In the Groove

(from Jenn)

(Guess I could stop adding that since I'm the only one who posts anyway...)

Well, after a few hiccups over the weekend (BW3 on Friday night, Chinese buffet on Sunday), Derek and I are both on track and doing well.  We strategized over dinner on Sunday, and Derek committed to at least seven days with me, at which point we'll reevaluate and see if we need to change anything about the fast (e.g. juicing breakfast and lunch but eating a healthy dinner, or eating raw fruits and veggies along with juicing, or...).  I've also been sending him with a second juice each day, so he has that in hand after school and can avoid the drive-thrus on his way home.  I have to admit, it's getting easier just because I'm getting in the habit of not eating, but even more so because I know I have a partner in this journey.  Thanks, hon, for hanging in there with me!

After the weekend, I didn't lose any weight for a couple of days, which makes sense.  Yesterday, I finally went down a pound, and today I was down another 2.5, bringing my grand total to -12.  Woo-hoo!  My clothes are feeling a little loose, and I just feel good; excited to see how much more progress I can make over the next 2.5 weeks. :-)

However...  This weekend we're celebrating our third anniversary at a bed and breakfast near Hocking Hills, where we got married.  I have very mixed feelings about the trip because on the one hand, I'm doing great with the fast and don't want to mess it up or slow down my progress, but on the other hand, they have really yummy breakfasts there (which are already paid for in our room fees) and it's always been fun for us to go out to eat in the area.  Not exactly sure how to play this one...  We'll see.  Regardless, it'll be AWESOME to get away for a few days with my honey!

Eat, Fast, and Live Longer

(from Jenn)

One of the guys in our Facebook Reboot group has been posting different documentaries about health each day.  Well, the one I watched yesterday, Eat, Fast, and Live Longer, was incredible.  It followed a man with some health issues as he researched and experimented with different ways of eating (or not eating, as the case may be) to see how they affected his health.

Basically, what I took away from it was that several methods of adjusting our eating can greatly benefit our health:

1. We can reduce our overall caloric intake every day.
2. We can completely fast for three days every month or two.
3. We can incorporate intermittent fasting where we eat whatever we want one day and consume only one 500-calorie meal the next, ad naseum (or eat normally for five days and "fast" two).

This guy's test results after options two and three (which he followed for five weeks) were very similar, though I have to admit that option three sounds a lot easier.  I really think I could do that long-term!

Anyway, check out the video.  It's really interesting stuff!

FYI...

For anyone just tuning in, check out this first post to understand what this blog was originally all about.

Juicing Journey

(from Jenn)

It's been awhile!  We've been trying to say primal as much as possible, but whenever work would get crazy (e.g. working 75 hours in one week...) or something and I didn't have the time or energy to cook, we'd fall off the wagon again.  So we decided to try something kind of drastic to kick start our efforts and get back on track, hopefully breaking our sugar and carb addictions in the process.  What's that, you ask?  Well, we're juicing!

Awhile back, we watched a film called Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead (you can watch it online here), which documented one man's 60-day journey toward health through juicing.  At the time, Derek was pretty motivated and wanted to give it a try, though I thought just eating primally would get us where we needed to be.  He said that if that didn't work, we should really consider the juicing option.  And so, here we are.  We agreed to do a 30-day juice-only fast/detox/cleanse/reboot.

We bought a juicer last week, along with tons of fresh fruits and veggies to juice.  Then, I joined an online forum for people starting a 60-day (or 30-day, or whatever) juice fast on October 1, as well as a facebook group with many of the same people.  And let me tell you: that group has been incredible!  Whenever I have a question or feel tempted to quit or just want to share a particular experience, I know there are others out there who are listening, who understand, and who can help.  They've been so supportive and encouraging!  It's also nice because the general population doesn't really understand this whole juicing thing and probably thinks we're crazy, so it's always good to visit the forum or facebook group to not feel so alone.

Today, one guy said he made a list of 10 reasons he's doing this so that he can pull it out and remind himself when he's feeling weak.  I thought that was a fabulous idea, so I decided to make my own list!  In no particular order, I want...

1. to feel more comfortable and confident in my body so that I can have more fun on my beach vacation next month.
2. to reboot my body so that it'll be easier to stick with the primal/paleo lifestyle I plan to maintain long-term.
3. to treat my body as the temple that it is and to honor God with it (1 Cor. 6:19-20).
4. to do everything I can to ensure I have a healthy pregnancy (when we start trying to start our family).
5. to break unhealthy attitudes and habits now so that I don't pass those on to our children (when we have them).
6. to renew my passion for God by spending more time with him, reading/studying the Word, praying, worshiping, etc.
7. to make some progress toward getting in the kind of shape I'll need to be in if I want to take almost 2 hours off my Ironman time (which I do).
8. to lose the weight I need to lose to see if I might have what it takes to be a bike racer.
9. to show others that it IS possible to take control of your own health, and that that starts with eating clean.
10. to get secksay!