Oh noes! Withdrawal!

After about 11 days doing the Eat to Live program I think that I have finally hit the withdrawal phase. Perhaps I was just so excited about the changes that I didn't notice. For the last couple of days I have had a dull headache and intermittent tummy aches and sweats. I suspect that the ick of the "standard American diet" (a.k.a. SAD) is just working it's way out of my system...I just wish that it would hurry!

Grateful

I am so grateful to have Kip with me on this journey. I couldn't do this without him! I have been a little surprised to find how resistant people are to plant based nutrition. In the US we have been told all of our lives that lean meats and dairy are good for us and are a part of healthy nutrition. I have a feeling that it is going to take me a long time to reset my mind to the truth. With that said, I will admit that I am happy that I have found this life! I feel better each and every day!

Back to my smoothie!

It is so odd that I can miss something so much in one day. I didn't make smoothies yesterday morning because it was a Monday and I had an attack of the lazies. My whole day seemed off and I realized how important routine is when eating this way. I have a feeling that this routing thing is going to become a prominent part of our lives. I am interested exploring more about this as we continue Eat 2 Live.

It's Monday again...

Well, here we are. It is Monday again and I have a week ahead filled with Christmas season temptations. Don't get me wrong, I am happy that Kip and I have made the lifestyle changes that will make us healthier, stronger and more active. I only wish that I was the type of person that is able to have just one of something and move on, but sadly I am not. Food addiction is an insidious disease that has chased me for all of my adult life. There have been so many "lasts" in my life. That is to say that many times I come to a point and I say to myself...that is the LAST time I am going to binge on sweets or that is the LAST time I will stop and have fast food on the way home. I am exhausted from professing to be at the end of things. I think that T.S. Elliot said it best with:

"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from."

I skipped a few days, but here's week 1 in a nutshell...

A few thoughts on week one of Eat 2 Live. I think that the best thing that we have been able to accept this week is that perfection is not possible. It is not about being perfect, it is about consistently improving. Kip had a rough week in having the office Christmas party along with a holiday gathering at his boss' home. I think that we both came through with flying colors.

As to how we are feeling...we have both noticed that we have clearer heads and I am starting to feel like I have more energy. I have come home at night and been able to cook and clean up and not be exhausted, which is new. Kip has also had more energy at work and has been able to organize his thoughts more effectively.

We are anxious to see what week 2 has in store!

Day 4

I had a great day yesterday. A little more weight loss coupled with another day of not feeling hungry and scattered was pretty phenomenal. Kip really had a much tougher day and yet came through with flying colors. He had to travel for work (to Detroit...oh joy) and so trying to find E2L friendly items on the road was pretty tough! He had a few things with him and was able to work it all out with his customary cleverness and determination. The ability to keep on program while having his travel-mates stop at the golden arches is nothing short of a miracle. Kip did make an interesting observation, though. He noted that there are no photos on the menu of the healthy foods, only the burgers, fries and nuggets. I guess there is no doubt as to what they are really selling!

Day 3

Yesterday turned out to be a bit of a challenge for us both. Kip forgot his lunch and so he had to try and find E2L (Eat To Live) friendly options on a college campus, impossible - no! He was able to find a salad and baked potato and made it just fine. My challenge was last night with making brocolli based pasta sauce. I HATED it...it was too thick and needed oil and salt. Since I didn't really care for dinner, I then wanted other "stuff". I wanted bread and candy and dessert. It is interesting to see how much emotions play into food choices. I have always been an emotional eater, but being so focused on food at the moment, those emotions are at the surface. I did conquer the food voices and had one piece of whole grain bread and "ice cream" in the VitaMix from an E2L recipe. I feel pretty awesome for having faced down the fears!

Day 2

I am pretty proud of the choices we made yesterday and so happy that my VitaMix saved the night. I was worried about trying to come home and cook something after a harrowing 10 hour drive home Sunday night followed by a busy day at work. No problem though as we were able to whip up a roasted tomato and veggie soup in less than 30 minutes total. It was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. My only real struggle/fear at this point is that I don't feel hungry at all. In fact, I feel a little nauseated most of the day. I suspect that is some sort of withdrawal, I will just keep listening to my body. I am going to try and make something a little more adventurous for dinner tonight. I think that we need to venture outside of our soup comfort zone.

Day 1

Good morning. I am sitting here drinking what has become my regular morning breakfast. I am having a banana, strawberry and oatmeal smoothie with almond milk. It has been keeping me full for most of the morning and it is a nice, sweet way to start the day. We had a weekend away in Memphis before our "official" start day and although it was a ROUGH weekend (family drama), it was also a great way to say goodbye to our old choices and our old ways. We had what we wanted and were frankly happy to be rid everything. It looks like pickings are thin for my lunch today and so I will have to try and find something to have as we got home too late last night to go to the store. Sounds like it is already going to be an adventure!

And so it begins...

About a month ago, Kip was listening to a local NPR station and heard a program which featured Dr. Joel Furman and he was intrigued. Kip was so intrigued that he bought Dr. Furman's book called Eat To Live and set out reading. I began my own research as Kip was reading and found several movies/research sites on plant based diets. We have both come to the conclusion that this is the way to live. We have different reasons for this choice, but our hope is that the results are the same. And so it begins...we have bagged up all of the processed food in our house and as of December 5, 2011 we are beginning a 6 week plan of nothing but fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. We are excited and I am hoping to be able to blog every day about our progress. Our short term goal is to make it for the 6 week immersion and our long term goal is to be able to walk a section of the Appalachian Trail before my 40th birthday (01/06/13).

Wish us luck...away we go!!