My New Year's 2010 Resolution , Part 1

Day 61

This is probably the most important entry I have written in this space since I started this blog back on November 2nd. I think it’s going to be a lot to digest for most people so I’ve broken it into two parts.

The two below video links have changed my recently altered eating habits even further. Don’t worry, I am not turning into a radical activist but the short films below have prompted me to change my meatless diet even more.

WARNING: If you are easily upset by violence towards animals, other acts of animal cruelty or gore then please don’t go to the below video links as you will find them quite upsetting. Feel free to skip the videos at the links and scroll down to the text after them.

Click on the links below to see the short films:

Meet your Meat

Glass Walls

Starting today, in addition to the meats I have already cut out for my meatless year (beef, pork, poultry, eggs and fish/seafood), I am now cutting out all dairy products too. No more milk, cheese, yogurt and such. I guess I’m going full vegan now. I’ll tell you more on this decision in the upcoming second part of “My New Year's 2010 Resolution”. Other than that, I will just let the above videos speak for themselves today.

I still wish you all a Happy New Year, even though it begins on such a dour note for me in the world of food.

"Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot"

Days 59 & 60

In less than twelve hours it will be 2010. The first decade of the 21st century will be just memories. I did a lot in the last ten years including my share of diets and exercise programs.

I tried Atkins once or twice but always gained the weight back, I worked out at two different YMCAs and Bally’s, took long walks along Lake Michigan in Chicago and up Clark Street (which I think has got to be the most interesting street in Chicago besides Michigan Avenue) but was still not eating the best I could.

Well, 2010 is a new beginning that in some ways began two months earlier on November 2nd, when I first went meatless. Now I’m exercising too and the weight is staying off for the most part.

Speaking of my weight, 2010 will be the year I finally get down to my ideal range of 149 – 162 lbs (according to the Body Mass Index I did at the Y a week ago). Hopefully others will learn from my mistakes and successes that I make along the way. I am aiming to get to my target weight by June 2010. Can I do it? Let’s see. If not, that’s okay; I will still have until November 2nd 2010 to accomplish that goal.

Also, I have some new things coming up in the blog, such as:

Recipes – I will present in the blog meatless recipes from vegetarian cookbooks I have recently acquired and also from the people I know. Who knows? Maybe I will even make videos of me making those recipes and post them here in the blog!

What exactly am I eating? Many people have asked this and I have been putting it off so there will be entries coming up soon showing you some of the foods that I have been consuming ever since I started this meatless experiment.

Besides meat, what other unhealthy eating habits am I trying to get away from? I will show you just what else I am avoiding in the land of terrible meal choices.

Here is to a great 2010 and have a Happy New Year!

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
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My Meatless Christmas or I’m Dreaming of a Meatless Christmas

Days 49 - 55

Hello all! Hope your holiday, whatever you celebrated, went well! I celebrated Christmas of course and, along with Thanksgiving, is the other big meatless meal challenge of the calendar year.

Before I tell you what I ate, let me tell you about some of the meatless themed gifts I got for my birthday on the 14th and for Christmas.

For my birthday my sister got me a cookbook called Vegetarian Suppers by Deborah Madison. This goes nicely with the other cookbook I got from my parents for Christmas simply titled, Vegetarian. I can’t wait to start making recipes from them in 2010 and let you know how they turned out here in this very blog!

After opening presents at my parents’ house we went over to my sisters’ and exchanged gifts with her family over there. My sister got me a 5-in-1 power blender along with another book called The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies.

My last food themed gift was a can of Spam from my nieces and nephews. It doesn’t expire for a couple of years so maybe after my meatless year I will eat it. Hmmm…maybe not.

In recent years my sister and her husband have hosted Christmas dinner at her house and she has always done a wonderful job. This year, when we arrived, there was a coffee station already set up as well as a table of snacks that included, cheeses, crackers and dips.

My mom made and brought a vegetarian chili cheese dip just for me and it was wonderful! It was much less greasy then if it was made with meat laden chili.

For the main meal I ate squash, turnip, a roll and mashed potatoes. I had filled up on Christmas candy, coffee, muffins and snacks earlier that morning so I didn’t put much on my plate at lunch.

To me, the smell of roasting turkey is one of the best smells ever. My sister had the aroma in her kitchen and my parents cooked a bird of their own that evening. That smell made me really miss turkey so a lot. This is why I started this whole experiment in early November. If I can make it through Thanksgiving and Christmas without meat I can avoid it anytime. Those two holidays are great tests to see if I an resist the urge to have meat. I figure it will make my holiday season all the more sweeter next year when I can have turkey again.

Did I tell you my friend Monte called Christmas Day? “Who is Monte?” you say? I’ll let you know in my next entry. He loves to write and talk about food too!

Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com

‘Twas the Week Before Christmas

Days 46 - 48


‘Twas the week before Christmas
And all throughout the week
I have been preparing for the New Year
It is the opposite of bleak

My shopping is done, both grocery and gift
I have been working out, lately
It has given me a lift

Organizing plans for Two-thousand and ten
It makes one remember; where one has been

I have given up meat; red, white and fish
So far I feel better
What more could a person wish?

The energy has gone up and the weight is going down
The Y is affordable; the best deal in town

As the year closes one should stop and reflect
So a week off from the blog it will be
Yes, a break from my dreck ;)

I look forward to the New Year and so should you
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
From me to you!