I guess it all started with a "Biggest Loser" challenge I entered at work. We had 4 weeks to see how much weight we could lose while reporting to our co-workers and the event organizers at the home office. There is something to the idea that if you have to be accountable to someone you will actually do what you say you are going to. ESPECIALLY when you have to start weighing-in downstairs in the office conference room. Yike-a-rooni.
With Vivian's 1-year birthday right around the corner, I knew I had to get serious. The first two weeks I dropped about 6 pounds by tracking my food on the myfitnesspal.com app on my iPad. Apparently, I was eating a few too many calories which was why my body was holding on to the last stubborn pounds of baby weight. After that first 6 pounds, I still had 1 1/2 pounds to go for my monthly goal. I got stuck for a full 7 days without a budge on the scale.
Welcome to plateau-ville.
So, on about the 7th or 8th night of not losing any more weight I dejectedly sat in front of the tv and surfed Netflix. What did I find? Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. Seemed appropriate for my current state of mind. Without going into a full review of the show, I'll just say that it inspired me to go buy $60 worth of produce at Costco, pull the old juicer out of the garage and get busy. The result: the last 1 1/2 pounds was off by the final weigh-in. Oh yeah!
Then, after watching Forks Over Knives, I decided, what-the-hay, why don't I also try eliminating all animal products from my diet? BAM! - 2 more pounds down in the last 5 days.
Guess what else? At Father's Day brunch yesterday I find out that a bunch of other people are juicing too and I didn't even know it! I know that these things have popularity cycles. Someday Stella might be pulling OUR old juicer out of HER garage and thinking, "Hmmmm, I should really try to eat more fruits and vegetables." My hope would be that she doesn't have quite as long of a cycle in her life of eating processed foods like us children of the 70's, 80's and 90's.
I really don't know how this will all play out in the long-term. For now, it feels right to be eating healthier.
Mr. Yost and Stella making a morning drink of orange/carrot perhaps? See the green one in the background? Yep, that is the one I was drinking. In Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead they call it a Mean Green. I call it a Green Meanie (because you have to be one Mean Mother to drink it!)
The pulp catcher on our 30-year-old Juiceman Jr. is broken. We tie a plastic grocery bag on to the back to catch the pulp instead. I won't go into how it looks way to much like a colostomy bag which just makes me think how important it is to eat healthy so I myself don't end up that way some day...stop! Stop!
What does Vivi think of all this healthy eating stuff? She seems to be oblivious to the major life shift happening right in front of her eyes. In fact, she seems completely content to scoot around in her walker and find forbidden objects like the computer cord.
Mrs. Yost: ever the amazing iconoclast! She looks dangerously fabulous, and Mr. Yost is so impressed at and attracted to her initiative on this front. Mr. Yost must admit, however, that his first impulse after completing Forks Over Knives was to buy an 8-pack of hot dogs, an impulse he satisfied. Mrs. Yost hasn't faltered.
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