When Life Hands You Lemons, Juice Them

So this past week has definitely been trying for me (Brogo, that is). 

It started off as one of those days... a Monday (you know how those go). You know, one of those "whoopsssss, spilt coffee on my shirt and forgot to print off my homework..." kind of days. And naturally, the bad day turned into a bad week (because we all know it's too easy to just have one bad day) and it all was topped off with losing my job. Don't worry, it was only for a few hours... Turns out the bar I work at closed shop with no notice, but after a few hours I found out I could just move to another location. Still, it's definitely put me in a tight spot (money wise) this week and is just inconvenient. 

So not the best week ever... But it could have been worse!

Now, don't worry. We didn't make this blog to vent about our first world problems.

The real point is (as you may have gathered from this title), when you are having an (excuse my French) shitty-ass week, don't be afraid to make the best of it. 

I was supposed to work four shifts last week (twice as much as my normal schedule) and was looking forward to banking... instead I made $50... 

So, naturally, I got drunk. 

I went out with some friends (don't worry, Lucas drove) and coworkers from our bar, and we all enjoyed our night off (lol) together. It was awesome. Plus, I did not wake up feeling bad at all (probably because I have been hydrating and eating right). 

But, then it was back to following a strictly paleo diet. Here's the great part: at some point in time, the luxuries and nights out that we should all enjoy just began to lose their appeal for me. Since I ate out/went out so often it was kind of getting boring; plus, I felt guilty all the time. When Lucas and I went out this time, it was a luxury. We really enjoyed it, and we did not feel like we were throwing away all our hard work because that kind of night has become a rarity. I definitely don't want to go back to living that way everyday, but it sure was nice to be able to indulge ourselves with a treat when we really needed it.

So I have talked way too much about my personal life- let's get to some good stuff.

Here's what I have been eating lately, and I am LOVING it:

Oven roasted asparagus

Baked Zucchini Chips

Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Hash

The hash left-over (uncooked) that we saved for breakfast...

Egg and Sweet Potato Hash Breakfast

Plus, Lucas's parents are AMAZINGGGG and bought us a NutriBullet!

So now, we can juice feast! Juice feasting is great, it is more filling and the options for different fruits and veggies you can use expands to just about anything.

For that sweet potato and ground beef hash-
     -1 sweet potato
     -1 lb. of grass-fed ground beef
     -1 green bell pepper
     - 1/2 of a white onion
     -Olive oil
     -Paprika
     -Garlic powder
     -Kale (optional)
     -1 or 2 eggs (optional)
Shred up the sweet potato and chop up your green pepper and onion.

On medium high, brown your ground beef. Be sure to toss in some olive oil before you start cooking. Once the ground beef begins to look brown, toss in your sweet potato, bell pepper and onion. Shake it up with some of that paprika and garlic powder and leave it covered on medium for about ten minutes. Every now and then stir it up to make sure it doesn't stick. After about ten minutes, if you'd like, you can throw some kale in there (so good). Leave it on for about five minutes (still leave it on if you don't add the kale).

Enjoy!

We had so much sweet potato and veggie mix that I saved some for morning. I cooked this up and for the last 5ish minutes, I cracked an egg over it and scrambled it up. It was sooooo good!

Although this week was a little rough, we are staying strong and loving our paleo diet- zero complaints. In fact, I am currently enjoying my extremely delish Paleo Spaghetti.

So amazing! You're looking at a grain-free, sugar-free meal that totally beats any pasta, any day. That's a spaghetti squash, tomato paste, tomatoes, ground beef (preferably grass fed), onion and garlic. Plus, seasonings to give it that extra flavor. 100% paleo and 100% uh-maze-ing!

Till next time,

Brogo and Lucas

"To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear."

-Gautama Buddha

Accountability

Hey gang! (Any Conan O'Brien fans out there?)

This week has been paleo-rific! As you may have noticed, we have not been blogging everyday. We are now going into once-a-week-blog-mode. We thought it would be important to log our experiences as we went through the fasting, but now that we are into week two, we don't see a purpose of blogging our every step, thought and bowel movement. Sorry guys, I know you're all heart broken!

So this week has definitely been fabulous. We are both feeling wonderful! We have gone completely paleo while still juicing, and it has been great.

Today I want to blog about something none of us wants to think about- accountability.

We love to point fingers and place blame on others. Failed a test? It was unfair, and the professor didn't teach the material well enough! Miss a doctors appointment? They didn't call me and remind me! Overweight? McDonald's must have lied! I ate every meal off of their under 400 calories menu! 

This, my friends, is called externalization. We take these negative qualities/characteristics we see in ourselves and project them onto others as a defense mechanism. Rather than step up and be accountable for our actions, we find anyone or anything else to blame for our behavior. At times, this is beneficial for us to cope. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) are researchers who study stress and coping, and they explain how maladaptive coping (coping in a way that is ultimately going to bring more stress into your life) is, in the moment, an adaptive defense. However, over time, projecting blame onto others will ultimately increase our stress and won't necessarily solve our problems. So what to do?

Well, first you must be accountable for where you are at, and consider how your choices have impacted your health and well-being. This process will be different for everyone- we all have our own stuff to own up to. I am not encouraging you to feel shameful (a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior). I would much rather you find motivation from guilt (a feeling of having done wrong or failed in an obligation), than to feel self-hatred from shame. Once you are accountable for where you are in life, you can begin to develop a plan for changing your behaviors and habits.

So what am I going to be accountable for? Well, mainly for my health choices. I definitely have not been accountable for giving my body the proper nutrients it needs, and taking the time to learn about what is healthy/unhealthy. But this week, I have decided to be accountable for the welfare of others. As many of you may know, I am going to school to become a mental health professional and work with disenfranchised populations. One thing I have noticed (and I am sure you have too) is the huge inequality of wealth in our country. Many of us blame the government for not taking care of those who are impoverished, but instead fight wars in other countries. Others may blame those who are poor for "not working hard enough." I mean, isn't this survival of the fittest? Well, I have definitely struggled with this issue myself. This week, I decided it is time to be accountable. While I can't personally make a huge impact, I can at least do something to make a difference. I spent some time looking at the budget I developed for myself, and realized that if I have enough money to budget for Starbucks and beer (both are $25/week... seriously?!) then I definitely have enough money to donate to different charities. So since I will not be using that $25/week for booze (sorry guys, booze ain't paleo!), I have decided to pick a different charity to donate to each week. We live in a country that values freedom, and I see this as the freedom to earn our own money and choose who to give back to. I have food, shelter, and some dogs to snuggle with- I am privileged. It is time for me as a soon-to-be mental health professional, and human being, to step up and be accountable for the welfare of others.

This week, I am donating to Make-A-Wish foundation (I actually used to raise money for them when I was a kid!) 

So what will you be accountable for? 

Hope that all is well with everyone! Enjoy your weekend!

 "Candor and accountability in a democracy are very important. Hypocrisy has no place."

-Alan Dershowitz

Splurge day

'Ello mates!

So Mucas and I have made it through our first week living the new and improved life! Here's a breakdown of what happened:

 -Lucas juice fasted for 7 days! He decided to eat today because he just felt that he needed food. 

 -Lucas is down to 208 lbs (he started at 220)

 -Brogo juice fasted for 3 days, eating paleo for the whole week.

 -Brogo is down to 115 lbs (she started at 123)

Needless to say, we are happy. We also had an INCREDIBLE day today at Spa Castle in Carrolton celebrating our 2 year anniversary (Sept. 9). They have ten different saunas, pools, and steam rooms that you can go in for 24 hours for only $30 (that's the student price- $35 for everyone else)! Plus, they have food, drinks (including real juice), Starbucks, massages, mani/pedis, and a bar if you want to pay extra. Sunday is our splurge day, however, we decided not to go too cray cray, BUT I did get a frappucino and Lucas got a valencia orange! For lunch we had sushi and miso soup- almost paleo (rice and soy sauce are not paleo), but it was soooo worth it! The frap, however, was definitely not. My stomach is hurting from the dairy- but I learned my lesson!

One of the saunas- 'Far Infrared'

Our lunch: Rainbow roll and Philadelphia roll with Miso Soup

Another sauna from today

After that we decided to get some paleo food for the week, so we went to Sprouts and picked up some grass-fed beef, eggs from pastured chicken, veggies, and some nuts. For dinner I cooked up some random stuff (I was a little excited).

Here are some "egg and beef muffins," with ground beef, egg, cilantro, onion, pepper, and garlic powder. Preheat oven at 375 and cook for 30 minutes! Don't forget to line with muffin tins :)

The most random dinner ever. Garlic pickle (yes, pickle is paleo!), blackened chicken and some of the ground beef, pepper and onion I cooked up.

Here is the beef, pepper, and onion I cooked up. Seasoned with cayeene pepper and garlic powder.

Infused orange water I made up a couple of days ago. I just cut up an orange, threw in a bottle of Dasani, and left in the fridge- so delish! By the way, I have never read up on anything about infusing stuff so for all I know this is completely wrong!

So I will shut up for now, but thanks for following us on our first week! We couldn't have done it without you. The accountability of keeping up with a blog has definitely helped us! And, each day we are learning more to turn around and help each of you in the future. Stay tuned for more info on what paleo is really all about, how to start up a juice fast, and more! 

-Brogo and Pucas

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." -Dalai Lama

Day 5

Sorry I haven't written since day 3! Lucas pretty much summed up everything last night, and tonight was rather, eh, not fun at first.

So to catch you up to speed, Lucas is on day 5 of juicing and is currently down to... 208? He is sleeping right now so I can't confirm, but that's the last number I remember hearing. As for me, I am on day 3 of juice fasting and down to 115. But, I have decided to call it quits on the fasting at the end of today. Although I feel better and healthier, I feel like I am just not getting enough sustenance from juice alone, so I am incorporating my paleo with the juicing. This was a hard decision for me... I definitely had a moment at one point, feeling guilt (I'm a perfectionist) and short-comings. Luckily, Lucas is awesome, and reassured me that what I have done so far is an achievement enough. Then I realized that I was feeling guilty over wanting to eat cooked asparagus, realized I was being ridiculous, and headed to the kitchen.

Now, whether or not the "lack of sustenance" I was feeling was physical or psychological, continuing doing what I was doing was not the solution. We are aiming for healthy, happy, and fit- not healthy enough, miserable, and almost fit except that I don't have enough energy to workout. Now, I am not denouncing juicing. Perhaps I was just not drinking enough/the right ingredients. I'll admit that it was hard to me to drink at times, so maybe I was really just not drinking enough. Lucas and his parents are trekking along feeling happy and healthy and started juicing before I did. This was definitely discouraging for me, but I just reminded myself that what is healthy for me may not necessarily be the same health plan as Lucas's or anyone else for that matter. And to be honest, when I compare my new health plan to what I used to live off of, I have made tremendous progress.

I do feel like I learned a lot while juicing. I learned that I have a lot more will power than I thought I did. I learned that no matter what my new diet is, I can look back and think "this will never be as difficult as that juice fasting thing I did for three days." I also learned a great way to incorporate my fruits and veggies into my diet. There  are so many benefits to this, and I hope that my mini-fast doesn't discourage anyone. In fact, I would definitely recommend this challenge to anyone (as long as your physician gives you the thumbs up). There are many different opinions as to the actual health benefits of juicing, but at the end of the day no matter what you believe, it certainly is beneficial in that you are eating so many nutrients and it is of no harm to you. If you don't think there are any tremendous health benefits there, you can at least do it as a psychological challenge to grow as a person.

If you have been following us and are considering changing your lifestyle, I hope you feel open to letting us know if you need help. We are definitely no pros, but we can point you towards some resources to get ya started. Just message us or a leave a comment with you email address!

"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."

-Michael Jordan 

Day 4

Ok so today is my 4th day of strait juicing. I felt really clear today. I'm down 8 lbs from my beginning weight of 220 lbs. I definitely see a difference in my face. My jaw line is a little bit more noticeable.  I made it to the gym tonight and I tried to intensify my workout, but I definitely felt my muscles hurting a lot quicker. I did four different chest workouts, and then decided to go play basketball. This is where I really noticed my body pushing it self to the max. Within five minutes of playing I felt short of breath, and I even thought I was about to throw up a couple of times. (Let me preface, I play my fair share of the b-ball, and even in my worst of shape I have never felt like I was about to puke.) I pushed my self to at least finish the game of 21 we were playing. At this point I decided to go chill in the sauna.  I spent around 30 minutes. Needless to say I was spent. Time to get my g-rub on, or my juice on technically.  Til tomorrow.

Lucas Cole

"A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions." - Confucius

Day 3

Day 3, and things are on the up and up!

Lucas and I are chugging along, but we are beginning to feel and see results. Before I give a recap of the day though, we wanted to list out where we are now and what our goals our.

Brogo as of 9/9:

Weight: 123 lbs

BMI (Body Mass Index)*: 21.8 (normal range)

Goal weight: 115 lbs

Goal BMI: 20.4 (normal range)

Goal: 5 days of juice fasting

Fit-spriation 

Lucas as of 9/9:

Weight: 220 lbs

BMI: 31.6 (obesity range)

Goal weight: 195 lbs

Goal BMI: 28 (over-weight range)

Goal: 10 days of juice fasting

*BMI is a measure of body fat. Your BMI is calculated based on your height and weight. You can use the NIH (National Institutes of Health) BMI calculator to figure out your approximate BMI. Remember, this is an approximate value. Muscle weighs more than fat and that can skew your score.

Now let's pause here. Lucas and I want to emphasize that the ultimate goal is HEALTH. We list a goal weight here but this is just a way of conveying our progress to you in numbers. We can say all we want about how we feel, but I know for some of you seeing the numbers will mean a lot more. I hope that anyone following our blog knows that we do not encourage obsessing over these numbers. If you find that you are happy, healthy (according to your physician) and living a healthy lifestyle, yet you fall in the "overweight" category, do not be discouraged. I also recommend to try not to weigh yourself everyday- although I know that is really difficult when you feel a difference and want the scale to reinforce those fabulous feelings!

Anywho, I am already down to 116 lbs and only 1 pound away from my goal weight, but more importantly I am beginning to feel great. Lucas is down to 215 and is feeling fan-tab-u-lous! Now another thing that I want to encourage is adapting your health plan to what fits YOU best. I have already dropped weight fast and know that I am creeping towards the underweight category (18.5 on the BMI scale). Therefore, I changed my goal from 10 days of juice fasting to 5 days. I know that it is important for me to not overdo this, so I am going to bring back proteins on day 5. Plus, I am not really interesting in being super thin. I want to build muscle and that requires protein. Lucas is going to stick to 10 days, as he is trying to burn more fat. Let's send him happy vibes, because I am hurting already and I am only on day 1!

I encourage you to really think about your strengths and weaknesses. During this juice fast I am already learning so much about what works for me and what doesn't. I know that certain times of day (around 4/5pm and again at 11pm) I am going to be REALLY tempted to binge eat. I know that working out in the morning sounds fine and dandy, but realistically I will not do it. I have adapted my health plan around these things. When I start really hitting a low point (around 6pm) I get my self together and go to the gym. This releases endorphins and boosts my mood substantially. Plus, I know I won't get up in the morning to do it, so instead I workout at night. Find out what your barriers are. Sometimes we read about diets and fads and think, "wow that sounds really great, but since I can't give up 'insert the one thing you can't live without' I will never be able to do it." Don't let the "rules" of a diet limit you. If you start juicing and just feel like you can't do it without having SOME sustenance, then incorporate some solids that are healthy! Don't just give up on it- adapt the diet to meet your needs.

Lucas is sorry that he didn't blog last night, but he is feeling really great. He is starting to see results in his face and stomach, and just feels better all around. He is looking forward to tomorrow and seeing how his energy level is. The first three days were challenging, but he really handled it like a pro! I am so proud of him.

Brogo's menu:

Breakfast: 16 oz. juice

Lunch: 16 oz. juice & half a cup of black coffee

Linner: 16 oz. juice (tomato, spinach, celery, garlic, asparagus, white onion, green onion)

Dinner: 16 oz. juice (pinapple, green apples, raspberry, blueberry, spinach)

Sorry, I totally forgot to write down my ingredients for breakfast and lunch! BTW- I used WAY to much garlic at linner... 3 cloves. It was a little revolting, LOL

Lucas's menu:

Breakfast: 24 oz. juice (kale, spinach, cucumber, apple, ginger, honeydew melon, celery)

Lunch: 12 oz. juice (kale, spinach, cucumber, apple, ginger, honeydew melon, celery)

Linner: 12 oz. juice (kale, spinach, cucumber, apple, ginger, honeydew melon, celery)

Dinner: 24 oz. juice (kale, spinach, cucumber, apple, ginger, honeydew melon)

Workout:

10 minutes on the bike

3 reps of 10 dumbbell curls to shoulder press (12.5 lbs for Brogo, 30 for Lucas)

3 reps of 18 tricep push-up with dumbbell (22.5 lbs for Brogo, 55 for Lucas)

3 reps of 18 rear deltoid excercise (40 lbs for Brogo, 100-120 for Lucas)

40 mins in the sauna

Until next time,

Juicing Duo

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

-Thomas A. Edison

Pictures

My view 9/10 in class... Self-restraint on max!

Our fridge cleaned and stocked!

Our pantry

All the bad stuff up high- out of sight, out of mind!

Eggplant, strawberry, ginger, spinach, apple, plum (and I ended up adding lettuce)

My breakfast today (9/10): pineapple, Granny Smith apple, celery, ginger, peach, radish, raspberry and blueberry. So delish!!

Our fruits and veggies at the beginning of the week. We have almost gone through everything!