Pad Thai w/ Quick Noodles

Day 17
362.4 Pounds - 17.7 Total Loss
46,846 Steps

Well it's time to start eating some solid foods.  I have spent the last two days eating basically vegetable soups and drinking juices.  I did have a couple of rice crackers last night, but this is my first real meal short of a banana Monday and half of a pear yesterday.  Aside from that I have still be juicing.

If you don't already know, I am huge fan of Asian food.  Especially Chicken Pad Thai and General Tso's Chicken.  Earlier this week we were watching various YouTube videos about different juices.  One of the recommended items (though I don't know for the life of my why) was a guy making Vegan Pad Thai.  While this is not served warmed, it got me thinking, there really isn't anything all that terrible about the ingredients that are involved in this.  So I set out to find a decent recipe for Veggy Pad Thai or Tofu Pad Thai, but that's another post for another day.

The next day, we were grocery shopping at our local Dierberg's.  While there, I wandered over to the "Oriental / Asian Cuisine" aisle and began browsing.  That's when I came across an entire product line called Simply Asia.  Low and behold, one of their products is Pad Thai from their Quick Noodles.  Now, I am not all that big of a fan of what my family calls "cardboard" meals.  But after consulting the ingredient list, I decided to give this a try.  Hey - how bad can it be, it even comes with its own fork!

Today for lunch, I popped it in the microwave for two minutes, and it was hot, steamy, and ready to eat.  I am pleased to report that not only is it only 460 calories and with nearly no fat (6.5%) it is extremely tasty.  The noodles are more like spaghetti shaped rice noodles - as opposed to the flat fettuccine style rice noodles I am used to - but this did not affect the taste and the sauce was simply delectable.  If I had added some various diced veggies, or maybe some cubed chicken, it could have actually been a full fledged dinner, but this was the perfect quantity (paired with a nice ripe pair - pun intended) for now as my stomach (not to be confused with my gut) has shrunk considerably since I started this quest.

Transitioning Back to Solid Food

Day 15
362.7 Pounds - 17.4 Total Loss

As of today, I am no longer carrying this Dyson DC41 Animal Vacuum Cleaner around with me everywhere I go.  I am feeling great, and excited to be working my way back towards "solid" food - albeit a much smaller quantity than before.

I am taking my first day easy with regards to "real" food.  What I am told is that if I start eating solid food too soon, my digestive tract will not be pleased with me. 

I know most people could care less, but hey - get your own blog!

This is what my day has looked like:

Breakfast - Carrot Apple Lemon Juice
Lunch - Squash Apple Soup
Mid Afternoon Snack - Carrot Apple Ginger Juice
Dinner - Thai Sweet Potato Soup, Banana - I get to Chew!  Yay!
Evening Snack - Pear Delight Juice

Hopefully the scale will continue it's downward spiral - only time will tell!

Squash & Apple Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 acorn or butternut squash
• 2 apples – peeled and sliced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 carrots washed, peeled and diced
• 1 Tbsp./15 ml. olive oil
• Ground black pepper to taste
• 2 quarts/ 2 L. organic vegetable broth (or make your own)

Directions:

• Roast squash (cut in half, remove seeds) place flesh side down in baking dish with 1-2 c.s water.
• Cook at 450°F/230°C degrees for 40-50 minutes until flesh is bright orange and soft.
• Sauté onion and carrot in olive oil for 5 minutes, until onion is clear. 
• Add broth and apple; simmer 10 minutes until apple is soft.
• Add squash (remove from skin).
• Puree in blender or use hand blender.
• Add pepper to taste.

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice

Ingredients:

• 6 carrots
• 4 apples
• Piece of gingerroot, 2 in./5 cm.

Directions:

• Rinse all ingredients and cut to size for your juicer. 
• Add ingredients to juicer. 
• Enjoy!

Carrot Apple Lemon Juice

Ingredients:

• 4 apples
• 4 carrots
• 2 lemons, peeled

Directions:

• Rinse all ingredients and cut to size for your juicer. 
• Add ingredients to juicer. 
• Enjoy!

Peach/Pear Pie Delight

Ingredients:

• 2 Pears
• 2 Red Apples
• 1 inch Ginger
• 3/4 C Red Grapes
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Directions:

• Rinse all ingredients and cut to size for your juicer. 
• Add ingredients to juicer. 
• Enjoy!

I swear to god!  This tastes like Apple Pie!

Turning a Page

Reboot Day 14 - All Juice Day 9
364.0 Pounds - Total Loss 16.1 Pounds

Well as of today, I am no longer carrying around a Hauk Roma Stroller every day.  I don't know when the last time you picked up one of these, but they aren't exactly light.

I have come to a decision.  I am going to start integrating real food back into my diet.  I have to be very careful though not to go back to my "old" ways. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not walking away from the juicing lifestyle, but I am going to spend a few days eating fruits and vegetables.  After that I am planning to eat as close to a clean plant-based diet as I can.  I am not going to turn into a vegan or some crap.  Ain't nobody got no time for that.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to a nice slice of pizza or a nice piece of steak. The difference is that I will be having only two slices of pizza or 6oz of steak as opposed to more than half of a pizza or a 20oz ribeye.

The key to my ongoing success is that I need to keep from stretching out my stomach.  The best way I can think of to accomplish this is to eat smaller portions than I ever have before and to supplement with juice.  If I eat a sensible meal and then have a vegetable juice in between meals instead of snacking on other things like chips and cookies.

I will continue to blog my progress.  Keep me in your thoughts as I start this new phase of my journey.