Whoops

So.

It has been a few days.

Yes, I am no longer juice fasting.

There are lots of reasons I stopped. Perhaps the biggest ones were losing momentum and convenience. It’s a lot easier to eat an apple or a sandwich than to juice a meal.

I hope to get back on tomorrow, or at least do the two juice/one eaten meal process. The difficulty there is that when you eat one meal, it’s harder to stay away from eating at other times.

I’m still pretty pleased with my overall weight loss and general health. I’ve still got a long way to go with the weight, but I feel good overall.

If I could offer advice to others, try not to let others influence you once you make up your mind to do something. Later, K+

Still Alive (Day 14 of 60)

I'm still alive.

Nancy and I talked about the juice fast and decided I needed to take a break for a couple of days as it was mentally trying.

I'm not doing the fast for immediate nor imminent health concerns simply for a reboot to good overall health. So, we decided it would be good to rest it for a couple of days simply to deal with cravings and make sure all my body's needs are met.

The funny thing is that though I didn't juice today, I missed it, terribly. I keep thinking about all the nutrients I'm missing out on by not juicing. In addition, I consider all the "nasty" that's going in my body that's doing me no good.

Sure macaroni and cheese tastes good, but it doesn't really offer many health benefits. (And hers tastes really good... she makes her own with three different cheeses, whole milk and a decent amount of butter!)The kids absolutely love it -- even Jesse, whom we think is lactose intolerant, so he can't have any more of it.

Anyway, my plan is to start on the juicing again in the morning; although, I'm going to a luncheon tomorrow and may eat what they offer. I'll just have to see.

I plan to make juicing the majority of my meals in a day and to "juice fast" for ten days before I allow myself another two day respite.

I hope to add weight training into my workout this week which should help with the body toning and weight loss.

That's all for now.

Later,
K+

There Went the Self-Control! (Day 11 of 60)

The day became very difficult as I had doubts about the whole juice fast. Questions arose regarding protein and fats. After some research, I became fairly comfortable with the fast, except I kept questioning whether I was getting enough protein.

Finally, when I smelled Nancy warming up dinner (the neighbor’s pot roast), I snitched a sip of broth (and a tiny piece of meat and potato). It was okay, but not uber-fantastic as my mind had made me think it would be.

I talked with the wife about my “cheat”, and she suggested that I eat some nuts if I was overly concerned about the protein intake. I was and I did. I ate about one-half cup of roasted almonds. They were good, but it left me wanting more.

What she doesn’t know is that after putting the kids to bed, and finishing the dishes, I snitched a piece of that pizza she made a few nights ago and a few bites of the basil chicken pasta. They were divine.

I know. I’m a cheater.

I won’t cheat anymore today. Tomorrow, I’ll be back on the wagon and won’t cheat.

I think a big reason for the cheat was psychological. I started doubting myself and what I was doing. You really can’t play those mind games with yourself and succeed. This process is something I want to do to kick my body back into shape. The high nutrient content will actually help me lose that weight. I like Joe’s perspective (the man who made “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”). He stated that like animals that store fat for the winter and shed it in the summer, we too do the same thing when we concentrate on a veggie/fruit diet without the fats and meats.

I’m not disgusted with myself for cheating. Perhaps I should be. Instead, I’m kind of relieved. I had a “splurge”. I don’t really want to do it again. It may mean I don’t lose any weight over night, but truthfully, I’ve been doing well on that front and if I work harder can get back into that mode.

I’m out for the night.

Later.

Self-Control (Day 10 of 60)

A lot of it is about self-denial. Ever since college, I’ve struggled with my own self-denial. I had an epiphany one day through no design of my own. After offending a friend, another friend helped me realize that my over-zealousness and personal ideals framed by a closed mindset and unloving approach born from my own sense of pride in self led to my offensive behavior and thinking.

Surely that was a bit obtuse. To say it more clearly, I thought I had everything figured out which was evidenced by my own values and will-power when reality was quite different. Reality is that love trumps all. Since then, I’ve been very relaxed in my approach to many things in life. Sometimes, I’ve been too relaxed. In truth, I rebelled from my own “self-denial”. It has taken me a score of years to get back to a personal place of self-control where I am able (albeit not necessarily happily) to deny myself a very basic desire – eating – to achieve a goal (healthy living). I don’t think I’m rebirthing those pride issues. Over the last decade especially I’ve had many a humbling moment.

The beauty of it all is that it seems as though God has brought me to a place of healing and strengthening. I know life is never “easy” and many trials and complications await – that’s the nature of life. For the moment, I believe God is providing balm, and I am unspeakably thankful.

Well, the juicing is part of this whole process. I’m slowly wiping away nearly two decades of poor physical management. In college, I did pretty well with maintaining my weight, but once I left and got a desk job, the tonnage began to coalesce. After marriage and kids, the fat did not stop. It actually increased more rapidly. Perhaps the stress of six children and a wife with a low income has caused a bit of that stress. I think that many other factors were more involved in making the stress.

Regardless, here I am now, working on getting rid of the physical reminders of the stressful past and looking joyously forward to a bright future.

Juices today:
Standard Morning Juice
Apples (3)
Orange (1)
Lime (1)
Yum.

Spinach Lunch Juice
Spinach (4 handfuls)
Carrots (2)
Celery (2 stalks)
Apples (2)
Lemon (1)
It was alright. It wasn’t like drinking a collard green juice – eww.

Dinner Juice
Spinach (2 handfuls)
Carrot (1)
Celery (2 stalks)
Cabbage (2 leaves)
Apples (2)
Lime (1)
We’re getting low on varieties now. It’ll be pretty mundane for a couple of days with mostly similar juices.

Thank you for reading the blog.

Later,
K+

Hungry (Day 9 of 60)

I still want to eat so many things. The fast food is still calling as well as some other foods. The neighbor gave us a pot roast tonight – it smelled so good. She apparently cooked it with more pepper than Nancy normally does. I so want to try it. *sigh*

I’m looking forward to getting to a “proper” weight. Then I can actually begin to enjoy my food again. I’ll just have to watch my calories and maintain a decent exercise regimen. I don’t want to eat the “bad” foods often, but the draw to them right now is so strong. How annoying.

On the flip side, I’ve really enjoyed the spinach. I had it a couple of times today in my lunch and evening juices. It went really well.

So I got up, drank two cups of water, went on a walk with the eldest and then went to workout. After the workout, I juiced.
After Workout Juice
Empire Apples (3)
Navel Orange (1)
Lime (1)
Red Grapes (about one and a half cups)
This juice was excellent. My only “complaint” was that it was a bit acidic and burned a little going down. I think I’m fighting off a cold or something as well. #3 had what amounted to about a 48 hours runny nose/low grade fever. Perhaps that’s trying to get me too. Although, I’m getting so many micronutrients, I don’t think it’s gonna work. *grin*

During the lunch hour, I went to my first area ecumenical pastor’s meeting. I was supposed to bring my own lunch, so I brought a Poland Spring lime-infused sparkling water. I showed up without a lunch, and straight-away someone offered me a half of a Subway sandwich. I had to decline. Then they started passing around the cookies. ARGH! I just passed them on.

I got home in the late afternoon and fixed a juice.
Late Afternoon Juice
Spinach (2 large handfuls)
Green Cabbage Leaves (2)
Empire Apples (2)
Carrot (1)
Celery (2 stalks)
Lemon (1)
Zucchini (one half large)
It tasted okay. The spinach does not have a bad flavor.

Anyway, after that I helped the wife by putting a chicken breast on to boil. When it was cooked she put it in the fridge, and we ran to Wal-Mart to get some things for #3, who had to go to dance.

After dance, I was able to fix myself a juice.
After Dance Juice
Spinach (1 large handful)
Carrot (1)
Empire Apples (2)
Navel Orange (1)
Lime (1)
This one was pretty good. The spinach kind of faded into the full flavor of the rest. I’d recommend this one. Truthfully, the fruit helps.

That’s it for now.

It’s nice to know someone’s reading, so feel free to make a comment. Nice or informative comments are appreciated. Mean ones will probably get deleted.

Later,
K+

Gettin' Stronger Every Day (Day 8 of 60)

When I was in Boy Scouts, my best friend came up with a recipe for bean chowder that we would often cook on campouts. Basically, it was a thin beef chili. It was marvelous. I remember enjoying it. Especially since that time, I’ve loved bean chowders, chili and stew.

Remember that roast beef my wife made last week (the night before she made the chili)? Well, she finally used the roast beef to prepare a stew. She added in a couple of tablespoons of left over mashed potatoes as well, to thicken up the broth. She prepared the stew in a crockpot.

It smelled simply superb – all day long.

I woke up tired and continued to be tired throughout the day. The juice perks me up usually, but I’ve just been ready to go back to bed. Now that I’m in the bed writing this post, I’m fairly alert; though I could probably go to sleep if I shut my eyes very long.

For years I have often wondered if I might have too much phlegm in my respiratory system. I can’t really explain it, except that whenever I’d take a very deep breath, I’d notice a little phlegm-ish rattle or something. It hasn’t bothered me for a few days. I breathe “easier” now.

Do not misunderstand. I asked my doctors about it and was always told it was absolutely nothing to worry about. Nothing ever showed up anywhere to be concerned – blood work, CT scans, X-rays, etc. Not that I made a huge deal over it or anything, but it was just one of those things that bothered me.

It seems to have disappeared recently. Now, it could be the change of environment (coming to the Northeast from the South), but I tend to think it has to do with the juice fast.

Anyway, enough anecdotal chatter, let me lay down my meals.

Morning Apples
Empire Apples (4)
That’s right… I had straight, fresh apple juice this morning. This was great. I cannot imagine having store bought apple juice when fresh juice is ready for the making.

For lunch, I had to scrounge as the veggies and fruits are getting low. By the way, I threw out the remainder of the collards. I just could not stand the thought of drinking that juice again.
What’s 4 Lunchtime Juice
Cabbage (4 leaves)
Carrots (4)
Celery (4 stalks)
Apples (2)
Zucchini (one half large)
I think keeping away from the collards made me think this juice tasted good. I’m not sure, but it was not all that bad.

I took the oldest two to Tae Kwon Do and then came home to smell that wonderful stew simmering in the crockpot.

Fortunately for me, the wife went to Sam’s Wholesale Club while I had the boys at TKD. She got me lots of produce.
Not Stew Juice
Spinach (2 large handfuls)
Carrot (1 large)
Sweet Potato (1)
Zucchini (one half)
Apples (2)
Lime (1)
Lemon (1)
Ginger (little bit)
She got me spinach. I’ve been avoiding it because it’s very high in oxalates which are very bad for kidneys. I figure though with this diet, I should be okay – lots of water, very healthy intake.

The juice tasted very good, and the spinach did not overpower the drink. I think I can deal with that! This juice caught me off guard by its sweetness and the way all the flavors melded. I’ll definitely have to do this one again.

I drank about three liters today.

I’m ready to sack out.

Night all. Or good morning, or whatever time of day it happens to be when you read this note.

Later,
K+

Give It a Shot (Day 7 of 60)

One more day down and I’m closer to finishing this fast.

It was a little easier today. I’m still getting “cravings” for fast foods especially – which is weird because at most I only get fast food once a week, but for the last couple of years, it has been more like twice a month. It’s those engineered foods with “addictive” ingredients – high fructose corn syrup, I suppose.

We watched a movie over the last few days recommended by some friends, “Forks over Knives”. It was pretty good, basically advocating a vegan-only diet. While I can obviously see the benefits of a high fruit/veggie diet, I don’t want to cut out my meat and dairy. I don’t mind severely limiting the intake, but I am really looking forward to the time when I am able to eat some more of those things I’m denying myself right now.

That’s the thing. I’m denying myself now because I’ve been so negligent in the past and allowed myself too much indulgence. This lesson is a good one.

Anyway, let’s get to the report.

I fasted this morning as it’s a Sunday. I did have a bit of bread with Holy Communion and a little wine. For my lunch, I had a nice little juice.

Sunday Brunch Juice
Empire Apples (4)
Orange (1)
Lime (1)
Cucumber (1)
I absolutely love these apples. I wish I could eat them because they have an incredible firmness.

My wife commented that I should juice my collards separately and take a shot of them before I drink my regular juice.

So I tried that tonight (3 large handfuls). Ooooo that was so nasty. Granted, I held my nose and didn’t notice it until after I swallowed the green juice. It actually burned a little bit.

I followed it with a decent juice.
Decent Dinner Juice
Carrot (1)
Celery (2 stalks)
Empire Apples (2)
Lime (1)
Cucumber (1)
Zucchini (one-half large)
This one was a little hard to get down. The carrot didn’t mix well, but I drank it, and life goes on.

I’ll probably have more collard shots over the next couple of days just because it’s so good for me.

Nancy is very impressed with the weight loss so far and how I’m already showing some significant slimming in face and on the stomach. I’m pleased she’s seeing it.

I’m beginning to enjoy the whole juicing thing while I’m still pining for some good eats. This diet is a little hard, but I think it'll be well worth it.

You might want to think about trying it too, if only to gain some energy and healthier aspects.

At the "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" site they offer lots of information -- not just about the 60 day fast -- but about shorter, more easily sustained dieting options. Regardless, it's a great thing to eat more veggies and fruits.

Give it a shot. ;)


Thank you again for your prayers and kind thoughts. Keep ‘em up, please.

Later,
K+

Flavor Yearnings (Day 6 of 60)

I’m actually a bit surprised day six is over.

It has been a pretty difficult road so far. I’ve got a long, long way to go. I’ve just finished one-tenth of this journey I’m taking.

Today started out well. I drank a liter of water before breakfast. Again, I had a fruit juice for breakfast. I used three of my last five apples for breakfast. It’s sad that they go by so quickly.
Saturday Morning Juice
Macintosh Apples (3)
Orange (1)
Lime (1)
Plums (4)
It was a nice flavored drink. I enjoyed it.

For lunch, I used up my last two apples while putting in some collards. Man, those are tough to juice. They give very little juice, and they don’t taste so great.
Saturday Lunch Juice
Collards (3 large handfuls)
Cucumber (1)
Radishes (2)
Celery (2 stalks)
Carrots (2)
Macintosh Apples (2)
Lemon (1)
The fruits and veggies were all very pretty together -- red, green, yellow, orange. It didn’t taste absolutely horrible as I was expecting because of the collards. It did not taste great, but again, I think that’s just mostly due to the collards.

It’s kind of funny, because I really enjoy juicing kale. The collards just are not my favorite.

Since I ran out of apples, I had to go get more. Instead of running to Wally World or the local supermarket, I went down to the orchard located about half a mile from the house and picked a half bushel with a couple of the kids. We had a good time and got some great apples.

Now this orchard had two varieties I wanted to get I’d never tried before: Empire and Alcon. I had to try each, so I took a bite of each, chewed it up and spat it out – so as to maintain the whole “non-eating” thing.

The Empires are absolutely fantastic – possibly the best apples I’ve ever tried. I got twenty-one pounds. Oh yeah, baby.

Nancy made pizza for dinner. *sigh* And I found out after the fact that the crusts were probably the best she’s ever made. *sigh* I miss her cooking. And I really want to try some of those pizzas.

While they prepared and ate pizzas, I went to the gym. I figured it would be better to be out of the house than to have to smell and watch what they were doing. Of course, ESPN Gameday had lots of food commercials playing while I was working out on the elliptical. *sigh*

I came home and had my dinner juice. I meant to add a sweet potato into this mix, but I forgot.
Sat. Dindin Juice
Macintosh Apples (4)
Lime (1)
Cucumber (1)
Cabbage (2 leaves)
Plums (5)
It was a pretty basic mixture. The cabbage though gave it a very distinct flavor. I think I do not like cabbage juice very much. I will make sure not to mix it with collards or tomatoes.

So, one thing I pondered on today was my love of certain foods that really shouldn’t be eaten. You know, those fast food items or really processed things we use in cooking – like Velveeta. As a rule I do not like it much, but it tastes so great in potatoes au gratin, some casseroles and especially as Rotel dip or on nachos. I think I figured out “why” I like it so much.

It (and several other “bad” items) actually DO taste good. Maybe they shouldn’t. Maybe they’ve been engineered to… but they do. And that’s okay. I figure after this fast, I can eat anything in moderation. Some things of course should be in very major moderation, but still, it’s okay to indulge once in a while.

Okay, it’s late again and time for me to say good night.

Later,
K+

The Rising Challenge (Day 5 of 60)

Another day down and I’m still finding it difficult.

Perhaps it was the leftovers of all those glorious meals from before: chili, hot chicken salad casserole, tacos, roast beef and mashed potatoes.

Maybe it was the freshly baked oatmeal pumpkin cookies that smelled oh, so very delicious.

And then there were all those commercials on the televisions at the gym extolling burgers, sandwiches or pizzas.

It can get rough when you’re juicing and hungry for “man food”. You know what I’m talking about… a big roast beef sandwich from Arby’s. Or perhaps a nice t-bone. Or maybe that spicy chicken sandwich from Wendy’s. So many tasty things.

But, I’m not eating that way right now. In fact, I’m not eating at all! I’m simply drinking juices.

As Joe says in “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”, I made the choices years ago to eat things I shouldn’t have which caused my body to store fat. Now, I’m just letting my body use up the fat stores while I provide it with the proper nutrients.

Juice-fasting is not fun in and of itself. It’s got some really cool effects. I’m already past where I was when I left off the Reboot a month ago. I gained about nine pounds back which I figured was partly due to the nature of the food I was eating – meats and starches – as well as the fact that much of that food was fast food and convenience food.

It’s amazing to see the weight come off as quickly as it is.

It’s just very hard when everyone and everything else is screaming at me to eat what “tastes good” and “looks good.” Let me tell you… a cheeseburger looks a whole lot better right now than a cucumber, cabbage, carrot and apple juice.

But I digress from the norm here.

Let’s talk about the juicing.

Morning Juice
Macintosh Apples (4)
Orange (1)
Lime (1)
Cucumber (1)
Simple, but good. In fact, it was one of the best juices I’ve had. The orange was very predominant, but the cuke added a subtlety that made it very nice.

Lunch Juice
Collards (2 c)
Cucumber (one-half large)
Lime (1)
Macintosh Apples (2)
Celery (2 stalks)
Radishes (2)
I think I must hate collards. It was extremely difficult to start drinking this one, but I was able to manage.

Dinner Juice
Cabbage (3 leaves)
Cucumber (other half)
Macintosh Apples (2)
Carrots (2)
Lime (1)
Celery (2 stalks)
My ingredients are getting kind of boring, but I don’t have lots of money to spend on fun stuff. Someday, perhaps.

I nearly gave in tonight. We just realized that having to pay for the mortgage is going to be a serious hardship, and we can’t really afford it. It’ll be hard to keep up with the veggies and fruits needed to juice, but Nancy is committed to seeing me through this thing. She’s not ready to give up. I suppose I don’t need to either.


Plenty of water – three plus liters on the day – was consumed by yours truly. I also had about 6 ounces of coconut water before bed as my treat since I wasn’t eating the cookies. *sigh*

Day five down. Only fifty-five more to go!

Self-Denial Sucks (Day 4 of 60)

Trudging and tromping, I gather my strength of mind and body to step through yet another day of juice only.

How I am able to do this, I have no clue. So far, however, I am through four days of juicing only. It’s a lot harder this time. My second child had a birthday today. Nancy made cupcakes with an exquisite smelling and appearing cream cheese icing. She also made chili for lunch and hot chicken salad casserole for dinner – oh and homemade applesauce.

I drank juice.

I could feel sorry for myself and suppose I do somewhat, but most importantly, I need to look past the temporary and look forward to my goal – a healthy, slim body. Once I get to that better physical self, I can allow myself some indulgences and a greater enjoyment of eating again.

But until then, I must be vigilant.

“Constant vigilance!” As Mad Eye Moody always used to say.

Breakfast Juice
Macintosh Apples (3)
Navel Orange (1)
Lime (1)
Kiwi (1)
Cucumber (1 garden)
This was a very nice mix. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had some more coconut water today – about a cup worth. I didn’t measure, just poured some out of the liter I bought yesterday.

I could not find kale at the grocery store! So, instead, I picked up some cabbage and collard greens. Generally speaking, I hate collards unless they’ve been cooked for hours in bacon grease and garlic. Ooo yea, a lot to look forward to for lunch today….

Green (Collard) Lunch Juice
Collard Greens (2 large handfuls of chopped)
Green Cabbage (3 leaves)
Cucumber (1)
Yellow Squash (1)
Rashes (2)
Celery (2 stalks)
Macintosh Apples (2)
Lemon (1)
Not my favorite juice, but I did drink it and survive. The collards did not have a completely deleterious effect on the juice. I somehow came close to enjoying the beverage. I know – shocker!

On the day, I had about three and a half liters of water today. Woohoo!

I already mentioned the casserole for dinner. I decided to have a fruit juice so as to not feel too self-pitying.
Non Casserole Dinner Juice
Macintosh Apples (4)
Navel Orange (1)
Pluot (1)
Lemon (1)
Lime (1)
It was very similar to last night’s juice. I enjoyed it.

Before going to bed, I had some hot herbal tea – my usual, Mexican Sweet Chili.

I’m off to bed for the night. Have a good one.

K+

It Continues (Day 3 of 60)

I nearly forgot to do this blogging thing today.

Wow. What a day. It wasn’t easy getting through today either.

The wife bailed on me today. She’s got so much going on with the kids and the house and the other house that she just can’t seem to slow down enough to do the juicing thing. When she’s hungry, she wants to put something in her tummy. I get it. I’ve been there. Heck, I want to do that right now. I am not sure how I’m not eating something, except that our bedroom is downstairs and the kitchen is upstairs.

I drank about three and a half liters of water today which is good for my kidneys. Since I started juicing I have had no trouble with kidney stones. (Knocking very loudly on wood right now.) I think the water and the micronutrients have actually helped a lot. Let’s hope things keep clear with no kidney stones.

Anyways (that’s how they say anyway up here in New York), I had to run around and do some errands this morning so that I didn’t get my morning juice until around 11 a.m. I was quite hungry by that time and ready to eat something. I didn’t, thank goodness.
Late Morning Juice
Macintosh Apples (3)
Orange (1)
Lime (1)
I pretty much love my fruit juices. This one was just fine.

I stayed away from the family, working in my home office until about 2, when I had my lunch juice. I am running out of veggies so I had to be semi-creative.
Semi-Creative Lunch Juice
Romaine Lettuce (2 large handfuls of chopped)
Radishes (2)
Yellow Squash (1)
Celery (about 5 stalks)
Tomato (1)
Macintosh Apples (2)
Lemon (1)
Lime (1)
Honestly, I really am not a fan of tomato juice. Something about it makes me wince. This juice was not terrible, but the tomato juice really bothered me today. I’m sure it was fantastic for my body with all that lycopene and other wonderful nutrients, but I didn’t enjoy the flavor.

While out earlier, I purchased a liter of coconut water. If you’re not familiar with young Thai coconuts and their water, look them up on the internet now – well, finish the blog post first. Young Thai coconuts are apparently simply fantastic for your body, and the water from the fruit is excellent. It isn’t the easiest thing in the world to drink at first, but it’s got a reasonably good flavor and is quite refreshing. So I drank about a cup of it around 4 p.m. when I was getting desperate for more food.

I had a late dinner with the family. They all had homemade tacos with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

I had a juice. Since I was juicing and was quite jealous of what the family has been eating the last few nights, I went the selfish route and had a totally fruit juice.
Totally Fruit Dinner Juice
Macintosh Apples (4)
Navel Orange (1)
Lime (one and a half)
Pluot (1)
The juice was good and plentiful with all the apples.

By the way, have I mentioned we now live in New York and have apple orchards all around. Oh yeah, baby. I told Nancy I thought I might be turning into an apple. Yum yum yum.

So, I had a liter of mandarin orange flavored fizzy water – these are “all natural”, non-caloric drinks that claim to be all water with natural flavorings. I’m considering dropping the flavored ones out of a concern they may have other things in them I don’t want to add to my body.

Oh wait. I did sort of cheat today. This evening, while out with the kids at Tae Kwon Do, I chewed some gum – Orbit, peppermint. I really enjoy their gum, and as I was hungry and extremely bored, I felt justified.

So, that’s it for the day. Have a good night’s rest, or a blessed day, whichever comes first.

Don’t forget to look up young Thai coconuts.

Later,
K+

Sips and Smells (Day 2 of 60)

I’m through my second day of the juice fast.

The hardest part is simply not eating. I guess that’d be obvious, but it’s so prevalent. I mean I can’t snack or snitch a bite of food – Nancy made roast beef with mashed potatoes for dinner tonight. I was seriously thinking I could consider the juices from the roast beef as “juice-fasting”, but figured that would be cheating. And I could have really enjoyed a tiny finger of potatoes. Nope. No eating.

I began the morning with a couple of cups of water.

For breakfast, I had a morning juice similar to yesterday, but I had to make more as Nancy wanted to juice with me.
NY Morning Juice for Two
Macintosh Apples (6)
Orange (1)
Pluot (1)
Lemon (1)
It was a nice mixture.

I had another couple of cups of water (1 liter down).

For lunch I had a veggie/fruit juice blend again. It wasn’t as bad as yesterday.
NY Lunch Juice
Kale (6 leaves)
Macintosh Apples (2)
Carrot (1)
Celery stalks (2)
Yellow Squash (1)
Radishes (2)
Tomato (1)
Kiwi (1)
Lime (1)
Again, it wasn’t too bad. Still, it was a little difficult to get down, but I managed.

I was able to get out to the gym as well and drink another liter of water.

Dinner was okay. It was really difficult to smell the roast and see those potatoes and not eat them, but somehow I managed. It’s easier if I spend time smelling the food and not eating it. As the flavor (and much of the enjoyment) of food comes from its smell, I think it actually helps to smell it and deny myself the eating of it – I still get to smell it and pretend I’m eating it.

I sat with the family at dinner and had a conversation while they ate that tempting, scrumptious looking beef roast, and I sipped my juice.
NY Dinner Juice to Counter Beef Roast
Sweet Potato (1)
Celery stalks (3)
Radishes (3)
Macintosh Apples (3)
Lemon (1)
Cucumber (one-half large)
Zucchini (1)
It tasted pretty good. It wasn’t as good as some of the fruit juices, but it was hearty and enjoyable. In fact, the two oldest boys tried it, with the oldest drinking about one entire ounce (or maybe two). Nancy (the wife) had about four ounces of my concoction. They all said it was at least tolerable.

I then took the oldest girl to hip-hop/ballet class. She loves it, and I got to do some work while there. Also, I drank a twenty ounce lemon-flavored Perrier. As a young man, I used to make fun of people that drank Perrier. Nowadays, I really enjoy seltzer water – we call it all “fizzy water” at home.

After I got home, I helped Nan with the dishes. After we put the kids to bed we both had some herbal tea. I had my usual Mexican Sweet Chili Tea from Yogi Tea. Yum Yum.

It’s way late, and the baby’s crying. I’m gonna sign off now. Enjoy your night/day.

God bless you.
K+

Sixty Day Juice Fast: Day One (1 of 60) "Starting Again"

Well, I am doing it again, or at least attempting to, but I'm doing it bigger.

I did not do much juicing for about three weeks and allowed myself to eat junky foods. It’s amazing that whole food addiction/lust thing. It comes back so quickly and so easily. When before chicken nuggets sounded so unappealing, by the end of my trip to New York, they actually sounded (and tasted!) pretty good.

What’s interesting to me is how quickly my taste buds went back to favoring the processed nasty food rather than preferring the wholesome, healthy, natural foods I had been eating for nearly three weeks when I ended my reboot.

So, here I sit with some of the weight back and not feeling so great now. My blood pressure seems to be back up a bit, and my ankle that was broken so many years ago is causing me lots of pain. I forgot to mention before, that it didn’t bother me while I was juicing.

I’ve been wanting to juice again since we got to New York, but things have made it difficult. Hurricanes, power outages, flooding in neighboring areas, lack of familiarity with the area, etc. have all played parts. The biggest factor though has been my lack of self-determination.

Well, I am determined now. And I have decided, with the welcome support of my wife to do the sixty day juice fast – beginning today.

I drank two cups of water this morning, then had a juice. I try to keep morning juices to fruits.
NY Morning Juice
Macintosh Apples (3)
Granny Smith Apple (1)
Navel Orange (1)
Lime (1)
Pluot (1)
The wonderful thing about New York this time of year is the apples. Oh my goodness! They are all over the place, and I’ve never been to an orchard before (at least not in my adult life or that I can remember.) We’ve been apple picking a couple of times already, and I am so happy to have these little gifts from God.

Apples (and fruit in general to tell the truth) are so amazing. These little fruits that just grow on these trees for us to pick and eat that are packed with incredible nutrients that help us be fit and strong. Oh yes, I love it!

Anyway, I had breakfast, took care of some email for church and then took off to get a desk for my office. I wound up purchasing a desk via Craigslist from someone in Queensbury. I had never heard of Queensbury before moving up here. Google maps is an incredible resource for getting around, and it helped me on this trip.

On the way up, I purchased a “Naked” fruit juice. I had not had one before, but I thought it sounded amenable to the diet, and I was so tired of drinking water – another two cups down before this drink by the way. I had a “Reduced Calorie Tropical” juice. It was very good, low in calories, and had coconut juice in it. Yummy.

After I got home with my newly acquired desk, I fixed myself a lunch juice. I must admit, I was not looking forward to this part of the juicing. I have not been enjoying my veggie juices lately, but I endeavored to drink my draught and steer towards a healthier life.
NY Lunch Juice
Kale (6 leaves)
Carrots (2)
Celery stalks (2)
Radishes (3)
Ginger (little bit)
Yellow Squash (1 small)
Tomato (one-half)
Cauliflower (1 cup)
Lemon (1)
Lime (1)
Macintosh Apples (2)

To be honest, this juice smelled like dog poop. However, it turned out to be pretty good; although, I held my nose at first but eventually had no problem with it. I think the smell came from the cauliflower.

I went to the gym after working for a couple of hours. I really love my membership with Planet Fitness. It was very easy to transfer my membership from Montgomery, and they have very reasonable pricing. If you’re looking for a gym, check them out. The one here is open twenty-four hours a day Monday through Thursday and then some variant hours for the weekend.

At this point, I’ve got one more liter of water down (makes two liters now).

I took some water with me to the oldest three kids’ new Tae Kwon Do class. They seemed to enjoy it, and I was able to get some work done in addition to making some new contacts in Schenectady.

So for dinner, the family had spaghetti. I love my wife’s spaghetti. I really do. It was kind of hard. I thought about juicing the spaghetti sauce, but figured that would be a bad idea. So, I just fixed myself a juice.
NY Dinner Juice
Zucchini (1 small)
Cucumber (one-half large)
Radishes (2)
Carrots (3)
Celery stalks (2)
Macintosh apples (2)
Lemon (1)
Lime (1)
I enjoyed this juice more; although it wasn’t perfect.

Well, there you have it. My first blog in what I hope to be a sixty day journey towards re-forging my body and mind into a better, fitter state.

I appreciate your thoughts and prayers while I’m doing this more intense “reboot”. Thank you.

Day Eighteen: Travelling and Eating

Oh my word!

What a trip! And we’ve still got one more day!

This blog is about my dieting journey, so I’ll stick with it, but my goodness what a time we’ve had!

Okay, first observation… it is very, very difficult (not impossible) to find good options of veggies and fruits (especially the fruits) on the road. Yes, there are occasional fresh fruit and veggie stands, but they are way too hard to find. And grocery stores carry fresh produce, but I am in shock because I can’t find one!

We’re staying in Harrisburg, PA tonight, and I can’t find a grocery store within about a mile radius of our hotel. I didn’t have time to go searching beyond this perimeter. I even stopped in a “Mexican Grocery” to find some fresh fruit or veggies. I almost laughed. They had some scallions, limes, jicama and avocado. I almost wanted to ask where the mariachis were but chose not.

For breakfast I was blessed to have some apples and an orange from our hotel’s breakfast offerings which I juiced. The rest of the day wasn’t so great. I had a couple of chocolates on the road because they were there and I haven’t had any chocolate candy in about four weeks, well since Tuesday – but four weeks before that! I liked it, but it wasn’t all that special.

For lunch, I ate a Subway sandwich – 6 inch honey oat bread with roasted chicken (toasted). I added tomato, cucumber, green pepper, lettuce and spinach with some chipotle southwest sauce (as my decadence). I love the heat. I added a bag of jalapeno Kettle chips and a liter of water. It was a delightful meal and had a few veggies, but I’m starting to miss my fruit/veggie/juice fast.

Now here’s the interesting part. We are on a trip. We are moving from Montgomery, Alabama to Albany, New York (well, near there anyway). We’ve been pushing ourselves for the last several days to get the stuff packed, loaded, sent and the house cleaned. We stayed up driving until 2 a.m. last night, and had a really rough time of it.

I’ll write that story on my other blog.

But here’s the second major issue. The rest of the family is sick. Some of them have actually started vomiting (while I’m driving the minivan!) The others (now including my wife) simply feel nauseated, tired and feverish. Ooo boy!

I feel fine. Well, I have. I’m starting to feel a little nauseated myself, but I think it’s primarily due to the fact that I’ve been neglecting my fruits and veggies and have eaten cra#()$*( for meals. For dinner tonight I went searching for that grocery store I mentioned, but when I couldn’t find it, I should have opted for a salad, even from Mickey D’s. Instead, I got a chicken ranch quesadilla from Moe’s Southwest Grill, which in the Montgomery area is fantastic.

Not so much in Pennsylvania. It probably did not help that I showed up ten minutes prior to close, but the food was almost not edible. Overly salty, greasy and surprisingly bland. I had actually been sad that I’d not be eating at Moe’s again for a long time as we left Alabama. Now, I couldn’t care less.

Anyway, I think this dependence on subpar food is actually affecting my health. I think I’d rather not eat at all than eat this junk. If I can’t find good food, I’m going to try and not eat anything – except at certain times when I’ve decided before hand that I’m gonna take a break and eat the “bad stuff”.

Ah, yes… the diet in general! I forgot to mention what my plans are. I will continue as I had previously thought and just eat as healthy as I can (without too much trial if at all possible) until next week (I think Sunday?) Then I will begin the 15 day standard Reboot again. I think I’ll follow this 20 day plan for a while until I reach my optimal weight (which will be a while).

I may modify it. I look back and realize I enjoyed the juicing and with my office based in my home may be able to juice more easily and for a longer period of time. Perhaps I can do a fifteen day juice fast. That would be intriguing.

Alright, later friends. God bless each of you.

Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. We have only one day left, but if it’s anything like the last two, it’ll be quite an interesting day!

Day Fourteen: I Got An A+!

Fourteen days… that’s two weeks of this new “diet” thing.

It all began because of watching “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”. What an incredible promise the movie seems to make. If you eat fresh fruits and veggies, particularly through juicing, you can see some dramatic life changes. Chronic illnesses can lessen or even go into remission. Your mental state can get clearer. You can lose fat and become healthier. You can lower your blood pressure.

While I don’t suffer from a chronic illness, I have been struggling with a high level of fatigue and the every present battle of the bulge. Also, recently, I had checked (on a lark) my blood pressure fairly regularly, and started getting scared. At one point, it was at or near 160/99. Granted, at the time, I was enduring large amounts of work-related stress, but I could not attribute that level of pressure simply to stress.

After two weeks of the Reboot (and a week of preparation), I have lost nearly twenty pounds, reduced my fatigue and shockingly to me, my blood pressure this evening was 116/68. That seems to me to be incredible. What a blessing this diet has been!

I woke this morning for church, and I don’t eat before I receive Holy Communion on Sundays. So, I went to church a little scared. I knew that we’d be having a wonderful covered dish supper following the service and doubted there would be anything there for me to eat.

Fortuitously, someone brought fresh fruits and my wonderful wife steamed some sugar snap peas.

Today was my last day serving as rector (i.e. head priest/pastor) of my little church in Montgomery. It was a sad and sweet day for me and my family. We will miss our friends from here so much, but the opportunity I have now is truly an answer to prayer, and we are all very excited about the move.

Anyway, for dinner tonight my darling wife browned some great smelling taco-seasoned ground deer meat and prepared some Rotel dip (made with Velveeta). It truly smelled incredible. Honestly, I got a little angry about the whole thing. I had a hard enough time not snarfing the fried chicken, cheesecake and cocktail shrimp at the luncheon. These tacos were simply punishment.

And I nearly broke.

I persevered with the strong assistance of my wife, who reminded me of how I really didn’t want to mess up since I had only one day left. I agreed and fixed myself a juice.

Not A Taco or Cheesy Rotel Dip Juice
GS apple (1)
Lemon (1)
Cucumber (1)
Zucchini (1)
Celery (5 stalks)
Ginger (little bit)
Navel Orange (1)

This mixture was probably the mildest and best tasting of all the “veggie” juices I’ve made through this journey. The orange added a nice touch to the whole thing. I’ve still got some left and may have it for breakfast.

Perhaps if you’ve got high blood pressure, you might consider trying this kind of a diet. I know it seems a little radical, but it becomes pretty easy/natural/sane after a few days. I look forward to my meats, nuts and breads. At the same time, I don’t want to leave this train of health and wellness. I’ve got to figure out the best way to incorporate a broader diet into my life while still retaining the juicing and more “fresh” eating.

I’ll be mining the website at the Reboot site for more information. You might want to give them a shot yourself.

By the way, I’ve mentioned on Facebook that I’d like to hear from you if you’ve been reading the blog. Is this something you’d like to continue to read? I will probably continue after day fifteen to share on the blog my dieting ventures, but it would be nice to get some positive feedback.

Thanks!

Day Thirteen: Tomorrow's the Big Test

Okay, okay…. I missed a day blogging, but I was a good boy with the eating. At least, I think I was.

I had some white potatoes roasted in the oven covered in a little olive oil with some garlic pepper on them – also had some of my new favorite “sweet potato fries”. They’re filling and good for me!

I don’t remember all I had yesterday, so I won’t go into it.

This morning, I got up, drank my two cups of water and eventually had a late juice for breakfast. It was nice with two oranges, a GS apple and some grapes. A rainbow of color! Orange, Green and Red, yea, baby!

For lunch, I ate another sweet potato as fries. Mmm hmmm. Yum yum yum.

For dinner I had another acorn squash with portabello mushroom filling, leftover from last night. Very tasty. I also had a fresh salad with romaine lettuce, celery, carrot, cucumber, GS apple (chopped) and blackberries. I ran out of olive oil – we’re moving and not buying much of anything, so we don’t have to move it – so I couldn’t make a salad dressing. I used Bragg’s on the salad. It wasn’t bad. Also had a coconut water with dinner. That was nice.

Tomorrow should be a very interesting day, as the church is having a covered dish supper “in my honor” since this is my last Sunday. The food there should all be fantastic and probably none of it will be okay for me to eat on this diet. I’ve got to make sure no one is offended if I don’t eat the food they bring. They’re all very lovely people.

What’s interesting is that the desire to consume “food” seems to be purely mental. I don’t mean the desire to eat when I’m hungry, but those compelling to eat a candy bar or a bite of the leftover steak from last night, etc. I guess I’ve been a “grazer” for a long time and simply look to fill my mouth with what sounds good, regardless of hunger or need.

It is a real change refraining from consuming any calories unless my body needs them, such as at meal times. I’m truly having a hard time not juicing – not that I love the juice that much. Honestly, sometimes I’d rather just throw it out and run down the street to any fast food joint and pick up a chicken sandwich or a hamburger, but I don’t “need” to right now. I’m afraid that might change once I start eating “regular” food again.

I can see the allure for juicing for sixty days, as I’ve lost a good amount of weight in these last thirteen days (i.e. 10+). It’s not like I’m ignoring the real needs of my body – except possibly for proteins. The fruits and vegetables I’ve been eating have become my “friends” like never before (what am I to do, because before is a preposition and I don’t want to end my sentence with it… I guess this suffices.)

Anyway, I am not really looking “forward” to the veggies and fruits as much as I’m simply content to have them as my staples for meals. Meat would be great. Breads, grains and nuts would be fantastic – I really want some pistachios; however, I don’t need the meats and other foods to feel sustained or healthy. It’s an eye opener and shocker.

That’s all for now. I’m tired and need to prepare more for tomorrow’s service.

Nighty night.

Day Eleven: Be Careful What You Eat

Eating is kind of weird now. I haven’t done it in five days. I might have made a mistake in my dinner.

But before I go there…

This morning, I had a smoothie, banana, strawberries, blueberries and mango. It was nice, but I was still just drinking my food.

For lunch I had an apple and a cup of baby carrots. It was okay. Nothing major.

I juiced in the late afternoon.
Late Afternoon Juice
Yellow Squash (1)
Cucumber (1)
Granny Smith Apple (1)
Carrots (3)
Celery (4)
Ginger (just a little bit)

It was a fairly pleasant juice.

For dinner, I fixed myself some of those sweet potato fries like I had last week. Oh yeah, they were good. My wife likes them so much I had to make some for her too! They were quite filling, and I was glad to get to eat them.

I went out late to bring Holy Communion to a lovely lady living in an assisted living community so I didn’t have time to eat more for dinner – I had planned to eat a salad.

At about 9 p.m., I fixed another smoothie, just strawberries, banana and a fresh peach.

As I was drinking it, I got really sick to my stomach and had to take care of business. I think that the sweet potato might have been a bad choice to add to my diet on my first day back on solid foods.

Lesson learned.

Day Ten: Thinking Different(ly)?

I made it through day ten! Woohoo!

It was kind of a rough day, at least from a food consumption angle. I had hot water (no lemon left!) this morning followed by two cups of water.

The I made a nice morning juice. Yesterday, the grape juice overpowered the drink and made me a little nauseous. Today I used grapes again, but added a secret ingredient – oranges! Yumdiddlyumptious.
Yummdiddlyumptious Juice
Navel Oranges (2)
Grapes (2 c)
Granny Smith Apple (2 small)

So, I didn’t have many veggies for my lunch juice until my wife got back from Costco. I didn’t have time to juice though, as I had to run off to a meeting. It was a great meeting, by the way. Good friends and acquaintances from the city – a local group of pastors meets each month to pray for one another and the city, in hopes of unity, spiritual, racial, temporal, etc. It’s a blessed group of individuals, striving to honor God’s call to honor Christ’s prayer in John 17, that we all “may be one”.

Anyway, they always have lunch at the meeting. I stayed for lunch, but didn’t partake. It was a nice one too, lasagna. Mmm….

Strangely, I didn’t miss it so much. I guess I’ve gotten to a point where my stomach has shrunk and doesn’t crave as much food. It’s rather nice actually. I think I’m approaching a point where food isn’t as important psychologically.

Don’t get me wrong. Tonight I want a nice beef roast with gravy made from the drippings and smothering some butter-laden mashed potatoes. Oh yeah, that’d be nice.

The thing is… I don’t think I could handle it. It sounds too heavy and would probably make me sick. I am fully intending to have one of those Artisan Ranch Chicken Sandwiches from Wendy’s though as soon as possible; however, I’ve told the wife, she’s gonna have to split it with me because I’m sure I won’t be able to eat the whole thing.

Anyway, back to the Reboot dialogue: I didn’t have lunch, but I drank a coconut juice/water around 2 p.m. I am not all that hungry throughout the day. If I think about it and concentrate on food, I feel a bit hungry, but overall, it’s not bothering me (right now!).

I got home after work and fixed myself a nice mostly veggie juice. I had to experiment a little as I’m out of kale now. I used a yellow squash this time. Not bad at all.
Mostly Veggie Juice
Yellow Squash (1)
Cucumber (1 small)
Granny Smith Apples (2)
Carrots (4)
Celery (5 stalks)
Ginger (a small amount – about the size of a nickel)

I drank about three liters of water (give or take a cup).

Tomorrow I return to eating. Truthfully, I am not that “excited” about it. I mean, I’ll be glad to save the time and not have to juice, but I’ve gotten to a point where eating isn’t necessary. I wouldn’t mind juicing a little longer, but I think with the move coming up, it would be best for me to transition to a primarily “eating” diet with juicing just once (or twice) a day.

I have seen some really good weight loss, but it’s not showing all that much. That’s okay. While I want the weight to go away, I think the most important thing is to get my mind somewhere else in regards to food. If I can continue to adjust my thinking when it comes to food and putting it in its proper place, then I think this whole experience will have been well-worth it.

Signing out.
krbj+

Day Nine: Almost Through The Hard Part

Wow. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far. Nine days down. I woke up very tired. I drank a cup of hot water with lemon juice from a quarter lemon and two cups of cool water.

This morning’s juice was really good, but also really strong. Lots of grapes gave it a wonderful flavor, but it was almost overpowering.
Morning Grape Juice
Red Grapes (2 cups)
Granny Smith Apple (2 small)
Pear (1)
Lemon (one half)

I’m about to run out of my staples for veggies, and I used up a few at lunch today.
Green Lunch Juice
Kale (about 6 ounces)
Cucumber (1 small)
Celery (4 stalks)
Carrots (3)
Granny Smith Apples (2 small)
Ginger (a little bit)
Radishes (2)
Yellow Onion (about one eighth)

I had a hard time drinking it, but I made it through.

At work I had a liter of water (bringing me up to two on the day). I drank a two cups earlier after working outside for about thirty minutes.
The family had pizza for dinner again. Man, I miss pizza. They had Oreos for dessert. Sheeesh.

My mind craves these foods, but my body could care less, for the most part. I’m really wanting that Asiago Ranch (Spicy) Chicken Sandwich from Wendy’s, but I can endure. I’m starting to think about the post-fifteen day Reboot. I think I’ll continue the veggie and fruit thing for breakfast and another meal while allowing the other stuff for another meal (lunch or dinner) for about five days, then I think I’ll start the standard Reboot again. I really enjoy seeing the weight loss and clearer thinking that seems to be a part of this micronutrient boost.

After smelling the pizzas, I decided I had to juice or I might cave. I’m nearly out of veggies, so I had to improvise. This one was a little different.
Interesting Dinner Juice
Zucchini (1)
Sugar Snap Peas (1 c)
Tomato (1)
Granny Smith Apple (1)
Carrots (3)
Celery (5 stalks)
Radishes (3)

This juice was close to the worst so far. The zucchini wasn’t bad, it just didn’t provide any flavor – though it did give a good amount of juice. The peas didn’t juice well, so I got chunks of snap peas in the juice, and the radishes gave it a bite. Not repeating this recipe.

I’ve got to get to sleep.

Later.

Day Eight: Hardest Day Yet

Today has been the hardest of the reboot days, by far!

It’s the third day of five for exclusive juicing, and I really crave some substantial food. Funny thing is that most of the food I’m desiring is generally really unhealthy food. I know there are healthy versions of most of what I’m wanting, but I’m mainly imagining fast foods. You know… fried foods like fried chicken or even friend chicken sandwiches (like Wendy’s wonderful Spicy Chicken Sandwich, or their new version with Asiago cheese and bacon!) Decadent. Really, all that grease and fat is just not good for the body in regular doses. Perhaps as a “splurge” once a month, but it should definitely be moderated.

Regardless, that’s the kind of food that’s on my mind.

I’ve been very lethargic today. I figure I’m not getting enough calories. Doubtless, I’ve not been getting my usual amounts of calories, and I’ve seen a great deal of weight loss over the last eight days (almost ten pounds). I’ll be able to consume more calories, or at least have more food filling my stomach in a few days to make me feel a little more satisfied.

Now let me clarify. I have not been feeling hungry as much as I’ve been craving food. I desire to eat and consume those foods I’ve previously deemed “good”. I am sure that any of the foods I’ve been thinking of would most likely make me sick now because they are so rich and full of not-so-good-for-me things.

The juices have given me plenty of energy along with “filling me up.” It’s just that I’ve grown up “eating” to supplement more than hunger, and I’m missing some of the comfort of food. Hmm… perhaps that’s why we call it “Comfort Food”.

Anyway, I didn’t juice until the late morning. I had two cups of water after I awoke, but had to get out and run errands without time to juice.

Late Morning Juice
Navel Orange (1)
Pears (2)
Granny Smith Apple (1 large)
Cherries (about 1 cup)
Cucumber

I love to eat cucumbers. The addition of it to the juice seems to help mute the somewhat overpowering sweetness of the fruits. It’s a good solid drink.

As the juice was late morning and I had to be out of the house for several hours, I went by the health food store and bought a coconut juice which I drank around 1 p.m.

My early evening juice was a nice change. I took some ideas from the Reboot website and put this one together.
Early Evening Juice
Sweet Potato (1)
Carrots (2)
Celery (4 stalks)
Red Pepper (one half)
Ginger (just a little)
Granny Smith Apple (1 large)
Lemon (1)

This was actually a very hearty juice. I enjoyed it. The sweet potato added a nice under-current of a flavor. I think I’d like to use one again.

I took a nap while the family ate dinner. I couldn’t stand to be around them eating tonight. It was “Taco Night”. I so desperately want a tortilla with ground beef, cheese and salsa. My mouth is watering thinking about that wonderful little treat.

When I got up, I drank some more water (2.5 liters on the day) and fixed another juice.
Main Dinner Juice
Kale (about 6 ounces)
Cabbage (6+ leaves)
Celery (6 stalks)
Carrots (2)
Granny Smith Apples (2 small)
Pear (1)

Nothing amazing about this juice seemed to strike me. It still had a surprising back bite from something. I didn’t miss the radish or ginger; although I’m sure they would have given it an interesting character.

I recognize that I only want those other foods because I have positive emotional attachments to them, not because I’m hungry. It’s gonna be a long road ahead to change my thinking from eating from desire to eating out of necessity. This diet’s incredibly helpful with that road.

May you be blessed.

Day Seven: Philosphizing on Food

I woke and started getting ready for Church and drank my two cups of water.

Church was nice. My mother joined us for worship today, as she was visiting the family for the birthday celebration yesterday. Right after the service, we had some cinnamon rolls (the Little Debbie kind) and a pound cake in the parish hall for anyone who wanted to gnosh something before taking off. I really wanted one of those little rolls, but I somehow persevered and ignored them.

After Church, my mom took us all out to a nice Chinese buffet. I’ve not had cause to mention this before, but my favorite ethnic food would be classified as Chinese (really Far Eastern, I suppose). I thoroughly enjoy a good kung pao chicken, lo mein, sushi, and the like. In addition, the buffet we went to had all kinds of “American” foods, like fried chicken, donut holes, tasty dinner rolls, etc.

If I could eat anywhere often, I would probably choose this particular restaurant because of the variety, and my penchant for Asian-style foods. The kids loved it and got lots of various foods – nearly all of them got watermelon along with whatever else they put on their plate (which I hope is a good sign).

Smelling the food at the restaurant was a treat in itself.

I suppose now is the time to share my current “thoughts” about food.

I’m gaining some greater perspective and awareness regarding my relationship with food. I think I’ve always used food as an expression of my emotions and desires. This process was never a conscious thing, just simply a way of living. I didn’t eat “because I was depressed”. I may have just eaten because I was “hungry”, but I think that my body might have said, “You’re hungry”, when in fact I was depressed.

Likewise, food also presented a kind of satisfaction similar to sexual gratification. I think I coined a phrase, or at least when I said it I had never heard it before, back in college. I ate a fantastic cheesecake brownie from The Great American Cookies store in the big shopping center in Chattanooga (this is back in like 1993). I still remember how good it was. Anyway, I commented that it was like having an orgasm of the mouth. My point is that I believe food has been a vehicle towards pleasure.

As I’ve been thinking about food over the last few days – especially as I’m juicing – I’ve realized that one really can “lust” after food. Those Doritos, that Kraft Green Onion Dip, the pizza, the donut holes or the kung pao chicken all represent in my mind not just sustenance, but a flavor, a sensation, a particularly pleasurable experience associated with all of my senses. I can hear the crunch of the chips, feel the creaminess of the dip, smell the unmistakable mélange of mozzarella, tomato sauce and bread of the pizza, taste the sweetness of the donut hole, and see the various colors and shapes of each food. Food has meant so much to me throughout my life. Multitudes of memories are associated with so many different foods. I have become what I ate in body and soul.

So, as we sat at the restaurant, I watched my wife and kids eat their foods with a new sense of detachment. While deep inside parts of me really yearned to snarf the same foods they were eating, I calmly watched them eat with no need to partake of it. I did not have to eat it. I sat and enjoyed their eating the food, even remembering my own enjoyment of it, but at the same time, I was able to say honestly that I had no need of it right now. Truthfully, I plan to eat some tasty food similar to what I’ve missed out after I finish my reboot, but I may not. I can feel my body changing. I actually do not have a great compelling to eat those foods. Yes, smelling them attracts me, but that’s sort of an autonomic response. I’m not immediately drawn to them.

I drank a tall glass of ice water while they ate, and I thought about all this stuff.

After grandmama paid the bill, I left the buffet and went to one of the local health food stores where I bought a 100% coconut juice which I quickly consumed. Then I went and bought a pint of raspberries, three apricots, four “on-the-vine” tomatoes and a red pepper.

When I got home, I juiced the raspberries and apricots with some other fruit. It made a pretty nice drink.
Sunday Afternoon Juice
Raspberries (1 pint)
Apricots (3)
Pineapple (chopped one-half cup)
Pear (1)
Cucumber (1)

For my dinner drink, I used some of the tomatoes which had me a little nervous.
Nervous Dinner Drink
Tomatoes (2)
Red Pepper (one half)
Cucumber (1)
Celery (3 stalks)
Carrots (2)
Cabbage (4 leaves)
Granny Smith Apple (1)
Yellow Onion (one-eighth)
Ginger (a small amount, about the end of a pinky’s worth)

The onion was a little strong, and the texture was a bit thick due to the tomatoes I think, but all in all I liked it. It was surprisingly sweet.

Finally, I just juiced some watermelon – because my wife was eating Lay’s with Kraft Green Onion Dip and a croissant sandwich from Costco. I just love those sandwiches, and Nancy introduced me to the dip several years ago. Yum Yum.

But I digress. I juiced watermelon and enjoyed it too. Someday I’ll have green onion dip again, but I’m not in any real hurry. May the juicing continue.

Oh, by the way, I had three liters of water today.

Day Six: What a Day!

It started off with a bang.

I had a lot to do first thing, so I boiled some water and added juice from half a lemon. I could only choke down a few drinks of it. Prior to the hot water, I drank two cups of water.
Because of the hectic day ahead, I had to “hurry” and fix my juice. It was yummy to my tummy, fruit-filled splendor.
Yummy Tummy Juice
Navel Oranges (4)
Cherries (about 20)
Lemon (one half)
Bartlett Pear (1)

Wow. What a treat. The orange wasn’t nearly as prominent in flavoring the drink as I thought. The pear actually stood out from the other flavors; although I could taste each one except the lemon. My thoughts are that the lemon muted the bright sweetness of the orange and the pear’s unique flavor took over the drink.


So, I had to go running out to borrow some tables and chairs for the big celebration that would take place later in the day. On the way home with the furniture, I had to pick up a couple of bags of ice.

I got home, unloaded the van, tested the sprinkler for the water festivities and then took a shower. As I dried off and dressed, people started showing up.

We were overwhelmed and blessed to have a large crowd of the children’s close friends and their parents show up (while we had a few adults show up who have gone out of their way to help our family watch over the kids, etc).

The wonderful surprise of the day was the kids’ godparents who live in Georgia showed up without notice. They posted a notice on Facebook earlier in the day that they were doing something “crazy” today, but gave no further information. As I was showering it occurred to me that they might be coming to the party (three hours away), but I was afraid to say anything. They showed up as I was walking into the living room after the shower! Great friends… good times.

So after they arrived, it was time to go get the pizza and some more ice. I prepared to leave but several of the men at the party asked if they could help. I didn’t think I needed the help, but I eventually said to them, “Let’s all go!” So four men huddled together in a Toyota Corolla and took off for Little Ceaser’s to buy some pizza. We had to wait about ten minutes once we got there (seven pizzas), but we had fun talking.

We stopped by for some ice and drove back to the house. As we arrived, I noticed most everyone else had shown up, including the kids’ other godparents. Woohoo! What a blessed day.

So… I’m sure many of you are wondering. How’d he do!?!? Did he make it?

I mean really. Pizza?!?!? Terrific croissant sandwiches with the most incredible pesto mayo dressing?!?!? All sorts of chips? Fruit? Veggies? Cake? Ice cream?!?!

How in the world could I not forget it all and just jump in and shovel it down the hatch. I mean I _love_ this stuff. And, it’s such a special day, kids’ celebration of their birthdays in one big shebang with a load of family and friends to join us.

Somehow, I managed not to eat a thing. I’m not quite sure how I did it. I loved the smell of the pizza. I picked up a Dorito, sniffed it and pretended to eat it – not to shock anyone else – simply because I wanted to pretend for my own benefit. If I couldn’t eat it, at least I could pretend to consume it, right?

I did drink two more cups of water, and when everyone started having cake, I did fix a juice for lunch.
Party Juice
Kale (6 handfuls)
Cabbage (5 leaves)
Granny Smith Apple (1)
Lemon (1)
Carrots (3)
Celery (5)
Radishes (3)
Pear (1)


It was pretty much like what I’ve been drinking for the last few days, and it was alright. Nothing “spectacular”, but it was good.

What was hilarious was that all the guys were gathered around my new toy (the juicer) to watch it do its thing. I must admit I love the sound of the thing as it spins down from juicing. It sounds kind of like a jet engine – at least it’s fun to picture it that way.

So, I handed out about five glasses of juice (with just about a couple of tablespoons in each) to the guys and one of the ladies who was venturous. None of the men were too impressed, but the lady liked it well enough.

The party lasted another hour or so, and then everyone started to go home.

Finally, it was all over. I was exhausted and took a nap.

Upon getting up, I knocked out another liter of water.

Not too long after that I fixed myself a dinner juice. I was a bit terrified of this one, because I had determined to use some tomatoes and possibly some onion. I used to despise tomatoes, but over the last few years I’ve come to appreciate them more. (Check out this previous post: Please Hold the Tomatoes.)

Dinner Juice
Grape Tomatoes (about 30)
Yellow Onion (about one-sixth of a medium size)
Celery (4 stalks)
Carrots (3)
Lemon (1)
Cabbage (4 leaves)

It made a decent amount, about a full quart. I actually somehow enjoyed it. I could taste the onion, but the tomato was not too prominent. In fact the carrot and celery really seemed to overwhelm the drink – not in a bad way.

While I enjoyed the drink and I was feeling rather full, I still felt “deprived”. I mean, seriously folks, this was the party I was holding for my own kids, and I couldn’t eat a single darn thing!

So, I fixed myself a dessert juice to end the night.
Dessert Juice
Strawberries (about 12)
Pineapple (about 1 cup)
Red Grapes (about 1 cup)
Fuji Apple (1 small)

It was a fantastic juice. In fact, I’d say it was better than the morning one.

As I write this, I’m drinking some herbal tea (again, the Aztec Sweet Chili).

Today was a success on many levels. The diet went great. I’ve philosophized about the meaning of what’s going on in my head or whatever – and I’ll share it later. Most importantly though, this day was a success because of the great family and friends who joined us in making a celebration for the kids a day of real friendship and love.

Thank you all. Thank you God. Well done all of you!

Day Five: Ready for the Real Thing?

So, I’ve had five days of the Reboot program. I’ve eaten fresh fruits and veggies only now for five days – some of them, I cooked. But tomorrow starts the wild phase of this little dietary experiment. I begin the “juice fast” tomorrow.

What’s rather amusing about that is that tomorrow we’re having our special birthday celebration with a few of the children’s friends and a couple of relatives. We bought a sandwich tray from Costco and a big sheet cake with all the chidren’s names on it. We’re also going to have lots of various chips and some fruit.

So, while I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s celebrations, I must admit I think it’s going to be a little frustrating.

Today was a good day. I had another smoothie for breakfast.
Morning Smoothie
Frozen Banana (1)
Frozen Mango (one half c)
Frozen Blueberries (1 c)
Frozen Strawberries (8)
Frozen Peach (one half peach)
Honey (1 T)
Water (3 c)

I made extra to share. It was good.

For lunch, all I had was a juice.
Typical Veggie Juice
Granny Smith Apple (1)
Lemon (1)
Carrots (2)
Celery (4 stalks)
Cabbage (3 leaves)
Kale (rest of the bag! – about 8 handfuls)
Cucumber (1 small)
Radishes (3)
Romaine Lettuce (5 leaves)

This juice was pretty good. I enjoyed it. It made more than I thought it would – an entire quart. I gave a half cup to Nancy, and I drank the rest.

It completely filled me up.

I had some watermelon in the mid-afternoon, probably about two cups worth.

For dinner, my wife sautéed some yellow squash with onions (adding some garlic pepper for flavor). I put the remainder of the marinara sauce over it and licked my lips as I finished it.

I also fixed some sugar snap peas by boiling them for two minutes. Once out, Nancy added some kosher salt. They too were delicious.

That’s it for the day. I may still have some honey or some fruit tonight, but I feel full and satisfied for the moment.

I’ve had about two and a half liters of water so far today.

Later,
Krbj+

Day Four: Culinary Experiments

Well, today was a pretty long day. Number five went to her first dentist appointment today at 8 this morning. I barely got to see her as I left the house to go to work. She was very excited.

So, in addition to fixing my smoothie this morning I fixed my juice and had to take it with me.

Berry Mango Smoothie
Frozen Banana (1)
Frozen Blueberries (1 c)
Frozen Strawberries (6)
Frozen Mango (.5 c)
Honey (1 T)
Water (2 c)

Veggie Juice
Granny Smith Apple (1)
Lemon (1)
Cabbage (4 leaves)
Romaine Lettuce (6 leaves)
Kale (6 handfuls)
Carrot (2)
Celery Stalks (4)
Cucumber (1 small)
Radishes (3)

The additional celery, cabbage and romaine seemed to add more juice to the mix this time. It wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great either.

I am finding it difficult to get excited about drinking the juice; however, as I was drinking it I kept reminding myself about how good it was for my body with all the “liquefied” nutrients that I so desperately need.

For dinner tonight, I had planned to use one of the Reboot recipes for Baked Acorn Squash which includes a portabella mushroom. We don’t have any at the house, so I stopped by our local Fresh Market grocery store to get some. While there I got my wife one of her favorite savory treats – calamatta olives. In addition, I was wandering and came across some “veggie crisps” which were apparently dehydrated and fried vegetable chips of various sorts. I thought “Cool” and bought some to eat on my veggie/fruit diet.

It wasn’t until I was halfway done with my cup-full of a snack that my thinking kicked in, and I realized I was probably cheating. DAGNABIT. Okay… well, never mind the veggie crisp things. !@($#!*@@!*!!

So, I came home and relaxed after work. I was still quite hungry so I fixed myself some sweet potato fries like last night, but I cut down on the salt and red pepper, reduced the heat to 350 and extended the cooking time to twelve minutes. They actually were a little softer than I wished. I think 400 would have been better.

Nancy determined that we would have leftovers tonight (well the rest of the “we”, not me), but she had to go to a meeting, so I got stuck with reheating the macaroni and cheese, spaghetti, noodles & parmesan and chicken nuggets for the kids (and Grandma who came in late last night).

I so wanted eat some of the noodles – I didn’t care which ones. They all smelled and looked so good – especially the spaghetti! But, I somehow persevered and managed to wait to fix my own dinner.

So what did I have? Ahh, the acorn squash from reboot sans the sage because I couldn’t find the crushed and dried sage and we had no fresh sage, so I did without. Also, I think I burned the onion and garlic which gave the whole thing a slightly strange taste. All in all I liked it, but I wish I had not overcooked the mushroom mixture (onions and garlic). Following is the recipe and a link to the site:

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Mushroom and Sage
1 medium Acorn Squash
3/4 tsp. plus 1/4 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground Black Pepper
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil, plus extra for brushing
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1 large Portobello Mushroom, chopped
1 small Onion, chopped
2 tsp. Fresh Sage, finely chopped
Pinch Red Pepper Flakes, optional
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Trim off each end of the squash. Stand the squash upright and halve lengthwise. Scoop out the pulp and the seeds and discard. Brush each squash half with olive oil, and then sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. salt and the black pepper. Arrange cut sides down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast the squash until the flesh is tender and the edges are golden brown, approximately 25-35 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the squash halves over and set aside.
While the squash roasts, heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute 2 minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent. Add the mushrooms, sage, 1/4 tsp. salt and the red pepper flakes if using, and saute until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Fill the roasted squash halves with the mushroom mixture and bake again for another 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 254
Protein: 2 g
Fiber: 2.5 g


I enjoyed this enough to have two servings.

I followed the whole thing up with a few cherries.

So far I've had 3.5 liters of water today, and I'll probably drink another .5 liter or so.

Have a great day/evening/night/etc. God bless you.

krbj+

Day Three: Enjoying It So Far

Wow. The day went by fairly quickly; although I woke up very tired.

Another day, another smoothie. Did I mention I love smoothies? I had another fruit smoothie this morning for breakfast.
Berry Good Smoothie
Frozen Blueberries (1 c)
Frozen Strawberries (6)
Frozen Banana (1)
Honey (1 T)
Water (2 c)

I’m a little leery about the whole juicing thing at this point, because I’m getting tired of the veggie juices. I don’t necessarily “hate” them, but they are becoming rather boring. Granted, I’m doing pretty much the same one each day, but that’s mainly because I can’t afford to do all the variant ones listed.

So I had my juice at around 11:30 this morning.
Boring Juice
Granny Smith Apple (1 large)
Lemon (one half)
Carrot (1)
Celery Stalks (4)
Cabbage Leaves (4)
Kale (6 handfuls)
Radishes (3)
Cucumber (1 whole “salad” cuke)
Pear (1)

This juice was by far the best so far. I think it was because of the addition of the pear.

I soon got hungry, so I fixed myself another steamed yellow squash (coined) and covered it in that delicious marinara sauce from Biggest Loser at around 1 p.m.

I spent the rest of the afternoon in the office.

Today was number six’s first birthday, so I knew there would be cake when I got home. My darling wife not only cooked a “healthy” cake (banana cake with honey to sweeten and whole wheat flour ),but she also fixed a banana-blueberry sorbet which I was able to eat!
Frozen Banana (3)
Frozen Blueberries (1 c)
Water (1 T)
She let the bananas and berries sit in the blender for about 30 minutes to soften, and then added the water and blended. She then put the mixture in the freezer until we had the dessert. It was quite tasty.

Okay, so I was still famished at this point – even though I ate about a half cup of sorbet (or was that a cup?)

I fixed myself some sweet potato fries by cutting up a sweet potato into some strips about two inches long. I then put them in a mixing bowl, poured about one or two tablespoons of olive oil over them, swished them around to cover them evenly then added some spices. I added ground red pepper, garlic powder and garlic pepper seasoning. Then I placed them on a cookie sheet in the oven on 400 degrees for ten minutes. They probably could have gone longer, but I was hungry. I tried them immediately and liked them, but felt they needed something, so I added a little sea salt – about two pinches – and they were great. Nancy (my wife) said they were too spicy – I admittedly went a little heavy with the red pepper. But I liked them and they were for me, so there. :P

ANYWAY, in addition, I fixed about two large handfuls of sugar snap peas, by boiling them for three minutes and then adding a couple of pinches salt to them as well. Yum yum yum.

Next, I ate a salad – left over mix from yesterday. I used Braggs’ Liquid Aminos for a dressing – just a few sprays over the whole thing.

I had three cherries to follow the meal and then put the kids to bed.

Through the day, I drank my three liters of water and will probably have some more before the night is over.

Oh, I did eat about thirty grapes throughout the day at various times. Especially right before coming to the bedroom – I ate about fifteen after the kids went down before starting a Dr. Who episode with the wife.

And the piece de resistance? The thing that makes this whole process a joy? I had a tablespoon of raw honey from the guy down the street. Quadruple yum.

God bless y’all.

Later….

Day Two: Danger Ahead!

I thought today would be a lot harder in general, as I knew that tonight I was going to a covered dish supper where I was the guest of honor. In addition, yesterday was kind of rough. I had a headache until late night, which I was able to overcome by a hot shower and clever application to pressure points.

Today started out frustrating, as I was unable to have my breakfast (another smoothie) until late.
Late Smoothie
Frozen Banana (1)
Frozen Mango (one-half cup)
Frozen Blueberries (1 c)
Fuji Apple (1 small)
Honey (1 T)
Water (2 c)

It turned out really well. I blended the mixture a little longer than usual and it was thinner than usual – which worked out well.

My veggie juice drink turned out to be my lunch.
Veggie Drink
Kale (6 handfuls – pre-cut from Publix)
Cabbage (3 leaves)
Celery (4 stalks)
Carrots (2)
Radishes (3)
Cucumber (one-half large)
Granny Smith Apple (1 large)
Lemon (1)

This juice turned out to be the best so far. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I took a salad made of the same mixture from last night (Red Leaf Lettuce) – and I added a little more Romaine and some chopped cabbage. I used the first dressing from yesterday.

I got home and ready for the going-away party. I was famished when I got home, so I ate an orange. Yum.

At the party, I was overwhelmed by the lovely chicken fingers, roast beef, cole slaw and cakes prepared or bought for our consumption. I avoided them all though and simply ate a few bites of fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple).

I did drink a few sips of wine – actually by accident, as I forgot!

When I got home, I was extremely hungry and considered forgetting it and going to bed, but a clearer head and rumbling stomach prevailed.

I steamed some more coined squash and heated it up with some more of the marinara sauce from last night. It was great. I don’t think I need pasta if I can eat this stuff.

I also ate ten cherries and a teaspoon of honey. Absolutely terrific!

Tomorrow should be fun too. The baby will be one year old, and we’re gonna have cake! What will I do!?!?!?

Day One: Evening... Not Too Bad

I am so not enjoying this diet right this moment.

The family had spaghetti for dinner. Yum. And I am very hungry.

It’s not that I haven’t had plenty to eat. I suppose I have. It’s just that I’m desiring GRAINS and possibly some meat. Grains though are something I want dearly – noodles, bread, etc.

But, I’ll make it. It’s just day one, but I think it should only take a couple of days before I am not too concerned with the appetite.

So… since this afternoon, I’ve had another cup of Aztec Sweet Chili from Yogi tea. In addition, I’ve drunk 2.5 liters of water so far today and plan to drink .5 to one more liter tonight.

Anway, I got very tired late afternoon (around 3 p.m.) and ate about a cup and a half of watermelon. It quickly reenergized me. I did still get pretty hungry about an hour later, so I ate a banana which filled me up for a late dinner.

I helped my wife fix dinner – she was fixing spaghetti for the kids (marinara sauce with some ground beef thrown in), and some buttered noodles. We had someone come to the door to talk to her as the noodles were ready to pull off the stove, so she asked me to drain them. I did and unthinkingly threw a couple (literally only two or three) in my mouth to check the tenderness.

DOH!

Since they were all having spaghetti, I figured steamed veggies by themselves would not serve as an adequate repast. I coined a yellow squash and steamed it in the microwave. Then I made a nice marinara sauce from scratch using a recipe from “The Biggest Loser”. You can check out the recipe on the Living Strong website at the following link: Marinara Sauce.

I accidentally put two tablespoons instead of teaspoons of honey in it. I guessed the amounts of the spices and added ground red pepper (to make it extra spicy).

I loved it and even ate some by itself. MUHAHA

Anyway, I had another salad for dinner, just as my lunch but with a different salad dressing. The recipe is found on the website for the reboot, but here it is:
Ginger Honey Soy Dressing
2 Tbsp. Minced Fresh Ginger
2 Tbsp. Minced Fresh Garlic
2 Tbsp. Raw Honey
4 Tbsp. Nama Shoyu or Tamari
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Puree the first four ingredients in a blender. With the blender running, slowly add the oil until the dressing is emulsified.

I didn’t really like the dressing as I thought I might, but it did give the salad a nice kick.

I had about a cup of watermelon to follow the meal.

I’m feeling great except for a slight headache. More to come tomorrow.

Day One: Reboot Standard Diet

Okay, I’m on day one of my reboot standard diet.

The reasons I’m doing this are many. Of course there are obvious reasons, I want to lose fat and “look good”. I want to _be_ healthier. I want to think clearer (not that I am concerned that my thinking is bad). I want to honor my God by having a healthy body.

I haven’t eaten a regularly poor diet in years, but the times I binge and the natural desire to “maintain” my weight have not helped me lose the weight. I’m hoping that through re-training my desires and taste buds to expect and desire natural foods primarily will enable me more easily to eat a lower-calorie, high-nutrient value diet each day.

So, what have I eaten so far?

Before I ate breakfast, I drank two cups of water.

For breakfast I made a fruit smoothie.
Frozen peach – (one-half)
Frozen banana – (1)
Frozen strawberries – (1 cup)
Frozen mango – (one-half cup)
Honey – (1 T)
Water – (2 c)

That filled me up and tasted really good (not too sweet). I had enough to fill my cup three times, so it felt like an overabundance which was nice.

For mid-morning I juiced some veggies.
Granny Smith apple (large)
Lemon
Carrots (2)
Celery stalks (3)
Kale (3 leaves)
Cucumber (one-half large)
Radishes (3)
Romaine lettuce (6 leaves) – I’m afraid of spinach due to oxalates, and will refrain from it for now.

For lunch I had a salad with red leaf lettuce, romaine, chopped cucumber, chopped carrots, chopped celery and chopped radish. I made a dressing of apple cider vinegar (1 T), olive oil (5 T), honey (1/2 T), minced garlic (1 clove) and some garlic pepper seasoning on the top of the salad.

I had a little trouble getting it all down -- had a large bowl full of lettuce, but I ended up enjoying it. The dressing was a little low on flavor, but I'm finding right now that I am thoroughly enjoying the aftertaste of the whole salad. It's a rather peppery, fresh taste with the fullness of the oil combined with the sweetness of the honey. Very fulfilling.


I’ll blog later tonight after dinner with more info.


I’m drinking an herbal tea now – Aztec Sweet Chili by Yogi Tea. I talk about it elsewhere on the blog. It’s my favorite.

I had a headache last night (still was eating grains and nuts yesterday), but so far, I'm feeling fine today.

Reboot Preparation - Juicing and All Natural Eating

Well, it has been quite a while since I posted. I've had a hard time keeping on my caloric watch due to the idea of limiting oxalates. I couldn't afford to eat good food and maintain a low oxalate diet, so it has been a real nightmare for me trying to lose weight.

My wife and I recently watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead via Netflix. We were so inspired, we thought it would be a great thing for me to try the Reboot.

An issue that might occur is a problem with oxalates, but I have decided not to worry about them. If I am eating healthy, raw food and if I consume at least three liters of water a day I am pretty sure that the kidney stones will stay away. They have been now for several months, and I've cheated some with the occasional soda and chocolate. I am pretty sure I'll be fine. If not, it'll just hurt a lot. :)

I start the actual Reboot next week -- Monday.

Right now, I am preparing by limiting my intake of certain foods. I am having no red meat or pork now until the Reboot is over. I gave up dairy yesterday. I'll give up poultry and fish tomorrow. I'm going to give up grains, beans, seeds and nuts on Sunday.

I'm starting the Reboot Standard Program. Check out the link if you want to see more.

Oxalates

So, apparently my kidney stones are caused by too many oxalates in my system that bond with calcium and form monster spike balls of pure evil within my tender kidneys. These nasty foes of sanity and comfort like to torment their bearer with incredible pain.

I did some research and found that foods high in oxalates should be avoided by all means. If you don't know exactly what foods are high in oxalates you're not alone -- but chances are, you're eating them.

What do I mean? Okay, here we go... some foods high in oxalates.

Whole wheat -- man! I really love my whole wheat breads, cereals, etc.

Blueberries... For a couple of months I was living on blueberry smoothies for breakfast. Every diet guru proclaims the benefits of eating blueberries. Alas and alack, they be high in oxalates as well.

Big strike number three goes to one of my absolute favorites: chocolate. Now, I was not pigging out on it, but it was nice to have a chocolate protein shake at night, or the occasional mini candy bar (often dark chocolate -- 45 calories) to handle a craving and be a treat.

And in my new year's diet, we made a special effort to eat more fresh vegetables, like sweet potatoes, baked potatoes and fresh spinach.

Guess what.

Yep.

They're all high in oxalates.

Okay, well, my absolute favorite snack is a handful of nuts. We've got peanuts, almonds and my favorite nut -- pistachios. I had heard that pistachios are supposed to be really good for your heart -- so I was trying to eat about an ounce at night a few times per week to help curb hunger, etc.

Yes, it's true... Nuts are high in oxalates too!

ARGH!

I cannot tell you how frustrated and demoralizing it has been to find out that all the "good" and "right" foods I'm "supposed" to be eating are foods that I should not eat because they will make kidney stones!

I was and continue to be pretty frustrated.

Then my wife pointed me to some research she found online that believes that calcium citrate supplements can actually help with oxalate absorption by bonding with whatever oxalates come into the body, thereby not causing stones. I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I've decided to give it a try. (My wife is truly an angel.)

So, I'm still assiduously watching what I eat for oxalates, but if I feel the need to indulge in a few pistachios or some whole wheat bread, I make sure to take a supplement at the same time (right before, during or immediately after the meal).

If you think you might need some calcium citrate, check out the prices on Amazon -- here's a sample of one:

Source Naturals Calcium Citrate, 1000mg, 180 Tablets (Pack of 2)

Thoughts and Tea

So, I'm still struggling with this whole thing.

See, I hit a wall, and that really stinks. Very demoralizing. I've always thought that in order to lose weight and get really fit, I'd have to take a life vacation and just commit to it completely -- 24/7 for a couple of months or longer, with no interruptions from life, family, etc.

But I can't commit to that -- and I think it would be wrong. I'm not morbidly obese, just obese. I need to lose the weight and want to... it is just requiring much patience and "constant vigilance!"

One of the things that seems to be helping with the whole struggle is herbal tea. Specifically Yogi Aztec (or Mexican) Sweet Chili Tea. I absolutely love it. I enjoy spicy foods, and this tea has a nice little kick, while also maintaining a sweetness. Yum!

I suggest you give it a try.

It's not the "salvation" of my diet, but it is a nice refresher when I'm cold (during these winter months) or when I just need a boost. Also, the spiciness is supposed to help rev up my metabolism.

Next time we will delve into the topic of oxalates and my kidneys.

The Real Struggle

Yes, weight is the symptom, but the real struggle is not the tonnage or even the food.

It is self-control.

Can I follow through with my decision to only eat a certain amount of calories per day?

Am I able to force myself to work out each day -- or at least five times a week?

Can I drink at least nine cups of water a day (preferably 12)?

It has been very hard the last week and a half to only eat 1400 calories a day. I think it has to do with what's available, and the fact that I'm a night owl. I get very hungry at night and want to snack.

I like having something to chew in my mouth. I enjoy the tastes of food.

Self Control.

I have had my biggest struggle with this little bugaboo for years in various areas of my life. For a brief while I had good control over myself, but years ago, I became proud and used my self control to define my relationship with God. When I finally realized that, it caused some brokenness and heartache, because my eyes opened to the fact I had hurt friends and even myself by my rigid thinking. My lack of real compassion made me stumble from my self-righteous perch.

I don't think I consciously used that realization as a crutch or excuse to stop being disciplined, but it happened. I am only just now getting to a place where I not only recognize this -- I've known for a few years -- but I'm getting to that point where I'm stronger and able to operate with more self-control, by the grace of God.

Still.... I am finding it so hard to limit my caloric intake after dinner.

What shall I do? Perhaps more raw vegetables (celery, etc) as a snack or with dinner.

Maybe I should drink more water after dinner.

We'll see.

Later.

So, if you think about it and are so inclined, pray that I will have more self-control and endure the "hunger". Thanks. :)