WAYYYYYYYYYY overdue. OK. A lot has happened in the remaining 20 days or so.

First, let me tell you that once you get going on this diet, and are in the program, it is SUPER EASY to stick with. In my life I have always had a policy when it comes to dieting. When you cheat, you cheat, but limit the cheat days. Of the 30 day program (now complete), I probably had 3 or 4 full on “cheat days” and 1 or 2 questionable ones, where I may have had a drink, or a bite of cake, or whatever, but didn’t blow the entire day. I think it is important to note that I was nowhere near perfect this first 30 days. It is more important to note that NOBODY WILL BE. So, these are real results, with a real person who is not a machine. In addition, I did not step foot in a gym this month. Terrible I know, but again, I wanted as true results as possible. I did do some exercise, walked a lot, played golf, whatever, but nothing in addition to my normal routine.

As of the morning of day 30, I had lost 12.5 pounds and a lot of fat around my whole body. My legs pretty much stayed the same. My chest got a bit smaller, my waist considerably smaller. And remember, I was not perfect on this little excursion. So, net net, I am my goal weight +15 as of this morning. I am starting a new 30 days today, but have a 1 week vacation in the middle where I can guarantee I will NOT be good at all. There will be some booze, some really good food and I feel like I have earned it. It will actually be a good test to see how much weight, if any, I put on. Stay tuned for that post!

In any event, I managed to scrape by and make many many cool recipes for the diet, which is awesome. I managed to drop some weight which is great, and I managed to shed some inches in the process. All in all I would say it was a successful 30 days. 

As a side note, my wife started the 30 day program about 10 days before me. She lost 10 pounds and way more inches than I did. She is in the midst of her second 30 day program and looks and feels great. Nice to see that the results carried through whether male or female. She stayed the course a bit better than I did, but she doesn’t like single malt scotch the way I do either so she had an unfair advantage.

I’ll check in soon! If you have questions, please message me and I would be more than happy to get you the detailed information so that you too can get on the path to a healthier trimmer body!

Ok it was cod fish, but still, the fish cakes came out great and the 3-bean salad was the perfect accompaniment for dinner last night (and yes, that is a zucchini flower as a garnish fresh from the garden).

Today is day 12. I see that MANY people tuned in to see the first weigh in results. Thank you all for checking back. Yes, the weight is coming off. But there is really more to the story. Clothes just fit better. I definitely have a ton of energy, and I really feel great. I had a so-so weekend. It was the first time I cheated since I started. It was bizarre, because as I was eating the crap I always ate before, it just didn’t do it for me. While it was good, it didn’t really hit the spot.

Since I started this journey, I have heard from many, many naysayers. To put your mind at ease, my doctor gave the green light on the program with only 1 question which was easily answered. So to those of you who think a cleanse can’t be healthy, and there’s no way someone can sustain, wait for the before and after pics 😉

Message me for any recipes to try or to find out more about the cleanse.

The weigh in actually took place yesterday. I just had a busy day and didn’t get the post done in time. So here is what has been going on…

I did 2 consecutive deep cleanses in a row – glutton for punishment or sly like a fox? You decide 🙂

That was actually not really bad. I even had band practice on Thursday night and at that point was finishing up my last cleanse day. I thought that was going to be a nightmare. I wound up more energetic than anyone else in the band. I was a bit shocked by that. 

Oh yeah, the results…

I lost 7.5 pounds and I can say it was pretty much 7.5 pounds of fat. I lost 2 inches off my waist. I thought I would have muscle loss too, but actually did not at all. My legs are pretty lean and muscular and they stayed within 1/4″ of where they were before I started, and I gained 1/4″ on my biceps. Not bad for a bit over a week.

I did, however, have my first cheat day on Friday night. Yes, I am human too. Cousins were in from Florida and we went to a great restaurant in Brooklyn. I did not overdo it, but I was definitely not perfect by any stretch and I definitely had a few cocktails. All in all, I am goal weight + 20 as of this morning. I may get there after just one month of this, which would be a bit nuts.

A funny thing happened this morning. When I woke up and showered I went to get dressed, which I assume is what most people do after they shower. Out of curiosity, I grabbed a pair of shorts that I bought before I started this journey. They were tight when I bought them, but I kept them around (with the tag on) figuring if I dropped a few pounds I could get them on comfortably. Well, I put them on and not only did they fit, but I actually needed a belt?!?! Seriously, that is NOT what I was expecting.

Today is the first actual cleanse day. No dinner for me tonight, just the cleanse schedule of drinks and snacks that accompany the program. My first weigh in is on Friday, but I have a sense that the weight will be down. I am not expecting huge numbers, but I can tell by the way that my clothes are starting to sit that it is inches and not so much weight, which I am fine with. I was talking to my friend Matt today and was explaining that it seems to really target fat, again which I am fine with. 

As far as the cleansing day is concerned, I must admit I was super nervous about this. Although I said I would jump in – both feet – into this program, this part made me wonder. Honestly, not bad at all. It’s about 1pm as I type this and there are no negative effects whatsoever. None. I actually feel great, not starving or weak, and I sorta feel like my body is adjusting to this program nicely. I have told friends about it. Of course they are skeptical, but that’s fine. The one comment I get from people all the time is “yeah, but what happens when you stop this and go back to normal life? Won’t you put all the weight back on?” Obviously people don’t get it. It is a lifestyle change, not a quick beach diet. And besides, what diet can you go off of completely and keep weight off? If you put weight on because you were unhealthy, when you go back to the unhealthy ways you will inevitably put weight back on. Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Atkins, Dukan, same issue with all of them. Why is that ok but on this diet it isn’t? The reality is that this is about getting healthy. That’s the real goal, not just dropping a few pounds for the summer.

The cookbook idea on Kickstarter (click here) is starting to get some traction and a little celeb attention (yes, I am gushing). Check it out and let me know if you want to try a recipe or 2!

I’ll update you with the progress on Friday!

Great. I had my first weekend of the big cleanse and it was totally fine. I was a bit concerned that with all the down time and hanging around it would be difficult. Not the case. We had some family over to watch the World Cup final and I was even making snacks for THEM to enjoy. I really didn’t even have the desire to partake. NO real hunger issues to speak of. A few moments of hunger here and there but then I would remember that I had my own snacks and would be fine. 

On Sunday we made a stellar meal – Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps with an almond butter dipping sauce – sorta spicy but in a good way! Everybody in attendance was absolutely thrilled with the meal. The food came out great and was so easy to create. The greatest thing to come out of this cleanse besides the major health benefit is that I am creating new ways to make foods that I have made for a long time. It is almost like a culinary rebirth, although I was never a world renowned chef or anything.

Over the weekend I also tried my hand at homemade Hummus. Very easy to make, very delicious too. Super healthy and literally takes longer to work the blender than to put it all together. That will now be my go-to in the future. Today I am trying my hand at Greek style chicken burgers on Ezekiel rolls that I found at the supermarket. Pretty excited because I sorta miss having a sandwich and this scratches the itch. I am looking forward to how that bad boy is gonna taste.

Regarding the cleanse, I must say it is much easier than I anticipated. Are there times that it is tough? Of course. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. But what diet isn’t? Who cuts, lets say, carbs, completely out of their diet and says wow, that was easy. Nobody like me, that’s for sure. I have been drinking 3-4 cups of coffee a day and just kicking that alone makes me feel better. And no, I did not experience any headaches or anything like that, and you can ask my wife, I was a HEAVY coffee drinker. That surprised me too. I expected that to be terrible.

Still going strong, I haven’t had someone come up to me and tell me how I lost weight, blah blah, but I understand that this is a marathon and not a sprint. I am in it for the long haul.

If anyone wants any of the recipes featured here, I am looking for volunteers to make these dishes to make sure that the recipes are correct. Just send me a message and I will share with a few!