Vegan with jam

Tag: Weight

  • Found Time and Energy

    Now just over half way through the first week, I’m struck not only by the weight loss, but the increases in the amount of personal time and energy. With the daylight hours near their annual max, this is strickingly apparent.

    I haven’t been on the bike in well over a week. For one thing, the garage door is busted. I think the tension spring has weaked, a normal occurance I expect, and the chain drive slips with a horrible noise during the “Go Up” operation. We can still operate it manually, but when I think about getting on the bike, I think I should really fix the damn door, and I don’t want to do that either, so I sit in front of the computer or do dishes instead. That shows you how much I am avoiding the door. The door or dishes. Hmmm. Not a very proud zen moment, I confess.

    OK. I’ll fix the door this evening. How hard can it be?

  • And The Count begins anew…

    Looking back on the early days of this blog, you’ll note how I initiated the 31 day experiment, now part of the tag line. A few days ago, on June 21st, I started yet another countdown… to eat more from the column of foods that have the highest ratio of nutrients to energy (calories). I can’t even begin to tell you how shocked I am at how effective this is as a weight loss strategy. Yes, shocked!

    My plan is to stay on this regimen until the end of July and see what happens. So, let’s right here define this as The Six Week Experiment. And right now I’m on day three of the first week. So, how goes so far?

    So many of us get on the scale and say, “That can’t be right.” And then maybe even get on it again just to make sure. I’ve done the same thing. Well, if you weigh yourself on a regular basis, I know you’re hoping with all forces you can muster, that it will read lower than it will. Yep. Me too. So, as you verbalize, “This can’t be right!” what you really mean is, “I can’t be that fat”. And of course, we all step on the scale in the morning because that is when you’re supposed to weigh the least.

    Yesterday, I had more vegetables for lunch than most high school cafeterias serve in a week. (Take a moment here to let that sink in…) So, come time for dinner, I wasn’t starving. I had some moderately stressful news at work that got me worked up for a while, and was also trying to complete a canopy building project in the back yard. With dinner now running late, but not before a very necessary shower, I figured I’d weigh in, even though it was late evening and it would certainly return depressing results.

    As the digits emerged like an omen on the old “Magic 8 Ball”, I thought, “That can’t be right!” But not because it was too high! It was too low! Way too low! Since that very morning, I dropped a solid 3.5 pounds, since yesterday, nearly 5. Obviously something was wrong.

    So, I didn’t even get back on the scale and headed to the shower. Then dried and fresh again, I thought, “Let give this another shot and see if we can’t get it right.” On the second read, I weighed in a half pound less than the first! Gads!

    OK! I’ll take it! Further I had reached another milestone, one of those arbitrary ribbons you grab along the way to make yourself feel better about losing weight. So, why this result?

    Certainly I was dehydrated. That could account for a pound, maybe two or three. But still, this was dramatic. And it can only point to eating from the first column of high nutrition/energy ratio foods. Vegetables. Raw and cooked. Lots of them. Vegetables that have NEVER been on ANY high school menu. Vegetables.

    Further, I’ve not had this much energy in the evening for quite some time. Years.

    So… thanks to all who helped me get to where I am today. You know who you are, Sam. I am very grateful. And to the man that led me to planet Vega. My continued gratitude for you and what you do.

  • Eating Raw?! How crazy is that?

    I’m at the beginning of yet another transformation. I’ve been eating “raw” (vegan) for the past week. The day begins with fruit, usually oranges, apples, bananas. Nothing but fruit until at least lunch. Then a very large salad with practically any kind of vegetable (mixed greens, romaine, apples, strawberries, celery, carrots, snap peas, onions, peppers, etc.) and balsamic vinegar as a dressing (sometimes with tofu, black beans, or chic peas, not raw…). The vinegar goes well with the strawberries and apples. Sometimes I have a handful of almonds during the day.

    My frequent dinner routine: shredded wheat and blueberries with rice milk.

    I’m dropping weight like a stone. I’m never hungry.

    So, why this crazy change? I recently woke up to discover (!!!) my healthy weight is 175. I haven’t weighed that since high school. For the past 40 years I’ve thought my “normal” weight should be around 220. Ha! That would be obese. And I passed that mark 25 years ago. Anyway, my goal is 175. According to my projections, I should reach that on August 8th. I’m already down 20 lbs and feeling much better.

  • Phase Two – Exercise

    Just a note to post another milestone. I made it to the gym this morning, even before coffee, that in itself a remarkable achievement. Spent a half hour on the recumbant bike and another fifteen minutes doing some light weight triceps work on the weight machines. At 248 lbs, this morning I’m into my 42/34 Dockers that I haven’t worn in a year, maybe two. And 17 1/2 neck shirts are fitting again. Life is good.