SteveAx
Day 27 and I have stayed to my diet and have lost 25.2 pounds… that puts me just over the green line on my chart… The loss has slowed so I updated weight in myfitnesspal which lowered my calorie limit to 2440 per day…
I struggled over the weekend… The urge to cheat was strong… we went to Palermo’s for dinner… Italian food.. I was having difficulty calculating calories… so I went safe…half grilled chicken sandwich…
When it arrived it just didn’t look good at all.. I took the top bun off and the tomato slivers were mealy… the lettuce was chopped into little 1″ pieces like for a salad.. there was no provolone on it as the menu said but the worst part was the ‘grilled’ chicken… it was either microwaved or boiled… they was no way that chicken had even come close to a grill… it was pure white… no color at all on the outside… so I removed the tomatoes and lettuce and took a bite… it was horrible.. not only was the chicken not grilled it had been doused with a LOT of garlic powder… nothing but that taste in my mouth… so I took a second bit just to verify how bad it was and it was the same as the first bite… I decided it wasn’t worth the calories to eat it.. so I didn’t.
We cooked the rest of the weekend… Cece made her fried rice… since she was cooking I could estimate the calories for each ingredient and came up with what I believe is a pretty accurate calorie count for it… we kept 1 boneless chicken breast so I could marinate and fry it… it came out really good… I cooked some beansprouts, onions and bell pepper and had that on the side.. eating the veggies and chicken made it easier to eat only the portion of rice (1 cup)… really good dinner…
Sunday I made pork spareribs… they came out really good… Cece cooked fries… I portioned out the ribs, sauce and fries and counted everything… another good dinner…
I did snack at times but stayed with healthy choices… cantaloupe, Pickles… I made it through to another week..
Goals for the week ahead:
- Walk
- Stay on track with calories
- Drink more water
- Keep a good mind set/attitude
- Be more active in general
Click for larger view
So far so good… I have stayed under my calorie goal everyday except one and that day I was only over less than 50 calories… I am staying right below that green one-pound-a-day line… 22.4 pounds in 22 days…
I notice a change already… I am more comfortable.. the bowel issues I have been having for a long time have gotten better… I see less of a massive belly (believe me, the belly is still huge, but not as massive).. stairs at work are a little easier… I am trying to remember what it was to be of a healthy weight… But it seems so long ago I don’t have a good grasp of it..
Sticking to the diet has been okay… I was able to at things I wanted to sometimes.. I had fish and chips at Red Robin for dinner one night… I had a Santa Fe Chicken sandwich at Carl’s Jr.. I had a hot dog, corn on the cob, macaroni salad and a small piece of peach cheese cake at a BBQ.. If I am looking at my daily calorie limit and contemplating going over it I think about not going backward on my weight loss journey and that keeps me in line 😉
Okay, so here is the secret.. on 8/12/14 I started dieting.. just counting calorie and using myfitnesspal app.. simple enough.. my caloric goal is 2530 calories per day… I have been at or under each day so far.. I have been calculating everything I eat…
When I want to cheat I think about a video from a guy on Facebook.. His ‘name’ is LessOfLes in 2010 he weight 511 pounds… he now weighs 185 pounds.. lost 326 pounds.. in the video he talked about cheating.. and used an analogy that if you were driving from New York to Los Angeles you wouldn’t go all the way from California and turn and go back to Colorado.. then turn around and continue to Los Angeles.. why go back and the travel through the same stuff you did before? So my focus is why would I want to travel back up in weight and then have to lose it back again.. why not focus on the destination instead and not take detours..
I have gained and lost probably well over 1000 pounds in my life so far… up and down and up.. it’s really crazy.. Using this motivation along with wanting to show my wife and my kids that large amounts of weight can be lost and that they can do it too.. I have not really changed what I eat at all.. I have changed portion sizes and have stopped eating when that portion is gone.. I have had fast foo.. deserts, snacks.. I just am honest when calculating the calories and keeping the total daily calories under my goal..
So up until now only my wife and kids have known about this diet… I didn’t make it known mainly because I was afraid of telling everyone and failing again… but so far so good.. I started on 8/12/14 at 416.0 pounds.. Today I weigh 396.4… that’s 19.6 pounds in 17 days… I have a chart that I used back in 1982 when I lost 73 pounds in a year.. basically I chart my weight daily.. there are 3 target lines on the chart that all start on day 1 at my starting weight.. there is a green one that represents 1 pound per day lost.. a yellow one represents 1 pound lost every 2 days… and a red one that represents 1 pound lost every 3 days.. the goal of course is to stay at or below the green line.. in ’82 I wasn’t dieting smartly and if I ever got over the red line I would fast until I got below the yellow line.. in the first 30 days I fasted for a 9 day stretch to get below the yellow line.. water only fast… I got so weak and felt horrible… but I lost 31 pounds the first 30 days… I won’t fast like that again, but I will use the lines to refocus if I start to get close to yellow and red lines.. right now I am slightly under the green line 😉
So my plan is this… keep being focused and don’t go over the goal calories… At some point I plan to start juicing again for at least breakfast and see how that goes..
P.S. This diet was so stealth I forgot to post this on 8/29 when I wrote it..
Wednesday 1/22/14….
Been having severe sweet tooth issues… but have been trying to be mindful of portion sizes on my meals.. have been avoiding fast food… I am still only exercising once a week (walk with daughter Toria) and have stared my water drinking method today so hopefully that will help also. Weight loss chart below… staying just under the yellow line so far… contemplating doing a 1 meal juice replacement but trying to get the mindset for it.
Below are my accomplishments from my last update (1/8/14) and how I have been doing on them…
- No fast food (had Carl’s Jr. breakfast the morning Cece and I went to Disneyland… no other fast food)
- Less diet soda (sticking with this… drinkking some fruit juice and more water)
- Limited regular soda (been sticking to this one too)
- Smaller portions at meals (Hit and miss.. in general I would say smaller portions, but not always)
- Walking once a week… just under 1 mile (walked on Wednesdays with Toria… didn’t want to last week but I did)
- Trying to eat fruit everyday (not really following this. Will try harder now)
- Just being more aware of my food intake (I am doing okay with this)
Adding:
- Drink more water everyday.
So it has been 11 days since my last post and I weight 406.8 (click on chart below to see progress).. That is 8.2 pounds lost in 11 days… and 16.8 pounds down since my all time high.
Let me explain the chart above a little… I created this in Google Drive and it replicates the chart I used when I was 17 and lost 74 pounds in a year… that time I had a paper chart that had a red line representing 1 pound every 3 days, a yellow line for 1 pound every 2 days and a green line representing 1 pound a day… I started off that time by only eating a dry turkey sandwich on wheat a banana and a yoplait yougurt every day… if I got above the red line I would fast until I was at the yellow line… not the best way to diet and I don’t think I could do that again if I wanted to.. I also exercised everyday.. no matter what I ran (started out as a brisk walk and progressed in to a jog then a run as I lost weight) I jumped rope, lifted weights and tried to do a pull up… one day I finally was able to do pull ups.. it stated with me at 273 pounds and ended with me at 198 pounds.
As you can see I am between the yellow and green lines… what have I done so far:
- No fast food
- Less diet soda
- Limited regular soda
- Smaller portions at meals
- Walking once a week (just under 1 mile)
- Trying to eat fruit everyday
- Just being more aware of my food intake
So far so good… these next 7-10 days I will continue with the above and also go back to my water trick to start upping my water intake (read about it here) and I will continue to watch what I eat… I will reduce the number of sodas I have and will start getting ready for my next step.. juicing one meal a day which I plan to start 1/22/14
Happy New Year! Okay.. first some history… This is my weight loss chart since 7/3/08 (when I was at 366.6 pounds) to today 1/6/14 (on which I weigh 415.3 pounds)..
So I gained 48.7 pounds in 5 and a half years… Continue reading
I did well yesterday with Juice only all day… then I learned something that I have really known for a long time.. I am a huge stress eater… Had an issue pop-up and my stress level went sky-high really quick.. and then I started craving certain things… mashed potatoes and gravy was the main thing and it was so severe it was as strong as a cigarette craving when I was quitting.
I ended up going to the store and getting instant potatoes, jars of gravy and instant stuffing (which was a craving while I was in the store)… I also got the fruits/veggies I will need for the next couple of days…
So for dinner it was a food frenzy… I had Chili w/beans and pasta shells, Mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing and gravy and fried shrimp spring rolls (which I also bought at the store)… then ice cream for dessert… it was not a good night at all.
It was really evident to me about how the stress triggered the cravings and the only thing I could do was eat.. that made me feel better while at the same time made me feel worse because I knew I shouldn’t be eating like that.
Today I’m back on the horse… juiced this morning about 1 1/2 liters of the green juice… drank about half for breakfast and will be having the other half for lunch… just more for dinner.
I need to be able to catch the triggers like I did last night, but more importantly I need to be able to replace the cravings with something.. or at least be able to just ignore them.
I am going to research that and see what tricks I can find that may help.
Since my last post I have been juicing only very rarely and have had no motivation to move forward with juicing like I did before…One of my Facebook friends, Paul (by the way, check out his band Krooked Treez, has been juice fasting for 7 days (following a 17 day vegan diet)… This has inspired me to try again. I know there is a difference in my general feeling of my health when I juice… but I have never done the total fast… the closest I was to that was replacing breakfast and lunch and then having whatever I wanted for dinner.. usually something very unhealthy… so, here I am… trying again.I made the recipe that Paul gave my wife and it is the right ratio of veggies to fruit and a lot of leafy greens… and it’s not bad…I am going to do this today for at least 2 meals… then tomorrow I will be starting the Juice fast.. water and juice… I plan to watch Fat, Sick and Nealy Dead again tonight to get motivated.. maybe the original Rocky also 
Doubt Netflix has my favorite inspirational movie.. Vision Quest.So wish me luck and cheer me on. I would love to have comments on my posts on this blog so I at least know someone is reading.
Source Article from http://worthyjuicing.com/juicing/inspired-again-juice-fast/
Let me give you the pros and cons I have found so far in juicing.. Cons first…CONS:
- It takes a LOT of time
- It doesn’t taste great
- Frequent shopping
- Bad breath
- Cravings
- Sticking with it
PROS:
- Definite increase in energy
- (possible) Reduction in blood pressure
- Feeling healthier
- Weight loss
Now let me address these individually:
CON: It takes a LOT of time
At first, it didn’t seem like it was a chore or that it took a lot of time.. but after a couple of weeks it gets really old.. I am having trouble right now getting up early enough to juice my breakfast and lunch.
CON: It doesn’t taste great
I kind of expected this… but then you hear how great some of these taste.. and if you watched Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead the majority of people he gave juice to said it was good… well I am telling you.. if you make a juice that is 20% fruit and 80% vegetable and include mostly dark green leafy vegetables it does not taste good at all. If you add more fruit and cut back on the greens it is much better tasting, but kind of defeats the purpose of juicing.
CON: Frequent shopping
This goes with the taking a lot of time. You have to buy fresh veggies and fruit every couple of days.
CON: Bad breath
This is suppose to be a sign of toxins leaving your body.. I don’t know about that but I do know that I have sugar free gum handy all the time now.
CON: Cravings
Not as bad as I thought they would be but they are there… Fast food beckons my name as I drive, drinking my lunch. I think if I did a full juice fast that it would be much easier than replacing 2 meals and eating one… if I was committed to only juice then I think the cravings would be easier to deal with
CON: Sticking with it
This is a struggle. It is a struggle I deal with for every diet/life style change that I have tried.
And now the pros…
PRO: Definite increase in energy
At first I thought it was in my head… but I really believe that the increase in energy (and I mean a HUGE increase) is directly related to the juicing… I have been juicing for a few days and then slipping and eating junk and no juice for several days… when I juice, after a couple of days, I get a define boost to my energy level… when I have been eating junk (fast food, sweets, fried food, etc.) I fell sluggish, down, not passion… Since I have been off and on several times I can see the difference.
PRO: (possible) Reduction in blood pressure
My blood pressure (with medication) runs around 135/80 sometimes as high as 140/92… I went to my doctor while I was juicing and it was 130/62… SIXTY-TWO.. I was shocked by that… and I want to believe that it was accurate (same nurse that always takes it) and that it is attributed to the juicing.. Not fully convinced yet, so we shall see the next time I go.
PRO: Feeling healthier
Again, I was thinking this was in my head when I started.. but it goes along like the energy level.. juicing I feel healthier.
PRO: Weight loss
Replacing 2 meals with a healthy green juice does make me lose weight.. I lost 11 pounds the first week even with eating poorly for that one meal… my binging when I go off the plan puts that right back on.. but the juicing does cause weight loss for me.
So it is time again for me to get focused and think about all the pros that I personally have experienced. I need to just suck it up and do this like originally planned… I need to juice every day, 2 meals (Breakfast and Lunch seem to be the easiest ones for me) and not binge on the one meal…
If you are considering juicing here are some links to some Juicing resources that will help you get started.
Source Article from http://worthyjuicing.com/juicing/pros-and-cons/
After watching ‘Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead’ on Netflix at the urging of a friend, I decided to start juicing. I researched and asked questions… I started trying fresh juicing on Thursday, November 29, 2012… My goals I hope to achieve by juicing are:
- Weight Loss (11/29/12 starting weight: 386.0)
- Better Health (including reducing/eliminating current medications)
- Improve Fitness
- More Energy
- Inspire Others
I have tried MANY other methods and have been ‘trying’ most of my life. So the first week I started out with one meal replaced with juice… I found that breakfast was the easiest to replace… I started the first couple of days by jumping in and juicing mostly dark green leafy vegetables… with a small amount of citrus and fruit… This proved to be difficult as the drinks are really harsh in flavor… The second day I tried a ‘spicy’ juice by using Bell pepper, Jalapeno, garlic, tomatoes, celery and kale.. I had no idea of what amounts of each item to juice and I mistakenly juiced the whole jalapeno (seed and all)… that drink was super hot (and I like spicy things) and actually caused my mouth to feel burned for several days after. I also learned that if using Ginger, use small amounts.. a thumb sized piece is too much.. a pinkie finger TIP size is better.
After a few days I decided rather than give up I would ease myself into the ‘super healthy’ drinks so I began adding more fruit to the juices and focused on lighter greens (celery and romaine lettuce), adding smaller amounts of darker greens (Spinach and Kale) I also tried Beets… I have never liked beets but the juice is not bad.. I juiced the beet greens too.. the down side is of course they are very high in sugar and they are difficult to work with because of they stain everything… but the one day I used a whole beet the juice was pretty good… the other negative thing with beets… lets just say when you are in the bathroom you may think you are dying.. beets stain EVERYTHING 
Toward the end of the first week I started replacing breakfast and lunch with juice. That has been going okay and I am trying to add more greens and less fruit as well as keep trying different combinations. I have found that eventhough I do not like Grapefruit I like having it in the drinks because it kills a lot of the bitter greens flavor.. I guess kills isn’t the word.. I would rather have a horrible flavor that I know than a horrible flavor that I don’t know 
Officially I lost 10 pounds in week #1
Now on to week #2!