YOU gotta want it! #vegan #foodismedicine #Ieatlikeagorrila #eattolose #wholefoodsplantbased

Me after completing a 5K race on 11-12-2016

     This November 12th, morning was cold with frost on the grass. The kind of brisk day with sunshine filtering through my own crystallized breath before the breeze made it drift away. The exact weather conditions that when combined with any level of exercise would invariably for me result in a wheezing, congested asthma attack. That was how I could expect my lungs to respond to strenuous activity on any day with a temperature below 50 degrees. Knowing this about myself, I would make it a point to take it easy under these conditions. But all that changed. Today I ran in a 5K race for charity  in 40 degree weather placing 2nd in my age group with no breathing issues. (outrunhunger.org )

     Last winter I noticed that my problem with the cold was no longer an issue. I had fully transitioned to a whole foods plant based life and over a 2 year period  lost over 100 lbs along with my cold weather exercise induced asthma. Now I run 5K three times a week to train and occasionally participate in a race. Training is the key. Practice makes perfect, right? At age 61 with no training I wouldn't expect to get very far. The same principle applies to transitioning to a whole foods plant based diet. Doing your homework is going to vastly increase your chance of success.
     The movie Forks Over Knives (FOK) is a great place to start and is available on Netflix, ITunes and Amazon. Check out the FOK website for a synopsis of the film, a meal planner, recipes and for answers to frequently asked questions. The idea is to start making good choices with your fork before your Doctor has to start using his knives. The fork is safer and less painful. They have 125 kid friendly recipes in the book to get you started.
     There are lots of easy to read articles out there to give you some basics as well. Personally, I like Joel Kahn, MD. Click the link for his articles in Mind Body Green. There are several books he has written regarding the effects of nutrition on heart disease and Diabetes. He got me started thinking about all the changes I didn't want to make but knew I should. After a few months I was convinced and haven't looked back.
     Michael Greger, MD has a website called NutritionFacts.org. He likes to say that he reads every article on nutrition from every medical journal published every day "so you don't have to". The information is nicely broken down in plain English on his videos. The website includes a search bar. He has been doing this for years so chances are if you have a question about a particular medical problem he has addressed it and made it available for you to watch.
     Caldwell Esselstyn, MD has his lectures recorded on Youtube making them readily available to anyone with a computer, tablet or smart phone. This is the doctor who convinced Samuel L Jackson and President Clinton that a whole foods plant based diet would benefit their health.
Dr. Esselstyn and his son, Rip Esselstyn have cookbooks to help you get started.

It's all up to you. If your significant other is not a fan of change, it doesn't matter. If your friends are less than supportive, ignore them. You don't have to change them. You just have to change you.
YOU gotta want it!

October 2013

September 2015 (different baby)

34 Months A Vegan! Sweet Glazed Roasted Carrots and Broccoli #EatTheGardenNotTheMorgue #Foodismedicine #Eattolose

Roasted Carrots, Sweet Peppers, Pineapple, Ginger, Dates, Rosemary and Broccoli
Or as I call it:  Dinner

     It has been 34 months since I changed from a 58 year old 284 pound omnivore and transformed into a whole foods plant based 61 year old 175 pound vegan.

9/3/2016 Arts, Beats and Eats
Priority Health 5K Race

1/1/2014 at a restaurant  

 After losing all that weight, I started running on Memorial Day this year.

Around Labor Day I participated in my first 5K race and won a Bronze Medal!

About the only thing that DIDN'T change is my hair. Still platinum blonde.

My doctor is so happy with me that he took away all my high blood pressure and high cholesterol pills then became a vegan himself!  

Quoting him: "Anyone who thinks what you eat doesn't matter is crazy!" He thanked me for reminding him, called in his staff and metaphorically held me up as a shining example. I like being a shining example and not being a statistic.

Think you can't do it? Find a way by just clicking a link:   read a blog, get on a mailing list with free recipes and encouragement, watch a movie, join a group, read a book, try some recipes and for goodness sake - eat your veggies!  

Here's a recipe for my dinner last night:

ROASTED CARROTS AND BROCCOLI

2 Cups vegetable soup stock

3 large carrots

3 sweet peppers  roughly diced (red, yellow, orange)

6 chopped Medjool dates

1 Cup diced pineapple

1.5 Cups broccoli florets

0.5 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 inch thumb of fresh ginger root chopped fine
Lemon zest and 1 TBSP of lemon juice

Scrub the carrots with the skin on. Cut the carrots in half and boil them in the soup stock with the rosemary and ginger for 10 minutes along with half of the diced peppers . Take the carrots out, put them on a baking sheet with the other half of the peppers. Place them under the broiler and brown them on both sides. Add the broccoli to the soup stock and boil it for 10 minutes then use a slotted spoon to remove just the broccoli from the stock. Add the dates, lemon  and pineapple to the stock bring it back to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer and stir until 1/2 to 2/3 of the liquid is gone and it thickens. 

Put the broccoli on one side of your plate. Slice the broiled carrots lengthwise and fan them out from the broccoli with the browned side up. Spread the broiled diced peppers across the top of the plate opposite the broccoli. Pour enough of the thickened stock over everything to coat it. (Save the rest for another dish. It goes well with brown rice or quinoa.)  Put your plate back under the broiler for 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Your comments are encouraged.

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Halloween News Flash... Vegan Plays With Food. #eatlikeahorse #vegan #foodismedicine

I like to play with my food on this holiday.  Pumpkins are edible after all, right?

Here are some of my Jack-O-Lanterns.....

I want to wish everyone a safe and spooky Halloween!

Pass on the candy.  Eat a pumpkin.

33 Months a Vegan! Before and After Pics #foodismedicine #eattolose #eatlikeahorse

2014

2015

             

2016 with Joel Kahn, MD -America's Healthy Heart Doc!

     I was just reading my blog entry from a year ago. At that time I wanted to lose 4 more pounds to make it an even 100. I'm happy to say that I did it and then lost 9 lbs more over the past year. That means I went from 284 lbs down to 175 lbs in less than 3 years without surgery, pills, exercising, supplements, hypnosis, acupuncture or fad dieting.

     The first 96 lbs of  weight loss is attributed to converting my food choices from the standard American diet to a diet of whole foods, unprocessed and plant based. I've eliminated ALL oils since they are calorie dense and nutrient poor. The last 9 lbs left as I started exercising regularly (3 times a week) over the summer.  Cooking has become simplified and is now second nature. Most of my current recipes have between 4 and 8 ingredients. All of them are readily available at Kroger so I don't even have to go out of my way. (I do like the local bulk food store though.  It's cheaper and carries Nutritional Yeast; my "go to" for extra flavor.) Click here for a frozen chocolate treat.
     Worrying about protein is a thing of the past. I eat about 5 pounds of food a day. Everything I've read tells me that a man of my height needs about 55 grams of protein daily. I did the math. That comes out to 1/8th of a pound. Even that is misleading since your body makes it's own protein from the amino acid building blocks that all plants and all animals contain. The plants just don't have any cholesterol.
      Of the 20 amino acids that the proteins in our bodies are made from there are only 9 that we can't synthesize ourselves.  These 9 are called essential amino acids. All of them are readily available from plants. While some plants contain all of them all plants contain some of them. You don't need to take in all 9 of them in every bite because your body finishes the protein building process as the proper components are delivered.  But when you include grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes during the course of the day you're covered. Peanut butter on whole grain bread contains them all but is also high in calories. Some of the best food choices that include all 9 of them are things you already eat without knowing it like guacamole, hummus, lentil or split pea soup, fruit salad and nori vegetable sushi.
After sticking to the plant based diet for about 2 months and wasting energy worrying about protein I stopped thinking about it. Honestly. If you eat a combination of fresh or dried fruits, whole grains, seeds and vegetables every day all of the amino acids you need will be included. You barely have to think about it. Problem solved! Here I am 33 months after turning away from all animal products with more definition in my muscles and weighing 5 lbs less than I did when I graduated high school 43 years ago:

Me holding my incentive to be healthy

    For more information on good plant sources of the 9 essential amino acids, click this link to find a printable chart of all of them and the variety of plants containing each one.
It's easier than you think! Try it. See what happens!

Plant Powered in my first 5K Race! #veganrunner #eatinglikeahorsepaysoff

My First 5K Race - Bronze Medal Winner!!!

     Three years ago, at age 58,  I was a 284 pound couch potato. When I layed down on the couch I couldn't sit back up. Either my wife would help me or I would roll on to the floor, get on my knees and then get up. That was the me that I had learned to accept. It was embarrassing. In spite of that, I didn't think anything was wrong with me.
     Yesterday, at age 61, on the Saturday before Labor Day at 178 pounds, I ran in my first 5K race, placed 3rd in my age group and won a bronze medal. Check that off my Bucket List. I just started running 3 months ago! What happened?
     It wasn't a pill. In fact I don't have to take anything other than a B vitamin supplement anymore. High blood pressure and high cholesterol disappeared. There was no surgery and I only started doing any serious exercise around Memorial Day this year and that was just for fun. The words "running" and "fun" had never before come out of my mouth in the same sentence without the word "not" included.
     At age 58 I started paying attention to some smart people starting with Joel Kahn, M.D.  He is an interventional cardiologist who lectures, writes and publishes books about healthy eating. I happened to have grown up with him, but didn't know, or didn't accept what he was saying about nutrition; specifically an entirely plant diet, until I friended him on Facebook. His writing introduced me to the science supporting good nutrition as an effective method of treating heart disease, Diabetes and obesity. Even then I didn't want to accept it. But I kept reading. He introduced me to writings by Calwell Esselstyn, M.D.,  T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Neal Barnard, M.D..  My mind changed.
     I put into practice a Vegan Diet and in 2 weeks noticed positive results with weight loss. My weight kept improving along with my blood pressure, blood chemistry and self esteem. I started blogging as a personal journal. I was invited by Paul Chatlin to write for his Plant Based Nutrition Support Group. That gave me the opportunity to meet all of the above Doctors along with a number of other authors including Michael Greger, M.D. and listen to their presentations in person. Thanks to this group I was also convinced to remove all oil from my diet.
     What I'm trying to explain is that once I accepted that this Vegan thing was something I wanted to try, it was not an immediate transformation. The more I learned the more I was convinced it was the right decision. I set a date and got started making lots of mistakes. Even so, my health kept improving. Over time with the guidance of all of the above my habits were refined eliminating oil, reducing consumption of nuts, learning to not eat too much and adding regular exercise.
     I was 58 and didn't know where I would be healthwise in 3 years. Now I'm 61 and quite pleased with the results of my decisions. How about you? Where are you now and where would you like your health to be in the near future? If you are ready to start reading, click on any of the links above. What have you got to lose?

Me in December, 2013

32 Months A Vegan! Mark your calendar, Detroit! #TVinterview #readyformycloseup #eatlikeahorse #foodismedicine

Dr. Joel Kahn and me!

     Mark your calendar and set your DVR for Thursday, September 8th at 8 pm on PBS channel 56 in the greater Detroit area. There will be a program presented by Dr. Kahn regarding all the things you need to do to prevent and reverse heart disease. I have a small part in it as well.  This is the guy who got me started 3 years ago.

I read the articles he published and followed him on Facebook for about 3 months. My attitude went from "There is NO WAY I will ever do that!!!" to "Maybe I should do this..." to "I HAVE TO DO THIS!" 

     Now, instead of yo yo dieting, taking pills to lower my blood pressure and a Statin to control my cholesterol and triglycerides, I just eat right. No more pills for any of that! I went from an all time high of 284 lbs to 178 lbs in less than 2 years WITHOUT exercising. After losing the weight, I started walking, then running and swimming because I'm not thinking about how bad I look in a bathing suit anymore.  Tomorrow I will be running in my very first 5K race. It comes with a shirt!

Finishing is all I hope for, but since I'm 61 already, that's a HUGE win for me!

After

For those of you who are out of state, the show will be broadcast nationally in December.

I'll keep you posted.

Before

     

31 Months a Vegan! You can't out exercise too much of a good diet either! #I'mstuffed #eatlikeagorilla #eattoloseweight #2muchis2much

I have a confession to make. For the past 1.5 months I've been participating in aerobic activities. I run 3.1 miles (5K) on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday and I swim a mile during the weekend then Tuesday and Thursday and I haven't lost any weight. Not a single pound. It's not supposed to work that way!

I don't eat any animal products or oil. I limit myself to 12 almonds 2 or 3 times a week, I don't eat sweets, processed food, white rice and almost no bread or pasta. My diet is 100% plants and I'm not losing any weight. By my calculations the calories burned by the extra exercise add up to about 3600 per week. The generally accepted standard is that 3500 calories burned equals 1 pound of weight loss and I haven't seen any difference at all for 6 weeks. So what am I doing wrong?

I did some research. That 3500 calorie standard turns out to be wrong. It is based on lab values set 58 years ago and measures how many calories are released by burning 1 pound of fat in a lab. It does not take into account hormones, rising and falling metabolic rate or the myriad of  other things that happen in a human body during any 24 hour period. 

In a University of Michigan study designed to examine this very subject people who are obese to begin with are resistant to the hormone that suppresses appetite. Especially in women. If you are lean, exercise will suppress your appetite immediately after. If you are obese, exercise will not suppress your appetite and will probably make you more hungry.

Now back to me. I wanted to understand what I personally was doing wrong to sabotage weight loss without participating in expensive metabolic measurements and blood work to study my hormones. 

My thought was that I was rewarding myself for all the exercise by eating more. So I began to keep a food diary again; a simple way to measure my intake. I had the advantage of being able to compare my current food diary with the one I kept 2 years ago while I was in the middle of losing 103 pounds simply by going Vegan without doing any exercise routine at all. 

"You can't out exercise a bad diet!"

Before changing my diet, I figured that if I had a lot of pizza on Friday, I could just work out on Saturday and burn it off. That never worked. Either I wouldn't work out at all or not enough to burn off anywhere near the amount of calories I had consumed. The next day I would just eat some other high fat food anyway and get stuck in the same vicious cycle. I had fallen into the same trap that kept me fat most of my adult life. My food diary showed that I was eating twice as much food as I ate daily 2 years ago. It was all good, healthy, strictly plants food but I was taking in as many calories as I was burning with exercise. Almost exactly as many. As a result I didn't lose or gain any weight at all. 

That was my lightbulb going on over my head moment. I was rewarding myself whether hungry or not with way more food than I needed. While part of this problem may be due to my body trying to maintain homeostasis, most of it is psychological. I've proven to myself over the past 31 months that I have the willpower and the ability to control what I eat. Now I had to go back to controlling how much I eat.

I've gone back to using a food diary as a training tool. I write down everything eaten, including water, for 3 days in a row. This simple tool helps repair the disconnect between my stomach and my brain. When I see it on paper, the desire to eat just ceases. Contrary to my previous belief, even a vegan who eats no oil can still eat too much. Luckily for me I realized what I was doing wrong and found a way to get back on track. It turns out you can't even out exercise too much of a good diet!
Here's the plan:
1) Eat whole foods
2) Just plants
3) Not too much.
.....Challenge accepted. Two pounds gone in 3 days. ;-)
Carry on!