What the Health Have I Done?! One month check-in

It's been an interesting month on my quest to lose 30 pounds in 90 days. I've been diligent in exercising daily and eating only raw fruits and veggies the entire month. I've also completed a water fast, colon cleanse, liver/gall bladder flush, and kidney cleanse. I feel like a million bucks!
Lets see how much I weigh...

Reasons or Results

One powerful three word phrase speaks volumes about humanity - reasons or results.

We either get the results we want in life, or we have a list of reasons why we don’t. The word reasons could easily be replaced by the word excuses also.

Frustration is often the underlying cause for the reasons or excuses that keep us from the results we desire. If you are following my “What the Health Have I Done?!” weight loss challenge journal, you know that my weight was back up two pounds last week from the previous week – that was in spite of eating a strict raw food diet and diligent walking and exercise. I could have easily gotten frustrated and fallen off of the wagon last week like many people might do. Instead, I ignored any frustration that may have entered into my mind and I persisted with more effort and diligence. The result – over 5 pounds of weight lost at weigh-in this week.

The reasons really don’t matter much when you achieve the results you desire – do they? But when you quit or don’t achieve your goals, those reasons become your story, your defense mechanism and your comfort zone.

A life coach can help you unlearn the preconditioning and programming that you experience subconsciously on a daily basis. Once this interference is gone, you’ll find it exponentially easier to attain positive results.

Do you want your life story to be filled with reasons – or results?

What the Health Have I Done?! Week 3 Check-in

Hey, I'm Sean Donovan and I set a goal - lose 30 pounds in 90 days.
 
Today is Tuesday, January 24th and this is my 3 week check-in. I've eaten nothing but raw food so far this month as well as completing a water fast, juice fast, colon and intestinal cleanse, liver/gallbladder detox and flush and I'm in the midst of a kidney cleanse too. A lot of dedication and persistance has gone into the process. The payoff is...

I feel great! My skin is oh-so-soft, my mental clarity is sharp, my energy level is through the roof and I can see visible changes in my waistline.

Watch the video to find out how my weight loss is progressing...

What the Health Have I Done?! Week 2 Check-In

Two weeks into my goal to lose 30 pounds in 90 days - I've already completed a 4 1/2 day water fast, a two day colon/intestinal cleanse, a two day liver/gallbladder detox and have eaten only raw food and fresh juice since I broke fast. I've been walking between 2.5 and 4 miles EVERY DAY as well as at-home exercises like sit-ups, push-ups, planks and other cardio and isometric exercises. I feel great and can already notice changes in my measurements and physique. I lost 12.6 pounds my first week - find out how much weight I lost the second week...

What the Health Have I Been Eating?!

After coming off of a 5 day water fast last week and losing almost 13 pounds as a result, I wanted to keep the trend going by eating only nutrient dense, living raw foods for the entire month of January. So here are just a few examples of the delicious foods that I've been grubbing on for the last week. Words can hardly describe the sensational benefits and feeling that you experience on a raw food diet, so maybe these pictures will illustrate just how delicious healthy eating can be. Did I mention that eating this way is also very cost effective as well?

Lots of fresh juices - especially "Appleade"

Lots of my favorite fruit - Avocados!

Homemade Hummus - spiced to our liking

Cucumbers for dipping instead of chips

Kale Khips instead of Potato Chips

Kale Salad - absolutely awesome!

"Almost raw" Quinoa Kissir

Closeup of the Quinoa Kisir

Lots of salads - and fresh peppers!

15 ingredient salad

Sprouting Garbanzo Beans for Hummus

Baby Clover Sprouts germinating

Green Peas Sprouting

Green Pea Sprouts - ready to eat!

Sweeper Salad Components

Sweeper Salad - Just add Bragg's Aminos or Fresh OJ, mix and eat

Veggie Plate with Olive Oil drizzle

Lots of Citrus Fruits

Lots of fresh fruits like this Mango

What the Health Have I Done?! Week 1 Recap

I completed a 117 hour (4 ½ day) water fast to push the reset button on my metabolism and trigger the detox process. It was challenging, but was worth it.

Some of my hardships during the fast included:

-           A horrible metallic taste in my mouth that I couldn’t get rid of

-          No sustained energy during physical exertion (I moved some furniture for a friend)

-          Growling stomach for the first 36 hours

-          Body ‘funk’ and odor

-          Mild euphoria (also on my benefit list)

-          Resisting the temptation to go out with friends on the weekend

Some of my benefits during and as a result of the fast included:

-          Increased alertness, clarity, focus and creativity

-          Less lethargic – energy throughout the day (except during heavy physical exertion)

-          Waking up earlier in the morning

-          Saving lots of $ on food

-          Mild euphoria

-          Losing a total of 12.6 pounds in less than 5 days!

I broke my fast on Saturday and began an intestinal detox regimen that included my special “sweeper salad,” some herbal detox powder, and some enzymes and probiotics. I also incorporated some raw foods such as avocado, cucumber, kale, peppers, onion, citrus fruits, asparagus, and home-made hummus into my diet in very small quantities at a time. I also included fresh fruit and veggie juices from oranges, grapefruits, melons, cucumbers, carrots, celery, beets and apples to name a few.

Eating again after almost 5 days with no food was awesome. It’s amazing how much more flavorful and delicious food and juice tastes when you haven’t eaten in a while. Is it my clean palate or the renewed appreciation for food that contributes to this heightened enjoyment? I say it’s both.

During the entire period I have been consistently relentless about incorporating regular physical activity into my daily routine. Although I’m still in good enough shape to run several miles, I decided to pretend I wasn’t and simply start out with a walking routine. I walked for a minimum of one hour per day – that was enough time for me to walk about 2 ½ to 3 miles per day. Heavy physical exertion is not possible or recommended on a zero calorie water fast, so I passed on the gym and did some very basic anywhere, anytime “couch-potato” exercises at home. I also stretched every day for a minimum of two 20 minute sessions.

Aside from accomplishing over 33% of my 3 month weight loss goal in just a week, I feel great and I know that I am off on the right foot to reaching my goal in a healthy and empowered manner.

What the Health Have I Done?! Break-fast

Have you ever thought about how the word 'breakfast' came into existence and why the first meal of the day assumed that name?

Well, quite simply when you eat your first meal in the morning you are "breaking the fast" (or absence of eating) that your body has endured while you slept.

Today's break-fast was extra special to me as I broke a 117 hour water fasting period.

Find out how much weight I lost in 4 1/2 days of eating absolutely no food - only water and a very small amount of watered-down, fresh squeezed organic grapefruit juice. Was it worth enduring four days of hunger?

Four Days of Fasting

No video today – I’ve been talking all day long and I prefer to just type. As I write this, I’ve been exactly 100 hours or 4 days, 4 hours without a morsel of food. The only things that have crossed my lips have been about 20 – 24 liters of Fiji Water and about 72 oz of fresh squeezed organic grapefruit juice – cut with 50% water.

Needless to say, I’m pretty hungry. In fact, a joke I often say to my girlfriend comes to mind -“I’m so hungry I could eat McDonald’s.” Yep, that’s a joke – and my sense of humor gets even more ridiculous the longer I go without food.

Today (Friday January 6^th) was incredible. I had three very important meetings that required over 4 ½ hours of non-stop speaking and high-level thought on my part. My business day didn’t end until almost 7pm – exceptionally late for a Friday. I will modestly admit that I performed “better than what I would consider my best.” Maybe I’m delusional as a result of virtually zero caloric intake for four days – or maybe it is the zero calorie intake that lit up my brain activity, concentrated my focus and amplified my motivation.

I call it survival mode. I believe that our ancestors possessed it and were closely connected to it. It’s nature’s self-preservation mode. If the human race didn’t possess the ability to go long periods of time without food, none of us would be here today. Think about it – how was life just a couple hundred years ago before there was transportation to ship food to stores at which we could conveniently buy it? Go back farther a couple of thousand years ago – long before modern farming practices and storage and preservation methods were discovered. What would a late frost or a drought or a flood do to the food supply? How about an ice age – or parasites – or wild animals? There are numerous ways that food supplies could have been devastated over large areas and long periods of time.

 It must be a God-given gift since the Bible references fasting for as long as “forty days and forty nights” in multiple instances. I see water fasting as a kind of “Baptism”- it washes away internal sins as it detoxifies your body.

I’ve done many water fasts – some as short as a day, others as long as a week. I’ve even done juice fasts for over 2 weeks. In retrospect, I can honestly say that I’ve done some of my most creative writing and thinking during periods of fasting. I also get unusual waves of clarity and energy during the fast – quite an anomaly considering the assumed lack of energy due to calorie deprivation. As I tap into new areas of gray matter, my intuition tells me that this anomaly is no coincidence.

Here’s my logic. If I had lived 10,000 years ago, life would have obviously been much different. Long before a short walk to the fridge or a phone call for pizza delivery existed, I would have had to have gotten off my butt and found food. This probably would have entailed a hunt or some foraging – maybe even some tree climbing. If food was scarce and competition was fierce, this would have been challenging. If I didn’t eat for a day or so and got more tired, lethargic and lazy, I would have quickly perished. I picture myself sitting under an orange tree with the fruit just out of reach and myself too weak and too tired to even shake the fruit loose, let alone climb the tree. There I would have died – and then become a meal for the vultures and the coyotes. Thank God it’s 2012!

My point is that the hungrier we get, the sharper our senses become – to help us survive and locate food. We have to be more alert, smarter, faster and stronger than our prey. I’m also referring to fruit too. Have you ever tried to climb a palm tree or crack open a coconut – I have – and believe me, it’s not an easy task!

In our modern society, things are much different. If we want to eat, all we have to do (in almost all cases) is pay for it. Paying for it is not always easy – especially in a tough economy. Therefore, our money-earning senses must become sharper. Have you ever heard the term “hungry for work”? There were actually two companies in my hometown that capitalized on this concept – “Starving Students Moving Co.” and “The Hungry Roofer.” They were both successful. I think the message implies that when someone is truly hungry, they are desperate, yet driven and determined enough to do exceptional work for the reward of – eating and surviving!

My fast is self imposed. It’s yet another test of my willpower. It’s a challenge – and I’m a sucker for a good challenge. It’s the ‘fastest’ route to accomplishing my goal of losing 30 pounds in 90 days. When I started fasting on Monday, January 2^nd, my goal was to make it until dinnertime on Friday before “breaking fast”. I chose not to eat tonight and opted to ‘breakfast’ in the morning. I look forward to two days of “sweeper salad” – by then my eight avocados will be ripe enough to eat. I will be in pure bliss when I take my first bite of one. Can’t wait!

For those of you considering attempting to water fast, I will warn you that it’s not for the weak. There are right and wrong ways to start and end a fast. If you do it wrong, the result could be the equivalent of shaking up a hornets’ nest inside your body. If you have medical conditions or are on medication, always consult your doctor. If you’re up for the personal challenge and journey – consult me.

Have a healthy, happy, hungry day.

The Great Grapefruit Juice-Off

Two of my friends, Josh Curtis and Tyler LeCompte, are both fortunate enough to have grapefruit trees in their yard – and they were both generous enough to give me some of their crop. Both guys are very proud of their fruit – the question is who’s is better? As a fruit and juice connoisseur, I’m happy to put them both to the test.

My palate is perfectly clean as I’ve been fasting and have consumed only water and grapefruit juice for the last 72 hours. So I’m perfectly primed for a taste-test.

I chose 2 equal sized grapefruits from each crop.

Curtis (left)     LeCompte (right)

First, I wanted to rate the appearance both exterior and interior. The LeCompte fruit is yellow and softer, the Curtis fruit is pinker and firmer. When I sliced them open, it was clear that the Curtis fruit is a much deeper, ruby red variety while LeCompte’s has a paler pink meat. Winner – Curtis.

LeCompte (left)       Curtis (right)

I measured the juice content and clearly the LeCompte fruit is juicier as it produced 16oz of juice from 2 fruits and the Curtis pair produced only 12oz. Winner – LeCompte.

          LeCompte - 16oz                                 Curtis - 12oz

So which one tastes better? Taste is such a subjective measurement, but here is my analysis. The LeCompte juice is sweeter and smoother while the Curtis juice is tangier and bolder. I happen to like both flavors very much and since they are both extremely healthy and delicious, I have to call a draw on the taste test. Winner – Tie.

LeCompte (left)   Curtis (right)

The true winner of the great grapefruit juice-off is ME since I get to enjoy delicious fruit juice from two great friends. Thanks guys.

My top 12 least favorite things about being 30 pounds heavier are…

12. "Wedgies" seem more prevalent.  

11. No longer being able to wear some of my favorite clothes (refer back to #12).

10. Losing flexibility in my hips, glutes, hamstrings and back and experiencing regular back aches as a result.

9. Being able to “pinch an inch” on my abs, belly and back of my arms.

8. Increased cravings for less healthy foods (especially anything chocolate and peanut butter).

7. Not wanting to go to the beach or take my shirt off in public.

6. Increased, unpleasant body odors – from gas to breath to perspiration.

5. Consciously sucking in my gut when I’m giving a lecture or talking to someone.

4. Decreased energy and stamina – from waking up on time to performing physical activity.

3. Increased illness frequency – from allergies to cold, flu and stomach aches – I rarely got sick longer than 24 hours at a time – until I started gaining weight.

2. My number two fear is ultimately developing “moobs” – or ‘man boobs’.

1. My number one fear is ultimately having a “dickiedoo” – which is a belly that hangs out farther than my… ______well, you fill in the blank!

These 12 things will act as additional motivation to help me accomplish my "What the Health Have I Done?!" goal of losing 30 pounds in 90 days.

Keep in touch to find out just how health-enhancing weight loss can be!

What the Health Have I Done? 2

 

Ok, so I’ve already taken the first most important step in the transformation process. I’ve set an intention and a goal – lose 30 pounds in 90 days by March 31^st.

I have also done the very important second step too – I’ve vocalized my intention and goal on video and then released it to the world. I’m now accountable to anyone who may question my progress or see me after March 31^st.

I pride myself on always doing what I say I’m going to do – I follow through and I HATE to fail!

Had I kept my intention and goal secret, it may have been easy for me to cheat on myself or postpone my progress to my goal. Now I have forced myself into accountability.

Maybe you aren’t comfortable sharing your physique or goals with the world – that’s ok. Find an accountability partner that you would trust with your life (because this is YOUR  LIFE we’re talking about here – right?). Tell your partner your intention, goal and plan of action. This accountability partner should be someone who cares about you, knows how to motivate you, and keep you on track. This person should be someone you would never want to disappoint.

If you don’t have anyone in your life who is up for the task, I recommend hiring a personal trainer or professional life coach. The financial investment in professional help will be added incentive and accountability.

Oh yeah, one more important point that I already covered in my previous video – I set a visualization for my goal. Remember those pictures of me in great shape – those will be my visual reminders, motivation, inspiration and resistance to temptation as I strive to look my best again.

If you feel you’ve never ‘looked your best’ or you desire ‘better than your best’ – then go online and find a photo of your favorite athlete or celebrity – save it to your computer desktop background or cell phone wallpaper. That should do the trick for now!

What the Health Have I Done?!

I did something crazy over the last 6 months - I intentionally gained 30 pounds. Now why would anyone in their right mind do that? Honestly, I did it to prove a few points. I’ve been 184 pounds for the last 20 years – that’s an ideal weight for a guy who is 6’4”.

Here I am after a 1.5 mile ocean swim last summer

I’ve always worked out hard and eaten healthy to maintain this weight and muscle; however, I’ve repeatedly heard from people how “lucky” I am to never gain weight, to have a great physique and no history of health problems. Even members of my family have accused me of “getting all of the good genes."

Eating a 15 ingredient salad on a kayak trip

In the last 6 months, I have departed from my normal routine to prove that I am indeed human. I also wanted to prove that when you do what the average person does, you get average results.

A shot of wheatgrass juice on St. Patty's Day 2011

There are some things that I will never compromise – like my strict vegetarian diet. I have been 100% vegetarian for over 17 years now and will maintain that until the last meal I eat. However, over the last 6 months I transitioned from a vegan diet consisting of mostly raw fruits, veggies, sprouts and fresh juice to what I call a pizza and potato chip vegetarian diet. I still ate lots of fruits and veggies, but I added in pizza, pastas, pies, bread, chips and dips and, oh yes, BEER – that’s vegetarian right?

I wanted to get closer to the Standard American Diet or “SAD”, but I still wasn’t willing to compromise my health by drinking soda, eating candy, fast food or meat.

Exercise has been an integral part of my life since I was a child, so I wasn’t willing to give that up completely either. Although 60% of America doesn’t exercise at all, I wanted to replicate what is a more typical American workout plan – sporadic and short. Instead of devoting 10% of my day (or 2 ½ hours) to walking, running, swimming, biking, yoga, pilates, and weight training daily, I decided to just do things when I felt like it – or when I had time.

Yoga on the beach

With this new “average lifestyle” I was able to consistently gain 5 pounds per month for the last 6 months. Awesome – huh? Oh yeah, I almost forgot – jeans and board shorts I’ve worn comfortably for over ten years are busting at the seams since my waist has gone from 31 ½ inches to 34 ½ inches in the same period of time.

Enough is enough. I’m not ready to go shopping for a new wardrobe yet. I’m also not happy about how I feel in my new body. I’ve developed regular back aches, pains in my hip joints and I’ve been sick more in the last 6 months than in the previous 6 years! Coincidence? I think not.

So now that I’ve demonstrated how easy it is for a 37 year old vegetarian who still works out occasionally and has good ‘genes’ to gain 30 pounds in a short period of time - I now plan to demonstrate how to right the ship and undo my sins for the last 6 months.

1.1.12 - My 6-pack turned into a pony keg!

Here I am today – I’m putting this out there for the world to see. Sean Donovan weighs 214 pounds. That’s well over 20 pounds more than I’ve EVER weighed in my life!

 Hello New Year - Bye Bye Belly!

I plan to lose 30 pounds in half the time it took me to gain it. That’s right – starting January 1, I’m going to throw my arsenal of tactics back on my physique and be back at my ideal weight of 184 pounds by March 31.

Keep in touch and follow me to see just how easy and healthy weight loss can be.   

Word of the Year

Recently I was challenged by my friend and fellow motivational speaker Alin Jacobs to implement a new annual ritual called “word of the year.” The concept is to select a single word or even coin a new word that will be your mantra, motivation, inspiration, and the defining characteristic of the upcoming New Year. This challenge has made a remarkable impact on my thinking over the last several weeks since Alin bestowed his wisdom and challenge upon me.

After much deliberation and contemplation, I first decided to re-visit 2011 in hopes that the past year would help me define next year. In retrospect, I decided that my word of the year for 2011 must have been “development.”

This year has allowed me to develop wonderful relationships both personally and professionally that will fuel my success in 2012. I kicked off 2011 by completely redeveloping my website SeanDon.com - which was an arduous and time consuming task, but proved to be well worth the effort. Once the website was launched, I then shifted my focus to developing a new marketing strategy and identity for workplace wellness programs – thus, the Grassroots Reform Organization (GRO) was developed. With GRO, I was able to seek out and develop new partnerships with other “healthy businesses.” Almost magically, I was connected with an organization that funds employee enrichment programs – enabling me to develop new programs for businesses who previously could not afford them. As always, I strive to develop and improve as a speaker, author, life coach and health advocate; therefore, I put a tremendous amount of effort into the development of exciting new content, programs and writings. I was even able to be instrumental in helping my top corporate client, DME Benefitness, redefine their corporate culture and workplace wellness by developing a new website, blog, newsletter and employee enrichment programs. Every day I strive to develop health and happiness for myself and those around me. Thanks to my development in 2011, I am now poised to create new corporate culture and revolutionize workplace wellness for many companies in 2012.

My personal zeitgeist for 2011 was great, but enough about the past. It’s now crystal clear to me that my word of the year for 2012 will be “wellthy.” No, that’s not a typo.

Wellthy (adjective) - synergistically benefitting from the combination of health, wealth, happiness, and wellness.

A wellthy individual realizes that their greatest wealth is in their health and that their success and overall wellness can be measured by the size of the smile on their face.

Personally, I’ve invested thousands of hours of time and immeasurable thought and energy into becoming wellthy. I believe that H.E.A.L.T.H. stands for Helping Everyone Always Leads To Happiness; therefore, I created a business that truly helps others attain health, happiness and success. The focus of my efforts, programs, writings and speeches are all aimed at developing wellthy people and businesses. By helping others and leading by example, I’m certain that I will become abundantly “wellthy” in 2012.

My first wellthy action is to pass on Alin Jacob’s wisdom - and challenge you to define your 2012 with your own personal “word of the year.” Before you make futile New Year’s resolutions that will be forgotten by February or set unrealistic goals that you will never pursue this year, put some serious thought into defining your purpose in life. This introspective thought exercise will magically reveal your word of the year and empower you to make a difference in the world – starting with a Happy New YOU!