Day 23

What a weekend! I am now down 24.4 pounds... Amazing! Sticking to my guns last week after going through the doldrum that I was in for a couple days has really paid off. I am losing the pound-a-day that I was shooting for, and am well on track to come really close to completing my goal within the 60-day time frame if my current rate of weight loss keeps up. I couldn't be more excited.
It's becoming fun to look for my weight loss in the mirror each day- the changes are very noticeable now. My belt is on its last hole, my jeans are bunching up on my waist, and shirts that I used to fill out are now really baggy. Three weeks. I can't believe that I'm having these results after just three weeks! The best change of all though was when my wife told me yesterday when she hugged me that she was able to grab her wrists when she was embracing me, something that she said she hadn't been able to do for years. I don't think I ever noticed that she wasn't able to do this so it took me by surprise. But how cool is that? I was so excited to hear this.

I've began to turn a bit of attention to learning how to break a long fast. There's a lot of interesting reading on this. You have to be very careful when breaking a fast. You can't just dive-in headlong to normal eating. The reason for this is because your body has completely reworked what it is breaking down. It has gone from providing everything that I need to break down food to now providing what I need to break down fat. You can easily put yourself in the hospital from eating incorrectly at the end of a fast by overdoing it. If you are fasting along with me, please make sure to do your own research to avoid any mistakes. Your body's inability to digest normal foods will leave you reeling if you start off with the wrong foods, or with too much food.

I am enjoying the new diet quite a bit though, getting back to that. I am drinking two 15oz bottles of "Green Machine" naked juice (or pretty much any other of their flavors) each day. I start off with half a bottle for breakfast, and the other half as a mid-morning snack. Then I have half a bottle for lunch, and the other half as a mid-afternoon snack. I'm done with my juice for the day by about 4pm. When I get home, I have a can (or two if I feel like I need another later in the evening) of Swanson's chicken broth. This is a nice break from the sweetness of the juice and it feels good to have something warm in my system. The sodium in the broth will give you a couple pounds extra water weight, but it is very low in calories and warm and filling, competing much better than juice in staving off any cravings that my family's cooked dinner may bring on. All of this amounts to about 600 calories per day. I'm drinking a lot of water as well.

It feels good to finally have achieved some balance in this fast. I have good energy levels, feel very in control with my calories being on a precise course for measurement purposes, and am able to cut out the 1-1 1/2 hours of juicing that I was doing each day. I've also brought more variety of flavors and fruits &  vegetables into my diet with the various Naked juice flavors, which are all excellent! My daily cost of juice is about $3 a day now as well... Well below what it was costing to do my own juicing.

I have a very good feeling of control over my diet not just for the present, but for the future as well. I now have learned how to juice and lose weight quickly, and in a healthy manner, and will never be overweight again, as long as I am willing to do maintenance fasts when needed. I do not expect to have to make this a habit though, because I am going to be modifying my diet and exercise routine considerably after completing my fast.

All good things today- couldn't be happier. I'm feeling successful and charged, and can't wait to see what I will look like after another 47 day! I'm going to be thin and healthy!!!

Matthew 6:16-18

 ¹⁶ “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

~Until tomorrow