Say-it-with-pictures Sunday

[caption id="attachment_401" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Photo courtesy of federico stevanin at www.freedigitalphotos.net[/caption]

Follow Friday

While I am not doing their program, Sheleana and Caleb of Young and Raw are a constant motivation to me.

They post tons of interesting info on their  Facebook page and at their blog.

And, if you want to go raw (and not crazy) they have a program for you.

Check them out.

Interview on health: Another great success story

This week's interview is with Condalicia. She has gone from a high of 399 pounds to 263 pounds in about 17 months living a plant-based lifestyle. And, while she's not following Dr. Fuhrman's plant-based lifestyle, the changes she has made are remarkable.

[caption id="attachment_469" align="alignleft" width="300"] Condalicia's side-by-side before and after photos (or, I should say 17 months in, because she has another 116 pounds she'd like to lose)[/caption]

Here's a little bit about Condalicia:

I'm 43 years old.  I'm happily married to the most wonderful man in the world.  SMILE.  I have 2 grown kids.  I babysit a 4 year old boy 5 days a week. 

 1) How long have you been plant based and why did you go plant-based?

I started eating plant based April 10, 2011 so a year and 5 months ago.  Main reason I started eating this way this time around was because I had a wonderful doctor that had me do an elimination diet to see what was making me so sick.  Every time we added meats, or added oils or added salts back into my foods I'd start getting really sick again.  I had done McDougall plan many years before and my husband back then now ex was totally against it so I went back to eating the way he wanted me too.   So when I realized adding that stuff was making me sick I quickly went back and haven't looked back.  I'm so much healthier now. 

(If you're interested in reading more about the health concerns Condalicia had, visit her blog.)

2) You are not doing Eat to Live, or at least didn't start with ETL, where did you find your success?

I have been doing The Maximum weight loss program of Dr John A. McDougall's. 
 

3) What changes have you seen?

Oh my I've had so many changes I was so sick that I thought I was going to die soon and now I'm so healthy that I think I'm going to live for many many years yet and give my hubby and kids issues for LONG TIME.  laugh. 

Here is a short list of some of Condalicia's physical complaints pre-McDougall, again, you can find the full list at her blog:

Irritability/Moodiness
Anemia
Stomach upset
Joint pain
Muscle cramps
Tingling and numbing in the legs, feet, arms and hands.
Weight loss/gain
General weakness and fatigue
Hair Loss
Insomnia
Fibromyalgia
Asthma
pneumonia
Bronchitis
High Blood Pressure
Diverticulitis

4) What keeps you motivated to keep on?

The change in my health has been a great motivator and so has my wonderful husband.  Couldn't ask for better support then I get from him. 

5) What's a typical day (food and exercise wise) like for you?

Oh my I pig out on veggies, potatoes, beans and fruit.  I do try to limit fruit since McDougall limits them for the weight loss plan and I need to lose a lot more still.  I've lost 163lbs and have about 116lbs or so left to go.  Exercise I try to do something every day either walking, running on trampoline,  exercise ball, and bicycling.  Mainly bicycling.   I love going for very long bicycle rides.  20 to 46 miles 2 to 3 times a week.  going to be getting a gym membership soon as well.  

6) Any advice to people who just don't think they can go "that extreme" to lose weight and get healthier?

Nothing is too extreme when it comes to improving our health and making us healthy when we get old as well as now.  Once your doing it doesn't feel extreme either.  2 weeks in and it really starts feeling so much easier to do. 

Thanks for taking the time to anwer questions Condalicia.

This may be old news to some

[caption id="attachment_497" align="aligncenter" width="401"] Photo courtesy of Suat Eman at Free Digital Photos[/caption]

Recently, I heard Serena Williams on a morning TV show talking about her U.S. Open win.

I don't really pay attention to sports, but something she said caught my interest. She mentioned her sister, Venus, had gone vegan and joked that she calls herself a "chegan," meaning she's not 100% perfect on it.

So, I started looking around and turns out that Venus has been diagnosed with Sjorgen's Syndrome. She's gone vegan in an effort to control her disorder, hoping to keep off meds.

She talked to CBS about it.

As if it really matters to her, I applaud her decision to try to avoid medications that would just cause other issues (such as lupus and arthritis) and go the whole foods route.

Ignore what they say and keep on

I saw this posted on a Facebook page I follow and decided to repost it. I'm going to give as much credit as possible.

The original posting page was Sunshine's Journey to 199. She got it from Swim Bike Mom, where it was originally posted.

I couldn't find it at its original location and don't know if it was Swim Bike Mom's Facebook page or her website, so I've copied it from Sunshine's Journey. Here is what Sunshine posted:

[caption id="attachment_483" align="alignleft" width="382"] Originally posted at Swim Bike Mom, shared by Sunshine's Journey to 199[/caption]

"And if this picture isn't enough to inspire you, then maybe the words from the woman in it will. Here is the reply from Jackie herself (pictured) in response to all the Facebook comments (some positive, others negative) when this very same photo was shared on the Swim Bike Mom page – just had to share.

"Thank you Swim Bike Mom for posting this [picture of me.] I am humbled and proud to be an inspiration and actually quite appalled at how some of the posters are treating this. I used to weigh 415 lbs. [and] walking to the mailbox was a struggle. Some people don’t just 'let themselves go' …[they] have actual medical issues that prevent normal every day activities. Say what you will but I got off my ass and did it.

And I consistently do it. I do it for me, not you …and I inspire and amaze myself every day at how far I am able to push my body mentally [and] physically. I feel bad for people who can’t look at any picture of ANY athlete and not be inspired.

Honestly, hearing how this photo has inspired folks, I hope it goes viral! I want everyone to know that it IS ok to be any size and still compete. I am comfortable enough with myself to truly appreciate any praise I get from athletes who [have] finished while I’m still out there encouraging me. Triathlons are truly the only sport I have ever been involved in where people genuinely care about others…I am proud of myself, my unbelievably supportive teammates at the Atlanta Triathlon Club and those online like Swim Bike Mom who takes this for what it is. Inspiration for anyone to get out there and do it. If I can inspire just one person, then I have fulfilled my purpose.

I don’t hear [the] negativity, only the passion I have in my head and heart to achieve anything I set my mind to. I would encourage anyone to watch my progress as I train for the Half Ironman in Augusta on September 30th. Many people half my size wouldn’t even dream of trying to even enter such an event. But I'M DOING IT! First, last, dnf, at least I started and will continue to follow my dreams…. FOR ME.

I hope that all of us encourage others to be their best and are proud that ANYONE attempts these activities. If you can’t applaud every athlete, especially those of us who it takes twice as long to finish and twice as much effort to move twice as much weight across the line, then I feel sad for you that you can’t appreciate the beauty in life and everyone’s journey. FYI the day after this race, I swam the Ridges 5k open water swim from GA to NC… so anything is possible if you put your mind to it!!! I wish all of you good luck and hope to hear about all of your successes (and not so successes on your journeys) as well!!! -Love, Jackie"

I don't know you Jackie, but I admire you. As an aspiring runner, all I can say is you go! I am appalled by the behavior of human beings toward one another. A while back, a friend on Facebook commented on the status of a friend of hers. Because of FB's wonderful settings, I was able to see the original post. The original poster posted a status about some jackass who saw her running and said something to the effect of "Run fat ass, run" as he drove by her. I don't know the original poster but it made me think of another blog post I'd seen.

It takes a great deal of courage, and energy, for someone carrying extra weight to drag themselves out there and get it done. They should be encouraged and applauded, not made fun of and despised.

After I shared this photo on Facebook, another friend shared it from my page and she shared it with this perfectly appropriate quote by Teddy Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Sustainability, you're doing it wrong

The boyfriend was kind enough to take me to a couple apple orchards Saturday. It's fall, after all, and I have been craving apples.

Turns out, the miles we drove were completely unnecessary. I could've bought the same apples I ended up with at the grocery store.

See, we had a warm February and March, and then a hard frost in April. That killed local tree fruit. There are no local apples, peaches, pears. Heck, even other crops were done earlier than usual at some local farms this year.

One orchard owner told me some orchards have closed, others have resorted to buying from orchards in other states. Some of those orchards are even trying to take advantage of our local folks by charging exorbitantly.

I posted a Facebook status lamenting this fact. Here's what I said: "Turns out, thanks to the effed up weather this year, if you're buying apples in Indiana, they probably aren't FROM Indiana, according to one orchard owner . So sad."

Several people responded, including a farming friend (he raises free-range pigs, turkeys, chickens and ducks). And, he and I had a lovely conversation about how U.S. food policy MUST change because as it is now, only factory farms can thrive and the government only subsidizes corn and soybeans, which can be used for a variety of things that have nothing to do with feeding this country's citizens.

The part of his response to my status which hit home for me was this: "Is it really any wonder that most ground in Indiana is planted to corn and soybeans? Is it really any wonder we have the messed up food supply we have? Its really encouraging though to see that a larger number of people are actually starting to care about food."

No, it is not any wonder. When corn can be used for corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fuel, and cheap animal feed AND our government sends money hand over fist to these mass producers of soybean and corn (which are really just frankenveggies having been altered to be able to kill insects without pesticide and to be impervious to pesticides), it is no wonder.

And, this weekend, as I drove through rural northeast Indiana and saw the corn and soybean crops (which didn't fare much better this year because of the brutally hot and dry summer), I thought, "what if?"

What if all those acres and acres and acres were used to feed animals naturally and to grow food that could sustain the counties where they're grown. We'd have an affordable, local food supply. We could all eat closer to home, we could reduce our carbon footprint and we would all probably be healthier and happier in the end.

Imagine fields full of green veggies that can go farm to table instead of pseudo-veggies that go from farm to manufacturing plant to table.

[caption id="attachment_475" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Photo courtesy of mack2happy at Free Digital Photos[/caption]

Say-it-with-pictures Sunday

[caption id="attachment_414" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Photo courtesy of federico stevanin at www.freedigitalphotos.net[/caption]

Follow Friday

I stumbled across this blog while looking for a "cheeze" recipe.

The Vegan Epicurean is worth a visit if you are looking for whole-food, plant-based recipes. Check it out.

BTW, the cheeze dip was PERFECT for Mexican dishes. YUMMY!

Interview on health: Chef AJ, a plant-based chef

"Your diet can be your undoing or your salvation," Chef AJ in Unprocessed.

[caption id="attachment_448" align="alignleft" width="199"] Courtesy of Chef AJ[/caption]

This week's interview is with plant-based chef extraordinaire Chef AJ. I am not kidding when I tell you that when Chef AJ appears in one of the plant-based groups on Facebook, it is cause for celebration. Her first book, Unprocessed, is full of fantastic plant-based recipes. And, she's working on a second book -- this one will be low fat or fat free with no nuts included.

[caption id="attachment_449" align="alignright" width="280"] Cover of Unprocessed, courtesy of Chef AJ[/caption]

Before we go any further, I just want you to know that in Chapter 2, Chef AJ goes into detail about her "long and hard road" to the dietary conclusions she speaks of in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 is appropriately entitled "Why should you listen to me?"

Let's take a look at how Chef AJ answered my interview questions (they are posted here unedited by me). She responded concisely but I must tell you, don't mistake her concise answers for disinterest in her topic. She is a rabid advocate of the plant-based lifestyle.

Let's start with some bio info on our Chef AJ, which includes a few sentences on why she wrote Unprocessed.

1) Tell me some basic biographical info about yourself. Age, how long you've been a chef, info about your new book and how you came to write your first book and any other bio info you want out there.

I am 52.5 years old and have been a chef and culinary instructor for 13 years.  I got so tired of hearing people tell me all of the reasons why they couldn't eat healthy.  These really are just excuses.  I kept hearing my students say how hard their lives were, and that was the reason they couldn't adopt a whole food plant based diet.  So I decided to tell my story.  And I included over 100 really easy, delicious free recipes.  I am proud to say that "My IQ is higher than my cholesterol" (My LDL is 57 mg/dl!)2) What prompted your journey to plant-based eating? How long have you been plant based?I have followed a plant exclusive diet for over 35 years.  At the age of 17, I was pre-vet at the University of Pennsylvania and the first day on the job working for a veterinarian he wanted me to cut the heads off of live salamanders.  I did it one time and it was such a horrific experience I immediately stopped eating and wearing ALL critters.  I guess you could say it was what Oprah calls an "AHA moment"3) What do you say to those who say they could never go plant-based? Never say never.  While this may, in fact, be true for some, it's not necessarily going to be true for you.  It's just their food addictions talking.  Often when people get fat enough or sick enough and are headed for coronary bypass surgery or daily injectable insulin, they change their tune.  If the ear biting Mike Tyson could go vegan then anything is possible! 4) You recently dropped even more weight by taking nuts out of your diet, what do you say to those who say you need the healthy fat? They are right, but we don't need as much as most people, especially overweight people are eating.  You can get all the essential Omega 3 fatty acids you need by eating 1-2 Tablespoons of ground flax seeds, chia seeds or an ounce of walnuts a day.  You can get all the fat you need from WHOLE FOOD sources, no one needs to consumed processed oils, EVER!!! 5) What is the single most important kitchen item to have when eating plant-based? Well, I am going to answer that question differently today than I would have 9 months ago when I got my first Cuisinart electric pressure cooker at Costco for $69.  Now I use it every day and even travel with it so I can eat my greens everyday.  I can make entire meals in 10 minutes or less!!! 6) What is your favorite plant-based meal? This is probably going to sound boring but right now it's so hot that my favorite meal is fresh watermelon with fresh banana ice cream made in the Champion Juicer.  When it gets a bit cooler my answer will be Jocelyn Graef's Portabella Mushroom Chili over a baked potato (the recipe is from the Low-Fat Herbivore and she is graciously allowing me to share it in my next book)

And, speaking of that next book, it is called The UNPROCESSED 30 Day Challenge.

If you are interested in learning more about Chef AJ, check out her website at www.eatunprocessed.com and, while you are there, check out the video clips of "The Chef and the Dietitian." Chef AJ and Julieanna Hever make cooking plant-based meals fun.

I want to extend my warmest regards and appreciation to Chef AJ for agreeing to this interview. And, please, if you think you might want to eat plant-based but don't know where to start, check out Unprocessed.