Day #30 I did it!

Reflections:
What a month! My birthday, Thanksgiving and even our anniversary (today 14th!!!) were ALL in this month. This use to be a time to eat and "party" (with food), but I learned a lot about myself and a lot about self discipline! It's so amazing what can be done when you put your mind to it! I've had countless people say, "I could never do that!" to me all this month. The reality is they could, their own mind might defeat them, but they could. It's just a matter of putting your mind to something. This month was the EASY part...now it's back to "normal" eating and that's where the challenge lies. I've got to balance my life better. Barb and I are training for a 5k New Year's day! I'm really excited about that, and I think that's gonna help motivate us to really stay strong and be disciplined!

This challenge started out to help someone else, but in the end, obviously, I was the one that TOTALLY benefited from it! I learned about will power. I learned about strengthen and discipline. I learned that motivation is a huge factor and perhaps the most important factor in any endeavor is your mind! Your own mind controls it all. I lost some weight. I found out that I can accomplish great things! Challenges and goals need to be an important part of my life! If I don't have something I'm working toward or something I'm trying to accomplish, I will just float through life. Steven Covey was right...set goals and review them often! If you don't have a plan, you plan to fail!

Weight:
Well, as of this morning, I'm still 253 lbs. 12 lbs in a month is nothing to frown at and most importantly, I'm healthier! I have cleaned out my system and now the challenge is to eat more natural and stay away from the toxins!
Links:
30 days of eating raw vegan food is the name of the album of my food journal on facebook. I tried to take a picture of everything I ate. There were times I ate nuts (raw, allowed on the diet) that I forgot to take a picture of, but almost all the times I sat down to eat this month, I photographed it! It's been fun taking pictures and logging all I put into my use-to-be cake hole :)

Scripture:

I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

Phil. 4:13 the msg

Day #29 Stocking up for December 1st

Today was "1st of the month" grocery day and it was exciting to buy things other than just veggies! We bought some turkey meat, some chicken and steaks to celebrate our anniversary on Wednesday (technically it's tomorrow, but Barb is allowing me to finish the last day of my 30 days). I will weigh tomorrow and I will give you an update. I originally set this blog up for 1 month, but I think it's going to go way beyond that! I've realized that this was a great detox diet, but it's really just a better and more health way to live! There are a lot of changes that Barb and I are trying to make for ourselves and our children.

I've really looking forward to my 2 eggs over easy on two pieces of flat, whole wheat toast!  Yes, that is kinda celebrating with food, but this diet has changed me in so many ways. I have really tried to educate myself though this whole process. I know so much more than I did before and I now understand that detox is an important part of the American life (or at least it should be!). I really want to make health changes in the way I eat and especially for my kids. I can't continue on this path and not expect some serious repercussions in my health, energy and life in general! God has blessed me with this knowledge and I want to use it to His glory!

Tomorrow is my last day and I can hardly believe it! I will be posting an album on my facebook book called, "30 days of eating raw!" Be sure and look for it to see all the stuff that helped me change the way I eat, change the way I've thought and even change the way I live!

Day #28 Inching towards the finish line

Sunday is half over and I have Monday and Tuesday left! I can't believe I will be able to eat whatever I want on Wednesday. Technically I could eat whatever I want now, but I'm making better choices. Don't worry, I promise I won't go crazy, but I'm starting to get excited about my two eggs over easy on toast...I will buy them tomorrow when I go grocery shopping :D

Sunday's are never easy, but knowing this was my last raw one for a while made it a lot easier. I also got paid today, so that's always nice. I think everything is going well. I need to find out where I can go and get some blood work done to see about my cholesterol and general health. I'm excited to see the difference. Tuesday I will weigh. That will be the last time on this diet! I think I've done good. It think I even lost some over Thanksgiving weekend which is awesome! I'm not done yet, still got two more days to go! I will write more later, but I will leave you with this. I'm so thankful to have my juicer back!!! I missed it while in FTW. It makes life so much easier!

Day #27 Travel & emotional

It was a long trip from ftw to the Casa today! I hate trying to eat right and travel. It makes life so difficult it seems. The diet is going well and I'm glad I'm saying goodbye to day 27! I'm thankful I only have 3 more to go! It's been hard at times, but thanks to my wife and the Lord, I'm doing it. It's funny how many people have told me, "I could never do that!" coming back to the states has really been interesting. There are so many things that have changed, but I wonder, when did it change that eating a good, health diet was seen as impossible? Why are we so in love with food? People that don't even seem to struggle with their weight tell me how they live to eat!

Please don't miss understand, I'm not judging. No, I don't think I'm better than anyone! In fact, I've spent the greater part of my life proving how weak willed I truly am! It seems to me that if I can do this, there really is NO one that can't do this. It comes down to a decision, a single choice that you might have to reaffirm, a choice that won't be easy, but a choice that will have good consequences! A choice that can bless others, a choice that can change so much! Make good choices like I'm learning to do!

Day #26 Weigh Less AFTER Turkey day :)

Reflections:
Last night we left for Grapevine Mills around nearly midnight. "Black Friday" was CrAzY and there were a million and one people! It was good to finally get out of there around 2 a.m. We didn't buy ANYTHING!! That part stunk, but it's all good. I had my experience and I won't need to have another for about 20 years :) What amazed me was the fact that the food court was PACKED after a day that's usually full of high calorie food and packing it all in in a short time. There were lines at Chilis too! The economy is bad, our health is bad and  yet we are all at the mall spending and eating. Crazy times we live in!


I will have to wait til I get home for the official "weight", but it looks like I lost a pound or two since I've been here in FTW. It's amazing to think that I could actually LOSE weight over the holidays rather than gain a pound or two! I'm so thankful for this new way of eating and living. Barb and I are going to sign up for the New Year's day 5k! I'm looking forward to running more of these and starting a collection of T-shirts from the events. Although we just walked the majority of the race, I'm looking forward to the days of jogging or running these events. 


Scripture:

"you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all^(U) spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so as^(V) to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,^(W) fully pleasing to him,^(X) bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. ^11(Y) May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for^(Z) all endurance and patience^(AA) with joy, ^12(AB) giving thanks^[d] to the Father, who has qualified you^[e] to share in^(AC) the inheritance of the saints in light." Col. 1:9-12

Day #25 Turkey Trot

Up at 6:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving day and you ask why? NO! It's not for a sale or to get the turkey started. I'm super excited, because I'm doing my 1st turkey trot! Yes, it's called "turkey trot" and it's a 5k on the west side of FTW. According to my sister, there's literally THOUSANDS of people that do this. I'm not sure how accurate her numbers are, but she claims as many as 25,000! The current temperature outside is in the 50's and it's starting to sprinkle! I'm not too excited about getting wet and I'm worried Barb will get sick, but we are gonna go for it all the same. If it's just pouring we might not be able to once we get there, but we are driving there and we will see once we get over there. It doesn't actually start til 8:30, but I want to warm up really well and I've heard the parking and lines are madness!

I've had a cup of water and 2 bananas this morning for breakfast. I have a back pack full of bananas, oranges and a raw trail mix. I know lunch won't be too bad, but dinner is what really concerns me! It's Thanksgiving and there will be turkey and all the really good stuff, but I do feel renewed. I watched the raw 30 day challenge again last night and it reminded me why I'm doing this. Food just isn't all it's cracked up to be. I want to be thankful for the right reasons and take better care of my body.

It's time to head to west FTW, so I will post something when we get back.

AWESOME time!!! Barb did great and it was a LOT of fun! There were THOUSANDS...Bootsie was right :) It rained on the way there in the car, but thank the Lord it didn't while we walked. It was really cold and dropped down into the high 30's. Great way to start Turkey day. I will give you updates when the day is over and tell you how I did.

The day went well. I didn't cheat! I had a special pie made by Bootsie and bought by Andy. It was apple and was awesomeness! Great day, proud to have resisted even though I wasn't really tempted, the broccoli rice casserole sounded REALLY GOOD! I made it and today was the day I was concerned...I made it baby!
p.s. there's lots of pics on FB of our thxgvg day!

Day #24 Stayin strong

The odds are stacked against me: traveling, family, great food, holidays and boredom, but I'm preparing ahead, buying good stuff and trying to do my best. No cheatin to date and I'm thankful to God for strengthen to stand!!!

The mall food court was packed and I wanted to eat the Master Wok orange chicken! The biggest challenge is that "food" IS our holiday.  It's all good. I'm hanging in there and doing pretty good! I have S-I-X days left!!! I'm excited to finish, but I'm proud of what I've done!

Day #23 Mucho viaje

Today is Barb's b-day and it's always hard to stay vegan on a diet! I had cut up carrots and celery, apples and nuts, so I managed alright. The next couple of days will be the test! Between thanksgiving and stress of the family, it should be FUN!!! I bought some fruit and veggies, so it's just a matter of planning and discipline! My month is quickly coming to an end and I've realized over this time that I need to remain on this diet for the rest of my life. I will have 2 medium fried eggs over toast on December though :) And when we are out, I will follow the crowd and just try to make good choices whenever possible.

Day #22 3 weeks and SUPER busy

I don't have much time, because I have a paper that I'm trying to turn in by tonight at midnight! The paper isn't due til Dec. 5 or 8 (can't remember which), but I wanted to be finished with school by Thanksgiving and since Barb's bday is tomorrow, I wanted to take the rest of this week "off". I will still have sermons to prepare and other things to do, but it will be small in comparison. I also have several hours of basketball games to go to, so my day is nearly gone!

I went ahead and weighed this morning...253.2 lbs. That's pretty good. That's over 12 lbs in 22 days, so I guess I'm not too upset. I had hoped for more, but I guess I'm just eating too many nuts or something?! The good news is that I can finally say, "I can wear ANYTHING and EVERYTHING in my closet!"

I will try to get something up for tomorrow and I will make sure that I get a couple of posts this week since I will have a lot more free time!

Day #21 Planning ahead paid off

Sunday's are always hard! I have mentioned this before, but especially when we are out of pocket! Yesterday we went to fiddlesticks farm. The kids all had sandwiches and chips after morning worship...none of which I could eat :) I ran to the house and made a quick fruit salad. Barb took GIANT apples with us and that helped tide me over. The youth all took cookies! In all it was a fun day to get out be together, but I learned my lesson. Always have at least an apple on hand!

Day #20 Weekends are STILL hard!

Reflections:
I love weekends even though I'm now busier than EVER! The only thing is that I usually "party" Friday night, some times Saturday night too. Party = EAT!!! Usually that's not a "healthy little snack"! That's pigging out on whatever I want. For the last couple of weekends I have had to really discipline myself. I didn't start this diet as "cheat" on Friday night and then work it off Saturday. Of course Sunday is HARD. After preaching, we have come home to a roast or some other AWESOME Barbara dish over the last couple of months. Now I come home to...a salad :) Oh how things change! When I decided I would do 30 days raw, I committed to myself, I made it known publicly (so my pride would keep me going if nothing else) and I committed it to prayer. God has been faithful to give me strengthen to do this!

These kind of experiences really teach you a lot about yourself. You learn what things you can and can't handle, you learn about your weakness and you especially learn how you "compensate"! I have learned that exercise has become my "addiction" in place of food. That is a good thing, but I've also learned that there are other things that I'm not so proud of now. One of those things is judging others. It's super hard for me not to think "why don't you just suck it up and do what it takes". I'm reminded of Jesus saying "do not judge". Three words, very simple, but very complex to do some times!

I'm feeling good and proud that I'm almost done. I feel unbeatable, but I still have to get over Thanksgiving! When I get past Thanksgiving I will be GOLDEN!!! I've watched my family eat things I wanted, I've even gone to a restuarant or two and ordered water. As long as I'm prepared and determined...I can do this!

Quote of the day:

"You are what you eat!"

Scripture:

 ^1-3 God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing.
   You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
      you find me quiet pools to drink from.
   True to your word,
      you let me catch my breath
      and send me in the right direction.

 ⁴ Even when the way goes through
      Death Valley,
   I'm not afraid
      when you walk at my side.
   Your trusty shepherd's crook
      makes me feel secure.

 ⁵ You serve me a six-course dinner
      right in front of my enemies.
   You revive my drooping head;
      my cup brims with blessing.

 ⁶ Your beauty and love chase after me
      every day of my life.
   I'm back home in the house of God
      for the rest of my life.

Psalm 23 the message

Link:
Here's some good recipes you can try. Good luck and let me know what you think!

Day #19 On top of the world!

That title may be deceitful...afterall, it is FRIDAY!!! All the same, I've got TONS to do this weekend! And the truth is I haven't just lost TONS of weight, but whatever I have lost is not bad. I feel good, because I have made 19 days of only raw fruits, vegetables and nuts! If you think that's easy...try it. I've learned a lot about personal pride and finishing what you start. I hope this will be an example to others that if I of all people could pull something like this off in Winter in west, Texas, ANYONE can do this. It's just a matter of determining to do it.

Barb has been exercising with me and that has encouraged me a lot. She has also chopped and the fruits and vegetables, made most all my meals, helped with juices and just been a general great help! She has made all the difference in any success I have had. I praise God for such an awesome wife. She quit this diet a time ago, but she has tried her hardest to help me accomplish my goal. She still eats extremely healthy and once I get off this diet, I doubt I will do as good as she does EVERYDAY!

My goal is to finish this diet strong and then pretty much live like this. I will eat whatever is offered if we are invited somewhere and I will find the most healthy choices, but I truly believe in raw fruits and veggies. It's a guilty free, health life style that will help me take better care of myself and be a better example to others!

I will get some scripture up asap. I'm reading a lot in James right now. I will also get a link up here asap. By the way, there are TONS of raw recipes all over youtube and throughout the internet. I know you thought I was the only weirdo, but there's actually tons of us :) Hope your day is going as good as mine!

Exercise is going great. This morning I did 3 rounds of upper body and then walked for nearly 50 minutes at a pretty good pace. I felt good leaving the gym and it's a great sweat!!! I was soaked!

Day #18 not prepared may pay for it

Another iPhone post:
Well, it was an early morning. Dropped Mase off at 7 am and now we are eating breakfast w/ the girls. We r suppose to go workout after this, but I forgot fruit! I will hopefully make it through and get home to have some breakfast. Other than that, we are super busy, but I'm doing good on the diet. Feel proud and I'm excited I've only got 12 days left.

Day #17 Last man standing

It's been a busy week with little office time and that's why these posts are short and sweet. I'm sure if you have been following this, you are thankful for the shortness...I tend to be wordy :) I'm still hanging in there. I'm over the hump and have less days left than I've already done. Albeit the hardest days that are yet to come, if I made it past my birthday, I should be able to make it past the rest.

Barb and I got up and did the treadmill for a 1/2 an hour. It felt good to get up and get going! I feel like I'm challenged and ready for a change, but at the same time I feel on top of the world. My hip is still killing me and I'm probably gonna be in a wheelchair within a year or two :) , but other than the hip, I'm USADA grade A...vegan!

If you've ever tried a diet, especially a diet as limited as this diet is, you know it's not easy! One thing I'm learning is it's all in the attitude. If you stay positive and remind yourself of your goals and future pleasures frequently, you will be more able to pass up these short term/short lived pleasures! I'm learning to live a little more disciplined life for perhaps the 1st time in my life.

Day #16 Weigh day

Reflections:
Welp, I'm learning a lot on this diet. It takes guts, determination and perhaps most importantly, it takes a great attitude! The raw 30 day challenge talked a lot about attitude, but I didn't think much about it. I'm realizing it's important not only for yourself, but especially those around you. This diet in a lot of senses can "break someone" and really cause you to get cranky or irritable! I've tried hard to keep my spirits up through all this and have a positive out look on it all. I'm reminded that God is good and we are so blessed and that really helps keep my spirits up!!!

I know it sounds crazy, but I'm considering this more and more as a "way of life" rather than a diet! I want to eat as much fruits and veggies as possible. I know there will be times when "eating health" won't be very possible, but I want to try to eat as good as I can as often as I can...even when I start cooking and eating meat again! Vegan is a challenge, but maintaining my health is so much more important to me now!

Weight:
Well, our scale needs to be tested, but I weighed 255 lbs. That's 10 lbs in about 16 days. I'm happy I've lost, but I had hoped for more. I suppose I need to go easier on the avocados and nuts! They are so good and make the diet a lot easier, but they are also full of fat! Even if it's "good/natural" fat, it will still put the pounds on!

Meals:
Since we are out a lot, this diet is a definite challenge. I haven't cheated at all, but I've probably had "too much" of the nuts and avocados! I have done tons of fruit as well and even though the diet says all the veggies and fruit you want, I'm beginning to start wondering. Perhaps I'm overdoing the fruit :) I guess in the end I'm losing, my clothes are getting a little more loose and I feel good! Those are all good motivations!!

Scripture:

 ¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:12-17

Exercise:

Barb actually went with me this morning! I was glad she went walking with me. It's always good to have a workout buddy! Tuesday/Thursday, I'm trying to just walk. Monday/Wednesday/Friday, I'm trying to do a round of upper body and then get in at least 30 min of walking. I probably need to up my walking, b/c today I signed Barb and I up for a 5k (Turkey Trot) on Thanksgiving Day! It will be a good challenge and promises to be another step towards better health!

Day #15 Changin brakes and good time in Midland

This morning, Barb and I left for Stanton to change our brakes. There's a guy there that does it for $20 a tire! I bought all the parts ($250 for EVERYTHING...disks, pads, all) and took them to him. We dropped off the car and headed to Midland. It was fun to get some stuff done and just hang out together. We also got to go to the health food store there. That was fun buying some new and different stuff. We had a great lunch there (Strawberry Fields) and then headed back to Stanton. By the time we arrived, he was getting ready to put the tires back on. He did it quick and I was super thankful to have new brakes!

Everything is running along smoothly. Tomorrow is "weigh in day", so I'm excited and just a little nervous about that! I'm hoping I'm around 255 to 257. Either way, my clothes are fitting better. I'm feeling good and I know this is the change I needed!

Thanks for checking in and cheering me on. Over time and through experiments, I will learn what is most effective for my body and how best to main that balance of health, food, diet and exercise! Til tomorrow...

Day #14 Busy and challenging

As with most Sundays, I was running a lot yesterday! I had some fruit for breakfast and then a huge bowl of Guacamole and veggies for lunch. Dinner was the tricky part, because the guys went to DQ...not a lot of raw stuff there :) I bought the kids dinner and then headed to walmart and bought a veggie tray. It worked out perfect in the end, but it did take a little will power. Preparation for those times always seems to be the key for me!

I didn't write yesterday (Nov. 14) and I don't have a lot of time today, but I'm staying strong and still standing! I'm proud of my choices and I'm starting to think this is how I will eat the majority of the time from now on...rather than the other way around! The holidays are coming and I'm trying to prepare myself mentally that I CAN do this! I want to make good choices!

Day #13 "Unlucky?"

Reflections:
Unlucky? Not for me! I'm super excited that I'm almost at the 2 week mark. The 1st week was R-O-U-G-H, but this 2nd week has flown by. It's had it's challenges too, but I'm gonna make it! Week 2 had it's definite challenges though! We were out of the house nearly all day Thursday. It's hard to eat raw when you aren't at home. That same day, we went to school to "eat" with the kids. They had Turkey, gravy, green beans, biscuits and even pumpkin pie...we had an apple :) It's all good though. We knew this would be a hard time of year to do this and we knew we would need to make good preparations to make this happen! Winter in west Texas is not the easiest place to eat healthy, but if you make good choices and stay on your toes, it's still doable!

Meals:
This is becoming more and more of a challenge! I'm starting to get tired of salad and even...AVOCADOS!!! I know, I know, it was my fav, but I think I'm getting burned out! We have been doing some juices and a lot of fruit. I think that is the key for me right now. Just switch it up and soon enough I will want some more salad. Barb has struggled some, but she has been such an awesome help for me! She keeps everything peeled and cut up. That's another key. Have something ready ahead of time. I have been snacking on carrots, and raw nuts alot. I try to do different things, but keep greens involved somehow. Ok, yesterday I finally tried the "raw spaghetti" recipe I found on youtube and it tasted...raw :) I thought it was pretty alright. I think if the sauce would have been cooked, it would have been a lot easier! The "noodles" were shredded zucchini. Actually that part wasn't too bad. I just don't like raw tomatoes much and that's a problem when you make raw spaghetti. If you want the recipe just look at youtube or post a comment and I will pass it on. Also, I have a picture of it typed out on facebook.

Scripture:

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.  Romans 12:1-2 msg

Exercise:
This week was my 1st week to try to incorporate exercise. It works out perfect, because Mase has to be at school around 7:30 a.m. for basketball. The school has an awesome indoor gym that FREE!!!! I did the treadmill a couple of times this week and also did 3 rounds (twice this week) of upper body on the machines. Good stuff! I feel good and I'm excited about seeing results in the spring! Obviously there are some quick, short term results already, but the real ones will come in the spring.

Links:
I wanted to share this link, because it has a lot of good articles and helpful tips. I also wanted to share a funny one. Hope you enjoy them!

Day #12 Gaining momentum!!!

I kinda liked the random format (I know you liked the SHORTNESS of it :) of yesterday, so I'm gonna go outside of my "usual" and just write from my head and heart what is going on:

I exercised this morning. I'm trying to do all upper body and then get a half an hour or more on the treadmill. This morning I was able to get that done. Tuesday and Thursday will be core day. For now, Saturday and Sundays are off...just kinda busy! I'm looking forward to December, because most of my school work will be done and then I can focus only on people, sermons and workout. As it is, I'm spinning SEVERAL plates, but God has been good to me with health, strengthen and energy!

The diet is going good. So many people are learning about it and starting to ask. Most ask out of curiousity and to understand why I'm so "stupid" that I would do something like this. Well, three reasons: I started this for my brother. His health was struggling and I love him and didn't want to see that. I know I'm stronger when someone is "with me", so I decided to join him...before he even knew about it :) #2 reason is for my own health. I have had some scares earlier this year and didn't want that to effect my family, my ministry or anyone/thing else! #3 I just wanted to see if I could do it. The older I get, the more I like to challenge myself. Many mocked me for my famous (infamous depending on who you ask :) walk from Salio to Leon, but I did it! I feel proud to say that I walked that far for that long! Call me prideful, but in the end, this is a good thing to be proud of...my health! That's it for today. I will try to fill you in on meals and how life is treating us more tomorrow! The Logan family is coming tomorrow and we are really excited!!!

Day #11 Something smells good!!

Short post today from the IPhone:

We came to school early this morning for a play for veterans day! Madi was one of the students in the play! She did great!! Then we went over to the cafeteria for "lunch" with the kids. Everything looks and SMELLS awesome, but Barb and I sucked it up and ate some fruit. Good morning so far. Diet's going well and we are thankful to be blessed with health, time and energy to watch our kids and their activities!

Day #10 Forgetful?!

Reflections:
It's 1:30 p.m. and I'm just now getting to the blog. I make myself sticky notes, so I don't have to remember everything. I saw I needed to blog and realized I had just gotten so busy with so many other things that I forgot. Sorry, but that business has been mostly good. I got up a little late, because I'm ahead on school. It was nice to "sleep in" (6:45 a.m.) this morning.

Barb and I are feeling good about the changes. Things seem to be "norming" well and it's not such a radical/weirdo thing anymore. The shock of it all has worn off for most people. I have a few people ask me how I'm doing every now and again. The days are starting to speed up again! They were REALLY slow that first week...even though we were still pretty busy!

p.s. I think since I started weighing on a Tuesday, I will wait til this Tuesday to see how I'm doing. I will weigh again when the challenge is over November 30th!

Workout:
This morning I dropped of the kids and did an upperbody quick 3 sets around the room at the school gym. Then I got 25 minutes of pretty good paced treadmill in. I felt good and got in a good sweat!

Link:
World Diabetes day is coming up Nov. 14th. Here's a video about dealing with diabetes. I also want to share with you Mike Adams' blog who is in the video. Both can be great resources. Don't get defensive! I would encourage you just to listen to what they have to say and take what you can from it.

Scriptures:

 ³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. - Jesus

Day #9 Learning and encouraging

Reflections:
Yesterday was a great day. I had a handful of other people asking about this diet. It's kinda hard to start talking about this, but at the same time, the people I've talked with are challenged and truly interested. I'm glad to pass on this info, because I truly believe in it!

I think I've come to the end of detox! Though it's been SUPER fun going through that (actually it really hasn't been too bad), I'm glad it's over. They say detox last different amounts of time for different people. I think I was over it this past weekend some time.

This diet is totally doable. There is some discipline involved. Raw food takes some serious time to prepare...even shakes take time, but surrounding yourself with encouragement, the right tools and always have some nuts or fruit at arms link will make things much easier! After we grocery shop, Barb prepares all the veggies then. When a carrot is peeled, it's easy to grab it and go. When things are separated, all you have to do is mix and match to make a quick salad or shake or whatever.

Meals:
I probably haven't mentioned this much to this point, but I'm drinking a gallon or two each day of h2o. That's a staple of the diet. I went cold turkey on pop Nov. 1st (my birthday ironically enough) and haven't touched one since. I was having some serious caffeine in take, and chemical trash, because it was always diet. For breakfast, I have been doing fruit and usually a smoothie a little later. Lunch is nearly always a salad of some sort. The key is to switch up the veggies and dressing. That helps keep it "unique". Dinner is usually the wild card meal. Some times it's snacking on fruits and vegetables, other times its half a salad with some other stuff. I try to keep it different every time. So far Barb has done a great job of switching things up, so I don't get bored!

Weight:
I've decided that I'm going to just weigh in every Friday. I'm still losing weight, but that will allow me to see bigger gains and also keep me from obsessing over weight. In the future if you are curious about my weight, click on Fridays.

Links:
Today's link is from youtube. It's a slow, gentle, "how to start raw food diet" video. She's not a doctor, but there's some good logical thought on it.

Scripture:
Today's scripture is:

Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred. Proverbs 15:17

Day #8 "It's just another manic Monday!"

Reflections:
Yesterday wasn't as hard as I thought! I'm learning to find new "pleasures" in things other than pot roast and then sitting around for hours afterward moaning about how full I feel. I spent a little time catching up on FB w/friends. I got to study some and just mess around in general! I'm kinda starting to feel like "this is normal", although some people have called it "wird" (weird). I'm actually pretty excited to get over the "hump". I cheated yesterday, but I'm not sure that the Lord's Supper really counts :)

However, I think my weight loss is slowing some...it could be that I went fruit heavy and ate whatever (in the diet limits) I wanted at any time I wanted. There are those (Dr.) who recommend (even in this diet) you eat 3 times a day. The between times is when the body heals and can burn fat. If the body is not using all its energy digesting, it can spend more energy healing. That's part of the reason why diabetics can't heal well. The body is trying to put out too many fires at once. Stomach fat also limits insulin from the pancreas. Wounds continue to worsen, b/c the body is still trying to figure out the insulin thing and other issues.

We are going grocery shopping today and I'm looking forward to that! We have run out of fruit and I NEED some more avocados :) Avocado has become my new life source! It's great on salads and I even love it on celery with salt. It's funny what you begin to like when you get rid of all that junk. The truth is, God has made some pretty darn good tasting foods. We have just ruined so much of it with chemicals and so many other things!

Meals:
Yesterday, I had a shake for breakfast. Sorry, I didn't write it down and I don't remember, what was in the thing, but it was good. For lunch we had salad. We always have a lot of fruits and vegetables on it. I can't get pictures to work, but I will hopefully get an album up on FB soon enough if you're interested! For dinner I went when raw oatmeal (soaked over night), with granola (dehydrated) from the health store, raw honey and

Weight:
258.2 lbs

Scripture:
I thought this would be kinda funny and hoped you would get a kick out of it:

¹ Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. ² One man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.

Romans 14 niv

I knew it was bound to come up, so I thought I would throw it out there first and get it over with :)

Day #7 Definite challenge!

Reflections:
I think it was a Wendy's commercial that said "where's the beef?!" I'm thinking that today! It's Sunday and we have had a pot roast or some awesome meat ever week! NOT today! That's ok, because we are proving to ourselves we can do this. I don't know anyone personally who has ever tried or completed this challenge. 2nd and much more important is the fact that these small sacrifices are helping my health! Pot roast will be there in December, but at least for this month, I'm going to try to stay raw just eating fruits, nuts and vegetables.

Weight:
This morning I weighed 259.2 lbs. I guess that's nearly half a pound UP. I ate a lot of nuts while watching the Sooner game last night...old habits die hard :) They were raw nuts, but as you can tell, it's possible to eat too many. It's all good. It will be gone tomorrow plus some I'm sure!

Meals:
Welp, since pot roast was off the menu :) I had some fruit and salad. It was pretty good! I think I'm going sweet for dinner with fruit, granola (dehydrated) and some raw soaked oatmeal. Oh yeah, breakfast was a shake:
Links:
This a goofy video, but there's a lot of good stuff on this page!

Verse of the day:
I was listening to our scripture reading today in church and it made me think, "I should post one each day on the raw blog". So here it is:

^29-30 Then God said, "I've given you
      every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
   And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,
      given them to you for food.
   To all animals and all birds,
      everything that moves and breathes,
   I give whatever grows out of the ground for food."
      And there it was.

 ³¹ God looked over everything he had made;
      it was so good, so very good!
   It was evening, it was morning—
   Day Six. Genesis 1:29-31 (msg)

Day #6 I LOVE Saturdays!!!

Reflections:
I love Saturdays and I'm kinda trying to "redefine" what "loving" means! I was thankful to get up late this morning, but usually Saturday means big breakfast, BIG lunch and even some crazy snacks til around midnight...NOT this Saturday :) I got to sleep in. I came to the office and studied some and then I'll hang with the family most of the rest of the day.

Meals:
Barb made a crazy shake (click the link for picture and ingredients) this morning. I'm guessing for lunch we are gonna go with, that's RIGHT you guessed, SALAD :). I had an awesome salad last night with Barb's salsa, avocados, orange and lemon squeezed over it and all the greens you can eat! As long as there's a different flavor, that helps me a lot. I'm chugging h2o like no ones business and ironically enough, my body still craves MORE, even after 2 gallons or so! The key to me seems to be variety. Not only for taste buds and seeing this thing through, but more importanly for your health. Different fruits have different vitamins. The same could be said for veggies and even the raw nuts we eat. It's important to get all that good stuff from various sources. You may have noticed that my salads are often pilled deep and wide. That's because I'm trying to get as many greens in it as I can, but also get plenty of other things in there too.

Weight:
This morning around nearly 10 a.m. when I got up, I weighed 258.8

Links:
Education in this whole nutrition thing is the key. I've learned so much from so many different doctors that have info posted through the www! If you really want to know, you don't have to go to college anymore to learn about this stuff. You can just scroll through the pages of the internet and learn a lot! The obvious question is who's telling the truth. I think if it's natural there's no question and in the words of my grandmother, "you're body will tell you!" Here's the link! It's a great source to find a lot of other great sources :) Diabetes is killing our nation, literally and financially. The money spent to "cure" diabetes is more than what we are spending in all our war efforts combine! If that doesn't impress you, nothing will! The reality is that God has made a cure for a man made disease! Education, action and change needs to take place. More than any of the cost,  and other factors, we need to change because of our loved ones! I want to be a better husband and father. I want to see my kids graduate...with their Ph D from college!!! I want to play (be able to move still) with my grandkids. I had awesome grandparents and I want to be one too!

Final Reflections:
Not to be too graffic, but my body had been FLUSHING out all the bad junk. I'm spent a lot of sit down time over the last couple of days if you know what I mean. This is all part of detox and switching to drinking so much h2o. I'm excited that we are seeing this through and I know we haven't made a week yet, but I also know our determination is growing and the results have begun. At the end of this month, I hope to go to a doctor and have all my numbers checked. That will be the true test! Thanks for your prayers on our behalf!

Day #5 Eye opening

Reflections:
The last day or two has been challenging and kinda hard! Challenging because of the lifestyle we live in Knott. Time goes by fast and there seems to be so much to do even during the "down times"! Most church activities in the states revolve around food...often cheap and unhealthy! Since I'm the only minister at Knott, I'm involved in nearly every activity of the church, therefore I'm constantly surrounded by pizza, dessert and the like. I'm not some guy up in the mountains of colorado or in california growing my own veggies and living an extreme vegan lifestyle. That being said, winter in West Texas does pose an obvious challenge to any "would be" raw dieters! It's all good though. We do have a health food store there in Big Spring. We are able to get fruits and veggies at HEB and "the" Walmart. It's a challenge, but we are learning so much about good health and nutrition. Again, there are extremist out there, I'm not one of them, but I do realize that my health has been bad, I've struggled with my weight all my life and this is something I've never tried.

Meals:
 Breakfast was great, although a little too sweet! I had a bowl of organic raw oatmeal (more on this in a minute), a banana, dehydrated granola and honey over the top. Natural raw honey is VERY sweet, so I learned this morning, it only take a dab to make it sweet. Now, you might be asking, "how in the world are you eating RAW oatmeal? Don't you have to cook it?" Yes, typically you do, but you can also soak it in water for about 24 hrs and it will become soft like cooked oatmeal. Good stuff, believe it or not!

Links:
This video is pretty amazing. If you are a sceptic beware. He will say some things that you might not like and he will open up your eyes to some things. There seems to be some logical thought in a lot of his answers, but there's so much to consider in all this stuff.

Weight:
I have mentioned this before, but it's really not about the weight. My "health numbers" (i.e. cholestral, blook sugar, blood pressure, etc) are my biggest concern. That being said, this morning at 7:30 a.m. I weighed 259.8.

Final word:
I've decided to post on Facebook only once a week. Though some might think I've dropped, Barb and I are still going strong. I just don't want to "push" people too much or offend or hurt feelings. This lifestyle is much more than just another diet, it challenges our (Americans) very way of life and most people don't like to be challenge that much. That's why I've been overweight and unhealthy for nearly my WHOLE life!

Day #4 Going forward

Reflections:
I some how made it through the "test" last night on stew and this morning there was fruit on the breakfast table, so I passed both of those "outside" challenges! I have yet to be mocked...too much, but the more I think about things, the more it seems to fall into place. I was remembering the story of Daniel with Barb last night! It's a great illustration that God's plan works. I did make the mistake (some how, b/c I still haven't figured out how we got off on this) of getting the health food store lady started on American food...a half an hour later, she still had a few MORE things to say. Hopefully my face wasn't disrespectful...I had just come out of two VERY LONG meetings and was literally tired!

I went to bed really tired last night around 11 p.m. and woke up on my own a little after 6 a.m. My alarm was suppose to go off at 5 a.m., but I changed it apparently. I was still amazed that I just woke up after 7 hours of sleep. Usually, I would have wanted another couple more!

Links:
I dug around and found dozens of raw food links. I will share those with you over the weeks to come. Today I wanted to share with you a video about the 30 day challenge. I haven't watched it yet, but I have heard this Dr. Fuhrman before and he's got a lot of good logical stuff to say.

Meals:
As I mentioned before, I received my mom's ability to be really boring when it comes to what we eat. She's famous for her fat free cottage cheese and apples and I'm becoming famous for my salads. Barb has done a good job trying to mix it up a little. I have eaten quite a bit of nuts and a few dehydrated things, but for the most part it's been tons of greens and fruit. Breakfast was 3 bananas, half a cantaloupe, 1/2 a gallon of water and some raw peanuts...not the best, but pretty OK. When I say "breakfast", I'm talking more from 8 a.m. til 11 a.m., because I never really stopped eating :) For lunch I'm sure I'll have a salad and probably the same for dinner. It's important to put different fruits and veggies on eat time to kinda change it up! I also often add chopped nuts or Barb makes me a salsa to put on it or something.

Dreams:
I think my current biggest dream is just health and that starts with my hip! It is NOT healing and that's getting frustrating. I need a new bed!!!

I had said this was JUST for 30 days, but I'm realizing that though MEAT is in my near future, I do want to eat a lot less canned food, processed sugar and other man made stuff that has been killing me for so many years! I look forward to the day that my habits have changed and I'm disciplined enough to make better eating choices. To this point it's been some what of a challenge!

Weight:
Oh yeah, I weighed 261 lbs this morning. For those of you who are counting, that's over 4 lbs in 4 days.

Day #3 Remembering the video

Reflections:

By day #3 of the documentary, the people were already starting to see REAL results in their health! DIABETICS were going OFF insulin, cholesterol numbers were dropping and they kept saying they had more energy already.

For me, no real headache yesterday, though there seems to be no hope for my hip. Barb made some great salads which made it really easy to eat good and love it! We have been reading a lot which really helps the whole process. Educating yourself can really be encouraging. I'm interested in finishing out this first week. I'm thinking if I can get past the 1st couple of days, This thing is totally doable. On the 30 day challenge documentary, one lady was ready to drop a few days into it and one guy actually did drop 15 days (half way) into the challenge. If you are reading this now, you know I've gone to public at this point to not make this happen. I have too much pride :) Thanks for all the cheers, encouragement and support. I think this could be a great turning point for the Gary family. Please say a prayer for Barb and I as we are really just getting started!

Meals:

Barb is finding the diet to be stressful. It's funny how she always starts out struggling and I start off strong, but she is the one with disciple and carries things through to the end...I don't! Much like my mother, I can eat the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over (you get the point)! Barb on the other hand likes variety and the funny thing about "going raw" is it requires a TON of preparation to make pretty much anything other than a salad. She's soaking wide rice and working on other recipes. There's a mental hump to get over, but your body quickly lets you know...this is the way you should have been eating all these years!!! Breakfast (pictured below) this morning was a beet, greens, raw honey, carrots, orange and banana smoothie. It tasted pretty good! You would be surprised what tastes sweet when you take away all the white, processed sugar in your diet :)

Discovery:
Diabetes is NOT hereditary! It is brought on by the lifestyle and the way we eat. I understand the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, but our health and eating have everything to do with that! Now I'm no doctor, but the little bit of research I've done here suggests that most diseases can be turned around or at the very least controlled by the diet we eat. I remember my grandmother (now 86) telling me about having cancer so many years ago. She beat it through supplements! Did you know cancer feeds on carbs and sugar?! I didn't! I hope to share more information with you as I grow and learn more, but the biggest challenge and lesson to be learned here is I need to eat more greens! God made them and they hold great secrets of health within them!!!

Links:
shape fit This is no "raw food diet" website, but I think it can be a great encouragement to anyone trying to be more healthy! By the way, I gain no money by writing about this and I'm not "going crazy" or becoming a "tree hugger". I'm still Shawn, just Shawn with a little more discipline and better armed to be healthy. I will NOT do this raw food thing for life, but I have learned that whatever I eat, raw greens should be a part of my everyday life!

Weight:
5 a.m. I weighed 263.2 lbs. (please click down to see yesterday's weight...it's worth the scroll). I agree, there is probably something wrong with my scale, but that's what it said. Sorry to be gross, but I'm not "flushing it all out" yet as some have suggested, so it's not that.

breakfast smoothie!

Final thoughts:
This afternoon will be the challenge! We are hosting some missionaries at the building for an elders and families/missionaries and minister and family dinner. It's soup and stew and who knows what all. Though I will eat prior to going, I'm sure we will be asked a LOT of questions. We also have a breakfast tomorrow. That's the down side to this diet, it's not real flexible in the sense that "hey, I'll just eat a little bit" or "I'll make it up tomorrow on the treadmill". It's EVERYTHING RAW! It's all good. I know Barb has struggled some, but she's also not feeling well. Please pray for her strengthening and health! cya tomorrow. msg

Day #2 Buying and preparing

Reflections:
Day 1 was a good day. The most important thing about yesterday was the fact that it was my birthday and I have NEVER limited myself on my birthday! It was always a "free for all" in every sense, but for the 1st time ever, I decided I would give myself the gift of health more than anything else!

That being said, this is the WORST time to start a Raw Diet! Fall is here, winter is coming and greens and free fruits are going to be really hard to come by and super expensive :) Not to worry, we will find a way.

I didn't get up at 5 a.m., because I had a headache. I felt like (not being lazy...honest), since I'm going through detox, rest would be needed and important. I will try to get to bed a little earlier tonight, so I will be able to get up earlier tomorrow.

My will power is strong, I'm really not hungry and I feel a refreshed since of purpose and I feel like I finally "get it"! This is not a fad, this is not a pill, it's not UNhealthy like a lot of diets and it's even the diet God gave everyone prior to the Ark! I doubt I will become a full fledged vegetarian, but I have been made very aware that greens is super important for my nutrition and health!

Meals:
Yesterday I started off with a shake. Now, I won't call the little girl that worked there names, but she didn't really understand what we wanted! There was SUGAR in the smoothie and we never saw her peel a banaana (either she jipped us or it was a "flavoring"). Though the morning was kinda blown with that one, I still felt good about making better choices! Lunch was an awesome salad with all kinds of stuff on it from a health food place in Midland. Dinner (pictured below) was a salad with greens, veggies, seeds (all raw) and the like. Barb made a blueberry dressing. Strong on the olive oil, but good all the same!

Weight:

I didn't weigh yesterday, but I have been as high as 350 lbs in 2001/2002. Today I weighed 265.6 lbs. I will try to keep you posted on this as frequent as possible. Though weight is not the real issue here, I would like to fit in my clothes better :)

Chiropractor:

Today Barb and I went to the chiropractor, because my hip is super jacked up! He's actually the one who turned me on to all this stuff. His name is Marcus and is a pretty cool guy. He's trying to help us get started in all this and giving us tips and points. As much as I hate my hip problem and as desperate as it has made me feel at times, I'm thankful that it led me to Marcus! He was a great encouragement to both Barb and I and I know he will be a continued source of information in this learning process!

Thanks for checking in! Things seem to be going good and I'm looking forward to checking my number with a doctor at the end of the month! I'm praying and working toward a healthier me...for my God, my family and everyone I know!

Day #1 Getting Started

As many of you know, November 1st is the greatest day of the year...it's my birthday! Barb and I decided to forgo the whole cake, lasagna and general gorging ourselves for a change in health.

Quick Recent History:
I've struggled with my health for a long time. I have nearly ALWAYS been overweight and I have lost some weight here and there, but never really had the proper motivation for true success. Earlier their year, January/February 2010, I was passing out. I was loosing my mind and scared my health would quickly go down hill. I began to eat better, a friend recommended a nutritionist and we were off on a better path! My family and I moved back from Mexico (six years in Leon, GTO) and our life became a out of control emotional rollercoaster! We had a lot of dissapointments, let downs and frustrations, but God finally guided us to a little bitty nada out in West Texas called Knott. I would call it a town, but between the name and size, well, you get the point! The people of this town have blessed us greatly! The kids have found friends and loved living here. Barb was a little concerned about being so far from the city, but was thankful to be in a place that she knew would be good for her family. In all that moving, traveling and horrible BEDS, my left hip got really jacked up. I heard about a chiropractor in Big Spring (B. S.) and started going to him a couple of times a week. Over time we have become friends...even on Facebook (FB)! I was checking out his life and ran accross an interesting article on his wall and that's where this story begins:

The Reason:
Now mock me if you must and if you are not interested, you will quickly leave and that will be the end, although you might just suddenly gain interest in 30 days! What I didn't tell you about the "passing out" stuff is that my blood pressure was 160/120! My cholestoral was over the limit and my health was just poor all the way around! My chiropractic friend turned me on to a documentary about 6 diabetics. Now I don't currently have diabeties, but it's in my family and I've seen others suffer from it. A shot a day was just NOT appealing to me, so I decided to do something about it.

The Cure:
I clicked on this link http://www.rawfor30days.com/index4.html. I begin to learn about a way of eating that I had literally NEVER heard of and watched a video about how 6 people were cured of a disease, NOT by medicine, but by food! I bought the dvd's and have become MORE convienced as I watched this story unfold. My wife and I have bought books and a juicer. We have had some success at "looking better" (weight loss), but now we want to feel better and change our life habits. Our kids are struggling with their weight at a young age. We don't want that to happen. We want to see them graduate college, get married and enjoy grandbabies. I see young children pushing their parents around in wheel chairs in the stores and it's not anymore than poor nutrition. Take a moment to notice who's in wheel chairs and those carts nowadays. It's not little old fragile ladies any more. I can't change the world, but my wife and I have decided that we can change ourselves! He's to starting, not a diet, but a new way of life! cya tomorrow!

p.s.Picture to come asap!