Weight loss success!

As of today, I have reached my goal of losing 20 pounds and have even exceeded it by almost an additional pound. I am down by 20.8 pounds since mid-August. I am now going to eat very lightly for the next week and continue to focus on low starch, low fat veggies, fruits and plant based proteins so that I can lose a bit more or at least hold it steady before the Christmas feast and other tempting goodies start to appear.  I have been avoiding doing a lot of baking before Christmas this year so that I can keep the temptations from derailing my progress.  I haven't been doing any rigorous exercise routines lately; as I mentioned in my last post, my main source of exercise right now is walking (mostly while Christmas shopping). After the holidays I plan to get back to some more aerobic forms of exercise and light weight lifting.

For the past two days it has been chilly and damp with some big rainstorms moving through.  This kind of weather draws me toward nice big bowls of soup, stew or chowder.  Recently I made a big pot of veggie soup using things I had on hand.  I started with vegetable broth (a 32 oz. container) and added 1 can of tomato sauce (14 oz.), a can of diced tomatoes (14 oz.), and a can of cooked lentils, same size.  Then I put in one medium diced onion, a few teaspoons of minced garlic, some shredded carrots and cabbage and some frozen turnip greens with diced turnips.  I also had some fresh kale in the fridge so I chopped a few cups of that and threw it in.  For seasonings I added some onion salt, crushed chili peppers, some blackened Cajun seasoning and some Caribbean jerk seasoning.  It sounds a little bit weird to mix all of those spices, but it turned out super delicious, for my taste buds anyway.  I like a lot of spices in my soup, and it's fun to just get creative and see what happens.

Here is a great quote I just saw on Facebook as a reminder of the importance of a lifestyle that is compassionate toward all creatures:

"As the crisis of feeding the world's population grows, breeding of animals for human consumption becomes less acceptable out of compassion for the suffering of animals and the awareness that it is a grossly inefficient use of water and grain. A new relationship with the animal kingdom is part of our changing perception of the Earth.... Animals are part of us, and part of our practice." --Allan Hunt Badiner

The Holidays Are Upon Us - Wishing You a Healthy Season!

Time has been flying by so fast lately that I lost track of how long it has been since I added to this blog.  My weight loss progress has been basically on hold for the last few weeks, although I got within 1 pound of my goal as of November 20th.  Since then there was Thanksgiving week and now we are looking at Christmas travel plans, shopping for gifts, etc.  In two weeks I will be traveling to New York to spend the holidays with my domestic partner's mom and sister and his two kids, and visiting with the relatives who live nearby.

The weather has turned colder which has put a damper on my motivation to exercise, but I am making the most of the opportunities to walk while shopping.  It's pretty easy to spend 2 or 3 hours at a time in the mall admiring all of the beautiful displays while looking for special gifts for special people.  It just amazes me to see all of the new gadgets and fabulous clothing that we get to choose from, especially at this time of year.  The creativity that goes into making them is just so incredible.

In looking at my weight loss goals, I am focusing on meeting and hopefully exceeding my original goal of losing 20 pounds from August 25th, although I missed my first deadline of  mid-October (way too ambitious) and my second deadline of November 20th.  I gained a few pounds during Thanksgiving week, but have been pretty good since then. Right now I am only 1.5 pounds above the 20 pound goal.  I would like to work my way down about 3.5 pounds by December 20th so that I am 2 pounds below my original goal weight.  That way I have room to indulge a bit in the last part of December, and New Year's weekend.

I am writing this blog partly to keep myself accountable and to make sure that I stay on track with my weight and with a healthy diet even after I reach my goal.  I also want to share information I come across that is useful to those who are concerned about our agricultural and food production systems and how they affect our own health and the health of our planet.

Below are a few recipes ideas I have come across lately that are tasty and nutritious.

Chickpea Salad

Mash a can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or blend in blender until coarsely ground.  Add some reduced fat Vegenaise, chopped celery, spicy mustard, and lemon juice to taste.  Can also add some onion powder and/or curry powder if you feel adventurous.  Serve by itself or on bread as a sandwich.


Caribbean Peas and Rice (from happyherbivore.com)

    1 bunch scallions, white parts sliced thin
    2 whole celery stalks, minced
    4 whole garlic cloves, minced
    2 tbsp fresh ginger root, minced
    4 whole fresh thyme twigs
    1½ tsp Tabasco green pepper sauce
    2 tbsp ketchup
    ¼ tsp turmeric (optional)
    1 bunch kale, chopped
    15 ounces black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
    2 cups brown rice, uncooked
    2½ cups vegetable broth
    2 tsp Jamaican dried jerk seasoning

Combine rice with 2 cups of vegetable broth in a large pot and set aside. Line a skillet with a thin layer of broth and add scallions, celery, garlic, ginger, thyme, jalapeno sauce and 1 tsp jerk seasoning. Cook over high heat, adding additional broth as necessary, until the celery is soft, about 3 minutes. Add remaining jerk seasoning, stirring to coat. Transfer to rice, add 2 squirts of ketchup and turmeric (for color), stirring to combine. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to low and simmer 40-50 minutes, until rice is cooked, but keep and eye on it, as you may need to add more broth or water (some brown rice is very thirsty). Meanwhile, lightly steam greens. Press out any excess water and chop into bite-sized pieces. Once rice is fully cooked, fluff with a spatula then stir in rice and greens. Serve with jalapeno sauce on the table. 


Bean Bread (from Facebook pal Thomas Bergel)

    1 cup boiling water
    1 cup raisins
    1 (15 ounce) can of your favorite beans (do not discard liquid)
    2 cups sugar
    4 1/2 teaspoons Ener G egg replacement mixed with 6 tablespoons
        water (or 3 eggs)
    1 cup canola oil
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    3 cups whole wheat flour
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    1 cup finely chopped nuts of your choice (optional)

Mix raisins in water; set aside to cool.  Mash beans with a fork or blend in blender until fairly smooth.

Beat oil, egg replacement or eggs, sugar and vanilla with beans.  Mix flour with baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon and add to batter. Drain water off raisins and fold in to batter, setting water aside. Add nuts if desired. If batter is too stiff, add little of water from raisins. Pour into well-greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Wrap in aluminum foil and serve the next day (for better slicing).

Also very good with dried cranberries in place of raisins.  Can make cupcakes--reduce baking time to approximately 35 minutes.

Bean bread is as old as the hills.  The American Indians enjoyed it.  Each tribe had a variation. It doesn't taste like beans but rather like a nice sweet brown bread.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Sandwich Anyone? A Low Calorie Burger Alternative

I am still on my weight loss plan and have found a few more things to add to my meal options. One of them is a "mushroom burger" without the meat.  Many restaurants serve hamburgers topped with mushrooms and cheese, which are very high in fat and calories.  The version that I created has mushrooms as the main "attraction", flavored with teriyaki sauce and pineapples.  I marinate some sliced portobella mushrooms in teriyaki for 30 minutes or more, then grill them in a saucepan with some crushed pineapple until the mushrooms are tender.  Next drain the excess liquid and load the mushroom mixture onto a toasted whole wheat bun along with low calorie mayo, sliced tomatoes and lettuce.  It's very yummy!

As an update on the weight loss progress, I gained about a pound during my vacation week in Myrtle Beach--not too bad!  I returned on October 23rd, and since then I have lost that pound again and an additional 2 pounds.  I have now lost a total of 17 pounds in about 3 months and I am just 3 pounds away from my original goal. I would like to lose those 3 pounds by November 20th. 

I have been sticking with very light breakfasts of fruit or whole grain toast, and soups and/or salads for either lunch or dinner, plus lots of low starch veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, etc.  For added flavor I sometimes add in some corn with the veggies.  I also eat an occasional small potato which I cook until tender and mash up with a bit of vegetable margarine (trans fat free) and some kind of seasoning.  I use a variety of spices and seasonings on the veggies, such as cajun spices, dried garlic with red chili, taco seasoning or caribbean jerk seasoning. 

Protein sources are the veggies, beans that I add to salads or include in soups, and various tofu dishes and whole grains.  I have an occasional serving of seafood such as sardines, shellfish (shrimp, clams or scallops), tuna or salmon.  Other than seafood I have been avoiding all animal products including dairy.  My energy level is staying very high and my appetite has decreased substantially so that I don't feel an urge to overeat as much as I have in the past.

Progress Report

I have been following a plant food based weight loss plan (with the exception of an occasional bit of seafood) since the middle of August--see my post dated August 25th.  I had hoped to lose 20 pounds in 7 or 8 weeks but that turned out to be a little bit over-ambitious.  Since my last post on September 29th I have lost another 4 pounds, for a total of 15 pounds.  I am three-quarters of the way to my goal, with only 5 pounds left!

The next week is going to be challenging because I am going out of town with my significant other to meet his mom and sister in Myrtle Beach for some r&r.  I don't think I will try to lose any more weight while I am there, since that would be the ultimate in wishful thinking, but I am going to do my best to get lots of exercise and eat moderately.  Hopefully I can keep from gaining any back.

After I get back, my plan will be to get down to my original goal weight by November 20th.  Now that I have a pretty good system going, I think that it will be doable.  I would really like to get a little below that weight so that I won't completely blow it over Thanksgiving week!

Going with the lower fat meals and lots of low starch veggies has been the key for me.  I have also found that my overall appetite decreased gradually over time and I have been satisfied with much smaller portions than I used to eat.  I also bumped up my exercise schedule gradually, and I am still not a big exercise freak, so I believe that moderate exercise is sufficient to keep the fat burning up.

In the past few weeks I have come across some good websites with great vegetarian recipes.  Here are a few of them, which I hope you will really enjoy!

www.happyherbivore.com
www.delectableplanet.com
www.vegelicious.org

Weight Loss News--the Saga Continues...

My scale is stuck!

It has now been five weeks since I started on my weight loss program by combining several different plans that I have read about (see post dated August 25th for details).  So far I am down by about 11 pounds, which is a bit less than I had hoped for by now.  I seem to have hit another plateau for almost the last week, after losing three pounds the week before that.

My initial goal was to lose 20 pounds by mid-October.  It looks like it may take a few more weeks to get there, as I don't think it will be realistic to lose 9 pounds in the next two weeks.  I am going to do my best to ramp up my exercise schedule again, and reduce my fat intake a little bit more--bye bye peanut butter and nutty snacks, at least for now.

I am currently working out by walking outdoors a few times a week for about 30 minutes, and using my own elliptical trainer at home for 20-30 minutes 3 to 4 times per week.  I am not as enthusiastic about the latter as I used to be, so I have to encourage myself to do it with thoughts of fitting into some of my clothes that are still too snug.  My plan now will be to work out at least 30 minutes per day, with a combination of walking, cardio and light weight training.

The last time I was at my ideal weight was about five years ago.  Now I want to get back down to that level--and find a way to keep it there!  I will definitely need a solid exercise schedule in place once I begin to eat larger portions again.  The trick will be to stay with healthy whole foods as my basic eating lifestyle and not give in to too many temptations, especially when I am out and about with other people and having more restaurant meals.

Speaking of weight loss news, last week there was some buzz about former President Bill Clinton adopting a vegetarian diet for losing weight and helping to heal damaged arteries and heart muscle tissue.  There have been some promising studies with people who have partially or completely reversed their heart disease by following a healthy (mostly whole) plant food diet.  Here is a link to an article about Bill Clinton:

http://calorielab.com/news/2010/09/25/bill-clintons-vegan-weight-loss-secret-and-his-4-heart-disease-reversal-gurus/.

I have recently read that several weight loss doctors, Dr. John McDougall and Dr.Neal Barnard, are advocates of a low fat plant food diet, both for weight loss and for optimal health benefits.  Dr. Barnard is especially known for helping patients with Type 2 Diabetes, and Dr. McDougall coaches patients with many different health issues, helping them to either reduce or eliminate the need for prescription drugs.  Even though some fats can be healthy, we still need to carefully watch our intake of those fats in order to reach our weight loss goals. 

Here are links to some interesting books from these two doctors:

 













  

Three Quick Veggie Meals

Here are some ideas I have come up with for really easy and fast veggie dishes:

1.  Tempeh with Thai Peanut Sauce and Veggies

I used some multigrain tempeh and satay peanut sauce that I found at Trader Joe's for a tasty dinner.  For veggies I used frozen green beans, cauliflower and broccoli.  First I cooked the veggies in the microwave until they were cooked but still firm.  Then I cut the tempeh into bite sized pieces (about 1/2 cup per serving) and stir fried it in a skillet that was coated with olive oil cooking spray.  When the tempeh was lightly browned, I added the veggies (about 2 cups per serving) and enough peanut sauce to thoroughly coat everything.  Once the ingredients are heated through, the dish is ready to eat!

2.  Green Salad with Mexican Style Beans

I started with a nice green salad, including romaine lettuce, bell peppers, cucumber, onion and tomato.  Then I took a can of low fat refried beans and added taco seasoning (to taste) and some diced green chilis.  Once the beans were well seasoned I heated them in the microwave until they were just warmed, and tossed them into the green salad along with some nice salsa.  Sort of like a taco salad, but without the extra calories of  taco meat or tortillas.  For one serving I used about 1/2 cup of the bean mixture over a large bowl of green salad.  You can adjust the amounts depending on how hungry you are.

3.  Mixed Veggies with Lemon Hummus Dressing

We have a new Fresh and Easy grocery store that recently opened in our neighborhood.  I went there for the grand opening and found a few items that were new to me.  One is a salad dressing under their own brand called "lemon hummus vinaigrette".  For me it is a little bit too strong on the lemony taste for a cold salad, but I decided that it might be good with hot veggies.  So tonight I took some frozen broccoli, cauliflower and spinach and cooked the veggies in the microwave until almost done.  For the last minute I poured in the dressing and finished cooking them.  It was quite delicious!  The dressing contains garbanzo beans (pureed), cider vinegar, cilantro, canola oil, lemon zest, lime juice concentrate, garlic and salt.  It is low in calories at only 35 per serving (2 tbsp).  I had a large bowl of the hot veggies with dressing and was very full.  For a heartier dish it would be good served with brown rice.

If you try any of these dishes, let me know how you liked them.

For those trying to transition to a more plant based diet like me, here is an interesting cookbook:

Making Adjustments In Your Weight Loss Plan

It has now been almost 3 weeks since I started on my plan to lose 20 pounds by mid-October.  I am following a primarily whole food plant based diet and trying to stay away from processed and refined foods.  I don't eat any animal products with the exception of some seafood maybe 2 or 3 times a week.  I have been working on increasing my exercise levels gradually, although exercise is not a major part of my strategy.

Right now I am down 5 pounds from my official starting point but also down around 8 pounds from my highest point in August. So I feel that I am making pretty good progress overall.  I have discovered in the past that when I initially start a new weight loss plan, it takes a few weeks for my body to adjust to the process and get into fat burning mode.  After every pound or two my body seems to try to resist and get stuck at the new level for a few days or more. 

So, I have found that I also need to resolve to not only stick to my plan and not give in to the temptation to overindulge in foods I enjoy (even healthy ones), but also make adjustments to portions, eating more foods that are less calorie dense, until the weight loss kicks in again.  The positive side is that as I stay with smaller portions my appetite eventually decreases as well and I am satisfied with less, along with the satisfaction of seeing the scale move down again.  I bounced around for the first 2 weeks, so the bulk of the 5 pounds I have lost in the last three weeks has come in the last 7 days.

For breakfast I am eating some fresh fruit and/or a light fruit smoothie made with some frozen fruit, rice milk or fruit flavored water and some ground flax seed.  That seems to be enough to hold me until lunch, which is usually a large green salad with a low fat dressing and some veggie or bean soup.  Sometimes I add whole grain crackers (e.g., Wasa or Akmak) with hummus, but if I'm satisfied without the crackers I save them for a mid-afternoon snack. 

For dinner I usually eat a variety of cooked veggies with beans or soy meat (tofu, tempeh or meatless "chicken, etc.) and flavor them with Indian curry sauce or Thai peanut sauce or another such concoction--I tend to like the spicier sauces.  Cajun seasoning is also a good option, and I like any kind of beans with tomatoes/tomato sauce and chili seasoning mix.  I also make bean tostadas using taco seasoning with low fat refried beans over a sprouted whole grain tortilla and topped with lettuce, tomatoes and salsa. 

I like to have some dark chocolate for my evening snack, along with tea or decaffeinated coffee.  If I feel I need a little more I add a few raw nuts or seeds.  I also take daily vitamin/mineral supplements including extra B12 and D3.

I am not using any dairy products, but tostadas and meatless tacos or burritos are actually surprisingly good without the cheese.  I have always been a big cheese lover but haven't found any nondairy cheese that I like that well.  I found that going without cheese and dairy products is not as difficult as I expected.  The Eat to Live Diet book is adamantly against cheese and suggested only small amounts of nonfat dairy products if you feel you want them.  We are taught to believe that we need dairy products to get enough calcium in our diet, but if we eat the right kinds of veggies we will get more than adequate amounts without all the unhealthy fats or the lactose sugars. 

After all, what animals in nature continue to drink their mothers' milk after the first year or so?  And the milk from cows or goats is not the same as milk from human mothers anyway.  So it is more likely that we eat dairy products because we just like the taste and have been brought up with it, not because we really need it.  We have to look at the whole picture and see what the real benefits are, and what happens to the animals who are being used as the source of our indulgences.  That's my view now, after giving it a lot of consideration.