"No diet will remove all the fat from your body because the brain is entirely fat. Without a brain, you might look good, but all you could do is run for public office."
- George Bernard Shaw
Hi everyone! I hope you experience a most wonderful week. This week in 2011 only comes around but once in everybody's lifetime. Make the most of it and leave nothing but positive marks where you tread.
344? Yeah, an ugly number. I had a doctor's appointment and all was going well until the nurse called me back and asked me to step onto that "truth teller". She called it a scale but I called it a downer. Or, did I???
Am I depressed? Bummed? Disappointed? Yes and no, actually. It's truly no-one's fault except my own. No-one can influence this number except me, myself and I. I'm not going to yell at myself or allow myself to get depressed. Depression invokes negativity and why would I impose this onto myself (or those around me, yourself included)?
What did I learn? Chucky - The Fat Vegetarian isn't getting any lighter. Common senses says that unless Chucky makes some changes, over and beyond this vegetarian lifestyle, that the only way he will get lighter is when he is either cremated or buried in the Earth to slowly decompose.
First of all, allow me to unequivocally state: "I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever for making my vegetarian lifestyle choice back on October 1st of 2011." Weight aside, I and the planet around me is in a much better place because of the change. Mentally and physically I feel 101% better today than I did less than one year ago. So... I believe that I haven't done anything wrong. I've been making fantastic choices as I live and learn and stroll the vegetarian path of life. So many positive changes that I don't know where to begin: making organic food choices, reducing dairy consumption, choosing less processed foods, etc.
Okay ~ Chucky feels like he's doing some of the right things and is not looking back. What am I going to do now? Logic dictates that weight isn't going to "wish itself away". My steps are small but significant, I hope.
Here are some of the changes to be made:
- Attempt to eliminate processed food stuffs from my diet. Whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts become the primary source of nutrition.
- Live a detoxifying lifestyle. Plan juicing in the daily regiment thereby replacing processed or over-cooked foods with fresh wholesome and nutritional vegetable/fruit juices. Put that Blendtec to work!
- Where abstinence is not practical, make absolute best choices possible.
- Give up dairy and go vegan. Eww... this will be tough!
- Etc., etc., etc.
Even this morning I am able to cite positive lifestyle examples. Due to a medical situation, I am forced to temporarily alter my daily schedule. Until this medical situation has been rectified, my schedule is somewhat adulterated. For convenience, Tiffany and I have elected to stop by a Subway early in the morning to experience our breakfast. We're forced to rise much earlier than our normal times and somewhat rush out of the house each morning to attend this personal (medical) business.
I had a 6" breakfast sandwich on 9-grain whole wheat bread (their lowest calorie selection) using egg white, no meat, no cheese and no sauces. Simply egg white, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno slices, banana pepper, tomato, and spinach on a 6" roll. Upon taking our meal to the table we add a piece of vegetarian meat and use 0-calorie hot sauce for condiment. Until this morning, I varied on the bread choice and always included cheese. I've effectively knocked 50-calories from my morning sandwich with this simple and easy change.
Tiffany & I watched "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead" on Netflix over the weekend. We're so pumped up wanting to do a 60-day juicing detox! We dropped by Borders bookstore yesterday to purchase two really nice juice recipe books. We can't immediately jump into 100% juicing but it's in our plans. First we will cleanse our refrigerator of perishable processed and dairy foods. We will probably wait until my medical necessities have taken their due course.
But ~ instead of making excuses and waiting for that day, we will be choosing mornings as our processed food meal (Subway sandwich) and electing homemade vegetables (soup, steamed, broiled, grilled, etc.) for lunch, and liquid raw fruit/vegetable juice for dinner. Not quite a detox but better than sitting and waiting. I told Tiffany that this was my "S, S & J Diet" (Subway, soup and juice). <LOL>
Coffee in the morning for breakfast but green tea and water thereafter. Simple subtle changes included. A calorie saved here and a calorie saved there can certainly snowball into a substantial amount. I'm on cloud ten right now! My actions need only follow my mind! Due diligence and sacrifice will take me to health nirvana that I seek.
You don't have to wish me luck because I don't need it. No amount of warm wishes or fond hopes from you that I achieve my goals can help. I am the captain of this ship. It's my name on my contract of life. The credit for success or loss falls entirely with yours truly. Guess what? I am not going to steer the ship into an iceberg.
It might be hard to tell from my blog postings but I consider myself a relative positive thinker. The glass has never been half empty on my table. Life is simply too short. I don't believe in the blame game either. With the knowledge that attain, it's my belief that any intelligent person can weigh right from wrong on the balance scales of health.
A word of personal thanks. Thank you Michele for turning Tiffany and I onto Joe Cross' film If not for your blog post, I may have never discovered this gem on my Netflix. I not only offer you my written "Thanks!' but will show you personal thanks with expressions of weight loss and health gained! Smile my friend... your blog post has touched someone (me).
Hi-dee hi-dee I-am-renewed-this-day-ho my friend.
PS: Stay tuned, okay?
