The Big Battle...It's Always the Same!

My urges are hardly ever for a "full stomach." My urges are more along the variety of, "I'm worried about making goal in Q3, so, therefor some Chinese food will make me happier!"  Or, "Wow, what a great meeting I just had, I think I'll grab a club sandwich and a pint of Guinness to celebrate."

Thankfully, my sweet-tooth desire is becoming more and more a giant bowl of cherries!
But, the big battle is ignoring my desire for food and drink I have deemed pleasurable for the past 15 years, or fighting through and eating a completely nutrient rich meal knowing that afterwards, when I am full I will be much happier and have lost all desire for the original craving, be it a martini or some pork & crab meat dumplings!

Mind over matter. A saying often used, but not often used in practice.

"Do Sea Urchin Have Eyes?"

Sea Urchin, or Uni, as prepared 

...And so was my question to the Sushi chef based on a colleague's comment about me eating mostly vegan, or as he said, "So you don't eat anything with eyes."

Sea Urchin

I have come to rely on the old restaurant stand by, luckily close to my office, the restaurant chain, Haru. So, it's back to double order of miso, double order of edamame, and a salad with dressing on the side.  But, I had such a desire for my favorite dish  - Uni, or Sea Urchin. So, to play a little trick on myself to eat nothing with eyes, I ordered sea urchin. Now, obviously, that is not vegan, and certainly shell fish has no eyes, but since I am not being militant about it, it was a little treat.  And that is perfectly fine - be it chocolate chip cookie, piece of cake, or, yes, even a Nathan's hot dog. If you are eating a diet mostly in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, you absolutely can indulge in guilty pleasures. It's when you reverse that order, that is when you get into trouble!

Last Night and this Morning I Juiced Up

So, of course patience is a virtue, but so is salubrity, so I'll stick with the later. My patience is extremely selective. Scouring the NYC public archives for family history in the 1880's? I have the patience of a Saint's Saint....ah, I've just finished looking at every single birth certificate of every single "Florence" born in NY in 1881;  time to peruse 1882.  But, when it comes to looking, and feeling great I have, essentially, no patience at all! I want the results now!  I suspect I am not alone!

When I first moved to NYC in my early 20's and my trouser waist size was starting to creep past 34", then 36" (God, what I'd give for those days!), and I noticed a tiny paunch forming at the base of my abdominal scar (still getting stares in the gym BTW), I started running at 6 AM every morning in Central Park. The little bit of excess weight came off so quickly it was actually comical!


So, now I developed a false sense of a "quick fix" and it stayed with me well past the truth expiration date and throughout my 30's all the while it became more and more difficult, and then impossible to shed the excess pounds merely by running hard for a few weeks. In fact, it became impossible. All sorts of things needed to happen before I could lose weight in the fashion I was accustomed to from my early 20's - chiefly, my diet, my drinking, and consistent exercise.

Last night I went to the gym and only did weights, no cardio. Not good, but I had a reason. Excess body fat puts more stress on your back. I was in pain just bending to tie up my... and here I'll speak tin local colloquialisms... my, sneakers (East Coast), tennis shoes (West Coast), runners (UK/Ireland). So I went for a massage. Not for pleasure (OK, a little), but to loosen my back so I can do all the cardio I wanted to do.

A trip to the grocery store followed where I stocked up on vegetables and some fruit. I want to have most of my meals from a juicer this week. Why? I am impatient, and juicing makes me feel good instantly (funny, I always thought scotch did that?), and there is a perceptible difference after a few days when I look in the mirror.

We all need motivation to keep up the good work, to carry on with the healthy living, and mine is 75% vanity (Hey, I look a little trimmer in the face), and 25% physical (Mixing a whole bunch of nutrient dense vegetables in the juicer gives me a jolt of energy).

Finally, and here is my last psychological trick for men: You come home from work, you're beat tired, and you feel your stomach rubbing against your spine (that excess 30 lbs you are carrying around is an allusion of course, not your hunger! Hunger is REAL, as far as you know). So, you want to fill up your belly like you top off your automobile's gas tank before a long drive, complete with excess petrol trickling down the side of the wheel well.

You are hungry, so, pick up a carrot - "meaningless." Now, a head of lettuce - "you must be joking." Now, a beet - "What am I a POW?" Now, place all these vegetables on a plate, like I did last night, and see how it feels. A big bunch of kale, 2 apples, 2 carrots, 4 stalks of celery, a cucumber, ginger root, a beet, and a half a lemon. It is pretty damn heavy! I am sorry, but for a man to be hungry and to pick up a plate with his meal on it and it is quite heavy, there is a psychological effect of, "OK, now this is a meal - a meal from Mom's Fantasy Camp, but a meal nonetheless.  I'm not going to die of starvation after all!"

Throw it all in a juicier.

Does it look like a porterhouse steak dripping in butter? No! Does it taste better than a porterhouse  steak dripping in butter? For most of us, no! But, damn it, it's not that bad, you will get a full stomach, lose all hunger, and will get a little jolt of energy. Oh, and after you drink your juice, or eat your meal of vegetables, fruits, legumes and seeds you will be full, and lose all craving for that specific dish you thought about on the subway riding home - yes, even that pork & crab meat soup dumplings from Joe's Shanghai craving!

Reflection Weekend

So, Friday night I attended a roof top BBQ with gorgeous views of the Empire State Building, and instinctively grabbed for a small slice of grilled chicken...there was a toothpick already in it that poked my gums! I took it as a sign.  Now, I know I oscillate between veganism and a healthy diet that is proposed by most all nutritionists and fitness trainers, so let me say that of course well cooked, grilled chicken without sauces and fatty marinades can be a part of a very healthy diet. But, for me, as you know, it is all or nothing. So, since I did not prepare this chicken myself, I chose to stay away from it and concentrate on the vegetables and hummus.

The rest of the weekend I chose to stay animal product free as I plotted my new-new way of eating.  It is so much easier when you don't have to think about it. Actually, I did not eat much, just some fruit, and my old tried and true - Taksim Turkish takeout with a fallafal sandwich (yes, it is fried and not that healthy), hummus, and lentil soup.

Sat. and Sun. I even pared way back, to virtually non-existent drinking. I limited myself to just one drink a night to really put the screws to my discipline. Then an unexpected friend showed up from Boston (naturally) and I had to have a couple of more with her. However, I had no idea she read my blog back in the day too! Thankfully, the Duane Read mega-drugstore is open 24 hrs, so as I left P.J. Clarke's I picked up some fruit for breakfast the following morning.

Sunday was very reflective as I watched the film "Arthur" for the first time in probably 29 years. It really is a brilliant comedy, but it reminded me so much of what I was thinking back in 1982 a year after it was released and on betamax while I watched it in a neighbor's pool house in Southern California. To me that film was quintessential NYC, and I wanted to be there, and I wanted to live that life. Funny how one's naive perspective can be formed at such a young age! Watching the film I had many flashbacks to similar conversations with girlfriends in the past! It was rather cathartic in a weird way!

I also cleaned my apartment which has an amazing effect on throwing out the old both figuratively and physically. I save alot of stuff, too much, and it is good to free yourself of meaningless things. I also found a list of an optimal diet from a trainer I once had back in 2005! On it,  under protein was every type of red meat you can imagine with nary the remark about greens, legumes, and seeds!

Here is to a great week ahead, and choosing the right path!

And.....I'm Back! Yet, Again

Some come backs are ill-advised, others are not. All I can say is....I'M BACK! Not 100% vegan again, but I am moving in that direction! Why? Well, a friend from LA visited recently...like many ex-athletes in his 40's he packed on the pounds with poor eating, drinking, and not staying active. He was puffy, a little chubby, and not the trim figure he was most of his life. I just saw him, and in fact I made plans to meet him at Bobby Vans steak house assuming he wanted a NY meat and drink fest (I planned on, and did just eat the salmon). He shows up and he looks 10 years younger! He lost 40 lbs! Why? He said he was inspired by my quest, and just started eating very healthfully, and working out!  How ashamed I felt that my new suits were getting a mite snug on me! I felt great that I inspired someone else, but guilty that I was not inspiring myself!


Brett Favre's Come Back - Moments of Greatness, Moments of Dread



Michael Jordan's Come Back - Moments of Greatness, But the Magic was Gone



Mike Tyson's Come Back - Too Many Moments of Embarrassment

 

However, Mike Tyson, who turned into a bloated ex-champ ala' Jake Lamotta, turned his life around, went vegan, and lost 130 lbs last year!

So, I'm Back! Please join the journey with me!

A Year and a Half Ago I Would Have Jumped at this Offer with Mouth Salivating. Means Nothing to me Now!

BEEF, BEER AND BUTCHERY June 13, 2011, 6:30 PM Back Forty 190 Ave. B (bet. 11th & 12th Sts.) Kick off the summer with Fleisher's Grass-fed & Organic Meats as they celebrate their newly released book, The Butcher's Guide to Well-Raised Meat, by bringing you a walk-around, nose-to-tail beef fest, complete with butchering demos and a delectable medley of tastes showcasing bovine delights! Fleisher's co-owner and master butcher Joshua Applestone and Back Forty's chef de cuisine Shanna Pacifico will provide a seasonally appropriate demo on how to butcher perfect cuts of beef for summer grilling and give you a tempting tutorial on the best way to prepare beef tartare. Snack on the likes of mini roast beef sandwiches with crispy shoestring fries and Ca bot clothbound cheddar cheese sauce; and grilled beef heart skewers with charmoula. Refreshing mint juleps and Captain Lawrence brews will also be available to toast to Fleisher's new book. Event Details: $75 for three hours of walk-around beef tastes, interactive demos and three beers or mint julep cocktails; tax and gratuity included. To Reserve: Click here:http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/177538

The Blogcott Has Been Lifted!

Thanks to this terrific posting: "Terrence -Don't blogcott us dude! Let us know how you are doing - don't worry that your intentions may not have spurred a drastic follow thru - persistance will win every time!" I am shamed into coming back!

Really, two things contributed to this momentary blogger black-out, (1) Time! This new job really has taken my focus away from other things! (2) Dating! Really, it is 10x harder to stick to a schedule and go on dates. I mean, it is so easy to fall into the same old song when you  are enjoying yourself on a date - a few cocktails, less than healthy eating, etc.


So, how have I done? Well, I have been rewarding myself too much, and maybe have been chasing fun a bit too much as well.
The juicing has not been as often as I wanted, however, it is being put to good use by my parents and my brother. I got them each one. My brother ran a 3 mile race for the first time in 20 years, and has lost 15-20 lbs, maybe more. And my mother, who I just saw in San Francisco, and looks great lost 12 lbs!

The USS New York is back in port, and I remember seeing it my first WEEK of veganism back in Nov. '09! It got me a little depressed that I have fallen since that time, but, dwelling on the past is utterly pointless!
I am spending Memorial Day Weekend in the city since I am heading to Barcelona for my annual golf trip next week! Talk about a challenge to healthy living! But, whereas too many people say things like, "OK, after my holiday I will go back to healthy living." I am saying, I am back to healthy living now, just a week before my trip, and I will try to be a health conscious as possible during my holiday, and afterwards!


No better time than the present. Yes, going out with clients or friends late at night and hitting all the hot spots will contribute to a burning desire to dive into greasy eggs and sausage in the morning, but, nothing is better at bucking that trend than eating an apple and banana like I am doing right now!


Even "comfort" food, like my morning coffee I am giving up. I don't need the caffeine, and I'd rather exhibit my discipline again!

The Food of Life

So, I have been traveling to SF and LA (that's San Francisco and Los Angeles for my int'l friends). And I have not been on the blog in a bit.

During this time I found that my craving for comfort food was based on my cold. I developed bronchitis, and I would have old food desires like eggs and bacon in the morning. I think it is similar to a hangover when your body craves greasy or familiar junk food.  Since I can't get good Mexican in NYC, or IN-N-Out Burger I crave those things when I drive by.

It is so simple to ignore these cravings and get filled up on healthy food, but it is so powerful to feel like you must make your body happy. It's a constant battle internally -- to really be happy whether you are sick or if you are driving by a familiar junk food place, just eat to fuel your body, not comfort it.

Will write more this weekend.

Getting Juiced!

So, I am committed to making juicing a part of my diet - and I want to find an upcoming week/10 days where I can totally "reboot" and go juice only to see the effects! This week will be not feasible, but soon!

My juicer came today and I made my first juice! I sort of followed a recipe and I sort of made it up using spinach, carrots, green apples, celery, cucumber, half a lemon, and ginger. It was not bad, but clearly I have to play around with the measurements since this was rather bland. However, I got over one psychological barrier -- blended green vegetables! OK, I can now deal with it -- for months in the original blog I was told by readers to add greens and that just didn't sit right with me. Well, I've done it, the fear is broken.

Sad/Funny quote of the day. In the morning at the deli a very short woman who looked rather heavy for her size ordered a cup of oatmeal. She looked at the container holding the oatmeal and she determined, "It look's pretty dry (It did, but I ate it). I don't want it now. Looks dry, too dry, I'll have the blueberry scone."

That poor woman went from a healthy breakfast of 150 calories to an unhealthy one of 500 calories in the blink of an eye!

Day 2

So I started thinking about how I feel now, mentally, versus the best days of my Vegan Quest - no question I feel more down, and at times unhappy. So, why not just do what you did for six months? Clearly, there is a gravitational pull of having fun (socializing with spirits involved), and pleasing myself (enjoying the taste of pork and crabmeat dumplings). Now, I need to discover "why." And at the same time jump start my healthy living again. My diet was generally not that awful, and at breakfast and lunch was almost always very healthy. Night time was a different story.

Anyway, very happy to be going back on a journey - hit the gym the last two nights (not fully epic workouts, but I was there and got the heart pumping, and was sweating). Tonight I had social plans and even told the bartender beforehand that I was to be served a seltzer in a rocks glass with lime less I had to explain myself to an old friend and some new people I would be meeting. The plans were cancelled however, and my opportunity to go to the gym was there for the taking...I chose to go home, eat some nuts (probably too many), made a fruit smoothies and had some watermelon.

Oh, and I watched the DVD version of "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" with the extra footage. I really can't wait for my juicer!

I'm Going to Try Juicing

Joe Cross is not a professional filmmaker, in fact he was a successful trader turned entrepreneur who rewarded himself for his prosperity over the years with a cavalcade of pizza, burgers, soda, and booze. By the time he was 40 years old he was 100 lbs overweight, and was suffering a debilitating autoimmune disease – which he cared for with a chemist's pantry full of pills. Cross’s documentary film, "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead," chronicles his quest to reverse this deadly lifestyle and see if the human body, void of processed foods and animal products, can actually heal itself. He would do this by drinking juice, just juice, every day, for 60 days. Since any road trip, for any reason, across America with video camera in hand lends itself to voyeuristic entertainment, Joe dragged all 309 lbs of him to New York City to start his journey. His mission was to lose weight initially through this radical, 60 day vegetable and fruit juice fast, all the while talking to overweight Americans from the cities to the heartland.

For two months he used a high-powered juicer to turn his fresh fruits and vegetables into a green, formidable-looking, health Slurpee that most tasters deemed, "Not bad." Along the way Joe talked to hundreds of obese Americans straight out of Central Casting who were starkly honest about their poor health, curtailed longevity, and immovable penchant for fried foods. Almost to a person they blamed their frightening girth exclusively on...themselves.

As much as it was entertaining, and inspiring, to watch an affable Aussie lose 100 lbs criss-crossing America drinking nothing but juice, it is one of the converts he meets in his travels who is the true star of this film. When Joe Cross meets a 429 lb trucker, Phil, who coincidentally suffers from the same autoimmune system, he hears from Phil much of what he has from all the others throughout this journey: Yeah, I'm grossly overweight. I'm always tired and in pain. I'm ashamed. I only blame myself. I love food too much. I wish I could change.


Joe takes Phil, who was a hamburger away from a heart attack, under his wing, and through sheer self-discipline, Phil agrees to go 10 days drinking only juice from fresh vegetables and fruits. He likes what he sees and how he feels, and he agrees to go another 20 days. Then, like an unstoppable, ever thinning avalanche, Phil continues this awe-inspiring journey, helping many others along the way. It was powerful stuff, void of group-hugs and tears that was stirring and motivational.


"Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" does not uncover any new secrets to weight loss, but it clearly showcases the shocking results of detoxifying and "retooling" your body, and the incredible way it changed lives through entertaining common sense.

Day 1...Again

Last night I saw "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead," and I was greatly moved. The film maker, Joe Cross, was so much like me it was eery - he focused all his attention on bad food and booze. He is a few inches shorter than me, but was just over 300 lbs when he started his quest, and like me had a stomach that was 53 inches around! AND, he filmed himself for the sake of a documentary, and used Dr. Fuhrman!

Needless to say it was a terrific motivator, and I think I am going to try to juice and fast more to jump start my quest back to my goal!

My review will be in the next post.

Last night I went to the gym after work - worked up a good sweat (not hard to do with my current condition), went to see the film, and then later met friends to watch the basketball game. Well, I was not perfect in a bar watching the NCAA Championship but my excuse (there always is one) is that a buddy is going through a divorce, it was also the last night of these guys favorite bar which is closing, and there were about 7 friends all gathered around. In short, they needed Terrence 1.0 and I did not disappoint. No matter, I knew it was a last hurrah for me. Terrence 2.0 is back.

Today, a bit if apple, banana and some nuts for breakfast, a large salad with avocado, asparagus, and some tuna sashimi for lunch, and after work I went to the gym for a bit. Dinner was a few slices of watermelon, and large handful of pistachio nuts (too large I assume), and a delicious fruit smoothie with apples, bananas, and frozen raspberries. I also weighed myself, and that is why I am burying the headline here, I have let forty pounds slip back on me after triumphantly losing sixty. My belly is back to forty-eight inches around, up from forty-three.

I know what I have to do. Now, I am doing it!

You know, I feel better just writing about this again - I feel more in control again!

And, With Hat in Hand, I'm Back...

I have chosen to start up this blog again without notifying anyone. I would like to see if I can grow this blog organically -- plus, I am ashamed to let anyone I know know I have fallen so far. At least for the time being I am not going to notify any of my friends and family.

Since this blog, and writing, helped me tremendously by forcing myself to write about my adventures and my quest, I am just as happy to write in a total vacuum.

What happened? On May 1, 2010 I ended my vegan quest down 60 lbs, and erased my impending heart-attack levels of bad cholesterol. I then went back to drinking, but eating healthfully. Once in a while I would drink to excess and a trip to the pizza parlor at 2 AM would soon follow. My work-outs became less frequent. I gained a few pounds, but I thought, "Hey, I know how quickly I can loose it!"  But, I missed chasing fun. In seemed to have an iron grasp on me.

I last wrote in this blog 1 year after I started. My life was looking up as a new job, and new girlfriend shined brightly upon my new self. But, there was an inexplicable hole in my life, one that was nagging at me. As my girlfriend wanted to curb my drinking (a fraction of what it used to be), and cut out my once or twice a month cigar habit, something changed inside of me. I rebelled. Not because of her, of course, I had been rebelling (unknowingly) since I ended my quest. I missed having fun, I thought. I was an idiot.

For the past year I still ate oatmeal for breakfast, and salads for lunch, but I also ate, sometimes, like the bad old days for dinner, only sporadically exercised, and weekends sometimes became heavy drinking affairs. Sadly, as I shuffled to the shower in the morning with a throbbing headache I would pass the empty pizza box on the floor that lit up like a Las Vegas neon sign saying, "SHAME!"

I gained back at least half the weight I lost, and lost my girlfriend.

Somehow, a 42 year old man was acting like an 8 year old, and any chance I could I would, whenever she was not around, chose to live my life like Ernest Hemingway. Whereas she viewed a few glasses of wine on the weekend, plus a couple of drinks during the week, as "excessive," and forbade me from ever enjoying a cigar with the boys, I knew that was not "excessive." What I chose to do, however, was push the limits - I was dumb. She was a remarkable woman, one of the most beautiful and classiest people I ever met, but I could not change who I was -- I could only change how I was behaving. Even at my goal weight - which is disgustingly far away now - I would still like to let loose a little once in a while with the boys, or around some big sporting event. Something she did not want me to ever do again. To live a purely healthy life, and then pick one or two days out of 30 to have a right proper drink up and then quickly go back to healthy living was off the table in this relationship. I could not live with that - I was 100% fine with a demand to live a healthy life, with a couple of days allowed for blowing off steam with the boys, providing I stayed healthy and at my goal weight. That is what I came to the peace table with, but it was rejected. I will always respect and lover her. But I must start, yet, another new chapter in my life.

Minutes ago, after watching merely the trailer of the new documentary "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead" I decided to recommit myself to my health. It seems like a cruel pattern. When my now ex-girlfriend gently and positively supported my healthy lifestyle I rebelled like an ignorant child. When I made a commitment for this Lenten Season to go back to my good old days I quickly broke my "no drinking" rule and chose to chase fun.

 

This weekend I was with friends in a bar when the lights came on at closing time at 4 AM. I felt miserable all day. I felt like a loser. I felt that everything I accomplished from Nov.'09-May'10 was lost - like it never happened.

Today, April 4th, eight days shy of my 43rd birthday, I am recommitting myself to get my life back....again!

Farewell

I always said I am all or nothing...if I commit to write every day, I can do it. If I lay off a little and only commit to write every week, then, well, I don't do so well.

I really cannot write on a weekly basis my thoughts, observations, goals, achievements and failures - for me, my best effort is in daily musings.

But, I have no time. I have recently left my job for a new, bigger opportunity running an advertising sales team. That, coupled with my new love, has taken me down new avenues, so I am saying goodbye to this blog so I can concentrate on finishing my book, my new career, and the Tennis Star, also known as Susan.

I feel you might be concerned that I am ending this blog with a whimper, but I assure you that no grand flourish of words need end this Vegan Quest because it is indeed that, a quest. It lives on forever - perhaps not exclusively veganism, but a new diet based mostly on plant based products that is nutrient dense.



Keep Driving By, Nothing to Eat Here.



In the end, if I can change my life, so can you.  Eat, and live healthfully! And for the sake of your life, don't stop when you see this>>>>

For the coming Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Season follow the challenge outlined by Dr. Fuhrman:  http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/benefits.aspx

My sincere thanks to all of you, and now it's on to the kitchen to prepare myself a delicious and healthy vegetable wrap!

Please stay in touch at Terrence225@gmail.com

Weekly Posting

Good morning and thanks for reading my first weekly comments for My Vegan Quest.

Runners up First Ave.



It was an eventful weekend to be sure - Friday my friends and the Tennis Star's friends meeting each other. Saturday my brother and Sister-in-Law welcomed their first child into the world. And Marathon Sunday.

Part of this developing relationship took a very important turn - I am now discussing switching from my gym to hers so we could work out together! I think this will be a positive development since I am no longer chasing fun, and spending the evening with her in the gym instead of the boys at the pub is simply healthier.

Friday night was too much celebrating, and as a result I ordered eggs and corned beef hash Saturday morning. After two bites I was reminded how much I would rather be eating a bowl of fruit and a bowl of oatmeal.

I also realized that my years of bachelorhood plus my efforts in changing my eating and drinking habits put me in a position of selfishness that I had not realized until becoming a part of a "team." I like how I am now striving to be better in all areas of my life.

Watching the marathon I was, as I am every year, so inspired by watching 40,000 people run up First Avenue around mile 18 of the marathon. It truly is all shapes, sizes, and ages which is amazing. Watching some middle-aged guy with a beer belly trudging along is motivating - but then 20 minutes later watching some young man with a seemingly perfect and well sculpted body struggle by is confusing. Why did a guy who looks no different than your neighborhood UPS delivery man seem to navigate the marathon, while someone who looks like he should be one of the leaders walking far behind the every-man? I think because you just can't judge a book by its cover.  Also, it was fun to watch the Chilean miner run by! Not to mention my first day of veganhood was Marathon Sunday one year ago -- I thought about that day, and how far I have come, and I was just so happy to have experienced it all.

I want to end with an observation about the state's effort to curb childhood obesity. Although it is a noble and much needed effort, they are clearly going about it the wrong way. From California to New York politicians are acting like a nanny instead of a coach. They are taking away the personal responsibility of the citizens and trying to legislate through punishing private corporations.

I have said this before: for a child to be raised almost exclusively on a diet of fast food and soda really does amount to child abuse. However, instead of intensive education, incentives, and opportunities to create a healthy generation of kids, the government has chosen to tax soda companies (but not, say, candy companies), and even make "Happy Meals" - kids meals from McDonald's that have toys with their hamburgers, illegal. This over legislation turns private companies into the forces of evil, and gives lazy parents a free pass. Although Coke and McDonald's does not produce healthy food, they have a right to do so, and give many millions to charities in support of healthy living. A diet of coke and big macs is a terrifically unhealthy choice, but are there people who are unaware of that?

Now, during the Olympics I thought it was pretty outrageous that McDonald's had a commercial that showed taking a young hockey team to McDonald's with the tag line, "eat like a champion." Now, I am all for taking the team for pizza or burgers, but with the expressed knowledge that this is not a food kids should live on. However, these kids should be just as active as my generation so that those pizza parties are meaningless in causing obesity.

If the state wants to combat childhood obesity make sure that every public school makes Physical Education mandatory, and every athletic team is fully funded. As it stands, there are plenty of billions of dollars nationwide for education, it is just that the money is so seriously misspent that some schools had to eliminate sports. The recent scandals in the NYC public school system shows the serious mishandling of funds, so fully funded sports programs can be accomplished in this current economy with these current budgets.

Secondly, since the Federal Gov't is pretty good at special subsidies for farmers of certain kids of crops, simply make subsidies available for farmers who grow fruits and vegetables - not just corn which is a leading factor in corn syrup in everything.

Common sense should rule the day always, that is what I am saying.

Thank You!

Today is the one year anniversary of a huge experiment where my primary goal was to lose weight, and secondarily to maybe change my life.

A Look Back

OCTOBER 30, 2009: Three months ago my friend suggested an idea, an experiment really, to take a hard-core carnivore and make him a vegan for six months to see the effects on weight loss, and improved health...I quickly pronounced, “That’s crazy! I would never do that!”

I love the food and drink pleasures of life too much to even think of going vegan! For 10 years I indulged myself in these pleasures, but the only lasting effect is that I am now at least 70 lbs over weight, and have painful knee joints. No matter, give me a bottle of Bordeaux and my giant porterhouse steak dripping in blood and butter any day! I’m happy! Besides, I know how to lose weight, I’ve done it may times before. Bottom line; eat healthfully, and in moderation. But there is the rub; I don’t do anything in moderation.

NOVEMBER 1, 2009: Well, after Day 1 I feel good that I ate so healthy today. I'm not hungry, but watching the marathon, and then football, and then the World Series without beer or comfort food is a bit of a challenge. You can do anything for just one day, I am eager and anxious about how I will handle this new lifestyle day in and out for the next six months!

MAY 1, 2010: The vegan quest ends today, but the healthy quest will continue forever. For me there is no finish line. Today is the end of a journey that taught me self-control, discipline, and moderation. And although I will celebrate when I knock the remaining 15-20 lbs off, the real finish line is dying a natural death at a very, very old age, God willing.

Truth be told, before I started this experiment and for the first few months I really only expected to lose the weight I wanted, feel miserable, write about it, celebrate the six month mark with a giant steak feast at Peter Luger Steak House, and then go back to my normal eating and drinking habits within reason. I was sure to think that veganism (plus, the additional sacrifice of no alcohol), although it provided an ends to a means, was really just too radical for me.

Was I wrong!

Weight loss actually became just a terrific byproduct, and not the singular goal. Physically, it was how great I felt living as a vegan, and more importantly, how much healthier I became. Sure I felt lighter on my feet, and my knee pain was reduced, but it was internally where the greatest benefits were realized. My over cholesterol went from a dangerously high 300, all the way down to an optimal 170. My bad cholesterol went from a walking heart-attack 227 down to an incredibly healthy 105. My battered liver enzymes went from more than twice what is optimal, down safely to the very low end of optimal. I changed my physical life, and I changed my everyday life.

I no longer am a slave to over-indulgence, nor am I slave to massive intake of animal products. Simply put, I feel better on a diet that is mostly plant-based. And I am so thankful to Heather and her crew for all the support in this endeavor. I can't say it enough, if I can do it you can do it! It feels so liberating to break from the shackles of living a sad life being fat, drunk, and stupid, seemingly happy, but not.

That big steak party I was planning? I didn't have a steak until 6 weeks AFTER I ended my vegan quest. My predilection for eggs is gone. I still enjoy fish, but without all the smothering sauces I once enjoyed. Now, steak, eggs, and pork soup dumplings still taste good to me, I just don't have this Pavlovian desire to inhale them all the time - if ever.

But the best part of this vegan quest is rediscovering my discipline, moderation, and what it means to be a healthy homosapien. We were not created to subsist on the Hardee's Monster Thickburger. Are you a criminal if you love this thing? Not at all. Are you smart if you enjoy it more than once a month? No, it's dumb, and your body will hate you for it.

Not long after I finished my vegan quest and realized that I am most happy eating mostly a healthy diet that is nutrient dense, I found love. Now I have an amazing woman to share this new lease on life with, and I have never been happier.

So, all in all, it has been one heck of a year, and I will continue to evangelize a healthier lifestyle for all...it pays dividends in so many other ways.

I will continue My Vegan Quest blog on a weekly basis. So, every Sunday evening I will be writing about the previous week - my observations about myself, and the world around me, and hopefully, a few of you will find that little extra inspiration to continue your focus on your health (not your scale, but your health!). I know how rough the seas can be regarding eating, but just stay in the boat, keep your sails at full mast and you'll weather any of the urges so they will be fleeting, and not controlling. Bad choices will be made, but you must make sure your very next meal is a healthy one! Don't curl up in the corner and lament your over-indulgent dinner, and make yourself feel better with a bowl of ice cream...make yourself feel better with a bowl of fruit. Just stay on course no matter how much a storm blows up, you only have one body and one life.

Thanks for reading my daily blog, your comments, questions, and encouragement kept me going when my quest was most challenging. I hope some of you will stick around for my weekly updates.

Finally, EAT MOSTLY PLANTS! Apes sit on the ground and chew leaves, we are humans, we are advanced, there are countless, complex, haute cuisine recipes of plant-based meals that you will love - trust me. Change your perceptions, change your diet, CHANGE YOUR LIFE!