And now, The Larch, or, the next step forward in the excruciating look back at my gourmet-nightmare stomach bulging life that has lead me to this spot. And now....

  So, Once more into the breach dear friends, or some such line.  I am now at the end of a two week juice-a-thon and down close to 14 pounds.  Now, it will be portion control for about two weeks to get me used to smaller meals, and re-integrate my hunger into a more normal eating process.  This is where things get harder, and if all goes as planned, much better for the future. I have also decided that the beginning of January will be a juice every other week time for me.  To keep me active in it, and keep me moderated as I begin a new excercise regimen as well.  So, here's to the next step.  This one is tough as well, because it's still not my green light to eat breads and stuff like that, but it's going to be a new learning experience all together.  Wish me luck in phase 2 folks.  See ya.  CHEERS !!! or in this case, Bon Apetit. 

What a difference.....

Well, here I am, a few days later, and going slowly down.  I am just relaxing this weekend, waiting for my angel to come home.  Then it's salad,  fruit smoothies, and a movie, followed by some awesome cuddling.  More to report next week.  Have fun all.  Oh, and to those who don't think I can do this, either join me in this fight for my life, or shut the hell up.  

So, back again.....

  Well, after over a week, I am down about a total of 13 pounds.  I've leveled off slightly, but still, moving downward as I go.  It's a bit by bit process, so today, I am gonna be juicing for the rest of the week, and going for broke once again.  This is hard, giving up what you love, food-wise.  It sucks to see people eating what you love to eat and not being able to partake and enjoy.  But I figure, it was here before, it will be here when I get done.  So, once more into the breach dear friends....or into the juice, as it were.  See ya back here in a few days folks.  See ya.  CHEERS!!!!

Another day, and nothing more to say.....

So today, I have gone from all juice to solids, but really, we'll call it a salad.  My weight is the same, 453, and not moved in the past day, so Mom, there ya go.  If you want more news, I will do a full update tomorrow, and thats all she wrote.  See ya. CHEERS !!!!

One small step, one small really really hard tough excrutiating day.....

  So, here again folks, another day down, and another down.  And let me tell you, if you ever hear me say this was an easy thing, grab the nearest brick and crack me in the head with it.  This is one of the toughest things I have done, in my life, ever. I have thought of nothing but food for the past few days, and it is absolutely maddening.  I feel like my taste buds and brain have worked out some strange kind of agreement to wage a saliva battle against me every time I get near food I can't have.  Definitely frustrating.  For example, I sometimes have to go down near downtown and I was picking a car up near 57th & Woodland.  Right there on the corner was a fried chicken place.  I could have used a mop to wipe up my mouth, and later, one of the guys in the receiving lot offered me an extra order of Mu-shoo Beef he had gotten from his dinner order.  Sometimes, I just can't win.
  But, I prevailed, and made it back home, although I had to stop, and honestly, just kind of cry and collect myself. for a bit.  This diet is harder than I thought.  I have, however, many reasons to do this, so I will trudge ever on and make the sacrifices I have to know, so I can have my life later.  To my friends and family supporting me, I thank you whole heartedly.  It means more than you know, and I appreciate it immensely.  And once again, for those who are guessing, todays scale reading - 453.2.  One more step, folks.  Small, it may be, but a step forward, nonetheless.    See ya.  CHEERS !!!!!!

So, after a few days.......

As I am sure some of may multitudes of fans (11 by the members list.......uh, huh.) have now discovered, your friend, pal, chum, buddy, hottie ( thanks Jen T. - still love that post you sent) is on a road, bumpy, to say the least, to getting himself healthy again. 
 Well, I have a cold now, so it's gonna be that much harder to keep my head straight and just drink juice, but I will getthrough it, so now worries.  Yesterday, working in the rain and cold didnt help me health wise, but, over all, i'm not too bad today, the sun is out and, yes it's cold, but i won't be soaked to the skin like a rat drowned a sewer. 
  I also want to say that I am changing the parameters of my juice-fast, as it were, from 60, to 14, for now.  And the reasons are this.  It's hard to just go from meals you physically put in your mouth, chew, swallow, and actually eat, to just drinking juice.  Don't get me wrong, I have done it, but it's extremely difficult, especially when you drive a truck all day, and have to keep your meal cold, and you pass by all these food establishments.  (My personal weakness last night was the Krispy Kreme on Oxford ave)  I survived and made it home, although I didn't have anything but my juice, I drank only one 20 ounce bottle, and just partially of another.   I had some pea soup last night to ward of the chills of night, and then it was off to bed.
  So please, fellow weight watchers, not the company, just those watching me, I am going to keep onward my journey, dragging my self by my torn and bloody fingers if need be, but I will press on.
  And in case any one asks me why, after reading all this, why oh why would I keep doing this to myself:  The scale said 457 today.  That's four pounds in three days,  THAT'S why.  See ya soon.  CHEERS !!!!

Tomorrow is done today....

  So, another day, another vegetable.   because of the accident which downed my truck, for the next few weeks, I will be working nights, thus my mornings are a bit free.  I say a bit, because karen has said it would be easier for me to make tomorrows juices while i'm home, thus freeing her to make her next days stuff when she gets home at nights.  Sounds good to me.  I have to be brief in this post, for now anyway, but  Ifigured I would share some of the recipes I have made today, and see if maybe something catches your fancy.

First, is Sublime.   It is green and a bit frothy til it settles  a bit, but it has a sweet hint of citrus, with a slightly acidic tang that is very good.  It goes down down easy, and is very re-vitalizing. the recipe is as follows:

6-8 Kale leaves
6-8 Swiss Chard leaves
1 - cucumber, skinned
6-8 clementines, depending on your level of sweetness you like.

The next one is Kryptonite Juice.  It too is a revitalizer, but it contains many vitamins and gives you a bit of pep.  The ginger accents the apples and tones done the veggie taste.

6-Kale leaves
2 cups Spinach leaves
1/2 - cucumber, skinned
4-celery stalks, washed/dried
2-apples, stemmed and seeded
1 inch piece of ginger

number three is gonna test you a bit, on the tartness of it, but it seems good, and the anti-oxidant level is off the charts.  I call it, of course, Sweet & Tarty:

3-cups whole cranberries, not dried craisins
2 - 2x2 pieces of ginger
3-oranges (or 5 clementines)
2 small grape fruit, peeled, pithed( remove the white stuff inside)
2 limes (or equivelent juice)

Finally, the last one is my own concoction as a fruity beverage to get through the day.  it makes about 40 ounces of juice, so be prepared to have a good enough size container.  I call it, Berry Cherry AP-Pear-ant.

It is fruity-licious, and yo ucan have it as a snack, or just a cold-sipper through out the day.  It seperates quickly, so keep shaking it to keep it mixed. it is as follows, but feel free to change it whenever you like.

1-lb strawberries, hulled,
I small box blueberries,
1/2 bag of cherries, de-stoned
2-granny smith apples(or your preference)seeded
2-asian pears, seeded
2-green pears( any style) seeded.
 It is yummy awesome good and it definitely fills you up.

So, there is my blog bit for the day.  Understand with ANY juicer you use, you may sometimes get a pulpy taste/feel in the juice, but it is just the nutrients getting in your body somehow and this is the way you do it.  I'm off to save the day, so enjoy this, and i'll try to post later.  See ya. 

Sobering stuff, indeed.

SO, here is another day, and today, I am here before you, typing this.  It's been a tough day.  I have been up since about 3:30 this morning, just trying to get through this day, and I did, and even finished my day a bit early.  However, tonight, Karen and I received in the mail the scale we will be using to gauge our weight, set goals to meet, etc.  Well, my weight is about to public knowledge, but it means that i am more accountable for what I am doing and it means I will have no one to complain to about what I do next. My goal weight is a hundred pounds away, but it is the distance I have to travel mentally, not just physically, in order to begin to REALLY get back to the person I want to be.  So, in short, I am bearing quite a bit before all who are reading this.  My friends, my family, my enemies, even my children, and whomever will see this if they decide to. 
  It is the final disastrous accumulation of YEARS and YEARS of hot dogs, hamburgers, cheese burgers, chicken nuggets, fried chicken, pastas, candies, cookies, pies, puddings, over eating, etc, etc etc.    Now, I have to not only get it out of my system, but I have to change my way of thinking.  No small task for someone so bull headed and thick skulled as yours truly.  So tonight's dinner, Golden beets, apples, turnips, and carrots, juiced down into a glass for the drinking.  It's like drinking horse radish with a sweet kick.  But still, honestly,  I would rather eat  ham and cheese.  But truly, that is what got me to where I am now. 
So, oh yeah, the one thing I can guess you've been wondering.  What the scale said to me.  461 lbs.    Goodnight folks.  No beating me up over it, please, I am already doing it to myself a hundred fold.  CHEERS!!

Today, we begin.

So today, my angel Karen and I began our juice journey.  We took out our toaster oven and coffee maker and shelved them away in the pantry.  I will say though, the coffee maker is now a tea maker, (it's a KEURIG) and we can do that kind of stuff with it, but over all it's been very tough.   I was out today with Karen, and not realizing where we parked, went to the local Barnes & Noble, and when we came out to the car, I stopped in my tracks.  There, right behind the car, was an Applebee's restaurant. The smell was heavenly, and really made me want to cry. 
  The smell of cooking meat made me want to do back-flips through the front door, find a seat and guzzle down about 1800 calories worth of s**t I just don't need.  So, we achingly dragged ourselves over to salad works, where we proceeded to have something slightly higher on the healthy scale.  I had cooked chicken, some hard boiled egg, raw blue cheese, and low fat dressing and some hot sauce on the chicken.  a little turkey bacon gave me some crunch and the roasted corn chowder, which was a bit too oily to finish, topped off my day as the biggest meal in twenty-four hours.  Two scrambled eggs with some toasted peppers was breakfast and for dinner, some Brassica juice, recipe which can be seen in an earlier post. 
  Understand something.  I am not happy doing this at all.  I would rather be eating something with gristle crackling between my teeth, the feel of soft, cooked meat being bandied about the taste buds I have so carefully cultivated over forty years, the smell of pungent sauces basting and baking into the flesh of some animal that was more number than name, and to feel the full and satisfied feel of a belly that has been satiated to the extent of a full course menu.  
   The problem is, that is what helped kill my father, and what it is also doing to me.  So, when you ask me is it safe to do this, am I under a doctors care, do I know what I am doing, the answer to all three questions is a resounding YES!   It's either that, or I start checking out plus size coffins, and keep shopping in the Hindenburg department for clothes.  To those who know me from high school, I feel I was a pretty handsome guy back in the day, and I would like to get back to that again, if not at the look, then close to it. 
Keep checking back here and I will keep you up to speed.  See ya soon.  CHEERS!!!!!!

Time for the beginning of the end

So, here it is, a few days before the last month of the year, and, as I promised myself, I am beginning my juice project.  I am not happy that there are foods I am giving up, but I know it has to be done.  So today's juice I will call the Mud Pie.   It is one honey delicious apple, two Bartlett pears, one package of blackberries, a one inch piece of ginger, four carrots, two bananas, and some kale.  It seems like an odd mix, and isn't much but a pretty dark brown color, but it's taste is slightly sweet and a bit less thick than a milk shake.  Juice everything but the bananas, then put the bananas in the blender, pour in the juice, then blend on high for about a minute til its as liquid as possible.  Enjoy.  
  So, here I go.  let's see where the road takes us.  As I said in an earlier post, hope you bought your tickets for the ride. 

Brassica !!!!

So tonight with a light donner, Karen said to me, "BRASSICA !!"  So i started smiling that awesome sly smile I have and said, isn't it a bit early.  So after she slapped me in the back of the head, ala Jethro Gibbs, she told me about this awesome juice recipe.  Okay, it didn't taste so awesome, but, hey, you gotta try it before you say you don't like it.  here is the recipe copied from a juice recipe blog.  give it a shot and enjoy.  CHEERS !!!!


This juice has a beautiful vibrant green color which also lets us know it is rich in health promoting properties. With 21 grams of protein, that’s the same amount as 3 oz of chicken, turkey, fish or red meat! It is a great choice for those looking to maintain muscle mass, manage hunger and blood sugar levels, and support an active lifestyle during their Reboot. Not only is this juice high in protein, it is high in iron (40% of your daily needs), calcium (60% of daily needs), anti-oxidants, Vitamin C, Vitamin A/Beta-Carotene, electrolytes, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. So drink up and your body will thank you!
Ingredients:
2 Broccoli stalks
1/2 head or 2 wedges green cabbage
2 cups or 6-8 leaves of kale
1 organic granny smith apple
1/4 lemon (peeled)
1” ginger root
Directions:
Wash all produce well.
Cut to fit into chute of juicer.
Juice kale first or between the apple and broccoli stalks to help pull more juice out of the softer greens.
Juice, pour over ice and enjoy.
*you can also include the broccoli florets in your juice or save those for a salad or another juice.
Makes 1 serving (~16 oz)
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Nutrition Information:
382 calories
21 gm protein
1 gm fiber
2 gm total fat
0 gm saturated fat
300 mg sodium
80 grams carbohydrate

ENJOY !!! 

Todays first step....

So today is ten days til I begin my juice journey.  Already I have received lots of support and well wishes.  If anyone out there has an idea for juicer recipes, I would love to hear them.  Today, Karen and I started off with Carrot-apple-Ginger juice.  A bit gritty, but filling and very tasty.  And to those who are asking, or just curious, my weight is over 440 lbs, that I know of.  So It's just about small steps.  See Ya. 

The Countdown Begins !!!

OK Folks, So here i am. The first of (hopefully) many blog posts.  I have never done this before so if you don't have the patience to bear with me, then you are in the wrong spot, so just deal with it.  I will be posting nothing but the truth here.  I am setting out on a journey to get back some things  I have lost along the path of my life, chief amongst them, my own self respect and/or self-worth.  I am going to be saying things here that some people may find disturbing, or even unbelievable, and it will be as truthful as it can be.  I have a long hard road ahead and I am goingto do it, no matter what.  If you think you might like this kind of thing, buy a ticket, sign-up for the posts, and strap in tight.  This is gonna be a roller coaster ride, and for the first time in my life, one that really does scare me.  Buckle up, and keep a lookout.  See Ya.