Todd's Raw Journey:
2006
E-mail: tglasco4 at yahoo dot com
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Todd's Raw Journey:
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January 6, 2006
Belated Happy New Year to all. I am so glad to see several journalers starting the new year recommitting to a healthy lifestyle in general and raw in particular. As for me, I am just a raw foodist, period. Its so much a part of me now that I never think in terms of cravings, cheating or junk food. One night I was feeling alittle stressed and I wanted comfort food, so I ate six clementines and a bunch of dried mango....lol. Thats a long way from where I was about 2 years ago. Right now its Friday late-morning, I am about to go for a 6 mile run with 3lb handweights. Its cold and white with snow outside. I feel good. I hope and pray that all who read this will get to experience even higher levels of health and well-being than I feel now. Since its early in the day and I may not be able to post again today, I will only list my breakfast:
Breakfast:
One banana, 1 clementine, 32oz of banana-date-nut smoothie.
One point about the breakfast, my lovely wife brought me breakfast in bed this morning made up of cut up cantelope, honeydew, 2 clementines and a banana. Unfortunately as both of us discovered, the cantelope and honeydew was nasty and the clementines were dry as a desert. So I threw all that in my smoothie and it was delicious! I rarely have to throw out fruit because I can always either put it in a smoothie or juice it.
Peace.
January 16, 2006 Monday. It was 2 degrees Farenheit with the wind chill when I went running today. Needless to say, a chilling experience! I am going to be adjusting my workouts to more of a bodybuilding workout. I have set some groundrules for myself. First I will NOT be taking any supplements/vitamins. I will be looking to get all the nutrition I need from the raw food diet. I put my normal food intake into Fitday.com and found that I consume between 2500-3000 calories per day. Most of it is in my smoothie. If I need more because my body craves the nutrition or I need more energy, I will simply add another smoothie to my day (the smoothie alone is about 1500 calories). I will continue running 3x per week but I will cut back the mileage to about 18 miles a week (as opposed to the 24 miles I have been doing). The reason is that I have begun running with the 3lb handweights once per week (4 miles) and I don't want to overtrain. So I will do 4 miles (with 3lb weights), 6 miles (with 2lb weights) and 8 miles with no weight. I have been doing exercises with an 8lb medicine ball on my running days, but I am definitely going to get a heavier ball soon (at least 12lbs). I will be using a Hit Intensity Training program that I made up. Its definitely not revolutionary but its the first time I will be doing it. The goal with all of this is twofold; First I want to see if I have an increase in overall muscularity and second I want to see if I can do this without any protein or other supplements that people use on bodybuilding programs just using raw food. I am going to try it for 12 weeks beginning Feb 5th and play it by ear after that. I am definitely keeping my present workout routine (it has been marvelous) to go back to perhaps later in the year.
My intake today so far is:
Breakfast:
3 bananas, bowl of shredded fuji apples (about 2) with coconut. 5 dried figs.
Dinner:
2 large bowl of salad with raw "cheese" sauce, and red bulgar wheat.
Later:
some more dried figs and 320z of water with lemon.
Exercise:
4mile run with 3lb handweights, 3x8 explosive throws with the medicine ball, 3x8 hops on a step with the medicine ball.
Peace.
January 20, 2006 Breakfast:
Bowl of shredded apple with one sliced banana.
Brunch:
32oz of banana-date-apple smoothie.
dinner:
Large green salad with walnut pate topping, red bulgar wheat, shredded cabbage & carrot with raw nut sweet sauce.
Exercise:
7.5 mile run, 2x8 explosive throws with the medicine ball, 2x8 step hops with the medicine ball.
Peace.
January 22, 2006 It was a beautiful sunny day today (particularly for January in New Hampshire). I had the best workout that I have had in a while today. I used a technique that I had completely forgotten about called "peak contraction". Its where you flex the muscle being worked at the top of each repetition and hold it for a second or two before continuing. I have been finishing my circuit workout in about 20 minutes, but today I need to entire half hour. This is definitely a keeper. I was totally soaked with sweat. I ate well today (2800 calories). I got a very good deal on a case of navel oranges at the supermarket ($25), so I enjoyed a 32oz glass of OJ today. Its been several weeks since I have had that. My intake was: Breakfast:
32oz of banana-date-nut smoothie, 2 bananas.
Snack:
5 Dried Turkish Figs
Dinner:
1.5 large bowls of green salad, topped with red bulgar wheat, walnut pate, and raw "cheese" sauce, one half of an avocado
Later:
32oz of fresh squeezed OJ
Exercise:
2sets of (triangle pushups. regular pushups, ab crunches, dumbbell squats, dumbbell curls, dumbbell crossovers, dumbbell toe touches, dumbbell lunges, dumbbell lateral raises), 4 mile walk.
Peace.
January 25, 2006 Good day today. I was sore from yesterdays resistance workout. I decided to back off the 3lb weights and stick to the 2lbs. I think 3lbs is too much at this point. Also, I noticed that since my resistance training has gotten more intense, my mileage on my running has decreased. Thats fine with me though. If I can get 16-18 miles in per week (averaging about 5 miles), I feel I am getting good cardio in my overall workout program. I was able to purchase some additional free weights today, so I decided to start my 12 week Raw Bodybuilding program this Sunday (1/29) instead of Feb 5th. I will take a picture ("before") this Sunday and compare it to the "after" 12 weeks from now (around the end of April...Springtime!!). I expect to gain about 5lbs of muscle but I am prepared if I actually lose weight (I believe that is possible). But my diet will be pretty much what its always been, I just want to make sure I am consuming enough calories for energy. Most of my intake will be (as always) fruit. My intake today was: Breakfast:
56oz fruit smoothie, 4 figs
Lunch:
large bowl of salad (iceburg lettuce, tomato, cucumber) with almond pate and an avocado
Dinner:
32oz of Fresh squeezed OJ
Later:
16oz of fruit smoothie.
Exercise:
5.5 mile run with 2lb handweights.
Peace.
January 27, 2006 It was cold today. 8 degrees when we woke up this morning. Eventually warmed up to the low 20s. I ran 5.5 miles today. I have realized that the increased intensity of my resistance training is definitely taking some steam from my running. It will be interesting to see if my body adapts to the added stress and strengthens or if I will have to just permanently cut my mileage back. We'll see. My intake today was: Breakfast:
2 sliced navel oranges, one banana, 48oz of banana-date-pear shake
Post run:
5 dried turkish figs.
Dinner:
large green salad, almond pate, red bulgar wheat, one haas avocado.
Later:
32oz of OJ
Exercise:
5.5 mile run. One set of 14 chin ups (demonstrating for my kids).
Peace.
January 29, 2006 Can't believe its the end of January already! Where does time go so fast? Anyways, this was a nice easy Sunday. Started my bodybuilding program today (didn't get to take the before pic yet, hopefully tomorrow). I did legs today. Tremendous workout. I have learned something new. I learned that nuts go better for me with vegetables than with fruit. So now I am making my smoothies nut free. But I almosts always have either a nut pate and/or a nut sauce on my salads. Definitely getting more in tune with my body. I would say to all who are embarking on the raw lifestyle, be patient. Don't expect quickee results. Its worth the wait. My intake today was:
Breakfast:
56oz of banana-apple-pear-date smoothie, 2 bananas whole.
Post workout:
6 turkish figs, about cup of bulgar wheat.
Dinner:
Large green salad (more spinach today than usual), topped with red bulgar, almond pate and creme sauce.
Later:
32oz of OJ
Exercise:
3x Db Full Squats, stiff-legged db deadlifts, Db toe raises
2x Ab crunches (medley), db lunges, Db chair steps, Bulgarian Squats.
Peace.
January 31, 2006
Didn't get to journal yesterday. I ran 3.5 miles and did some exercises with my medicine ball outside in the snow. It was nice. Today was a little busier being that I had to drive to Connecticut for some client reviews. I have been invited to do a Raw Remnant presentation in Montana in March. I am very excited about being able to witness as to how God's grace can heal thru Live Foods. My intake today (I was a bit of a pig today) was: Breakfast:
32oz of fruit smoothie, 2 bananas, one apple.
Post workout:
24oz of fruit smoothie.
Lunch:
4 raw spring wraps with sweet almond sauce, 1.5 cups of bulgar wheat.
Dinner:
2 bananas, 1 apple, 3 clementines, 1 avocado, 7 turkish figs.
Later:
32oz of OJ
Exercise:(Back, Biceps & Shoulders today)
2x (Db Curls, Reverse Db Curls, Db flyes& lateral raises, Handstand pushups, Db Military Press)
3x (Chins/pullups, Db rows, Db deadlifts)
Peace.
February 2, 2006
First off, I want to say...Shannon, I am praying for you. To have been thru what you have just come thru and keep going forward....you're incredible.
The weather has been strange lately. Its not been too cold, but just cold enough to keep a sheet of ice on the road. I was only able to run once this week, I did an hour of Tae-bo yesterday with the handweights. It was good, but I miss my runs. Hopefully the weather will break soon. Today was an excellent day weather wise, but it was my resistance day. I maybe should have run instead but I hate altering my schedule. I had an incredible workout today. I believe the raw diet reduces recovery time. This is key to making fitness progress of any kind. My intake was:
Breakfast
36oz of fruit smoothie. 2 bananas.
Snack:
4 figs
Dinner:
Large bowl of raw spinach with cashew creme sauce and avocado.
another Large bowl of salads with almond pate.
Snack:
4 clementines, 32oz of OJ
Exercise: (Chest & Triceps)
5x Db Press, Tricep kickback;3x Db crossover, Db pullover; 2x Triangle pushup, Db tricep press; 1x basic pushups
Peace.
February 5, 2006 My oldest son turned 26 yesterday.....I told him that he is getting old.....(smile). Nice day today. Quiet Sunday. I have started eating nuts again whole. I had stopped for quite a few months. But now I feel hungrier sooner. The nuts seem to hold me very well and I don't have to eat that many of them. Had another great workout today, I know I will feel it tomorrow, at least thats my hope. My intake today was: Breakfast:
2 bananas, 3 clementines, 2oz of raw cashews, 56oz of OJ
Snack: 1 banana, 21 raw almonds, 5 turkish figs.
Dinner:
Large bowl of salad (I just bought an organic salad mix already cut up and dumped that in a bowl, thats pretty typical of my volume). Topped with almond pate (little less than half a cup). Bowl of white bulgar wheat (1 cup) with an avocado.
Later:
2 large navel oranges.
Exercise:
2x abdominal medley of 55 crunches, Db lunges
3x Db Toe raises, Bulgarian Squats
4x Stiff-legged Db Deadlifts
5x Db full squats.
Peace.
February 6, 2006 On thing about the raw journey. There are always twists and turns and things to learn about one's body. I went out to run today. I did only 3 miles. I have come to the conclusion that I must keep my mileage moderate to low while I focus on weight training. I arrived at this conclusion after reviewing the last year. I had been running 8 miles a day, 3 days per week for most of 2005. I also was doing resistance training, although with no where near the intensity I am doing it now. It was a ciruit training routine that worked my overall body moderately and efficiently. Now I am working with much heavier weights and the intensity is much greater. If I were to continue with the 6-8 mile treks, I think I would overtrain and possibly injure myself. Having been there, done that before, I am careful now to be on the lookout for signs of it. When I did the 3 miles today, I was very refreshed after the run. I did not use the handweights (I will leave them out for awhile as I get more used to the weight training). The last time I did a 6 mile run (last week) I felt alittle more worn that usual. That was another indication that maybe I need to back off alittle. So that is where I am now. 3 mile runs 3x per week, high intensity weight training 3x per week (well 4 really because I decided to do my forearms and traps on Wednesdays, but this is really not a highly exhaustive or intense workout). As I am also (with good success so far) re-introducing whole nuts to my diet, overall, the raw experience has been a great great blessing on many levels. For one, my system is clean and my food digests well. I have no guilty feelings for having put something into my body that will harm it or make it not look right. Also, I am much more in tune with my body than ever in my life. These changes are just one example of that. Most importantly, my mind is much clearer and more focused. I have a much higher spiritual connection than I ever had before. The bible seems much clearer and deeper than ever before. I really look forward to what the coming months and years bring because of these developments. My intake today was:
Breakfast:
48oz of fruit smoothie, 2oz of almonds.
snack:
2 bananas, 5 turkish figs.
dinner:
Large salad with raw cheese sauce and almond pate. 2 avocados (I usually eat one but they are going bad and I dont want to waste them).
Snack:
32oz of OJ.
Exercise:
3 mile run.
Peace.
February 8, 2006 Cardio day today. I have begun a workout program for two of my children. I have them do a ciruit training style resistance workout 3 times per week and we are supposed to jog 3 times per week. The weather hasn't been good to us lately, but it was today. So I walked and jogged with them for a mile and a half. Being that they are 13 and 14, vegan and don't eat junk food, they are progressing quickly. They are loving every minute of it. Tomorrow we do the resistance program. After I jogged with them I did my own 3 mile run. My intake was:
Breakfast: 64oz of fruit smoothie, 2 bananas. Post run snack: 2.5 oz of almonds, 4 figs. Dinner: Large green salad, topped with cashew cream sauce, bulgar wheat, alfalfa sprouts and raw guacamole. Later: 40oz of OJ Exercise: Walk and jog 1.5 miles. Run 3 miles. 2 sets of wrist curls (forearms). Peace. February 9, 2006 One fof those mentally trying days. Days that, in the past, I would eat not only more than usual but SAD things. The thought never entered my mind today. In fact I ate less than normal today and had a fantastic workout (that always helps on stressful days along with secret prayer). My intake was: Breakfast: 1 banana, 2 clementines, 1oz of cashews. Post workout: 2 bananas, 3 clementines, 1oz of cashews, 1oz almonds Dinner: Large salad with red bulgar wheat, cashew sauce (cashew day today I guess), alfalfa sprouts, one avocado, almond pate. Exercise:(chest/Triceps) 1x regular pushups (50) 2x Triangle pushups (12, 10) 2x Db tricep press 3x Db cross overs 3x Db Pullovers 5x Tricep kickback 5x Db Bench press Peace. Tuesday, February 14, 2006 Sorry I haven't been as faithful with my journaling as I should be. I will hopefully get better. Yesterday, I ran 3 miles, did 5 sets of db shoulder shrugs and did 100 walking lunges (per leg) uphill. Great workout. Today I did my back/bicep/shoulder routine. I also ran and walked with my kids for a mile and a half as I am getting them used to jogging. They are doing great! My intake today was: Breakfast: 1 large banana, 1 large navel orange, 2oz of almonds and cashews mixed. Post workout: 50oz of fruit smoothie. (5 bananas, 2 pears, 7 dates and water) Lunch: small bowl of salad with red bulgar, raw sour cream sauce and a raw spinach spring roll. Dinner: 3 more of those spring rolls with half a cup of red bulgar and the leftover sour creme sauce. Exercise: (back/biceps/shoulders) 3x (chins,Db rows, Db deadlifts) 2x (Db curls, Db hammer curls) 2x (Handstand pushup, Db Military press, Db Flyes& lateral raises) 1.5 mile walk/jog with my kids. Peace. February 26, 2006
Sunday. As I continue in the raw lifestyle, sometimes its the little things that show me how far I have come. For several months now I have not eaten anything that is dehydrated. I have largely eaten of raw fruit and veggies with nuts and grains following. On Friday my wife made dehydrated veggie crackers as a Sabbath treat for me and my daughter (who is 100% raw). She also made a raw "chicken" salad that came out delicious. I ate of the crackers on saturday. Today, I still feel them in my stomach. I drank some OJ this morning in an attempt to help the digestive process and give myself some easily digestable nourishment, but I still feel it. I eliminated about 4 times before noon (maybe alittle detox also). It definitely affected my workout because I took almost a full hour (55minutes) to do it today. Its been taking me 40-45 minutes these days so that was a little longer. I really hate to have a bad workout, so I pushed thru it. I ended up getting a really good pump on my leg muscles (it was leg day today) and doing higher total volume than last week. Thats one of my goals, to be ever increasing my total volume slightly every week for each bodypart. Sometimes that means an extra rep or two, sometimes slightly more weight, but I am careful to do it very gradually to remain injury-free. This is the first day of week 5 of my first 12 week bodybuilding routine and its going well. I have gained about 4lbs of muscle in the first four weeks. Its slightly noticeable at this point but, I feel it will be more so as I get closer to the 12th week. My meals today consisted of: Breakfast:
32oz of OJ, one banana, one large navel orange.
snack:
about a quarter cup of dried mango.
dinner:
large green salad, raw nut sour creme, hard red bulgar wheat, raw meatless chicken salad.
Later:
32oz of OJ, about a cup of dried mango.
Exercise: (Legs/abdominals)
Abdominals: abdominal medley (various types of crunches) 56 reps.
Legs:
Db full squats 3x8x160, 22x114 (drop set), 26x117 (drop set)
Bulgarian squats 2x8x90
Stiff-legged deadlifts 2x12x110, 2x10x110
Db walking lunges 2x10x90
Db toe raises 3x40x65
Peace.
March 1, 2006
I am traveling to Montana tomorrow to do a Raw Remnant presentation. Should be fun as I have never been to Eureka, Montana, but I have heard of its beauty. That being the case I had to re-adjust my workout schedule. I try to never do a resistance training 2 days in a row at this stage nor to ever run 2 days in a row if I can avoid it. All this in an attempt to avoid injuries. But because I will be traveling basically all day tomorrow I did my chest/tricep workout today (just annihilated my back/biceps/shoulders yesterday) and my run. All I can say is, not doing both on the same day is smart (laugh), but I got thru it. Had a terrific run and a wonderful resistance workout as well. I think the interesting thing is, I didn't really consume any more calories than normal, yet I really didn't feel a lack of energy. Maybe it will catch up with me tomorrow. I am taking off as far as workouts until Sunday anyways. I will be in Idaho then, very beautiful state. My intake today was: Breakfast:
40oz fruit smoothie.
Post workout:
3 bananas, 1.5oz of almonds, 1.5oz of cashews, 4 dried figs.
dinner:
One large bowl (about 3 or 4 cups) of green salad, cashew dressing, hard red bulgar wheat.
Later:
40oz of OJ
Exercise: (chest/triceps)
1 set of regular pushups
2 sets of triangle pushups
2 sets of lying tricep Db press
3 sets of Db Crossovers
3 sets of Tricep kickbacks
5 sets of Db bench press
3 mile run.
Peace.
March 9, 2006
Came back from the Idaho/Montana trip late Monday. We had a wonderful time. We did the Raw Remnant presentation to about 60 people in Montana and it went extremely well. While I was in Idaho (northern Idaho is a very beautiful place by the way and the people are just as nice), I discovered dried cantelope. Its very sweet (too sweet for me to eat really), but it goes very well in a smoothie. The friends we were staying with have a home gym and I was able to get in a great leg workout on Sunday. I decided that I will get a Gold's Gym membership for when I travel. That way if nothing else I can go there to work out when I am away from home (I much rather prefer my own home gym). Many people were touched as we presented the Word of God with regards to health. There are so many hurting people out in the world, if I didn't know it before I am now completely sure that this whole Raw Remnant idea was from heaven. We also got to speak to people in the airports and planes about health and prophecy also. It was just one great trip. Well, now I am back home. Had a great workout today. Ate very well. We are hosting a prophecy seminar at a local hotel later this month. When making the arrangements I asked if we could bring our own food since all of the attendees will be either vegan or raw vegan. The hotel manager said no, but she wanted me to teach her chef how to prepare the food we want. So I had a couple of meetings with them and yesterday they had some samples prepared for me to eat. The chef had a salad with some sprouts that he put some braggs on, some mock turkey, some raw vegan cheese sauce and some raw salsa. With the exception of the salad itself everything needed a little more salt, but it was quite good! Imagine, a hotel wanting to know how to prepare raw vegan food! I really like that manager and that chef. So we will have a large abundance of salad, 3 different types of sauces (cheese, almond, and regular cashew), a large amount of bulgar wheat. For the vegans there will be pasta and meatless sauce. I think this was a great witness for the chef and the manager (who said she wouldn't mind trying raw herself). So my intake today was:
Breakfast:
56oz of fruit smoothie (3 bananas, 2 apples, about a cup of dried mango and 48-50oz of water), and one banana eaten whole.
Lunch:
small salad, raw vegan cheese sauce, mock turkey, and raw salsa.
Dinner:
Large salad, almond pate, raw cheese, one avocado, cup of bulgar wheat.
Exercise (chest/Triceps):
1 set of regular pushups
2 sets of Triangle pushups
2 sets of Db tricep press
3 sets of Db fly crossovers
3 sets of Tricep extensions
5 sets of Db bench press
Peace.
March 19, 2006 Sunday. It was a very cold day today. We have been getting spoiled because the winter has been very mild by New Hampshire standards. Nevertheless, spring is definitely in the air. My bodybuilding workouts have been going great. I have gained 7lbs of muscle over the last 7 weeks (202lbs now). I know its muscle because my waistline has remained the same while my weight has increased. I am noticing added thickness on my chest, arms, back and thighs. It will be official after 12 weeks (the term of this "experiment"), but I definitely know that one doesnt need to consume inordinate amounts of protein and supplements to gain muscle mass. I am still consuming about 3200 calories per day. 40-50% of it is in liquid form (smoothies & OJ). My intake today was: Breakfast:
2 bananas, one cup of dried mango, 64oz of fruit smoothie.
Lunch:
One large green salad, 1.25 avocado, 3/4 cup of combo of raw sour creme sauce and sweet sauce, cup of white bulgar wheat.
dinner:
36oz of OJ
Exercise: (legs/abs)
2.5 mile walk
5 sets of Db squats
4 sets of Db stiff-legged deadlifts
3 sets of Db toe raises
2 sets of Db walking lunges
1 medley of 68 crunches
Peace.
March 26, 2006 Its Sunday about 11am. My computer hard drive crashed on Friday. I may have lost all my data (I know michelle has been there). I have been quite busy recently so I haven't been able to post as much as I would like. Did a Raw Remnant presentation (without my power point) yesterday and it turned out quite well considering the circumstances. My bodybuildiing workouts are going great. I am averaging about a pound of weight gain per week and I am consuming about 3200-4000 calories per day. I am using alot of fruit smoothies, OJ and dried fruit and nuts. Its cool because I am not trying to stuff myself but the Raw diet is giving me everything I need with my current levels of intake. I do eat a large, healthy salad every day also. I am doing a few things differently now than I have ever done before. First, of course I am eating raw. Nutrition is at least 80% of building not only a good physique but health in general, it may even be higher than that. Second, I am documenting every workout and loading it on Excel (hopefully a tech guy can help me recover it). I measure sets, reps, weight and total volume of each exercise. I measure progress with each bodypart as well. This has helped me in so many ways. I have been pretty consistent in increasing my poundages on the major exercises (Squats, bench presses and deadlifts) every 4th week. To avoid overtraining, I am increasing the poundages on other exercises (for example walking lunges and dumbbell rows) less frequently (like every 5th week or so). This is my 9th week starting today. I haven't measured myself except for my waistline since prior to the first week, but I am definitely seeing development. I know that when the 12 weeks are up I will be able to record excellent overall progress, but now I am wondering "If I keep it up, what will I look like in a year?" I intend to find out for sure!
Today is leg day so I will be doing that workout when I get home (I am doing this report from my office computer). My intake so far today has been:
Breakfast:
cup of dried mango, 2 extra large bananas, 1 oz of cashews, 36oz of OJ.
Don't think I will be able to post the rest until tomorrow.
Peace.
March 31, 2006
Friday. My computer information was saved (Thank God). I was able to have the information "ghosted" (computer term I learned) from my old hard drive to the new one. I have to get a separate hard drive to back up my files. Glad that's over with. My workouts are going great although I am experiencing soreness in my left shoulder. I realize from this training that it is weaker than the right one and needs some extra attention. Other than that my workouts are going great. I weigh 204lbs now (up 9lbs) so its sticking to about a pound per week. I am still consuming between 3200-4000 calories per day. The only non-raw things I have eaten are the bulgar wheat and some banana chips. I am definitely getting stronger as evidenced by the dumbbell bench press. 9 weeks ago I was doing 5 sets of 6-10 reps with 55lb dumbbells, now I am doing 5 sets of 6-10 reps with 70lbs and I will be increasing to 75lbs next week. These aren't huge poundages but it illustrates the rapid progress I am making on the raw diet. Today is a cardio day, so I ran my 3 miles and will walk after dinner (its 70 here today and absolutely gorgeous out). My intake today is: Breakfast:
2 bananas, 56oz of banana-nut-date shake.
Dinner:
2 large bowls of fresh salad with sour creme dressing (raw), an avocado and about 1.5 cups of bulgar wheat.
Later:
32oz of fresh squeezed OJ
Exercise:
3 mile run. 2 mile walk.
April 2, 2006
Sunday. Absolutely perfect day today. The sun was shining bright, it was in the high 60s, not a cloud in the sky. It's too early for any pesky bugs now, this was a glorious day. I decided that my children and I would do a hike today. Lately they have been into trying to get lost in the woods and find our way back home. We live on a nice size mountain with plenty of trails, roads wind around the bottom of it so one can't get but so lost. We have pretty much covered every area of the mountain over the 4 years we have been here, but there was one trail we got lost on 3 years ago that we have not revisited. That was where we went today.
The sun seemed to be smiling on the woods. The dead leaves from the fall made it look like a golden floor and there were patches of soft moss like carpet on the fallen trees. If you cannot tell, I really love the spring. Well, sure enough we got lost. My kids loved it. We discovered a bog we had not seen before. The water was fresh and my kids drank of it as I sat on a rock and enjoyed watching them. We hiked for about 2.5 hours or so and found a familiar trail that led back to our house. My kids were beat (so was I), they just came home, changed into their pjs and were ready for bed at what would have been 9pm (but the spring-ahead thing made it 10pm). I was also tired but instead of heading for my nighties what did I do? Legs!!
I hate to miss a workout so I decided to do legs and skip abs until Monday. I am using a pair of 90s for my dumbbell squats now. 3 weeks ago they felt like a ton, but today (even after 2 plus hours of hiking trails and hills), they felt light. I am due to increase to 95s next week and I know I am ready for them. I did 5 sets of squats (including 2 drop sets). I bought a kitchen timer from walmart to make sure I only rest 90 seconds between sets (torture for sure, but I love it). With the exception of the last drop set, in which I give myself 3 minutes to rest. When I had done the squats, I was hyped. I went on to walking lunges, stiff-legged deadlifts, step-ups and toe raises. I was beat by then, but my wife wanted to go for a short walk. I felt like I was ready to drop, but the air revived me and I felt great. All of this energy is due to the Raw lifestyle, this way of eating is truly appointed from Heaven and has God's blessing on it. I can truly feel the power of it in my own person. At the end of this month I will be starting my 3rd year raw. It seems to get better and better. My wife is not only getting into weight training, she has been doing billy blanks boot camp workouts 3x per week. She is looking really good. Its great to have been married 21 years had 4 children and your wife still looks hot. I am truly blessed.
My intake today was:
Breakfast:
2 bananas, 1 apple, 64oz of fruit smoothie.
later:
handful of cashews.
Lunch:
2 large bowls of salad, bulgar wheat, an avocado and cashew sweet and spicy sauce.
dinner: 32oz of OJ
Exercise:
5 sets of DB squats
3 sets of stiff-legged Deadlifts
3 sets of dumbbell Toe raises
2 sets of walking lunges
2 sets of DB step ups
2 mile morning walk. 4 mile hike. half mile evening walk.
April 6, 2006
Thursday. My birthday is coming up in about 8 weeks and I decided what I want.......a well-defined, muscular set of abdominals;a decided washboard, a six-pack.....you get the picture. I have about 16 ab workouts until then, I think this will be a good challenge. I don't like the way they look now, but since I went raw, they are closer than since I was in my early 20s. I am in the neighborhood and I want to zero in. Anyways, today was chest and triceps day (smile). It was the first time I did repetitions with 75lb dumbbells for several sets. That's no big deal to veteran bodybuilders, but it definitely is for me. I made sure and warmed up my shoulders well. Too well. In fact, even though I did 5 sets of 5-6 reps with the 75lbs, I think it would have been easier if I hadn't used alot of energy warming up. Thats why warming up is a tricky thing for me, I have to make sure I don't hurt myself, but at the same time I want to utilize my ultimate strength for the meat of the workout (no pun intended). But overall it was a great workout, I got an awesome pump in my pecs and triceps. My weight has been all over the place in the last few days (I think its mild detox). I have been up to 207lbs and today I am at 204lbs. Oh well, I press on and go with the flow. Tomorrow will be Ab/cardio day (I am psyched). I will annihilate my abs and it will only take about 15 minutes. I also plan to do my normal 3 miles. My intake today was: Breakfast:
1 banana, 1 apple, 48oz of banana-date-nut shake with a apple.
Late morning:
about an ounce or 1.5oz of cashews with 1.5 cups of dried mango.
Lunch:
2 bowls of green salad, with raw cheese dressing, one avocado, 2 cups of bulgar wheat sprinkled with a little cayenne.
Later:
32oz of OJ
Exercise:
5 sets of DB bench press
3 sets of DB flyes
3 sets of Db tricep press
2 sets of triangle pushups
2 sets of Tricep kickbacks
1 set of regular pushups.
April 7, 2006
Friday. I decided today that I would add some light exercise for my trapezius and forearm muscles. I had really good energy today and I believe its because I consumed a higher and normal amount of calories yesterday (about 4200). Not that I am trying to make that a habit because it was not planned. I guess my body just craved more so I went with it. Today was my scheduled cardio/abdominal day. I ended up doing more ab work than I planned because during my normal workout, I added weights to every movement. I had on ankle weights and had a dumbbell in my hands for every crunch. That didn't work out too well. I didn't feel any pump to my abs. I decided I overdid the abdominal resistance and on the last set of 100 reps I used weight only where I would normally (20 reps of lying crunches with a dumbell) and no weight for the remaining 80 reps. That felt great as I got a tremendous pump to my ab muscles. I had errands to do this morning so my breakfast was just a banana. I later had a brunch of another banana and 53oz of OJ. I ended up reversing order of how I normally eat and it turned out well. Maybe I will do it purposely for sunday. My intake today was:
Breakfast:
One Large Banana.
Brunch:
One banana. 53oz of fresh squeezed OJ.
Dinner:
Large bowl of lettuce, tomato and cukes with raw cashew dressing (cheese-style), one avocado and 2 cups of bulgar wheat.
Later:
Dried mango, 48oz of banana-date-nut shake.
Exercise:
4 sets of 100 ab crunches (including hanging leg raises).
3 sets of shoulder shrugs
3 sets of forearm curls
3 mile run.
Peace.
April 13, 2006 At the end of this month, I will have been a raw foodist for 2 years. On Wednesday, April 12, 2006, I had my worst detox episode of the whole journey. It actually started at about 4am. I felt something in the pit of my stomach that felt like gas. I thought I had to eliminate but I didn't. I got up a few hours later in the morning and felt worse. I kept feeling like I had to eliminate but I couldn't. I drank my banana-date-nut shake, about 48oz, (which always causes me to go)and I felt worse. My head was pounding. I had a fever (my head felt hot) and at the same time I had a chill over my body. I went for a walk as it was a beautiful day and even did a light workout (calves) but nothing helped. As the day wore on, I was sinking fast. In the late afternoon I was feeling totally drained and sick. I ate a banana. I knew what was going on and I wanted to feed my system with fruit. In the early evening I was covered up with blankets in bed. My head was burning but my body was freezing. I kept the windows in my room wide open to feed my system with air. My daughter made me 32oz of OJ which I drank very slowly. I ate 2 more bananas. I could not sleep at all. I knew as I started to feel worse and worse that it was going to pass in the middle of the night. Sure enough, at 3am, I had to eliminate. It was mostly liquid. I felt better immediately and the fever passed. I had been urinating all day (I must have went at least 10 times, probably more). Then about 3:30am I eliminated again. I felt weak but much better. Later in the morning I went a third time. The crazy thing is, when I got up I felt like I had lost alot of weight (I lost about 7lbs in the 24 hour period), but I felt fantastic. I was scheduled to do chest/triceps today, but did a lighter workout as a precaution and will do that one tomorrow by God's grace. I give this report to say that we should not expect detox to go away forever after a few months raw. I read stories where people had serious episodes after 2 years, now I can totally relate. I also read that for every decade one ate cooked or SAD is a year of detox episodes. So for me that would mean about 2 more years. Its well worth it as the body is healing itself and cleansing itself if toxins built up over decades of bad eating habits. Even though I feel better today, I still have not had a solid bowel movement (3 which were mostly liquid). To me, that will be the true sign that its definitely past. But I do feel 100% better today. Had a good workout (abs/forearms/traps) and ate well. My intake today was: Breakfast:
32oz of OJ
Later:
cup of dried mango and handful of raw cashews.
Lunch:
Bowl of salad with cashew creme dressing, avocado and white bulgar wheat. (Just thinking about this would have made me sick yesterday).
Later:
32oz of OJ.
Exercise:
440 abdominal crunches of various sorts.
3 sets of forearm rolls
3 sets of shoulder shrugs.
3 miles of walking.
Peace.
April 21, 2006 Well I have finished my 12 week bodybuilding "experiment". What a learning experience it has been. I learned that a raw vegan can truly gain muscle (and fat) on a raw diet. Here are some before and after measurements: Chest: before- 43" / After-45"
Biceps: Before 16"/ After 17"
Waist: Before 34"/ After 35" (I don't like this one)
Thigh: Before 24.5"/ After 26"
Weight: Before 195lbs/ After 205lbs
So over the 12 weeks I gained about 10lbs. My waist is an inch bigger I believe its because I have been consuming alot more whole nuts (which I will now cut back on) during the process. I will continue to pump iron (I really love it) and I believe my body will continue to develop over the coming months and years. I am changing my routine alittle for the next 10-12 weeks. I am going to what is called a 4 day split routine and doing my running twice per week (cardio). My wife will be taking photos on Sunday and hopefully I can post them sometime next week. My intake today was:
Breakfast:
2 large bananas, 32oz of OJ
Snack: 1 cup of dried mango with 1oz of almonds
Lunch:
Large salad with shredded carrots and cashew cheese dressing and about 2 cups of white bulgar wheat.
Later: 32oz of water with a slice of lemon.
Exercise:
3 sets of dumbbell shoulder shrugs
2 sets of dumbbell upright rows
3 sets of forearm curls
330 ab crunches
3 mile run.
Peace.
April 25, 2006 Tuesday. I have had a sore throat for the past 2 days. Its like I have a cold but I still have plenty of energy. I just had a serious detox episode about a week ago. I don't know what's going on but I have learned to just go with the flow since I have been raw. Had a great cardio workout today. The black flies are out early here in New Hampshire and they make life miserable when you are walking. Good thing I was running! Glad they only last until the end of May. My intake today was:
Breakfast:
Banana-nut-date shake with one apple. 3 oranges on the side (I made 64oz and drank half of it for breakfast).
Mid-morning: 32oz of banana-nut-date shake, 2 bananas.
Lunch:
Large salad with half an avocado, cashew sauce, 1 1/2 cups of bulgar wheat.
Later:
3 bananas.
Exercise:
330 ab crunches
3 sets of forearm rolls.
3 mile run.
3 mile bike ride.
Peace.
April 30, 2006
Sunday. It was leg day today. Today I did a change from dumbbell squats to barbell squats. It has been at least 10 years since I did a barbell squat. But it was great! What an intense workout! I brought my total volume to an alltime high today with them. It was a beautiful, sunny day in New Hampshire today. I noticed we have a tremendous amount of dandelion growing in the yard. I am thinking of making a smoothie with dandelion, apples, dates and bananas. I checked on dandelions and read that not only are they rich in vitamins and minerals, but also help eliminate excess water retention. Any of you nice folks out there have any experience with that? Drop me a line. My intake today was:
Breakfast:
56oz of banana-nut-apple shake
Later:
2 bananas.
Lunch:
Large green salad (about 7 or 8 cups), cup of hard red bulgar wheat, half an avocado, raw cashew sour creme sauce (about a third of a cup)
Later:
28oz of fresh squeezed OJ
Exercise:
5 sets of barbell squats (100 total reps)
3 sets of db stiff leg deadlifts
3 sets of db standing toe raises
3 sets of db seated toe raises
2 sets of db walking lunges
2 sets of db stepups
2 mile walk with my wife.
Peace.
May 9, 2006
Tuesday. Its been busy recently. I went to Washington, DC last Friday and spent the weekend there. It was Ten Commandments Weekend and some of my church brothers and myself went to hand out literature regarding the Ten Commandments. It was alot of fun and since it was my first time in DC I got to see all the monuments. Staying raw was very easy since we found a couple of supermarkets with plenty of produce. I missed my shakes but I did buy a electric juicer at a local Walmart and bought some oranges, so I did enjoy some OJ in the hotel room. Been having some great workouts, but because of the trip I have missed 2 cardio runs. Hopefully I can get back on track with that starting Friday. My bodybuilding workouts have advanced especially since I added barbell squats and deadlifts. I am sticking to the dumbbells with everything else for now. I am thinking I will stick with dumbbells indefinitely for my chest developement. My intake today was (so far): Breakfast:
2 bananas, 32oz of banana-apple-date-nut shake (I will finish the last 20oz later).
Lunch:
Large green salad with avocado (bought it at a salad bar since I am on the road today).
Dinner:
I will finish my shake and have some cashews and dried mango with a few bananas I bought on the road today.
Exercise:
couldnt run today. but will do my 400 ab crunches and my forearms curls.
May 14, 2006 Sunday. Been having alot of rain lately. The lack of sunshine can make things seem pretty gloomy. But I am not allowing that to happen! (Thank the Lord). I finally got some new pics done but now I have to put them into walmart for developement (hopefully in the next few days). Today was leg day. I changed it up a bit to put more emphasis on my squats. I did get a fantastic pump on my quad muscles but my overall volume was lower than it was last week (I don't like that). My goal is to always increase my volume at least a little each week. So I probably won't be doing that again. I am definitely getting more muscular, even since I took the pictures 3 weeks ago. I have come to the conclusion that increased muscle mass is definitely a function of how much protein one absorbs as opposed to how much one ingests. I am only taking in about 50-60 grams of protein per day (according to fitday.com), yet I am increasing in muscle mass over the last 15 weeks. The raw diet cleanses the digestive tract and allows for more absorption of all nutrients and greater efficiency of the system overall. As I continue to develop muscularity I will definitely have more to say about this. My intake today was: Breakfast:
half a banana (the other half fell on the floor), one apple and 2 cups of bulgar wheat.
Lunch:
7 cups of mixed greens, one chopped up apple (sort of a waldorf), one-third cup of almond sauce, 1.5 cups of hard red bulgar.
Dinner:
32oz of OJ, 2 bananas.
Exercise:
7 sets of barbell squats
2 sets of walking db lunges
2 sets of stiff-legged deadlifts with dbs
3 sets of standing toe raises with dbs
3 sets of seated toe raises with dbs
Thursday. Sun finally showed its face today after being absent for about a week. Glorious day. Today was chest/calf day. I can say for sure that I had the best chest workout that I have ever had. I think being raw has a tremendous amount to do with that. Diet-wise I was a little backward from my usual line-up today. I went to be very early last night (before 9pm) and got up very early (about 4am) with a hankering for bulgar wheat with chopped apple. So I got up, prayed and read my bible. While I was reading I had the bulgar soaking. When it was done I seasoned it, chopped up a fuji apple and mixed it in then enjoyed myself in the early morning quiet. Ate about a cup and a half. Speaking of bulgar. I got an email today asking if bulgar was raw. That's an interesting question. When I first started raw, I bought an ebook by Storm Talifero called the Garden Diet. It describe bulgar wheat as a raw substitute for rice. I bought and started playing with seasonings until I got the taste I wanted. I had been using it about 10 months when someone on another site informed me that bulgar wasn't raw because it is pre-steamed. All I know is, its very easy on my digestive tract (easier than rice was) and much healthier. I am not sure at what temperature its steamed though. So it may be raw or it may not, but at this point I am keeping it as a part of my diet. I love the taste and it digests so easily. In addition, this year I have found out that its also very nutritious (I wasn't previously aware of that).
My intake was:
Breakfast:
Bowl of hard red bulgar wheat with fuji apple.
Lunch:
Large green salad with chopped apple, almond sauce, bulgar wheat.
Later:
Banana-date-nut shake
Exercise:
1 set of 48 pushups
5 sets of db bench presses (110 total reps)
3 sets of incline db presses
3 sets of decline db presses
3 sets of seated toe raises
3 sets of standing toe raises.
4 mile walk.
May 22, 2006
Monday. I got my picture back today. Yuck. I definitely got fat. I realize that I probably (definitely) have been consuming too many calories. The picture doesn't lie. So after analyzing this situation, I decided to reduce my caloric intake to between 2000 and 2400 (as opposed to 2700-3500) and see what happens. I believe my workouts are going great right now, so I won't change anything there. I believe its all diet-related. It just amazes me how this happened on a raw diet. I'll probably send the picture for michelle to post tomorrow. My intake today was: Breakfast:
banana-date-nut shake (about 50oz)
Lunch:
2 bowls of salad with an avocado and bulgar wheat.
snack:
3 pineapple rings (dried).
Exercise:
Today was Shoulders/Arms. This one is grueling is a fun kind of way.....lol
2 sets of inverted triangle pushups (22 reps each) 2 sets of bicep db curls supersetted with Lying Tricep press (drop-setted, 96 reps each set) 2 sets of reverse curls supersetted with tricep extensions (96 reps the first set then 72 the second) 2 sets db lateral raises 2 sets db bent lateral raises 2 sets db concentration curls. 2 sets db military presses 4 mile walk. May 25, 2006 Thursday. I have decided that I hate my recent picture so much that I am not going to post it. I will have to take another one. Sorry Michelle, the one from last October will have to do until I get another one. Really hate the newest one. Did I mention I didn't like it. Ok. Anyways, after further analysis, I have realized that I have been really poor in following what we call the "Eight Doctors" or "7 doctors and the Chief Physician". Its an acronym that spells NEW START. I may have mentioned it before, but it stands for N-utrition (in my case raw)
E-xercise
W-ater
S-unshine
T-emperance
A-ir
R-est
T-Trust in Divine Power (the Chief Physician).
I have been really neglectful of water. Hardly drinking any at all and thinking because I eat raw it was ok. It wasn't ok. I mean, I wasn't even drinking any with my workouts! It is no coincidence that I never post any in my daily intake. Yesterday I started a conscious effort to add 100oz per day (approximately half my body weight in ounces) of water to my regular routine. Well, this is only day 2 and I already feel and see a difference. I have a 34oz water bottle and the goal is to fill and drain it 3 times per day. What I noticed was, my morning shake held me all day long. When I finally did eat at 5pm (it was about 2 hours later than I like to eat, not by design because it was a busy day), I got full quickly. I ate a second bowl of dinner more out of habit than anything else. I am not sure where this will lead in terms of muscle gain or loss, but I know its healthier and thats the main thing.
My intake today was:
Breakfast:
34oz of water with 2 slices of lemon.
48oz of banana-date-nut shake
During/Post workout:j 34oz of water with 2 slices of lemon
Dinner:
2 large bowls of salad with hard red bulgar wheat, a chopped apple, almond sauce and an avocado.
Later:
34oz of water with 2 slices of lemon (same 2 slices by the way).
Exercise:
1 set of pushups
5 sets of flat bench db presses (including 3 drop sets)
3 sets of db inclines (all drop sets)
3 sets of db declines (all drop sets)
3 sets of standing toe raises with db
3 sets of seated toe raises with db
May 30, 2006 Well, its May 30th. I am officially 45 years old today. I didn't achieve the washboard abs I am desiring...yet. But I am determined to be relentless in my pursuit. I am up to 560 ab crunches 2x per week. I am planning to slowly increase the number until I can do 1000 crunches twice per week. I am also drinking a minimum of 100oz of water per day (this is the 7th day of doing that so far). Of course, I am also eating raw. Today I ate only fruit for most of the day, no particular reason, but I just felt inclined to do that. I had some bulgar wheat with chopped apple in the evening. I was able to run today, which is something I had not done in several weeks for various reasons. I was glad I did as I felt so good after. I really would like to keep to my schedule with regard to it and hopefully I will by God's grace. My intake today was: Breakfast:
Bowl of fruit salad (my children prepared it for me). 34oz of water.
Lunch:
4 bananas. 34oz of water (after the run). cup of dried mango.
Dinner (eaten later than usual).
34oz of water. 2 cups of bulgar wheat with chopped fuji apple.
Exercise:
5 mile run.
560 ab crunches.
June 6, 2006
Tuesday. I am so glad the nice weather is here. Its officially spring but it sometimes feels like summer which, the mosquitos notwithstanding, is fine with me. I realized about a week ago that I was in the beginning stages of overtraining. It can happen easily and it has happened to me many times in the past. The self-imposed workout deadline of an hour is a great help. I found myself going for more like 90 minutes to 2 hours in recent weeks. Then I started feeling alittle more tired. At that point I knew what to do. I cut back my total volume and made sure I stopped within an hour no matter what. Getting to know your own bad habits and how to stop repeating them is a wonderful thing. I thank the Lord for His grace in that area. Sunday I did about half the leg workout I would normally do. Yesterday I did the same with my shoulder/arms. Sometimes you have to tear the whole house down and start over. Today I am going for my 5 mile run, then I am doing my abs. My assault on them has not diminished though. I am moving the number of crunches to about 640 today. My intake today was/will be: Breakfast:
One banana, 4 oranges, 34oz of water with 2 slices of lemon.
Lunch:
banana-nut smoothie, 34oz of water, bulgar wheat with apple.
Later:
Banana-nut smoothie, 34oz of water
Exercise:
5 mile run.
640 ab crunches
3 sets of forearm rolls.
June 9, 2006 Friday. Happy Friday everyone! It was overcast and rainy all day today. I got my 5 mile run in though. It felt really nice. I think that when I cut back to 3 miles it wasn't enough after running 8 miles per day for so long. 5 miles feels just right, least at this point. I have been invited to speak in Georgia, near Chattanooga. I would like to speak about God's Healing Plan using Live Foods, but I think they want me to speak on Revelation and prophecy. Hopefully The Raw Remnant website will be finished soon. Our ministry is going well, we are going on a local radio station with a weekly 2 hour show on prophecy and health starting June 18th. We are expanding our prison ministry to include a state penitentiary (we do the county jail right now) and our CD ministry on Daniel and Revelation is expanding every month. We are not without our trials of course, but trials are a part of life in our world. Thank God they won't be in the new world. My intake today was: Breakfast:
4 bananas, bowl of cantelope, cup of dried mango, 34oz of water.
Lunch:
34oz of water, 10 cups of salad, 1 cup of bulgar wheat, one chopped apple.
Dinner:
handful of dried mango, 34oz of water
later:34oz of water.
Exercise:
5 mile run.
632 ab crunches
3 sets of forearm rolls.
I am planning on eating just fruit for at least the next few days. No nuts, no veggies...just fruit. I just feel like my body is asking for that.
June 13, 2006 Tuesday. For the last 4 days I have been eating just fruit. No nuts, veggies, grains....just fruit. I feel FANTASTIC!! I did it because of a guy on another site who only eats fruit. I remembered that I had done that for several months in 2001 and felt great. But since I have been raw I haven't done it except when I am on a OJ Fast. I feel like I am on a energy pill or something. I had planned on only doing it for a few days as a change of pace......but I am afraid to stop right now because I feel so good. My runs are easier, my weights feel lighter and its only been 4 days. I did legs on Sunday and Shoulders/Arms yesterday. Very enjoyable workouts in which I still felt energy afterwards (and I worked out high intensity). Today has been typical of how I have been eating: Breakfast:
34oz of water (then I did my workout)
late morning:
Large bowl of fruit salad (honeydew, cantelope, strawberries, blueberries, pears and bananas) total of about 10 cups I would say. 34 oz of water.
Dinner: 2 chopped apples, with 1.5 avocado in a bowl with sea salt and cayenne (sounds weird but I love it).
Later:
34oz of water. 56oz of shake (4 bananas, 1 pear, 4 dried pineapple rings, 4 dates..about 50oz of water).
Much later: 34oz of water.
Exercise:
5 mile run/648 abdominal crunches.
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