Well now things are really starting to heat up.   First- as you previously read. I am out to get rid of this excess weight. Now I’m thinking I want to compete in a tournament on October 24^th and there’s a ½ marathon coming in the very near future I’m supposed to partake in.

 

I watched the first of the new season Biggest Loser (thank goodness for digital recording) there is this Dad who is 40 and way over weight.   They showed a picture of him when he got married nine years previously.   Looked great!   Like he said he woke up 9 years later and has no real idea what happened.   But because of his two daughters he is out to set a more productive and healthier lifestyle.

 

This really hit home with me.   8 years ago after my separation in December of 2001, I hit the scales at 157 lbs.   I was running everyday at lunch around Camelback Mountain.   Now 8 years later and almost 50 lbs. heavier I’m sitting here truly dumbfounded how I got here.   Sure life has made some changes, I’m a little (okay lot) older.   But hey “Dudes” I just ran a ½ marathon less then 2 years ago.   What the heck is going on? 

 

I just had a pretty good physical with blood work and everything.   EVERYTHING came out with a rating of excellent? (Heart rate, cholesterol, etc.) Well except that I’m a “little” overweight.   Get out of here!!! I’m not excellent! Sure maybe my numbers are in acceptable ranges but nobody almost 50 lbs overweight can accept a rating of excellent!

 

 

In the past 8 years or so I and some of the other students have practiced “fasting.” Some of the attempts have been very successful, others not so much.   Fasting has it’s pros and cons but I have found them to be an excellent source of jump starting a new training regiment. I/we like to do these fasts in conjunction with seasonal changes. Ironically Sept. 21 is the fall change. Just in time as I want to get this thing going. Perfect time for me to “cleanse” the system.   So starting Friday evening my last meal will be somewhere around 9:00 p.m.   I actually am planning to eat sometime around 4:00 but we will see.   I will probably have a great big salad.

 

Then for Saturday I will have distilled water with a little lemon squeezed in it.   For Sunday I will move over to bottled water with lemon.   I might sneak in some honey and cayenne pepper. Cayenne is an amazing internal cleanser but man is it HOT!! In addition the heat will fuel the metabolism and help me to burn so of these FAT STORES!   I will maintain that through Monday.  

 

Tuesday morning I am allowed to Break my Fast. I would normally do this with a good bowl of oatmeal and fruit. However I’m considering some changes this time.   If I can make it… I am planning to maintain a liquid diet for as long as possible.    Hopefully I can make it through the end of September.   This will mean a few things even though they are liquids, NO; coffee, soda or alcohol. (Regardless if I make it or not, there will be no soda or alcohol until after the tournament!!! Also I will do my best to cut back on the caffeine!)

 

 

There will be some challenges with this.   I will need to find a source of good pro-biotic replacements to refuel after the fast and I will need to investigate some good protein sources that are liquid. (I think I have this solved already.)   I will have to get some organic soups that meet the requirements and break out the juicer!

 

I should lose about 10 lbs over the fast but again this is not really a viable measurement.   What will be important is where I am a few weeks after the fast.    Normally it is pretty easy to keep the 10 lbs off for a month or so after a good successful fast.   I’m hoping by the end of October I am down in the 170’s somewhere.   I believe this will allow me to work on my ½ marathon training. Then by the end of the marathon in January I can be in the low 170’s, high

 

 

Now I’ve never attempted an all liquid diet before.   I’ve read lots about them and pretty curious as to the results. Why do this you ask… Well first, I want to make it a better habit of drinking more water.  I’m convinced that an all liquid diet will force me to establish drinking water as a better part of my lifestyle.   Additionally, I have some digestive problems.   All the docs I’ve spoke with don’t directly link my weight gain to them but they do not discount it. Hey, I know the base of calorie in vs. calorie out is the primary but as a person ages, I am convinced this formula needs some tweaking.

Regardless, I think a liquid diet will give everything a much needed rest. The cool thing is I’m not dreading any of this.    I am really excited to see if I have the internal discipline to set this goal and do my best to achieve it. I realize there might be a few out there that believe this to be “dangerous.” I’m confident that it won’t cause me any harm.   Sure as it goes on I will lose some energy. IF it adversely affects my ability to maintain a decent training schedule and interferes too much with my life’s needs. I can stop it. I’ve done similar things for so many years now, I’ve learned to listen to ultimately listen to my body even though I have other goals.

 

 

So if you are interested in my progress I will be logging my training for the tournament, thoughts of the fast/diet and overall weight changes. So check back starting this weekend!