Raw Food Diet Diary

Today’s Raw Food Diet

• 2 Cantaloupe Smoothies (2 large cantaloupes)
• Banana/Strawberry Smoothie (4 bananas/10 oz. strawberries)
• Banana/Peach Smoothie (3 bananas/2 peaches)

I slept about nine hours last night.  When I awakened fully, I noticed that I had greater energy than yesterday.  I also noticed that my mental focus was much improved.

I’ve started easing my way back into an exercise program.  Exercise is kind of a tough nut for me to crack at present.   I used to be very active and in very good shape.  In fact, that’s one of the reasons that my wife was attracted to me.

The biggest mistake that I make when I attempt to begin an exercise program is to do too much too soon.  When that happens, I usually feel so much worse after doing so that I can’t stand thought of exercising again too soon.

Last summer, I had some success with beginnng a new exercise program.  I rode my bike daily.  Each day, I gradually increased the time that I spent in the saddle.  By the end of the summer, I was able to easily ride the distance to work and back . . . about 10 miles.

During daylight savings time, I rode to work 2-3 times weekly plus weekends.  My morning ride was in the dark, but the roads that I needed to take had little traffic at 6 a.m.  My afternoon ride was in daylight with substantially more auto traffic.  Some drivers weren’t happy to see me on “their” road, and they made it clear . . . sometimes by honking loudly as they went past; sometimes by passing me so closely that I could reach out and touch the vehicle without fully extending my arm.

(Note: Texas law allows bicycles on just about all roads . . . unless specifically prohibited by local ordinance.  Bicyclists are allowed to occupy a lane of traffic two abreast, and they are subject to the same rules of the road as automobile drivers and motorcyclists.  It was a rare day that I didn’t pass a police officer, constable’s officer, or sheriff’s deputy . . . and I was never stopped for riding on a road that didn’t have bike lanes.)

During the five months that I rode, I dropped about 5 pounds from 278 to 273.  I gained that weight back when I stopped . . . but it didn’t happen until the month of May.

Since June 3, I’ve lost 14.5 pounds.  The only “regular” exercise I’ve engaged in even close to regularly is mowing the lawn, moving the lawn sprinkler, and walking the aisles of the grocery store.

The other night, I watched an Oprah episode (with my wife) featuring a number of people that lost substantial amounts of weight.  One young man, who lost something like a couple of hundred pounds, showed post-weightloss pictures showing folds of loose skin hanging down.  He’s had several surgeries, and was preparing for another, to remove the excess skin.  I have a good friend who also lost a lot of weight that had the same problem; she had surgery done to remove the excess skin from her arms.

Yikes!  I think I’d rather be fat than deal with that.  Plastic surgery does not sound like an acceptable option to me.

I also don’t understand the whole loose skin thing.  Some people seem to get it after enormous weight loss; some people seem to have skin that covers them tightly (without surgical assistance).  Why is that?

According to Ron Brown, author of The Body Fat Guide, loose skin is a sign that one has lost too much muscle weight and still is overfat (even though that person is at “normal” body weight).  He says that if one loses that excess fat without sacrificing muscle, one’s skin will snap back.

All of the reading I’ve done says that if I want to maintain muscle, I have to exercise my muscles.

So, I’m starting off simple.  A few days ago, I tested myself on push ups and bodyweight squats.  My numbers weren’t impressive, but I now have a starting point.

My initial strategy is to do about 50% of the number of pushups and squats I’m capable of several times a day.  That way, I’m increasing the volume of exercise I need to maintain muscle while doing so at a pace that won’t overtire me or make me so sore that I don’t want to continue.

I’m also “playing” with my kettlebell.  I pick it up and do a clean or a snatch to relearn the form.  I intend to get more vigorous with it once I can do so with good form and minimal soreness.

Finally, I plan on incorporating a training program called PACE.  I’ll tell you more about that as I get into it.