Angela V. Laces Up Her Running Shoes after a 10 Day Reboot
Name: Angela V.
Age: 37
Location: San Francisco, CA
Reboot: 10 days of juice only
Health Improvements: Lost 75 lbs and lowered blood pressure to a healthy level
How did you learn about Reboot Your Life?
I have a very good friend and mentor named Shane Whaley, who was featured on this site a few weeks ago. I watched Shane transform before my very eyes. He started juicing, lost 70 lbs and began running half marathons. We watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead together. The film moved me and inspired me to dust off my juicer and start juicing again. Shortly after that, Shane found the Reboot site and referred me to it as a resource.
What inspired you to do a Reboot?
There wasn’t one event that inspired me, it was a series of happenings that led me to take the first steps toward health. Each new step led to another and so on. It’s funny how things unfold in life when one starts to pay attention. I had a wake up call from my doctor, she let me know I had high blood pressure and if I didn’t lose weight I’d have to go on medication to manage it. I thought about family members who have struggled with weight, take loads of medications and have had serious health consequences as a result. I didn’t want that to be me. Not long after I got the news from my doctor I met Shane. He shared with me his story and I even started reading his blog RunningOnJuice.com. It took me a year before I was ready mentally to do a proper Reboot. I set the goal to lose 50lbs and I was to start with a 10 day Reboot breaking the fast on my birthday. I thought it was the perfect birthday gift to me and one that might actually extend my life. I think I was right.
How did the experience go for you?
The experience was life changing. I’d done juice fasts in the past but I’d always gone away to a spa or resort. I thought it was impossible for me to do a juice fast in my own environment whilst working my day job. I reached out for support and set myself up for success.
Did you have any notable health or physical improvements?
My blood pressure went down to a healthy level and my skin became clearer. I noticed a huge surge in energy. I actually started to crave exercise. First I started swimming and then I did something I never, ever thought I’d do…I started running! When I started I could barely run two minutes but in about 10 weeks I was up to running 3 miles without stopping! I just kept slowly increasing my distance until I was up to running 6 miles. Then things got serious, I signed up for a half marathon, which for those aren’t sure is 13.1 miles. I recently finished my second half-marathon and so far I’ve lost 75 lbs!
What was the toughest part about the Reboot experience?
The toughest part of the Reboot experience was trying to be social while fasting. It really made me aware of how much of my social life revolves around food. I went to dinner with people and didn’t eat. I discovered something unexpected, they were much more uncomfortable with me not eating than I was.
What habits have you maintained and kept a part of your everyday life?
I continue to juice almost daily and make an effort to eat at least 51% fresh fruits and veggies.
What is your lasting impression of the Reboot experience?
The 10-day Reboot gave me the fresh start and foundation to build a healthy new future for myself. It may have been the most loving thing I’ve ever done just for me. Since the Reboot I’ve lost 5 sizes, 75 lbs and have successfully run 2 half-marathons. I was so grateful for the mentoring and support I had a long the way, it really made all the difference. I have even teamed up with Shane and started writing my own experiences on RunningOnJuice.com. I’ve now had the opportunity to mentor others the way I was helped along. My life has changed and now what only a year ago seemed impossible has become possible! My life has truly been rebooted! Woohoo!
How did it take you to lose the 75lbs from start to end?
Angela, that’s amazing! Good for you.
Thanks Rosemarie!
@ Hilda with this kind of life change it never really “ends” I’d like to lose a bit more. I got to a 75lbs weight loss in a little less than a year.
Great job! I was also wanting to start running but was a little afraid. I am so glad that you put in your story that when you first started you could only go a couple of minutes. That would be me. Thanks for your story.
I have been toying with the idea of a reboot for some time now but haven’t mostly because I am still nursing my baby but the other part is because I’m not mentally ready for the challenge of being prepared. I know weight loss is an added benefit of juicing but what happens after the fast when you start adding in lean meats and proteins? Does the weight come back like a typical fad diet? I’m concerned with being a human yo-yo when it comes to the actual weight loss. What was your experience with this?
I totally understand about the social aspect, as that is what I’ll be dealing with when I start my Reboot soon. Though I am determined to do it, as I just got my Breville Juice Plus and will start tomorrow!
Way to go !! Inspiring story, thank you for sharing
@ Lynnette Forshay Thanks for the question Lynnette. I decided to stay vegetarian for about a year after my 10 day reboot, which I really think helped. I added a very small amount of animal protein (1x per week 3 oz serving) into my diet when I started training for my 1st half marathon. Now that I’m not in training mode I’ve cut the animal protein and I actually lost another 3 lbs since going back to a plant based diet. With that said I will enjoy some roast turkey tomorrow on Thanksgiving.
@Robert Fraser Congrats on starting your Reboot! Curious to hear how it goes for you! Best of luck!
It is 12:55pm where I am and I have just returned from a binge lunch session. I am a 34 year old woman; I am overweight; I am unhealthy; I am miserable. Ironically, no one suspects any of the above. Sure, It is easy to look at me and acknowledge the fact that I could stand to lose a few pounds (I am 5’3 and weight 150lbs, give or take). What isn’t so obvious is how I feel on the inside. My body aches… I always feel uncomfortable in my skin and life is passing me by, quite literally. I cannot tell you how many times I have avoided friends and situations out of embarrasment and shame.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that I am really quite fantastic at talking the talk. I have seen all of the documentaries, read all of the books and have even converted a few loved ones to vegetarian diets. I know what I need to do and yet I am stuck.
I work in the social work field and though I have tried to reach out about my unhealthy relationship with food, it has been met with hesitation and doubt. I hide it well. I am not morbidly obese and I don’t suffer from any debilitating disease and/or illness and so I belong to “that” group of people. You know us, we’re the ones sitting in our cars alone in the McDonald’s parking lot scarfing down a ridiculous amount of food and driving away with our windows open trying to rid the smell of grease and misery from our vehicles so no one is any the wiser. Unfortunately, no one is ever any the wiser.
I don’t know why I am writing… I guess I just wish I could ask for help. It would be nice to speak with a real human being who has “been there, done that”. I don’t want to live this way any longer. I want to live with intent… I want to be kind to myself.
My husband is amazing but he doesn’t quite understand. He is a marathon runner and thinks that I am simply an emotional eater who has a difficult time following through with personal commitments. My friends tell me how great I look. Ugh.
Anyone? Anywhere?
@TAC I’m so glad you wrote! You speak for so many of us who feel shame about our issues with food and see the life we want passing us by year after year. Most people know what they need to do to live a healthier life but something gets in the way. In my day job I spend a lot of time assessing what that something is behaviorally, (the barrier to success) and helping folks overcome it. It’s often a combination of many factors but in your case the one that stands out to me is the defeating power of shame. I think shame breeds when we isolate ourselves but when you feel shame all you might feel like doing is hiding. If you look for it, there are opportunities that present themselves which allow you to shed the cloak of shame and reach out. Shame hates it when we do that!
You are brave, my dear! You are asking for the help that you need and that is the first step to getting there! Woohoo go you!
Angie,
I was your husband once, I was a career US Special Warfare guy. I could never (UNDERSTAND) why my wife could not get the way she did. I assume he has offered help, ideas, advice? like any of it was useful, right? He can not UNDERSTAND your thing. He can not because he can not imagine or hallucinate! what it is like, what it feels like, what the urges are… How does knowing this help you? This is how, Angie, you get these urges to give your self a food hug, and follow through because you deserve it. Some how, by no fault of yours you got linked up in your head, the joy and even more the ability to get rid of some pain or discomfort by getting this food hug. It happened when you where a kid, or when you where a teen, or while you where dating or maybe some or all of those, but that’s OK. I will assume you are not selling harmful drugs, or knocking over liquor stores, to get the money to pay for these food hugs, am I correct? So your not harming anyone, yet! Good, so you’r OK I’m glad we could have this little chat, you feel better? I’m glad I could help, enjoy your weekend… What? you where looking for a cure? Forgive my delivery, but this is a big problem for you, and it will take a big pill to fix it. Here is what I have for ya, and what it will cost ya, no fine print of any kind. The ‘Food Hugs’, are caused by very sneaky things, and they are a little tricky to get rid of, Not hard, No lengthy or labor intensive practice is required and NO DIET will do it, nor will a pill or a very loving and helpful husband. I hope you can understand, this reply space is not going to hold the answer though. So If you will allow me to kind of give you the bullet points of the ‘cure’, here goes. (1) You have to want to stop the urges & cravings that we both know are not bad, not harmful, not wrong, not unlawful or harmful to lab rats.
(2)You have to answer this question, as time passes and you age, are you aware of the outcome if you keep allowing these urges or cravings to continue? (Never judge yourself by looking around you, but you can get an idea of what historically occurs by looking at those you are close to) So do your family or friends family get healthier and more active as they age? Does their health naturally improve as they age?
(Last) Are you willing to stop beating yourself up, and spend at least as much time each week reminding YOU why YOU should be cared for, and healthy and HAPPY.
Now, I have nothing for sell, no way to accept money from you in any form. I ask nothing in return accept to know when I go to my maker, I will not spend one moment or regret, wishing I’d a taken a moment to share with another soul what was freely shared with me by another kind soul. I put in the facebook page for Trogue Farms with which I have Zero connection to, accept it is the Farm I buy my meats and dairy from. I offer it to you for this reason. If you are on a site like ”reboot’, you seek healthy things, so you should know this, REAL Dairy products, Milk for one, fresh and Not pasteurized! is a perfect food. I say again, Milk not pasteurized! is a perfect food. I ask you to investigate it yourself. You say you have watched all the show, etc… Here is the hardest part about the ‘cure’, you seek. You are skimming over things, you are going have to take a few moments a week and S….L….O….W down a bit, and allow some information to sink in. I’m not trying to convert you, but I’m going to ask you to seek out for yourself a few things, and require that you keep in mind, anyone who offers you anything, do they have any motivation for getting you to believe them, and if so does it provide you with health and save you money. Or does it only clearly provide them with profit and not clearly provide you with health.
All healthy things, are going to both, provide you with better health in every form or definition, and is going to be cheaper than the ‘unhealthy’, or less healthy option.
So want to stop NEEDING to go get that food hug with in a week or less? my personal email address is ozzycrewmail at gmail and I look forward to becoming e mail buddies with ya, but more so becoming real friends. Even if we never meet in person, we can still be friends cant we? See ya Angie!
Well done! you must be feeling so healthy. Did you feel strange just drinking juice? is the juice easy to drink and did you get hungry or did the juice satisfy you?
Hi Caity,
Thanks, I do feel healthy! I still drink a juice almost everyday which I think makes it easier to juice fast a few times a year. The first couple of days I do feel a little hungry. I do drink as much juice as I need to feel satisfied.
Loved reading your post! I know what you mean about juicing and trying to be social. I always found though, sitting at the table with friends and NOT eating chips, salsa and drinking a few ritas…. (I drank my juice only), to be very empowering. You are right, they look at you differently. I know we look at food differently. I also noticed that every other radio ad, billboard and tv commercial was focused on making me fatter….not fitter. I just signed up for the 15 day guided reboot and hope and pray I can continue the good habits on my own when we are finished.
Hi Brit,
So glad you liked reading my profile. I agree, one of the hidden benefits to juicing is you perceive food differently. It sounds strange but the fasting is the easy part, the hard part is the transition back to food and making healthy choices consistently over time… its simple but not easy.
To all my Brother and Sister Juicers; Please do your self a favor? and look up for your self another perfect health product. Organic Non Pasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar. I have used many brands, and choose one that is made local but have never noticed any difference between any of them. I assure you that over 13 personal friends whom I have shared this, lost to us city chickens, time tested, health secret with, have all experienced the same thing. Seek the truth for your self, and lets let the secret out? I have no connection with this product, don’t even have an apple tree, but those of you worried about hunger while you are juicing, will see for your self, this is magic! You will find meal time pass by and not realize you forgot to eat, or juice. You will find secret energy and feelings of hunger will not be at all the same! By the way all thirteen of those I have shared this secret with, are morbid obese ladies I know. Need to know how to drink vinegar? Google it or some of the brands have some ideas. I drink (2) teaspoons in about (4) ounces of either water with a teaspoon of lemon juice, and one packet of stavia, the only sweetener I ever use. This is how all my new converts first tried it, and the very worst reply I’ve ever gotten was, “eh, not too bad.” I have found a local Non Pasteurized Apple Cider maker, so I drink about (2) oz or Cider with (2) teaspoons of Vinegar and do so before every meal and have now began to carry a flask that I used to keep whiskey in, filled with my apple cider vinegar, because after just two weeks find, I often forget to eat at least two or three times a week while I am busy. A hand full of nuts or any good stuff, a piece of fruit or just some juice I keep in a travel mug and a hit off my flask and I’m good to go! God Bless you and Good Health to you all.
Hi, I am inspired and am juicing this week. I was wondering if you’ve had any problems with loose skin?