Juicing whole fruits and vegetables has become a regular practice in the health/fitness community in recent years – and it makes perfect sense. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since I started following a plant based diet and using it with my clients, its that the more fruits and vegetables you consume the healthier you are. Fasting and cleanses have also become a trend in recent years, and until recently I’ve written them off as weird and more likely to cause metabolic havoc than to yield any true results. However, after Marcella and I watch the film Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead about a year ago my mind was completely opened to the idea of a juice fast. For those of you who haven’t seen the film, it shows individuals undergoing extraordinary improvements in health and fitness in just days, all while only consuming freshly juiced fruits and vegetables. The theory behind a juice fast is that it allows your body to detox, repair and burn fat by shifting your food intake to 100% highly concentrated produce juices (tons of phytochemicals!) for from a week to over a month. Since seeing the film I’ve used the technique on a handfull of brave clients, and each time the results have been just as remarkable as those in the film. I recently advised my friend Jeff Kroll to try a juice fast, and here’s what he had to say once it was all said and done:

““You want me to do WHAT?”

You must be kidding.  A juice fast is abnormal and wholly unrealistic.  There is no way I can adhere to such a strict regimen and maintain my busy life.  And, give up caffeine?  You are aware that I own a coffee shop, yes?  I went vegan.  I tracked my food and drink in a food journal.  I nearly wiped out the refined carbs.  I bring it when I’m at the gym.    You are asking too much this time.  I can’t do anymore.  I just can’t.  But… you were right about the veganism and the carbs.  And, the journal helped keep me honest.  And, you pushed me hard while at the gym.  Maybe, just maybe, you know what you’re talking about.

A week later, a juicer was on my kitchen counter, surrounded by piles of fresh produce.  I had no plan beyond just surviving the next seven days.  Fortunately, I didn’t require much of a plan: juice the produce, drink the juice, drink lots of water, hope and pray, repeat.

DAY ONE:  Optimism abounds!  Really enjoyed the incredibly fresh taste of REAL fruit juice.  And, juicing is actually fun!  Yeah, a little hungry, but I pushed straight through; I’m doing great things for my body, I thought.

DAY TWO:  Optimism gave way to mild surliness.  Energy levels began to drop.  I suspected it was the blood sugar, so I upped my juice intake.  Fatigue and mild headaches set in.  I left work early.  Slept… a lot!  I was told this would happen, so I steeled my resolve and attempted to stifle any doubts that crept into my mind.  Still, I hated the idea of even turning on the juice machine.  I began to bargain: ”I’ll EAT the fruit instead of juicing it.  That should help!”  Instead of giving in, I drank more water and went to bed.  Tomorrow HAS to be a better day.

DAY THREE through SIX:  With how little I’ve been consuming, I should barely be alive… so why in the world do I feel this GOOD?  As the days ticked by, I slept better and woke up feeling great!  Energy levels throughout the day were stable without sugary snacks or caffeine.  Fatigue subsided – no more afternoon naps!  Cravings diminished – my mouth was bored from the lack of work but the overwhelming desire to chew passed.

DAY SEVEN:  Fast, broken.  Oatmeal never tasted sooooo good.  I was fearful of how the introduction of solids back into my system would make me feel, so I stuck to fairly inert choices (oatmeal; wheat bread; fruits and veggies, many of which I juiced just the night before).  I expected my stomach to have shrunk, leaving me feeling full with much less food.  What took me by surprise was how “front-and-center” the sensation of swallowing was.  I could feel every morsel of food traveling down my throat.  As a result, I made certain that I took smaller bites and chewed each thoroughly!

The Results? 

After six days of strict adherence to a juice fast program, I dropped 12 pounds and two percentage points in body fat.  Good results, but there are a few that I find more impressive: To date, still no coffee or alcohol.  With balanced energy levels and better sleep, I don’t desire either one.  Many of my familiar sweets cravings have been replaced with healthier desires.  Junk food cravings are practically non-existent.  For me, the biggest and best result was the confidence and sense of accomplishment gained from just making it to the finish line.  I tackled something “abnormal and wholly unrealistic” and came out the other side with a changed body and changed mind.”

Jeff’s results are what I’ve come to expect from even just seven days on a juice fast (granted the first day afterwards you will gain a couple pounds with the reintroduction of food to your system), and Jeff had some other results I took note of as well. Jeff was the first client I’ve kept on an intense weight lifting program while on the fast, and he did extremely well. I had no idea how performance or recovery would be impacted on such a low calorie diet, but Jeff’s strength was completely unaffected during the fast, and he reported absolutely no soreness the days following our training, which is very unusual! So, even without taking in almost any protein, he was able to bounce right back from intense weight training! Jeff also noticed that after a couple of days his seasonal allergies completely disappeared – no more Claritin!  Thanks Jeff for playing the guinea pig!

By the time I had my son Miles at 41.5 weeks, I’d gained about 33 pounds, bringing me up to 150 lbs from my pre-baby 117. By then I was freakin’ huge, bigger even than in this shot taken at 39 weeks! I’d had a pretty trouble-free pregnancy aside from low-back pain and was able to stay really active up to 38 weeks, aside from the final month when it seemed prudent to take it easy, so overall I gained a normal amount of weight.

It’s now about 6 weeks post-baby. I dropped 10 pounds immediately – pretty typical, just from having given birth. I spent some time recovering, and then some more time existing primarily as a stationary food source, with only the occasional elliptical machine or dumbbell curls snuck in while wearing Miles in a front carrier. I just began a regular exercise program again two weeks ago and alternate day produce fasting this week. I’ve now lost another 2 1/2 pounds! Here’s my strategy:

The Workout

Derek wrote me an ease-back-into-training weight lifting routine that I do 4 times per week. On the other 3 days I do 20 minutes of stairclimber at 70% of my target heart rate, (plus several hours a week of vigorous belly dance while holding an increasingly heavier baby, but that part of the routine may be hard to duplicate!)

Week 1:  Perform each exercise one at a time for two sets of 15 reps, resting 30-45  sec between sets. Do three 20 minute cardio workouts at 130+ BPM

Week 2: Perform each triple set of exercises for two sets of 15 reps per exercise, resting one to two minutes between sets and exercises. Do three 20 minute cardio sessions at 135+ BPM

Week 3 and thereafter: Perform each triple set of exercises for three sets of 15 reps per exercise, resting one minute max between sets. Do 4 20-30 minute cardio sessions at 140+ BPM

I’m about to begin week 3 of this program. My strength isn’t what it was yet, but I’m seeing rapid improvement; for example,I used to be able to do several sets of 20+ push-ups pre-baby and when I started 2 weeks ago I could barely manage 2 sets of 6…now I can do 2 sets of 10. I’ll get back up there and beyond yet!

The Diet

I’m doing alternate-day produce fasting. Derek has had great success using this fat-loss technique with clients. Every other day I eat only fruits and non-starchy vegetables, making sure not to let my calories get too much lower than usual since I’m breastfeeding. On non-produce-only days I eat our usual whole foods plant-based diet. And let me tell you, after a day of nothing but fruit and salad, the most austere meal of beans and whole grains seems downright decadent! I’ve noticed some additional benefits to the produce-only days too:

• Prevents sugar cravings
• Makes me feel more energetic throughout the week
• Makes it easier to eat clean on non-produce-only days

• Fruit/green smoothie
• Banana
• Apple slices with cinnamon

Snack:

• Fruit

Lunch:

• LARGE salad with about 2 1/2 hearts of romaine, celery, diced apple, grapes, shredded carrot and a fruit or herb-based dressing. I use Megan Elizabeth’s Youtube channel recipes or her Easy to Be Raw cookbook as a reference here

Snack:

• Fruit

Dinner:

• GIANT kale salad, with a whole avocado and red bell pepper, red onion, and lemon juice. This salad has around 400-500 calories, so it fills me up, and it’s also my favorite salad recipe ever, so I actually look forward to my produce day dinners. I’ll have to post the recipe – can’t believe I haven’t done it yet.

This is a pretty easy way to both lose excess fat and dramatically increase your produce intake because fruit and salad require very little prep. Anyone can buy and eat some fruit – it doesn’t require learning a new way to prepare your food or an additional time commitment. Quite the reverse, actually!

 

Here’s me pre-baby:

Exactly 1 year B.B. (before baby)

Here’s me at the start of my current routine:

 I will be posting updates as I continue this journey!

Surprisingly filling but very light and summery, this version of tabbouleh replaces the grains with cauliflower and the olive oil with olives. Have this with Hummus and Kale Open-Face Sandwiches for a satisfying summer lunch! One batch makes enough for several days!

Raw Cauliflower Tabouli

• 1 cauliflower
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1/3 cup mint
•  1 tomato
• 1/2 red onion
• 10 kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• turmeric
• salt and pepper to taste

 That’s it! One tip: if your food processor has trouble breaking down the cauliflower, try processing it in batches.

Check out Derek’s recent article for One Green Planet, Protein in a Plant-Based Diet: A Vegan Bodybuilder’s Perspective!

We’ve taken a bit of a break from posting (and pretty much everything else)  following the birth of our son Miles a month ago. Originally I envisioned us catching up on things like that as our baby slept peacefully…as newborns reputedly do a lot. Not this guy! Maybe it’s his healthy heritage, maybe it’s his current diet of plant-based breastmilk, but he’s been alert and energetic since day one. Just check out this pic of him at his first pediatrician’s visit 4 days after being born at home:

Look at how focused he is!

Since birth his eyes have been able to focus on and track objects, and at one month he’s already vocalizing a lot and grabbing things – very unusual for a newborn! I’m curious to see if some of our other healthy vegan friends who are expecting notice similar traits in their newborns – or have any of you noticed this sort of thing?

Alright, I’m done gloating! Expect more posts from us in the near future as we get back into the swing of things: I have some recipes to post on and we’ll be doing the vegetarian festival circuit again this summer.

Here’s my non-authentic, totally made up and easy version of Spanish rice. 

“Spanish” Rice

• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup brown rice ( like to use Basmati or jasmine)
• 1.5 cups water
• 1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cube vegetarian bouillon (I use Rapunzel brand)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can drained of white or black beans, or 2 cups cooked

Saute the onion, garlic, and bell peppers in a bit of water for about 5 minutes. Add everything but the beans, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium-low for 20-35 minutes or until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Rice seems to have a wide range of cook times depending on many factors, so you’ll have to check it every so often.

Add beans, mix, and serve!

With about three weeks to go until my due date, I danced at Tummy Tuesday, a bellydance showcase held here in Richmond, VA every last Tuesday of the month at Positive Vibe Cafe. I’ve been taking classes at Illumination Dance Studio, with Khalima, Johara, and Reina for over a year now, around 4.5 hours of dance classes a week, and I wish I could do more! I can’t think of a more enjoyable form of exercise. I think it’s especially worthwhile if, like me, you’re an athlete that wants grace and muscle control in addition to power as it will certainly give you that!

This performance was the culmination of a couple of months of rehearsals and many semesters of study with Reina Vizcaya, my teacher – she even guided me in putting together my first solo choreography. The dance, performed by myself, Reina, and fellow student Laura Faith Stevens,  tells the story of a woman’s journey from maiden to mother – I hope you enjoy it! And if you find yourself inspired, a new session of classes is beginning at Illumination next week (including a prenatal bellydance class) and yes, even though I’m due in a few weeks, I’ll be signing up as well!

I’ve had a few questions about what I’ve been eating during pregnancy, so I’ll share! A great pregnancy nutrition resource, by the way, is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition by Julieanna Hever, MS R.D. C.P.T., which contains some very detailed information on calorie and nutrient needs during this time.

At 8 months pregnant I’ve gained about 26 lbs; the recommended total weight gain for a woman of normal weight is about 25-35 lbs. If you’re underweight it should be slightly more, and if you’re overweight or obese it should be less. Unfortunately, I’ve read that weight gain during pregnancy is largely responsible for the female half of the obesity epidemic. I can understand the desire to treat yourself and to relax a bit from pressure to look fit, BUT in gaining excess weight you incur health and pregnancy complication risks for yourself as well as health and childhood obesity risks for your unborn child. Not to mention that if you already feel physically crappy and emotionally vulnerable, feeling like you also look like crap because you’re gaining too much weight is not going to help.

According to Julieanna Hever, your calorie needs don’t increase at all during the first trimester. During the second trimester you need about 340 extra calories per day, and in the third an additional 452 calories per day. Quality calories, for building a healthy baby, not calories in the form of doughnuts and breadsticks, vegan or not! You can accomplish this increase pretty easily with a fruit/vegetable/non-dairy milk smoothie, adding a tablespoon or so of almond butter later on in pregnancy to bump up the calories even more.

That said, I haven’t counted calories and I have allowed myself more fat and sugar in my diet than previously. I’ve been able to do this without fear of unhealthy weight gain or poor nutrition for a couple of reasons:

1. I’ve continued to exercise throughout my pregnancy, lifting weights 2-4 times per week and dancing 5-6 hours per week. Judging by the constant surprised remarks I get at the gym and the dance studio I train at, that’s unusual!
2. I never replace healthy snacks with treats devoid of nutritional value. Yes, I will sometimes have some hemp ice cream or a vegan chocolate chip cookie but when I do I still have my apple or sprouted pita with hummus snack.

I’ve had no issues with uncontrollable cravings or feeling starved as seems to be common among pregnant women – maybe it’s because I’m meeting my body’s increased nutritional needs with nourishing food rather than with unhealthy indulgences? I can’t know for sure, but I like to think so! I’ve also had no heartburn, leg cramps, or really any other common pregnancy issue but low back pain due to a former lifting injury. Also unusual are my iron levels, which are typically low in pregnant women. According to my midwife, pregnant women tend to be slightly anemic and have difficulty getting their iron levels above 11. I was at 12.5, well into the normal range, at my last test, and I take no special iron supplement beyond a standard prenatal vitamin without extra iron! I just eat a lot of green vegetables and lentils!

A typical day for me includes:

• Breakfast: A smoothie with banana, soy or almond milk, Sun Warrior or Plant Fusion vegan protein, spinach, and frozen strawberries and a half cup of oat bran with blueberries and almonds
• Snack: Varies among an apple with a sprouted pita and hummus, a bowl of Kashi Go Lean, or another fruit/vegetable/almond butter smoothie
• Lunch: Usually buckwheat soba noodles with raw vegetables and tahini sauce, or a hummus/kale sandwich plus a salad. Sometimes I’ll have bean/vegetable fajitas on whole wheat or lentil soup with a sweet potato
• Snack: Same as above
• Dinner: I will admit that I’m so exhausted by the end of the day now that I’m not being terribly creative. We have more brown rice pasta and vegetable dishes and Gardein-based meals than ever. For a while I was huge on brown rice pasta shells “mac, broccoli & cheese” made with silken tofu/nutritional yeast/seasonings and a head of broccoli – kind of getting over it now!

Well – that’s the story of my pregnancy eats so far! I hope that answers your questions – three more weeks or so for me to go!

I’ve gotten all the video from last weeks show uploaded to youtube now, and I thought I’d post my posedown with the novice short class winner for the overall title. He ended up winning it, but I’m really happy with how closely matched we were and how my posing went, so his was a fair victory! A few of my friends told me it was the best/closest battle of the evening, so even though I didn’t get a sword (the trophy for the overall winner) it was still a great show!

Yesterday I competed in the OCB Bodysculpt Open and had a great time! I competed in two classes: the Men’s Novice and Men’s Open, placing first in Novice and second in the Open class! It was a very long day filled with tough posing (literally elbow to elbow), but the final moments on stage made it all worth while! I had lots of friends come out to root for me including Jenna Stewart, Michael Stewart, Todd Berry, Elyse Masters, Julie Wilson, and Cory Cutler (thanks so much guys!) and my 8 months pregnant wife Marcella was there by my side for all 14 hours – a guy couldn’t ask for better support!

I spoke with the judges once the contest was over and they said my proportions were excellent and my main focus should be on improving my definition – a big step up from last July when the judges said I needed to improve my arms and legs! 6 months of hard work in the gym paid off! I couldn’t have done it without all the very heavy training (especially squats) – which I couldn’t have done without Dr Lassiter’s chiropractic treatments, and my body responded really well to the Y3T training system I mentioned in my last post.

Nutritionally for the last week I followed Dorian Yates‘s style of contest prep, increasing my carbohydrates early in the final week and cutting water out later on Friday (but of course being plant based it was all technically high carb) – this approach was much more straight forward and I can’t argue with the results, although I did notice that I looked better in the evening than I did at prejudging, after a lunch of an avocado roll and edamame. It’s all going in my notes for next time! Speaking of which, with the imminent arrival of our firstborn (30 days!) I will be backing off of training, and don’t plan to compete again until the Fall at the earliest. I’ll keep you posted! Now that I’ve nabbed a first place, my next goal is to win an overall, and then a Pro Card! Now that it’s in writing there’s no taking it back…

An easy alternative to faux ground beef and TVP, lentils (especially French lentils) make a great taco filling! I like to use this recipe for double-decker tacos, spreading mashed pinto beans or low-fat vegetarian refried beans on some whole wheat soft taco shells and wrapping them around organic corn taco shells stuffed with this lentil filling. YUM.

Lentil Taco Filling

• 1 cup lentils – French lentils resist getting mushy, get them if you can and otherwise use green/brown
• 2 1/2 cups water
• salt-free diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano

Add everything to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down to medium-low, and simmer about 25 minutes if using green/brown lentils, 35 minutes if using French lentils OR until all the water is absorbed. You’ll want to test the consistency of your lentils – they should not be crunchy! – and cook for additional minutes as needed.

That’s it!