Juice Fast - Day 10

Day 10!  Unbelievable especially if you know me well!  I felt great in the morning and looked forward to my last day on just juice.   I had a honeydew melon waiting for me since Saturday so I decided to make a melon juice and serve it margarita style!  It was cold, refreshing, healthy, and tasty!  The salt on the rim just made it even better!  A perfect toast to celebrate something I'm very proud of.   Only God could have given me strength of mind to complete this fast and for that I'm thankful.

I pretty much stayed busy throughout the day so I took advantage of a Naked Mighty Mango juice I had in the fridge.  I knew I wasn't going to have too much time to juice so the convenience was welcomed.   One of my biggest challenges has always been controlling my eating during and after circumstantial changes and on my final fast day I was challenged like no other day.

Since New Year's Eve my wife and I have known that this would be a major decisive year in our lives. We have lots of pending things going on that in certain ways inhibit us from doing what we want to do.   This along with other simple things like a car needing repair, losing a student, gaining a student, getting a promotion, getting a race medal, and other normal life events has always made me over eat.   My body just screamed for unhealthy food and my mind rationalized it.   Not last night!  There are certain important decisions we have to make that will impact our lives.  The same normal stuff that usually drive me to over eat unhealthy food.  Last night, however, I didn't have that desire.  I chose the healthy option in a situation my body just ten days ago would've begged and cried for saturated fat!  This is the reason my fast was a success.

In order for me to keep on succeeding I have to stay focused and continue creating good eating habits.  The fact that I lost 16 pounds in 10 days (yeah, that's right... 16 POUNDS... incredible! 231 to 215 in TEN DAYS) is not the main point.  It's simply a good side effect of where my mind is right now.  I will eat fruits and vegetables for a couple of days.  Planning on having a hot and sour soup from the Chinese restaurant.  It's all veggies and really good!  I'll most likely eat animal protein, dairy, and grains on the weekend.  This should give my body time to readjust to solid food.  

I have some video footage of my ten days that I'll put together on a single video soon.  Thank you again for keeping up with this adventure and feel free to share my blog.  I have some exciting new ideas for it and in regards to juicing!   

I got home very late last night so I'm writing day 10 on day "11".  I'll still make one juice today but as for now I'm just gonna enjoy EATING my apple :)

Juice Fast - Day 9

1/2 pineapple, 4 leaves kale, 3 celery stalks, 1 orange, 3 apples, 1 lime

Felt great throughout the whole day today!  Whenever I got hungry I took a few sips of juice and the hunger went away.  I can totally see how 60 days of fasting is doable now.  After a certain point you just get used to it.  Don't get me wrong, I have no intention of going beyond ten days but it's no longer a scary thought.  

I'm amazed at how easy it has been to deny solid food... I mean good solid food like pizza and sushi!  For Valentine's Day we "ate" at a Japanese restaurant.  Mirella, my pretty and expecting wife, had some sushi (cooked) and I made a quick stop at the Publix across the street for some Naked Mighty Mango juice and some Açaí juice!  It was like I was giving myself a treat... lol  I was able to watch her eat and in a very determined manner I had no desire to take a bite. 

Dinner time brought upon me another challenge... PIZZA!  I had just gotten home from teaching guitar and was opening the fridge to grab my mason jar of pineapple green juice when I saw my girls walking in with a pizza!  It smelled great, but again, no desire to eat it.  Once my fast is over after tomorrow I'm sure it'll be a different story but the power to resist is in me.  Will power is an amazing human capacity!  So much of what we eat and how much we eat has to do with our state of mind!  I'm glad I have this blogged for future reference.  It's not easy to control what we eat but it's doable.  A lot of it is also my body beginning to crave healthier things in a way it never did before.  The two go hand in hand!  Mind and body working together to create a balanced diet.  

I can already see the light and wish today was day ten... it's not!  Summer, my five year old, reminded me this evening that I'm still on day nine after I acted like I had conquered something... lol Nothing like your five year old kid calling you out and setting you straight.  She was right!  I need to focus and finish strong!  Lot's of juicing left for tomorrow.  

Thursday will be my first day eating solid food... I'll have to stick to fruits and veggies for a day or two so I'll need to get creative with what I eat.  

Thank you so much for reading my blog!  Soon I'll be posting lots of food and juice recipes as well as introducing some new kinds of posts!  Feel free to share it :)

Juice Fast - Day 8

Joe Cross Facebook conversation... we're buddies now! lol

I started day 8 with enthusiasm because only one week ago I had no idea if I would be able to sustain my fast this long.  After making a pineapple orange juice for breakfast I noticed that Joe Cross had written me on Facebook!   Joe Cross is the reason why I decided to try a ten day fast.  He is the star and creator of the movie FatSickandNearlyDead.  Awesome documentary and if you haven't watched it go rent it today and watch it with your whole family.  He is also the creator of www.jointhereboot.com.  A website designed to help you incorporate juicing into your lifestyle.  Needless to say, I thought this was the coolest thing!  Here I am chit chatting with the man himself!  lol  Mirella, my wife,  still can't believe I told him what I did but that's another story :)

I have also received lots of good information from my friend Andi Dornelas of AndiDornelas.blogspot.com.  She is becoming a health guru herself and was my motivation to start running back in 2009 creating running schedules and getting me to sign up for races.  I have run 5 races so far and have 3 medals!  Not so many but I'm proud of my achievements.  I have the Gate River Run coming up March 10!  She sent me a recipe that I didn't like too much... that is until I put a pinch of salt in it!  It all of a sudden became an awesome drink!  One orange, one tangerine, one apple, and one cucumber.  This drink made me feel refreshed and ready to go!  Thanks Andrea! 

I teach private music lessons on Monday nights so I had to plan ahead for a long night of just juice.  In honor of Joe Cross writing me I decided to make the classic Mean Green Juice.  At first it tasted ok but in order to finish it I needed to add some salt to it.  I might have to tweak it a bit to suit my taste.  Not a big fan of celery except in stews so next time I'll add an apple and take away two celery stalks :)

Mean Green Juice

Going to Walmart is not on my fun list. In fact, I pretty much stress out in there!  Unfortunately I ran out of tea and it was the most convenient place to buy it on my way home. I picked up a pack of peach herbal tea.  I was never a tea drinker but now I'm a big believer in it!  It is calming and tasty with a spoon of natural honey.

Mean Green Juice

I am feeling great in spite of a headache here and there.  We figured that some sort of nutrient deficiency was causing the pain.  Salt on the drinks definitely helped soothe the pain.

Thank you for keeping up with my juice fast! 

Juice Fast - Day 6 and 7 The Weekend

I knew the weekend would be tough but I could have done a better job with my juice choices.  Note to self:  Don't randomly juice fruits and veggies and if the juice is brown don't drink.  Chances are it's no good!  Saturday morning started off well with a strawberry and kiwi juice that held me over through an early piano lesson and a trip to the Farmer's Market.  It was all down hill from there.  

Once I got home around 11am I decided to make two two pint servings of two different juices.  I had gotten some oranges so I tried getting creative.  It turns out that oranges are best left alone unless mixed with pineapple juice as I did this evening.  The other concoction I made was a huge mistake to say the least!  Amazingly enough and much to my detriment I drank it all! Brown juice can't be good!  Summer looked at my kale cabbage spinach carrot orange apple cucumber ginger brown juice and almost puked! I was disgusted by it also but I gulped it down as fast as I could.  I didn't feel too good the rest of the day.  For the first time during my fast I kept going to the bathroom frequently and felt tired, hungry, and bored.  Boy was I bored!  Food being out of the equation is a tough thing to deal with! 

Towards the evening I got very hungry so I made a carrot beet and apple juice.  This juice is more fulfilling than just fruit drinks and even though it's veggies it still tastes good and sweet.  Later on I found out that the whole day was a mistake.  Holding everything in was tough and we had somewhat of an accident... oops lol  I'd later on find out that kiwi is a laxative especially if you haven't had any in a while.  I had 4 in the morning and then I had lots of cabbage in my other juice.  Another note to self:  Find out what fruits and veggies make you go before juicing a lot of them together. This combination was lethal!   Needless to say I'm staying away from mixing all those veggies again :)  

Sunday has been a much better day!  Thank God!  I decided to make it a fruit day and it has worked out great!  Apple berry juice in the morning and pineapple orange juice in the evening.  For lunch and throughout the afternoon I drank Naked juice that I got from Publix on the way home.  Totally recommend it and plan on buying some for snacks and for days I won't have time to juice.  

I'm glad the weekend is finally coming to an end.  I have been able to sit through the Grammy's on just seltzer water and hot herbal tea with honey.  Honey!  I've never looked so forward to it my whole life!  I'm also beginning to understand the world of juicing a lot better.  My previous worries about creating a balanced program into my diet is no longer an issue.  I'm beginning to narrow things down in a simple and easy way.  From what I see I just need green juice, carrot juice, and beet juice.  There are other juices but they can be made less frequently and most fruits are better off being eaten anyway. Especially instead of processed snacks.  Easier said than done but that was one of the points of my fast.  Shocking my body to stop craving processed food all the time and to increase my wanting of fruits and vegetables. 

I know more about juicing today than I did a week ago.  In the end, cooking and juicing is a very personal thing. We each have to find what works for us.  I'm going to start focusing on how I can make simple changes to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle that includes the benefits of juicing. 

Starting the homestretch tomorrow! Day 7 is coming to an end but more importantly... I survived the weekend :)  Thanks for keeping up with me! 

Juice Fast - Day Five

My wife posted the above picture quote on my facebook timeline this afternoon.  The fact that I can relate to it as I sit here sipping herbal tea with honey is a testament to the truth of the statement.  I don't know who wrote it but it touches on a theme I have known for a long time but haven't always put to use. 

I'm not always gonna choose the really healthy food.  I'm not always going to make the perfectly balanced choice of nutrients.  I'm also not always going order the chicken breast meal at a restaurant.  I will have steak!  What I can do, however, is balance things out in a much better manner than I have throughout my life except for two time periods.  The first half of 2005 and the first half 2010.  Two 6 month periods that I took that first step deciding I was not going to stay where I was.  It adds up to one year!  I'm 35 years old and there is no reason why the decision can't be for good.  Why didn't it continue?  Will this one continue?  I can only learn from how I handled my past circumstances and all I can do in regards to this time is try.  I do feel that this time I am not only adding lots of exercise (mostly running) but I'm also becoming aware that without a good intake of nutrients found in vegetables and fruits I cannot maintain a healthy balanced body.  Juicing seems to be the best solution for this and I'm happy I found it. 

My breakfast and snack this morning

Citrus and greens (kale is missing from the picture)

Food has always been a part of my life.  Not because I grew up a fat kid but because I simply love it!  I was actually very skinny up until I got married. lol Ever since I was a little kid my dad says that going out with me for Brazilian BBQ or pizza was pure joy.  I ate like an adult!  Once I took over the kitchen in our house the passion has grown to a whole new level.  I believe that food is what unites us all.  It brings everyone together and it makes a party a party.  Nobody gets together without food!  At least I don't. lol  You come to my house you're eating something :)  I don't want the joy that food brings to go away.  All I want is to be aware that eating 12" Italian subs 5 straight days for lunch does not create balance.  Eating huge burgers and fries 4 nights a week on my way home from work is not the behavior of a health conscious person.  I'm hoping that this fast will shock, rest, and teach my body that balance is a MUST.  It's not only about "joy" and "comfort".  There is room for all of that but perhaps reducing the junk and in many cases cutting it out completely (Soda, McDonald's, Wendy's, BK, etc...) is a much better way to live.  In fact, after seeing how I have felt these past five days, I know it is.  I have decided not to stay where I am.  

ABC's juice (missing the cabbage that I added later while juicing... just for fun)

I felt much better today than I did yesterday.  My friend Andrea from AndiDornelas.blogspot.com asked me if I felt I was over the hump today.  I told her I definitely feel I am!  This is the time I really need to focus though.  The weekend is here and it's not going to be easy.  I have to stay focused on my 10 day goal and not get too happy about what I think I have accomplished.  

Running was not as easy today as it was yesterday but I'm glad I was able to run 2.75 miles.  If I didn't have a race coming up in March I would've taken a break from running during the fast but I'm so far behind race shape that I have to train whenever I can.  

Summer drinking fresh apple juice

Summer, my daughter, has been enjoying fresh orange and apple juice.  I have a few recipes I want to give her but I figured I'll let her get used to fresh juices with those two.  My favorite juice of the day was one I got from jointhereboot.com.  They call it ABC's.  I changed it somewhat because I don't have chard but it tasted great!  It was my dinner tonight.  All 4 cups of it! 

Variation of ABC's drink from jointhereboot.com 

2 pears, 2 apples, 2 kale leaves, 3 handfuls of spinach, 1/4 of a cabbage, 4 carrots

Very sweet and yummy

Thank you for following my blog and keeping up with my juicing experience.  All the comments on Facebook have been extremely encouraging and uplifting. Feel free to look at some of my recipes and share.  I am slowly adding some more pictures to them after they got deleted by mistake.  

Juice Fast - Day Four

Parental influence... fresh Orange Juice

6:30am the alarm went off as it does everyday. Immediately I didn't seem right.  I didn't feel miserable because juicing has given me energy I didn't know I had but I was definitely cranky.  I started picking on my wife for stupid things and I was not in a good mood to go make breakfast for the family and get Summer's lunch ready for school while Mirella got her dressed upstairs.  A normal weekday routine that I was not having any fun doing.  From all the articles, blogs, and the movie FatSickandNearlyDead I knew that reaching day 4 was a big deal in regards to emotional state of mind, fatigue, headaches, and crankiness.  Definitely a milestone day.

Easy reach

Different days of the week have brought up different challenges.  My schedule changes everyday so I've had to plan ahead during this fast.  From storage to packaging I've had to keep it easy, simple, and ready to go.   I need more mason jars.

Mean Green Juice - 1 cucumber, 6 kale leaves, 2 green apples, 1/2 lemon, 4 stalks of celery, ginger

I drank two cups of cranberry pear juice from the previous day for breakfast and then a quart of Mean Green Juice kept me standing until 3pm.  Amazingly my supplies started running low.  That meant another trip to BJ's.  I immediately headed to the fruits section and picked up some organic green apples, carrots, a melon, and a few other things.  The tough part was smelling the samples being prepared!  I am that guy that makes sure to grab at least one sample from every station!  It's been a mistake in the past because once at the mall I blindingly and automatically reached for a sample and put it in my mouth.  I spit it out after realizing it was a Lindt coffee truffle! YUCK!  I hate coffee!  Incredibly enough I made it out of BJ's without falling into temptation.

Next, I got home and spent some time researching and making a pre run juice and a post run juice.  Since I hadn't run lately because of my ear infection, which has diminished quite considerably, I decided to give it a try.  I found out that beets and carrots are the best complex carbohydrate vegetables. Great for pre workouts.  Then I found out that broccoli is one of the vegetables containing the highest amounts of protein.  Great for post workouts.  I made a beet carrot juice and drank it about an hour and a half before running.  I left a pint of orange broccoli and cabbage juice in the fridge for when I returned.  Yes, I know!  Gross!  Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don't :) 

5 Carrots, 1 Beet, 1 apple

Great combination for cooking but not good for juicing

The next part of my day was definitely the most challenging.  Music practice in Port Orange was canceled so I had the evening at home.  I decided to make fresh dinner for the family!  Why?  Because I care.  That's why lol  I made rice with corn and peas, black beans with garlic that smelled divine, and sliced chicken breast with spinach pan seared with ginger and orange zest!  Yes... I tortured myself.  It looked and smelled so good and even though I didn't taste it Mirella and Summer simply loved it.  I drank some seltzer water and watched them eat.   At this point of my day I was tired but not so cranky anymore.  I started feeling content with what I had achieved so far.  I felt that I was in control of my body and that my body was thanking me for the nutrition it had been receiving.  

My pretty wife, Mirella enjoying dinner 

and a fresh glass of beet carrot juice 

in front of me

Before cleaning up, and yes, I do clean up while I cook and after I cook, I decided to go put my new running shoes on and finally put my energy to the test.  I headed out on a familiar route I like to run not expecting much.  A quarter mile into it I was already expecting my legs to start burning as they did a few weeks ago before I injured my foot.  No burn yet.  A half a mile into my run I was completely surprised that I was breathing fine and my legs had strength.  I wasn't running very fast but at a decent pace of 10min/mile.  I started thinking to myself... just keep going till you can't run anymore.  That's what I did!  The only problem is that this route is a loop so after running two miles and doing intervals for 1 more I found myself far away from home.  I then proceeded to do run/walk intervals.  My legs gained their strength again!  My feet and knees didn't hurt (the right shoes help)!  The only issue I was having was that of thirst and a full bladder.  I've been peeing once an hour!  I then stopped by my sister's house for a quick bathroom break and a drink of water.  Immediately headed out again and jogged/walked back home.  I couldn't believe I had spent the last hour and a half running and walking 6 miles!  Great way to end day 4!

After showering I sat down for my post run juice... I was actually so hungry at this point that I was looking forward to it! It didn't sound so gross anymore. It did feel I needed some salt in my body so I grabbed my Margaritaville salt and rimmed the glass with it!  Poured some ice and juice and REALLY enjoyed the drink!   The salt makes it unbelievably good!  I'm not sure I'll juice broccoli in the future but during this fast I'm willing to drink all of it!!!  

The reason I'm writing this post today is because once I showered and drank my juice I lied down and fell asleep immediately!  Complete exhaustion!   A day that started in a not so good way ended in a positive self inspiring manner!  Day 4 is over!  Looking forward to the challenges the weekend will bring and to trying out new juices... I still have a sweet potato staring at me from the counter everyday! Yikes!

Resisting food, especially good food, has not been easy but also not as hard as I thought it would be.  I believe it is because my mind is made up.  It doesn't mean I don't want the food.  It just means that my will power is slowly increasing to stick with it even further. Fasting has that effect.  It is about making our bodies subject.  God has given me the strength to continue and with each passing day I am realizing how much I can do if my mind is in the right place.  

The story behind the orange mustache

Summer loves to take pictures and make videos.  She also loves asking us to send it to family and friends through text or Facebook.  When I took the picture with my phone she asked me to do just that... "Send it Dad! Send it to grandpa, tia Lu, mom, etc... and kimberly"  Every now and then she asks to send a nice and pretty picture of her to our friend kimberly who has a little boy a year older than her named Brayden. He is extremely sweet and nice to her!  Once in a karaoke birthday party at our house he even serenaded her singing "you are my sunshine" in front of everyone.  Major aww moment!  She then asked me to see how the picture came out!  Once I showed it to her she shouted "No dad!  Don't send  that one to Kimberly!"  Completely taken by surprise I asked... "why not?"  She got all shy and said that I could only send it to mom, tia Lu, and GIRLS!  

What?  Already aware of such things?  

At least she promised she'll always be MY little girl :)

Thanks for keeping up with my juice fast adventure.  All the comments and likes on Facebook have been extremely encouraging!  Feel free to share this post and blog. 

Juice Fast - Day Three

Just got home.  Hot herbal tea in hand. Jota Quest Pandora station on. Perfect end to a very long day especially after driving for an hour and a half from Port Orange.  My day started well with an awesome papaya carrot juice.  Thank God I saved some for tonight's ride home.  A ride that I usually find myself choosing between the Chick-fil-a or Wendy's drive thru. Nothing like driving on the highway by yourself to really get your thoughts going in every direction.

For the first time in the three days I have been juice fasting I found myself craving comfort food.  All it took was some alone time in the car for me to start thinking about all the things I need to do in the coming weeks and months.  We need a bigger car with the new baby on the way!  We need to sign Summer up for Kindergarten!  We might have to move in order to send her to the school we want her to go to!  What school do we WANT her to go to?  We trust God with our lives and know we are blessed because of Him,  but along with other pending life issues, these circumstantial thoughts have in the past only caused me to do one thing:  EAT!  I don't mean picking up an apple! I mean getting the triple sized cheeseburger with cheese and large fries!  Once in a while wouldn't even be that bad but eating it frequently has led me nowhere good. The funny thing is that I can go a month without eating fast food but the day I decide to stop and grab a burger and fries I find myself back there two or three more times that week.  Always looking for that temporary fix to comfort my emotions.  Why?  Why are people like that?  Why am I like that?  

I have come to the conclusion that two things contribute to this behavior that keeps crawling its way back into my lifestyle despite my previous efforts of getting in shape and trying to become a healthier person.  One is emotional.  I have found a way to associate food (fattening not good for you food) with contentment.  This cannot continue!  Although I plan on never eating fast food burgers again I don't plan to stop eating burgers and other foods I like.  I simply want to be in control of the choices of food I make.  Obviously I am in control and I am not one of those who blames McDonald's for my size 38 pants!  This is about that rationalizing voice we hear in our heads telling us that we might as well just eat junk! I know I am not the only one because since most people in America are overweight. Even though I'm not in a serious obese situation I am still at least 40lbs over what I want to be and have found myself coming back here three times in the past 7 years.  I am now 35 years old and if I keep this up into my 40's I know I'll gain more.  The other contributing factor is my body itself.  During these first three days of my fast I have seen how I have been able to stave off solid foods!  I believe my mind is getting stronger not only because I have focused on my goal but also because I am getting the right nutrition for it to do so. My mind is benefiting from a nutritious body and my body is benefiting from a nutritious and in focus mind.  Who knew you could get this nutrition from juicing veggies and fruits?  Actually, my wife did.  When I met her she had been juicing for 6 months.  She was doing great and had lost a lot of weight. For some reason it took us 15 years later to introduce it to our family. It's not about the past. It's about changing our direction today so we can influence our daughter and soon to come baby to live healthy active lives.  I also remember seeing Jack Lalanne infomercials!  Again... why are we so hard headed?  It seems so simple!  Raw foods are good!  Juicing them is an excellent way to get the most nutrition from them.  So why did I wait till I'm 35 to start?  Who knows! lol

Before I left late this afternoon I was able to cook a quick dinner for my wife and daughter.  It smelled great but at no point did I even hear that rationalizing voice telling me to just eat it.  Am I hungry?  Not all the time but I do hear my stomach growl if I go more than 3 hours without a juice of sorts.  I'm here three days into the fast and I am focused on my goal.  My ear is beginning to heal and I'm hoping to get out for a run tomorrow if in fact it does.  

I'm beginning to run out of some stuff to juice!  I might have to go to BJ's tomorrow for some apples, carrots, and perhaps a pineapple and another papaya.  Taking it one day at a time and finding out a lot about myself.  About what I can accomplish if I set my mind to it.  I'm also thinking about making Joe Cross' Mean Green Juice tomorrow.  

Since I have been basically randomly juicing I have started writing down some of the recipes I have enjoyed.  Juicing is a lot like cooking though.  There's flexibility.  There's variety.  I remember that when I started cooking I used to follow recipes exactly as they were written.  After learning some cooking basics and not so basic techniques I have been able to glimpse through recipes and just make my own.  I want to be that way with juicing also.  In time.  

So, amazingly enough I have gone through three days of just juice!  Seven to go!!!  Thank you for keeping up with my experience into the world of juicing.  I started following a blog today called JuicedAlive so if you want to see more recipes from someone who has been juicing a lot longer than me you can check my list of Blogs I Follow.  

Juice Fast - Day Two

Day two of my 10 day juice fast is coming to an end.  Here I am sipping the pineapple juice I made this afternoon.  I'm not hungry but I am starting to miss food.  Chewing!  I added a pinch of salt to the drink... you know, margarita style! Stellar results with this one!  Way better than the dark green/brown ones I made yesterday.  I juiced three times today for a total of 6 servings of at least 18oz.  I tried making my drinking experience as pleasant as possible by having everything washed and cleaned before I sat down for "breakfast, lunch, and dinner".  Today was nice because I got to watch the Giants parade down the canyon of heroes.  Dinner was a whole other story though.  I can't believe I survived dinner!

Mirella, my wife, is pregnant.  She wanted to go to Five Guys for a burger with fries.  A good quality burger I also crave and fresh cut fries I love with malt vinegar!  Being the good husband that I am I went with her!  No, I didn't eat anything.  Instead I took my BPA free cup full of the beet, kale, bok choy, celery juice I had made earlier.  Yes, I sat there watching her eat while I sipped on dark red juice!  It wasn't fun but I managed to get through it even though that particular combination was not too tasty.  

I am slowly learning about the different vegetables and fruits.  Each one has a unique benefit.  I'm also the type of person who likes to have things spelled out in a logical manner.  I am always seeking to organize things in a specific order of importance and need.  Whenever we host friends for dinner I spend hours going through every detail of my food preparation in my head so that when I get to the kitchen I know exactly what I'm doing.  I cannot say the same for this new venture!  Juicing is brand new to me and I constantly find myself wanting someone to just tell me what to juice and when to juice it.  I have found countless websites telling me to juice everything because everything is good for something but eventually I know I'll have to organize my favorite juices into a balanced schedule.

In just two days of juice fasting I have become more introspective.  I have found that when I make a decision in my mind and in my heart about something I can totally move forward with it.  My issue has always been my state of mind.  If I'm focused on what I need to do I know I can do it.  This has been the case with running and other projects I have evolved.  My state of mind during this fast is the only thing that keeps me from reaching over for those awesome Five Guys fries with malt vinegar!  My body was begging for me to do it just like it begs me to sit and watch TV instead of putting my shoes on and heading out for a run. This is a battle we all face in life and I plan to come out on top more often than not.  I'm hoping that by providing my body with the right foods I will eliminate any possibility that the reason I may feel down sometimes is due to a lack of the right nutrients.  I want to sit down to eat a burger at Five Guys knowing that my nutrition has already been taken care of that day and that because I am an athlete I can burn off the excess calories.  Balance is what I'm striving for and I know I'll achieve it. 

I am feeling somewhat better in regards to my ear infection. I'm hoping I'll be over it by tomorrow.  I know I have toxins flying all over inside my body and that according to most juicers I will feel better in a couple of days. I don't have as much of a headache tonight as I did yesterday!  Thank God!  

Once my fast is over I will start including juice recipes along with food recipes.  Thank you for following my blog and sharing with me in this experience.  I'm gonna go make myself a hot herbal tea now :)  8 days to go! 

Juice Fast - Day One

This post, along with the next consecutive ones, will not contain an ingredients list nor a preparation list.  It will, however, contain my experience as I go through a ten day juice fast.  For those who know me a long time this may seem like a joke but I am determined to make it through ten days.  Why ten days?  Because that's the number that came to my mind after watching the movie FatSickandNearlyDead with Joe Cross.  I felt in my heart that ten days on just juice would be a challenge but it would also be attainable.  On the 4th of July, 2009 I rode my bike by the beach with some friends.  After riding for about 1 mile I found myself out of breath.  I have never smoked and have only drank alcohol sparingly throughout my life.  I do, however, love to eat!  I love to eat good food that I prepare and good food at the many restaurants we have visited over the years.  I am the guy who memorizes menus from restaurants!

After turning 30 I started becoming more aware of how much I eat and what I eat.  The day after my pathetic bike ride by the beach on the 4th of July I decided I would do something about my weight.  I was weighing 240lbs!  About 50lbs over where I want to be.  I started riding my bicycle frequently and running/walking.  Soon I was able to run 3 miles non stop and my weight was coming down fast!  I reduced my calorie intake and looked for healthier choices.  I remember being really proud of myself for running my first ever race... The 6K Outback Classic on Thanksgiving Day in Jacksonville, FL.  I was definitely on my way down to 200lbs but then the holidays happened.  I reached a plateau.  

I did get back on the road in January and eventually ran the 15K Gate River Run but then soon afterwards I got lazy again.  I have seen this pattern in the past 3 years since I first started running and trying to be in shape.  I always have something going on to allow me to rationalize not heading out for a run.  Watching the movie and seeing how Joe Cross was able to fast for 60 days not only motivated me but it also made me realize that a lot of the rationalizing came from a lack of energy and will power.  

The year of 2011 was a tough year in my running and staying fit journey.  I had friends motivating me back in the spring to get out there and run.  I had just run the Disney Half Marathon and the Gate River Run but from March till December I felt stuck in my own skin. I gained most of my weight back. I am now at 231lbs. I knew what needed to be done but I didn't do it.  I knew how to get back into shape but I chose to not bother. Through bad nutrition and choices I didn't have the will power to beat my emotions and feelings that kept me down.  I have always been an emotional eater.  Not because I eat when I'm sad... it's because I like to eat for any happy, sad, or slightly interesting occasion.  I was reminded of this this afternoon as we left the Dr's office with an ultrasound picture of our baby.  My first thought was "let's go eat to celebrate"!  That usually means stick to your bones food! 

I don't believe that eating is the problem.  What and how much I eat is the bigger issue!  My choices are never anything that involves vegetables.  I have about 1 fruit a week... if that!  During my weight loss I  made changes.  I was eating oatmeal and blueberries for breakfast and grilled chicken sandwiches.  Something happens in, I believe, all of us that keeps us from making the right choices.  This is perhaps the biggest lesson I gleaned from the movie and from the recent research I have done into the world of raw food and specifically juicing.  Our bodies become addicted to bleached flour, high fructose corn syrup, and saturated fats.  I started analyzing my food choices... very little nutritious foods throughout the years.  

As I embarked on my ten day fast this morning I started thinking about the other times I was able to lose weight.  What guarantee do I have that this time it'll be long lasting?  How can I be sure that after my fast I will go back to routinely eating pizza, subs, burgers, and other fattening foods?  The answer is I can't be sure.  I can only move forward and learn with each step. Sure, I will eat those things again but I need to balance them with nutrition.  According to my recent research I will be able to cleanse my body of toxins that inhibit my body from being what God intended it to be.  Self healing and full of the nutrients I need to think better, look better, and feel better.  My plan is to go through this fast successfully and then follow the guidelines I found in this website http://www.rawpeople.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=594&Itemid=110  

Before today I kept searching for a fast guide and although I found a few none of them compared to the tips and guidelines I got from "rawpeople".  I don't want to go to the other extreme.  We recently walked into a Native Sun store and couldn't believe how unhealthy so many of the people looked!  They weren't fat but they lacked luster in their step.  I want to flip my food pyramid as talked about in the movie and I believe that a lifestyle of daily juicing will help me achieve what I am looking for.  If after this fast I can include at least 2 fresh and healthy juices in my diet I know I will be headed in the right direction.

Day One has not been easy.  I just had a before bed herbal tea.  I have a headache and don't feel too good. This was expected.  It also doesn't help that I am suffering from a really bothersome ear infection that kept me home from work tonight.  I am learning about different combinations of juices.  In my effort to drink a well balanced juice throughout my fast I have juiced a couple of things that at first I didn't like:  Tomato, cilantro, and more than one leaf of collard greens.  On the other hand cucumber is pretty good! I am excited about this journey and am glad I made this choice.  I have already seen Summer's excitement to learn about the veggies and fruits.  I know how much influence I have in her.  This kind of influence is priceless. 

I am making some videos of myself using the juicer.  At the end of my fast I will put some of them together on YouTube. 

I was deeply encouraged with all the motivation I received on Facebook on a recent picture I posted upon returning from the Farmer's Market.  Thank you and please feel free to follow, subscribe, and share this blog and post. 

Blog status update

I have deleted my google account in order to better organize my google products and to use adsense properly on both my blog and youtube.  This, however, has made my previous post lose their pictures.  It turns out that google stores blogger pictures on picasa web albums.  I made sure to move ownership of seasonyourfood.blogspot.com to my new google account but I did not realize that the pictures would not come along.  I have decided to leave the recipes written on the blog and look forward to posting more pictures and videos soon!  

Thank you for following and subscribing to this blog.  Feel free to share any post that you enjoy.
Filipe