I saw my doctor this week. The last time I was there was in September, for a physical. This week, I had my bloodwork done to be sure I'm healthy, and getting all my nutrients with my new, vegan diet. It's been almost 5 months since going vegan. I feel great, and I have no reason to believe that I'm deficient in any way, but I just want to be sure. I don't have the results of my bloodwork yet, but my doctor said I look healthy.
However, I can report on my weight. In September, I weighed 162 lbs. Now I weigh 148 lbs. That's a loss of 14 lbs. I don't think I've weighed this much since I was a teenager. I checked my BMI and I'm well within the normal range for my age and height. And my doctor wasn't concerned, either.
I don't feel skinny, but my pants are getting a bit looser around the waist. I've gone from a 32 to a 30 inch waist. I feel energetic. I feel strong. I feel fit. I can still train hard. As I continue on my new weightlifting routine, I hope to put on some lean muscle mass and weight.
I'll report on my bloodwork as soon as I get the results. It shouldn't be long.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Found my Nikes
These are 100% synthetic. And they're super light. It wasn't too hard to find them, but they only had 2 styles in stock at the Nike Town here in L.A. I'm a sucker for kicks. My options are a lot more limited, but that just makes the hunt that much more fun.
McCruelty
I just got my FREE McCruelty Action Pack! It's got a bunch of stickers, leaflets and a poster. I'm gonna spread the word. In case you didn't know, McDonald's has a system in the U.S. for killing chickens that skins and boils them alive. There is a pain free way to kill chickens using gas, and McDonald's already uses this system in Europe for some facilities. This campaign by PETA is to have McDonald's end the horrific cruelty in the U.S.
The poster's going up in my office, for sure. I'm not so sure about the stickers and flyers. Any ideas?
The poster's going up in my office, for sure. I'm not so sure about the stickers and flyers. Any ideas?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
I said something smart
A lot of people I know ask me why I'm vegan when they get the chance. And I've found the best answer is as follows.
"I'm vegan for three main reasons. For my health, for the environment because factory farms are horrible for the environment, and for compassion for animals."
This is the best way to go because it's simple, concise, says it all and it's hard to argue with. Well, maybe it isn't so hard to argue with. But it almost always creates a long pause before I hear the usual questions and/or statements about lack of protein, calcium, no cheese, etc. I attribute that pause to realizing being vegan makes sense.
Well, a few days ago, a couple good co-worker friends of mine and I had a couple beers and it came up. I gave my usual answer, but got very thoughtful replies.
I'm getting closer to where I say something smart.
My one friend, I'll call him "Pablo", said he admired what I was doing. He wanted to do it but wasn't disciplined enough. I said it doesn't have to be all or nothing, and that he could just try eating vegetarian here and there and see how he feels. It felt good to be admired though.
And then, I heard something new. This guy, I'll call him "Jerry", said that vegans eventually lose bone density from lack of calcium and nutrients, and were likely to have arthritis and other chronic problems. On the topic of veganism, being combative doesn't work out well.
I'm getting even closer to where I said something smart.
I instead said to Jerry that what he said is surely true in some cases, but that The American Dietetic Association concluded well planned vegan diets are healthful for all people, young, old or pregnant. To belabor the point: Read their statement here.
OK, here's where I said the smart thing. And it was totally freestyle, dude. I said most people don't eat balanced diets, and usually they don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I don't think vegans are automatically worse off. We eat plenty of fruits and veggies. Who's to say which possible deficiency is worse? And research shows vegans live longer and have less disease.
The reply was "good point, good point." And that was that. Confrontation avoided. Conversation civil. Points communicated reasonably. Time not wasted. A smart thing was said. More beers ordered. Done.
"I'm vegan for three main reasons. For my health, for the environment because factory farms are horrible for the environment, and for compassion for animals."
This is the best way to go because it's simple, concise, says it all and it's hard to argue with. Well, maybe it isn't so hard to argue with. But it almost always creates a long pause before I hear the usual questions and/or statements about lack of protein, calcium, no cheese, etc. I attribute that pause to realizing being vegan makes sense.
Well, a few days ago, a couple good co-worker friends of mine and I had a couple beers and it came up. I gave my usual answer, but got very thoughtful replies.
I'm getting closer to where I say something smart.
My one friend, I'll call him "Pablo", said he admired what I was doing. He wanted to do it but wasn't disciplined enough. I said it doesn't have to be all or nothing, and that he could just try eating vegetarian here and there and see how he feels. It felt good to be admired though.
And then, I heard something new. This guy, I'll call him "Jerry", said that vegans eventually lose bone density from lack of calcium and nutrients, and were likely to have arthritis and other chronic problems. On the topic of veganism, being combative doesn't work out well.
I'm getting even closer to where I said something smart.
I instead said to Jerry that what he said is surely true in some cases, but that The American Dietetic Association concluded well planned vegan diets are healthful for all people, young, old or pregnant. To belabor the point: Read their statement here.
OK, here's where I said the smart thing. And it was totally freestyle, dude. I said most people don't eat balanced diets, and usually they don't eat enough fruits and vegetables. I don't think vegans are automatically worse off. We eat plenty of fruits and veggies. Who's to say which possible deficiency is worse? And research shows vegans live longer and have less disease.
The reply was "good point, good point." And that was that. Confrontation avoided. Conversation civil. Points communicated reasonably. Time not wasted. A smart thing was said. More beers ordered. Done.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Gigant-o Eating Day
I think it's worth mentioning that I ate like a monster today. For lunch, I had an Indian lunch special with lentils, vegetable rice, wheat vegan naan, chana masala (garbanzo beans) and a green salad. Usually I can barely finish it, but today I powered through it, no prob.
For dinner, I had pasta. I made enough to take for lunch tomorrow. And then I ate all of it. 2 full plates. The sauce I made had a small can of tomato sauce, 4 whole tomatoes, half an onion, a zucchini, garlic, and 8 "veggie" meatballs. It filled up my whole huge saucepan, and then apparently, my stomach.
I guess I needed the fuel!
For dinner, I had pasta. I made enough to take for lunch tomorrow. And then I ate all of it. 2 full plates. The sauce I made had a small can of tomato sauce, 4 whole tomatoes, half an onion, a zucchini, garlic, and 8 "veggie" meatballs. It filled up my whole huge saucepan, and then apparently, my stomach.
I guess I needed the fuel!
Review: Amy's Frozen Vegan Pizza
I know frozen pizzas aren't the greatest thing to put in my body, but everyone once in a while I need a pizza fix. And this time is usually around 11:00 pm when pizza spots are closed, especially any with vegan options.
In comes Amy's. In my ongoing quest for non-dairy Amy's Mac & Cheese, I discovered Amy's Rice Crust, Gluten Free, Non-Dairy Cheese pizza. I know, it sells itself!
It was really good! It satisfied my craving. Here's how it works: You bake it for about 8 minutes, and then broil it for about 1 minute to melt the cheese. I was skeptical about the cheese, as I haven't seen a lot of melted non-dairy cheese be successful. But, I got excited when I saw it starting to melt and crisp up! Thumbs up Amy's! It's not like the taste blew me away, but it did the trick.
In comes Amy's. In my ongoing quest for non-dairy Amy's Mac & Cheese, I discovered Amy's Rice Crust, Gluten Free, Non-Dairy Cheese pizza. I know, it sells itself!
It was really good! It satisfied my craving. Here's how it works: You bake it for about 8 minutes, and then broil it for about 1 minute to melt the cheese. I was skeptical about the cheese, as I haven't seen a lot of melted non-dairy cheese be successful. But, I got excited when I saw it starting to melt and crisp up! Thumbs up Amy's! It's not like the taste blew me away, but it did the trick.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Mani's Bakery
I love Mani's Bakery! On my way to the Chiropractor yesterday, I stopped in for a quick breakfast snack. I remembered that they had vegan options, but I hadn't been there since going vegan. To my delight, they had 1 last vegan muffin left, the "morning glory." And it was quite glorious. It's a carrot, raisin, maple concoction of epic proportions. It's topped with sunflower seeds. Soooooo tasty. Glad I stopped in! I'll be back there soon for a proper meal.
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