Forgive the borrowed line from Oliver. So we are on Day 4 of our quest to eat more on the healthy side. So far this week we have had...Sausage & Kale Rigatoni (Weight Watchers Recipe). OK, so admittedly pasta wasn't the healthiest choice. But Sunday, I think I would have eaten a cow...whole, with the skin and bones. So I was not being picky. Last night we had homemade Fettucini Alfredo (again, not exactly low fat) but it was made from scratch. Delicious!!! It had Chicken and Broccoli in it. Tonight we had a fabulous, made-from-scratch pizza. Instead of pizza sauce I used garlic butter. On top of that I layered spinach, tomato slices, yellow sweet peppers, onions, a little bit of feta and little bit of mozzarella all on a whole wheat crust homemade crust. WOW...It hit the spot but without that heavy, artery clogging feeling I get from Papa John's. And the best part, no acid reflux!! We also had a spinach salad with all kinds of healthy veggies in it.
I am still not quite at the feeling better moment, but I am hopeful that will come. We are also still juicing. I have grown accustomed to the flavors. It is amazing how different real juice tastes compared to processed juice. It is definitely different, that is an understatement. I think I am ready to branch out and start creating my own flavors mixing fruits and veggies. In all of this, I have come realize that cucumbers are not as bad as I thought and beets are better when they are peeled otherwise they taste like dirt.
I have been doing some reading on juices as well, I am learning all kinds of interesting facts. My body is toxin filled. It is amazing that after almost 35 years of not eating well I have gotten my body in the shape it is in. But I must also say that I am really enjoying experimenting with new foods and flavors. The pizza tonight was definitely an experiment but it was worth it as it turned out well.
So we plunge ahead, one day and one meal at a time.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Day 2 - Slight change in game plan
I can't do this for 10 days...This morning's juice was good. It was grapes, blackberries, apples, & ginger. It actually was not bad at all. The ginger was a little strong but other than that I would do it again.
Lauren and I both realized, we can't function doing this...she has to teach our children and I have to work and be able to think. We have been zombies for the last two days. So we have struck a compromise. We will continue to juice some but not all meals. The rest we will focus on eating whole foods (not processed) focusing mostly on fruits and vegetables as well as portion control. Our snacks will either be fresh juice or raw fruits and vegetables. We are going to eliminate junk from our grocery trip. We will do as the French do and shop the perimeter of the store rather than the middle. :) For those that haven't quite gotten what that means let me spell it out. The perimeter of the grocery store, while it does have some processed foods is predominately the whole foods; your produce, some dairy, meats, etc. Mind you it is not 100% fool proof but it is a way for us to try to eat healthier.
I am not completely swearing off juicing, just modifying it. So all the produce we purchased will not go to waste. I will say this...even with only two days juicing, my taste buds have been craving honest to goodness food not junk. So that is good.
Going to do one more juice today and then a sensible dinner...:) Praise GOD for food!!!
Lauren and I both realized, we can't function doing this...she has to teach our children and I have to work and be able to think. We have been zombies for the last two days. So we have struck a compromise. We will continue to juice some but not all meals. The rest we will focus on eating whole foods (not processed) focusing mostly on fruits and vegetables as well as portion control. Our snacks will either be fresh juice or raw fruits and vegetables. We are going to eliminate junk from our grocery trip. We will do as the French do and shop the perimeter of the store rather than the middle. :) For those that haven't quite gotten what that means let me spell it out. The perimeter of the grocery store, while it does have some processed foods is predominately the whole foods; your produce, some dairy, meats, etc. Mind you it is not 100% fool proof but it is a way for us to try to eat healthier.
I am not completely swearing off juicing, just modifying it. So all the produce we purchased will not go to waste. I will say this...even with only two days juicing, my taste buds have been craving honest to goodness food not junk. So that is good.
Going to do one more juice today and then a sensible dinner...:) Praise GOD for food!!!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Day 1 - I think I'm gonna be sick!!!
Day 1...are we done yet? The breakfast juice was actually not bad. 6 carrots and 6 apples (though after the fact we realized we were only supposed to do 4). It was sweet and fairly palatable. However, this makes a ton of juice and while the directions are not clear, I think we are to finish each meal. That meant that we had 3 tumblerfuls of this stuff. I feel like I'm gonna be sick!!!
The next juice "Mean green" was not particularly good. Lauren didn't mind it. I stopped with 1 and a half tumblerfuls. I couldn't gag anymore down. It consisted of cucumber, kale, apple, celery, lemon and ginger. Not my favorite, by any means!!
Third, this one takes the cake for today...I took one sip and thought I was going to vomit on the spot. I skipped that one. It was a Gazpacho Juice...that did me in. I couldn't handle that one. I don't like gazpacho anyway. The onion is what threw me over the edge. Who in their right mind would juice an onion?!? It was revolting.
So now we are on juice # 4 for the day. Lauren just dry heaved...not feeling good about this. What have we done??? I feel terrible. I know this is all part of the deal. The first three days are the toughest. I have a headache, I am tired, I want nothing more than a plain grilled chicken breast, no sauce, no butter, nothing...just pure MEAT!! I hope I can survive 10 days of this. The detox process is horrible. But, again, I did this to myself. Through my poor eating habits, I have loaded my body with toxins.
Honestly, though, I really want to quit, already. But we have invested a chunk of change in this (the produce). So I need to do this.
Lauren is experiencing fluish symptoms (which is part of the normal detox process). This is awful!! The smell alone of the juicing process is nauseating.
So bottoms up on the last juice of the day, we skipped one because we got a late start. I hope tomorrow is better. I don't know that I can survive another day like today.
The next juice "Mean green" was not particularly good. Lauren didn't mind it. I stopped with 1 and a half tumblerfuls. I couldn't gag anymore down. It consisted of cucumber, kale, apple, celery, lemon and ginger. Not my favorite, by any means!!
Third, this one takes the cake for today...I took one sip and thought I was going to vomit on the spot. I skipped that one. It was a Gazpacho Juice...that did me in. I couldn't handle that one. I don't like gazpacho anyway. The onion is what threw me over the edge. Who in their right mind would juice an onion?!? It was revolting.
So now we are on juice # 4 for the day. Lauren just dry heaved...not feeling good about this. What have we done??? I feel terrible. I know this is all part of the deal. The first three days are the toughest. I have a headache, I am tired, I want nothing more than a plain grilled chicken breast, no sauce, no butter, nothing...just pure MEAT!! I hope I can survive 10 days of this. The detox process is horrible. But, again, I did this to myself. Through my poor eating habits, I have loaded my body with toxins.
Honestly, though, I really want to quit, already. But we have invested a chunk of change in this (the produce). So I need to do this.
Lauren is experiencing fluish symptoms (which is part of the normal detox process). This is awful!! The smell alone of the juicing process is nauseating.
So bottoms up on the last juice of the day, we skipped one because we got a late start. I hope tomorrow is better. I don't know that I can survive another day like today.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Oh boy...here we go
It has been a while since our last post. We have had a lot going on. I will blog about that later. I blog tonight to announce a challenge my wife and I are going to embark on. Amidst the chaos that has become our life these days, we are going to try a juice cleanse.
If you haven't seen the movie "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" you need to. I won't give the plot away but in a nutshell it is a documentary about a man who, for health reasons, takes a 60 day juice fast challenge. Right now, I can't see past 10 days on something like this so that is where we are going to start. First, let me say, I am NOT looking forward to this. I am a total junk food junkie, however I am tired of being fatigued, having acid reflux, and overall feeling like garbage. I have 5 little ones that I want to see grow up, marry and have children. I have tried other diets to lose weight, which were all very effective except that I went back to old eating habits upon attaining the desired weight. Something tells me I have been barking up the wrong tree as I am back at the weight I began...again. So I will be honest and say I am right at 230 lbs. While that may sound like a lot, let me also add that I am 6'5" so 230 lbs doesn't look necessarily heavyon me. Really my weight is not my biggest concern. The habits I am forming now at almost 35 years old are setting me up for a lifetime of health problems. My family has had cancer, diabetes, glaucoma, heart disease, prostate problems, gallbladder issues and strokes in its history (though I have not had any of the aforementioned ailments). I personally have struggled with depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety, acid reflux, acne, sinus issues & food allergies just to name a few which I believe stem from poor nutrition among other things. I have never taken my health seriously.
How sad is it to admit that I have held an immortality complex never believing that a) my poor habits would catch up to me & b) that I would ever have to worry about my health. While we begin this 10 day challenge...I do not go gently into that good night. I can only think about pizza, Taco Bell, burgers, fries, junk food...anything but fruits and vegetables. But I have to ask myself, what will it take for me to change my pattern? Will it take me having a heart attack at 40? Will it take me being faced with cancer? Truth be told, I am dreading this with every fiber of my being. Even tonight, I have to have one last snack of Pringles potato chips just to feel that familiar grease film in my mouth and the all too common heartburn. My family struggles with obesity and have for several generations. One of my biggest fears, I am ashamed to admit, has been that I would become obese. While it is a touch of vanity that drives me, it is also an honest realization that if my body is a temple...why am I taking a wrecking ball to it on a daily basis?!?
While my physical appearance is important to me, admittedly it has been for the wrong reason. But I have to say, I am tired of clothes being tight and feeling my stomach bulge when I sit or lean over. I am tired of getting to a point where I can't bend down and tie my shoes without grunting. Laugh if you must, Lord knows I have. I don't want to be winded from just walking up the stairs in my own house. I can't play outside with the children as I get fatigued too easily. While I don't look it, I feel bloated most of the time and very lethargic. Enough is enough. I realize that changing my eating is only part of the battle. This is very much a spiritual issue as well. Some may scoff, but it is true. So along with this food challenge, I am also going to make it a spiritual challenge as well as a physical challenge. I say 10 days but in reality that is because I can't quite bring myself to say 30 days. The juice portion will start with 10 days, but the rest will be a 30 day challenge. So here we go...Day 1 starts tomorrow. (today was payday and I need to go to the grocery store... :) ) We've borrowed a juicer and are ready to roar.
I will catalog this journey...mainly as a form of accountability, though I realize no one may read this, it still requires me to track this journey. Being the consummate historian, I want my children to glean some wisdom from my experience.
I will take my measurements tomorrow and include them in day 1's post. I am sure Lauren doesn't want me to include hers. We will also take pictures along this journey. Did I mention I was dreading this...this was really my wife's idea. Lord, give us strength and change our hearts to truly see our bodies as a temple of the Living God and treat them as such...
If you haven't seen the movie "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" you need to. I won't give the plot away but in a nutshell it is a documentary about a man who, for health reasons, takes a 60 day juice fast challenge. Right now, I can't see past 10 days on something like this so that is where we are going to start. First, let me say, I am NOT looking forward to this. I am a total junk food junkie, however I am tired of being fatigued, having acid reflux, and overall feeling like garbage. I have 5 little ones that I want to see grow up, marry and have children. I have tried other diets to lose weight, which were all very effective except that I went back to old eating habits upon attaining the desired weight. Something tells me I have been barking up the wrong tree as I am back at the weight I began...again. So I will be honest and say I am right at 230 lbs. While that may sound like a lot, let me also add that I am 6'5" so 230 lbs doesn't look necessarily heavyon me. Really my weight is not my biggest concern. The habits I am forming now at almost 35 years old are setting me up for a lifetime of health problems. My family has had cancer, diabetes, glaucoma, heart disease, prostate problems, gallbladder issues and strokes in its history (though I have not had any of the aforementioned ailments). I personally have struggled with depression, chronic fatigue, anxiety, acid reflux, acne, sinus issues & food allergies just to name a few which I believe stem from poor nutrition among other things. I have never taken my health seriously.
How sad is it to admit that I have held an immortality complex never believing that a) my poor habits would catch up to me & b) that I would ever have to worry about my health. While we begin this 10 day challenge...I do not go gently into that good night. I can only think about pizza, Taco Bell, burgers, fries, junk food...anything but fruits and vegetables. But I have to ask myself, what will it take for me to change my pattern? Will it take me having a heart attack at 40? Will it take me being faced with cancer? Truth be told, I am dreading this with every fiber of my being. Even tonight, I have to have one last snack of Pringles potato chips just to feel that familiar grease film in my mouth and the all too common heartburn. My family struggles with obesity and have for several generations. One of my biggest fears, I am ashamed to admit, has been that I would become obese. While it is a touch of vanity that drives me, it is also an honest realization that if my body is a temple...why am I taking a wrecking ball to it on a daily basis?!?
While my physical appearance is important to me, admittedly it has been for the wrong reason. But I have to say, I am tired of clothes being tight and feeling my stomach bulge when I sit or lean over. I am tired of getting to a point where I can't bend down and tie my shoes without grunting. Laugh if you must, Lord knows I have. I don't want to be winded from just walking up the stairs in my own house. I can't play outside with the children as I get fatigued too easily. While I don't look it, I feel bloated most of the time and very lethargic. Enough is enough. I realize that changing my eating is only part of the battle. This is very much a spiritual issue as well. Some may scoff, but it is true. So along with this food challenge, I am also going to make it a spiritual challenge as well as a physical challenge. I say 10 days but in reality that is because I can't quite bring myself to say 30 days. The juice portion will start with 10 days, but the rest will be a 30 day challenge. So here we go...Day 1 starts tomorrow. (today was payday and I need to go to the grocery store... :) ) We've borrowed a juicer and are ready to roar.
I will catalog this journey...mainly as a form of accountability, though I realize no one may read this, it still requires me to track this journey. Being the consummate historian, I want my children to glean some wisdom from my experience.
I will take my measurements tomorrow and include them in day 1's post. I am sure Lauren doesn't want me to include hers. We will also take pictures along this journey. Did I mention I was dreading this...this was really my wife's idea. Lord, give us strength and change our hearts to truly see our bodies as a temple of the Living God and treat them as such...
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