Peas in The Pod (Day One on The Eat to Live Formula Plus Summer Reading List: Laura Bush)

The pea is one of the most fascinating of all vegetables I grow. One of the tastiest, too. Not many pods even make it into the house--I just snip and eat right out in the yard. Thus, no photo of some yummy pea pod dish this morning. (Maybe later.) I cannot fathom the energy it takes to go from a tiny pea to this goliath vine forever climbing and strethching toward the sun--until the last pod is formed and then suddenly the plant says: enough and vines turn yellow and wither. I love the peas!

You cannot miss this towering square foot of peas. Your eye is drawn in by them towering over everything else. I planted the peas this year next to spinach (behind it) and in front of it--corn and cabbage and brussel sprouts. As the pea vines began to climb, I would train them to not creep over to the side and onto other "ground" items within their growing space. The pea vines are very fragile, so handle with a light touch!

My summer reading list. So far. I am a big reader. I am also a big fan of Laura Bush. (My political leanings may be fodder for another post--not today's).

My new pursuit and interests are taking me down the Eat to Live path as well as dabbling in raw foods while I am at it. I also love a bit of fiction from my library. My summer reading list cup runneth over.

The bellflower--native to Missouri. This grows on a lovely ground cover vine, and then suddenly you have these stems growing up from it--nice and straight--and finally these beautiful flowers form--they are so fun!

While I'm at it, I thought it might be fun to plant blueberries, blackberries and some grapes this spring. We've also just purchased two apple trees, a peach tree and an apricot tree--more on those later.

I finally finished the borders on my quilt! I love it! Now I need to put the backing on. Since this is my first quilt, I am going to need input on the matter of stitching and "finishing" my project. I know it's not rocket science, but I would feel much better with some assistance, so off to my sewing store I go tomorrow! Plus I've enrolled in a beginner sewing class in which we are going to make this super retro, super cute apron. I figure a fresh immersion in "sewing" basics couldn't hurt. (Plus I just had to have this apron--it screamed my name!)

*This is kind of a long post, but we're starting down a new path, it's a new month, etc. Feel free to skip this one. But you might find something interesting. . .maybe.

Where's the vegan food you ask? It'll be back real soon y'all. Lately, I have had my hands FULL with all things "yard". Our outside to-do list never seems to end this time of year. My mowing alone takes me about three hours every four days. Plus I require a full day to recover from the whole sweaty mess--especially in this monster heat we've had. (A wonderful workout in its own right. The other day, I used my pedometer to see how far I walked when I mowed: three miles--of HARD walking!) Plus the heat we're experiencing brings really humid, miserable days with it. It's not for the faint of heart. I like to call this "swamp" living. I keep telling Mr. Thyme I want to retire ABH: anywhere but here--further north--this heat kills me. But then he argues back, "You'll regret it when it's March and there's three feet of snow on the ground and the first day for gardening doesn't happen until May." My reply, "More knitting time for me."

I've also been busy watching over the "critters" in my veggie garden. I get very annoyed with things that destroy my plants and then take matters into my own hands in the shape of a hose and a blast of water--keeping it real, keeping it organic--but don't think I don't wish for a nice dose of BT spray once in a while. This is a critical time of year for spotting anything that might find its home in my backyard--like the millions of ants eating their way through an entire sunflower plant, or another "insect alien" enjoying all the leaves on my bush beans. Oh the joy of growing your own food.

Then there is my reading list. Grant it, I sometimes have the attention span of a two-year old. So I find my best reading time is first thing in the morning or right before bed. There are the rare afternoons when I just curl up in the chair and page turn. But rarely--especially this time of year. Being a homeowner is work. It's not for the faint of heart.

I've said this before and bears repeating: Just because you're vegan, does not mean you won't gain weight. And I have professed over and over, I love to eat. And I do. I am no dieter. I believe will power can be bought and sold a hundred times over by anyone hocking a pill, a diet plan or a "support group' participating in a "plan". People just don't think for themselves sometimes. The "joiner" mentality I call it. So how did I come across Eat to Live? By thinking for myself.

I picked up Eat to Live by Joel Fuhrman, M.D., book after seeing first hand how this diet changed a runner's physique. One of the runner's in my Saturday group lost a significant enough amount of weight that I took note and became nosy and discovered he'd accomplished this through Dr. Fuhrman's plan. Maybe when you think "runner" you think skinny, fit, why a diet? Well, one of the drawbacks of being a runner is the massive amount of calorie burn we have during our sport--plus that runner's high. This, in turn, results in massive food cravings--to replenish the expended energy, of course. I jumped into this running group earlier this winter--they run a hard five miles on Saturday mornings. (It nearly kills me and totally challenges the body--I don't love it, but a really good run never feels good, so they say.) Then I missed a few weeks when my Seasonal Affective Disorder kicked in. Then returned this spring. I noticed right away this guy's weight loss. After consulting with his wife on the matter during our run, she said he used the Eat to Live formula. Of course I'd heard of this. But not being a dieter myself, I was quite skeptical. What could someone already fit need in the weight loss department? Turns out a lot! And much improved functioning as a result. I'm a fan of thin. I'll admit it. I was a thin kid--skinny as a rail, they used to say. However, during the course of my Almost Fifty years, I've also personally been on the other end of not-so-skinny, and really much prefer "skinny". I wish for everyone to be healthy--and stop eating animals for once already! We were not meant to eat animals! Period!

So, where was I? The thin part. After my hospital bill arrived from "the incident" on my face, I was blown away at the charges for tests, for pokes, for prodding, for walking into my room for crying out loud--for it ALL. It is really, really expensive to be ill! I was floored. I hate being sick, going to the doctor or even needing medical attention of any kind. I take no pleasure in it at all. It is a fact of life--we need to go, but I won't be happy about it. As a child, I had to be rushed in for asthma treatments quite regularly. (Seems my mother might have figured out her two pack a day habit and closed car windows might have something to do with this, but I digress). I just hated being sick. I get very upset if my life is stopped for "an illness". (It has stopped often.) For me, the best thing is to be as healthy as I possibly can--as much as I can. Thus the Eat to Live book.

Dr. Fuhrman professes a lot throughout his book. He backs much of this up with tons of citations, too. The most compelling thing for me was seeing a person transform from this first hand. I've seen Weight Watcher types go into that diet program and have some success. But then I've seen them a year later back to their "not-so-very-Weight-Watcher's-look" and discouraged about food all over again. If that were me and I'd spent all that money to be told how to track points, eat this and that--only to gain it all back again--first, I'd be pissed, second, I'd demand a refund (through a letter from an attorney if need be). Third, I'd probably cry.

So, Eat to Live is simple. It's this: Make the salad the main part of the meal. The first part of the meal. Of every meal. Okay, I think I'd have trouble with Romaine leaves with my oatmeal--that's okay--he says make it the first part of the meal at lunch and dinner. Second--eat as much fruit as you'd like. Cool This is going to be where I have to watch it. I love fresh fruit in the summer. (Winter not so much.) I've planted watermelon and canteloupe--well, and you saw my blueberries, too. Third--eat greens-lots of them. Use your imagination here. Kale chips anyone? (I have to try these soon, I am growing kale, too.) But overall, there is not a lot of concern with overeating greens if overeating greens is your problem--it's never been one of mine. My trouble is getting the greens to the table in a manner I will enjoy. I like my "grub" eating ways. Plus, he's not a fan of coffee or caffeine. Says this contributes to igniting things that cause you to want to eat more. Coffee is my compass in the morning. I don't drink a lot of it--I drink maybe half a cup. I mainly brew it for the smell. I could never drink more than a cup of it usually. But I do love my morning java. I'll need work here. Portion control is also really important. Like I could eat two cups of peanuts in one afternoon--just by grazing--handful here, handful there. Not any more. I really need to stop my grazing habits. This is where I get hurt. That tablespoon of peanut butter I eat before lunch and before every night's meal--may have to cut back on that, too. I don't want to confess all of my eating sins, but you get the picture?

He gives a pretty good outline of the trades you can make should you not want, say, a pound of lettuce at seven a.m. Additionally, the program is pretty veggie/vegan friendly and for that, I have to give him many points. In fact, if you'd like, I've included a link from fatfreevegan.com for guidance and awesome recipe tips. As a vegan, I'm already half way there. And raw. He likes the raw a lot. So how hard can this be for someone like me?

Well, for starters: cake lust. I have that really bad as you all know. Now, I am not someone who makes and eats an entire cake in one sitting. I just eat some of it every single day until it's gone. Dr. Fuhrman thinks this isn't such a good idea, and he has citations backing this up. 

I am taking up this book as a new challenge for myself. I don't have a good lifeline genetically. Both of my parents are dead. (Pretty stark reality to see it in print--even though I say it aloud when I get asked at the doctor.) They shouldn't be--dead, that is. To me, they both left the party too soon. I believe being unfit and living an unfit life will kill you--I've seen this first hand. I love Dr. Fuhrman for pointing out that there is no shortcut to this plan (and he's right)--you have to read the whole book or you might as well not even try.  

Dr. Fuhrman believes adults should be at the weight they were when they were twenty. (And he talks about the "how-much-belly-fat-can-you-pinch" and how unhealthy it is to pinch this or that amount of belly fat for men and women.) I sort of freaked out at this as I was sitting curled up in a chair and could very well see I would not meet his requirement test of "fit" regarding pinching my belly--so I stood up and did a pinch. . . much better--but still not okay!) All things being equal in the plan, I have about fifteen-twenty pounds to drop. Ten is a lot to me. Not the easiest thing in the world to do for someone 5'8" and Almost Fifty. Plus, I don't remember exactly what I weighed back then because I was too busy with other pursuits--but do know it was less than what I weigh now. My weight was never an issue then. When my weight was an "issue" we had so many fad diets to turn to (plus eating disorders)--I grabbed the easiest one I could find and jumped in. All the girls did. We were of the Madonna era--we had a role model to aspire to.

Dr. Fuhrman's diet isn't so much a fad as a lifestyle change. Plus, I am out like twelve bucks for the book. (Unlike other programs that reach deeper into your pockets.) I will not be publishing my weight any time soon, so don't expect a hip-hip hooray I just lost ten pounds from "x" weight. I will just share with you how I feel and what I've been eating--and show some food along the way--and not pictures of a pound of cabbage in a bowl, I promise! It's a nice plus if I can encourage others to try this out. It would be great, actually. Getting anyone behind the more veggie, less animal protein bandwagon is a win-win in my humble opinion. My goal ultimately is to turn a new leaf, to share some information, to show some great eating options and to bring my blog along with me while I do so.

You have to "think for yourself"--remember? If you read this or read about the plan and think this might be for you--let me know, or not. Six weeks is a long time for anything. But come this fall, I'd also like to run another half marathon or 10k or 5k--and do it faster than the races I ran in April--carrying maybe a little less of me across the finish line would be a nice parting gift.

So, welcome to my Eat to Live lifestyle change. The key word here is "lifestyle" change. I am not going to stop cold turkey once it's over. Nor am I going to adhere to the "strict" option in the ETL plan. I am opting for the "make-these-changes-for-improved-life-and-overall-health-and-some-weight-loss-to-boot" option. I want to maintain my weight and my sanity for longer than six weeks. For the record, yes, I will still eat sweets. Just tweeking them along the way is all. And bread--still have to have bread. But probably not as much--and whole grain mostly. And the mighty potato is not leaving my pantry any time soon either. (Not being married to an Irish man, it's not!) And no, I am not going all raw on you here. I couldn't and still keep my marriage in tact. But raw will be present with some of this.

Eat to Live Day One:

Breakfast:

Bowl of six strawberries and green smoothie.

Lunch:

Hummus wrap with not-quite-a-pound of spinach leaves, cabbage, peppers and carrots in whole wheat tortilla, and a pickle.

Snack: Watermelon slices and grapes.

Dinner:

Vegan apple sage sausage (made with beans and other good stuff) with coleslaw and some potato salad on the side