JUICEmcfly: experiment ending for me, sort of

I regret to inform you that I have pulled my name from this experiment.  Thinking about it over the last four or five days has made me realize what my true goals are, unfortunately this meal plan did not make the cut.  My last few days of the experiment were the toughest, and it was then I knew I could no longer continue.  Last Saturday I worked 11 hours with a one hour break between shifts.  I had time to eat one meal that day, something I won’t continue to do.  I have proven to myself that it is entirely possible to eat on two dollars a day, and Steve is still amazing me with his efforts.  This experiment has made me realize how important it is to eat healthy, and that is what I intend on doing.   I hope no one considers this to be a failed attempt, but rather an opportunity for greater things.

I have toyed around with some “diet” plans, thinking of the best and most efficient ways to lose weight.   What I have in mind, I think, will be extremely effective for me.  I have my food ideas all planned out, as well as a 3-step weight loss process I know will work.  This “diet” will be more flexible than my previous meal plan, and will adapt well with my everyday life.  I won’t go into detail just yet, but I will keep you updated in future blogs.  I will write every few days or so; that way neither you or I get burned out with my blog.

I hope our readers are understanding of my situation, and continue to support Steve and I.  Steve has done an excellent job, and the 1500+ people that have visited our blog have a lot to do with his success.  Thanks to all who have taken time out of their daily lives to support two men on a mission; a mission towards a better life.

JUICEmcfly

Days 8,9,10

I want to start by apologizing for my absence, but the last few days haven’t been very interesting.  I ran out of bread on day 7 and have yet to buy more.  This means I haven’t had any sandwiches over the last three days.  I have been eating mostly pancakes, oatmeal, ramen, applesauce, chimichangas, and bologna.  It hasn’t been too rough on me though.  When I weighed in on Monday I weighed 198 lbs – a loss of 5 lbs.  I am not as concerned about the number of lbs. lost, I am more concerned with how I feel; I have been feeling great.  Right now I am cooking up the last of my spaghetti and I can’t wait to eat it.  I will admit, I am starving right now.  I went to work at 11:00 this morning without eating breakfast, I wasn’t even thinking about it.  I had to work until 4:00, so you guessed it, I have yet to eat today!  I am not happy with my decision, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it.

Tomorrow I intend on picking up some more groceries although I have a mere $15 to spend.  Two loaves of bread and some bologna are at the top of my list.  Other than that, everything has been going well – better than I could have expected.  I do want to apologize one last time for not posting the last few days, I won’t let it happen again.  Thanks again to all of our readers out there!

JUICEmcfly

Day 7

Week one is almost over; and what a week it has been! Today I woke up late and hungover, which I will explain later in my blog. I ate two bologna sandwiches around 12:30pm before I ventured to my home town to make a car payment. I watched the Patriots game with my family but accidentally fell asleep with about five minutes left – oops! I have yet to eat anything else today because I had nothing to eat at my parents house. I have felt solid though, not overly hungry. I plan on eating a bowl of oatmeal soon though, before I go out tonight. A pancake or tuna sandwich will more than likely bring my night, and week one, to an end.

As I mentioned earlier I drank last night, and Friday for that matter. At the beginning of the experiment I was not in favor of excluding alcohol from our allotted $60, and I still stand by that. I simply told my friends that alcohol wouldn’t fit into my budget for the month and they were more than happy to fund my drunken escapades for the weekend – what a beautiful thing. In any normal situation I would never turn down free alcohol or food, and I don’t think anyone else would for that matter. The reason we can’t eat other food is practicality. Not everyone lives close to home and can receive free food from their parents. Not everyone has a rich friend that doesn’t mind buying a meal or two for him/her. Not everyone works at a restaurant where he/she can snack on food with no cost. These reasons are why we must stick true to our plan. (SIDE NOTE: I encourage all forms of mooching that may involve friends, family, or your work place.) A friend of mine was foolish enough to leave an ENTIRE handle of Captain Morgan at Steve’s this weekend; what an excellent opportunity this is!

Steve and I are currently compiling data for a new blog involving the cheapest way to get drunk, as well as alcohols that are the “healthiest” for you. People enjoy their booze, so we are trying to find the most economical way to get “your drink on.”

I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday evening; I know I will – the captain and I have a date. If you have any questions or comments on how one can live a cheaper, more fulfilling life, don’t hesitate to speak up! Thanks!

JUICEmcfly

Day 6

The space bar on this computer is messed up, so I have to keep this short.  Today I have felt miserable.  I worked from 10am-4pm and then 5-10 tonight.  All I have had time to eat is a bologna sandwich and a heaping plate of spaghetti.  Luckily I made over one-hundred dollars tonight; the one reason I didn’t go insane.

Tomorrow looks promising – I don’t work at all!  I plan on eating all day to make up for my efforts over the last two days.  I do want to apologize for my post today; I will make it up to you all tomorrow!  The week is almost over and my blog tomorrow should be rather interesting.  Thanks again!

JUICEmcfly

Day 5

I’m feeling much better today. I have no idea what caused my illness at work last night, but thankfully it’s over and done with. I’m working another double today, which hasn’t put me in the best mood. I feel great though and I slept wonderfully last night. When I woke up this morning I made, once again, a pancake. I neglected to use peanut butter again; I just wasn’t feeling it. After my first shift I made a heaping plate of spaghetti with two slices of buttered bread (Steve wasn’t messing around when he said the spaghetti would last a long time). I’m moderately hungry right now and intend on eating a bologna sandwich before I work in an hour. I didn’t have the time to get in the gym yesterday or today; I will try to make up lost time this weekend.

Tonight I plan on making a tuna sandwich and possibly eating some more spaghetti. Oatmeal is a solid option as well because I didn’t have any for breakfast. Two of the three should suffice, and should bring the night to an end. I will try get to bed before midnight again, as I have all week, because I work a double again tomorrow. At this point I’m getting more burned out on work than I am this meal plan! I’m still amazed at how well I can eat on a mere $2 a day.

Well, 5:00 is coming too soon, so it’s back to the grind for Juice. Some new and exciting posts are in the works – please stay tuned! Thanks as always!

JUICEmcfly

Day 4

I have never thought to myself that a peanut butter and applesauce sandwich sounded good, until last night.   Not only am I eating semi-healthy, I’m multi-taskin!  I will always try to cut corners where I can.  Something I have noticed in the first 4 days is how I have NOT craved soda.   Maybe I’m not the caffeine addict I once thought.  Whatever the case my be, yesterday was by far the best in the experiment.  I felt well rested and full all day.  Today has been a much different story though.

Today I worked a double (I work at a local restaurant for those who didn’t know) so I didn’t have much time to eat.  I was unbearably hungry during my second shift, and on top of that I had dizzy spells and other symptoms of an anxiety attack.  These symptoms could have been caused due to lack of nourishment and/or dehydration (I admit I didn’t drink a lot of water today).  I will make sure I do a better job of intaking plenty of calories and drinking enough water in the future.

I’m still feeling a little under the weather so I wanted to make this blog short and sweet.  Please feel free to leave any comments on how Steve and I can make our blog more enjoyable for YOU.  We would be nowhere without you the reader.  Thanks again and enjoy!

JUICEmcfly

Day 3

Last night went much better than I thought it would, and I basically felt solid all day. I stuck fairly close to my anticipated meal schedule, and it seemed to work well. When preparing my ramen I used 1/2 of the seasoning to cut back on sodium (a helpful hint for those ramen lovers out there). I could not detect any difference in taste; I actually prefer it that way. To sum it up, day 2 went better than day 1.

Today began with a double-dose of pancakes with a light spread of peanut butter. I struggled to get that mammoth pancake down, but I wrestled it into my stomach. I thought for sure my hunger would be quieted long enough to block out any cravings at work – I was wrong. Work was UNBELIEVABLY busy today which caused my late exit. I left around 3:00 pm, 6 hours after my last meal, and I immediately came home to cook some ramen and eat a bologna sandwich. I just recently finished eating and I feel amazing. I am not really a fan of waiting so long between meals, but there will be times I do not have a choice.

The rest of the day is a mystery. I am torn between spaghetti or rice with corn, tuna sandwich or peanut butter sandwich, and a bowl of oatmeal or a chimichanga! I do know one thing; hunger will not be an issue tonight. Well I think it’s about time I hit the gym. Keep the comments and questions rollin’ in!

Thanks!

JUICEmcfly

Day 2

Yesterday around 12:30 pm I began to feel hungry. I was unable to eat until 2:00; it was rough. I had a bologna sandwich (1 slice) and a tuna sandwich (half a can), both with some light mayo. I immediately felt satisfied. I made some rice and corn at 3:30 and had a ramen at 4:45. At 5:00 I went to the gym, where I worked on my back, legs, and abs. I didn’t spend much time on the exercise bike due to the fact that my legs were already burning – something I should think about in the future. at 7:00 I had a peanut butter sandwich with 1/2 cup of apple sauce. I felt great until around 10:00, and I had not planned on going to sleep until midnight, so I had a spoonful of peanut butter (which is high in casein protein as Steve as previously mentioned).

I woke up at 8:30 today and had a bowl of oatmeal and a pancake with some peanut butter, which is more than likely what I will have every morning – no complaints here though (both are extremely filling). At 10:30 I had a tuna sandwich, again with half a can, before I went to work. I got off work early today and made a bologna sandwich with light mayo around 2:00. So far today I feel great; I slept well last night and I feel full.

Around 3:00 today I will eat my rice and corn that was pre-made yesterday. I will have a ramen before I lift at 4:30, which as a sufficient amount of carbs and protein for energy. My post work out meal will be a frozen, jalapeno bean and cheese chimichanga. I will once again eat a peanut butter sandwich with 1/2 cup applesauce for dinner – I hope for this to be my last meal. This is a fairly accurate outline of how I think the rest of my day will go.

As I said earlier, I feel great so far, and I hope for that to continue. It shouldn’t be too difficult with all the support we have. Steve and I can’t express how appreciative we are for all the feedback and constructive criticism we’ve received! Thanks to all who’ve followed along!

JUICEmcfly

Here’s a pic of my Corn and Rice!

Day 1

This morning I weighed in at 203 (I’m 6′0″ tall); right around where I thought I would be. I was down to 190 a year a go and would love to shed this extra 13 lbs. I just had my oatmeal and pancake, and I feel confident I won’t be hungry until after work (2pm-ish). I’m still undecided as to what I will have for lunch; but I have plenty of time to think it over.

I will hit the gym around 4 today to concentrate on back, legs, abs, while also spending about 30 minutes on an exercise bike. The exercise I get is key to my energy levels over the next month, which I will take very seriously. My weight loss goal is 13 lbs for this experiment – to get back to 190.

I’m already feeling great about what Steve and I are doing, but it’s only been a few hours!  Check back to see how the rest of the day, as well as tomorrow goes. Thanks!

JUICEmcfly

JUICEmcfly’s Initial Thoughts

Things are looking up right now – my anticipation is at an all-time high. I am disappointed in one purchase though; blue bonnet spread (64 oz). This was purchased thinking I would buy eggs, which I didn’t. Consuming it all, which I do not think I will, would bring my fat per day to roughly 111 grams. Although this sounds like a fair amount of fat compared to the recommended daily intake, by comparison a double quarter-pounder w/cheese and a large fry from McDonalds has 72 grams of fat. Because fat is bad for the heart I will make sure I increase the intensity of my cardio workouts.

With this experimental meal plan I will be taking a multivitamin and a fiber supplement (for proper nutrients and regularity). These items are not included into the price because they are not a meal replacement/supplement, whereas protein powder would be. Even though the main purpose is to save money, I will be trying to lose as much weight as possible. This means eating smaller portions without starving myself.

Day 1 begins when I wake up in the morning. I plan on eating 3-4 meals starting at 9:00 a.m. Breakfast will more than likely be a pancake and a bowl of oatmeal. Lunch (2pm-ish) may include either spaghetti, a tuna sandwhich, a bologna sandwich, ramen, or rice with corn. These could possibly be spread out over 2 meals depending on how I feel. Dinner(6-7pm-ish) will be a peanut butter sandwich with some applesauce. Dinner will usually be the smallest meal for me because I do not want to go to bed on a full stomach. Midnight is my target bedtime.

To go along with this post I have uploaded images of my mealplan thusfar, even though it is incomplete because I am undecided on how I want to spend the remainder of my alotted money. I also included pictures of all of the things I purchased tonight at Wal-Mart along with a copy of my receipt. Any input on what more I could purchase with the remainder of my money that would keep the fat content low would be greatly appreciated.

In conclusion, I am excited for the experiment to begin and I hope many will follow along and learn with Steve and I. Tomorrow morning I will post my starting weight, my thoughts, and more about how I think the day will go. Thanks to all the supporters!

JUICEmcfly