Friday, July 27, 2012
2nd Juice fast
I'm down to a 55" abdomen following a 5 backpacking trip to Mammoth Lakes, California. It was quite arduous but I made it. It also has taken a couple days to recover. I've overeaten a little since coming back but will be attempting a 2-day juice fast again. The necessary items are in the fridge, and I just have a yogurt and some granola to eat for dinner and that'll be my last solid food for a couple days.
Day 2
Woke up thinking about food. Going to make a very light green tea to reduce caffeine intake. Can feel movement and gurgling in my intestines.
By 11 AM, I found myself looking forward to having one of the juices that I made earlier in the day. Hopefully this means that my fatguy personality is beginning to accept that its not going to get cheeseburger or taco anytime soon. And now its looking forward to anything with more flavor than lemon water.
Wasted about an hour of my afternoon on youtube videos, looking up random things on the internet and checking for facebook updates. As I did these things my desire to quit the fast increased. I find myself thinking, "your an adult you can do want you want." And "who made up these rules anyway, you did, so you can break them and since no one else knows about this fast no one will know that you quit." Which means I 1) should tell some that might care. 2) finish my blog articles and publish them. And 3) get off my ass and stop succumbing to my vices. Clearly, the sedentary lifestyle beckons me to consume food.
I also think that I'm lead to satisfy one vice (surfing the net) it opens the door to my entertaining other vices (eating and more surfing). But when I'm accomplishing goals it motivates me to accomplish more goals.
By later afternoon there much more gurgling and movement in my gut. Also, I started having a short mild headaches which go away after a couple minutes. Probably need to drink more water I think. Although I am consuming ~1 gallon of water per day.
By the end of the evening I was having more frequent headaches and started to feel very light headed. I decided to stop after two days. The thing about is that I don't feel like a looser for doing so. I feel good that I was able to go for two days. Furthermore on my way back to the apartment I didn't feel like going to some fast food place either. So its sort of like I have 2 half-wins. I was good with eating a sensible meal without over indulging. Which gives me pause to think that maybe this is a good pattern to follow, perhaps I should juice for two days each week.
By 11 AM, I found myself looking forward to having one of the juices that I made earlier in the day. Hopefully this means that my fatguy personality is beginning to accept that its not going to get cheeseburger or taco anytime soon. And now its looking forward to anything with more flavor than lemon water.
Wasted about an hour of my afternoon on youtube videos, looking up random things on the internet and checking for facebook updates. As I did these things my desire to quit the fast increased. I find myself thinking, "your an adult you can do want you want." And "who made up these rules anyway, you did, so you can break them and since no one else knows about this fast no one will know that you quit." Which means I 1) should tell some that might care. 2) finish my blog articles and publish them. And 3) get off my ass and stop succumbing to my vices. Clearly, the sedentary lifestyle beckons me to consume food.
I also think that I'm lead to satisfy one vice (surfing the net) it opens the door to my entertaining other vices (eating and more surfing). But when I'm accomplishing goals it motivates me to accomplish more goals.
By later afternoon there much more gurgling and movement in my gut. Also, I started having a short mild headaches which go away after a couple minutes. Probably need to drink more water I think. Although I am consuming ~1 gallon of water per day.
By the end of the evening I was having more frequent headaches and started to feel very light headed. I decided to stop after two days. The thing about is that I don't feel like a looser for doing so. I feel good that I was able to go for two days. Furthermore on my way back to the apartment I didn't feel like going to some fast food place either. So its sort of like I have 2 half-wins. I was good with eating a sensible meal without over indulging. Which gives me pause to think that maybe this is a good pattern to follow, perhaps I should juice for two days each week.
End of 1st day juice fasting
Abdomen 56.25"
Activity level: 13,469 steps walking
Didn't finish my green tea which I started this morning as a replacement for a regular cup of black coffee. Had a sip in late afternoon and noticed that my heart rate increased way more than normal for the simple walk that I was on.
Also my desire for food is increased throughout the day. My, "Hulk, smash!" mantra helps. Also, I've been able to occupy my time, either with a walk, some busy work or some music to keep my mind focused on things. I also discovered that songs I had defined as inspirational seem to have increased in their power to keep me inspired.
I am also becoming more aware of the moments and triggers which cause me to want to eat. For instance after walking for 10 minutes, I sat down and immediately started thinking about what I would do after work, which included watching an episode of Star Trek while eating. I had to remind myself that I had started a juice fast and that this meal would have to wait until Tuesday.
This thought brings me to another trigger. As I was thinking through my plans for Tuesday which includes deciding which solid meals to eat I immediately started to think about celebrating with a burrito. "NOOOO!" I said outloud to no one. Having experienced a high level of health in the past, I had to remind myself that I know a salad with some light dressing will actually taste pretty damn good. So, to make it more like an epic win celebration, perhaps I'll pay someone to make it for me.
Got back to my apartment and immediately started prepping for my day's success with a juice made from cantaloupe and strawberries, which was delicious. I should eat these fruits this way all the time.
Now that I'm sitting down after juicing and cleaning up, I am feeling a little light headed. Probably should have had a third regular juice during the day. It is a somewhat difficult weekend to do this because I'm monitoring endangered birds on a wildlife refuge for 12 hours a day, so I have to bring my juice with me, when I should be drinking them immediately after making them. The upside is that there are no fast food restaurants or kitchens for that matter, on the wildlife refuge either. Tomorrow I'll make appropriate amounts of juice and bring 2 of them with me to work. Giving me 4 for the day.
Activity level: 13,469 steps walking
Didn't finish my green tea which I started this morning as a replacement for a regular cup of black coffee. Had a sip in late afternoon and noticed that my heart rate increased way more than normal for the simple walk that I was on.
Also my desire for food is increased throughout the day. My, "Hulk, smash!" mantra helps. Also, I've been able to occupy my time, either with a walk, some busy work or some music to keep my mind focused on things. I also discovered that songs I had defined as inspirational seem to have increased in their power to keep me inspired.
I am also becoming more aware of the moments and triggers which cause me to want to eat. For instance after walking for 10 minutes, I sat down and immediately started thinking about what I would do after work, which included watching an episode of Star Trek while eating. I had to remind myself that I had started a juice fast and that this meal would have to wait until Tuesday.
This thought brings me to another trigger. As I was thinking through my plans for Tuesday which includes deciding which solid meals to eat I immediately started to think about celebrating with a burrito. "NOOOO!" I said outloud to no one. Having experienced a high level of health in the past, I had to remind myself that I know a salad with some light dressing will actually taste pretty damn good. So, to make it more like an epic win celebration, perhaps I'll pay someone to make it for me.
Got back to my apartment and immediately started prepping for my day's success with a juice made from cantaloupe and strawberries, which was delicious. I should eat these fruits this way all the time.
Now that I'm sitting down after juicing and cleaning up, I am feeling a little light headed. Probably should have had a third regular juice during the day. It is a somewhat difficult weekend to do this because I'm monitoring endangered birds on a wildlife refuge for 12 hours a day, so I have to bring my juice with me, when I should be drinking them immediately after making them. The upside is that there are no fast food restaurants or kitchens for that matter, on the wildlife refuge either. Tomorrow I'll make appropriate amounts of juice and bring 2 of them with me to work. Giving me 4 for the day.
Time to Hulk up
So, I'm halfway through the first day. I'm feeling fine. Stomach and intestines gurgle once in a while. Occasionally, the desire for food pops in my head, mild cravings so far include: Taco Bell and lasagna. I smash these thoughts and cravings as though I was the Incredible Hulk using his catch-phrase. A couple of times I've even said "smash" outloud. Midday time for the beet and cucumber juice. I dislike the taste of beets; its my number one least favorite food item and I don't have a number 2 least favorite food item. But, I accepted the beets into this fast because they are good for you.
Well. So, it here goes. Gross. The most positive thing I can say is that the color of the juice is pretty. Having added cucumber makes it taste less like a beet. But that flavor does dominate the drink still.
Well. So, it here goes. Gross. The most positive thing I can say is that the color of the juice is pretty. Having added cucumber makes it taste less like a beet. But that flavor does dominate the drink still.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Attempting a juice fast
Abdomen: 56.5"
Weight >320 lbs (my bathroom scales top out at 308.5, but was able to use a friend's scale last week and I was 321 pounds then and around 56")
Activity level: 14,200 steps today
I used to think that overeating differed from alcoholism and smoking addiction in that people with those habits could theoretically stop doing those things altogether and not die. Whereas one simply can not just stop eating. When it comes to my addictions, I only seem to only have an on/off switch, I don't seem to be able to just dial it down a bit. Recently, I saw a documentary about juice fasting, which seems like the closest I can come to stop eating without completely ruining my health or productivity.
So I did some research before deciding to make this a part of my life. There is a wealth of information available. Many others have put forth their lessons learned, cautions, and recipes.
Thursday, I picked up a juicer at Macy's, made by Breville, model JE98XL. It was the last one and since some of the components came from the display unit, I requested and received a 10% discount.
Friday, I purchased the items I needed to do a 3 day juice fast. It only cost $60, which is better than I expected. $20/day isn't too bad since in the past I've spent as much $750/month. Some of the recipes I found produced way too much juice while others produced very little so I made note of how many ounces I ended up with and adjusted the amount of ingredients since my machine may be more or less effective that then machine used by others.
While in the grocery store acquiring my items, I started to feel a little emotional about doing this juice fast. I thought the random emotions and depression happened on the 2nd or 3rd day into it. Apparently, I'm feeling something already. These feelings remind me of the range of emotions Beatrix Kiddo was having at the end of Kill Bill II. Are those laugh/cries of joy & sadness mixed together? I guess what I'm feeling is that this fast represents my failure to control what I eat and keep from becoming obese. Also, I feel some sense of elation over what I hope, I will accomplish through this diet reboot.
We shall see.
Weight >320 lbs (my bathroom scales top out at 308.5, but was able to use a friend's scale last week and I was 321 pounds then and around 56")
Activity level: 14,200 steps today
I used to think that overeating differed from alcoholism and smoking addiction in that people with those habits could theoretically stop doing those things altogether and not die. Whereas one simply can not just stop eating. When it comes to my addictions, I only seem to only have an on/off switch, I don't seem to be able to just dial it down a bit. Recently, I saw a documentary about juice fasting, which seems like the closest I can come to stop eating without completely ruining my health or productivity.
So I did some research before deciding to make this a part of my life. There is a wealth of information available. Many others have put forth their lessons learned, cautions, and recipes.
Thursday, I picked up a juicer at Macy's, made by Breville, model JE98XL. It was the last one and since some of the components came from the display unit, I requested and received a 10% discount.
Friday, I purchased the items I needed to do a 3 day juice fast. It only cost $60, which is better than I expected. $20/day isn't too bad since in the past I've spent as much $750/month. Some of the recipes I found produced way too much juice while others produced very little so I made note of how many ounces I ended up with and adjusted the amount of ingredients since my machine may be more or less effective that then machine used by others.
While in the grocery store acquiring my items, I started to feel a little emotional about doing this juice fast. I thought the random emotions and depression happened on the 2nd or 3rd day into it. Apparently, I'm feeling something already. These feelings remind me of the range of emotions Beatrix Kiddo was having at the end of Kill Bill II. Are those laugh/cries of joy & sadness mixed together? I guess what I'm feeling is that this fast represents my failure to control what I eat and keep from becoming obese. Also, I feel some sense of elation over what I hope, I will accomplish through this diet reboot.
We shall see.
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