LAUREN
My favorite food on the planet is breakfast food. Nothing better than french toast, bacon, hash browns, and fried eggs over-easy. That was my ultimate meal before. Before the changes and the progress and the healthy. That was my Viva La French Toast combo at IHOP. And it was glorious. I also really really enjoyed SONIC bacon breakfast burritos. So you can understand my pain today when I walk into work and a fog of bacon aroma smacks me in the nose face. Apparently, upper management decided they've been pushing us way too hard and therefore we deserve a giant buffet of free breakfast food. Everyone kept asking me when I was going to take my turn to go load up a plate, and I had to tell every one of them about my juice diet. This leads to many people shaking their heads and telling me I'm not getting enough protein or good carbohydrates. Some are even over-the-top aggressive about it. The constant challenge of defending this juice fast is tiring. I want to make them watch the documentaries that have changed my world view (Food Matters, Forks over Knives, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead), but of course they won't. So I have to be a surrogate. I tell them that I'm getting way more nutrients, vitamin, protein, etc. than I ever got in a normal day. I'm literally drinking pounds of veggies in my one glass of juice. But they've been told their whole lives that you need protein from meat/poultry/fish, and you need carbs not from fruit, but complex breads. One even told me "I took nutrition, trust me!" But conventional wisdom doesn't work here. If meat and dairy were the best staples to a good diet, America would be the healthiest, cancer-freeiest nation on earth. We're not. So stop giving me shit and let me do this. It's hard and my days feel 5 times longer than they ever used to, but I feel good. I feel progress. I feel my body changing and morphing in tiny leaps and bounds. I'm down 16 lbs. as of this morning. The weight loss has slowed down a bit the past couple of days, so now that my energy is back up, I'm going to start walking our dog, Charlie, at night. I'm sure Ginger will want to come as well.
So this is day 9. I have faced my biggest big-bad: eggs, bacon, and french toast. I have conquered this beast and will move on to the next challenge. And my juice tastes even better today, knowing I'm winning this fight.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
A Few Pictures
LAUREN
Thought I'd share a few pictures to show the whole juicing extravaganza. I spent an hour and a half last night prepping/cutting/juicing/cleaning. It's an intense process. I was exhausted afterwards and passed the fuck out around 7:30/8. With drinking the juice and so much water, I have to pee constantly. So I woke up about 3 times last night, pissed, and fell right back to sleep. At work, I've probably taken 5 bathroom breaks. It's a little ridiculous, but I keep reminding myself that it's through this process that I'm getting rid of my fat. Disgusting miracle, the body. I love it.
Anyway... Here's a picture of the prep process with some of the veggies laid out on our kitchen table:
And here is an in the midst of the crazy messy juicing picture:
This was the mean green I was drinking a few days ago. Yummmmm. It really isn't bad.
As you can tell, I am a big Lee Child fan. Jack Reacher is the man.
Today I worked 2 hours of overtime at the ol' job. That place is the worst. Makes my days feel like 5 times as long as they really are. A coworker asked me if I miss food. What's weird is that I obviously do miss eating, but once you completely commit to this thing, to not eating, to only juicing for a long period of time, you're not constantly thinking of food. I was trying to imagine how often I usually think of food in a day. What am I going to eat, what is it going to cost, where should I go, should I cook, should I eat healthy, should I eat at all? Seriously. How many damn times do I think about food in a day. On the juice fast, I get sporadic cravings just like I do for cigarettes. But they're fleeting and fade within a couple minutes. Taking food completely out of the equation is actually quite liberating.
Cheers to day 8. Feeling pretty great.
Thought I'd share a few pictures to show the whole juicing extravaganza. I spent an hour and a half last night prepping/cutting/juicing/cleaning. It's an intense process. I was exhausted afterwards and passed the fuck out around 7:30/8. With drinking the juice and so much water, I have to pee constantly. So I woke up about 3 times last night, pissed, and fell right back to sleep. At work, I've probably taken 5 bathroom breaks. It's a little ridiculous, but I keep reminding myself that it's through this process that I'm getting rid of my fat. Disgusting miracle, the body. I love it.
Anyway... Here's a picture of the prep process with some of the veggies laid out on our kitchen table:
Today I worked 2 hours of overtime at the ol' job. That place is the worst. Makes my days feel like 5 times as long as they really are. A coworker asked me if I miss food. What's weird is that I obviously do miss eating, but once you completely commit to this thing, to not eating, to only juicing for a long period of time, you're not constantly thinking of food. I was trying to imagine how often I usually think of food in a day. What am I going to eat, what is it going to cost, where should I go, should I cook, should I eat healthy, should I eat at all? Seriously. How many damn times do I think about food in a day. On the juice fast, I get sporadic cravings just like I do for cigarettes. But they're fleeting and fade within a couple minutes. Taking food completely out of the equation is actually quite liberating.
Cheers to day 8. Feeling pretty great.
Monday, January 7, 2013
The Box Introduction
GINGER
It isn't what you're thinking, unless of course you knew that was my last name, Box that is. This is the seventh day of 2013. The seventh day without a cigarette and the seventh day I have abstained from dairy and all meat with the exception of Salmon. I grew up mostly vegetarian. I had to ask permission to eat meat if I was staying at a friend's house. This was is in the 80's before the real dangers of meat consumption exploded in the media. My mom just had a sixth sense about it, I guess. I would envy friends whose parents would take them to Mcdonald's or Pizza Hut. We ate out once or twice a year and it was one item off the taco bell menu or an authentic mexican restaurant, again one item. My mom orders water with lemon and no ice anytime we would go anywhere, and yes, in case you are wondering that hasn't changed. It aids in digestion and absorption. So I was healthy weight around 140 and I am 5'10 until I hit 19. I had for two years tried every fast food joint known to man and olive garden was my second home. I couldn't get enough, not to mention my soda addiction. I would consume at least 2 liters a day. I gained about thirty pounds and maintained for about five years. At the age of 25 I moved into a small one bedroom apartment and started cooking all of my meals, gave up sugar, milk, and refined carbohydrates. I did this all without the conscious decision to diet or lose weight. I also hiked anywhere from 13 to 23 miles a weekend when the snakes weren't out. I did yoga. Life was good. One day I woke up and realized I was 150 pounds and my year of spiritual retreat inside my apartment had come to an end. I literally worked, read spiritual books, meditated, did yoga, juiced, and occasionally had friends over for hummus, veggies, imported beer, and conversation. That was my only real connection to the outside chaos. Friends started to notice the changes and I was starting to itch for some excitement and for me that was the bar. I dated, Lauren and I met and it was as if we had known one another for ever. I instantly loved her, but had no clue we would end up being more than best friends. We were both seeing other people at the time. One thing led to another and we were locked at the hip in more ways than one. We were inseparable. A year of adventure and happiness happened and then the drop off. We both decided that pizza multiple times a week and an 18 pack of beer each weekend was a super fantastic idea, not to mention the added bonus of more time to spend in bed. For the next two years we would both struggle with weight, smoking, balance, stress, and more was piled on my plate when I was accepted to Nursing school. I just graduated in December. I take my boards next month. My goal is for this year to be different, better than it ever was before, because now we have hindsight and know what it is like to truly struggle, feel powerless, and lose perceived control. This year my goals are to lose weight, have more energy, find my way back to doing yoga, trying out some alternative methods of relaxation and healing, which I will write about. So I should probably talk a little bit about how I am feeling. I feel great. I have had minor cravings that are fleeting, no withdraw symptoms, and I hope to keep it that way. If it gets tough. I am prepared to stick it out. I am currently eating about 1200 to 1400 calories. My heaviest was 210. I started day one at 202.7 and am now 197.7. My goal weight is 150 to 155. I also hope to have adopted some better coping mechanisms. In later posts I will talk a little about anxiety, but for now know that I am taking an SSRI, low dose and a benzo at night for insomnia/acute anxiety. That may also be why my mood is much improved and I have not had any s/s of withdraw. Lauren and I just want our sexy back, to feel confident and get to a place to achieve our other life goals. We want a family one day and I am continuing with school and she is also seeking her path. This accomplishment is going to really put us a few steps ahead. The confidence we need to continue to put one foot in front of the other.
It isn't what you're thinking, unless of course you knew that was my last name, Box that is. This is the seventh day of 2013. The seventh day without a cigarette and the seventh day I have abstained from dairy and all meat with the exception of Salmon. I grew up mostly vegetarian. I had to ask permission to eat meat if I was staying at a friend's house. This was is in the 80's before the real dangers of meat consumption exploded in the media. My mom just had a sixth sense about it, I guess. I would envy friends whose parents would take them to Mcdonald's or Pizza Hut. We ate out once or twice a year and it was one item off the taco bell menu or an authentic mexican restaurant, again one item. My mom orders water with lemon and no ice anytime we would go anywhere, and yes, in case you are wondering that hasn't changed. It aids in digestion and absorption. So I was healthy weight around 140 and I am 5'10 until I hit 19. I had for two years tried every fast food joint known to man and olive garden was my second home. I couldn't get enough, not to mention my soda addiction. I would consume at least 2 liters a day. I gained about thirty pounds and maintained for about five years. At the age of 25 I moved into a small one bedroom apartment and started cooking all of my meals, gave up sugar, milk, and refined carbohydrates. I did this all without the conscious decision to diet or lose weight. I also hiked anywhere from 13 to 23 miles a weekend when the snakes weren't out. I did yoga. Life was good. One day I woke up and realized I was 150 pounds and my year of spiritual retreat inside my apartment had come to an end. I literally worked, read spiritual books, meditated, did yoga, juiced, and occasionally had friends over for hummus, veggies, imported beer, and conversation. That was my only real connection to the outside chaos. Friends started to notice the changes and I was starting to itch for some excitement and for me that was the bar. I dated, Lauren and I met and it was as if we had known one another for ever. I instantly loved her, but had no clue we would end up being more than best friends. We were both seeing other people at the time. One thing led to another and we were locked at the hip in more ways than one. We were inseparable. A year of adventure and happiness happened and then the drop off. We both decided that pizza multiple times a week and an 18 pack of beer each weekend was a super fantastic idea, not to mention the added bonus of more time to spend in bed. For the next two years we would both struggle with weight, smoking, balance, stress, and more was piled on my plate when I was accepted to Nursing school. I just graduated in December. I take my boards next month. My goal is for this year to be different, better than it ever was before, because now we have hindsight and know what it is like to truly struggle, feel powerless, and lose perceived control. This year my goals are to lose weight, have more energy, find my way back to doing yoga, trying out some alternative methods of relaxation and healing, which I will write about. So I should probably talk a little bit about how I am feeling. I feel great. I have had minor cravings that are fleeting, no withdraw symptoms, and I hope to keep it that way. If it gets tough. I am prepared to stick it out. I am currently eating about 1200 to 1400 calories. My heaviest was 210. I started day one at 202.7 and am now 197.7. My goal weight is 150 to 155. I also hope to have adopted some better coping mechanisms. In later posts I will talk a little about anxiety, but for now know that I am taking an SSRI, low dose and a benzo at night for insomnia/acute anxiety. That may also be why my mood is much improved and I have not had any s/s of withdraw. Lauren and I just want our sexy back, to feel confident and get to a place to achieve our other life goals. We want a family one day and I am continuing with school and she is also seeking her path. This accomplishment is going to really put us a few steps ahead. The confidence we need to continue to put one foot in front of the other.
A brief(ish) Introduction
LAUREN
My name is Lauren... obviously. I am currently on day 7 of a juice fast. I'm also on day 7 of not smoking. I literally haven't eaten anything this whole year. Get it? Because it's day 7 of 2013. My girlfriend, Ginger, and I have been struggling to get healthy and back to our goal weights for about 3 years. When we first met, we both felt confident and sexy, and we loved taking pictures of ourselves. Now, we rarely take pictures, and if we do I'm behind the camera. My thing is that before i met Ginger, i was sick for 3 years. I was overweight all through my life, and at age 21 I had gastric bypass surgery. It went the opposite of great. I was basically sick and dying for years. I went from 303 lbs. to 120 lbs. I'm 5'10 so at that weight, i looked sickly. I had the bypass reversed the summer of 2009 and had gained a bit of weight back by the time i met Ginger later that fall. I felt overweight and not so confident. Looking back, I actually looked extremely healthy and attractive. When I was sick, i could barely eat anything. And when I did eat, I'd usually end up throwing it back up. Once I had the surgery reversed and was able to eat, I started gaining my weight back steadily. Ginger had lost a bunch of weight and gotten down to a healthy 150-ish, but slowly her lifestyle absorbed into mine and we both became fat and unhealthy. We've had fits and starts trying to get onto a healthy eating plan, quit smoking, all that fun stuff. But this finally feels like it's going to work. It feels like the right time, and I've never had so much motivation. We're each going about it a little differently, though. After watching "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", I decided to do a juice fast for 60 days. Most people upon hearing this think I'm starving myself or that it's just a temporary weight loss solution. I'm actually doing this to drop a significant amount of weight, then gradually introduce fruits & veggies, then grains, beans, etc. Once I'm back to eating fully, I plan on eating a whole food, plant-based diet. I'm going to re-teach myself how to eat to live, not live to eat. It starts with the juice fast. The first 4 days I was in such a fog, I couldn't have blogged. I had no energy, no motivation, and had to take time off work to just lay in bed and get through it. My head was fuzzy constantly, and I just didn't feel like myself. I got through that, and now I'm having more energy. I'm back to being more me. I started off at 321.5 lbs. That number actually shocked me. I never weigh myself, but I thought I knew I was hovering right around 300. That's the heaviest I've ever been. As of this morning, I was down to 306 lbs. 15.5 lbs. in 7 days is pretty awesome. Once I dip below the 300 mark, I'm probably going to have a mini dance party in my bathroom. I miss looking in the mirror, giving myself a little wink, and having that confidence of walking into a room having zero anxiety about what people think about me. I miss me. So yes. I'm completely dedicated to this journey. So is Ginger. We thought it would be beneficial to journal how we feel most days to keep a record and have a place to vent.
Just FYI, right now I'm juicing Kale, Spinach, Apples, Green Cabbage, Cucumber, and a Lime. It's actually quite refreshing and delicious.
Today was my first day back at work, and I did have a couple moments of "Oh, Christ. This is hard. I want to eat something, anything." You don't realize how much just the act of eating is so important until you drink every meal. I never did think seriously about giving up, though. That's the awesome. I really am more committed to this than to anything I can remember. Of course, as I type this, Ginger is making salmon patties which smell amazing and make my stomach feel 35 times more empty. But it's worth it. I'm ready to get back to life and start participating again.
So that's where I'm at. Mostly at the just-trying-to-get-through-it phase. But happier each day. Here's to day 8 and beyond. I'll try to get Ginger to do her intro soon. I like this joint blogging adventure.
My name is Lauren... obviously. I am currently on day 7 of a juice fast. I'm also on day 7 of not smoking. I literally haven't eaten anything this whole year. Get it? Because it's day 7 of 2013. My girlfriend, Ginger, and I have been struggling to get healthy and back to our goal weights for about 3 years. When we first met, we both felt confident and sexy, and we loved taking pictures of ourselves. Now, we rarely take pictures, and if we do I'm behind the camera. My thing is that before i met Ginger, i was sick for 3 years. I was overweight all through my life, and at age 21 I had gastric bypass surgery. It went the opposite of great. I was basically sick and dying for years. I went from 303 lbs. to 120 lbs. I'm 5'10 so at that weight, i looked sickly. I had the bypass reversed the summer of 2009 and had gained a bit of weight back by the time i met Ginger later that fall. I felt overweight and not so confident. Looking back, I actually looked extremely healthy and attractive. When I was sick, i could barely eat anything. And when I did eat, I'd usually end up throwing it back up. Once I had the surgery reversed and was able to eat, I started gaining my weight back steadily. Ginger had lost a bunch of weight and gotten down to a healthy 150-ish, but slowly her lifestyle absorbed into mine and we both became fat and unhealthy. We've had fits and starts trying to get onto a healthy eating plan, quit smoking, all that fun stuff. But this finally feels like it's going to work. It feels like the right time, and I've never had so much motivation. We're each going about it a little differently, though. After watching "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead", I decided to do a juice fast for 60 days. Most people upon hearing this think I'm starving myself or that it's just a temporary weight loss solution. I'm actually doing this to drop a significant amount of weight, then gradually introduce fruits & veggies, then grains, beans, etc. Once I'm back to eating fully, I plan on eating a whole food, plant-based diet. I'm going to re-teach myself how to eat to live, not live to eat. It starts with the juice fast. The first 4 days I was in such a fog, I couldn't have blogged. I had no energy, no motivation, and had to take time off work to just lay in bed and get through it. My head was fuzzy constantly, and I just didn't feel like myself. I got through that, and now I'm having more energy. I'm back to being more me. I started off at 321.5 lbs. That number actually shocked me. I never weigh myself, but I thought I knew I was hovering right around 300. That's the heaviest I've ever been. As of this morning, I was down to 306 lbs. 15.5 lbs. in 7 days is pretty awesome. Once I dip below the 300 mark, I'm probably going to have a mini dance party in my bathroom. I miss looking in the mirror, giving myself a little wink, and having that confidence of walking into a room having zero anxiety about what people think about me. I miss me. So yes. I'm completely dedicated to this journey. So is Ginger. We thought it would be beneficial to journal how we feel most days to keep a record and have a place to vent.
Just FYI, right now I'm juicing Kale, Spinach, Apples, Green Cabbage, Cucumber, and a Lime. It's actually quite refreshing and delicious.
Today was my first day back at work, and I did have a couple moments of "Oh, Christ. This is hard. I want to eat something, anything." You don't realize how much just the act of eating is so important until you drink every meal. I never did think seriously about giving up, though. That's the awesome. I really am more committed to this than to anything I can remember. Of course, as I type this, Ginger is making salmon patties which smell amazing and make my stomach feel 35 times more empty. But it's worth it. I'm ready to get back to life and start participating again.
So that's where I'm at. Mostly at the just-trying-to-get-through-it phase. But happier each day. Here's to day 8 and beyond. I'll try to get Ginger to do her intro soon. I like this joint blogging adventure.
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