With some disappointment, I had to take a blogging break. I know what you all were thinking....that I'd gone off the wagon and was too ashamed to admit it, right? Nope. This extreme vegan is still alive, kickin' and eating her kale chips. Not only am I still doing this, I am almost at the end of week #4 of my experiment. Have I cheated? Absolutely! I may be disciplined, but I am NOT superhuman. Pulled brisket tacos? Check. Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich? Check. Grilled ham and cheese, corn chowder, Gorgonzola spread on baguette, and chocolate pudding? Uh huh. And all within 24 hours (give a girl a break---I was having a rough day). But, I hopped right back on the morning after.
I paused from blogging because of the time it consumes. Balancing this crazy diet is time-sucking enough, but doing a daily blog was bound to get me at some point. I didn't want it to, but it got to the point where I couldn't decide whether I was tired because of the diet or because I was up late blogging. If this experiment was to go the distance, I needed to modify. So I did. The break has proven to be a good choice for me and definitely helped me stay committed. Thanks to all of you that have contacted me wondering where the blogging went. Now, let's catch-up.
I paused from blogging because of the time it consumes. Balancing this crazy diet is time-sucking enough, but doing a daily blog was bound to get me at some point. I didn't want it to, but it got to the point where I couldn't decide whether I was tired because of the diet or because I was up late blogging. If this experiment was to go the distance, I needed to modify. So I did. The break has proven to be a good choice for me and definitely helped me stay committed. Thanks to all of you that have contacted me wondering where the blogging went. Now, let's catch-up.
Starting with weight, my lowest point so far happened last week at 114.5. That is 4.5 lbs lighter than when I started! Not too shabby. I don't weigh myself often, but when I do I find I'm currently hovering around 115 lbs. I'm cool with that. And I'm now fitting into some cute clothes I haven't been able to wear for years. Happy happy! My next official weighing (at 4 weeks) will be Friday so we'll see where I stand.
I've also had some funny diet-related incidents; like feverishly interrupting a girlfriend at lunch to tell her I had to go to the bathroom...IMMEDIATELY! Or explaining to a dinner party of ladies that I'm currently an extreme vegan while I shoved a fist-full of geona salami in my mouth. Then there was my dear friend Kate who, while visiting last weekend, asked if she was on Candid Camera when she refused to believe I was "going vegan." We hadn't chatted recently and she doesn't use Facebook much so the poor thing had no idea.
I've also had some funny diet-related incidents; like feverishly interrupting a girlfriend at lunch to tell her I had to go to the bathroom...IMMEDIATELY! Or explaining to a dinner party of ladies that I'm currently an extreme vegan while I shoved a fist-full of geona salami in my mouth. Then there was my dear friend Kate who, while visiting last weekend, asked if she was on Candid Camera when she refused to believe I was "going vegan." We hadn't chatted recently and she doesn't use Facebook much so the poor thing had no idea.
The diet has gotten much easier, too, thanks to one little word...PESTO. Remember that Fine Cooking Magazine that I spoke of earlier? Well, I finally got around to modifying their recipe for the dish that made the cover and it was fantastic! Not only did I love it, John did too. I only had to make two changes, 1) roast the tomatoes and asparagus in a tray of vegetable broth rather than olive oil, and 2) replace the olive oil in the pesto with extra-firm tofu. I had no idea what I was doing with that, but thought it might work. Presto pesto! Delicious and enough for five more servings. I found making pesto to be so easy (never done it before) that on the same afternoon, I decided to brave a pesto recipe from the Forks Over Knives cookbook...an extremely risky endeavor given my previous results from this cookbook.
Their recipe called for one avocado, a bag of arugula, a bag of spinach, bunch of basil, bunch of parsley, 5 garlic cloves, miso, vegetable broth and hemp seeds. I left out the miso and hemp seeds and, since I had earlier success with it, added tofu till it seemed to be the right consistency. It took me forever to cram all of those leafy greens into my Cuisinart but I can finally say I've got a winner recipe from that damn cookbook. As you can imagine, it was extremely fresh and flavorful. The recipe made so much that I pulled-out a mini-muffin pan, filled each cup with the pesto, froze it and can now pull one serving size from my freezer any time for a quick lunch or dinner. Throw some olives, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and a sprinkle of toasted nuts on top and you've got a happy, no-longer-starving vegan on your hands.
The most common question I've received from people who learn I'm doing this crazy nutritional program is, "How do you feel?" Here, in no particular order, are my experiences, thoughts and feelings:
The most common question I've received from people who learn I'm doing this crazy nutritional program is, "How do you feel?" Here, in no particular order, are my experiences, thoughts and feelings:
1) I haven't slept this good since I took beautiful, drool-filled naps in college. A guy in the Forks Over Knives documentary mentioned his sleep improving, but I dismissed it thinking my sleep was fine. Well, if my sleep used to be fine, now it's extraordinary!
2) Dining at restaurants is going OK. It kinda sucks to be on a dinner date with your son at his favorite restaurant, Chuy's, watching him dine on beef tacos and re-fried beans while I nibble away at my so-called vegetarian enchilada (it was really just steamed veggies rolled-up in a blue corn tortilla). Ugh. But, there has yet to be a restaurant that hasn't at least been vegetarian-accommodating and a few places have surprised me with their fabulous vegan choices (thanks Meridian Cafe).
3) I've never been on an anti-depressant, but I feel like I'm on one now. My mood/disposition/outlook on each day is noticeably better. I have no idea what to attribute it to, but I'm not complaining. I do remember a women in the Forks Over Knives documentary (who had breast cancer and was on the diet) stating that even though her prognosis was unknown and she should probably be depressed, she felt great. I remember watching and thinking she was just one of those "attitude is everything" kind-of people, but now I think differently. My mind feels lighter and my friends are noticing. Last week at a dinner, a friend told me I looked "radiant." The comment caught me off-guard because I don't think I've ever been told that before. But once I considered what she said and how I was feeling, I found myself attributing her comment to my recent healthy choices and their side-effects.
4) I don't miss food the way I thought I would. Yes, I pine for my vices, but not as often as you'd think. I try to satisfy cravings as quick as possible with something either sweet (like freeze-dried fruit, which is AWESOME) or savory (like soy sauce flavored brown rice crackers dipped in sweet salsa). It's also a life-saver to have my "cheat days" or "cheat moments." Indulging when I want or absolutely need to (for my survival, of course) has truly made this diet something I'm considering a permanent switch to (yes, I said it).
The cheat days/moments make this nutritional program manageable, too. It will be a cold day in hell before I stick to something long-term that makes attending a dinner party or dining with my honey an extremely selective, uncomfortable, hungry event. That is not a part of my life I'm willing to sacrifice. But carefully selecting my "cheats" has been a little fun. It keeps me focused during diet-strong days and gives me something completely indulgent to look forward to. I haven't enjoyed dining nearly as much as I have since beginning this nutritional program.
5) Some limitations are just too hard. The Forks Over Knives nutritional program requires you to eliminate oil, any type of refined sugar and only use salt "to taste." While I appreciate these and understand the reasoning behind their banishment, it's too hard for me. Especially the salt and sugar. Let me offer a few examples as to why. Yesterday I needed garbanzo beans. Trader Joe's offered two kinds, organic and regular. Both contained the same three ingredients--garbanzo beans, water and salt. Or consider freshly-made salsa from the grocery; oil isn't normally in it, but either sugar or salt typically is. If I have to hydrate my own garbanzo beans or make my own fresh salsa to be true to this diet, I'd prefer to graciously fail. Not because I feel the diet is so extreme in this regard, but because the makers of our food give us so little chance to be as healthy as we'd like. In part, I blame this on them.
But it's also important to enjoy my food, and the addition of salt and sugar significantly contribute to this. So, since my initial lab results showed my to be a perfectly healthy 38-year-old, I've decided to screen products for their quantity of sugar and salt, but not eliminate them from my basket because of them.
6) Washing dishes is a completely different experience. When you're not eating or cooking with oil, there's hardly a time where dishes need little more than a light rinse. Who knew?
7) Being supported helps. Luckily, the world I live in is a very supportive one. While no one else is participating with me, there is no one repetitively teasing me or giving me a hard time. Inquiries into how it's going have been frequent (even from Brody and John's kids) and so many have reached-out with supportive information. I've been given recipes and ingredient tips, been directed to support groups, received cookbook reviews, and even been versed on the best blender for my smoothies. John even bought me a juicer for Mother's Day. This is all so encouraging.
Discovering information online has also been a big help. Who knew there's a whole world of celebs that are trying this? Bill Clinton (thanks Duke), James Cameron, Carrie Ann Inaba...even Ozzie Osbourn (too funny...he'll try ANYTHING) are trying this. Countless others have watched the Forks Over Knives documentary and are chiming-in with their support. I think the reason for the overwhelming interest in this documentary and it's research is summarized best by a text I got from my sister. She watched the movie and typed, "Very interesting. It's nice to know we have some control." And, in this crazy world that seems to be forever bombarded with scary medical findings that make me feel like I'm doomed to eventually get something, I couldn't agree more.
2) Dining at restaurants is going OK. It kinda sucks to be on a dinner date with your son at his favorite restaurant, Chuy's, watching him dine on beef tacos and re-fried beans while I nibble away at my so-called vegetarian enchilada (it was really just steamed veggies rolled-up in a blue corn tortilla). Ugh. But, there has yet to be a restaurant that hasn't at least been vegetarian-accommodating and a few places have surprised me with their fabulous vegan choices (thanks Meridian Cafe).
3) I've never been on an anti-depressant, but I feel like I'm on one now. My mood/disposition/outlook on each day is noticeably better. I have no idea what to attribute it to, but I'm not complaining. I do remember a women in the Forks Over Knives documentary (who had breast cancer and was on the diet) stating that even though her prognosis was unknown and she should probably be depressed, she felt great. I remember watching and thinking she was just one of those "attitude is everything" kind-of people, but now I think differently. My mind feels lighter and my friends are noticing. Last week at a dinner, a friend told me I looked "radiant." The comment caught me off-guard because I don't think I've ever been told that before. But once I considered what she said and how I was feeling, I found myself attributing her comment to my recent healthy choices and their side-effects.
4) I don't miss food the way I thought I would. Yes, I pine for my vices, but not as often as you'd think. I try to satisfy cravings as quick as possible with something either sweet (like freeze-dried fruit, which is AWESOME) or savory (like soy sauce flavored brown rice crackers dipped in sweet salsa). It's also a life-saver to have my "cheat days" or "cheat moments." Indulging when I want or absolutely need to (for my survival, of course) has truly made this diet something I'm considering a permanent switch to (yes, I said it).
The cheat days/moments make this nutritional program manageable, too. It will be a cold day in hell before I stick to something long-term that makes attending a dinner party or dining with my honey an extremely selective, uncomfortable, hungry event. That is not a part of my life I'm willing to sacrifice. But carefully selecting my "cheats" has been a little fun. It keeps me focused during diet-strong days and gives me something completely indulgent to look forward to. I haven't enjoyed dining nearly as much as I have since beginning this nutritional program.
5) Some limitations are just too hard. The Forks Over Knives nutritional program requires you to eliminate oil, any type of refined sugar and only use salt "to taste." While I appreciate these and understand the reasoning behind their banishment, it's too hard for me. Especially the salt and sugar. Let me offer a few examples as to why. Yesterday I needed garbanzo beans. Trader Joe's offered two kinds, organic and regular. Both contained the same three ingredients--garbanzo beans, water and salt. Or consider freshly-made salsa from the grocery; oil isn't normally in it, but either sugar or salt typically is. If I have to hydrate my own garbanzo beans or make my own fresh salsa to be true to this diet, I'd prefer to graciously fail. Not because I feel the diet is so extreme in this regard, but because the makers of our food give us so little chance to be as healthy as we'd like. In part, I blame this on them.
But it's also important to enjoy my food, and the addition of salt and sugar significantly contribute to this. So, since my initial lab results showed my to be a perfectly healthy 38-year-old, I've decided to screen products for their quantity of sugar and salt, but not eliminate them from my basket because of them.
6) Washing dishes is a completely different experience. When you're not eating or cooking with oil, there's hardly a time where dishes need little more than a light rinse. Who knew?
7) Being supported helps. Luckily, the world I live in is a very supportive one. While no one else is participating with me, there is no one repetitively teasing me or giving me a hard time. Inquiries into how it's going have been frequent (even from Brody and John's kids) and so many have reached-out with supportive information. I've been given recipes and ingredient tips, been directed to support groups, received cookbook reviews, and even been versed on the best blender for my smoothies. John even bought me a juicer for Mother's Day. This is all so encouraging.
Discovering information online has also been a big help. Who knew there's a whole world of celebs that are trying this? Bill Clinton (thanks Duke), James Cameron, Carrie Ann Inaba...even Ozzie Osbourn (too funny...he'll try ANYTHING) are trying this. Countless others have watched the Forks Over Knives documentary and are chiming-in with their support. I think the reason for the overwhelming interest in this documentary and it's research is summarized best by a text I got from my sister. She watched the movie and typed, "Very interesting. It's nice to know we have some control." And, in this crazy world that seems to be forever bombarded with scary medical findings that make me feel like I'm doomed to eventually get something, I couldn't agree more.
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