Day 14

I've been on the juice for 2 straight weeks now and feel pretty damn good. As I've mentioned in prior posts, I've changed my intake a few times but have finally settled on a formula that works for me. Last week's extreme loss of 15.4 lbs largly consisted of BS weight I put on for the competition. This week looks more regular in terms of expected loss going forward.

'The Biggest Loser' - Week 2 Results



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I weighed in this morning at 192.2lbs. The weekly loss from 9/12-9/18 was 6.6 lbs bringing my total loss to 22lbs. I wore a shirt on Sunday that wasn't comfortable since I bought it, was too tight. Stuff is starting to fit better...That's all the motivation I need to continue.



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Day 13

Bale o' kale

As you may of noticed, I broke the daily postings...but the fast goes on. It was a busy weekend....going forward I'm only going to be posting a few times a week. I did pretty well at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, spent a bit more cash to stock up this time (see bale o' kale).

I've officially got a "go-to" vendor for kale going forward. She sells mostly collard greens, but had a single box of kale. Her prices were $1/bundle, I negotiated 10 bundles for $8. In addition I purchased 8 lemons, a large ginger root, 20 cucumbers, and 4 bags of celery. I've decided to continue purchasing granny smith apples at Publix since they are a good size and fit right in the juicer without cutting in half.

I have also tweaked my intake again, I think I've finally found a plan on what works for me. It also means I only need to juice twice a day. I make portions in the evening for that night and the next morning, and portions in the afternoon for the afternoon juices. The last few days I've been substituting protein in place of the mid-afternoon juice. It's more satisfying and easier to take down.

Morning

20oz juice

Mid-Morning

16oz protein/water drink

Afternoon

20oz juice

Mid-Afternoon

16oz protein/water drink OR 20oz juice

Evening

20oz juice

Tomorrow marks my second week on the fast, I'll be doing another weigh in and posting my results. It has definitely slowed, but progress is being made. I still have a long way to go, but I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing so far!

Adios

Day 10

I was pretty beat last night so didn't bother to write a post. So....10 days in...progress is definitely being made, though it has slowed like I assumed it would. The last 2 days I cut out the post-lunch juice and have substituted protein in it's place. Drinking nearly a gallon of the same juice everyday gets a little boring - so this helps a bit. It's almost like dessert...one of the powdered variety.

To keep myself going here, I've established some goal weights and the subsequent rewards I'll be gifting myself when I hit these goals.

• 190lbs - TBD watch
• 180lbs - iPhone 5
• 170lbs - MacBook Pro 

I really want the MacBook Pro. Not just for a toy...but for SCIENCE! Being in IT, I feel that I've never had enough exposure to Macs and the MAC OS. So I'm looking at it both as a learning tool and a toy. I honestly don't think that 170 goal is out of reach either. Now, it may not take place in two months, but it'll happen.

I'm about to go hit the Farmer's Market and stock up. Have a nice weekend!

Day 9

Short post tonight - football is on! I had a pretty good day today, got a lot done at work and didn't really have any hunger. Between the protein powder, and just getting used to the diet - I'm pretty content. I used to snack on stuff throughout the day (sunflower seeds, jerky, etc.). I'm finding out it wasn't because I was hungry, I was doing it because I enjoyed it.

There are some challenges sticking to the diet while at work. Most of my co-workers know that I'm on the diet now and I'm not eating junk (or any solids for that fact). One particular co-worker, who I have a side bet with keeps putting cookies and other snacks on my desk. I have to admit, it's pretty funny returning to find what's on my desk.

Then there are all the other office snacks that are semi-difficult to abstain from. Bagels/donuts/chicken biscuits in the mornings at times with cookies in the afternoon. Luckily, it's not happening all that frequently. I'm glad this diet isn't taking place through the December holiday, since I hear there is usually quite a spread of food around that time. Of course, I'll be practicing moderation at that time. The absolute TOUGHEST item so far has been smelling coffee in the morning - no coffee is ROUGH!

This weekend should be a good test as well. I'm going to a work function with pizza, wings, and booze Saturday. We are having a bowling/mini-golf/darts competition. I really WANT to have a few beers with the co-workers - but first things first. There will be other opportunities. On Sunday, I'm hitting the Jaguars game. My typical Jaguars game routine consisted of tailgating AKA grilling out and having some beers. Not enjoying a beer or two while watching the game will be a change up. Luckily, the Jaguars changed the rules this year on outside food/beverage. I'll be packing the mean green...

Day 8

I've been saving all my receipts since beginning the fast. I had done some research beforehand on how much produce would be required - but didn't look too much into the cost. I've never been a big fresh produce consumer, so I wasn't real aware of the market prices. So here I am 8 days in and I've broken down the prices from startup costs through produce cost to date.

Startup Cost



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The initial startup costs consisted of the juicer and Nalgene water bottles. I purchased Jack LaLanne's Ultimate Power Juicer from Costco for $89.99. I'm pretty happy with it so far, wasn't too expensive, works well, and it's fairly easy to break down and clean. I needed water bottles for storing juice in the refrigerator and for transporting to work/events. I've used Nalgene bottles in the past camping in North Carolina and have been pleased with them. I purchased 3 32-oz Nalgene widemouth water bottles at Academy Sports for $30.00. They are odor resistent BPA free bottles that are easy to clean and take on the go.

Produce Cost to Date

Unfortunately, I've been doing the majority of my shopping at Publix due to convenience. As I posted earlier, I'm going to start taking advantage of the Farmer's Market since the prices are more cost efficient. I've had to make 8 separate shopping trips to Costco, Publix, and the Farmer's Market combined. The most expensive item out of what I'm juicing are the apples. Even at the Farmer's Market - the apples were still expensive.

Produce CTD 9/4 - 9/12

With about 7.5 weeks remaining, I'm looking at a projected total produce cost of $1,150 over the 60 day fast. I'm definitely spending more money than I typically would on food. However, I'm not going out to dinner, or going out for drinks on the weekend. So, if you take that into consideration - I'm saving money overall.

Peace.

 

Day 7

It's been one week...and I'm still in it! At this point there's no turning back. I'm feeling great and am seeing positive results, as I'll be revealing in tonight's post. A lot of times after eating 'regular' food I would feel tired and sluggish. A part of that was overeating, but I believe the bigger factor was poor food choices. I don't feel that anymore. After a juice drink, I'm satisfied - but not stuffed. I'm feeling more alert and refreshed in the mornings. I feel generally happier as a whole.

I'm realizing I don't need as much food to sustain. When I go back on the 'solids', I'm definitely going to be more conscious of my portions. One of the challenges is the fact that I enjoy cooking and eating food. I'm a food junkie. I have a smoker, outdoor fryer, and food dehydrator. I had a dream the other night in which I was eating some BBQ(can't recall the exact meat, likely ribs). When I awoke I was pissed off at myself until I realized it was JUST a dream! Anyhow, I feel the fast is sustainable for the next 53 days. On to the results...

'The Biggest Loser' - Week 1 Results

For those readers who didn't see the introductory post, I entered a 'Biggest Loser' competition at my workplace last week. Tuesday, September 4th was the first day of the contest and the official 'weigh-in'. I weighed in at 214.2 lbs last Tuesday. Today I weighed in at 198.8 lbs for a total loss of 15.4lbs or 7.4%.

Week 1 Results

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Needless to say, I'm pretty encouraged by the results. I'm fairly certain the rate of loss won't keep up as the first few pounds seem to come off the quickest, but I'm OK with that. Several pounds were 'fluff weight' from the last few huge meals before the weigh in. As long as I can drop 5lbs/week - I'll easily hit my goal of 180lbs by November 4th.

I'll be posting a Cost to Date analysis tomorrow evening.  It should help me project the total cost of this expedition through November. It's expensive, but seems to be worth the investment to me.

Have a good night!

Day 6

So I'm pretty much out of produce from the farmer's market...So much for the hope it'd last me until later this week. Now that I have a fairly good idea of just how much I need, I'll make better purchasing decisions going forward.

Produce depleted fridge

Today was the first day of adding protein into the mix. I had a large bag of whey protein I purchased at Costco earlier this year. I took 2 scoops, 1 first thing in the morning, and another about 4:30PM. I think it made a slight difference in terms of hunger. It's kind of nice having something other than juice too - it's chocolate flavored.

I screwed up my right heel running about a week ago and idiotically have kept running on it. It doesn't seem to be fixing itself, so it's elliptical for me until my foot feels better. I hit that up after work and had a pretty good session. I like Planet Fitness, there's all sorts of people there. Young, old, fat, skinny, meat-heads, grandmas, etc. It's a pretty comfortable environment to work out in and it's cheap ($10/month).

Ready for tomorrow

I've been making morning/snack juice the night before so I don't have to wake up and do it, and then clean the machine. It saves me quite a bit of time in the morning. Tomorrow is 1 week into my workplace's 'Biggest Loser' competition. It's been pretty cool so far, there is some friendly trash talking going on around the office in terms of whose going to be victorious. I plan to post my 1 week results in tomorrow night's blog.

Peace