Several weeks ago, TDM asked me if I wanted to work out with a personal trainer a few times a week and share the cost. I agreed because I (begrudgingly) know it would be very good for me and because I thought it would be months and months away after all her reconstruction stuff was completed. Apparently she's all cleared to begin whenever she wants as long as she doesn't over-do it so I was completely duped - but that's a story for another day.
Not long after that, TDM asked me if I wanted to participate in a health workshop being sponsored by her company, "6 Weeks to a Healthier You." It seemed a tiny bit cheesy for my taste (and hers) but I agreed - in part because I know she's been feeling motivated to lose some weight and I want to support her, and in part because when am I ever NOT feeling like I need to lose some weight? No matter how basic or cheesy or dull the presentations, I figured it certainly wouldn't hurt to immerse myself in positive encouragement and educational information every Tuesday night.
Naturally, I began to think that this 6-week commitment was also a good time to kickstart a renewed effort to eat better. I started researching "vegan gastric bypass" looking for information for J ... she has also been talking about losing weight and since we do eat about 30% of our meals together, I wanted a final answer on the whole "meat as the only effective source of protein for gastric bypass patients" - she believes it is, I can't believe that it is. It's an important bit of info because eating with J means eating a lot more meat than I ever have (and more than I want to). I know that reducing the amount of meat in my diet would benefit my weight loss efforts but it's been a challenge when my roommate (who does nearly all of the dinner cooking) is convinced she (and therefore everyone) needs a meat protein with every meal. (PS: there are post-GB vegetarians out there who are healthy and happy, FYI).
Anyway, in the course of my search, I came across many glowing references to Dr. Joseph Fuhrman's Eat to Live book(s) and that set me off on a new trail. I liked what I read and bought the book the next day. I decided to follow the program for the 6 weeks of the workshop. I updated TDM on my intentions and she and her girlfriend are also enthusiastically on board.
So here we are on day 3 and all of us are surviving with a lot of curiosity, bravery, and humor. It's a bit of a shock to go from a typical American diet (maybe only 'mostly typical' as none of us are heavy soda or fast-food ingesters) to a vegan diet. Yes, I really did say vegan - plus no salt, caffeine, or oil and limited whole grains and starchy veggies. We're dutifully making the recipes and shoveling raw produce into our mouths in quantities not seen before. The focus of Dr. Fuhrman's lifestyle plan is nutrient-rich eating ... ingesting the needed amounts of vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. from the foods we eat and avoiding hazardous foods (sugar, processed anything, oils, sodium). I'm only through the 3rd chapter of the book, but so far it has explained in great detail many things I kinda sorta knew but didn't really know. Sodium isn't great. Olive oil isn't a health food. How the body processes the food we eat - in very specific detail. It's actually very interesting.
There's a promise of fairly rapid weight loss which is appealing to both TDM and me ... because the only weight being lost at my house is (finally) by my dog (down 2 pounds and showing early signs of a recovering waistline!)**
By day 3, one recipe has stood out so far ... the 'Eat Your Greens' smoothie. TDM makes retching noises due to the spinach content, but has promised to try it after my glowing (forceful) recommendation. Yes, there's 5oz of raw spinach involved, which is the equivalent of an entire blender. It's a lot of spinach. However, I can tell you honestly that you don't taste it. There is a light grassy essence (not taste); but mostly the berries and banana come through. The recipe as published makes enough for 2 servings ... I've added my notes (like this).
Eat Your Greens Smoothie
- 5 oz baby spinach (fresh spinach, not frozen)
- 1 banana
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (frozen will give the smoothie more body than fresh)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened soy, hemp, or almond milk (I used soy)
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice or other unsweetened fruit juice (I used POM)
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds (definitely use ground, not whole)

