Enthusiastic about food again.

I've become more enthusiastic about food again.

Dropping meat gives me an excuse to learn a bunch more about food and food prep.

A year ago I got into bread making, vegetable growing and slow cooking. I even built a chicken coop to grow heritage breeds for their eggs (except the city passed an ordinance outlawing chickens!).

So I've been evolving in my food "journey."  However, I enjoyed my food more, but wasn't getting any healthier.

Then my riding buddy had a triple by pass, my father in law died of esophageal cancer, and I realized that I was literally a "cheeseburger away from a heart-attack."  But I didn't know what to do about it.

The only vegan I know is a hypochondriac, negative, anti-social person and I've gotten used to arguing against her point of view, and I'm shocked to find that her information may have been right, even if her methods got up my nose.

So, one night during the Christmas season, suffering from what they called in Dickens' time a "bilious attack" I decided to change my life.... and I'm loving it!

I'm feeling better, and I'm feeling successful!

And I'm looking forward to new recipes, tastes and textures.

What have I learned so far?

1. I feel better on this diet. I'm no longer so sluggish in the mornings.  I seem to be sleeping better. There's no heartburn or hemorrhoids. I don't feel so stretched and bloated.  I seem to have more energy.

2. It does take more effort and conscious thought to prepare my food.  But I'm AM taking the time and effort and it doesn't seem too burdensome.

3. I do get sick of drinking stuff that looks like it's been hosed off the underside of my lawn mower!

However, a little ginger, paprika, garlic etc helps spice it up. In my opinion DON'T put turmeric in it.  It's far too bitter.  I love it in curries, but not my green sludge drinks!

4. I'm losing weight. It was faster at first, but it's still happening.

5. I'm not going to focus on losing weight. There's a ton of other bonuses to changing my diet and weight is just the natural conclusion.

6. Two "movies" moved me. "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead," and "Forks Over Knives."  FSND was a personal account of an obese millionaire businessman and a morbidly obese trucker he meets in Winslow Arizona and subsequently helps.  Both their lives change, but the truckers change was far more moving, since he was just an ordinary guy suffering (literally) under a heavy load, and a burden of sickness and depression.

The second movie, Forks Over Knives wasn't as moving, but was a very convincing documentary on the underpinnings of the whole food revolution. Very convincing - and made me angry.

I was actually angry at both sides of the debate.  The veggies for their tactics which have often failed to convince me in the past, and which have just as often turned me away; and the food industry for perpetuating a sick diet.  I should have known this stuff 50 lbs ago, when I was only 30 lbs overweight!

7. I know I want my kids to benefit from my knowledge. Our families diet is about to change radically. We love ham and bean soups, slow cooked stews, roast lamb, roast chicken, and home made pizza so that's going to be sad -really sad.  So we're going to have to learn some new favourites!

8. Finally - for now! I know I can do this.  I can go from a high of 326 to 210 lbs! I can do it and I can live longer, happier and healthier.  I'm already planning birthday and Christmas menus so that our family can feast  without feeling they have given anything up.

Forks Over Knives

I was recommended the documentary Forks Over Knives by someone on the Catholic Answers Forum (Thanks 4elise)

I only got through 1/2 of the Forks and Knives last night, and I have to say I was literally blown away. I wish I had seen this 20 years ago.

I want to ask - if this medical knowledge was so obvious and so well tested how come there hasn't been an absolute tidal wave of dietary change in the western world?

However, I know the answer: people love their salty meat, and big business wants to make money (either by feeding them or medicating them).

The fact that you can eat yourself healthy seems crazy (crazy good that is) to me, because I always saw food as the enemy, and one that had beaten me.

I've been on so many mad diets - Atkins, Stop the Insanity etc, but my weight has always trended upwards.

My hope and my prayer is that finally I can become well again, and be around for my wife and kids.

I'm in my 50s with young kids - and I want to be a "young" dad for them.

BTW when I was in formation with the Franciscans back in the 80's I was vegetarian for a few years out of solidarity with the poor in the 3rd world, so I know I can do it.  I just didn't realize that the peasant diet (too poor to eat much meat, but lots of beans and veggies) is the best diet!

bread....

So I came home from work today and thought I'd try some of my wife's lovely home-baked bread.  It all hand made, whole wheat, all natural, looks and tastes great!

I thought why not - another day of oatmeal for breakfast, chick peas and salad stuff all juiced up for lunch - so I deserve a treat right?

I'm also trying certain foods one by one to see their effect on me after my fairly strict diet.

Well.... 10 minutes after chowing down I felt a band across my chest followed by gas and heartburn for an hour!

I also felt unpleasant in general.

Do I take this as a reaction against bread, and that therefore I shouldn't be eating bread?

Is nature telling me that the veggie diet is good for my body!

Thoughts?

So I've lost another 1/2 pound.

But didn't think I would.


Yesterday I had two teeny little bbq'd ribs with my kids. I had made supper for them and thought that eating a couple would not hurt.

Well later that evening I felt bloated and uncomfortable. It's like my body was rejecting the meat.  My pulse rate went up, and I felt my face flushing. Even though I kept to the game plan throughout the day I felt I was actually going to put weight on.

In the end I did lose some weight, but my body gave me a message. Or at least I think so. It wasn't happy with bbq'd ribs.

So back on track today.

Losing weight!

Well I was a naughty boy over Christmas!

Turkey, pie, cookies, duck, lamb, roasted potatoes, cake, panini, minced tarts, wine, scotch, and brandy all contributed to me going over 300lb again.

But did I ever have a good time cooking, eating, and feeding family.

The duck was a bit of a waste of time though, but the lamb was a hit.

Anyway - I want to lose, need to lose a ton of weight.  I watched Vegucated on Netlflix and it kinda got me interested in going vegetarian, but then I came across the movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead."  this follows the story of Joe an Auzzie businessman who "looks like I ate a sheep" and has an autoimmune condition and needs to lose approximately 70 pounds. He decides to "juice" his way across America.

Juicing is a way to condense a ton of veggie nutrition into an easy to drink format.  And it worked for Joe while he was on his TransAmerican journey. On his trip he met Phil Staples a morbidly obese truck driver who looked like he just wanted to give up and die.  Phil asked for help, and to his credit Joe helped him - got him on the diet, and got him proper medical supervision. It;s no exaggeration to say that Phil changed his life while losing the weight - and lose it he did, about 200lbs of it!

So: I'm on a similar diet. I'm not juicing - I don't personally buy into the fasting thing - but I am blending a ton of veggies every day and consuming it (I say consuming because it's neither drinking nor eating really). I've lost 6lbs this week and feel really alert, less sluggish, and I'm actually sleeping better.

I've also got to say that I find this kind of meal replacement easy, 'cos I spice the drink up with ginger and hot pepper and it's filling.

So I started out the week |(Monday January 7th) at 305lbs.
I'm now 297lbs.

I suppose I should post a pic of what I look like right now.

A bit like a gorilla on a tricycle!