Sticking with it

I actually gained a lb yesterday. Surprising, since i am now getting active and drinking nothing but juice and smoothies. Just gonna stay the course for now.

Day 3 of juice fast

I am doing ok with it. I am having to gnaw on something here or there - and i am choosing grapes if I have to. I figure they're mostly juice.

No weight loss yesterday, but it could have been time of day/current water intake related. I am not too worried.

I am having some serious food dreams! I mean super serious. last night in my dream I ate a whole bag of snack sized snickers bars. mmmmmm.

Today I had a homemade juice for breakfast - two grapefruit and an apple. For lunch I had a 32 oz Bolthouse Farms smoothie/juice. Not as many nutrients, but no artificial stuff and no added sugar. Lots of calories though - 560 but if you think that I had a juice for breakfast that was MAYBE 300 calories, and then have a homemade smoothie or juice tonight that might equal the bolthouse farms, we're talking 1420 calories for the day. That should contribute to some weight loss, seeing as how I was consuming probably 4-6000 a day before.

I have also added moderate exercise, which is a change to my previous strategies for losing weight. Before I would go whole hog into some kind of rigorous physical fitness program, and it would be too much and I'd give out from exhaustion. I am walking the dog for 30 mins in the morning now, and doing some light stretching and movement exercises in the evening. Neither wears me out, and actually makes me feel more alert and focused through the day.

Another thing - vegetable juices have a tendency to be really bitter and well, taste like dirt if you don't supplement with some sweet fruits like oranges or apples or grapes.

Life in my forties, and juicing/smoothies

I turned 40 on Saturday. I knew there was no way I would start as juice fast when there was cake, and my sister's amazing cooking. So I tried to be as "good" as possible - only having one serving of everything. Then, yesterday, I started my juice/smoothie fast.

I did some reading, and it looked to me from reading blogs from several nutritionists, I decided a strict juice only diet would not be best for me, as I am a "protein" metabolic type. I have always had a lot of success with higher protein diets - and I really better with some protein in me. So, I went and found some gluten free protein powder and put it in a smoothie of frozen fruits and fresh juice for one meal, and juiced the rest of the day. And, a day later I am down 4 lbs. I am really hungry, but juicing is fun. Yesterday I made a juice of broccoli, kale, celery, tomotoes, garlic, spring onions, and ginger. it tasted like dirt, but was pretty filling. I am taking the crazy dog on a walk in the morning as my daily exercise to start.

Here's to another day!

It's here!

The juicer is here finally! Well it just seemed like it took forever. It was right on time according to Amazon Super Saver.

I decided I am not going to start completely fasting yet, as my family is coming for my 40th birthday, and they are bringing food. I can't tick everyone off by not eating the food they bring - I'll jus thave to eat in moderation. Maybe if I replace1-2 meals with juice it will be a nice ease into the fast.
The first juice I made was pretty good - I made it with kale and apples and carrots and ginger. It wasn't too bad - just a little earthy. I drank half of it for dinner last night and tried to drink the rest this morning but the ginger had overpowered it and I had to toss it. I made instead a carrot apple juice which was super sweet and tasty. The problem is it didn't fill me like the one with kale and ginger and now I am starving.

My friend is taking me out for my birthday so I will eat lunch today, and replace dinner with another juice. UGH! It's very hard.

Life at 289 lbs

Sucks!

I have almost no energy for physical activity. I coach my son's soccer team which is lots of fun! But, without my son assistant-coaching there would be n0 way I could do all the running needed alone.

The juice fast is another desperate attempt to lose the weight I have not been able to lose - and usually I have only been successful in the opposite. When I did the triathlon 2 years ago I was 250 lbs and pretty darn fat. 40 lbs more than that 2 years later, and I am REALLY fat. This sucks.

Fat, Sick and nearly dead

I finally watched the movie this morning and WOW! I was blown away I am happy not to be as fat as anyone in the movie...yet, but it was certainly a wake up call of the way my life is going at the moment.
The level of success achieved was amazing and surprising. If I could get half the results they both got, I'll be happy!

Juicer...another fail? or the win I need?

My wife and I have been discussing this for a while, because, well, I tend to buy things that end up just sitting around.

I have been hearing the buzz around the movie Fat Sick and Nearly Dead and it prompted me to want to use our amazon points on a juicer. Even though she's skeptical, maybe even cynical, my wife said I could get it for my 40th birthday present. So I ordered it and am literally giddy with excitement. This is probably the most excited I have been about a gadget since I got my macbook pro 4 years ago.

So, now I watch and wait at the mailbox. It should be here any day. Costco here I come! It's time to get carrots, kale, lettuce, ginger, all the fun ingredients to make awesome tasty juices that will be good for me.

More failures

I weighed in at 287 today. That's the biggest ever. 5 weeks from 40. This is not going well! The sad thing is I have been eating mostly carrots and cucumbers and things like that. And I am still gaining. It's like my metabolism has just stopped working.

Exercise with the new job and all the kids' activities is pretty much impossible, unless I cut out sleep. So, I need a different job, or to figure out a way to live on less sleep.

Bleh. failures.

I am still getting used to this new job and although I know it's not a proper excuse, it's not helping for sure. A wife, 4 kids, and a job that's a long way away isn't a good way to keep up a fitness plan.

For some reason I am needing a lot more sleep lately. Like, a couple hours' more, which isn't good. I am getting up lately at 7, where previously I would get up at 5. That really cuts out my mornings, as I have to be ready to be picked up by the carpool at 7 45.

I get home at 5 30. And my wife is not the food preparer in the family. So when I get home I have to cook. scratch freedom till about 7 pm

I put the youngest to bed at 8. So, I have about an hour to myself, and I haven't been able to rationalize that hour to being fitness time yet. How do people do that? I need to figure it out.

Oh also - this is short term but will be replaced with other things - swim and dive meets. they take all night tuesdays and thursdays. They will be replaced by my daughter's ballet in the fall, to the tune of 4 days a week.we do not have to stay for those, though.

I need advice! Anyone reading this - maybe it's stupidly simple and I am just missing it.

No gym again?

Grrr. I really need to g et my new job schedule working in synch with a workout schedule.

Last night I had to worry about getting our daughter to and from Ballet. So by the time I got home, I had to get my son to bed and crashed because I had to get up early for work. The kids have a dive meet today at 4 and I wanted to see it. maybe tonight I can sneak out.

Sigh. 280. Again

Balloon time. I have been struggling with sleep apnea, which I have always had but just gotten the official diagnosis and cpap machine. I am having a lot of trouble getting used to it, and even with a new mask (the first gave me massive headaches and panic attacks in the middle of the night) I am not sleeping through the night, even though the dr says my shortened sleep is "more restful" (maybe for my family that doesn't hear me snore for that time), but I am as tired or even more tired than ever. That makes getting up to work out very hard.

However, my new company pays for any race I enter. So, for my 40th birthday, I am going to do the triathlon I did two years ago, as long as I can get enough training in for it. I have 2.5 months to get in at least shape enough to finish. I don't care about competing.

My wife is encouraging me to replace my ratty t shirts by entering every 5 k race I can do, to get the "free t shirts", as my company is paying. I think that's a great idea!

However, I am back at 280, and the 30 extra lbs since the last triathlon are weighing heavy on me. I need to get to the gym. Tonight, I should just make myself swim laps or run the treadmill. The weather here is high 90's low 100's with heavy humidity so outside activity is just not possible.