I am in perfect health!
After a recent trip to the doctor, I thought to myself, "I feel well and healthy". But "Am I really healthy?" was the question really that I should be asking.
So I went to the doctor again. I told him that I wanted to have blood work done. This was a tremendously fearful decision for me as I have fainted in the past from blood tests and even TB tests. But I decided to be brave. I thought to myself, the need to know how my health was, trumped my fear of passing out. I told the doctor that if he was going to take my blood he might as well run all the tests and be able to have a complete workup of what is going on in my body.
Although I cannot remember the names of all of the tests, I do know that it included cholesterol, A1C, CBC, thyroid, PSA, and I think a couple of others. I wanted to know everything related to my health.
Well, the results came in, only a couple of hours ago actually. Every item on the list was in the normal range except for one and according to the doctor, the variance in that one subset was insignificant. What a blessing this is! I thank the Good Lord for His grace and mercy and blessing.
You see, at one point my cholesterol (LDL) was over 350. And my triglycerides were over 790. It was either 790, 860, for 960. I can't remember. Suffice it to say, it was really crazy high and I was very unhealthy. And my A1C was high enough to be basically considered diabetic.
Now these numbers have all dropped. My LDL went from 350 to 182. 182!! It has never, ever been that low. My triglycerides fell dramatically as well. And my A1C dropped to a place where I would be out of the diabetic spectrum. WOW, can you imagine!!
Amazing to think that just through two months of being tough on myself and drinking nothing but soup broth, (which in hindsight was a pretty simple and low price to pay for good health) I have such a tremendous health. An enormous blessing that I never expected to see.
I am telling you. Losing this weight has changed, and saved, my life in ways that I never could have imagined. Truthfully, it was the catalyst to change so many other areas of myself.
So with that, I can say that I lost 45 pounds, quickly, and I have maintained it, easily, and have improved my health. Outstanding!! Let's rejoice together. I hope that this gives others motivation to make changes in their own lives to IMPROVE!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Friday, December 12, 2014
Nearly 25,000 posts. WOW!!
Ok so if you have been following you might know this, but here's the deal in a nutshell.
I lost 30 pounds in less than 2 months. I've kept it off for more than a year, and I'm healthier than at any point in my life. And almost 25,000 people have read about this from all over the world. Crazy huh?
As the great old hymn says, "I love to tell the story.."
I love to tell the story of successful, and maintained, weight loss. A very nice lady came into the restaurant where I work last night. We had a conversation so similar to those I've had with many others.
So this lady came in but I want to share with you a bit about my job. I work as a waiter at a great restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara called Benchmark. (look it up, it's pretty cool). Anyway, I find that I walk a lot there. I mean a whole lot, and very quickly, for about 5 hours. While walking all over the place, I find myself carrying plates that are very thick and overtly heavy for their size. And with hearty portions of food aboard. It is a very physical job, but a job that I love. There is no way, that I could have performed this job before. I would have been exhausted. I don't know how far could one walk, at a good clip, in 5 hours, but it has to be pretty far. That's what I do probably 4-5 days a week. But often before or after my shift, I can often be found walking around the pretty and well decorated shops on State Street. And what about the plates, and glasses of water, and the dish racks of glasses, and the buckets of ice. And do you have any idea how heavy large trays of butter knives can be? I mean why with all of our technology can we not manufacture hollow butter knives?
This work load has had a significant effect on me physically. For the first time in my life...ever, I actually have muscles in my arms. They're not huge, but I'm not a huge guy. But they are bigger than they have ever been before that's for sure. And I'm fit. That statement, "I'm fit" is one that I haven't been able to say that in good faith for well over 25 years.
So, back to telling the story of the lady at the restaurant..... Last night I had an opportunity to discuss my recent weight loss with a customer. I told her that I lost the weight fast while fasting on soup broth and she brought up a familiar and common question. Weren't you hungry? And her friend had another common question to ask as a follow up to my response.
I asked them if they were hungry before they came into the restaurant just now. Obviously they were. And so to stop their hunger from overtaking them, they sat down and ate. But surely they would be hungry again, unless they ate again. They would only be hungry when they didn't consume some form of sustenance.
The soup broth diet was the same way. I was only hungry when I didn't consume some delicious, well flavored, nutritious soup broth. But when I was hungry, I consumed my homemade broth.
Following up with my answer her "dinner date" (love that old midcentury term) wanted to clarify that she got this right. "So, nothing but soup broth, 3 times a day, for a month?" she asked. I told her that I'd have it like 10 times a day, or 20 times, or whatever. There really wasn't a limit on how much I could have. No prescribed time of ingestion. I was only hungry out of choice or of my own neglect.
I'd drink broth as others might drink coffee I guess. Oh, or pardon me, perhaps I should say "tea" for those who might live under the Royal Britannia. And if I had the broth often enough, I wasn't really hungry. Every time that I had a mug or bowl of soup broth, any hunger that I had was satisfied completely.
It's a quite amazing story if I do say so myself.
Well, I'm literally leaving for "Benchmark eatery" as we speak. I'l be sure to write more and perhaps have a surprise for my 25,000th anniversary. "Come and see."
I lost 30 pounds in less than 2 months. I've kept it off for more than a year, and I'm healthier than at any point in my life. And almost 25,000 people have read about this from all over the world. Crazy huh?
As the great old hymn says, "I love to tell the story.."
I love to tell the story of successful, and maintained, weight loss. A very nice lady came into the restaurant where I work last night. We had a conversation so similar to those I've had with many others.
So this lady came in but I want to share with you a bit about my job. I work as a waiter at a great restaurant in downtown Santa Barbara called Benchmark. (look it up, it's pretty cool). Anyway, I find that I walk a lot there. I mean a whole lot, and very quickly, for about 5 hours. While walking all over the place, I find myself carrying plates that are very thick and overtly heavy for their size. And with hearty portions of food aboard. It is a very physical job, but a job that I love. There is no way, that I could have performed this job before. I would have been exhausted. I don't know how far could one walk, at a good clip, in 5 hours, but it has to be pretty far. That's what I do probably 4-5 days a week. But often before or after my shift, I can often be found walking around the pretty and well decorated shops on State Street. And what about the plates, and glasses of water, and the dish racks of glasses, and the buckets of ice. And do you have any idea how heavy large trays of butter knives can be? I mean why with all of our technology can we not manufacture hollow butter knives?
This work load has had a significant effect on me physically. For the first time in my life...ever, I actually have muscles in my arms. They're not huge, but I'm not a huge guy. But they are bigger than they have ever been before that's for sure. And I'm fit. That statement, "I'm fit" is one that I haven't been able to say that in good faith for well over 25 years.
So, back to telling the story of the lady at the restaurant..... Last night I had an opportunity to discuss my recent weight loss with a customer. I told her that I lost the weight fast while fasting on soup broth and she brought up a familiar and common question. Weren't you hungry? And her friend had another common question to ask as a follow up to my response.
I asked them if they were hungry before they came into the restaurant just now. Obviously they were. And so to stop their hunger from overtaking them, they sat down and ate. But surely they would be hungry again, unless they ate again. They would only be hungry when they didn't consume some form of sustenance.
The soup broth diet was the same way. I was only hungry when I didn't consume some delicious, well flavored, nutritious soup broth. But when I was hungry, I consumed my homemade broth.
Following up with my answer her "dinner date" (love that old midcentury term) wanted to clarify that she got this right. "So, nothing but soup broth, 3 times a day, for a month?" she asked. I told her that I'd have it like 10 times a day, or 20 times, or whatever. There really wasn't a limit on how much I could have. No prescribed time of ingestion. I was only hungry out of choice or of my own neglect.
I'd drink broth as others might drink coffee I guess. Oh, or pardon me, perhaps I should say "tea" for those who might live under the Royal Britannia. And if I had the broth often enough, I wasn't really hungry. Every time that I had a mug or bowl of soup broth, any hunger that I had was satisfied completely.
It's a quite amazing story if I do say so myself.
Well, I'm literally leaving for "Benchmark eatery" as we speak. I'l be sure to write more and perhaps have a surprise for my 25,000th anniversary. "Come and see."
Monday, December 8, 2014
The Journey continues: Part 3 Improvement sees all different forms
Talking about weight loss, losing weight, and being in a state of actually losing weight, is a past, present, and future idea. People "talk" and "think" about the possibility of future weight loss. The hope that it will provide for them a new life. But it is so hard to accurately judge the future, it changes all of the time. Sounds very much like something Yoda would say.
The journey continues with the improvement of my mental faculties and my attitude
The journey continues with the improvement of my mental faculties and my attitude
Sunday, November 16, 2014
20,000 views for 45 pounds
Blow's my mind: 20,000
I never imagined that so many people would read this. 20 grand, dang, that's pretty cool. Of course, I don't know how many people revisit this blog and actually read each post like a story and how many read it once and then not again. But for those of you who actually read along....thanks! That's pretty cool of you. :-)
But the 45 pounds part still seems a bit unreal. The part that is hard to wrap my mind around is that I was actually THAT big. I found a pic from August just before I started the broth fast. Pretty shocking that I was actually that big. Thank God that I didn't die. That was just so crazy unhealthy. I remember having difficulty catching my breath at times and now, that is completely gone.
As you may know, I work as a waiter now. I walk...a lot. I walk briskly through our good sized restaurant, non-stop, for about 4-6 hours everyday that I work. That would have been impossible before. Actually, taking the job at the restaurant was a great decision. It keeps me fit and has increased my strength. My arms have gained more muscle that they ever had. Now to be honest, that's not saying too much. :-) My sweet, darling wife tells me that she likes how I look. It's very nice to hear from your loved one that you look physically attractive. Yesterday, I worked from 11;30 until 6:00 and never stopped for more than a few moments. I'd stop walking long enough to enter an order on the computer screen at work, and then off I go to some table or back to the kitchen. After work I wasn't done for the day physically. And I found myself a bit disappointed that my bride and I didn't just walk over to our friends' house for a dinner party a few blocks over.
The point is: After losing the weight, I have a new, restarted life. Do you need a fresh start? "Do you need a fresh start?" That's a good title for a blog post. What do you think?
Hey!! Drop me a note to say hi. Ask me anything that you want.
NEW?? try starting at the first post. It's fun, kind of like reading a book
I never imagined that so many people would read this. 20 grand, dang, that's pretty cool. Of course, I don't know how many people revisit this blog and actually read each post like a story and how many read it once and then not again. But for those of you who actually read along....thanks! That's pretty cool of you. :-)
But the 45 pounds part still seems a bit unreal. The part that is hard to wrap my mind around is that I was actually THAT big. I found a pic from August just before I started the broth fast. Pretty shocking that I was actually that big. Thank God that I didn't die. That was just so crazy unhealthy. I remember having difficulty catching my breath at times and now, that is completely gone.
As you may know, I work as a waiter now. I walk...a lot. I walk briskly through our good sized restaurant, non-stop, for about 4-6 hours everyday that I work. That would have been impossible before. Actually, taking the job at the restaurant was a great decision. It keeps me fit and has increased my strength. My arms have gained more muscle that they ever had. Now to be honest, that's not saying too much. :-) My sweet, darling wife tells me that she likes how I look. It's very nice to hear from your loved one that you look physically attractive. Yesterday, I worked from 11;30 until 6:00 and never stopped for more than a few moments. I'd stop walking long enough to enter an order on the computer screen at work, and then off I go to some table or back to the kitchen. After work I wasn't done for the day physically. And I found myself a bit disappointed that my bride and I didn't just walk over to our friends' house for a dinner party a few blocks over.
The point is: After losing the weight, I have a new, restarted life. Do you need a fresh start? "Do you need a fresh start?" That's a good title for a blog post. What do you think?
Hey!! Drop me a note to say hi. Ask me anything that you want.
NEW?? try starting at the first post. It's fun, kind of like reading a book
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Change is good, improvement is better -- or --- Why I keep changing my iPhone apps
Change is a good thing....sometimes. What I have been looking for is a change in health but that importantly includes mental health. But change is not always as positive or lasting as we might hope.
My focus has been on improvement, not just random change. How can I improve? What is it that I can do better? I find myself asking these questions of myself on a daily basis...more than on a daily basis. My goal is improvement. Not by someone else's standards but my own.
I used to be pretty darn grouchy, often. Although there are probably multiple reasons for this, all of this grouchiness stemmed from a poor self-image.
Poor self-image is probably to most dangerous and destructive part of my life. I don't think that I ever had a solid understanding of who I really was as a person. The big reason was that I was trying to constantly seek approval from others, feeling that If I am receiving their approval, I would have evidence that I was actually a good person. Looking for approval from the outside rather than from within. By the way, that doesn't work. Believe me. It really doesn't work. I had to change this.
So with a measured process in place, I began the changes that when focused in the right direction, leads to improvement. My negative thinking about myself and consequently everybody else had to change. My fear of rejection had to change. My fear of "getting in trouble" had to change. My fear of making mistakes had to change. The self-loathing had to change. My constant feelings of misery and impending doom had to change. All of this has one thing in common. Negative thinking.
So although I didn't want to see change unfocused, lacking direction, I knew that if I kept thinking as I was thinking, I would keep getting what I had been getting. We all need to consider this. But for me, I needed to make changes, and almost any change at all was acceptable. Random and radical change would change from those ingrained patterns of disapproval. So changes I made.
I have very intentionally changed my thinking in a lot of areas of my life. Brain research tells us that we develop ruts in the way we mentally process things. So to avoid thinking the same way, I needed to stop thinking the same way. To change that, I would be very careful to not go down the same mental paths that lead to a broken Mike. I had to change it up. I changed the way I did lots of things. I drink room temperature water as opposed to having ice. I switched from darker beers to lighter beers. I switched from KFC to kale. I take as different a path as I can to get from point A to point B. I would intentionally rearrange my apps on my iphone, forcing my brain to go and look for the app and not just go to it without thinking.
This is change but the goal is improvement. At least now the vehicle, so to speak, is moving in a different direction which makes it a whole lot easier to steer as I go down the road to life.
Special thanks to Melissa in China for following this blog. Thank you for your kind comments.
IMPROVE!!
My focus has been on improvement, not just random change. How can I improve? What is it that I can do better? I find myself asking these questions of myself on a daily basis...more than on a daily basis. My goal is improvement. Not by someone else's standards but my own.
I used to be pretty darn grouchy, often. Although there are probably multiple reasons for this, all of this grouchiness stemmed from a poor self-image.
Poor self-image is probably to most dangerous and destructive part of my life. I don't think that I ever had a solid understanding of who I really was as a person. The big reason was that I was trying to constantly seek approval from others, feeling that If I am receiving their approval, I would have evidence that I was actually a good person. Looking for approval from the outside rather than from within. By the way, that doesn't work. Believe me. It really doesn't work. I had to change this.
So with a measured process in place, I began the changes that when focused in the right direction, leads to improvement. My negative thinking about myself and consequently everybody else had to change. My fear of rejection had to change. My fear of "getting in trouble" had to change. My fear of making mistakes had to change. The self-loathing had to change. My constant feelings of misery and impending doom had to change. All of this has one thing in common. Negative thinking.
So although I didn't want to see change unfocused, lacking direction, I knew that if I kept thinking as I was thinking, I would keep getting what I had been getting. We all need to consider this. But for me, I needed to make changes, and almost any change at all was acceptable. Random and radical change would change from those ingrained patterns of disapproval. So changes I made.
I have very intentionally changed my thinking in a lot of areas of my life. Brain research tells us that we develop ruts in the way we mentally process things. So to avoid thinking the same way, I needed to stop thinking the same way. To change that, I would be very careful to not go down the same mental paths that lead to a broken Mike. I had to change it up. I changed the way I did lots of things. I drink room temperature water as opposed to having ice. I switched from darker beers to lighter beers. I switched from KFC to kale. I take as different a path as I can to get from point A to point B. I would intentionally rearrange my apps on my iphone, forcing my brain to go and look for the app and not just go to it without thinking.
This is change but the goal is improvement. At least now the vehicle, so to speak, is moving in a different direction which makes it a whole lot easier to steer as I go down the road to life.
Special thanks to Melissa in China for following this blog. Thank you for your kind comments.
IMPROVE!!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Mental and emotional changes
I'm not sure if it was the weight loss that caused my mind to think more clearly (gosh that sounds so new age'y) or if the weight loss was the catalyst that I needed to give me the permission to change....not really change but IMPROVE.
It really doesn't matter. The point is, I have changed my Stinkin' Thinkin'. And have made a conscience effort to analyze my patterns and look at those that have been negative, and damaging, and unproductive. I have also examined my relationships as well. Here's what I found.
I have had a horrible self-image for a very long time. A lot of that comes from many, many years of having individuals in my life who are filled with negative remarks about me. But my part in all of this is the accepting of their unkind comments and judgements. I fully accepted this as gospel truth.
Furthermore, I have put way to much effort into maintaining relationships with "friends" and associates who are happy to be kind and supportive to me when everything is great and they need my help. But as soon as I have any challenge or struggle, they have distanced themselves and been downright unkind.
The question that I had to ask was, "why am I trying to maintain relationships with people who like me so Conditionally". Love should be UNconditional. It is not healthy for me to put so much effort into receiving votes of approval.
I've realized that I am who I am. That is how God made me. Now that said, accepting mediocrity in oneself is never good either. But the motivation to IMPROVE needs to come from within. I've learned that looking for acceptance and approval from outside of myself and needing that approval to feel good about myself is destructive and counterproductive.
Realizing this, I knew that I needed to question and analyze why I am putting so much effort and stress into maintaining such tenuous relationships with people who view me as a marginal friend.
It has been a very good and helpful cleansing of my life. It has been very helpful and healthy to ask myself why I seek approval from others, especially those that I don't really like, or have treated me in an unkind way.
I have to say, I feel much, much better. I am more at peace and my self-image has improved considerably. Also through this, I have learned who the people are that genuinely love me for who I am, warts and all.
Much more to share soon.
Please subscribe if possible. It is helpful to know that someone is actually reading and following this.
Mike
It really doesn't matter. The point is, I have changed my Stinkin' Thinkin'. And have made a conscience effort to analyze my patterns and look at those that have been negative, and damaging, and unproductive. I have also examined my relationships as well. Here's what I found.
I have had a horrible self-image for a very long time. A lot of that comes from many, many years of having individuals in my life who are filled with negative remarks about me. But my part in all of this is the accepting of their unkind comments and judgements. I fully accepted this as gospel truth.
Furthermore, I have put way to much effort into maintaining relationships with "friends" and associates who are happy to be kind and supportive to me when everything is great and they need my help. But as soon as I have any challenge or struggle, they have distanced themselves and been downright unkind.
The question that I had to ask was, "why am I trying to maintain relationships with people who like me so Conditionally". Love should be UNconditional. It is not healthy for me to put so much effort into receiving votes of approval.
I've realized that I am who I am. That is how God made me. Now that said, accepting mediocrity in oneself is never good either. But the motivation to IMPROVE needs to come from within. I've learned that looking for acceptance and approval from outside of myself and needing that approval to feel good about myself is destructive and counterproductive.
Realizing this, I knew that I needed to question and analyze why I am putting so much effort and stress into maintaining such tenuous relationships with people who view me as a marginal friend.
It has been a very good and helpful cleansing of my life. It has been very helpful and healthy to ask myself why I seek approval from others, especially those that I don't really like, or have treated me in an unkind way.
I have to say, I feel much, much better. I am more at peace and my self-image has improved considerably. Also through this, I have learned who the people are that genuinely love me for who I am, warts and all.
Much more to share soon.
Please subscribe if possible. It is helpful to know that someone is actually reading and following this.
Mike
ONE YEAR !!! Please subscribe as a gift to me :-)
It's been one year since I started the 30 day broth fast and so much has changed in my life. Really.
It is so difficult to know where to start.
Yes I have lost weight and continued to do so with no effort. I know, that sounds like some infomercial on TV but it really is true. As you may remember, I lost 30 pounds in 60 days, but after 4 months of just eating properly, I was convinced that I must have gained some weight. After all, don't most people just gain it back? At that 4 month weigh-in, I found out that I didn't gain weight but instead I found that I lost 10 more. And now that it has been one full year, I have kept it off with little effort.
I started to be more active too. Wait, not like "I better start exercising" but more like, "I feel good and I want to go out and do something". I find myself bounding up flights of stairs and I took a job as a waiter which keeps me running for a few hours every day. I lift plates, which of course aren't really that heavy, but it has increased my strength and my physique. My wife notices and truthfully I notice as well when I look in the mirror. I used to dread taking off my shirt but now I'm kind of proud of how I look. I don't know if I have ever been this fit... at least not for the last 25 years, perhaps more.
But that is only part of the changes that I have seen. There has been huge changes in my mental persona. More on that in the next posting.....
It is so difficult to know where to start.
Yes I have lost weight and continued to do so with no effort. I know, that sounds like some infomercial on TV but it really is true. As you may remember, I lost 30 pounds in 60 days, but after 4 months of just eating properly, I was convinced that I must have gained some weight. After all, don't most people just gain it back? At that 4 month weigh-in, I found out that I didn't gain weight but instead I found that I lost 10 more. And now that it has been one full year, I have kept it off with little effort.
I started to be more active too. Wait, not like "I better start exercising" but more like, "I feel good and I want to go out and do something". I find myself bounding up flights of stairs and I took a job as a waiter which keeps me running for a few hours every day. I lift plates, which of course aren't really that heavy, but it has increased my strength and my physique. My wife notices and truthfully I notice as well when I look in the mirror. I used to dread taking off my shirt but now I'm kind of proud of how I look. I don't know if I have ever been this fit... at least not for the last 25 years, perhaps more.
But that is only part of the changes that I have seen. There has been huge changes in my mental persona. More on that in the next posting.....
Thursday, September 25, 2014
How life changes
How life changes is pretty amazing
I have seen such a tremendous amount of changes in my life. I have lost a total of about 40 pounds (43 seems too exact and implies that I watch the scale with a frantic anxiety). In truth after losing the first 30, any additional was inconsequential. I think that right now, I am at a great size....for me. I'm not a big guy. I have a small bone structure, wear size 7 shoes, and am all of 5' 7" tall, 5' 8" with heels. ;-)
How life has changed for me. As ethereal as it may sound, this
I have seen such a tremendous amount of changes in my life. I have lost a total of about 40 pounds (43 seems too exact and implies that I watch the scale with a frantic anxiety). In truth after losing the first 30, any additional was inconsequential. I think that right now, I am at a great size....for me. I'm not a big guy. I have a small bone structure, wear size 7 shoes, and am all of 5' 7" tall, 5' 8" with heels. ;-)
How life has changed for me. As ethereal as it may sound, this
Thursday, August 28, 2014
300 days
Today marks 300 days since I finished my 30 day broth fast.
For those interested in the numbers....I'm consistently under 140 pounds and have maintained this with little effort.
My mind is clearer....I know, that sounds like such a bunch of crap. People usually say such things in health food stores while holding a bottle for their favorite colonic, but it is true. I feel like I'm a new person. No, scratch that. I am a new person. I've re-done, re-thought, re-started, and repented of so many things in my life. I feel much, much better than I have at any point in my life. All because of the broth fast?? I'm not saying that this took place because of the broth fast, but it sure was the catalyst for these changes. My wife calls me Mike2.0.
More about this very soon. Many of you have read this blog, although sadly very few have "followed" or "subscribed". Throw some love my way and "Follow me"
For those interested in the numbers....I'm consistently under 140 pounds and have maintained this with little effort.
My mind is clearer....I know, that sounds like such a bunch of crap. People usually say such things in health food stores while holding a bottle for their favorite colonic, but it is true. I feel like I'm a new person. No, scratch that. I am a new person. I've re-done, re-thought, re-started, and repented of so many things in my life. I feel much, much better than I have at any point in my life. All because of the broth fast?? I'm not saying that this took place because of the broth fast, but it sure was the catalyst for these changes. My wife calls me Mike2.0.
More about this very soon. Many of you have read this blog, although sadly very few have "followed" or "subscribed". Throw some love my way and "Follow me"
6 Month Miracle
Hi Friends and Anyone who reads this,
On May 1st, 2014, I celebrated 6 months of keeping ALL of the weight off.
Quick recap, I lost a net 30 pounds in 60 days. The day that I mark as having "completed" my personal weight loss was November 1st. On that day I had lost all of the weight that I wanted. So, May 1st marks the date where I kept it all off for half a year.
Yahoo!! "And the crowd goes wild"...at least in my little head.
I still love telling this story. Since I travel a lot for my work as a consultant with schools and businesses to different locations all over the US, I find myself alone but easily meeting people. It's an easy thing to talk about. I find that it seems like new "friends" are happier to listen than share. Really many people are interested in weight loss.
30 day broth fast---The kick your ass but get it done weight loss method
I'll write more soon as so much has changed.
On May 1st, 2014, I celebrated 6 months of keeping ALL of the weight off.
Quick recap, I lost a net 30 pounds in 60 days. The day that I mark as having "completed" my personal weight loss was November 1st. On that day I had lost all of the weight that I wanted. So, May 1st marks the date where I kept it all off for half a year.
Yahoo!! "And the crowd goes wild"...at least in my little head.
I still love telling this story. Since I travel a lot for my work as a consultant with schools and businesses to different locations all over the US, I find myself alone but easily meeting people. It's an easy thing to talk about. I find that it seems like new "friends" are happier to listen than share. Really many people are interested in weight loss.
30 day broth fast---The kick your ass but get it done weight loss method
I'll write more soon as so much has changed.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
The Journey Continues --- Part 2
The Journey Continues --- Part 2
After spending about a week and a half on the road, I had a dear friend offer to allow me to stay in his home in Ocean City, NJ. This was a perfect location for me as 3 of the 4 schools with whom I would be working were within an hour drive from Ocean City.
Ocean City is November is not exactly a booming metropolis. It was very mellow and laid back. I liked my time there but found that most of the restaurants are seasonal thus limiting my choices significantly for food options. I did manage to find a great Chinese restaurant that made food from scratch and was willing to make great meals without starches, MSG, or even sugar. It was a very small restaurant with a total of only 3 tables. They were predominantly set up for "Take Out". I ate delicious spicy eggplant, duck, chicken and vegetables, etc. I think that I ate there 5-7 times while I was in town. The nice thing was that the food was healthy and good tasting and allowed me to stay within my diet.
As I was away for about two weeks at this point, I began to wonder about how much weight I had gained. I did not have access to a scale so it was really an unknown. I felt like I was eating a lot, especially a lot of nuts. I was eating properly, but I was quite sure that I had gained far more than 5 pounds. I told myself not to worry about it, but I did. After all that I had been through to lose this much weight, to just gain a great deal of it back was a disturbing idea for sure. I told myself that I would not weigh myself until I returned back to California. With only a week to go, I felt that I could wait until I returned to find out if this was successful.
We'll see.
After spending about a week and a half on the road, I had a dear friend offer to allow me to stay in his home in Ocean City, NJ. This was a perfect location for me as 3 of the 4 schools with whom I would be working were within an hour drive from Ocean City.
Ocean City is November is not exactly a booming metropolis. It was very mellow and laid back. I liked my time there but found that most of the restaurants are seasonal thus limiting my choices significantly for food options. I did manage to find a great Chinese restaurant that made food from scratch and was willing to make great meals without starches, MSG, or even sugar. It was a very small restaurant with a total of only 3 tables. They were predominantly set up for "Take Out". I ate delicious spicy eggplant, duck, chicken and vegetables, etc. I think that I ate there 5-7 times while I was in town. The nice thing was that the food was healthy and good tasting and allowed me to stay within my diet.
As I was away for about two weeks at this point, I began to wonder about how much weight I had gained. I did not have access to a scale so it was really an unknown. I felt like I was eating a lot, especially a lot of nuts. I was eating properly, but I was quite sure that I had gained far more than 5 pounds. I told myself not to worry about it, but I did. After all that I had been through to lose this much weight, to just gain a great deal of it back was a disturbing idea for sure. I told myself that I would not weigh myself until I returned back to California. With only a week to go, I felt that I could wait until I returned to find out if this was successful.
We'll see.
The Journey Continues Part 1
The Journey Continues --- Part 1
I know that I haven't written in a while, and wow do I have some updates for you.
So after I finished the second broth fast, I left for Chicago, Baltimore, Philly, and Ocean City, NJ. In total, I expected to be gone about 3 weeks.
The first thing that I needed to do was properly transition to a solid diet properly. Simply, I strictly stuck to nothing at all but nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and lentils for two full days. It was stressed to me the importance of this, and this time, I was committed to make this transition as smooth as possible. The last time it went ok but I would say that it was flawless, but I did not stick so closely to the recommended transition diet. That first time, I found that there was a little "rumbly in my tumbly" as Winnie-the-Pooh would say (stomach cramps). This time it went perfectly. Completely unremarkable.
Then the challenge came of eating well on the road. Dr. Saunders told me that if I ate properly, I could expect to see an increase of about 5 pounds. I really did not want to gain more than 5 pound. I lost a grand total of 35 and I was ok with a net loss of 30. That would give me a weight of 150 pounds which is a good weight for my height and bone structure.
In Chicagoland I found plenty of high quality, healthy choices. I had nice chicken, fish, and beef dishes and plenty of vegetarian options. I can't believe that I'm going to say this but I find myself drawn to good vegetarian options. That was not something that I expected to say. I was told that my taste buds would change and apparently they did.
After nearly a week in the beautiful town of Napersville, IL, I flew out to Baltimore to spend time with schools in southern Maryland, and 4 places in New Jersey. Eating on the road can be quite difficult, but doesn't have to be. At almost every restaurant there is some choice that fits my new eating plan. I can eat pretty much anything except starches and sugars. It's easier than one might think.
One thing I learned was that not all areas have readily accessible healthy food choices. It's there, it just was a bit harder to find. But I was determined to eat healthy food. I always found something.
I know that I haven't written in a while, and wow do I have some updates for you.
So after I finished the second broth fast, I left for Chicago, Baltimore, Philly, and Ocean City, NJ. In total, I expected to be gone about 3 weeks.
The first thing that I needed to do was properly transition to a solid diet properly. Simply, I strictly stuck to nothing at all but nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and lentils for two full days. It was stressed to me the importance of this, and this time, I was committed to make this transition as smooth as possible. The last time it went ok but I would say that it was flawless, but I did not stick so closely to the recommended transition diet. That first time, I found that there was a little "rumbly in my tumbly" as Winnie-the-Pooh would say (stomach cramps). This time it went perfectly. Completely unremarkable.
Then the challenge came of eating well on the road. Dr. Saunders told me that if I ate properly, I could expect to see an increase of about 5 pounds. I really did not want to gain more than 5 pound. I lost a grand total of 35 and I was ok with a net loss of 30. That would give me a weight of 150 pounds which is a good weight for my height and bone structure.
In Chicagoland I found plenty of high quality, healthy choices. I had nice chicken, fish, and beef dishes and plenty of vegetarian options. I can't believe that I'm going to say this but I find myself drawn to good vegetarian options. That was not something that I expected to say. I was told that my taste buds would change and apparently they did.
After nearly a week in the beautiful town of Napersville, IL, I flew out to Baltimore to spend time with schools in southern Maryland, and 4 places in New Jersey. Eating on the road can be quite difficult, but doesn't have to be. At almost every restaurant there is some choice that fits my new eating plan. I can eat pretty much anything except starches and sugars. It's easier than one might think.
One thing I learned was that not all areas have readily accessible healthy food choices. It's there, it just was a bit harder to find. But I was determined to eat healthy food. I always found something.
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