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?

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, 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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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

Sunburst 5k

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!

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.

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!

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.