42 Months A Vegan!! Greener and Leaner! Before and after pictures... #foodismedicine #eatlikeagorilla

Breakfast

After 42 months and 110 lbs of weight loss, it feels like I have a handle on this whole foods plant based nutrition lifestyle.  It took time to get ready mentally. I knew very little about proper nutrition prior to making the switch. After 3 months of casually reading Dr. Joel Kahn's social media and then watching Forks Over Knives on Netflix, I understood why. At age 58, eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), I weighed 284 lbs had high cholesterol, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Now, at 174 lbs, age 62, I don't.

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food."   Hippocrates

When I read the early entries in my blog it amazes me how easy it was to make things complicated. It doesn't have to be. This is real, unprocessed, naturally healthy food.
In the interest of keeping it simple here are a few meal suggestions. Remember, if you get hungry between meals, you can eat all the fresh fruit you want. The same goes for vegetables as long as they aren't dipped in anything like the infamous Ranch Dressing.

BREAKFAST
1 Cup quick oats
1 Cup almond milk
1 Cup hot water
1 banana
1 tsp cinnamon

Add all of the above to a cereal bowl. Microwave for 2 or 3 minutes.
OPTIONAL: after it's cooked add 1 heaping TBSP of milled flaxseed for the Omega 3 fatty acids. Add strawberries, blueberries, raspberries or fresh fruit of your choice.
Have a cup of black coffee if you like. Sometimes I put vanilla almond milk or some pure maple syrup in my coffee.

MIDMORNING SNACK:  Fresh fruit of your choice or a fruit smoothie.

LUNCH
1 Medium or Large Greek Salad without feta cheese and without house dressing.
(Use red wine vinegar or balsamic with salt, pepper, agave nectar and dried onion flakes.
Includes beets, chickpeas and peppers.)
1 Sweet potato including the skin.
(Wash it and wrap it in a paper towel. Microwave it for 6 minutes. Let it cool for 5 minutes. It's still cooking until it's cool enough to handle)
Drink plenty of water or have more coffee or both!

MIDAFTERNOON SNACK:  Fresh fruit of your choice and 7 raw almonds.

DINNER
Medium mixed vegetable salad with oil free dressing similar to the lunch salad. Oil free whole grain spaghetti marinara and 2 ears of sweetcorn with no salt or butter (Wash them, wrap them in paper towel and microwave for 2.5 minutes per ear).
For dessert have a bowl of fruit salad or some watermelon.

EVENING SNACK:  Air popped popcorn, fresh fruit or fresh veggies of your choice.

That is a lot of food for one day!  You won't be hungry.

I thought you might like a little music video just to show you the huge variety of food choices available at any grocery store.
Courtesy of Green Beings.
CLICK HERE for the music video.

Before

After 2 years

Now

Vegan Dinner vs 1/4 lbs Cheeseburger On A Bun #fulltummy #eatyourveggies #eatmoretoweighless

550 calories no cholesterol

I became a vegan to lose weight and keep it off. I didn't know what I was doing but learned quickly about whole, plant based foods. 

After 3.5 years and 110 lbs I'm here to tell you this works! I get to eat MORE food than I used to, never get hungry and no longer have to deal with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes or sleep apnea. 

     Take a look at all the food on that plate. It's all from plants, whole foods, high fiber, oil free with no processed sugar. That's spaghetti marinara with Barilla high fiber noodles, sweet corn cooked in the microwave 2 minutes per ear and a salad with romaine lettuce, kale, 1/2 an avocado, tomato, parsley, cucumber with dressing of drizzled red wine vinegar, agave nectar, dried onion flakes, lemon juice, a little salt and pepper. I love to eat and could barely finish all that food. Since no animal products are involved with this meal, it contains ZERO cholesterol.
Your body makes cholesterol all by itself. There is no reason to ever eat it.

550 calories 100 milligrams of cholesterol

Here is the same number of calories in the form of a cheeseburger on a white bread bun. Since it is on white bread, most of the fiber has been taken out. I could finish that in 4 bites. There is not enough food there to stimulate the stretch receptors in my stomach that make me feel full. Without that feeling, no matter how many calories, I would be craving more food.  More than half of it's calories come from fat! The only fiber is from the onions. I can feel my arteries and internal organs panicking at the thought of eating that!


So here's the bottom line:
1)  To lose weight, keep it off eat foods that are going to make you feel full with lots of fiber and no animal fat. Staying full means no more cravings.
2)  Maximize the health benefits of whole foods. Avoid processed food like white flour, white rice and oils. You may not think of cooking oil as processed food but it is. For example it takes 40 olives to make 1 tablespoon of olive oil. All the fiber has been processed out. There are 120 calories in 1 tablespoon with no nutrients in oils that you can't get from whole foods.
     Honestly, I never thought I would be able to do this and stick with it. Once I got started and quickly started losing weight I was all in. You will feel better within 2 weeks and the next time you go to your Doctor for a refill on your blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol pills don't be surprised if the dose has to be lowered or you get to throw them away completely!

2016 with Joel Kahn, MD

2013

Get started!






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To learn more, go to the website: www.PBNSG.org. They have tons of information and searchable recipes for anything you like.
I happen to be one one of the success stories.

You can also pick up a book for guidance and recipes like:

 The No BS Diet Book by Joel Kahn, MD.  Dr. Kahn is an interventional cardiologist who would rather teach you how to avoid heart disease than have to put a stent in you or worse after you already have it.

 Eat More Weigh Less by Dean Ornish, MD.  Dr. Ornish was one of the first people to develop a whole foods diet to help prevent and even reverse heart disease.

 21 Day Weight Loss Kick Start by Neal Barnard, MD.  Dr. Barnard founded the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

 Forks Over Knives  There are 125 easy recipes in this book to help you make good decisions with your fork before the doctors have to use their knives.

Spinach Casserole #vegan #oilfree #Kosher #Pareve

Spinach Casserole with Tofu and Nutritional Yeast

Sometimes all you have to do is use a different pan with the same basic recipe to improve it.

Well...that, and I added a few things.

Recipe

2 boxes of frozen chopped spinach

or 1 pound of fresh spinach - cooked and drained

2 stalks of finely chopped kale leaves
1 can of chickpeas - drained
1 box of extra firm tofu - drained
2 cups of nutritional yeast
1 large onion chopped

1/2 inch finely chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 T lemon juice
0.5 tsp allspice

0.5 tsp cumin 
1 tsp salt
2 pinches of ground pepper

Clarify the onion using 1/2 cup of water and a little salt. Add the garlic and spinach. Cook until most of the water is gone. In a large mixing bowl crush the chickpeas and crumble the tofu. Save 1/3 of a cup of the nutritional yeast to sprinkle on the top. Add all the other ingredients along with the onion, garlic and spinach. Mix it up thoroughly. 

Spread it evenly into an 8 x 8 x 2 inch pan lined with parchment paper or prepped with a little oil. This time I used just a tsp of oil and wiped it out with a paper towel. Sprinkle on the rest of the nutritional yeast.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes. Let it cool to firm up. I let it cool, covered it and left it in the refrigerator  overnight. 

Re-heat in the microwave for 2 or 3 minutes, cut and serve.

Here it is all plated with cauliflower rice mixed with a chopped red sweet pepper, carrot sticks, beansprouts with garlic sauce and garnished with parsley:

Dinner for my birthday!!  All the essential amino acids were there to celebrate.

Vegan Nacho Sauce. New and Improved!!! #dairyfree #nutfree #oilfree #Kosherpareve #addicting

I don't remember if I already published this but it couldn't hurt to put it out there one more time.

Cousin Ann in Austin, this is for you!!!!

Dairy Free and Nut Free Nacho Sauce over Cauliflower 

Vegan Nacho Sauce

4 Yukon gold potatoes

6 TBSP nutritional yeast

6 TBSP Tapioca flour

1 TBSP salt

¼ cup white wine vinegar

1 TBSP lemon juice

¼ tsp smoked paprika

¼ tsp Tabasco

Salt water to boil the potatoes

Peel and boil the quartered potatoes in salted water for 40 minutes. Save 2 cups of the starchy water.  In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients together to prevent clumping. Put the potatoes, 1+1/2 cups starchy water and all the wet ingredients in a blender. Pulse a few times to chop it up. Add the dry ingredients and  puree until completely smooth.

Pour it back in the pot from the potatoes. Over medium heat stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens for about 15 minutes. Add a little more starchy water if it gets too thick. Set it aside to set up.

41 Months A Vegan with a Picture!!! #lifelonglearner #eatmoreweighless #eatlikeahorse

Lasagna, fresh spinach and mushrooms with homemade creamy garlic dressing

       It is now 41 months since I doubled down on my own life and became a whole foods plant based, little to no oil vegan. It worked better than anything else I've ever tried and without really working all that hard I've lost 110 lbs and kept it off. No more yo yo  dieting for me!
     That's a picture of my dinner tonight at the top of the page. No animal products and no oil at all.  The recipe for my lasagna has given me consistent results every time.

I did change one thing this time. Instead of letting the mozzarella substitute get thick and cold, I poured it on while hot and creamy.  It was much easier than trying to spread it over everything. Between that, the fresh spinach and mushrooms with creamy garlic dressing and the watermelon I left the table feeling very full!

     Last Saturday I ran in a 5K race for the American Cancer Society. My time was 32:09 putting me 1st in the "60 and over" category (the only one there over 60 was me).  When I got there the shirts were being given out. This was the conversation:
Phil: "What size are you?"
Me: "Medium."
Phil: "I only have large."
Me: "I'll take the medium."
Phil: "OK. Large it is then!"
Me: "Thank you."

That's me on stage after the race, second from the left, next to my new friend, Phil, smiling and swimming in my new, sweaty, size large t-shirt. We had a blast!
     If you are curious about the health benefits of a whole foods plant based diet watch the movie FORKS OVER KNIVES on Netflix or on your computer. It may be your 1st step in the pursuit of a much healthier, much more active life.

 

   

Show my 13 year old niece a little vegan generosity! #charitypitch #relayforlife

Support The Cause

     As you know each month for the past 3 years I write to journal my progress in the vegan voyage with the intent to inspire you to take control of your health using your fork.

     This time I'm asking for your support. For the past 4 years my remarkable 13 year old great niece has been working hard to raise money for the American Cancer Society. This year, June 3rd,  I'm running the Relay For Life 5K race and making a donation to this worthy cause. You are all invited to join me for the race!  Your tax deductible donation would be greatly appreciated. Any amount is welcome. Let's see if we can work together and harness the power of the internet to make a difference in the lives of people of all ages who are fighting for their health. Thank you in advance.

Please click the link below to help.

http://mobileacs.org/2q9gZB7

40 Months A Vegan !!! The adventure continues... #foodismedicine #Eatlikegorilla

 

Michael Greger, MD How Not To Die.  Joel Kahn, MD The No BS Diet 
and Dr. Kalmus at Vegfest Michigan 2017

  Hard to believe it, but it has already been 40 months since I chose to take control of my health by changing to a Whole Foods Plants Only diet.  My motivation at age 58 was to lose the excess weight I had picked up over the past 20 years. That and not die or develop the diseases associated with obesity.  Losing weight is so much harder than putting it on. At the time, my goal was to be realistic and lose 50 lbs. That seemed like an achievable goal.  I didn't ever see myself getting back to the shape I was in at the end of high school and through undergrad when I had a 32 inch waist. At that time I was eating whatever I wanted but I was very active; playing tennis and bicycling in the summer and playing racket ball during the winter.  As time went on, I got a little less active each year but didn't bother to change my eating habits. I would see my personal physician for regular checkups and he would give me prescriptions for pills to lower my cholesterol and to lower my blood pressure and then tell me to lose weight. I would ask him how and he would say: "You know how. Eat less and exercise more." Well that was just frustrating because apparently I didn't know how, I weighed 284 lbs and I was asking for help. Throwing it back on me; telling me I know how was not helpful.

     I do know how to read though so I started looking for a plan that would help me achieve my goals in the safest, least painful, cost effective (cheapest) and sustainable way possible. I also need to understand what I'm doing, why it makes sense to do it and the science behind it to back it up. With all that in mind, I was able to narrow down my choices. There are a lot of diet plans out there! Everything from self help books, hypnosis, Doctor monitored plans that include pills, hospital or office based nutritionists, weekly Weight Watchers meetings, meals and supplements to buy or have delivered all the way to Bariatric surgery.

     The first option I could cross off my list was bariatric surgery. It certainly isn't the safest, least painful or cost effective choice. It isn't necessarily the the most sustainable choice either considering the number of people who manage to put a significant amount of the weight they have lost back on in the 5 year follow up period.
     I had joined Weight Watchers before and it worked while I was going but I never reached my goal weight and my bad habits returned when I stopped attending the meetings. The other options that also require someone else to provide meals, pills or attend regular appointments were also not for me. Long term, I would be inconsistent and get tired of the expense.
     That leaves self help. I was already motivated, I just needed to chose from the myriad of approaches to weight control. I didn't want to be caught up in a fad diet, calorie counting or in something with tons of rules. I may follow the rules for a period of time but long term, not so much.
     I was given some direction by Joel Kahn, MD. He had me watch the movie Forks Over Knives.
I could relate to the testimonials. The rules seemed simple enough:
"Eat whole foods, just plants and not too much."
I had some learning to do about the meaning of  "whole foods" vs processed foods like white rice and bleached flour. The processing takes out the fiber. That's the healthy part! Oil is also a processed food with no fiber. It takes 40 olives to make one tablespoon of olive oil. Again all the fiber is removed and all that is left is the fat. Fiber makes you feel full and fat makes you... FAT!!
     The only thing I spent money on initially was a vegan cookbook. It gave me the basics of cooking without processed sugar, oil, eggs, milk or white flour. Once I got an idea of how things worked I started gathering some recipes and getting comfortable with the ingredients. When I started cooking, there was no stopping me. Chopping, mixing and cooking are relaxing activities and when you finish you get to eat your work!  I found myself experimenting like I was in chemistry class. The food was delicious! I was eating more than before and losing weight!
Over the following year I also lost my high cholesterol, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. The most expensive thing I had to do was buy new clothes. My BMI was 45 when I started and is now 28! My Doctor, who told me "you know what to do" is amazed now that I really do know what to do! That goal of losing 50 lbs blew past in a rush and I lost 110 lbs.
You can amaze yourself the same way I did. Click on any or all of the links in this blog and start.
Nobody is going to do it for you and it only works when you decide to take control and depend on yourself!!!