Day 1b --- Full of fun...not really

Day 1 --- Full of fun...not really.

Day one (again) started on Tuesday October 22, 2013.  But the background was really on the day before.

The day began by taking my dear mother-in-law on a surprise trip to the hospital.  It was quite difficult for all of us, certainly hardest on her. After being released we needed to follow-up at home.  Suzy and I have needed to be available for her 24 hours a day.  I'm manning the post during the day, and Suzy has been there at night. Needless to say, I found myself very distracted and busy all day.

It was at about 10:00 PM last night, after the day of doctors, when I decided that I would start the fast in the morning.  I realized that if I'm going to do this again, it needs to be now.  The next chunk of available time would not be until January or perhaps a slight chance in December.  I know that Suzy would like to for me to be thinner, and I would for sure.  I'm just not there yet.  So, I decided that I would start in the morning.

The first, and most important, order of business was to make a soup for it's broth to drink. I knew that I shouldn't put it off until the morning so late last night I made a ham hock and white bean soup.  I thought that my wife and mother-in-law could enjoy the ham and beans, and I, the broth.  I also had made a chicken soup at my  mother-in-law's house on the Riviera the earlier in the day just to help her feel better.  I knew that I could have some of that broth as well.  I was off to a good start.

This was like the first day all over again.  I was completely fine except for the temptation to grab a handful of nuts or a cracker when I was hungry.  It was not bad though, just needing to re-train myself to consume broth when I'm hungry.  It really becomes a day of changing habits from eating solid foods to drinking liquid foods.

Overall a great day, just busy.

Revisiting the broth fast --or-- Here we go again

Revisiting the broth fast --or-- Here we go again

I was happy to have lost almost 27 pounds in 29 days but, and as expected, I gained 5 pounds back for a net loss of 22 pounds.  Dr. Saunders had told me that this would happen and said that it is normal to gain back about 5 pounds while maintaining a healthy diet. The key was "healthy" for me.   I can have pretty much anything.  That's how I choose to look at it.  I just can't have carbs and sugars, which I have to cut out anyway as I am nearly diabetic.  But pretty much everything else is ok, or ok within reason.  No soda at all, be really that is just being smart.  Soda is really bad for you, look it up if you want. Limited cheese, and stay away from milk.  The milk part is easy, but I really like cheese.  But it's fine, because I can have "enough" for me.  Of course if I just started eating like I did before, I would quite likely return to the same size and condition.   

But then....for one meal, every two weeks, I can eat whatever I want.  Anything is OK.  Carbs, sugar, whatever I want for one meal.  Even though I can "go crazy" But as it says in 1 Corinthians 10-23 "Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial".  How's that?  Got a little Bible in there, perhaps out of context.

I used to weigh 145, back at my healthiest.  I think that a the correct size for me would be between 145 and 150.  To do that, I need to lose about 15-20 pounds, knowing that I'm going to gain 5 pounds after I finish the broth fast.  Consequently, I need to fast for about 15 to 22 days.  I know that I can do it, it's just it would have been easier to have continued past day 29, when I ended.  I remember thinking, and probably writing, that I felt that I could easily go 40 days.  I know that I could have.  I found that I should have stayed on the fast longer.  

I've lost a net 22 pounds and I'm still too heavy. So, because I didn't hit my weight goal I need to do this again.  And before someone thinks, "what if he takes this too far?"  I have a specific goal and I also do not want to get too thin.  I wouldn't look good or be healthy if that happened. 

Oh well, this will be interesting to compare this time to last time.  Will it be easier the second time through because I now know what to expect?  Or will it be easier because I just cleansed myself for a month, only a few weeks ago, and have since been eating healthfully? Or will this be more difficult because it get's harder when there is less fat to lose?  I keep you posted.

So, the adventure begins again.  

Day 52 --- An update (Last 3 weeks)

Day 52 ---  Update

For the last few days since finishing my fast, I have been very busy. I went to Philadelphia , and Cherry Hill, with a quick run out to Atlantic City before leaving for Gettysburg, then up to Rochester, NY, next down to St. Charles County, Maryland, finally turning north to Washington DC, Philadelphia again, Atlantic City again, then up to Newark, NJ to fly home.  Arriving home I had a dear friend in town for a matter of about 9 hours total.  I played tour guide while setting up for a garage sale, to which we awoke the next morning.  Somehow I hurt my back during the sale, pretty significantly, and laid low the following day. Then off with Suzy to take her mom to the hospital for a freak accident but one that needed to be checked out.  Thank the good Lord, all appears completely fine. So, after a quick grocery run for my wife and mother-in-law, who will be together, or with me, for the better part of the next week, I made a chicken soup with Suzy and also some cooked gizzards, which is a real favorite for my mom-in-law.. It's been a whirlwind.  And that is the succinct version.  If anyone wants to know the details, post a comment and I'll get into it. 

Since I finished the fast, I have eating "normally" again.  I can eat almost anything, except starches and sugar.  That might sound like I have huge limitations but in truth I have been completely satisfied with this new diet.

But with all that stress and tension and stress, I have stuck to the doctor prescribed diet.  I only cheated one time. And even then, Dr. Saunders said to go for it, and I did.  I was going to be attending a Philadelphia Flyers game and while there I ate a cheese steak and half an ice cream.  It was delicious, but not all that much better than what I had been eating.

I've been able to have great salads with beef, turkey, chicken, and fish.  I've had lots of healthy food that I really enjoyed.  Perhaps it was the result of my taste buds changing from the fast, and perhaps it was just my appreciation for solid foods.

Either way, I'm happy, content, and healthy. 

Day 37 --- reflections and results of this fast

Day 37 – reflections and results

I've been wanting to take some time just to record how I have been feeling and the results that I have seen since I have completed this fast.

I remembered when I first started this reading reports of people who have done similar fasts. I kind of felt like they were overstating their results a bit perhaps to justify their actions. But I must say, I really do feel much better than I have in a long, long, long time

Some of my dear friends who are following this know that I have had a really rough go for quite a few years. It is hard to explain how great I feel now in comparison.

One of my biggest struggles was depression. That coupled with a very negative attitude. I'm not sure which one leads to which but certainly they both existed pretty significantly together, not too mention a significant amount of pain in my back, and some other things as well.  I was to the point where I could not maintain a normal life without getting medication. I was taking 60 mg of a particular antidepressant. I have to say that it did help and it had an unusually low degree of side effects. Just before starting this I decided I would try to cut back a little bit.  As I went through the 30 day broth fast, I kept cutting back on my meds. By the time I finished the fast I was down to 20 mg per day. I'm not sure I really even need that much but I don't want to mix things up too much at this time. 

The irony is that I'm feeling so wonderful. It would make sense that if I'm taking less of an antidepressant that I would be feeling more depressed but the exact opposite has been the case. I truly believe it's because of this diet and eating properly. I find that I am not tired during the day. I'm happy to stay up a little bit later than I might normally and I feel fine with less sleep than I had been getting prior to this fast. 

Additionally, and quite significantly, my self-image has gone up greatly. Although I have demonstrated a good degree of arrogance in the past, much of that was probably covering up my poor self image.  I remember speaking with a counselor once told me that I should look in the mirror and tell myself, "I love you". I thought that was a little odd and thought perhaps I would try it. I was unable to do finish the simple task. Now things have changed. I caught myself brushing my hair and looking at myself in the mirror and thinking, "you're okay", "you're doing alright". That is probably the most significant self-affirmation statement I feel like I have ever made in my life.

Perhaps all of this is too personal but there it is. Also my relationship with my wife has improved significantly. I find myself more in love with her than ever before. Amazing to think that we've been married 15 years and I feel like we're just beginning to date.  

Another result that I have seen is my quantity of food intake has dropped quite significantly. I have heard people say that your stomach shrinks. I don't know if that is true, but I do know that I am eating a whole lot less. Dr. Saunders told me that my taste buds would change. I found that a little bit hard to swallow. Yes, that is a pun.  But yet this morning at breakfast I ate two very large tomato slices. That may sound insignificant but I was that guy who really did not care for tomatoes. I am really enjoying the healthy fruits and vegetables and nuts. 

Overall, I kind of feel like a bit of a new person. I almost feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. But I have a feeling that losing this weight, and more importantly changing the way my body metabolizes foods, will be a way of life for me and not just a flash in the pan. The results have been so fantastic, that I would not want to take the chance of reverting back to my old and unhealthy diet. 

Overall, I'm doing great! I feel better than I have in years and years.

Day 36 --- wrapping up in New Jersey on my way to Pennsylvania

Date 36 --- Lots of travel from state to state

Today is Wednesday and I was supposed to be on my way to Pennsylvania today but decided to stick around for the morning to spend a little bit more time with the school in Cherry Hill. This ended up being a very good choice!  We had an excellent meeting. I thoroughly enjoy working with the school. Highway tells me I say that all the time.

While I was with to the members of the administrative team they mentioned a school somewhat nearby that need some help. They picked up the phone and called in a reference for me would sure warmed my heart.  I followed up with a phone call in the next thing I knew rather than driving west from Cherry Hill New Jersey I was driving east to the Atlantic Ocean. But I was thrilled to do this.

I ate very light Lee most of the day. Predominantly some nuts and a little bit of fruit. It wasn't that I felt restricted or like this was the only thing I could eat. In all honesty I really didn't want anything else. I was completely satisfied. I didn't really want to stop nor did I feel like I was being deprived. This was my choice. One that I was completely satisfied by making.

After my meeting on the coast, I turned around and drove west to Gettysburg Pennsylvania. It is such an amazingly historic area. For dinner I had a Greek salad. This was a salad of greens, Kalamata olives, a little bit of feta cheese, some pinenuts, and all served with some homemade vinaigrette on the side. Again it was another great meal. I was hardly suffering. I was listening to a band that I really liked and did splurge with part of a beer for dinner. I won't let myself drink more than half a beer. I enjoy the flavor, and quite honestly I'm not really looking to get drunk anyway. So I sip the beer slowly, enjoy the flavor, and then give it back to the bartender when I've consumed about half.

I haven't had access to a scale so I don't really know how much weight I have game. Dr. Saunders said that I will most likely gained 5 pounds. He said that is pretty normal. Even if I gained 5 pounds, I know that this new diet has helped me immeasurably. I feel like the future is getting much brighter.

Day 35 --- Work and Play

Day 35 ---  Good work and good fun

Today is Tuesday and what a great day it has been! Like many people, I really enjoy working. I especially enjoy working with schools. And there's nothing much better than that except for maybe working with the school with a really wonderful people. Well I've been blessed to have all of those while working with Kings Christian school in Cherry Hill New Jersey.

I started my day with an apple and some nuts. Simple breakfast, but one that I really like. When it was time for lunch, we went over to a famous sandwich shop called The Boyz. Amazingly they had the absolute perfect thing for me to eat. They call it a sub in a tub. For those of you who might not be familiar with the term sub, it is short for submarine, that might not of helped but a sandwich in the shape of a submarine is called a sub sandwich.  What they do is they take all the lettuce and tomatoes and all of the meets that you would add and they serve it in a bowl so that you get all the flavors without the bread. It was to say, it was delicious. 

After a good day of work, my friend John, the head of the administrative team, took me to see the Philadelphia Flyers play hockey.  It was a great game! And of course the Flyers won which made it even better.

Getting back to the diet, I've been told that I can take one meal per week and kind of go crazy. I've been saving up for this night. So, I went to bit crazy. I had a half of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. And then later on had about a half a serving of softserve ice cream. I have to say it was delicious but it wasn't like I was thinking that I've really been missing a lot by not being able to eat this type of food.  

Well that's all for now. I hope that all is great and healthy with you.

Day 34 -- Great new life

Day 34 -- What a great new life

Today is Monday and I spent the day working with a school in New Jersey.  They are wonderful people and I really like them a lot.  Many here know of the broth fast that I have just completed and the questions and comments have been fun.

Overall, it was a great day.  I'm reminded of the lack of energy that I experienced at times during the fast and now it seems like years ago.  Additionally, it was well, well, well worth it for me.  Now I feel great.  My thinking is clearer and I find that I don't get as tired.

Monday night football is a big deal for many of us.  I decided to go out and watch the game at a local New Jersey sports bar.  Off I went to grab a seat and get ready for the game.  I wasn't too worried about the menu.  I knew that I would find something that I could eat. Below is what I wrote while I was there.

Right now, I'm at a regional chain restaurant called Miller's Ale House. I told them that I was looking forward to eating here tonight and explained that this dinner would only be like my fourth solid meal in over 30 days. The response was, "and you came here?"  It was kind of funny but I said that I was quite sure that I could have a great meal with something on the menu. I found it pretty quickly, Ceasar salad with Mahi-Mahi but I asked for a vinaigrette and no croutons.  I probably could have had "some" croutons but I didn't want the temptation nor any guilt. I want to feel like I'm making good choices. And how am I so deprived about having hearts of Romaine dressed and tossed with a bit of Parmesan, topped with warm, seared Mahi-Mahi? How much more does there really need to be? 

When the dish arrived, both servers came by and commented that although they knew that this was on the menu, neither had ordered it. One mentioned that they hardly ever serve it. Both agreed that they will recommend it. Kind of funny that making a healthy choice about food isn't so geeky I guess. 

Oh, and by the way, it was $9.99. 

This is not that difficult at all. I caught myself saying to the waiter, "I can have almost anything" what a change in attitude that is for me. Before I would have said, "I can't have this and this..." Before I saw this like "I can't have..." and now I find myself thinking differently.  This really isn't a difficulty.  It's just a change in thinking.