I posted this in another thread earlier this year. I did see the PBS special that the OP mentioned, but I chose to follow a different detox program. It is not for everyone. I know this is a long thread but wanted to give you the details. Please feel free to skip what you are not interested in.
I have been yo-yo’ing for the last 5 years. I can always lose weight, just not maintain it. I think I’ve finally figured out what will work for me. In December, while channel surfing, I came across a documentary on HLN called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead". I laughed and said that is me. Below is an online synopsis of the film:
100 pounds overweight, loaded up on steroids and suffering from a debilitating autoimmune disease, Joe Cross is at the end of his rope and the end of his hope. In the mirror he saw a 310lb man whose gut was bigger than a beach ball and a path laid out before him that wouldn't end well— with one foot already in the grave, the other wasn't far behind. FAT, SICK & NEARLY DEAD is an inspiring film that chronicles Joe's personal mission to regain his health.
With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long- term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body's ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle.
At 5’ 6" and 203.6 lbs, I was at the heaviest I’ve ever been. I wanted, needed, to do something drastic to kickstart my weight loss. I went to Joe’s website, ordered a receipe book, to-go-cups, and DVD of the film. I think the documentary was done in 2011 and there is an active forum so I thought that was a good sign. Luckily I had bought a juicer a few years ago but never used it.
On 1/13/2014, I blew off the dust on my juicer and started my Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead Juice fast. They recommend drinking a minimum of 64 oz of juice a day so that is what I did. I also committed to drinking a gallon of water a day. The only other thing you can have is herbal tea, so I got some organic chamomile tea. My initial goal was to do 60 days of the fast, then slowly come out of it and start eating healthy. Days 1-10 went pretty well. Wasn’t that hungry, surprisingly. When I was hungry, or cold, I’d have my tea. Days 11-14 was another story. My body was like, "enough with the juice, feed me". I almost caved, but I told my body I am not giving up, I am not quitting, and by day 15 the hunger went away. I decided after 30 days, I would make a decision if I wanted to continue for another 30 days.
I finished the 30 day juice fast on 2/11/14. Below are my results:
Start End
Bust: 44 to 40 3/4
Upper Arm:13 7/8 to 13 1/2
Waist: 36 1/2 to 32 1/2
Stomach: 44 to 40
Hips: 46 to 43 1/2
Thighs: 25 5/8 to 23 3/4
Knees: 17 to 16 1/4
Calves: 14 to 13 5/8
Ankles: 10 to 9 1/8
Weight: 203.6 to 176.8
Body Fat% 32.3 to 38.8 (as measured on scale that calculates bodyfat)
I decided not to continue on an all juice fast for the following reasons:
1. The program recommends just walking while fasting but I am an overachiever and worked out at the gym 3x/week and started a couch to 5k running program.
2. Since I wasn’t taking in any protein, my bodyfat increased
3. I could probably have done another 2 weeks but I missed "eating"
4. And finally, I achieved what I wanted. A jumpstart to a healthier new year and rest of my life.
Of course with following something this drastic, the key was how to go from fasting to eating without undoing what I had achieved. Since my 30 days ended on a Tuesday, and I wanted to get back to a Monday start, to aligned with my fitness program, from Wednesday to Sunday, I did the following:
Meal 1 – Juice
Meal 2 – Egg Sandwich (2 slices Ezekiel 4:9 Low-Sodium bread, 2 eggs cooked omelet style in microwave, 2 slices tomato, 2 slices onion, red leaf lettuce)
Meal 3 – Juice
Meal 4 – Juice
On Monday 2/17/14 I weighed and took my measurements and to my surprise, I lost 1 lb, 3 3/8", and 4.1% bodyfat.
Because my workouts were getting more intense, I decided I needed to switch out another juice for a meal. So currently, I have switched out Meal 4 for Baked Tilapia in foil packets with white wine, lemon juice, minced garlic, basil, salt & pepper, Brown Rice cooked in veggie broth with tomatoes and scallions, and Steamed Broccolini and Green Beans tossed in a little EVOO.
After 1 week of following this eating plan, I kept the egg sandwich the same as I only wanted to introduce one change, I lost another 0.6 lbs, 1 7/8", and 2.4% body fat. My bodyfat is now back to the 32.3% it was on 01/13 so I can start actually losing, and my weight, as of 02/24 is 175.2. My plan is to keep with 2 juices and 2 meals for a few more months, then swap out Meal 1 Juice for probably Oatmeal, Greek yogurt, berries. I think I will always have 1 green juice as a "meal" to help maintain my weight loss. I think this is something I can live with for the rest of my life.
I realize this is not a program for everyone, but it is working for me. Just wanted to share what I have been doing these past 6 weeks.
Fast forward to today (08/10/14)
I eat 4 meals a day, one being Joe's orginal juice. The "receipe" is:
1 green apple
3 handfuls of spinach ( I used 3c)
6 Kale leaves
1/2 cucumber
4 celery stalks
1/2 lemon
1 thumb-nail size piece of ginger
Put everything into a juicer and drink. Since I work from home and things can get crazy, I drink my juice in the afternoon when all I literally have time to do is grab something from the fridge.
Updated measurements:
Bust: 34 1/2" (32D)
Upper Arm: 11
Waist: 26
Lower Stomach: 32"
Hips: 35"
Thighs: 20 1/4"
Knees: 14"
Calves: 13"
Ankles: 8 3/8"
Weight: 128 lbs
Body Fat% 16.4%
It's still a struggle every day to eat right and exercise, but I think I have finally found peace, and balance, with my body and my life.
Good luck to all of you. It can be done. I've started and stopped so many times I can't even tell you. If you stumble, just get back up and start again.
Vickie
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