie-filled mix that I made this morning is defiantly not the exciting boost of energy that my breakfast mix supplied me. An overabundance of celery and beets leaves a bad taste in my mouth. One thing I have definitely discovered is how surprisingly filled the juice leaves me. I had to go out of the office from 10am-12pm and when I got back I was hungry! After about 16oz of juice I was filled and ready to take on the afternoon! Compare this to my typical lunch of fatty foods that leaves me hungry and eventually a bad feeling in my stomach for the rest of the afternoon.
I gave some to my coworker, peg, who is thinking about trying a short juice fast but she didn't like it. I found that holding my breath and swallowing it straight down has worked! I look forward to trying a different recipe tonight unless I end up eating the same thing I ate for lunch.
Dinner
After a long day at work I typically come home excited about dinner. Today, I went home wondering what britt and I were going to do without food entertaining us for a few hours. I had about 20oz of my lunch juice left so I drank that when I got home. The juice was a bad recipe so I wasn't very excited about it. I drank it with plenty of water and it did its job by filling my stomach. I have already started planning my awesome juice for the morning. I am running a 5k in the morning so I want to put the right produce in the drink so that I can be as energized as possible. I feel confident that I won't have any issues running the race since it is only 3.1 miles. For the next couple days I am going to try to find vegetables that are not high in sugar that I like so I can put them in my lunch and dinner juices. Well, it was a good first day. I am changing my mind and I have already noticed a difference in the way I feel. Tomorrow morning we will see how one day of Juicing affects a person that is use to eating a lot of calories. Cheers to better health!
Leading up to the Juice Fast
Leading up to the Juice Fast:
While watching "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" I decided that I was going to do a short Juice Fast. I knew I needed to get a juicer before I could start but I am a fairly picky person. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted something with a decent size motor, leaves dry pulp and has a pitcher to go with it that receives the juice. We went to 5 or so stores in the Michiana area and found juicers from $35-$250. We didn't find any place that had what I was looking for so we went online. Amazon was a great place for me to start because they have such a wide range of products. I looked through the reviews and pictures of the products and narrowed it down to about 5 juicers. After reading all their specs and reviews I knew the "Cuisinart CJE-1000 1000-Watt 5-Speed Juice Extractor" was the one for me. Everywhere I looked it was about $150 until I went to overstock.com. They had a refurbished one for $89 and Britt had a $20 off coupon which made it $69! This seemed to be an awesome deal but only time would tell.
I started researching juicing more and found more than I could handle. I went back to the documentary and found that they have a website www.jointhereboot.com. This website will answer FAQ's in video's and even has the full-length documentary on their homepage! Please feel free to look around their website but don't hesitate to look other places for inspiration and recipe ideas.
I finally got my juicer in on Thursday May 31st and it is awesome! Britt and I went to the store and got about $70 worth of vegetables and fruits. This was probably too much but I wanted a variety of produce so I could try as much stuff as possible! If you want ideas for a shopping list please let me know and I will get you my shopping list.
We made our first batch of juice which was fruit heavy since I knew I would like that. I knew if I drank to much of it I wouldn't be able to sleep but it was so good that I couldn't help myself! I saved the rest in a bottle with a tight lid in the fridge for breakfast in the morning. I quickly realized that even a small amount of fruit juice is a huge energy booster and I couldn't sleep.
The Juicer that I wanted proved to be perfect. it came with a pitcher with a separator to keep all the pulp and texture stuff on one side and all the fresh juice on the other that will eventually go into your cup. The juicer is also really easy to clean. It comes apart in about 4 pieces and all I have to do is run it under the sink and let all the big stuff go down the garbage disposal. Clean-up takes no more than 2-3 minutes which is perfect for me since I love to get every last minute of sleep in the morning. I have found that making the juice one meal a head of time is great for me. Juice fanatics will be quick to tell you that you get the most nutrients when you drink immediately after juicing. I am in this for 10 days and I am going to do what I have to do to make it as easy as possible.
Here's to juicing and better health!
While watching "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" I decided that I was going to do a short Juice Fast. I knew I needed to get a juicer before I could start but I am a fairly picky person. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted something with a decent size motor, leaves dry pulp and has a pitcher to go with it that receives the juice. We went to 5 or so stores in the Michiana area and found juicers from $35-$250. We didn't find any place that had what I was looking for so we went online. Amazon was a great place for me to start because they have such a wide range of products. I looked through the reviews and pictures of the products and narrowed it down to about 5 juicers. After reading all their specs and reviews I knew the "Cuisinart CJE-1000 1000-Watt 5-Speed Juice Extractor" was the one for me. Everywhere I looked it was about $150 until I went to overstock.com. They had a refurbished one for $89 and Britt had a $20 off coupon which made it $69! This seemed to be an awesome deal but only time would tell.
I started researching juicing more and found more than I could handle. I went back to the documentary and found that they have a website www.jointhereboot.com. This website will answer FAQ's in video's and even has the full-length documentary on their homepage! Please feel free to look around their website but don't hesitate to look other places for inspiration and recipe ideas.
I finally got my juicer in on Thursday May 31st and it is awesome! Britt and I went to the store and got about $70 worth of vegetables and fruits. This was probably too much but I wanted a variety of produce so I could try as much stuff as possible! If you want ideas for a shopping list please let me know and I will get you my shopping list.
We made our first batch of juice which was fruit heavy since I knew I would like that. I knew if I drank to much of it I wouldn't be able to sleep but it was so good that I couldn't help myself! I saved the rest in a bottle with a tight lid in the fridge for breakfast in the morning. I quickly realized that even a small amount of fruit juice is a huge energy booster and I couldn't sleep.
The Juicer that I wanted proved to be perfect. it came with a pitcher with a separator to keep all the pulp and texture stuff on one side and all the fresh juice on the other that will eventually go into your cup. The juicer is also really easy to clean. It comes apart in about 4 pieces and all I have to do is run it under the sink and let all the big stuff go down the garbage disposal. Clean-up takes no more than 2-3 minutes which is perfect for me since I love to get every last minute of sleep in the morning. I have found that making the juice one meal a head of time is great for me. Juice fanatics will be quick to tell you that you get the most nutrients when you drink immediately after juicing. I am in this for 10 days and I am going to do what I have to do to make it as easy as possible.
Here's to juicing and better health!
Heart behind the Juice Fast
Food has become somewhat of an idol for me. Food is where I find the majority of my entertainment, pleasure, and joy. When I look back on my childhood I remember doing a "30 hour famine" where we deprived ourselves of food for 30 hours. I learned at that point that fasting is not about becoming closer to God or some type of religious experience but rather redirecting the way you think for a a period of time. During this time I found that my mind was constantly on food and the fact that I was depriving myself of it.
Since that experience I have experienced a lot of great things. I have graduated from High School, and College. I have Married the women of my dreams and we are having my first son in less than a month. I have obtained my dream job and I have grown a better understand of who God is and what he wants for me. The one thing that has always dragged me down is my emotional attachment to food. From 2004-2007 I lost 70 lbs and was in the best shape of my life. From 2007-December 2012 I put 70 lbs back on. Over the past 5 months I have lost 12 lbs but my emotional attachment to food has hindered my exercise regimen and weight loss goals.
Last week, my new boss told us about this documentary he watched "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" and recommended that we all watch it. Watching this movie was the beginning of a transformation that I believe God wants for my life. God is not the type of God that forces things on us. He can not force good or bad on us; we have to use our free will to receive the awesome life that he wants for us. He will simply lead us by the water of life. We all receive the amount of life from God that we choose. Some people jump in head-first in some areas of their life, but will only go to the water to replenish their thirst in others. God's Grace (His ability to provide abundant life through unmerited favor) is continually teaching me and providing a better life than I could have ever imagined! Today is a new day, so if you are interested in jumping in head-first let me know and I will be here to support you.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Nursery Update
I worked on a few things for little man's nursery today. I made a crib skirt, mobile, and a cardboard deer head.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Stroller
One of the most frustrating things that I have had to research as far as registering goes. I want what seems like the impossible, a jogging stroller that includes a car seat. Is that too much to ask?! I don't want to have to wait to take my little man on walks or light runs for 12 months, I would like to by 2 months. I mean he is a summer baby. The only brand we can find that is reasonable and locks a car seat in is baby trend, and baby trend isn't ideal. So, can anyone help me with this inquiry?!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Little Man's Nursery
I have done quite a few things to my little man's nursery, including the curtains, painting a mural, and making his bedding. Here are a few photos of the mural and the bedding:
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Nesting
It's official, at 26 weeks pregnant I am nesting. Not just pick up a few things here and there, nesting as in just got done raking all of the leaves in the backyard so we can plant grass for little man, nesting. My brain is like a freight train full speed ahead at all things that need to be done in the next 14 weeks. To most, 14 weeks is a little over 3 months, to me 14 weeks was yesterday :). So here is a list of what needs to be done before little man joins us, most of which will probably not happen and drive me crazy:
-Finish nursery (bedding, dresser, closet)
-Finish master bedroom (paint, decorate)
-Replace ceiling drywall in upstairs bathroom
-Clean all carpet
-plant above mentioned grass
-Drywall laundry room
-Scrub down the entire house
Oh, and did I mention that this list should be completed in 14 weeks! We have a lot of work ahead of us.
-Finish nursery (bedding, dresser, closet)
-Finish master bedroom (paint, decorate)
-Replace ceiling drywall in upstairs bathroom
-Clean all carpet
-plant above mentioned grass
-Drywall laundry room
-Scrub down the entire house
Oh, and did I mention that this list should be completed in 14 weeks! We have a lot of work ahead of us.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Cloth Wipes
Cloth diapers and cloth wipes go together like peanut butter and jelly, so its only fitting if we also use cloth wipes for our little man's bum right? After much thought I decided that it would make the most sense, for us, if we used cloth wipes. So, after talking to my SIL and getting her advice on how to make the cloth wipes I went ahead a bought 2 yards of flannel, and 2 yards of cotton. I cut the fabric into squares about the size of a tissue unfolded. I took one piece of flannel and backed it with 1 piece of cotton, and I then enlisted my friend Brit to serger the edges for me. 
I am so excited to use them :).
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Little Man!
I just realized that I never officially announced our pregnancy on our blog. Ryan and I found out last October that we were expecting our first baby. I was so scared and excited when I found out. We found out at approximately 5 weeks, which is not unheard of, but very leave-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat in excitement and fear for the next 9 weeks, which turned into anticipation and joy when we entered that 2nd trimester period. I guess I should clarify that there has been joy since the moment that I received the confirmation.
On January 21st we found out that our little bean, was a 'little man'. Ryan said all along that he knew that we were having a boy, I had bounced back and forth on what I thought the baby was. The technician said she was 99.9% certain that I was carrying a boy, she also mentioned that we better watch out because she thought that he would be in the principle's office frequently, Ryan and I still are mildly unsure of where she was going with that comment, but it was said right after she saw his male parts. Here is a photo of our little man at 18 weeks 3 days:
He is definitely Ryan's boy sitting there with both his arms above his head :).
This little man never lets mommy forget that she has a future football or basketball player, with the way he throws is body/elbows around on a daily basis. I love seeing my stomach jumping and moving all around knowing that it is my little boy who is doing all of that silly dancing. He definitely has my dance moves :). Little man we can't wait to see you, hold you, love you, and support you for the rest of your life.
On January 21st we found out that our little bean, was a 'little man'. Ryan said all along that he knew that we were having a boy, I had bounced back and forth on what I thought the baby was. The technician said she was 99.9% certain that I was carrying a boy, she also mentioned that we better watch out because she thought that he would be in the principle's office frequently, Ryan and I still are mildly unsure of where she was going with that comment, but it was said right after she saw his male parts. Here is a photo of our little man at 18 weeks 3 days:
This little man never lets mommy forget that she has a future football or basketball player, with the way he throws is body/elbows around on a daily basis. I love seeing my stomach jumping and moving all around knowing that it is my little boy who is doing all of that silly dancing. He definitely has my dance moves :). Little man we can't wait to see you, hold you, love you, and support you for the rest of your life.
Cloth Diapers
I never thought in a million years that I would be blogging about cloth diapers. In the past I thought that is way too hard and CRAZY. But, when we got the amazing news that we were expecting our 'little man' last October, we knew that we had to do things a frugal as possible. In came the cloth diapering thoughts. With a little bit of reluctance I decided to start digging in and researching cloth diapering only to come up empty handed and defeated. So I decided to give my amazing sister in law Val a phone call to pick her brain about everything she knew about cloth diapering (which was a lot, she has been doing it for the past 2 years). 45 minutes later, (and countless emails) I hang up the phone so excited to start picking out which cloth diapers would be right for us. Ryan and I talked, and researched for the next 2-3 days about diapers, (again I never thought in a million years that Ryan and I would be choosing cloth diapers as I dinner conversations :) ). So we choose to go with a pocket diaper system
This diaper is lined with micro fleece in the inside and a form of blended polyester for the cover which helps to maintain leaking.The snaps allow the diaper to be used form 8 lbs to 40lbs. So in theory the diaper will grow with the child until the point of potty training begins.
An insert is placed in the diaper in a 'pocket' that is between the micro fleece and the blended polyester. This insert is where the pee will be absorbed, if our 'little man' decides that he will be a monster urinator :) we can place another insert into the pocket to double up that absorbency. We will also add in a diaper liner that will sit between 'little man's' bottom and the fleece to catch any poo that may come out. These liners can be flushed or thrown away, they look similar to a dryer sheet. This liner isn't necessary, but we thought it would be best for the cleanup and washing of the diaper and pocket insert.
A pocket diaper may not be for everyone, some people prefer 100% cotton prefold diapers, or even all in one diapers. Ryan and I wanted to have the best of both worlds and we decided that the pocket diaper was the compromise between the AIO and prefold.
During washing (which seems like it will be a trial and error process) the insert is taken out of the pocket and you wash the diaper and the insert separate from each other, but in the same wash cycle. Like I said the washing will be part a science experiment, part logic, and may at times be challenging. We hope that washing is easier than we anticipate.
I will post again when we start this journey in just 15 short weeks, and let you know how it is going, and if it was in fact the best decision for us.
This diaper is lined with micro fleece in the inside and a form of blended polyester for the cover which helps to maintain leaking.The snaps allow the diaper to be used form 8 lbs to 40lbs. So in theory the diaper will grow with the child until the point of potty training begins.
An insert is placed in the diaper in a 'pocket' that is between the micro fleece and the blended polyester. This insert is where the pee will be absorbed, if our 'little man' decides that he will be a monster urinator :) we can place another insert into the pocket to double up that absorbency. We will also add in a diaper liner that will sit between 'little man's' bottom and the fleece to catch any poo that may come out. These liners can be flushed or thrown away, they look similar to a dryer sheet. This liner isn't necessary, but we thought it would be best for the cleanup and washing of the diaper and pocket insert.
A pocket diaper may not be for everyone, some people prefer 100% cotton prefold diapers, or even all in one diapers. Ryan and I wanted to have the best of both worlds and we decided that the pocket diaper was the compromise between the AIO and prefold.
During washing (which seems like it will be a trial and error process) the insert is taken out of the pocket and you wash the diaper and the insert separate from each other, but in the same wash cycle. Like I said the washing will be part a science experiment, part logic, and may at times be challenging. We hope that washing is easier than we anticipate.
I will post again when we start this journey in just 15 short weeks, and let you know how it is going, and if it was in fact the best decision for us.
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