Thursday, May 27, 2010

Happy Thursday - One Day Until a Long Weekend!


The good thing about today is that it is almost the weekend. I need a long weekend something fierce. This week has not been one of the best. But it is almost over and that is a very good thing. I am ready for some fun and relaxation. For those of you that listened to me whine today a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart! You have no idea how much you helped me not have a mini breakdown. Thankfully I bounce back quickly. ;-)

The weather the last few days was uncomfortable to say the least. I am not fond of heat and today it has 90 plus degrees and not very pleasant. The air conditioning is still cranking at our house. Early today I would have loved to hit the pavement to get out my frustration but the weather was not right for it. Heather suggested kickboxing and that was a brilliant idea! Sometimes kick and punching is just what you need to get your frustrations and stress out. I felt so much better once I was finished. If you haven’t tried kickboxing I highly recommend it. What a wonderful stress reliever it is.

Memorial Day:

Memorial Day isn’t a holiday where we tend to do anything special. At our place it does mean the official start of summer. For us that translates into more cold and raw food. Shorts and sandals become the uniform of choice. My hair will normally be a in a high pony tail, like it was 30 years ago when I was a cheerleader, though there are some grey hairs now that I didn’t have then. Both Dan and I move a little slower in the summer though we are also outside much more often soaking up the UVB and vitamin D (post to come on that).

Speaking of outside I may see if Dan feels like going for a nice long bike ride this weekend. We haven’t done that yet this year. A bike ride and a picnic sound like a great idea. What do you have planned for this long weekend? Something good I hope.

Eat to Live:

I know that some of you are doing or have tried to do “Eat to Live” (hereafter E2L) because I get a lot of great email and comments about it. Any of you that have been reading for a while know I love Dr. Fuhrman and “Eat to Live.” I love the nutritional aspect of the plan but it also is good if you want to drop a few pounds. I decided I should write a little about our experience so that you would know what to expect. We went from omni to E2L so it was probably a bigger change for us than most of you will probably experience. I read the book in a few hours and we went vegan with the next meal. What I like about the plan is that is science based. The doctor does a great job of footnoting his sources and you can go on line to read the studies if you wish. I did this for many of the studies he cited. Yes I am that much of a nutrition geek, LOL. If any of you like science I recommend the book for that aspect alone.

The question I get most often is how hard was it? Well if you think a root canal is a party this plan is for you. ;-) The first couple of weeks I was miserable, not unhappy but downright miserable. I stomped around complaining that I would rather die than eat like this. A little dramatic, you think? Sadly this is exactly what happened. I cheated and ate more starch and added a little oil and convinced myself that I was following the plan. Yeah, okay if you say so Alicia. But I just couldn’t commit 100% immediately. Twenty three days after we started Dan was scheduled for a blood draw for a visit to his internist. He and the doc had been watching his cholesterol and there was talk of prescribing a statin drug.

Neither Dan nor I like to take meds. We don’t like to take a Tylenol when we get a headache unless absolutely necessary. This is where the magic in the story happens. Dan’s cholesterol went from 280 to 165 in a matter of 23 days and we weren’t as diligent as we should have been. My reaction was to be overjoyed. This is when I knew we were on to something. Additionally my blood pressure went from 120/80 to 95/55 in just a few months. The physical results were amazing. Even today the seasonal allergies I struggled with each spring for more than 20 years are gone, vanished. I used to “have to” take pseudoephedrine every four hours all spring (don’t cringe Louis). If I didn’t take them, and I tried that approach, I lived with constant sinus headaches. I think we all know how debilitating those can be. I can’t tell you the last time I had a sinus pill. For me that was a miracle.

Now it was time to get serious and really commit to the 6 week plan (page 179 in my edition). Was it hard? Yep. I had no idea how to cook without oil, heck I am Italian. We think olive oil is good for anything that ails you. But I persisted and discovered that you can sauté in water and it works just fine. The biggest problem for me was what to cook. Initially I felt so limited in my choices. But the worst part was only one cup of grains and/or starchy veggies a day. What? Thankfully this was the initial program and it gets more relaxed after 6 weeks. Before I went through this I didn’t realize the point was to break the hold those less than optimally healthy foods had on my body. I had no idea that I was actually addicted to them. Sure they tasted good but addicted, that didn’t seem possible. Since then Dr. Kessler has written a great book called “The End of Overeating”which explains the addictions to sugar, fat and salt. However before that book addiction didn’t really seem like a physical possibility, at least I didn’t believe it. But I now believe the entire point of the strict 6 weeks is to break your addiction to those less than optimally healthy foods.

Once the 6 weeks is over the doctor has the 90 percent rule (page 185) that allows you to relax a little and live in the “real world”. This works if you have broken your addiction but can lead to trouble, even for me. I find it easier to keep our diet free of oil, dairy and meat than add them back at any level. Very rarely we will have something made with flour (whole wheat pasta, pita, pizza) but that is a treat and doesn’t happen often and is normally when we are out. Additionally it is nearly impossible to get food at a restaurant that doesn’t include oil. I have learned to relax and just go with the flow. I would prefer not to have it but most commercial kitchens (even when you know the chef …. you know who you are) can’t cope with a request for no oil. They look at you as though you just asked for their first born. I had to relax and realize that a little oil and flour every once in a while wasn’t going to kill us. My hubby would love me to relax a little more, but that isn’t going to happen. ;-) Those of you that know me know that I am not kidding.

It took us about a month to get comfortable with cooking and eating this way. Dan thinks it was harder on me since I make the food. I will honestly say that I no longer feel limited in my choices as I once did. I have no difficulty coming up with ideas for meals. If anything adhering to E2L has resulted in more creativity and choices, not less.

I hope that answers some of your questions.

Unrelated note:

I need to run and get into the kitchen and make dinner. I will be back later and let you know what we had. As usual I have not entirely decided yet. Nothing like planning, LOL.

21 comments:

  1. So glad the kickboxing worked today. Nothing like punching and kicking ;-) I really hope you guys get to have nice weekend. We have a busy one, but it should be a good one!

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  2. Heather,

    Kickboxking was a brilliant idea. It worked like a charm. Thank you so much for suggesting it!

    Thanks, I hope you guys have a great weekend too!

    hugs,
    Ali

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  3. Do you do kickboxing along with a DVD? I used to have one called Tai-bo or something like that, but didn't care much for it, I think it was too fast. And you previously mentioned P90X, did you purchase those DVDs and are they worth it? Heather, I'd be curious to know what you think too.

    What fantastic results you and Dan had after changing your diet! His cholesterol drop and your blood pressure improvement--wow. And no more allergies! I sometimes get mild allergies, but this spring was the worst one for itching and such. I opened my windows yesterday morning for the first time this spring and was glad I was no longer itching...it sure was wonderful to air out the house. Plus I can cool it down a few degrees so that the AC won't come on until late afternoon.

    Thanks for describing your experience with the E2L program. I've been learning so much lately and have noone to discuss it with except my DH, who is getting a little tired of "Alicia says..."! Maybe tomorrow I'll call the friend who initially suggested the vegan/lowfat way of life, as we haven't talked in ages. The more I learn, the more enthusiastic I am about this stuff. I only wish that the cooking end of it were a little easier (as in obtaining healthy premade or restaurant foods). At least we have some good grocery stores nearby and I'm getting used to buying organic produce.

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  4. Fascinating. I've been having much less trouble with allergies since I started drinking tea on a daily basis. Other friends had the same experience - switching from soda and lemonade to tea and water cleared up their allergies. Now I wonder if it's also what I'm not eating. The Orthodox Lenten fast sounds quite similar to Dr. Furhman's diet (although without the proportions).

    In a month, I will have several quarts (more like 20) of pie cherries. I'm trying to figure out what to do with them other than jam and pies. I would welcome any ideas (and if we still lived in Irvington, I'd share.)

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  5. Laura,

    I have a few kickboxing DVDs my favorite is probably Cardio Kickboxing by Jillian Micheals if I have to pick one.

    P90X is a killer workout and yes I bought it. It is 12 separate workouts a mix of cardio and strength. I think it is well worth it. I have been doing it about 6 weeks and feel much stronger than when I started. Each workout is about an hour and 15 minutes and you know you worked out when you are finished. The one hour plyo workout is the toughest hands down.

    I am thrilled with our results from E2L. I think they are nothing short of miraculous. It is a tough plan as you know but the results are amazing.

    Please tell your hubby I am sorry. My hubby gets to listen to Heather, Brandi, Rose, and Laurie said. I know that must be frustrating. ;-)

    I thought it might be helpful for everyone to know what results we got from E2L. You are right this plan requires a lot of cooking. I haven't found a way around that yet. But if I do I will share it with everyone. Have you tried juicing yet? I am fairly new to that but I really love it.

    Feel free to email me anytime you have a question or what to "chat" about E2L. I am happy to share anything I have learned. :-)

    talk to you soon,
    Ali

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  6. Carolyn,

    I bet you are right about why your allergies are clearing up. It is nice to have them go away isn't it? I dont' miss mine one bit. ;-)

    We live in Roland Park so you were close. I hope you like your new place more.

    Courtney suggested freezing the cherries and combing those and frozen peaches in a fresh fruit only sorbet (using the Vitamix). That sounded great to me. I like to add frozen cherries to almond milk and make a smoothie. They also make a great granita. If you have too many you can dehydrate them too. I hope one of those appeal to you.

    Alicia

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  7. Well, I do not think a root canal is a party, but I am open to a challenge. This challenge is like me running a 50k without training...I am hating every minute of it and still I push forward, because I know the rewards will be great....I have always been a trooper, b ut this is pushing it even for me...lol

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  8. Brandi,

    I understand completely! It was extremely tough for me too. You are not alone. If I can help in any way let me know. ;-) I feel so great now, even at 48yo, I really want that for you too. :-)

    big hugs,
    Ali

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  9. Alicia, this is one of my favorite post by you so far. thanks for this peek into your life. have you felt "not so alone" since starting a blog and meeting other health minded people? sometimes your comment sections have just as much info as the actual post! way to go. i need to find that book. also, the starches, i def believe that you can be addicted, isn that crazy? now that i rarely eat grains i dont crave them as much.

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  10. Michelle,

    I am glad you liked it. ;-)

    Sadly I was that much of a brat at the beginning of E2L but it all worked out for the best, in the end. I think a lot of people struggle with E2L but the results are very worth it if you can just convince yourself to stick with it.

    It is definitely nice to not feel like the only healthy vegan on the planet. I swear there aren't any others in Baltimore, not our age anyway. ;-)

    talk to you later,
    Ali

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  11. Funny you should write this now. I am going on E2L starting Monday. I am pleased to say that I already eat a pound of raw veggies a day, plus very minimal animal products, but there are too many times I eat junk too! :-O

    I am nervous about having to make a separate dinner for myself. But I decided to make up some veggie soups, serve big salads (as usual), and serve a couple of E2L meals. No one will die of protein deficiency if there isn't meat at one meal. *lol*

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  12. Neca,

    The hardest part for me was no oil followed closely by no cheese, then the limitation on starchy foods. When I first did the 6 week program it was a drastic change. Subsequent times that I went back to the 6 week program it was much easier. Now I don't use oil at all and that has become my new normal.

    Good luck with E2L! I hope you get amazing results like we did. I feel better now than I have in at least 20 years.

    I hope you have a great long weekend,
    Ali

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  14. That book sounds like my kind of book! My entire eating motto is - Eat from the Earth & eat to live. Thank you for doing a review on it; I am off to look into it right now!

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  15. After reading your post, I downloaded a sample of the Eat to Live book, thinking I would see what all the fuss was about but not thinking I would change my diet any more than I already have. I was wrong.

    As soon as I reached the end of the sample, I purchased the book. I went on to read the first 100 pages in that single sitting (the only reason I'm stopping is that my son has been asking for the past hour to play with him, and I can't refuse him any more). I'm already looking forward to the end of the book and am dedicated to making an even bigger change in how I eat.

    Thank you for bringing the book to my attention.

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  16. Tasha,

    I really love this book and his follow up Eat for Health. If you like the science behind eating a healthy diet I think you will enjoy the book. Eat to Live is more known for its weight loss aspect but it is a very nutrient dense diet which is why I love it.

    Ali

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  17. Jessie,

    Your comment really made me smile, thanks! The same thing happened to me. Once I started reading it I could not put it down. Even now I still refer back to it often. I feel so good eating this way I can not imagine going back to a SAD diet.

    Ali

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  18. A few days ago I read "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Esselstyn and was glad to see recommendations similar to Dr. Fuhrman's. There are also a lot of good recipes in the book. Then I read "Reverse Heart Disease Now" by Sinatra & Roberts, which is quite different. Esselstyn pushes for a total cholesterol of 150 or less, while Sinatra says under 160 promotes cancer and other problems. Also Sinatra likes olive oil (2T/day) and fish, as well as a host of supplements to reduce inflammation...and these are very different from Fuhrman's recommendations on supplements. I guess I need to keep reading and make up my own mind. Or maybe more reading will just lead to more confusion! :)

    Last week I also watched the first Greger DVD and found it very interesting (as you said, he has a most unusual way of speaking) -- I especially liked his idea of adding cocoa powder to fruit smoothies!

    OK it's time to get my behind off this chair and get some exercise. Thanks for your feedback on the P90X program. Yesterday I asked my husband to refresh me on using our Total Gym, which we've had for many years but is rarely used. I can get a great upper-body workout at home in half an hour or so, which will come in handy when I don't have time to go to the gym.

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  19. Laura,

    I have not read Dr. Esselstyn's book yet but it is on my list. I think that in some cases the more I read the more confused I get too. But I have seen studies that link high cholesterol to cancer metastasis so I believe the lower the better. Again, that is just my opinion.

    I know many medical docs from working in healthcare. Sadly they have the same horrible diets most Americans have. In fact when I have asked them about healthy vegan diets they all say "patients are not going to stick to them because I couldn't". I think their "recommendations" are sometimes biased based on what they think people are capable of doing.

    Our total gym doesn't get as much use as it should either. You aren't alone. LOL

    I hope you are having a good weekend,
    Ali

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  20. OK, I will have to request this book from the library. I've heard nothing but raves about it. I need a kick in the booty to get my eating back on track. I've been trying to drown my sorrows of my lost grandmother in crappy food, and I'm tired of it. Thanks for the push!

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  21. Brigid,

    Sorry for your loss. If you have any questions when you start the program let me know. I am happy to help any way I can.

    hugs,
    Alicia

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