I'm Goin For It. A blog for body, mind & spirit. Real hope for real recovery. All content Copyright 2010. www.SkipTreaster.com
My Diet: A New Beginning...
Ever hear this expression? “We’re at the top of the food chain. We can do
whatever we want!” (I think some vampire said that a while back on a TV
series.) Anyway, yes we are way up there on the food chain. But, no, my
Vamp friend, we really can’t do or eat whatever we want! There’s usually
a price to be paid. Food has truly become America’s drug of choice.
I thought I’d overcome all my addictions, until I realized that I was addicted
to food. Hooked on all the wrong kinds of food. Addicted to really great-
tasting, delicious, rich, seductive food that was doing really bad things to
my body.
I had been an athlete in school. And an avid runner until my late 30’s. Weight about 185. Then 200. Then 220. And I said, “Whoa!” Got it back under 200 and swore I’d never get over 200, or certainly not 220, ever again. I did pretty good with that. Until after I’d been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and OCD in 1996. I blamed the meds at first. Then I blamed my bouts of depression. And then I stopped looking for something to blame. And somewhere around seven or eight years ago, I noticed in a photograph of me building a raised-bed garden in my backyard that I had gained a little bit of, um, uh, no, I had turned into a blob. Topping out around 252.
Unfortunately, it took more than a photo to bring things to a halt. A trip to a heart hospital and an angioplasty and two stents in my heart that following winter got my attention. And within weeks, a life-saving surgery for a para-esophogeal incarcerated hernia forced me on a diet I would never have otherwise begun. All that on top of a diagnosis of diabetes. I managed to get down to 200 again, and then, finally, under 200 lbs.! Again, I swore I’d keep my weight under 200. But it began creeping up again. More surgeries. More weight loss. Trips to the gym. Different diet schemes. Atkins, South Beach, even “God’s Diet.” (Avoid “God’s Diet” like the plague, unless you really want to meet up with Him sooner than might otherwise be in your plans!) I got caught up in the “yo-yo” effect. Up and down. Chubby. Less chubby. Until, late January, 2010, when I found myself back at 242 – the highest in years -- sitting in my very discouraged, but patient, doctor’s office. Yikes! I had regained 40 pounds!
Enough is enough. I’m 60 years old. And much older than that, according to Dr. Oz's Real Age Test!
I'd realized it was time for a lifestyle change, not just another “diet.” Time to get really serious about getting and staying fit for the rest of my life. I had just begun reading “Eat To Live” and for the first time, this whole food thing was beginning to make sense. “It’s not how much you eat, it’s what you eat.” Ta da! So I began the new plan, clearing the pantry and fridge of whatever was no longer allowed – no sugar, no salt, no oil, no butter, no meat, no candies or baked goods, no flour, no pasta and no dairy. Sounded like a lot of “no’s!” Could I do it? Can I do it? I am still quite new to this big change. But I have no choice. I’m committed to doing this thing. And what I am discovering so far is that it’s far easier than I had imagined; it’s kind of fun, in fact, to experiment with all the different variations I can come up with of those things I can eat.
Being a former chef probably helps me out here. I have fun playing with my
food and I can whip up some pretty tasty salads and sautee some awesome
‘shrooms… in all modesty. I really am enjoying this. Enough so, and with
enough confidence that this is the “way to go” that I’m committing my efforts
to a website and blog. It will encourage me to stick with it and succeed, and if
it helps to encourage others to do the same, then the extra effort and costs
are well worth it.
I’m learning to enjoy my raw fresh fruits and nuts, fresh greens and veggies,
beans, tofu and mushrooms… and, best of all, it’s working! I’ve actually lost
more than 15 lbs. in the first two weeks. My blood sugar is lower, and so are
my blood pressure and heart rate. And I’m not the least bit hungry. Rather than try to explain the food science and “nutrient to calorie ratio” concept here in my website, or to say “eat this, not that” I will just say that anyone who seriously wants to sheds some pounds and get to their ideal weight might want to stop and read read "Eat To Live", and visit Dr. Fuhrman's website… and, definitely, watch “Dr. Oz!”
My goal? A healthier, more energized me, yes, but, in time, to reverse these diseases and be meds-free. I’ll be seeing my doctor in a couple months, and I am hopeful that he will be very amazed by the progress I will have made by then. I’m sure my cholesterol will be significantly lower, too. And I will be sure to update this page once I have the results from that visit.
Oh, and here’s an example of what my meals are like: Last evening, fresh Shiitake (Lentinula edodes) mushrooms (sautéed in vegetable broth and a sprinkling of Butter BudsTM); a huge fresh salad (of home-baked firm tofu, greens, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, fresh tomatoes,
raisins, snap-peas, carrots, celery and water chestnuts) all with a light spray
of Wishbone Italian Salad SpritzerTM; and an ample serving of a mix of fresh-
cooked black beans and some great dried beans from my last year’s garden
(Yoeme Vayo beans gathered from native peoples in northern Mexico by
Native Seed Search). With live Kombucha / Ginger tea to drink, and a couple
of dates for dessert. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring!
Today was pretty simple, really. For breakfast I had four ounces of fresh-
squeezed orange juice, an ounce of raw nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts
and Brazils, and sunflower seeds), a banana, a slice of fresh pineapple, and
a fresh peach, cut up in low-fat organic soy milk, sprinkled with ground
flaxseed. A few seedless grapes for a snack.
Lunch was a treat, actually! A hot veggie-burger in a whole wheat pita pocket stuffed with garbanzos, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and celery and seasoned with Mrs. DashTM; along with a cooked cup of fresh-frozen baby limas. (Beans are great for “blunting” the appetite and for lowering cholesterol.)
I am snacking on a sliced green apple as I write. And I’m looking forward to a large salad for dinner, and, yes, more sautéed ‘shrooms. It’s not the cheapest meal plan. And it’s a bit more work than opening a package. But it’s sooooooooo healthy and tasty! And... I already feel so much better!
For a closer look at some suggested books on vegan diets and recipes, exercising for health and other food for body, mind and soul, please visit my Amazon Bookstore. Thanks!
A votre sante… et bon appetit!
“Never eat more than you can lift.”
~Miss Piggy, Muppet ExtraordinaireQuestions? Suggestions? Please feel
free to email: MyThoughts@cox.net
"One of my typical pre-diet meals!" -- Chef Skip
"One of my quick salad creations..." -- Chef Skip
"My sauteed shiitake, crimini and tofu" -- Chef Skip
A word of caution! I'm not a doctor, and am in no way recommending this diet for anyone. This is not intended to suggest that you should "eat this and don't eat that." Every individual is different. I am making a major dietary / lifestyle change, which I have discussed at length with my personal physician. I am making a concerted effort to reverse diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol, as well as to reduce anxiety and depression. And that's a very tall order. I truly hope to see positive results and to report on them through the year(s) ahead as a way of both forcing myself to stick with "the program," and, perhaps, in doing so, encouraging others to make positive changes in their lives. Before beginning ANY diet or exercise program, please talk with your doctor first.
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