Monday, March 5, 2012

Lessons Learned From My 60 Day Juice Fast

November 2011 ------------------------------------ March 2012


I recently concluded a 60 day juice fast, and wanted to share briefly, a few lessons I learned during my journey. I originally set out to do 30 days, but during that time watched the documentary, "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead," by Joe Cross, on Netflix and was inspired to extend it to 60.

What I learned:
  • God's design for the human body is incredibly resilient. (Your body knows how to take care of itself if given the chance to.)
  • You don't NEED food to live on, you NEED nutrients. 
  • When allowed to repair itself, your body's an amazing physician. (Your body will burn fat, repair cells, detoxify itself, and slim down evenly through the process.)
  • Years of neglect can be undone in a short matter of time.
  • Juicing fruits and vegetables is fun, and can be a family endeavor. 
  • Getting healthy is contagious. (During my fast, I put out a "10 for 10" challenge on this blog, and got about 12 people who took me up on it. As well, three of my children also fasted, my 9 year old son and 15 year old daughter fasted for 3 days, and my 19 year old daughter fasted for 10 days. As well, my wife also fasted several meals during that time!)
  • The Lord will give you strength to accomplish what you don't think you can do.
  • Food should be appreciated, not taken for granted.
  • There's an entire community of people out there fasting and trying to get healthy. (The fan page for the movie has over 113,000 fans!
  • Complete strangers will get behind you and encourage you toward your goal.
  • Everywhere I went smelled like food. 
  • Your body will respond to your mind's decision.
  • It's totally worth it.
  • God is good!
It was quite an adventure, and took me down many roads. I spent several outings with my wife and friends in restaurants and diners, and really wasn't tempted much. For those interested in the numbers, here they are:
  • Total weight loss - about 65 pounds. 
  • Waist - from size 48 to 42/44. 
  • Abdomen - lost about 8-9 inches around.
My goal now is to keep the weight off by eating much healthier. I will continue to juice in the mornings for my essential green needs, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables throughout the day. Am I going completely green, or vegan, no I'm not. But I won't be eating meat like I used to either.

I look at it this way; if most of my meals are healthy, then on Sundays, when my church has their delicious potlucks of meat and desserts, or when my wife and I go out for lunch or dinners, I'll have the freedom to indulge a bit without feeling guilty. I plan to make plenty of my own salads for lunch and will begin a good exercise program as well. And oh yeah, I will fast again. I'm even thinking about the next 60 day fast---seriously. You with me on this one???

So here's to good health my friends. Take care of yourselves out there, and If I can help in any way, please contact me and I would consider it an honor to offer my input!