The Most Non-restrictive Diet Plan Ever!

Truly Enjoying Food for the First Time


For the first time in my life, I am truly enjoying a wide array of every kind of food that God created.  I have began to experiment with food items that I have never even heard of not alone consumed.  For example, one of my new favorites is quinoa, which according to Wikipedia, contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it a complete protein source.^[13] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration human occupied spaceflights.


Another two of my new favorites include kale and arugula.  Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical with potent anti-cancer properties.^[1] Boiling decreases the level of sulforaphane; however, steaming, microwaving, or stir frying do not result in significant loss.^[2]Along with other brassica vegetables, kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.^[3][4] Kale is also a good source of carotenoids.^[5]  

Arugula (Eruca vesicaria sativa) is a leafy green herb of the mustard family. Known also as rocket, Italian cress, roquette, and rucola, arugula has elongated dark green leaves that are lobed like the leaves of an oak. In the ground, the plant resembles a loose lettuce with long, slender leaves.

Arugula is related to both the radish and watercress, and the flavor of the leaves is similarly hot and peppery. The leaves can be between 3 and 8 inches (7.5–20 centimeters) in length, depending on the maturity of the leaf. Native to the Mediterranean region, arugula has been grown as a vegetable since the Roman era. The Romans ate the leaves as a vegetable, used the seeds to flavor oil, and made aphrodisiac and medicinal compounds from the plant.

Arugula is very low in calories and is a good source of vitamins A and C, folate, calcium, andmagnesium. It can be eaten raw, added to salads with other salad greens, or cooked. It is excellent sauteed lightly in olive oil or steamed and added to pasta dishes. Arugula can also be made into pesto and served with pasta or potatoes or as an accompaniment to roasted or grilled meats.

Finally, I also finally decided to give sushi a try.  Contrary to popular belief, sushi is not raw fish.  The word sushi actually means, "seasoned rice".  I decided to give it a try in light of "The Hangover" star, Jonah Hill's weight loss success secret being sushi.  I particularly like the dragon roll and the California roll, which can be purchased at most grocery stores.  Be careful about not using the sauces that comes with the sushi though as most contains mono sodium glutamate, which is a harmful ingredient to human beings, especially human beings trying to get healthy and lose weight!

In conclusion, I just wanted to say that I have found many recipes online to diversify my diet with everything that God has made, and am feeling the most healthy that I have felt in a long time.  I am trying my best to just stick to foods that do not have an ingredient list, or at least a very small list, consisting of five or less whole organic ingredients on the label, and avoiding foods with ingredients that I cannot pronounce.  This is the most liberal diet that I have ever followed as I can eat carbs, fats, proteins, and even homemade sweet stuff using stevia, honey, and fruit as the sweetener.  Stevia is a natural plant-based sweetener like sugar cane but is calorie free, and will not rot your brain cells like chemically-based alternative sweeteners, such as Nutrasweet, Equal, Sweet n' Low, and Splenda.

How We as God's People Should Eat in Modern Babylon

 ⁸ But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. ⁹ Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, ¹⁰ but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your^[c] food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”

 ¹¹ Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, ¹²“Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. ¹³ Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” ¹⁴ So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.

 ¹⁵ At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. ¹⁶ So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

 ¹⁷ To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

¹⁸ At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. ²⁰ In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

In our time, we the majority of the population believes that we can be healthy by eating the manufactured, process junk that sits on our grocery store shelves and in our fast food restaurants.  It is time for the true believers in Christ to live better than the unbelieving, for our faces to be radiant and victorious so that we can have a testimony that others will want to seek out.  How can we reflect the Glory of the Lord if we look sick and defeated?

Turbocharging My Metabolism

Supplementation
While I have tried every diet pill on the market, and all  they have mostly done is put me in Emergency Room, I have opted for a natural supplement to boost my sluggish metabolism.  From the beginning, I have wanted this journey to be about reclaiming my health in Jesus' Name, and not to be about losing as much weight as fast as I can.  That is why I condemn procedures such as lap-band surgery, and all diet pills, because they might promote weight loss but damage a person's overall health.


Forskolin
My supplement of choice is Forskolin, which I heard about on an episode of Dr. Oz, which is supposed to promote belly fat burning, and also helps in other health areas, such as blood pressure reduction, and can also help one get a good night sleep.  The brand that I ordered is called C-Bolic by Better Body Sports.  This brand boasts a higher concentration of Forskolin.  


Watch the following video for Forskolin benefits:

I am going to chart my progress after adding this supplement to my regular healthy nutrition and exercise program to see if there is any difference, and from there I will make my recommendation for or against this program.

"18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame; who set their mind on earthly things" Phillippians 3:18-19

Milestone: 20 Pounds Lost!

First Goal Reached!  
As with any journey or trip, there are points and stops along the way that makes us reflect on how far we have come so far from our starting point to our destination.  While I have no precise destination of how many pounds I want to lose, and overall health and fitness is my goal, it is a blessing to see the number on the scale get lower.


Today, I am celebrating that number on the scale lowering down to 296, thus losing a total of 20 pounds, reaching my first checkpoint on my journey.  More importantly, I feel healthier, my clothes fit better, and I am not showing any signs of relapsing and slowing down anytime soon.


Any day now, my daughter, Olivia will be born, and I want to have the energy to be an outstanding father, full of life and energy, to her and Isaiah.  I want to model an abundant life in Christ to my children.  This resolve was especially strengthened in my soul after watching the movie, "Courageous", last night.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."  Joshua 1:9
New International Version (©1984)

The Comforter

Who or what is the comforter in your life?  Where do you turn when life makes you anxious, stressed, and fearful?  For me, the answer to that question has been clearly, food, for most of my life.  I have often lied to myself and others by saying that God, The Holy Spirit, is my Comforter.  However, the amount of pounds that added around my waistline over the years, from eating ice cream and brownies, tell the real truth.  


This week, I had a job interview for a customer service representative position, in which I had already made it through four different assessments/prerequisites for the interview itself.  I thought that they would offer me a position at the interview but drove home disappointed at the thought of waiting some more for confirmation.  I was told that I had to wait two more weeks to find out if the job was mine.  A situation like this would have previously led to a binge on sweets as an anxiety cure.  This time, I instead actually turned to my God and Savior to help take the anxiety from me.  I still ate some food in response to my stress but it was a healthy alternative, consisting of a cup of strawberry Greek yogurt.  God helped me to make a healthy choice and to not give in completely to my fleshly desires.  This is a huge step toward victory in my life, and I will continue to walk with Jesus to the finish line!

Whitney Houston/Mariah Carey "When You Believe"

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7)

Sustainability

In my past attempts to lose weight and feel great, I have always had the tendency to go all out at the gym, working out for two hours per day and 6 days per week.  This always led to some sort of an injury and ultimately, me giving up on my mission.  I almost fell into this same trap this time around.  


My trainer, at my request, set me up with a 6-day fitness program.  Today would have been my sixth day at the gym but feeling extremely sore, I decided to give it a rest.  Most would say that this is a lazy decision, including me.  However, I reminded myself that this is a lifetime journey that I am on, not a race.  I am going to lose my weight!  It is just going to take time and causing injury to myself by trying to lose the weight as fast as I can is not going to get me there.  It would just end up in another failure.


I have come to the conclusion that the best way for me to sustain my fitness program is to make the 6th day of my program optional with Sundays being my day of rest.  I have to realize that there is no shame in adapting my program to add "some" rest into the equation.  Even if I workout only five days per week, that is still five times more days than I was previously exercising.  I just have to be careful to not keep trimming my program down until I no longer have one.


With that said, I just wanted to share a song with you that has really been an inspiration to me, to tell myself not to give up.  It is a song by Toby Mac, called "Get Back Up":

Philippians 1:6

English Standard Version (ESV)

⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

BACK to the Gym?

Day 5


Have you ever said to yourself, "I don't have time to exercise".  Well, it was tempting for me to say that today because of the list errands that my family and  I had to complete.


The first thing in the morning, right after breakfast, was a routine doctor's appointment for my wife because she is 31 weeks pregnant with our expectant daughter.  Everything turned out well at the appointment and everything is going according to schedule.


After the appointment, we stopped by Walgreen's to get a snack.  I ate one of those peanut caramel crunch Smart Protein Bars, made by MuscleTech, which was the yummiest protein bar that I have ever tried.  Some of the past ones that I tried either tasted like chalk or had health- destructive high fructose corn syrup as one of the ingredients.


This snack trip was followed by a trip to Little Chick shoe store so Isaiah, my two-year-old son, could try on some shoes because he is growing quickly.  However, to my amazement, his current shoes still fit, at least maybe for another day or two, so we didn't buy any shoes.  After the shoe shopping, we went shopping for food at the Natural Health Food store, and then we were going to go shopping for more food at Aldi.  However, Isaiah fell asleep in the van so we went home and postponed the shopping trip for later today.  After all this shopping, I was wiped out and certainly did not feel like working out.


I knew that I had to overcome this sluggish feeling and put my flesh in check if I am ever going to be victorious in my journey, and in my life.  That is why I decided to work out in spite of my sluggishness. I knew that if I didn't go today, I might not go work-out tomorrow or ever again.  Today's fitness program had me working out my back muscles, followed by 20-30 minutes of cardio.  I did three sets of back exercises on the three back muscle machines at Planet Fitness, and I have to admit that I didn't do the full 30 minutes of cardio.  However, I did do 20 minutes.  It is my understanding that I am not going to be perfect in my quest to live healthy but trying is better than doing nothing at all.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

English Standard Version (ESV)

 ²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.²⁵ Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.²⁶ So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. ²⁷ But I discipline my body and keep it under control,^[a] lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Footnotes:

1. 1 Corinthians 9:27 Greek I pummel my body and make it a slave

ABSolutely Wonderful

Day 4


Today, I hit the gym hard after a breakfast sandwich, which consisted of eggs, turkey ham, and real mayonnaise on whole wheat bread.  
The focus areas of my body were my chest and abs.  I completed three sets of chest exercises on the machines, and then went to the ab circuit training area at Planet Fitness.  


My program is supposed to consist of 12 minutes doing the ab circuit; however, I did that first ab crunch, and it felt like I was punched in the stomach by a combination of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson at the prime of their careers.  I felt like giving up at this point but I decided to rest for a minute and get back at it.  My favorite ab workout machine was the Ab Coaster, a machine that I once coveted, which is almost like a ride and an exercise at the same time.  I completed 8 out of the 12 recommended minutes, not bad for the first time working my abs in years.


Afterward, I treated myself to an exercise dessert of 30 minutes of cardio on the Arc Trainer.  I ended my routine with some stretching and went home to drink a protein fruit smoothie.


For lunch, I mixed some mandarin oranges, a can of albacore tuna, and some mayonnaise in a bowl, and ate it with a spoon.  For dinner, I ate a healthy meal from Panera Bread, a half chicken sandwich with hummus and tomatoes on whole grain bread, along with some black bean soup and an apple.  The total calories from the meal was only 450 calories, with 25 grams of protein and a whopping 18 grams of fiber!


I finished my day off with a little bit of dark chocolate and a few sips of red wine.  My abs are still sore but I am gaining energy, and I cannot wait to work out some more!

Romans 8:5-6

Amplified Bible (AMP)

⁵For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and ^[a]pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and ^[b]seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. ⁶Now the mind of the flesh [which is sense and reason without the Holy Spirit] is death [death that ^[c]comprises all the miseries arising from sin, both here and hereafter]. But the mind of the [Holy] Spirit is life and [soul] peace [both now and forever].