The Final Daily Report of Our Engine 2 Adventure!

Can't think of a down side for our Engine 2 Diet experience

Yup, we accepted Rip's challenge and did the whole 28 days...no added sugar, no added oil, plant-strong diet sans animal flesh, dairy and salt. The outcome: we're proud of ourselves! Not because we made it 28 days, but because we've learned some things about ourselves, our bodies, our world and how we can best serve each of them.

I disclosed my blood analysis success already and I can now report my final fat loss success. I lost another 3 pounds this week (surprised yet again!) The 4 week total for fat loss is an ounce or two under 15 pounds! Next time you're at the market and see one pound packages of mostly-fat bacon, lift fifteen of them and take a look at the mass that I no longer need to haul around.

As I returned to the kitchen following my weigh-in, LG was preparing her signature cooked cereal delight and asked if I was going to add "something sinful" like brown sugar. I felt giddy, knowing that I could - in fact - add butter and gummy bears to my bowl today if I wanted! But you know what? I didn't want to add sugar or butter fat...and I hate gummy bears anyway. So, here's the really wonderful part - I can't think of anything I'd change about this nutritious and prepared-with-love meal...thanks LG, I adore you! Somewhere down the road, though, our little red hens will insist I have some of their home grown, organic eggs from time to time.

Looking forward to lunch, we have some left-overs that'll make a great burrito...or maybe a clean-out-the-fridge stew...either will be great. But I'm comfortably full now and don't need to even think about it for a few hours.

Now, this evening, I intend to celebrate our new way of eating with a nice bottle of zinfandel or maybe a rich Yamhill valley pinot noir (not the whole bottle, though.) It will, however, accompany an Engine 2 style dinner. We both agree that our preferences have changed in a pretty dramatic way. From now on, we'll eat anything we want...it's just that the things we want are different now than they were just one, momentous month ago. I'll use the phase "life changing" without trying to imply too much. But, consider how you'd feel if you found a few of your life's greatest physical challenges suddenly resolved. Yeah...like that. Blood sugar, cholesterol levels, weight control and environmental impact of one's consumption patterns - all improved and all pretty important things.

Two sugar-monsters

In spite of our dietary choices this past month, we've been using a lot more cane sugar than usual...thanks to our local population of hummingbirds.

We've never seen more than 6 at a time, but they can drain a 2 cup feeder in about a day and half. I guess I could get away with that too if I could flap my arms a hundred times a second...I think I'll just stick with a more omnivorous, primarily plant-strong diet and flap more slowly with dumbbells in my hands.

In addition to all the great recipe's in Rip's book, here are some of our favorite "new" foods:

Chef AJ's lasagna from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen's site,

http://healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/03/unprocessed-chef-ajs-disappearing.html

Chef AJ's vegan faux parmesan - we use this for all kinds of things that would be enhanced with the addition of dry cheese.

The same page as the lasagna, recipe included in directions  

Green Chai Smoothie from Healthy Girl's Kitchen - this includes a recipe for making your own chai spice mix

http://healthygirlskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/04/getting-to-point-of-no-return-and-my.html

Yumm-like Sauce - Dipping, spreading or topping sauce - we substuitued an avacado in place of the canola oil in the listed recipe.

http://peasandthankyou.com/2011/04/12/wannabe-recipea-mmmm-sauce/ 

We could go on and on. There are thousands of great vegan recipes on dozens of web sites we found. Be sure to look at recipe section of The Whole Foods web site too...lots and lots of great vegan choices.

Well, it's been fun folks. LG and I are delighted to have experienced The Engine 2 Diet  and are thankful for the changes it's helped us make in our lives. We recommend it to everyone. At least it's an informative read, at most - it may give you the motivation and tools to transform your health.