A Man Finally Eats his Veggies: A Meatless Year: March 2010

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

No Apologies for Toast

Day 149

Last week I was on instant messenger with a loyal blog reader and in the course of our conversation it came up that I had just had some buttered whole grain toast. It has become my favorite late night snack and I make no apologies for it. I love not just two:

But four pieces before bedtime.

Mmmmmmm…toast.

My conversation partner was appalled and thought I was drunk at the time. Not so. I just looove toast. It is not completely unhealthy. Yes, I am buttering it but it is WHOLE GRAIN toast.

Relax, people. This is much better than a daily dose of peanut butter cups or snack cakes.

Everybody has their guilty eating pleasures. Buttered whole grain toast is mine.

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
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Monday, March 29, 2010

I swear it wasn’t me.

Day 148

Only in Indiana:

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Lazy Sunday Blog Reminders

Days 146 & 147

Well, not really a lazy Sunday…I am currently busy working on some pictures for upcoming entries so I thought I’d take this time to remind people, and let new readers know, about a few of the blog’s “extras”.

Are you on Twitter? So is the meatless year blog at http://twitter.com/MeatlessYear.

The blog has a Facebook fan page too at http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Man-Finally-Eats-his-Veggies-A-Meatless-Year-Blog/228505550587?ref=nf.

And also a YouTube page (with more videos to come, hopefully) http://www.youtube.com/user/MeatlessMan.

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
Facebook A Man Finally Eats his Veggies Fan Page
Meatless Man on Twitter
Meatless Man Channel on YouTube
All writing, videos and pictures copyright the author of this blog unless otherwise noted.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Available for Public Speaking Engagements

Days 144 & 145

In addition to the two healthy eating talks I have given to the weight loss group at my local YMCA, I now have a third upcoming gig at my local chapter of the American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC). The AAPC is an organization that educates medical coders and billers and is overall dedicated to keeping them up to date on all the latest medical coding innovations.

Last week, at the last local chapter meeting Anita, the chapter’s education officer, asked the gathered members for help in getting presenters for future chapter meetings. The presenters didn’t have to specifically present on medical coding as long as they educated others on a health related topic.

That was my cue and I gave Anita the blog’s business card and told her how I had lost 41 lbs since November 2nd and feel great. Earlier this week she e-mailed me at the blog’s official e-mail address and said she would love to have me come in and present at the next AAPC local chapter meeting on April 21^st. I can’t wait to share the new and healthier lifestyle that I have adopted with my fellow medical coders.

If you are in Western Massachusetts and want me to come in and do a presentation to your club or organization on how to go meatless simply e-mail me at meatlessman@yahoo.com so we can discuss it. Healthy eating is a topic that people want to be aware of now more than ever.

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
Facebook A Man Finally Eats his Veggies Fan Page
Meatless Man on Twitter
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All writing, videos and pictures copyright the author of this blog unless otherwise noted.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

“So Like Candy”

Day 143

Recent studies state that vitamins in general aren’t beneficial to one’s health. Vitamin D can actually be a positive pill to pop in your person but, on the whole, vitamin supplements don’t really do a thing for your well-being and may actually increase your risk of certain diseases. If you get enough exposure to the sun you don’t even have to take a vitamin D supplement.

Check out this recent article in Reader’s Digest.

It is always better to get vitamins in food form rather than simply swallowing a pill. Sadly, we think all our health concerns can be solved with a pill, prescription or over the counter remedy.

We live in an age where prescription drugs are advertised on TV, prompting many to approach their doctor for said drugs first rather that the doctor recommending a medication to you.

People want shortcuts to health and research keeps showing that there are none. Don’t take vitamins, get them from foods. Don’t take a diet pill, get some exercise.

Some diabetics have been known to avoid having to take insulin by changing their diet and exercising. Maybe taking care of oneself in such ways can help prevent other health problems—even alleviate some too.

Today I am stopping my daily multivitamin dose but will continue to take my calcium supplement until it runs out (it is fortified with vitamin D). I ceased taking over the counter allergy medications late last fall and now no longer need them. When my medicated allergy spray runs out I will stop taking that as well. I feel much better than I did before going meatless on November 2^nd. The less I take, the better I’ll feel.

Now to work on getting more sun…

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Gimme a Belt!

Days 141 & 142

My pants are hanging around my ankles and not in the way I want.

I have lost 41 lbs over the past four months and it shows. Today I was wearing some jeans and I looked like a 90’s era rapper. “Yo, I’m MC Draggy Drawers!”

This was with my current belt tightened all the way. So now I am looking to replace the leather belt I got back in 2008 with a new belt that will be a tighter fit.

There is just one problem with this. How do I get a belt that looks like leather but actually isn’t leather? Do they make those?

It has to look like a leather belt because I want a grownup looking belt. I don’t want a belt that looks like it can’t be taken seriously in a job interview or on a date. Where can one purchase a faux leather belt?

Going to have to look for some new jeans as well…

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Girl Scout Cookies!

Day 140

It’s that time of year again. Yep, Girl Scout Cookie time.

I have two nieces who are Girl Scouts and I try to be a good uncle and buy at least one box from each of them. Yeah, I am buying cookies but it’s all for a good cause.

The cookies arrived last week and I picked up for and paid for my one box of thin mint cookies and my one box of Tagalongs.

Those who are familiar with Girl Scout Cookies know that Tagalongs are a chocolate covered peanut butter patty cookie and are just irresistible. I sat down to do some writing soon after picking up this year’s order from my sister’s kids and consumed the whole box of Tagalongs in one sitting. I swear that they don’t put as many cookies in each package as they used to but, nonetheless, I still chomped down that whole box within a time span of just ten minutes.

We all have our guilty eating pleasures and none of us is immune to them one-hundred percent of the time.

The box of Thin Mints I left on my sister’s dining room table with this note attached:

Saturday, March 20, 2010

What’s in Your Chicken Nuggets?

Day 139

This comes as no surprise:

Thursday, March 18, 2010

"The Pig Farmer"

Day 138

A friend posted this link on the blog’s Facebook fan page. Click on the picture below to check out this great article:

Moving stuff, wouldn’t you agree?

Thanks to Rebecca R. for the link!

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
Facebook A Man Finally Eats his Veggies Fan Page
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All writing, videos and pictures copyright the author of this blog unless otherwise noted.

Weight Update: FLASHBACK!

Day 137

This entry is dedicated to Ed, Geoff, Iris, Kim, Sean and Ed.

Back in the winter of 2007 I worked as a copywriter for an online merchant in Chicago, IL. One day, five co-workers and I decided to have a weight loss pool. We each put in $100 and tried to see who could lose the most weight over the course of a couple of months—I believe the contest went from the beginning of March until the fifth of May.

If I recall correctly, I placed third in the contest. My weight loss method back then was Atkins (I don’t recommend it) and jogging around the track at Bally’s during my lunch break.

I ended up going from 199 lbs to 172, a loss of 27 lbs. The reason I bring this up is because as of this writing I am down from 212 lbs to 171 lbs—a total loss of 41 lbs since November ^2nd. I have now crossed the threshold of what my weight was back in 2007 before I gained those 27 lbs back and then some.

There will be no current weight loss pictures for this weight update. I might not even show any more until I reach my goal of 149 lbs. For now, please enjoy the before and after picture below of my weight loss from the above mentioned 2007 weight loss competition.

Oh, and I apologize for the striped shirt and cargo pants. A very special woman with a great fashion sense, except for her prolific use of scarves, (sorry, you-know-who) advised me to stop wearing them both last year. Sigh. If only I knew her in 2007. I have since donated all my striped shirts and cargo pants to goodwill.

Striped shirts really are ugly. Ugh.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patty’s Day!

Day 136

Yep, it’s St. Patty’s Day folks!

Break out your green clothes and head to your local pub!

I think beer is a perfectly fine beverage. I love it on cold days, I love it especially on hot days and I love having a pint with friends.

Buuuutttt, if you are dieting it’s one of those things you can’t have every week. When I was doing a weight loss competition years ago in Chicago (more on that later; perhaps tomorrow) the contest judge told us that alcohol was the worst thing one could drink for weight loss—maybe even worse than sugar-filled junk food!

I have not had much alcohol so far in this meatless year but who knows what parties and celebrations I will encounter as the year goes on?

Have a Happy St. Patrick’s Day everybody!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Poll Results

Days 134 & 135

"Are zoos as a whole good or bad for animals?" was the poll question and it looks like
55% of you thought they were good for animals while 44% consider them bad for animals.

This seems like a hot topic and from the comments on my Facebook page it seems like it may depend on the quality of the zoo itself and not zoos as a whole.

Speaking of Facebook, if you want to comment on this topic or any other blog topic then please put a reply in the comments section of this blog and not my personal Facebook page. Why? I want people who see this blog to see what other people think and they can’t do that if the comments are posted to my personal Facebook page where not everybody who reads this blog has access to.

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
Facebook A Man Finally Eats his Veggies Fan Page
Meatless Man on Twitter
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All writing, videos and pictures copyright the author of this blog unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Another Y Presentation

Days 131 - 133

Last weekend I did another presentation for the weight loss group at my local YMCA. This time I told them about the unhealthy eating habits I used to have.

I was feeling very tired that day from munching on candy and downing a Red Bull the day before. I pointed this out and one of the people in the group labeled it a “sugar hangover”.

Sugar hangover is the perfect way to state it. One of the things I have noticed since going meatless and balancing my diet is that if I eat junk food, particularly very processed junk food, I feel sluggish and a bit crappy for about 24 hours after—almost like a regular hangover but without the nausea or severe headache.

My body responds better to healthy foods and I can certainly feel it. I guess even a little bad stuff can go a long way to weighing my system down.

P.S. On a totally unrelated note, don't forget to vote in the current poll on the sidebar, "Are zoos as a whole good or bad for animals?", which ends tonight!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

King Corn!

Days 129 & 130

See King Corn!

King Corn and Food, Inc. appeal to me more than Earthlings or Meet Your Meat because the former two films talk about how all our food is affected and the latter two films only focus on the meat and dairy groups of food.

I’d like to think I do this blog to help inform all people about all their eating habits, meatless or not. Giving up meat is, I believe, a positive step towards healthier eating but not a cure-all. One must look closely at what else they are consuming. High fructose corn syrup is not something one should put in their body on a daily or even weekly basis.

Also, don’t forget the current blog poll, “Are zoos as a whole good or bad for animals?”, is only up for four more days. Look for it on the right side of this page and please vote if you have not already done so.

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
Facebook A Man Finally Eats his Veggies Fan Page
Meatless Man on Twitter
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All writing, videos and pictures copyright the author of this blog unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Thoughts on the Earthlings film

Days 127 & 128

I finally saw Earthlings a few weeks ago. It played like an expanded version of Meet Your Meat but it also focused on the other ways we misuse animals such as for research, clothing and entertainment.

I agree that animals shouldn’t be the victim of cruel experiments, abused by animal trainers or used as wallets; however, I am not in alignment with Earthling’s views on zoos.

Earthlings took the point of view that zoos in general are cruel to animals. I don’t think all zoos are cruel. Sure, some confine the animals in too small of a space but aren’t there better zoos out there with bigger spaces for the animals to roam as well?

I personally like zoos. I think they teach us to respect the animal kingdom and help protect endangered species against poachers and predators.

What do you all think? Vote in the latest blog poll on the sidebar to the left! “Are zoos as a whole good or bad for animals?”

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
Facebook A Man Finally Eats his Veggies Fan Page
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All writing, videos and pictures copyright the author of this blog unless otherwise noted.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

New Film Sunday: The Confession

Days 124 - 126

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Some of my Old, Unhealthy Eating Habits

Days 122 & 123

- This entry is dedicated to Pete and Deb who knew it was all bad for me at the time.

Before I went meatless I had some very bad eating habits.

I am not talking about too much meat in my diet and not enough vegetables in my diet.

Nope. Nope. Nope.

Let’s go back a few years to when I was living in Chicago, shall we?

It was 2007 and I was a single guy living by himself in the Windy City. There were many good places to eat: The Melrose Diner, Reza’s, The Lincoln Restaurant, Rosebud and many, many more fine eateries.

There were also many places to buy groceries. Around the corner from me was a Jewel supermarket that was open 24/7. Access to groceries anytime I wanted was just a short walk away.

My two favorite things to buy there at any time of day or night were a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and frozen pizza.

Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is the best hard serve ice cream ever made. Everytime I spotted a new flavor at a 7-11, Jewel or any other store that sold it I would snatch it up. Of course, I would also go out and buy a pint whenever I felt like it too.

My favorite time to eat it was breakfast. Not just a few scoops, not just half of the container but the whole thing at once!

For some reason I always felt like I had to eat the whole pint at once. B & J’s is fine ice cream but it’s not a food that makes for a healthy, balanced breakfast.

Another terrible habit was having frozen pizza for supper. Rising crust, four cheese, meat lovers were some of my favorite varieties.

And, again, I ate the whole thing in one sitting.

I would feel so drowsy after consuming the pizza yet strangely satisfied.

The above foods are okay to eat (very processed or course) but should be eaten in moderation and not everyday—maybe not even every week.

Being meatless these past four months has taught me about eating healthier foods in better portions. Now I am not as ravenous as I was when I gobbled frozen pizzas and ice cream pints whole. I don’t feel tired after a meal, actually, I feel energized!

So, glad I am not such a pig now. Hope I can keep up these healthier eating habits in the future.

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
Facebook A Man Finally Eats his Veggies Fan Page
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All writing, videos and pictures copyright the author of this blog unless otherwise noted.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

FOUR Months of Being Meatless!

Days 120 & 121

Today I have been meatless for four whole months! That’s a third of year without beef, pork, poultry, fish, seafood or whole eggs!

I have lost 33 lbs since November 2^nd and have so much more energy than before I made the switch! I can’t remember when was the last time in my adult life I have had such long stretches of get-up-and-go. Come to think of it, lack of energy has been the bane of my existence,as far back as college and even early high school.

Now I think I have finally found a way to kick this lack of energy problem square in the ass.

Stick around folks. There are more good things on your way in the coming months in this meatless blog o’ mine.

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
Facebook A Man Finally Eats his Veggies Fan Page
Meatless Man on Twitter
Meatless Man Channel on YouTube
All writing, videos and pictures copyright the author of this blog unless otherwise noted.