Juice Fast - Update Plus 6 Weeks

Wow! I can't believe it's been 6 weeks since I finished my Juice Fast. Time flies...

So, how have I done since then? The simple answer is excellently! I've lost a further 9 lbs in the last six weeks and I've hit my first weight loss goal of the year nearly a month early. I am now officially lighter than I was when I first moved to America in 1995. Goodbye fast food diet once and for all. My last goal is a further 10 lbs that will put me into a category that I honestly can't remember when I was last in.

How have I done this? The simple truth is that it's been my change in diet. I have remained about 99% vegetarian and generally about 90% vegan. Further, I probably eat about 60% of my food raw. Of course, the only real way to lose weight is to consume a calorie deficit compared to what your body needs, and so I've tried to keep my metabolism as high as possible while eating a manageable food intake. Over the next couple of weeks I will slowly increase my food intake and the weight loss will begin to slow down. I plan to take several months to lose the remaining 10 lbs.

Don't I ever feel hungry? Everybody feels hungry from time to time. That's a reality. But that said, no, generally I feel very satisfied. I eat a lot of very filling vegetables and salads, as much quantity as I can manage. And then I supplement this with beans, legumes, and some grains. Protein consumption is fine - saying that you can't get protein while not eating meat is a complete myth. Also, vitamin consumption has been fine. I have also been growing my own sprouted seeds (think tastier than alfalfa) and also sprouting lentils (which I love) and beans. The possibilities of foods to eat are endless and I really haven't become bored with my diet at all. I've also mostly cut out beer (and that was a huge thing for me) and switched to red wine, and have stopped eating (99%) bread made with refined flour. I now buy loaves made with sprouted grains and they are delicious!

Don't I miss meat? This is a tough one. I miss the thought of meat, but I don't miss meat itself. I didn't undertake this diet because of animal activist reasons like many people do (although I do believe that the American food economy is not well guided and animals are not treated well in their processing). I undertook this diet for body health reasons. Therefore if I do eat a little meat from time to time (although it would be most likely seafood), I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I just need to make sure that it's the exception and not the rule. And to be honest, I can't really see myself changing my view on this. The benefits so outweigh the negatives.

So what's next? Like I said, I have another 10 lbs to lose and several months to lose it. I intend to spend the next couple of months refining my eating habits and finding that right weight maintenance lifestyle and then stick to it forever. I have so much more energy now, sleep better, don't snore, and generally achieve more in a working day, that I'm not going to move away from this way of life. It is completely sustainable and that's something big coming from a skeptic like me!