Tuesday, Day 204 100% Fruitarian. i was busy with work-related stuff today. i knew it wasn't going to be a very active day exercise-wise. i ate very well today. Two blisters came up on my toes from yesterday's activities. It was the running shoes, but i will have to work around that. i did a quick little workout of about 15 minutes consisting of one-arm pushups and tricep presses in the evening after dinner. Good enough for today. It was a beautiful day today; i am really enjoying the weather this summer more than ever. i truly believe its at least in part due to my high fruit consumption as it seems most conducive to warm weather. My legs felt wonderfully sore today, it actually feels good. Its strange, but it does...LOL. i tried some Jack fruit for the first time recently. i found the taste pleasant, but it seemed way too sweet for me. Sort of like the sweetness of a dried fruit. i decided to freeze it and use it in my pate when i make it. Here is how todays menu went:

Breakfast:
Half a watermelon, 2 mangos. (947 calories).

Lunch:
Tomato-cucumber salad with almond pate. Interesting to note, i included some jack fruit in the pate today, turned out beautifully. (705 calories).

Dinner:
5 mangos. (673 calories).

Snack later:
28oz of fresh squeezed OJ. (357 calories).

Exercise:
5-10-5 one arm pushups (each arm), 5-5-5 tricep presses. 15 minutes.


Grace and Peace be multiplied.


todd

Wednesday, Day 205, 100% Fruitarian. i wanted to jog today, but i had some painful blisters come up on my toes. So that was a no go, although i am determined to work around it so i am going to walmart and see what i can find to help. That left me with calistenics, which i don't mind in the least. i am in love with calistenics these days. Pushups of various types and angles, chins, dips, tricep presses, one leg squats, pull-ups....i am really enjoying these. My right knee was still alittle sore so i decided to rest the legs this week. i may attempt some free standing one leg squats on Thursday evening, but i will play that by ear. Had a good workout though. i ate very well also; i am so glad for mango season! i am so happy that when Christ banished Adam from the Garden of Eden, He did not take away his supply of fruit. What a blessing it is!

i also followed the advice of a friendly raw-blogger who suggested i make salt out of celery. i dehydrated the celery and ground it in the coffee grinder. Came out very well. So well that it caused me to get alittle creative. i dehydrated some zucchini and one clove of fresh garlic as well. i ground up some raw pumkin seed and put all that together. Delicious seasoning. i called it The Raw Remnant Veggie seasoning......lol. That is what will be going on my salads for awhile. It is giving me ideas for stuff like sweet peppers and jalepenos as well. Going to be fun.

Here is how todays meals went:

Breakfast:
half a watermelon. (678 calories).

Lunch:
Tomato-cucumber salad with Veggie Seasoning and pate. (584 calories).

Snack:
5 mangos. (673 calories).

Dinner:
Half a watermelon. (678 calories).


Exercise:
35 minutes...70 chins/35 tricep presses.......later 20 one armed pushups (each arm).

60 minutes of basketball......we played 5 games of 21 it was casual really not too strenous.

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Friday, Day 206, 100% Fruitarian. Had a good day today. The Veggie seasoning i created helped make some fabulous guacamole, with which i made a sandwich. Also made some delicious pate (the jackfruit works wonderfully with it, i didn't even use a mango this time), which i made some deviled tomatoes. The guac sandwich had some sliced tomatoes and portabella mushroom in it with romaine leaves as the bread. It was very good, but i think i will ditch the mushrooms next time. i had the same thing last night without them and it was much better. Ate very well today again obviously. Yesterday i met with a nice lady about some life insurance, but the subject matter quickly turned to religion and diet. At the end of the meeting she presented me with 12 delicious clementines. Two of which i ate in her presence, 5 more were breakfast this morning before my morning workout. Which was a terrific workout.
Yesterday i purchased some bandaids for $1 and some adhesive tape for $1.49. Together they protected my blisters wonderfully and i was able to have a nice run today pain-free. Right after the run i did some nice calistenic work. i felt great and wanted to do more but my wife was ready to leave the park so i had to go with my queen. i got a picture of her this afternoon. The greatest blessing the Lord has bestowed upon me is this woman of mine for 25 years.
Here is how today's menu went:
Breakfast:
5 clementines (223 calories).
Lunch:
Half a watermelon, 1.5 mangos. (880 calories).
Dinner:
Large cucumber-tomato salad with pate. 2 guac sandwiches. 4 deviled tomatoes. (this meal was so big i could not eat it all at one sitting so i ate half of it and the other half was a snack later). (873 calories).
Snack:
half of dinner (584 calories).
Exercise:
3 mile jog. 30 chins/120 pushups/18 tricep presses.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Grace and Peace be multiplied.
todd

Weekend Review of Days 207 & 208 100% Fruitarian. This weekend was strange. First off, it was alittle more stressful than normal. Second, i didn't really exercise (did a lovely 4 mile walk on sunday but as vigorous as my workouts have been i don't count that) and i had a very strong urge to eat dry-roasted, unsalted, in-the-shell, peanuts. i have no idea why except that there was something in them my body needed/wanted. i did indeed end up purchasing a bag of organic peanuts in the shell (unsalted of course) and included them in my weekend fare. Of course they are not raw, not fruit (legumes from what i understand), so not something a fruitarian would include in the diet, but i did eat them. i immediately felt like i just consumed something my body needed and felt more energy. Also, i think i have completely lost my taste for the non-sweet salad as the last one i ate (sunday afternoon), was totally unsatisfying. On the other hand the guac i made with the new seasoning was wonderful. Simple sandwich with the guac, romaine and tomatoes. Really good. i think i ate like 6 of those this weekend. i am still going ga-ga over watermelon, just can't get enough of that. In fact i am loving all melons right now along with mangos.
My wife and i went for a noontime stroll of 4 miles on Sunday. Along the route we found several patches of the most delicious raspberries i ever tasted. i was never a big raspberry lover, but these were out of this world. i think we caught them at their peak. What a blessing that they were growing all over the side of the road. Then we found blackberries the same way. i was full for awhile but was ready for my watermelon by the time we got back home. Then proceeded to lounge for the day and chill. The supermarket mangos are A-list right now as we are in their season here. Nothing like that deep orange color.......Delicious.

So forgive me as i veer into some peanuts at this stage of the journey, but as usual, i am just going with the flow. i mean its weird and i don't know if its the protien, aminos or what because i never considered myself a big peanut eater. But we move on.


Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

hee hee im sure we can forgive yer nutty moments whatever it is that you are cravign them for im sure you are needing it at the moment

...Jodi, the banana eating buddhist

I like raw peanuts a lot. They're very good soaked overnight too. Just can't eat too many!

The raw "jungle peanuts" are aflatoxin-free, but expensive. (Easy to grow though, if you're ever into that).

Monday, Day 210, 100% Fruitarian. Something about those peanuts......i awoke this morning with a feeling of tremendous virility. i ran three miles, then did 20 minutes of vigorous calistenics then went to work. After work, i played about 90 minutes of basketball, doing chins and tricep presses between games. Afterwards i still felt tremendous energy. So, just being curious from the power of it all, i looked up dry-roasted peanuts in the shell online. i knew they contained protein, but i found the reason for the increased vigor to be L-arginine. i didn't know peanuts have a fair amount of that particular amino acid. i was acquainted with this substance from my pre-raw days more than 5 years ago. i took all types of supplements then. Also, it was interesting to note that any desire i had for salt completely left me. i mean i didn't desire it or anything that contained it. Now the nuts were unsalted and in the shell. As i am blogging the events from Monday, it is now Tuesday and i have done nearly 500 pushups (470 to be exact); i feel like i could do much more. i will report that tomorrow by God's grace. Needless to say, there is something about those nuts. There are other activities (private in nature) that also showed tremendous increases in virility, but they, being private need no further explanation. Needless to say, there is something about eating fruits and nuts, i am sure of it.

Here is a rundown of todays meals:

Breakfast:
1/3 of a watermelon, 1 mango, 1/4 cup of peanuts. (795 calories).

Lunch:
4 mangos, 1/3 cup of peanuts. (794 calories).

Dinner:
Large smoothie with bananas, jackfruit, mango, dates and clementines. (790 calories).

Exercise:
Morning....3 mile run, 45 bar dips, 140 pushups

Evening....90 minutes of basketball, 45 chins, 25 tricep presses.


Grace and Peace be multiplied.


todd

I agree Todd. There's something about fruits and nuts! Not that greens aren't good too. But there's something about fruits and nuts!

Thursday, Day 213, 100% Fruitarian. Its been 7 months now. Overall, this journey has been among the greatest blessings of my life. Not always easy, but always very rewarding. i know there is still much more to learn, to grow into and to experience. My weight is now 185lbs. It was 177lbs about 2 weeks ago (prior to my blunder with the salty olives). i am definitely much more muscular now than i was at the beginning of this journey. Why i ever left bodyweight exercises for free-weights is beyond me. The bodyweight exercises are totally blessing me. i am so into them now. i cannot discount the fact that the fruitarian diet probably has alot to do with that. i have been so busy this week that i have not had time to blog. i have been eating lots of juicy, sweet fruits with the peanuts. i ran monday, tuesday i did 470 pushups and yesterday i ran again (3 miles) and did 63 chins when done. i am running the 3 miles faster and faster (not really pushing it, but my body wanting it). The thing about Tuesday and the pushups is, i did 250 in 15 minutes in the morning, then after a very busy day, i did 22o in 15 minutes in the evening. i love efficiency in my workouts (just a thing with me). People have suggested i post a shirtless photo and i admit i have been tempted to do that. But that would bring glory to me and not my Lord Christ. This is all about Him.

Here is how my day went today:

Breakfast:
Half a watermelon, 1/3 cup of peanuts (934 calories).

snack: 4 bananas. (420 calories)

Lunch:
5 clementines, 5 bananas, 1/3 cup of peanuts. (928 calories).

Dinner:
lettuce leaf sandwiches, consisting of lettuce leaf (both romaine and some iceburg), 2 delicious bright red, juicy, large tomatoes (sliced), and almond pate (spread over the lettuce). i had about 8 of these sandwiches. Followed by, 3 mangos and 2 bananas. (1092 calories).


Exercise:
90 minutes of basketball, 100 chins, 30 tricep presses.


Grace and peace be multiplied.

todd

I love reading your blog, it is very incourageing for me. I would think the human body is Gods creation and to show an example of a healthy body would be encourageing but I am different like that and possibly other people would think different. We don't see much examples of healthy bodies. Perhaps when you feel comfortable you can show off what God has created in you right? Keep up the good work
Pam

Weekend Review of Days 215 & 216, 100% Fruitarian. The weekend was good. i ate well (although alas, no durian), i had a good workout on sunday but didn't play any basketball. i decided to just lounge. As far as the workout i did a medley of chins, pushups, dips and tricep presses on sunday for 4 sets. Ended up doing 48 chins, 120 pushups, 38 dips and 40 tricep presses. That was a nice workout. i have been taking it easy on my legs over the last couple of weeks but i would like to get back into my one-leg squats. Spoke to a brother in Christ this weekend who was once into gymnastics. He pretty much confirmed what i already know. My inability to do both handstand pushups and muscle-ups are more about technique than strength. He gave me some tips which i intend to practice in my pursuit of these. Walmart had a great deal on nice size watermelons which were actually deep red inside. i enjoyed that. i also enjoyed sandwiches made from romaine, almond pate and tomatoes. Of course i also had my peanuts.

i am feeling great and still have excellent energy. Just flowing along (even in the midst of trying times). Grace is a beautiful thing. Peace is a tremendous gift.


Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Monday, Day 217, 100% Fruitarian. Bit of a disaster today. Bad accident on the basketball court left my left knee grapefruit-size swollen. i had been having a tremendous workout day prior to that. i had just decided to get back into one-leg squats. Now that is all on hold for at least the next two weeks. At least i can focus on the chins/pushups/presses/dips still. Those require no legs and i need to do that anyways. i decided that i'd like to do at least 1000 pushups per week. This may sound like alot but its not considered some people do that each day. Also i want to focus on my bar dips for a week or so. Admittedly though, i was alittle depressed about the knee (this one was worse than what happened to the right one earlier this year), this caused me to eat more peanuts than i normally would. My calorie count was through the roof today; whatever. On the food side, i am really enjoying making sandwiches with tomatoes and lettuce these days. Either using pate or guac with it. i had pate today. i am really loving the watermelon season as the deep red, juicy fruit is really hitting the spot.

Here is how today's meals went.

Breakfast:
Half a large watermelon, 3 bananas, 1/2 cup of peanuts. (1420 calories)

Lunch:
2 tomatoes with 5-7 leafs of lettuce and almond pate. 1/2 cup of peanuts, 2 bananas. (1109 calories).

Dinner:
Bowl full of green grapes, 16oz of fresh OJ, 1 cup of peanuts. (1250 calories).

Exercise:
Morning....300 pushups.......Evening 70 dips, 20 minutes of basketball (before the injury).


Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Wednesday, Day 219, 100% Fruitarian. The swelling was gone from my knee today. It is still very sore, but i am amazing at how quickly it is healing. Just to be safe, i am still planning to stay away from too much direct activity with my legs (squats, running, basketball), but i tell you the truth, i will be ready for action before then the way its healing. Yesterday it was very swollen and i was basically dragging it along. Today i can walk up stairs (albeit very slowly). i cannot fully bend it yet but as far as i can bend it, i bend and flex as i sit. Without a doubt, i believe the Father in Heaven and my Lord Christ are using this raw diet to heal me quickly. i mean imagine running full speed, flipping into the air and landing knee-first on concrete. Without the lifestyle i now have been given, i would surely have been in some more serious problem. But 2 days later, the swelling is gone and i am beginning to walk again. Amazing. All praises to the Lord Christ, Creator of the body (which is His Temple on earth today). i was running low on food today, but my wife had $8 for me to get some produce. i was blessed as i got 4lbs of bananas, a nice 16lb watermelon, some garden-grown tomatoes and some yeast my wife requested so she could bake bread. Hey, not bad. Ate most of the bananas as they were very spotted, sweet and delicious. Even had a delicious smoothie today with some leftovers of fruit. Had not partaken of a smoothie in quite awhile since i really have been enjoying whole fruit.

Here is the breakdown:

Breakfast:
Half a watermelon, 3 bananas, 1/3 cup of peanuts. (1044 calories).

Lunch:
Salad with cukes, tomatoes and some lettuce, almond pate and an avocado (alittle too much fat, but i was just throwing things together). Then a banana and 1/3 cup of peanuts. (1145 calories).

Dinner:
45oz smoothie with mango, bananas, canteloupe and juice of 3 valencia oranges. (636 calories).

Exercise:
240 pushups, 83 bar dips, 50 chins.....i wasn't paying much attention to the time involved since i was just focused on working around the knee. Its strange but the pushups seem to bring strength to the knee, i also noticed this the last time i hurt it. i decided that for at least the next two weeks i want 1000 pushups/250 chins/250 bar dips/75 tricep presses each week. Sort of an intermediate level workout (which is where i am right now in my estimation).


Grace and Peace be multiplied.


todd

Monday, Day 224, 100% Fruitarian. The last few days are like a wind that passes quickly. Sometimes i simply don't know where the time went. i intended on doing a weekend review, but somehow the time passed by and suddenly it was 9pm on Monday night and i was in the park trying to get my workout in. i spoke 3 times on Sabbath; morning, afternoon and evening. There was a huge spread of fresh garden-grown fruit after the evening service. Many melons, strawberries, blueberries, cherries and more. The fellowship was sweet. We didn't get home until after midnight. Sunday, i took it easy, but the day still flew by. i didn't go to the park, but i spent all morning with my wife. Then i just did push-ups intermittently throughout the day (340 total). Ate well all weekend. i even had some funds for a durian but there was none available this weekend, except the frozen pods and i wasn't into them. For the record, last week i did 1275 pushups, 255 chins, 251 dips and 90 tricep presses. Felt very good and the knee is healing very well. i'd say its about 60% right now. i did some one leg squats on it very gingerly today, just a couple at a time, just to test it.

Today i took my children to visit a certain college. This university has the Physical Therapy program my daughter is interested in. She is still 2 years away, but i thought it best to explore the possibities now. It was a 5 hour round trip and we stayed on the campus about 3 hours. Full day for sure. When we got back home it was about 8:30pm. My son and i decided it was a nice evening (which it was) and we went out to the park for some calistenics. We both felt great afterwards. i noticed there were many more people out walking in the evening yesterday, it was definitely a nice summer evening.

Here is how the day went foodwise:

Breakfast:
half a watermelon, 2 bananas. (888 calories).

Snack (at a rest stop):
3 clementines, 5 bananas. (659 calories).

Lunch:
bowl of green grapes, one peach, 4 clementines, 1 cup. (1139 calories).

Dinner:
32oz mango-banana-orange juice smoothie. (886 calories).

Exercise:
60 chins, 120 pushups, 60 dips, 40 tricep presses....35 minutes.


Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Wednesday & Thursday, Days 226 & 227, 100% Fruitarian. Detox time. Been having sharp pains in the pit of my stomach combined with increased lethargy and increased eliminations. Detox time. No fun for the fruitarian/raw foodist, but absolutely necessary to continued growth in overall health. So while it doesn't feel too good, its very good for me. i have not slept well the last 3 nights. Yesterday i was on my way to an appointment at 2pm in the afternoon, suddenly i felt like i was falling asleep at the wheel. i pulled over into a motel parking lot, slept for 10-15 minutes and was fine. Later i had planned on going to the park for a workout, but i felt totally beat. i went anyways, did 110 chins and 110 bar dips. Took me an hour (longer than usual), it was raining also (but that felt good actually), but i was decidedly more lethargic with less energy than i have had recently. i usually don't make any adjustments during detox, preferring to let it play itself out. i believe the body will heal itself if given the opportunity. This principle i seek to follow with detox. This time though, i am eliminating the peanuts temporarily. i am not sure why, just an instinct i guess. i had scheduled to stay home this weekend and i am glad i did. i need a Sabbath of quiet relaxation and reflection right about now. On Tuesday, i ran into a deal on organic bananas at Kroger, 29 cents/lb. i bought a good 10-15 pounds. Then i went to the country market and saw a large box of very ripe bananas 4lbs/$1. Needless to say, i have been consuming a good amount of bananas this week. This is a good thing as i am getting hit with the detox. Here are the meals over the last two days:

Wednesday:
Breakfast:
Half a watermelon, 2 bananas. (920 calories).

Lunch:
4 bananas, cup of peanuts. (1801 calories).

Dinner:
tomato-cucumber salad with almond pate. (584 calories)

Exercise:
55 minutes.....80 chins/80 bar dips/160 pushups/40 tricep presses.

Thursday:

Breakfast:
8 bananas, half a watermelon. (968 calories).

Lunch:
half a watermelon, 3 bananas, cup of peanuts. (1847 calories).

Dinner:
Half a watermelon. (678 calories).

Snack:
2 large, garden fresh tomatoes. (66 calories).

Exercise:
1 hour......110 chins/110 bar dips.


For the week i finished with 1040 pushups/250 chins/250 bar dips/90 tricep presses.


Have a great weekend!

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Weekend Review of Days 229 & 230 Fruitarian. Interesting weekend. Let me begin by saying my wife made some unleavened crackers of the type we use for our home communions. i partook of some of that. Thus i have changed my title from "100%" Fruitarian to simply "fruitarian". The non-raw, non-fruit item was by no means a large part of my weekend fare as i ate an abundance of watermelon, peaches, nectarines, canteloupe, grapes, tomatoes and of course bananas.. But i just want to be fair to those following the blog and give an accurate account of what is going on with me.

As i blogged earlier, i stayed home for the Sabbath and had a quiet day. Well, semi-quiet. My body was suddenly bursting with energy, so that i could not keep still. i ended up having a wonderful time, reading, praying and doing one armed pushups all over the house.....lol. i didn't keep count of how many i did, but i learned something about how to strengthen my body to do them. i simply would lean on either a window sill or the kitchen counter at about a 45 degree angle with the floor and push off with one arm. i did this all afternoon as i was online fellowshipping with some believers and studying a dvd entitled "Total Onslaught" by Dr Walter Veith. i highly recommend it to all Christians seriously interested in the Present Truth. My knee is about 80% and feels great. i hope to be at full strength in about a week.

Now i would like to preface the next series of statements by saying, i am not a prophet. But i am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. i cannot deny that at certain times i have felt the power of the spirit of God upon me as i am sure many christians have as well. Also, i have gotten very strong impressions about what i am to say to the people i teach and preach in front of. This weekend was like that. Fruitarianism, has greatly enhanced this process, as my mind is so much clearer and i am more sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit. The Spirit gave me two messages for the people of God this weekend which i shared and will share again in part this coming weekend. The first was called "What is Babylon?" and the second "Sorcery". i can say this, the newest health care proposals from our elected officials are about more than just medical benefits. i did not record the "Sorcery" message, but by God's grace will do so as i will repeat it this weekend. The "Babylon" message is mostly for those who have an understanding of the Three Angels Messages (those who understand them will know what i am talking about). The "Sorcery" message is for everyone. As always, they will be available free to any who request them by emailing us a mailing address.

Now back to our regularly scheduled program already in progress.

i did notice that the energy came back with much power when i eliminated the peanuts. This is strange though as i also remember the serious burst of energy i received when i first partook of them. At this point i am concluding that i simply over-indulged. i still feel the peanut is a good thing, but its not something to eat all the time and definitely not in abundance. For alittle while at least though, i will leave them alone. When i awoke on sunday morning, it was pouring rain. So i decided to workout indoors. Well, i had not choice since my energy level would have me climbing the walls...LOL. i did 450 pushups, including 100 one armed pushups (50 each arm), 30 tricep presses, 60 one leg squats (40 on the injured leg). This is the first time in my life i can do that many one armed pushups. i love them because they also work the injured knee and the abdominals very well.

i didn't do the squats with the door handle as they caused pain to the knee and i didn't want to risk re-injury. So i did, as it were, the free-standing version which of course was really a partial squat on the injured leg. But i am happy to be doing them! i am still blown away at the speed at which my knee is healing and recovering strength. Fruit is a great blessing!


i hope you enjoyed your weekend!


Grace and Peace be multplied.

todd

Tuesday, Day 232, Fruitarian. Another very interesting day. i had some leftover peanuts. Not being one to waste anything i did intend to eat them. After all, it had been 5-6 days since i had any and i was having a taste for them. So i did eat the remnant of what was left with my lunch. It was about half a cup of peanuts. About an hour later, here comes this tremendous energy surge. i had already had an excellent morning workout having done 60 chins, 60 bar dips, 160 pushups and 20 tricep presses. About 5 pm i wanted more. i did another 140 pushups (100 one arm pushups) and 30 tricep presses. i wasn't finished. i decided to got out and test my knee on the basketball court. Played 3 full court games. The energy level was off the charts. i wanted to actually do more chins and dips between games but i felt guilty because i had already done alot of them in the morning. At this report it is 5:39am and i have been wide awake since 3am. So i realize, the peanuts are good, but i cannot have them every day. So i figure twice a week may be good. This journey is so mercurial and flowing, its amazing. So here is the days meals:

Breakfast:
3 bananas, half a watermelon. (993 calories).

Lunch:
6 bananas, 2 mangos, half a cup of peanuts. (1301 calories).

Dinner:
One peach, 50 oz of fruit smoothie. (851 calories).


Exercise:
morning. 60 chins/60 bar dips/160 pushups/20 tricep presses.....37 minutes.

Afternoon-evening. 140 pushups (2x50 one armed), 30 tricep presses, 60 minutes basketball.


Grace and Peace be multiplied.


todd

Hi Todd,

I've found pretty much the same thing with the peanuts. They're fantastic as long as I don't eat too many, and as long as I don't eat them every day.

This time of year, it's wonderful when fresh raw peanuts are available locally. Organic fresh raw peanuts are of course the best!

I read your interview on Mango's site. Nice!

Wednesday, Day 233, Fruitarian. i seek to read the Bible through each year as a matter of habit. Right now i am in the section where i am reading through the Psalms. i have also begun to read a very interesting book entitled "Foxes Book of Martyrs". It is a book written at the end of the medieval period of history that recounts the lives of christians martyrs and the character they showed in death. It is not a volume for the faint of heart. i am seeing the powerful faith and courage of those who stood on conviction on pain of death. They often quoted the psalms as their comfort. Indeed, i (along with countless others i am sure), find in the Psalms a source of comfort and strength during difficult times, as well as tremendous inspiration. One such text helps me often:

"He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed. Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him". Psalm 126.

Although the path to life and health sometimes seems difficult, our hard work will pay off in the end if we are faithful. Today, i felt such joy as i worked out in the park. The workout itself was nothing more special than i would normally do, but i felt a sense of power in my person. i perceive increased vigor and strength as well as spiritual perception. It is a wonderful thing and although i know i still have a long way to go, the journey itself is filled with riches that all the gold in this earth cannot match. i praise my Lord Christ for this gift that comes in Him.

Today's meals were:

Breakfast:
A whole watermelon (on the small side, about 12lbs), 3 peaches, 5 bananas. (1522 calories)

Lunch:
7 bananas, tomato-cucumber salad with guac from 2 avocados. (1613 calories)

Dinner:
2 bananas, 1 mango, 2 clementines, 32oz of delicious fruit smoothie. (1256 calories).

Ate like a king today.

Exercise:
50 chins.....50 bar dips....60 one arm pushups....40 regular pushups....120 one leg squats....25 tricep presses........32 minutes.......terrific workout.


Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Thursday, Day 234, Fruitarian. Very good day today. So good that i was suspicious. i mean, our ministry received unexpected donations and also regular donations that were more than expected. i was able to witness for Christ to a couple who, was excited about the prospect of visiting our Raw Remnant potluck this weekend. i don't know too many things that give such a warm feeling as when a person tells you, that you are an answer to prayer. The CDs the Lord has us sending out are being made a blessing to the hearers. All these things made for a very sweet day. i didn't work out in the morning because of scheduling, but i did in the evening. Excellent workout as i did dips and chins between basketball games. Combining cardio with resistance training is something else.

Here are today's fare and activities.

Breakfast:
1/3 watermelon, 3 bananas, 1/4 cup peanuts. (977 calories).

Lunch:
7 bananas, 6 sandwiches made from guac (2 avocados), chopped tomatoes with cucumber all seasoned. (1444 calories).

Dinner:
1/3 watermelon, 3 clementines, 3 bananas, one mango. (1036 calories).


Exercise:
100 chins/75 bar dips.....60 minutes of basketball.

For the week:
1000 pushups (200 one arm)/285 chins/260 bar dips/110 tricep presses/290 one leg squats.

i won't be posting on Friday as i will be very busy so......

Have a wonderful Weekend!!

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Tuesday, Day 239, Fruitarian. Some more changes. We have so much fruit from this past weekend, that my wife and two daughters decided to go 100% Raw until at least Friday. So for me, that meant i was not going to be eating any peanuts, because i didn't want to be the one to throw them off. Also, they are eating some "raw gourmet". Things such as raw sprouted lentil patties, raw tacos and raw "cheese" cake. With the exception of the cake, i partook of that fare. This means that i have had some salt because i know both the tacos and the patties have salt in them. But at least we are all raw together at this point so its no problem to me. Our weekend Raw potluck festivities were fantastic. As i alluded, our guests brought so much fruit that we didn't know where to put it all. We must of had at least 6 large watermelons, not including cantaloupes, peaches, grapes and a dear sister in Christ brought us about 20lbs of garden fresh tomatoes. A tremendous blessing. The fellowship was very rich and all parties are looking forward for our September get together. My Lord Christ is good to us for sure.

My knee is at least 95% as i am doing one leg squats, playing ball and generally going back to normal. i have not started jogging again yet, but i am planning on doing that next week. i just want to be cautious so as to not have any more setbacks. Otherwise my workouts are going on tremendously (although i still cannot perform a regular muscle-up, it will come in time. Of that i am confident). The bible speaks much on the subject of patience. i realize that, not only am i severely lacking in this area, but the majority of humans i have been in contact with are as well. Lack of this precious grace brings frustration, anxiety and bad decisions. An abundance of patience will cause all of those negative traits to disappear. This journey is helping me greatly with patience, mostly because i am more connected to the Source of it all. Also, i am finding myself waking up much earlier, like between 4-5am most days. This is especially true when my fruit intake is above 3500 calories. My body seems to just teem with energy in the morning.

Today, i ate like a king although i did not work out at all. i thought it best to rest my muscles for a day. Here is how the day went.

Breakfast:
5 bananas, 1/3 of a large watermelon, 1/2 of a delicious Durian. (1298 calories).

Lunch:
5 bananas, 6 guac sandwiches with lettuce and tomato. (1261 calories).

Dinner:
32oz of fruit smoothie, 1/4 of a durian, one peach, 1/2 mango, 4 bananas. (1624 calories).

Snack:
1/3 of a large watermelon. (407 calories).

Exercise:
i took it easy today. But for the week so far i have done 500 pushups/100 chins/100 bar dips/90 one leg squats/30 tricep presses. i am well on pace for my weekly goals at this point.

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Wednesday, Day 240, Fruitarian. Its been 8 months now. At this point i am not craving anything. But that is probably because salt has been re-introduced to my system. My weight is now at 188lbs. Although i liked it better when i was at 177lbs (psychologically speaking), i feel great right now. My wife is very pleased with how i look also. My mind is so clear that i cannot tell how i even functioned before now. One my nemesis in the past has been bread. i have always been a bread lover. i have had some unleavened crackers my wife has made, but other than that, i have no bread cravings at all. If someone would have told me that i would be satisfied using lettuce leaves as bread prior to now i would have rolled my eyes. But i am very satisfied with that as long as i have something tasty inside (like my wife's raw lentil patties or some guac). There is no doubt i am physically much stronger, more fit and of higher overall health than at any time in my life. i like being strong without being bulky. i am totally in love with bodyweight training. This journey has inspired my family to do raw again, everyone except my son. Stubborn child he is, always insisting on going against the stream (where could he have gotten such a disposition from? LOL). So, while the rest of us are eating fruit for breakfast, he is eating waffles. While we have raw pattie sandwiches for lunch, he is eating pasta with sauce and toast. The thing is, he doesn't eat alot at all (he weighs about 135lbs at about 5'9" and he is very much a vegan. So we all just live and let live. i have been enjoying the summer fruits this year more than ever. Especially the watermelons. Really good and satisfying. i so much look forward to my workouts in the park. i am enjoying working out more than ever before. Been a great ride so far.


Today's meals were:

Breakfast:
3/4 of a large watermelon, little bit of Durian. (1164 calories).

Lunch:
5 raw sprouted lential pattie sandwiches with tomatoes and onions. (431 calories).

Dinner:
32oz fruit smoothie and half a mango. (857 calories).

Snack:
1/4 of large watermelon. (339 calories).

Exercise:
Morning. 300 pushups/50 tri-presses/80 one leg squats.....40 minutes.

Evening: 100 chins/100 bar dips......about an hour.

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Friday, Day 242, Fruitarian. Felt alittle sluggish today. i did do 100 chins and 100 bar dips while playing 2 hours of basketball very hard last night. So that may have had something to do with it. But it was wonderful. i was totally drenched in sweat with my back muscles totally pumped and numb. i was gloriously sore this morning. So i didn't get out to the park until this afternoon. It was hot (about 90 degrees) and all i did was pushups, tri-presses and squats. But i had a very rewarding workout. Again, thanks to the Lord Christ, i ate like a king. For the week i completed 1040 pushups/250 chins/250 dips/110 tricep presses/310 one leg squats. Good week. i feel both my legs getting stronger so next week i will try some jogging and add a medicine ball to my squats.

Here are today's meals:

Breakfast:
5 large bananas, 1/4 watermelon. (880 calories).

Snack:
3 large bananas. (363 calories).

Lunch:
tomato-cucumber salad with cashew sauce. guac sandwiches with lettuce. 3 large bananas. (1171 calories).

Dinner:
3 large bananas, 40oz of fruit smoothie. (1153 calories).


Exercise:
35 minutes.....240 pushups/40 tricep presses/120 one-leg squats.


Have a Great Weekend!

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

Weekend Review, Days 243 & 244, Fruitarian. i am really getting into working out. i don't think its any coincidence that i have been parting of a heavy fruit diet this year and i am feeling like working out often. My wife and my daughters are still doing all raw at this point also. They seem to be doing well as my wife is very good at preparing raw gourmet. i was fortunate to have saved a durian for this past weekend. Delicious food it was and i am still hoping to go to a durian-growing nation one day. Sunday, i was looking at news on the internet, it was about noon. i decided to do a set of pushups every 5 minutes for one hour. That would make 12 total sets. It was quite a workout. i ended up doing 620 pushups in the hour. Not bad. i am hoping to be able to do 1000 by the end of the year. It did wear me out though, as i was not able to do the level of calistenics at the park later that i normally would. But what a pump it gave me! i drank much of fruit smoothies this weekend. On hot days and nights they are ideal. i also ate some non-raw crackers my wife made with some guac and tomatoes. Tasted delicious but sat on my stomach as i fully expected. This also contributed to my lower production at the park later. But i really enjoyed some sandwiches i made with guac, tomatoes and iceburg lettuce (as the bread). i did put a dab of organic ketshup on it. Totally delicious. Here is Sunday's workout:

620 pushups (55 minutes, 12 sets). Later at the park. 36 chins/36 dips/30 tricep presses.

i pray you had a tremendous weekend!!

Grace and Peace be multiplied.


todd

Friday, September 4, 2009.

Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Revelation 21:5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.


This is a wonderful promise of the bible and very dear to me. Its a promise of Love. But before it is fulfilled the redeemed will have many hard and trying times to pass through. Its all part of growth in character and spirit. The Fruitarian experiment appears to be done for now. i seemed to have succumbed to salt, although there are many other things going on in my life right now. Both good and trying. Some brethren in Christ, who are dear friends, were suddenly left homeless. We felt compelled to open our home to them. They will be staying with us for the next 3-4 months. The economy is the main culprit, but i believe its for the spiritual growth of us all. They are unemployed and pretty much penniless. i know how that feels and we are honored to have them as our guests. My business also took another turn downward which doesn't help. But we are all encouraging one another and strengthening each other (which is exactly how it should be). i have not blogged in awhile because i wanted to gather my thoughts before i put them down. i had been just gliding along and while in that state the words would come easily from day to day. But with this disruption in life came disruption of my thoughts a bit i guess. Also, i have found that the dips have been hurting my shoulders. They hurt so badly that over the last week i have hardly gotten a good night's sleep. So this week i rested completely about 3 days and worked out 3 days. The shoulders feel good today (i also did 300 pushups). i was pushing the dips too hard for the goal of the Bar-Commission. But i will have to put that on hold. i am thankful it wasn't the pushups as they have been my companions for decades and getting back into them has really excited me. They seem to be a catalyst for my workouts. Hopefully, in time, i will be able to get back to the dips, but i don't know how long that will be. The way i see it, this gives me opportunity to strengthen other areas. Pistol squats, chins, pullups, tricep presses especially.

Now as far as diet. Its not like i have completely fallen off the deep end. i still eat alot of fruit. But here are the non-fruit/non-raw items that i have been regularly consuming over the last couple of weeks:

Soaked bulgar wheat
unleavened homemade wheat crackers
dehydrated pecan-carrot or pecan-lentil patties.

The problem with these is the salt. All of them contain it. Now i have never professed to be 100% sold on getting rid of salt altogether. Perhaps that is why i am still using it now. Maybe thats a problem, but i am not so sure. Time will tell, it always does. But admittedly, although it seems minor, any fruitarian or raw vegan will tell you, there is a big difference with these items and without them. My weight is 191lbs (up from 177lbs in early July). Now my wife and friends all tell me how good i look because my muscles look fuller. But i know its just water. Maybe its psychological, but i liked how i felt at 177lbs better. Again, family and friends tell me i looked sickly, but i dont know.

So i am thinking about my next move. Shall i ditch the salt again and start over? Should i go 100% raw fruit part of the week and use weekends for the above-mentioned stuff? i am not sure. i am not asking for advice on the matter as much as i am just musing. i believe the Lord will lead me and guide me as i have asked Him to. Today was very typical of my recent menu, although i did not get the calorie count:

Breakfast:
one medium/small size watermelon. bowl of black grapes with chopped canteloupe.

Lunch:
16oz of fruit smoothie. Couple of baked whole wheat crackers.

Dinner:

guacamole seasoned with sea salt, lemon juice, cayenne and nutritional yeast. On top of the whole wheat crackers.

i will probably have some OJ later.

Exercise:
300 pushups/60 chins/200 pistol squats/50 tricep presses.

Have a Wonderful Weekend!

Grace and peace be multiplied.

todd

Monday, September 7, 2009


Psalms 103:1 Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Psalms 103:2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Psalms 103:3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Psalms 103:4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;
Psalms 103:5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Monday, September 7, 2009. Very nice and relaxing weekend for the most part. But also busy with our ministry. i spoke and/or taught Friday evening, Sabbath morning, Sabbath Afternoon and Sunday evening. Also had tremendous workouts. Very rewarding weekend indeed. Even though i am not eating 100% Raw Fruitarian right now, i am still getting tremendous energy surges at times. Case in point, on Sunday i was out playing basketball with some young fellows. As we were playing a tall strapping young man strode onto the court. i didn't know who he was but apparently the other fellows did. i found out later he was the star quarterback on the high school football team and also the basketball team as well. He heard me chastising the guys i was playing with because they were tired and wanted to rest and i was still wanting to play. He came over and challenged me to a game of one-one-one. When i said sure lets play full court, he looked surprised but said ok. i heard him tell his friends he was going to take it easy on me and i heard them warn him not to. After i beat him his buddies got a good laugh as he was not able to run with me in terms of endurance. Whatever diet you want to call what i am on now (high fruitarian probably best describes it), its still blessing me.

i was blessed to eat like a king this weekend, even had some durian (both Sunday and Monday). As i started cataloging my caloric intake again, i didn't know bulgar wheat contained so much calories, but very little fat. i add olive oil to it so i am sure that fat is in it when i am done sprucing it up. Here was the regimen for today.

Breakfast:
Half a watermelon, 4 large bananas, durian. (1374 calories).

Lunch:
2 cups of Soaked bulgar wheat with avocado and steamed plantain. 6 cabbage-carrot rice wraps. (1970 calories).

Dinner:
40oz of fruit smoothie. (790 calories).

Exercise:
Morning: 180 pushups/30 tricep presses/120 one leg squats

Evening:
120 pushups/20 tricep presses.


i hope you had a terrific weekend!

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

September 9, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009.


Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.


i was off from work today. It was a gloriously sunny day with the temperatures in the high 70s. i was able to take full advantage of it with a tremendous park workout. i also ate very well today. Dropping the dips was a good idea for me as my shoulders feel much better although not 100% yet. i am alittle afraid to try another 500 plus pushup day because i don't want to injure myself. Of course that is no guarantee i won't try it anyways ...lol. So i seek to stay below 350 per day. Today i did 250, which felt good (5 sets of 50 along with other exercises which i will detail below).

We have a big weekend coming up with a Raw Remnant potluck scheduled. We are planning on having everything outside in the yard as we are expecting many guests. These events have been of tremendous blessing in that we are able to share raw and vegan foods with different people and witness to them of the Lord Christ at the same time. We believe its much more important to show the truth of the gospel in your life at home than what denomination or church one may belong to. So many attend churches and put up fronts then have completely different faces in their home. We find this to be hypocritical and wish to have a living faith that all can see and be drawn to the Lord we love and serve. These potlucks have served that purpose extremely well as we have had people of different faiths attend and receive blessings.

i seek the prayers of all my christians friends that this weekend will be a great blessing to all who choose to attend.

Here is todays regiment:

Breakfast:
7 bananas, 4 valencia oranges. (1084 calories).

Lunch:
one homemade whole wheat cracker with guacamole, sliced tomatoes and pecan patties on top. (1698 calories).

Exercise:

250 pushups/50 tricep presses/100 pistol squats/75 chins.

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Friday, September 11, 2009

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Isaiah 32:17 And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

Isaiah 32:18 And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places;


My condolences to all the families of the victims of 9/11. One day (prayerfully Soon) all evil will forever cease and death itself will be destroyed never to appear again forever.

Today we are preparing not only for the Sabbath but also for the guests we are expecting for the Raw potluck. Some of whom wanted to come on Friday and spend the night at our home. i wasn't hungry when i awoke this morning. Whenever that is the case i seek to drink fresh juices, usually orange juice. i was blessed to enjoy that today. At some point i am going to do another juice fast of short duration on just oranges. i love them so much and they are such a great blessing to the living temple. i will probably do it for 7-14 days. Perhaps when i can find a nice deal on a couple of cases of oranges. But i want to do it for the sheer enjoyment of it. People who have lived on fresh OJ for any sort of time can testify to the blessing. The orange is surely one of God's gifts to mankind for our good.

i wanted to concentrate my workout today on my chins/pullups. i still want to keep my weekly goals of calistenic totals. 1000 pushups/250 chins/250 pistol squats/100 tricep presses. i was short on the chins and pushups so i had to make sure i did them today. i went to the park and had a very nice workout.

Here is todays regiment:

Breakfast:
28oz of OJ. Small bowl of raw strawberry shortcake, one large banana. (807 calories).

Lunch:
Bowl of soaked bulgar wheat with steamed plantain and avocado. half a watermelon. (1665 calories).

Dinner:
28oz of OJ. (391 calories).

Exercise:
125 chins/150 pushups/30 tricep presses/40 pistol squats.

i finished the week with 1000 pushups/250 chins/330 pistol squats/130 tricep presses.

Not a bad week's work.


Have a Wonderful Weekend!!

Grace and Peace be multiplied.

todd

Friday, September 25, 2009.


2 Samuel 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

2 Samuel 22:3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

2 Samuel 22:4 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

2 Samuel 22:5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;

2 Samuel 22:6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;

2 Samuel 22:7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.

Been battling with bouts of depression the last couple of weeks. Feels like darkness is just pressing upon me on every side. i have been here before and have learned from experience that the battle is won when i hand onto the Lord Christ with all i have. Days like this its a battle to get out of bed, i feel sleepy much of the time. Like i have no energy. But i fight it with prayer, faith, the Word of God and exercise. i am glad i have these tools as they are life-savers.

Today for example, it rained all day. i totally did not want to get out of bed. i would get up and then lay back down, get back up and lay back down. Finally i got up to stay in the mid-morning. i had prayed, read my bible and looked at the news on the internet. i was 60 chins short of my weekly goal and i determined to do them in the park even in the rain. This i did. It was a long, light drizzle really and it was beautiful. i had a great workout and the rain felt so refreshing. i thank my heavenly Father for the fresh air and the strength He gave me today. i ended up accomplishing my workout goals for the week. As i looked back upon the week, i actually got alot done inspite of the depression attack. i cut and chopped a cord of wood, had 6 business appointments, plus did 1150 pushups, 250 chins, 300 one leg squats, 120 tricep presses. Not a bad week as i look back upon it. Especially when i just felt like sleeping and staying in bed. Prayer and the bible are powerful weapons against depression. So are fresh air and exercise.

i ate well also, today being a typical day. Although i must say i ate more crackers than i should have due to the depression. This i am determined to also overcome by God's Grace.

Todays meals were:

Breakfast:
Half a small watermelon, 4 large bananas, 32oz of cantaloupe-mango smoothie.

Lunch:
Soaked bulgar wheat mixed with guac, boiled plantain, chopped tomatoes and 2 oat burgers.

Exercise:
60 chins/150 pushups/60 one leg squats/30 tricep presses....20 minutes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

todd

Sounds like you're already feeling a little better Todd. Good!

I think maybe we rawfooders are a little more sensitive both physically and emotionally/spiritually. Maybe we even choose that our life should be this way. Things can be a little hard sometimes because of this; but, as I'm sure you already know, we grow stronger for it, thank goodness.

Have a happy day!