Day #30: And Beyond.......

I started this quest 30 days ago. I did it because I wanted to be healthy, I wanted to live longer, I wanted to spend many more years with my partner and my family. I have had numerous health issues through the years and it was time to take drastic steps. I set my goal at 26 days because I was going home for my Mom's 60th Birthday and I didn't want to complicate time while I was there. Well thirty days later I will tell you how the trip went and the decisions I have come to at the end of this journey of mine.

I'll tell you that I talked to Mike as we flew all the way to Washington state from Oklahoma (we had plenty of time, that is for sure!). It just kept going through my head; "If I have felt better than I have in years and even look better why would I just decide to go back to the way I felt before?" So I decided, with the full support of the one I love, that I was going to continue my vegetarian quest through the vacation and see how it went.

Now let me tell you, it is not easy to stick to being a vegetarian when you are on a vacation. First of all, you are in places that you do not know. It is not like at home where I know the town, I have sought out the restaurants and fast food joints that I can go to. We were in airports and on the road and everything was a struggle. I learned very quickly how to be assertive and ask for vegetarian options or ask for a dish without the meat. I was met many a time with the looks that I have grown accustomed to. I now know how to scan a menu in a restaurant or even a grocery store deli and find the items that fit my needs in a matter of minutes. These really are suvival skills for a vegetarian at any level.

So I learned how to survive on the road and made it safely to my family. My family loves me, always have, always will. This, however, does not mean that they always "get" me. I mean, I have done things a certain way, eaten certain things for 34 years of my life and now in the matter of a month I have changed all of my rules. That takes a person a minute to acclimate to. So they were not prepared for the vegetarian thing. I remember when I started, I couldn't imagine what I would eat other than salad because I had never thought about food in this way. Mike and I made sure we went to the grocery store so I would have options, we went to pick up lunch oneday and made sure to order stuff I could eat as well. It is not that my family had anything against my new lifestyle, they just have never had to deal with it before.

So I survied, I made it, I spent an amazing time with my entire family, ate good food and laughed a lot. It just went to reinforce the whole reason I have done this in the first place. Take away your job, your bills, your stress, take away everything until you are left with that tiny, simple grain of love at the center of it all and you will see what it is all about. All that resides there are you and the ones you love and in the end that is all that matters. I want to spend as much time enjoying life and the ones I care about. As I used to say as a young man just beginning my journey of life, before the shine was tarnished and the wounds had made their mark; "Everything boils down to one truth......It's All About Love."

So I am proud to say that this journey is not over for me. I feel rejuvenated and alive. I am not ready to throw that all away. I am loved and I love and I want that to last as long as possible. So here we go, a vegetarian is born. Why? Because for me it works and it makes sense. For me it has changed my life in a good way. It has given me a chance to celebrate that much longer and that is reason enough for me!

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NOTE: I don't plan on leaving the blog. I still feel I have a lot to learn as I stay on this vegetarian course. I would love to keep sharing my discoveries and thoughts with those who want to listen and I may even deliver on those recipes I promised. The format may change a bit but it will still be fun and informative and hopefully entertaining. So keep checking in!!

Day #20: Independance

I can't believe I am at day number twenty. It has not been anywhere near as hard as I thought it would be. It definitely was not a piece of cake (ooh that sounds good!) but not insane. People keep asking me what I plan to do after, am I going back to meat. I have to say I have enjoyed the way I feel eating this way. It's been a whole new world to me of energy and clarity of thinking. Although I have no answer as of yet, I am enjoying every minute of this.

I even proved that I can do this on my own. Since Mike has had to be out of town for work all week I have had to prove to myself that I can do this for me. I have done it, it was hard at first. No one to cook for or be organized for is hard for me, but I have taken myself out to lunch and chosen vegetarian options each time, I even went grocery shopping today and made a Corn soufle and had a nice baby spinach salad and enjoyed it very much.

I am anxious to go to a doctor and have blood work done and see if it has made a difference. I have always had high cholesterol and blood pressure and blood sugar. Now my sodium intake is down, my meat products are out and I feel wonderful. The scale even seems to like me again!

As we wind down on these final days of my quest I will share some of my favorite recipes with you so you can try them yourself. Many of you have asked and I am excited to share, so look for them in the coming days. Thank you for all of your support.

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On The Dinner Plate: As I said I made a corn soufle tonight. I have to say it was pretty good, but a little sweet. I think it would make a perfect side dish to a more savory main dish. Still over-all it was easy and good and that is what counts!

Day #17: Thankful

So I made it, I am more than half-way through and, no, I have not slipped and eaten meat yet. I honestly don't miss it that much at all. I have been learning so much and I do hope I have been able to share that with all of you in a way that makes sense. It's funny, I notice more when I don't eat right. I can feel the sluggishness that comes with overdoing the sugar, the bloating from over-eating on all the wrong things. Where before I think I did it so often that it felt like feeling that way was normal, now I know what feeling really good is like so that contrast is astounding.

I have learned that I can still gain weight without eating meat and that a lifestyle change is a daily choice. I choose to be healthy and I have to make that choice a thousand times a day. I am confronted time and again with options that can go either way. It is more than just food choices; it is attitude choices, reaction choices, word choices and they really are all connected. The way I feel at the end of the day is greatly effected by the choices I have made throughout that day.

I have come to realize and accept that everything is connected. I know that my health is my responsibility. I am the one in the driver's seat and if I crash and burn I have no one to blame but myself. I do have to say, that I could not do any of it without the support system that I have though. Although ultimately it comes down to me and what I choose to do, the support of those around me help me to continue on the path to health.

To all of my friends who have sent such supportive and kind words to me ,I thank you. To the people who have emailed me and asked questions and told me I have inspired them, I am deeply humbled by your words and have much gratitude to you. To those amazing people I see everyday who keep me positive and allow us to share together, you do more than you know. To the one who walks beside me everyday of our lives, who loves me even when I don't make sense, and supports me because he wants what makes me happy, there are no words just my heart.

So I realize this sounds like a Sally Fields acceptance speech, but cheesy or not, I feel very touched tonight. All the support keeps me feeling accountable and helps me to stay on track and that means the world to me. So for what it is worth. Thank you all!

If it weren't for the support system I am so lucky to have, I don't think it would be easy at all.

Day #4: Frustration

Ok so I am over half way through the first week. By far the hardest part has been the new recipes. Trying to find ones that we like, things we would not mind eating again. We don't have old favorites we can fall back on here, we have never eaten this way. It is a very odd experience. We have to rebuild the palate in some sense.

At the end of a long day when you just want to go home, relax on the couch and eat a delicious dinner, this is where the frustration can creep in . We try something new every night, this can be a fun exhilerating experience, but it does not always pan out. So when you drag yourself home after that difficult day and that dinner doesn't quite work out, it can be sorely disappointing.

I think part of it is also the withdrawals from eating my comfort foods, getting away from what I know. I think we all have inside of us that stubborn 2-year-old child who wants to throw a tantrum and rebel at the mention of change. I can feel that rebellion boiling up inside. I knew it would be coming at some point, but I will prevail. I won't give in, I will exercise that will-power I have kept locked away for this very moment. Darn you, Spaghetti and meatballs, for creeping in my stressed out mind and taunting my rebellious child inside, Darn you I say! Change takes time.

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Ok, so normally I like to put up a picture of what we ate, but unfortunately there were some camera issues and I was not able to get the pictures. We had sweet potatoe burritos with salsa tonight. Like I said, we weren't thrilled with dinner tonight. It was ok, but nothing I would run to do again.

Day #3: Reactionary Life

Here we are at day number three and I'm not tempted to throw in the towel yet. I enjoy the feeling of doing something good for my health. I feel accomplished everyday that I stick to being a vegetarian.

It is a new world though to me. People look at you differently, at least when they hear you say you are a vegetarian. It seems just uttering the word brings out passionate opinions from everyone you speak to. I must admit that this quirky detail took me aback. This is a personal choice I am making, it is not a decision that I took lightly. It certainly is not an easy lifestyle choice at all. I have done this for myself and I don't expect anyone else to conform to my thinking, and yet some people act like I have raised a personal afront against their way of life.

It is amusing to me the need that arises in some to talk to me and help me see the error of my ways and come back to the light. Some have been humorous and others passionately serious. I had my first restaurant experience as a vegetarian today. I ordered a very yummy lunch and asked that they hold the shrimp, a very short time later the cook came out and asked me if I was sure. She said "You always get the shrimp when you come in ." ( I swear I have only been there a few times) I explained that I was a vegetarian now and she asked me why. Now, she was very nice and sweet and meant no harm, but what a reaction.

I get asked the age old question all the time as well; "Where will you get your protein?" I think vegetarians have been asked this for years. I am trying to be healthy and take care of my body. I am fully aware that I need protein and vitamins and iron. There is no need for a lack of these things in a vegetarian's diet and many staple foods in this are filled with protein and iron.

It is funny that no one seemed nearly as concerned with my eating habits when I was killing myself with fast food and sweets, but now that I am eating healthy people can't seem to "help" me enough. I get it though. Change is uncomfortable even to watch in someone else. There is a deep, underlying urge when we see someone who's path is different than our own, to reach out and try to pull them along side us. Maybe it is a need to feel validated and right about our path and choices in life. I really don't have the answer, but at 34 there is one thing I finally learned. Life is never black and white and I am so happy about that. There are so many colors and differences and I have no control over any of them.

There is a word made popular in Yoga and used in Napal and India; Namaste. Literally it means "I bow to you". It is a show of respect to another. It has come to have many different meanings today, but the basic idea is, "I respect you and recognize the worth in us both." What a beautiful sentiment. In the words of the great Maya Angelou, "We are more alike than we are unalike." So walk my path or have another way, but just remember that in the end we are all in this world together.

Namaste

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On the dinner plate tonight: I made a spanish rice in the slow cooker today. It had bell peppers, green onions, cilantro, chilis, tomato sauce, brown rice and cooked in beer (yes, I said beer). For the main course we had hot portobello mushroom sandwiches with spinach. I loved the sandwiches and enjoyed the rice. It was a bit rich, but good. I will admit that Mike was not a huge fan of it at all so we will not be seeing a lot of it in our future. Hey, we are learning as we go right? :)

Day #2

Ok, so day 2 down now. I tried to up my food intake a bit today to try to curb the hunger that comes in now and then. I do want to make clear that it is not severe hunger by any means, I am not torturing myself. I just notice that I am hungry more often. I have always heard that you should eat snacks and small meals throughout the day, but I never imagined the need for it.

Most people are shocked when I say that I rarely would even eat three meals a day, there were days when it was just dinner that I ate. So many seem to believe that if you are overweight you must be eating a lot of food or excess calories. Our bodies are very intricate and complicated machines and so many factors can play into weight gain. Eating too little can be just as damaging to your metabolism as eating too much.

So this is me trying to learn a new way of life. Learning to eat to live and not live to eat, as they say. When I try to explain this experiment to the more skeptical of my friends I compare it to a computer needing to be hard booted and restarted. I am hard booting my body, taking things down to the most simple and healthy they can be in order to install a new program of healthier eating and living. I don't know what lies beyond this 26 days, but I will have a very healthy base point in which to build from.

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Ok now I seem to have a lot of interest in the dinners that we choose to make here in my house, so I have included another picture above. Tonight, Mike made a lentil soup with celery, tomatoes, carrots, and onions with basil and a side of whole wheat roll. It was actually very yummy and filling. I didn't feel deprived at all. :)

Healthy Snack: I am originally from Washington state where at every Mexican restaurant they serve what they call Cabbage Salsa. I love this stuff so much that years ago my sister tracked down a recipe and now I make it all the time. It is healthy and good for you with cabbage and tomatoes, red onions, jalepenos, and cilantro. I can fill up on this and not feel guilty at all. If you want the recipe let me know!

And So It Begins.......

And so it begins........At 34 years old I have decided that I need to take an active, aggressive role in taking back my health. I am tired of being on one pill after another and looking the other way hoping it all just works out.

I am not a healthy man at 34, maybe it is part genetics, maybe it is lifestyle, but I am running out of time for excuses. For a decade I have been on blood pressure pills and cholesterol, baby aspirin, and now for 4 years it has been pills for diabetes. Reading the labels on these is enough to scare Stephen King. I am so tired of putting things into my body that I do not understand, waiting for the blood work to come back and tell me if I still have a liver from it all. I knew something had to change, but in the middle of it all I was too overwhelmed to even know where to start.

The Decision: My good friend and co-worker, Hillary, talks to me everyday about wellness and health. She is a vegetarian and we both believe in being the best that we can be. She told me about a documentary where six people go on a journey that reverses their diabetes. I was able to find it online and sat down to watch it with my partner that very night.

These people went on a strictly raw diet for 30 days. No food was even cooked past 118 degrees, there was no caffeine, no processed foods and no dairy either. After 30 days their blood sugar stabilized without medication and they were off all other meds all together. It was like a dream come true for so many of us out here. I was intrigued, my partner was skeptical.

After talking about it together we came to a compromise: The Vegetarian Experiment. In real life there are things to consider: budget, time, relationship, and health. As for budget, lets face it, in this country it costs a lot more to eat healthy. It is easy and cheaper to hit the drive through for their .99 cent menu, or pick up a boxed dinner to throw together after a long day. Things have got to fit into our busy lives as well, it cannot take hours to prepare one meal.

I knew that I would also need the support of my partner or else I could not make it. He loves his steak and burgers and I did not want to impose my decision on him, but I needed his support. We made a compromise; he could eat whatever he wanted away from me (at work, out with friends) and when we were together we would go vegetarian. He didn't have to, but he loves me and wants me healthy as well.

Finally, as with any huge life change, be careful. It is highly recommended that you have a doctor to talk to through it all. I am going to monitor myself closely; blood sugar levels, blood pressure.

This is it though, I have to do something. I don't know if it will help at all, I have no idea what will come at the end of such a short time, but I hope for better. I don't expect a miracle, a cure of it all, I just want better. Better than where I started, a step closer to living longer, a new approach to living my life. I lost my father at 57, an aunt in her 50s and a cousin in her 30s. The time is now. ..........And so it begins!