The Last Day (of this 4 week session, anyway)

Last night's dinner - stir fry with lots of bean sprouts

It doesn't seem like it, but today is the last day of our 4week Engine 2 Diet session. There have been times when I just wanted it to end so I could add some olive oil to a pan or bake something that didn't come out like a spice-infused wet sponge. But, this adventure has met or exceeded every objective I'd set for it, and I'd made those goals so demanding that I was sure it couldn't deliver. Now, I'm faced with the task of setting new goals for the next 4 weeks...maybe the next 4 decades!

I've lost a significant amount of fat (we'll all know just how much tomorrow morning), while doing very little exercise beyond what I'd be doing around here anyway. I didn't think I'd ever have my current blood profile. And all these things have happened without ever feeling hungry - except for the couple times I got too busy and didn't think about eating until my blood sugar level was somewhere near the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Yes, my dear LG, I know you think I get cranky when that happens...thanks, sweetie, I appreciate hearing it. The whole thing has been relatively painless, though, and extremely good for my body (and I've heard it's good for my mind, but there was so little to work with there from the outset.) I'm eating vegan today and probably will be a 75%+ vegan for the foreseeable future...probably.

Here are the problems I have to overcome to accomplish long term change:

1.  I find the best vegan meals are those that don't taste like cooked vegetables, they taste like they contain meat or cheese or some other not-so-vegan ingredients...old habits you know.

2. I think much of my determination to stick with this was the awareness that it would only be for four weeks. Kind of like getting a loooong, slooow hypodermic inoculation to prevent some horrible disability in the future.

3. The worst foods for my body (doughnuts, hamburgers, greasy pizza, whipped cream) still look, smell - and probably would taste - deliciously appetizing. I'm beginning to see their previously hidden price tags, though.

4. I've never been able to eschew the really yummy stuff on a restaurant menu (especially if it's Italian) to order a salad or vegetable soup. But we've had a couple meals out this past month - vegan meals - that have been great tasting a filling.

Veggie stir fry with fresh red bell peppers

Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily intend to return to my old, hedonistic, artery-clogging, body-bloating habits of eating. I want to continue to lose fat. I want to continue to reduce my LDL and kick up my HDL. I want to feel as good for the rest of my life as I have lately.

In the mean time, pretty much everyone LG and I know think we're somewhere between silly and kick-'em-off-the-boat psychotic for even trying this way of eating. As you read this part, nodding in bemused agreement, I don't blame you. I would have done the same if it were some other fool doing it while I crunched on potato chips. But it's not some other fool...it's this fool...and his sweet wife. Believe me, this is something you can do if you have even a little bit of determination. If your blood pressure is high, if you have blood sugar/insulin problems, if you can't find a fat loss diet that works and is healthy, if you're interested in leaving a lighter carbon footprint...this is a truly viable option for you to consider. [Oration complete.]

Now, about last night's dinner - we had the stir fry you see in these photos. There was a small packet of udon noodles in the bottom of the pan, but it was basically all vegetables. It was good, but LG and I concurred that it just didn't quite meet our need to feel, if not sated, at least satisfied. After a while, LG headed to the kitchen and topped off the evening's intake with a little snack of Yumm Sauce (mentioned in an earlier post) on whole grain flatbread. I soon followed and fixed myself a smoothie containing fresh pineapple, light coconut milk, a banana, a big handful of fresh baby spinach, a few drops of coconut flavoring, some stevia and ice. I forgot to add the textured soy junk with the consistency of yogurt, but would add it next time for improved texture and protein.

If you like greeniacoladas...

Sorry for the residue on the glass. I forgot to take a pic until I'd had some of it and I didn't have the photo-staging dedication necessary to wipe it clean. Anyway, it was of tasty, vegan and nutritious. As you can tell by the ingredients, it's similar to a famous tropical alcoholic drink, ergo my name for it: greeniacolada. I think it would be great with some rum added and it would still have some health benefits - though with the added calories.

One of the things we'll be doing now that we can add a bit of oil to our diet is to fry tofu as an addition to some dishes. We've had fried tofu before and it can be really good. It tastes, as they say...like chicken (I made that up...it's a lie...but it is good) Another change will be the addition of wine and other alcoholic beverages from time to time. Believe it or not, that's part of my regimen to raise my HDL...no really! One site says that some research shows 1-2 drinks a day are as effective at raising HDL as regular exercise...wonder what adding BOTH will accomplish?

I'm still not sure about the role meat will play in our new food-life. I'm not feeling really drawn to any meat product right now. Same for cheese - except maybe for some real, crumbly sharp parmesian-reggiano on a brown rice/mushroom risotto, or some tangy blue cheese crumbles on a pear, walnut and mixed greens salad. LG and I have chatted about this very little, but I think we're likely to be making animal products a minor addition to primarily plant-based dishes, rather than the main part of our meals. Time will tell.

I'll post tomorrow's final Engine 2 Diet,  four week challenge weigh-in figure. I'm not expecting too much loss, but if I'm down another couple pounds I'll be very happy. If spring and summer ever do arrive, we'll be doing some bicycling and the outdoor work around home will add a lot of fairly intense physical activity. That will help with the calorie outgo too.

LG is off to work again on this damp, cloudy Saturday morning, but other than looking forward to her return - I'm feeling very good. I'm comfortably full of her cooked fruit and grain breakfast (prepared with dedication and love every one of these past 28 mornings), I'm delighted to have found a simple and healthy way to lose fat, and my heart-health is at the highest level at any point in my adult life. That's nothing to sneeze at as I'm nearly ready to qualify for social security.

Tomorrow evening, I'll toast LG, our new way of eating and all of you with a glass of an as-of-yet-undetermined, rich red wine. I'll continue to post periodic blog entries about our ongoing dietary exploits, though probably not daily. So, until tomorrow morning's weigh-in - adieu. Find happiness in every way you can. If it involves getting a healthier body, you might consider trying this approach.

Forks, Food, Flowers and F-blood Fests

We only have a few days left in our four week vegan voyage. Really and truly, it doesn't seem like it's been that long. As a matter of fact, it seems we're just getting started; just learning about new foods and ways to prepare them; learning to look at food in a more comprehensive manner. I've been trying not to sound preachy - but I think it's human nature to make an effort to rationalize our selected behaviors and maybe even try to persuade others to join our efforts as the ultimate form of affirmation. Whoa...heavy, dude. I'm not trying to persuade you to do anything you don't feel personally dedicated to do. I will simply say - as I've implied throughout our adventure - it's not nearly as oppressive as I thought it would be, and the payoffs are greater than I ever expected.

OK, that aside, I guess that royal wedding thing happened. I didn't get up to watch it, but it's kind of a cool thing...sweet, positive, creating a sense of joy in a world too often focused on the nastiness. I hope they do some nifty stuff for Britain over the next few decades. And the princess is smokin', ain't she?!

The poster at the top is a promotion for the movie Forks Over Knives, currently in release (you probably guessed that...) We'll be viewing it soon, and will give a bit of a review after we've seen it. One of the draws for us will be the presence of Rip Esselstyn, author of the Engine 2 Diet, who'll be doing a Q&A after the show. Thought we'd try to get out book signed...if we can get it back from the latest borrower. Not surprisingly, the movie's about personal and planet health issues related to how and what we eat. I doubt it'll be a nominee at the Oscars, but we're looking forward to seeing it. More of that rationalizing our current diet choice, I guess.

Brave Solo Tulip

 This is one of the [damned few!] Spring flowers that have dared to show themselves in this dark, sopping, cold late April. Fortunately, our kitchen has been alive with color and that really does help life the spirits.

Pie-Bound Superfood

  We did a left-overs dinner night last night - LG having spaghetti with marinara and pesto and I had a black bean burger smothered in daughter Heather's vegan chili. Everything was great. Dedicated to have provided a "nice hot breakfast" each of the 28 days of this adventure, LG once again prepared a blueberry infested, walnut topped melange of good and good-for-us grains. Thanks again gorgeous.

Rhubarb is one of the foods that cardiologists say is a great addition to anyone's diet. Ours is coming on strong - apparently less concerned than most of the flowers about the nasty weather. Just as well...I'm not inclined to make the flowers into a cobbler anyway.

Now...the big news - as far as I'm concerned anyway. I spoke with a nurse from my doc's office and got a report on my blood analysis. My "before" profile includes a total cholesterol of 280 (probably higher, though I hadn't checked it for a couple years), so-so triglycerides, and a HDL to LDL ratio that was close to OK. About 8-9 years ago, I used a natural form of statin drug (red rice yeast) for about 6 weeks and got my total down to 199. I didn't keep it going because - even though its a "natural" substance - the red rice has the potential to cause the same kind of harm to one's liver as other cholesterol-lowering prescriptions. I apparently only have one liver and am inclined to keep it as healthy as possible, thank you very much.

The really good news is that my total cholesterol was the lowest it's ever been in the 35 years I've been monitoring it - 196, and without any kind of drug. My triglycerides were at a very good level as well. The down side is that my HDL - the good cholesterol - had dropped a slightly greater percentage than the bad LDL. I'm sure that would have been true of my "before" profile if I'd checked it recently, but it's something I can work on...and I have a plan in place to do just that. I'll weigh Sunday morning and that will be the final metric for this 28 day start to a new way of eating.

Yeah, it sure seems like maintaining a diet close to what we've been doing is a very good idea. I can see big changes in my body composition - good changes! Over the past couple years of "growing", I've complained - but done little - about my spreading mid-section (and sections adjacent.) LG always tells me that she thinks I  "look just fine." Lately though, she's been hugging marking how "thin and hard" my body feels. I'm especially delighted with the tone in which she offers those remarks...yeah baby! My joints are much less inclined to feel stiff after working hard. While I quite frankly am not interested in living to be 100 years old, I'd like to have 80+ really healthy, active years on this plane of existence. Yeah, that's the ticket!