Hi 👋🏾 I'm Speech.
Everyone's weight loss journey is different. I'm a Black man (predisposed to certain health issues) 5 feet and 4 inches tall and my weight sits primarily on my stomach area. I’ve suffered through weight fluctuations for decades! Working out 5 days a week, using calorie counters, eating 1500 calories a day: kale, green beans, asparagus and brussel sprouts within my morning breakfast bowl, I did intermittent fasting as well and despite all of that my weight loss was at best 1 pound a week.
Losing only 1 pound a week while putting in that much effort didn't feel like progress. Or at the least, it wasn’t the type of progress I could honestly keep up for 60 weeks straight! So I researched liposuction, stomach sleeves and non invasive fat reduction methods. A few I even tried but with no impressive results.
My self-esteem was quickly dying, I didn't even want to look in the mirror. I knew that at my age if I didn't turn this around I was going to be an unhappy, unhealthy old man. And that was literally the opposite of what I was working towards.
So I tried a 14 day juice fast with Yogi Juice Bar. In full disclosure, Yogi is my beautiful wife of 25 years. I’ve seen every client of hers succeed with their juice cleanses. Many clients losing up to 13-15 pounds within a week, so I was sold on her organic juices from day one. But as John 4:44 says, "a prophet is not accepted in his hometown." It took me a while to apply a cleanse to myself.
Being a former minister, I’m not new to water, juice, weight loss nor spiritual fasts. Being around the block as many times as I had been, I was ready to make a permanent change and I knew what NOT to do!
On day one of this cleanse I weighed myself at 199 lbs and took a few pics to document my present look. My goal is 140 lbs. So I knew that a 59 pound difference was going to be a journey that will take some time! I was grateful though, because I had little to no external obstacles in my schedule for months and my professional career screeched to a halt during the pandemic. (Google Speech of Arrested Development for reference to what I do)
The first 3 days of a fast are always hard, then its usually smooth sailing from there. But this time the entire first week was tough as nails! I was obviously hungry but I also had occasional headaches and utter sleepiness. I still worked out 3 days a week with my physical trainer and those ironically gave me more energy! I quickly realized that my emotional hunger as opposed to physical was a constant irritation. During a fast you learn how much emotional food you normally consume. If you think about it, we eat to celebrate, to escape, when we’re bored, sad and for socialization with others. Eating’s a very intimate and integral part of our humanity!
Despite the obstacles, I vowed to complete 14 days and go hard doing it. After the first week I lost a whopping 7 pounds! 🙌🏽🎊 Nutritionally I started to feel full but the emotional void was still an issue. Foods on TV commercials looked better than ever before and I noticed just how much food my family members and people in public throw away! It taught me a level of gratitude for everything that I will get to eat. I learned to be more aware of the gift of food, healthy food in particular.
The change in my body was remarkable! I was less bloated, more mentally sharp, more emotionally fulfilled. I started seeing my problems and priorities more clearly. The fog over my mind was lifting. The second week is where I’m at presently. I have 5 more days to go and I must say that time is passing more quickly. My goal is to lose at least 7 more pounds. My wife and I have discussed a transitional plan coming off the fast. I will do a half a week with just hearty fish and bone broths. (Heads, fins and scales included for extra nutrients) Then I’ll move to a soup diet for the next four days. After that, I will do intermittent fasting for 19 hours a day, until I reach my goal!
I’m excited that I’m taking strategic steps towards body & spirit transformation. I look forward to being unashamed to be shirtless in Bahamas or on the beach! I look forward to wearing certain clothes and feeling like my best life is my present one!
I’ll keep everyone updated as the results and plans become reality. Meanwhile, thank you for hearing my juice cleanse & weight loss testimony, I hope it encourages.
Speech