Day 5 - Hope Is My New Chocolate

On the eve of a new year, I’ve decided not to look back.  I’m not going to punish myself for decisions I made in the past.  I’m not going to question why I’ve done what I’ve done to my body.  Instead, I’m going to fix my mind on the future.  On the possibility that by the next new year, I’ll be healthier and happier.  I’ll have hope and I’ll nibble on it throughout the year as if it’s the most wonderful chocolate bar. 

After just a few days of healthy eating, I already feel more hopeful.  Though I try to keep from stepping on the scale, I can’t help myself.  I have lost weight.  But I don’t want it to be about the scale or calories or portion size.  I want this time to be about my health.

 

My hope is buoyed by the book “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease” by Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., MD.   Though I’ve already read through it once, I’m now reaching for it whenever I feel like I need a little reassurance that I can actually heal my body with nutrition.  Esselstyn’s plan is simple.  Plant-based diet.  No meat or fish, no high-fat plant food (oils, avocados, nuts), no dairy.  An emphasis on fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes provides a diet that will make me as nutritionally healthy as I can possibly be.

According to the shout on the cover, this was the book that turned Bill Clinton into a vegan.  So, I guess, if Bill can do it, so can I.  And whether you’re searching for a new way to eat or not, I’d recommend this book.  It provides an astounding amount of information on the misconceptions we all have about healthy eating.

So when I feel a bit down, I get out Esselstyn’s book.  It has become my chocolate.  It is my hope that I can turn my life in a different direction.  

Day 4 - Adventures In Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping has turned into an exciting activity for me.  This is strange since I used to hate walking into a grocery store.  The store used to be a place where I came face-to-face with my failings.  I usually shopped when I was in the midst of some type of craving and the items that came home with me had nothing to do with proper nutrition.  Ice cream bars, cookie dough, potato chips, nacho cheese dip, eggnog.  I’d spend fifty dollars on a single meal and accompanying junk and have nothing nutritious to show for it a day later. 

Now, grocery shopping has become a bit of an adventure.  I spend a lot of time examining produce, searching for new products that I might be able to use in my culinary exploits.   A few days ago,  I bought an eggplant for the first time in my life.  And fresh parsnips.  I’m learning all about grains and beans and can hardly wait to try a new salad recipe I’m working on with roasted root veggies and quinoa.  I’m curious to try Kamut, an ancient variety of Egyptian wheat that has a buttery taste.

Though I haven’t really settled into an exercise regimen (that will be a long time coming), I do get a nice walk in while strolling the grocery store.  I used to rush through the aisles, tossing whatever caught my fancy into the cart.  Now, I feel as if I’m browsing through a great library of food, looking for a meal that will stay with me, like a really good book does.       

Day 3 - A Whole Lotta Whole Grains

Yes, whole grains can taste really good.  I know it’s hard to believe.  I’ll admit, they don’t taste like a baked potato drenched in sour cream and butter or a slice of chocolate cake with buttercream icing.  But, as I’ve been told, whole grains are integral to a balanced vegan diet – in fact, they should be a part of every diet according to the people who know these things.

As I stood in Pick n Save, staring at the display of Bob’s Red Mill products, I saw a few familiar items.  Wheat berries.  Wild rice.  Quinoa.  There were bulk grains available in the produce aisle, but I decided that Bob was a guy committed to good health so I was going to support his business efforts.  And his packages included detailed cooking instructions and a recipe.  Bob also shares my political views, so that was an even better reason.  I feel like we’re friends already.  

I figured out the calories in this Wheatberry Salad, and then decided that I’m going to forget about calories.  If I’m not eating fat in my diet, if I’ve given up meat and dairy (except for non-fat dairy), then I’m also giving up my obsession with counting calories.  Oh, and I realize that by eating dairy, I’m not technically a vegan, but it comes closest to describing my “plan”, so I’ll use the term loosely.  I’m “veganish”.  How’s that?

So, I’m sharing my first recipe.  This is based on a few different recipes with some stuff thrown in that I really like to eat – like red bell peppers and frozen peas.  Toss in whatever fresh veggies you have in the fridge.  If you don’t have Craisins, chop up an apple or add a can of mandarin oranges.  Pecans are really good in this as well as sunflower or pumpkin seeds, but since I’m watching my fat intake, I didn’t add those.  And use your favorite non-fat dressing.  Something fruity..  It's pretty to look at, very colorful, and it tastes so good!   

Wheatberry Salad 

1 15 oz can garbanzos

1 cup uncooked wheat berries cooked with 3 ½ c. water  (3 cups cooked)

½ cup uncooked wild rice, cooked with 1 ½ c. water (1 3/4 cup cooked)

1 lg. red bell pepper chopped

1 cup carrots, diced

1 bunch scallions chopped

½ cup frozen peas

½ cup frozen corn

½ cup craisins

Cook wheatberries and wild rice on top of stove or in rice cooker.  Mix all ingredients and store in airtight container in refrigerator.  Dress each serving individually with Ken’s Fat Free Raspberry Pecan dressing  or your favorite fat-free dressing.  This salad will last 3-4 days in the fridge.  Makes approximately 9 one cup servings.

Day 2 - In Which I Get Sucked In By An Infomercial – Again

I’d seen it a number of times and been intrigued.  I’m not usually a sucker for an infomercial pitch.  Except in the case of food, I do have a great deal of self-control.  Yes, I do have a Fluidity Bar that’s never been used.  And I actually completed Debbie Sieber’s Slim In Six ten years ago after purchasing her video tapes.  Oh, and there was the Zhumba purchase five months ago, made at 3 a.m.  Gee, I said to my sleep-deprived self, that looks like fun!  But this pitch came with a personal recommendation from my sister-in-law who is known to be a very, very sensible person.  She actually balances her checkbook every month. 

She’d recently purchased a Nutri-Bullet and was pleased with the way it whipped up her morning smoothie.  Since my new plan required me to eat a decent no-fat breakfast, this seemed to be a good way to go.  And I had a coupon!

For $80.00 (20% off at Bed, Bath and Beyond), I came home with the answer to all my breakfast concerns.  Here was a way to force leafy greens into my diet – before 10 am!  All the smoothie recipes began with 2 cups of leafy greens.  There was no way to avoid them.  And then fresh or frozen fruit.  I love fruit. Then some flax seed or almonds.  I also added some non-fat pro-biotic yogurt (Kaffir) and some pasteurized egg whites (All Whites) for a little extra protein.  My leafy green of choice was spinach.  Everything goes in the cup and the blades spin at supersonic speed, giving you a perfectly smooth smoothie.

Though my first smoothie tasted really good, it was green and I have a serious problem drinking anything that looks remotely like pond scum.  Note to self:  Switch to leafy greens that are less . . . green.  Try hearts of romaine next.  So, the plan is to start each day with a healthy, non-fat, full-of-fiber-and-nutrients smoothie.  Where I go from there is still a work in progress.     

Day 1 - The Point of No Return

I can’t count the number of times I’ve tried.  I’ve struggled with my weight for years, committed to any number of diets, succeeded only to put the weight back on, and gradually crept up and up until reaching a weight I can’t bear to say outloud.  Let’s just say I now weigh double my recommended body weight.  As I let that number sink in, Ive realized that I’ve reached the point of no return.

I’m a single woman, semi-menopausal, with a inactive lifestyle.  I’m used to indulging my every food whim with the excuse that "I deserve it because I work hard."  I don’t have a family to cook for so I eat whatever I have a craving for.  Yes, I’ve eaten Twinkies for breakfast, and chip dip for dinner.  Fresh vegetables die a long, slow death in my fridge, dissolving into a puddle of slime before I get around to eating them.  I buy Lean Cuisine, then eat three of them for dinner.  I buy ice cream bars and eat three of them for lunch.  I rarely bother with breakfast unless I go out and eat a truck driver’s breakfast of eggs, steak, hash browns and toast.  

I’m a smart woman.   Vital stats:  5’6”, 57 years old, BMI 44 (yikes).   And a family history of heart disease.  I should know better.  I acknowledge that most of the damage has probably already been done and losing weight might not save me.  But I’m now faced with a choice.  Go on as I have been and accept a much shorter lifespan, or try, once more, to make a change.  I feel like I’m teetering on the edge of a cliff – and I’m actually considering just stepping off.  I can accept the fact that I’m going to be this weight – or even more – for the rest of my life, however short that might be.  Or I can step back from the edge and try again.  Just once more.  

I need a plan.  I don’t want to call it a diet this time because I’m sick of thinking that I’m on a diet.  It’s not a New Year’s resolution, either.  I’m just going to quietly switch up the foods I chose to eat.  There are only a few “plans” that offer the possibility of reversing the damage I’ve probably already done to my heart and those require a vegan diet with virtually no added fat.  But I have put myself in a serious spot and it will take a serious commitment to get out of it. 

I’m going to give it a year and document my thoughts along the way.  And so this blog is born.  Will I still be here in 365 days?  Who will I be?  How will I feel about myself?  Will I ever eat ice cream again?  Tune in and find out!