cut n' color

Just when I think I'll let me hair grow again, I get frustrated and get it chopped. I do have an eye under there, don't I? This would be easier if I didn't have to hold my own camera... say cheese.

You look maaaavalus, daaahling!

My parents, following in the footsteps of me and my sister have obtained wonderful results as well! Considering they are entering their 60's, (sorry mom) with such vim & vigor - they should be a testament to Dr. Fuhrman and the "Eat to Live" way of life!

Over The Top

OK - I'm no chef, but I play one on TV. Don't know what got into me, but one day back in May, I decided to make a special congratulatory dinner for our friends who completed their first year at ASU. Well, the Asian themed meal included a mango/avocado spring greens salad w/ citrus dressing, wasabi mashed potatoes, veggi spring rolls, marinated lotus root, and a pineapple, micro greens, macadamia nut glazed, sesame noodle tower. Bon Apetit!

Before & After (click on photo to enlarge)

Eeeek - ran across some photos of me, my mom and sister during her pregancy a couple years ago. Obviously before any of us discovered Eat To Live! Thought I'd post them as added inspiration to others and ourselves!

Yosemite Hike

Went to Nevada Falls with the boys...

What happens in Vegas...

gets posted on my blog. (yawn)

Aloha

We had a great time in Hawaii...

Lake Powell Toga Night

Our family at our annual Powell trip - one of many theme nights.

6 Year Old Eats Salad!

On one of our summer trips, we had dinner at the vegan restaurant Millenium, in San Francisco. This photo of my yongest son says it all! YUM!

Me & My Mom

Just a nice sunset shot of me and my mom... together lighter than last year at this time by 85 pounds.

Eat Out In Phoenix

Our weekly dilemma... where to get a good vegan meal in the valley of the sun? Other than... eeek ... Red Robin (which does offer Garden or Boca burgers w/ a side salad)
Here's some great places I've found... but I'm still looking. A more casual place that is kid friendly would be great!

Mandala Tearoom

Elements - Here the chef will create a vegan menu!

Mosaic

The Reference Everyone Needs!

click to enlarge

Boating is our other passion (besides food and each other!) eeeeww... well we have been together for almost 24 years!

Bartlett Lake... on the boat...
life is good.










b-e-a-utiful desert...

Size 18 to Size 8!!!

Wow - I actually fit (snuggly) into a size 8 pants yesterday! I'm really in a size 10 - but I could fit into and zip up the 8 - not since high school has this happened! Let the journey continue...

Progression Photos

FEBRUARY 2005 - with my sister (all time high weight- 205 lbs.)


MAY - 2 days into ETL (-6 lbs.)


JUNE- houseboat vacation at Lake Powell (-20 lbs.)


AUGUST - on a hike at Lake Powell (-30 lbs.)


OCTOBER - with my Mom, sister and her son (-40 lbs.)

-with the boys


NOVEMBER - whole family (-50 lbs.)


DECEMBER - Disneyland with my oldest son and my Dad (-60 lbs.)


JANUARY 2006 - with DH (-63 lbs.)

Typical Lunch

My typical lunch...
spinach & mixed greens
strawberries
blueberries
grapes
sunflower seeds
red bell pepper
pecans
- dressing of honey mustard (kowlowski farms), stawberry balsamic vinegar and blood orange vinegar.

My Sister's Before & After Shots

She's gonna kill me for this...
and yes, she is pregnant in the before shot, but - well, the results speak for themselves!

From Cookie Dough to a Fresh Peach!

New Doo, For The New You...

Along with losing 60 pounds, comes the desire to revamp the hairstyle. So chop it off. And that's what I did.

Blended Salad

BEFORE:

OK - I've been reading a lot about blended salads, and heard people that swear by them - nutrient punch, convenience and taste! But I have hesitated because it just seemed weird - but after thinking more about it, being vegan is weird too- so I might as well practice what I preach and give it a whirl (sorry for the pun). I actually found the recipe in Disease Proof Your Child - and it's not totally greens - it has some banana, dates, fig vinegar, avocado, romaine and spinach. As you can see, the Vitamix is very full - and then the after pix, it blended down to almost nothing! The kicker is... I actually liked it! And so did my 8 year old! We had it as a side dish that tasted more like desert - but my DH and 5 YO didn't even want to taste it! Their loss... Now I might get brave and try another one... :)

AFTER:

Before Pix... warning some may find these pictures disturbing - like me!

I can't believe that only a year ago, our family, collectively weighed in at more than 100 lbs over where we are today! And you can bet it wasn't due to our boys losing any weight! (although they too have trimmed down excess fat that I notice in their faces). This is my motivation to keep on! (But I really don't need any motivation... because I never feel deprived) :)




Was that really us? Yup, Last Christmas.












April 2005 - Mr. & Mrs. Incredible... ya, right! BTW, those are XXL shirts. I think I better burn mine.









New Years - Acapulco 2005











February 2005

I'm back...

Had a weekend away - in Greer. Luckily, Mom is very much on the ETL bandwagon and totally supports (well, except when she feeds my boys chocolate and tuna) this lifestyle. As for dear ol' Dad, well he's another story entirely. His idea of health food is taking a piece of dark chocolate and popping it into his mouth along with a walnut. Lots of healthy omega 3's and 6's!! Oh well, he's actually come along way - just hasn't fully "sunk in" yet. And it may never. But I made some delish bean burgers and then one night we made a plethora of veggies. I'm to the point now where I begin to crave greens when I haven't had them for a few days. Like today, for lunch I will make steamed kale or bok choy, yum. Ok, time to eat... I love this lifestyle!

Cookbooks

Vegan Family Favorites

The Artful Vegan

Vegan - Tony Weston

Recipes to Nuture

Candle Cafe Cookbook

150 Vegan Favorites

Soy of Cooking

The New Vegan

Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook

Everyday Vegan

Fresh & Fast Vegan

Foods I Used To Eat

Here's a summary of the "before" foods that I had in my house:
(some of the foods were only eaten by my boys)

I hadn't eaten red meat for over 10 years - occasionally my Hubby would want to BBQ a good steak - and we would buy one at the gourmet grocery store (a good cut) - and I would have a chicken breast - and we would have baked potatoes with butter, sour cream and chives - and maybe some broccoli with cheese sauce.


FREEZER-
ground turkey
skinless, boneless chicken breast
light ice cream
fruit bars
bean & cheese burritos
chicken tenders
lots of "Schwans" ready to go meals
fish (although mostly we bought fresh - from a high-end grocery store)
chicken quesadillas
lots of pre-made "Costco" foods
chicken or turkey hot dogs
turkey bacon & sausage
french fries / tater tots
jalapeno poppers (filled w/ cream cheese)
turkey breast

FRIDGE-
lots of cheeses - block, shredded, string (had a drawer just for this)
tortillas for tacos / burittos
lettuce and tomatoes, carrots, etc (we ate salads 4-5 times a week as a side dish (but the dressings were oh, so SAD)
deli - thin sliced turkey or ham for hubby
best foods - mayo
lots of condiments (we still use these, but I read labels and have found healthy substitutes for old favorites)
cottage cheese (low fat)
non-fat yogurt (used to be my daily breakfast w/ grape nuts cereal - and sourdough toast w/ butter)
salsa (we still eat this - just use the fresh or low-salt types)
salad dressings - no fat, reduced fat, etc. (catalina used to be a fav - also balsamic ones - loaded with high fructose corn syrup!)
cream cheese (whipped - for bagels)
go-gurt (for the boys)
eggs (used to make cheese omelets, scrambled eggs, hard boiled, etc.)
non-fat milk
fruit
apple juice (still buy this for the boys- but have cut WAY down on consumption)
lunchables - for the boys' lunches - maybe 1 time every 2 weeks
caramel, hot fudge sauce for ice cream (2-3 times a week we'd have ice cream)


PANTRY:
soups (progresso, campbells) - lots of the 98% fat free cream style ones for cooking
pasta (a staple)
rice (chinese white - that we cooked in our rice cooker - 3-4 times a week)
canned veggies - green beans, carrots, zucchini, corn
picked beets, pickles, sauerkraut, relish (all high sodium, and HFCS)
fat free refried beans
fat free tortilla chips and potato chips
pretzels
bagels
sour dough bread, wheat, rye bread
english muffins
cereals (sugary ones for the boys, "healthy" ones for me and hubby - ya, right - granola, all full of refined flour, and sugar! - but they say healthy on the box!??? :) )
instant oatmeal
pop tarts
granola bars and other breakfast bars
tuna
canned chicken / turkey
lots of bad treats for boys (gummy fruit snacks, chex mix, crackers, just typical junk - but I thought the stuff I bought was the "healthier" choice - non-fat varieties of pringles, "10% real fruit", whole wheat, etc...)
juice drinks (capri sun, gatorade)
pasta sauce (Emerils, Prego - I used these as starters and added mushrooms, red peppers, onions, garlic, turkey meatballs to finish it off - all sauteed in olive oil - and would have french bread w/ butter and spices with it)
mac n' cheese (kraft)
canned beans - vegetarian Bushs' - I added brown sugar.
hamburger helper - several times a month - I used ground turkey or tuna
knorrs sauce packets for pasta - as a starter (major hydrogenated oils in these)
apple sauce (no sugar added kind)
canned fruit - in light syrup, or own juices
koolaid mix
peanut butter (jif or skippy)
cookies
donuts (once in a while for the boys - but I'd have a couple too - Krispy Kreme)
nestle's chocolate and vanilla milk powder


We were pretty much eating the traditional american diet. Go to the store, see what looks good and buy it - with what I thought was a "health conscious" eye. Always looked for the non-fat versions, or high quality, organic dairy, never cooked chicken with skin. Made mexican meals - cheese, mushroom enchiladas, turkey burritos, but used sour cream, and cheeses.
Made pasta dishes about the same as now, except the meat, and don't use oil - and start with muir glen, no sodium sauces and tomatoes. Turkey and cheese sandwiches for lunches, with no-fat potato chips, or pretzels... maybe with low-fat cottage cheese, or yogurt. I didn't consider myself an unhealthy eater, and always used quality ingredients. But now I know better! :)

RESTAURANTS-
We went out to eat a lot compared to now (maybe 2-3 nights a week) - TGIFriday's (boys fav), local Mexican, not much fast food - but lunches we'd have subway, kyoto bowl, baja fresh, chipotle, quiznos, schlotzkies(sp?). Dinners were local restaurants and some chains... bahama breeze, bamboo club, california pizza kitchen, PF changs, rock bottom brewery, or red robin, macaroni grill - what I thought were semi-healthy choices ('cept tgif's) - also had pizza from papa john's once in awhile. But hardly ever McDonalds, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box or others... only when in the car on a trip somewhere... and never red meat - only the chicken dishes or vegetarian options for me - but boys and hubby used to get sausage on pizza/pasta dishes. And I used to love dipping bread in the olive oil/balsamic/spices dip at Italian restaurants!

Hope this helps...

so WHAT do you eat?

So many questions... such ignorance out there.

Calcium, protein, B12, D, blaa blaa blaa... It's so clear to me now and so simple - plant based diet. End of story.

I get so tired of explaining and justifying - and only to have people get defensive, or challenge my new found way of life. Go eat your high-fat, animal protein, drink your coke or diet coke, supersize your food, drench your salads in high-fructose corn syrup, and spread hydrogenated oils on your white bread. Then don't forget to take your meds to get your body in shape and healthy.

right.

I'll post my food later - a bit too irritated now.

In the beginning...

So, once my sister gave me the book, and told me the general eating style, and after my initial shock of what foods I would be abstaining from, I was ready to commit! - So she took me to several healthy grocery stores and helped me to check food ingredients, and offer her knowledge on what to buy and what not to buy. We also went to a regular grocery store to check out the stuff I used to buy.

Then she helped me make some food - showed me how to eat a variety of "unlimited foods" and what to snack on. She said she didn't follow the plan 100%, and not to stress out about something that you eat that is not on the plan. But I found after the first gruelling week of detox (stomach aches, headaches, cravings) - that it was much easier.

Then came the "kitchen cleanse" - a good tossing of all the bad foods I had accumulated. (see "Foods I Used To Eat") - from the pantry, to the fridge, to the freezer, to the baking goods, to the candy, to the spices - I ended up with 4 large storage containers of SAD (Standard American Diet) food - that I gave away to relatives and food banks.

And so, we were on our way to a new lifestyle!

Our Family

This is us... after being vegan for 5 months (see color photo) and for 7 months (b/w photo). I'm working on getting some good "before" shots.

evolve

someday... somehow... my sister and I will open a healthy fast-food restaurant. "That'll be 1 organic blended salad with flax seed boost, edamamme bean and blood orange vinegar salad, baked sweet potato wedges with tarragon, 1 large water slush with lemon lime zest, an eggplant, onion and mushroom wrap with cashew sauce, 2 chopped kale and lentil stew bowls, a fresh pear, blueberry and walnut parfait with lemon tofu sauce and 2 banana, vanilla, goji berry smoothies. Please pull forward." and "yes, we do have Lil' Sprout Meals - that comes with an eco-friendly, nutritionally educational toy!" and we choose to eat here and go through the drive thru, not because we're too lazy to cook, but because our family is so active now, we want to get a hike and bike ride in before it gets dark! :)

Til then, we look at the logo, and dream.

Books and More

Books and related website:

Eat to Live - by Joel Fuhrman
http://www.drfuhrman.com/

The China Study - by T. Colin Campbell
http://www.thechinastudy.com/

Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings and Seven Steps to End Them Naturally - by Neal Barnard
http://www.pcrm.org/news/health030529.html


More good books:

The Pleasure Trap
http://www.nealhendrickson.com/TrueNorth/031100pleasuretrap.htm

The McDougall Program for Woman & McDougall Plan for Maximum Weightloss
http://www.drmcdougall.com/

Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World by Bob Torres, Jenna Torres

Fat Land : How Americans Became the Fattest People in the World by Greg Critser

Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser

Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health by Marion Nestle

Don't Eat This Book: Fast Food and the Supersizing of America by Morgan Spurlock

The Great American Detox Diet : 8 Weeks to Weight Loss and Well-Being by Alex Jamieson

Other websites:

http://www.vegsource.com

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/index.asp

http://www.vegangal.com

Meet The Boys

Of course, my first line of action was to recruit the family. How could I even think of trying this "wacky" way of eating without their support, or at least sympathy. So, to begin with, my DH was informed of my drastic lifestyle change that was soon to be, and he was asked to support the cause. Not only did he agree, but he jumped on the vegan lifestyle like no boy from Iowa would ever be expected to!


As for the sons, age 5 and 8, they were a little slow to convert. But loved watching SuperSize Me and now officially HATE all fast food. (except Subway, but they are a work in progress... baby steps.)

How I Became a Vegan in 8 Months

It was May 10th, 2005 - when my sister came to visit. She had lost an amazing amount of weight and I, frustrated at my gains over the past 3 years, was ready for desperate measures. When I asked how she did it, I was ready for her answer to be some extreme diet, or exercise routine that may give me fast results, but that ultimately would lead to more weight gain down the road. To my surprise, she told me it was a book...
Eat To Live, by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

I was a bit skeptical, having read numerous books in the past that have you counting calories, combing food types, cutting fat, etc... But she said that this one was different and that if I was serious, she would help me get started. I thought, "what have I got to lose, except weight?" - but as she read paragraphs and excerpts from the book, I started to doubt that I could do it. I had long ago given up eating red meat (since 1992) and was a vegetarian from 1992 through 1996... at which point I began eating fish and poultry again to add protein to my then pregnant body. (I now know better) But to give up dairy... my food staple, cheese!? And what about pasta, prepared foods and all the comfort foods that I grew up loving and craving? What a minute... no chocolate?! I was destined to fail before I even started. This was no diet, or lifestyle change... it was hell on earth!

until...
I started reading... and reading... and reading.