Day 7 and 8 of My Juice Fast Diet

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Day 7
Weight: 202

Today is the day I will need to drink pre-made juice. I made some containers last night, and put them in the refrigerator. They didn't look as delicious this morning as they did when I made them. Perhaps I will juice them same day next time-just get up earlier. I purchased some containers that are used for shaking up protein drinks, so at least I can mix this juice before I drink it.

I have kept the juice in a cold place, so they don't taste bad, but they are just not the same as fresh. I can honestly tell a bit of difference in how my body is responding to it. It don't feel the same pep as I normally do after a juice.

Everyone else in the class brought a lunch, and they all smell delicious. They all have snacks to eat during the class as well, and I think more out of habit, I find myself wanting some. Any time I take a class like this, I usually have a pocket full of something to snack on. I will survive though.

The class ended up running late, so I didn't have time to juice before getting to the gym to teach class. I feel surprisingly good. Classes went well, but I am ready for bed.

Just a couple thoughts before I do: I was asked the question yesterday what I will do when I finish this diet. Whether I would continue juicing, or what I would do. I will definitely continue to juice. I'm not sure to what extent. I LOVE food! I love to prepare it. I love to eat it. I enjoy the smell of good food. I have gotten to the point that I can discern ingredients of food by the smell. I can tell what stage in the cooking process food is by the smell. I have no desire to completely give up food, but I do want to prepare and eat more healthy food, and I firmly believe juicing can be a big part of it. Some of the juices I have made have been delicious in and of themselves. With more research, trial, and error, I think I can find some culinary satisfaction through creating juice masterpieces. It's not cooking, but it is creating. Creating that is pleasing to the palate.

Day 8
Weight: 202

I was hoping to break the 200 lb mark. It didn't happen, but I'm hoping today it will. I've got a lot of catch-up to do today at work since I was at my class yesterday. I hope I will have time for INSANITY.

I sliced the finger cutting veggies this morning. As always, I don't do anything ½ way. I cut it pretty good. I suppose this presents another potential pitfall to this diet. Hopefully, you are not as clumsy as I am.

I got my best workout I've had since starting the diet. INSANITY was INSANE. I pushed all the way through... no stopping. I then got a few rounds of sparring in, and even rolled around a bit in Jiu Jitsu class. I can tell I'm going to be sore from this day, but it felt great. After all that training, I drank a juice, and taught one of my more energetic Muay Thai classes. All-in-all, it was a great day at the gym.

The only thing I will miss about this diet is the pain in the butt it is to clean my juicer after every meal. It is a bit time consuming, but very necessary.

As I wrap up this journey, I look back upon it as a positive experience. Please indulge me as I share my thoughts about the whole ordeal. Don't mistake these thoughts for a farewell, I will continue to document the days to follow this diet, as I am sure getting back on to solid foods will be as tumultuous as weaning off it.

Diabetes runs in my family. My relatives don't live past 50- Usually, due to complications resulting from the disease. I turned 45 this year, giving me pause to reflect on my own humanity. This diet gave me a reason and excuse to completely focus on ME. I don't mean in a selfish way. It gave me an opportunity to examine the relationships I have with other, how my health affects them, and what my role in this world is moving forward.

Through this process, I realized, I do want to live longer. I do want to see my children get older, and have a relationship with them as adults. I do want to know my grandchildren. I want to look better for my wife. I want to feel better in order to allow me to improve my personal relationships with others. I want to look like a fitness instructor for my clients. I want to be a better person. I think I need to periodically challenge myself. Test my self-control. Remind myself who I am, and what is important to me. This diet has brought on a great deal of self-reflection. I have been forced to tune into my body. I have been forced to control my urges and thoughts. It hasn't been easy. It's definitely not the most difficult thing I have ever done, but it was a challenge. The one thing it did make me do was be 100% constantly aware of ME. I was acutely aware of my emotional state. I consciously tracked my physiological, and mental states. This diet has helped propel me in the direction I want to head. I have achieved my goal, and now look to use it as a springboard to achieve the rest of what I listed above. I know what I need to do, and am determined to do it. Thanks for reading, and I wish you all tremendous success, whether you decide to Juice Fast or not.

Total Cost of program:
Juicer #1: $100.00
Juicer #2: $300.00
Fruit and Vegetables for 8 days: $412.86

NOTES: Most of you won't need 2 juicers. While not optimal, juice can be packaged and taken to work. It may be inconvenient for those in a conventional work environment to juice fast to begin with. Obviously, your circumstances have to work for you.

I may have spent more on produce than necessary, as I wanted to try different things.
You can also spend a great deal more if you want to go with an all-organic diet.

To learn more about my Juice Fast Diet, as well as other tips related to dieting, fitness, and just plain lifestyle, follow my BLOG at

http://www.ultimatecombat.com/

I look forward to hearing your feedback, as you are able to leave comments on each of my articles.

Day 3 Juice Fast

I'm not sure how I lost 6 lbs over night, but the scale doesn't lie. I had drank a hearty drink just prior to weighing in, but 6 lbs seems like a lot. I have literally lost 18 lbs. in just a couple days, and it doesn't feel like an unhealthy cut. I have cut weight all my life between wrestling and fighting. I know healthy weight cuts vs unhealthy ones. I don't feel lethargic, confused, weak... any of the symptoms of cutting weight too fast.

Those who know me, know I rarely wear shoes. For the sake of people around me, I should, because I have the ugliest feet on the planet. I have noticed a remarkable change in my feet since starting this diet. What would normally be dry, and cracked skin in smooth, and healthy looking. It's not 100% smooth, but there has been a noticeable difference.

I have also slept better the past two nights than I can ever remember.

I did wake up feeling a bit under the weather, but my wife has had a cold for 2 weeks. I have been fortunate enough not to catch it, but feel I might have a weak version of it today- bit of a sore throat, and gunky lungs.

In reading through some diet blogs I found that most of them consist of people telling you what is happening to them physiologically. By that, I mean, they recite every bowel movement in graphic detail. I will spare you those details, but suffice it to say, I have had some irregularities. That was expected, and it has not disappointed. It has not been anywhere nearly as dramatic as I thought it would, however.

I have been super-vigilant about washing my veggies thoroughly so as to avoid any nasty viruses, pesticides, or other such things.

INSANITY was awesome today! I had more mental toughness than ever. I powered my way through fatigue like I haven't in a long time. I'm starting to feel young again, and can actually see some abs. Feeling great! Hell, I may never eat solid food again!!

My new Champion Juicer came in today. It is night and day in functionality, durability, and design. It is much easier to clean, and you get more juice out of things with it. It has a greens attachment that will make it easier to get juice out of leafy veggies.

My energy level definitely tapered off toward the end of the day. My legs feel fatigued, but I attribute it to the fact that I have been able to train extra hard. My body is tired, and I get pretty cranky toward my wife at the end of the day. I was just worn out. It was time for bed as soon as I got home.

I have learned a great deal about nutrition. I have been reading as much as possible. I am finding myself becoming more and more in tune with how my body responds to different kinds of juices.

Learn more details about my juice diet by reading my BLOG at http://www.ultimatecombat.com/

Day 4 of My Juice Fast Diet

Not sure how I gained 3 lbs. I trained pretty hard yesterday, and didn't feel like I had over done it with my juice intake. It is a mystery. I am studying nutrition, and the weight gain just doesn't make sense.

Woke up early and with good energy. I didn't feel like I needed to juice right away, so I waited a couple hours. I went with all fruit this morning to see if I couldn't get a spike in energy for a morning workout.

As I stated yesterday, I don't want to fill this article with gory details of my excrements. I think it is important to note, however, that yesterday was clearly a day of detox. My body was getting rid of things at a rapid pace. In my readings, I learned that at or around Day #3, your body begins to look for food sources in your liver. Most likely, there were a lot of toxins, and boy did I pay for it. Today, things have normalized, and I really don't feel any side-effects to the diet, with the exception of being completely captivated by the smell of good food. I think this is just my mind being weak. I don't think I NEED solid food. I just yearn for it because I cannot have it.

I went to a Mexican Market today to see what different types of fruits and vegetables they had. I could not believe how much better the produce looks here. Citrus fruits are three times the size of what you see in Smith's. I found some interesting items to mix with- a few of which I had never heard of before. Should be interesting.

After enjoying a 'mystery drink' made from fruits I found and the Mexican Market, I paused to reflect about the fact that I haven't experienced any heartburn since I started this diet. Typically, I take Prilosec three times a week, due to UNBEARABLE heartburn. I ALWAYS have to take it when I try new foods. I literally cannot function when these episodes kick in. I haven't experience any sort of discomfort in my digestive system at all this week.

Since today is Friday, and the beginning of the weekend, I am a bit nervous about my ability to stick to my diet without the regimented confines of work. Weekends are usually spent creating culinary masterpieces (or at least in my mind they are). One of my favorite past times is cooking. Buy me a cook book, and you will have occupied me for a month.

We have a special event planned for the members of our gym this weekend. We are all going 'Cosmic Bowling'. I'm not a big fan of bowling, but can be goaded into it for the cold beer, and 'pool hall' style food. The greasier, the better. My other reservation stems from the irregularity this diet has caused. There is nothing worse than bowling alley bathrooms. Except bowling alley bathrooms, after eating bowling alley food.:)

To learn more about my Juice Fast Diet, check out my BLOG at http://www.ultimatecombat.com/

Juice Fasting - Is It for Me?

Beginning Weight: 224

DAY 1: I am super excited at the prospect of cleansing all the gunk out of my body. I have been feeling a bit lethargic for quite some time. I have been doing Insanity (The workout program) for two weeks, and it seems as though I am just spinning my wheels.

I did the 60 Day Insanity Challenge last year. While I made it all the way through, and felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment, I didn't follow the diet, and didn't really see the remarkable physical transformation I had hoped for. Friends commented that I had lost weight, and I had... 22 lbs, but I didn't see the lean, mean fighting machine in the mirror I had hoped for.

I'm 45 years old, so I have no delusions of ever looking like a 21 year old. I do, however teach fitness classes, and feel it is hypocritical if I don't get my fitness levels to a better plane. Plus, my wife has made a few comments about my weight. I think I owe it to her to try to look my best. She is way out of my league when I am at my best, so I should try my best to make it not look like she is on a date with her Dad when we go into public.

Having said all that, I have decided to undertake this challenge to drink my diet for 8 days.

My understanding of the rationale behind the 8 days is that your body will live off the food still in your intestines for the first 3 days, then the junk that had been left in your liver for 2 days. Ultimately, you end up really FASTING your body for only 3. I am intrigued by this notion, but wonder how much of it is somebody trying to come up with the next FAD diet, to sell a bunch of books.

I came upon this diet by watching a documentary on Netflix, 'Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead'. In the documentary, the lead character spent 60 days on a food-free diet. He traveled across the US and challenged others to join him. He spoke with people about their diets. He interviewed people with major health problems who were unwilling to sacrifice their hamburgers to spend a few extra years with their children.

I was moved by this. I get the argument that you want to live happy. I just don't see how that happiness HAS to be derived from a juicy steak and greasy french fries. I came to the conclusion that, I love food as much as the next guy- but I love my children more. I want to see them graduate college, and maybe attend their weddings. (That is IF my daughter finds a better boyfriend. If not, I would just as soon kick the bucket early lol).

I'm the type of guy that loves a challenge, and thought... I can do that. It doesn't sound fun, but I can do it. It looks as though it could be life changing. So I thought... Why Not? Now this guy was obese. 60 days was probably the amount of time HE needed to have a life-changing experience. As I researched the diet, I stumbled upon the 11-Day version of it. This sounded about right for me.

I spent the better part of yesterday researching the subject. I probably read every website known to man about the subject. For this being science, there sure are a lot of opinions out there. Therefore, I decided I would take the task upon myself to document my experience, and hopefully others could glean something from it. So it begins.

My wife and I set out to purchase the right juicer. There are a ton of them on the market, so a great deal of research went into finding the right one. On a few different websites, I read that the best juicer on the market was a Champion Juicer. It was a tad expensive at just under $300.00, but was built like a tank.

I decided on the commercial version, and paid about $30.00 extra over the 'home' version. I couldn't find anyone that carried them, so I went on their website and ordered it.

But, I wanted to start my diet NOW. I rationalized that I am at work 12 hours a day, so I will need two. I will purchase an economy version for work, and one use the deluxe one at home. Walmart, here I come.

Jack Lalane's Power Juicer wasn't exactly a bargain at $100.00, but it looked sturdy enough to last a little while. As with anything, you get what you pay for. With all the working parts, and blades that will dull with wear, I imagine the cheap juicers are for people who are looking for an inexpensive wedding gift.

I actually started the diet last night, although I am not counting it as one of the 8 days. I was excited to have purchased my juicer, and wanted to give it a try, so I drank my dinner. I went to the produce department and loaded up on fruits and vegetables. I got a little bit of everything. I couldn't even tell you what was in my concoction, but it wasn't the tasty steaks I had in the refrigerator waiting to be cooked. It wasn't exactly horrible either. I guess you could say it tasted like I expected. My wife asked me if it tasted good. I told her it tasted good for you. I have learned there are actual recipes for juicers, to make delicious drinks. I thought that sounded kind of foo-foo at first, but I LOVE cooking, and later decided I could perhaps replace my favorite hobby (Cooking for my family) with becoming a mad scientist with my drink mixes.

This first mixture was not going to win any contests. I just threw things in my new juicer, and reveled at the juice coming out of one end, and the rest of the stuff coming out the other. I couldn't help but draw the comparison between that process, and what our bodies do with all the gunk we put in it.

I drank my mixture down, and off the bed I went. I felt surprisingly drowsy, and nodded off to sleep. Typically, it takes me hours to go down, but tonight, I slipped into a deep sleep. I don't know if it had anything to do with what my body was digesting, or if it was psychosomatic. I just knew that I went to sleep. I woke up a few hours later as I typically do throughout the night, but couldn't help but wonder if this were a sign that one day I could wean myself off the sleeping pills I normally take for sleep.

I had a busy day to follow, so I popped a pill and watched some TV until I was able to drift off again.

Several trips to the bathroom followed through the night. I always urinate a lot, but usually that is because I drink 2-3 beers before bed. The juice had the same effect, so chalk one up for the argument that it is just easier to drink beer than eat / drink healthy in terms of my body's response.

Today, I find myself CONSTANTLY thinking about my diet, and have a hard time focusing on the task at hand. I typically don't eat breakfast, so hunger pangs in the morning are unusual. I do feel them today.

I drank a good-sized portion of veggies in a cup this morning, and noted how expensive this little experiment was going to be. I had purchased around $35.00 of produce yesterday, and my first two meals had made a fairly good dent in my supply.

I have read that preserving your juice, and drinking it later, diminishes the benefits of this diet, so I have decided I would not bottle up juice for the day.

I brought my juicer to work, and went to the grocery store for supplies to be kept here. Immediately, I started thinking about mixtures that might taste good. I have been very surprised at how differently these vegetables taste in juice form, over their natural state. I normally don't care much for cucumbers, but really like them in juice form.

I browsed a few recipes, and picked up what I thought might taste good together.

Typically, I don't eat until 1:00 or so, but it is only 10:30, and I feel the need to mix up another meal. (NOTE: Not eating until so late in the day is a horrible practice, and one I am hoping to change through this experiment.)

My second meal of the day was a bit tastier. I'm kind of getting a hang for what I like and do not like. Immediately after the meal, I experienced a noticeable euphoric sensation. It's an interesting phenomenon that I haven't experienced before. I feel good enough that I'm inclined to tackle INSANITY head-on a bit earlier than normal.

INSANITY was really hard today. Partly because I am sore as hell from yesterday, and partly because this is a particularly hard segment of the program. I felt myself fatiguing at about the same point I usually do. I experienced the same muscle failure at about the same time on the class. I didn't expect miracles, and certainly didn't experience any. Back to work.

Peaks and valleys is the best way to describe the day. I would hit highs, then crash and burn. I hope this is just a result of my body adjusting. I need to keep my energy up. Teaching fitness classes is all about energy.

When I taught my Muay Thai class tonight, I got really winded. I had difficulty talking to the class after demonstrating some pretty basic stuff. Not diggin' it! I started experiencing some stomach cramps as well. I'm not sure if this is because of the liquid diet, or the fact that I put a gigantic jalapeno in my last tomato juice concoction. I spose time will tell.

Upon my return home, I realized I had forgotten an important piece of my juicer, so it's off to bed without supper... night all!

I conducted this experiment as an instructor at Ultimate Combat Training Center http://www.ucombat.com/