Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I felt great when I was vegan during a challenge a few months back... so much so that I now do it each week. I usually have two days of where I'll eat turkey, chicken or eggs. So why not just go all the way vegan?

I guess, one reason is because I do like eggs. I know scientists go back and forth on whether eggs are good for you or not. Dr. Fuhrman, famed nutritarian, definitely does not think eggs are healthy. Some doctors insist that eggs raise cholesterol. If that's true, why is my LDL one of the best my doctor has seen in people my age group? I wonder if there are studies of cholesterol for those that eat eggs a couple times a week that eat vegan the other days.

I did like being vegan when I did a week long challenge a few weeks ago, and I now try to incorporate it 3-4 days a week. I feel great have a lot of energy and have been maintaining my weight.

But there's a common misconception out there, that vegans can't get fat. It's true to a certain degree, but it's also false. It all depends on what foods you are eating.

I wore a vegan shirt at the gym the other day. I'm not completely vegan yet but wanted to let others know that I'm doing a weeklong vegan challenge starting on Sunday. I want to challenge the notion that a lot of body builders have, that you have to eat animal products to get muscle.

I was recently reminded from Facebook that the last time I did a vegan challenge was two years ago. I thought it was time to do another challenge. So why a vegan challenge again? I don't think consuming too many animal products is good for you. I want to prove that eating a plant-based diet can build muscle.

It has been a while since my last update.  Back on October 20th of 2015 I wrote about my desire to get back on the wagon to lose 91lbs. I mentioned how I haven't been feeling all too well and I was also at my heaviest weight of 274lbs. Knowing I had something wrong going on, I still decided to ignore it for a month or so without taking my own advice about seeing a doctor to check out what was ailing me.  Eventually, I saw a doctor and was able to get myself back on blood pressure medicine along with a statin to manage my cholesterol. Once back on the medication, after not having been on it for well over 2 years, I figured I was ok to continue my eating habits for a short time, sort of as a "last hurrah" before I kicked in my weight loss regime with the start of the new year.  With a follow up visit to the doctors to run some blood work to determine whether or not the medication was causing any havoc in my system, that is when the bomb dropped.  The abuse of my body had taken its toll.   It was discovered I had a high fasting blood glucose reading. (138) My A1C had me dipped into the insulin level of a diabetic. (9.6) Aside from all of this I also had an ear infection that was going on for some months and would not fully go away. 

I wasn't surprised and I almost suspected that something like this was happening based on how I did not feel well even after restarting the blood pressure and cholesterol meds. It was enough to give me a kick in the pants when it comes to making some key changes in my life.  Millions of people live with diabetes and many die due to complications of the disease.  This fact alone is enough to narrow my focus where I am to engage in battle against the disease as well as lose weight. In times past there was some wiggle room for excuses such as the "I can start up my diet tomorrow" which would roll from day to day, had turned into a "holy crap, you have no choice having two young children, you need to get your butt in gear and try to rid yourself of this disease so you can watch them grow up!".  Realistically, I realize I may not be able to get rid of diabetes if it is discovered that my pancreas is no longer creating sufficient insulin. Still, I need to give it a shot and see if I can conquer the disease that so many seem to fail and fall victim. Fortunately, it appears to be Type 2 where the cells in my body may be resisting the insulin my body may be creating.

In a few weeks, I'm having my body fat percentage checked again at the Southern CT State University. I've been working hard, but besides all the working out, I also eat very clean. They say it's essential to eat nutritious food and no junk food if you're trying to get to 10 percent body fat, as I am. The only way I'll get there is an eating plan that promotes muscle growth and keeps my weight in check.

I don't think I've touched upon the typical foods that I eat, so I thought I would blog about it for those that want to know. The foods are primarily from Dr. Fuhrman's list of suggested foods for the Nutritarian plan, but with some additions. Many of these foods I've researched the past few years and have them on a regular basis because of the important nutrients in them.