The Meatless Blog’s First Public Speaking Engagement!

Day 99

On Thursday I went for my daily workout at the YMCA and afterwards got my Body Mass Index (BMI) checked. Y employee Rich took me into the office where their BMI gadget was and there we bumped into Jayne, another Y employee who had also taken my BMI back in December.

Jayne asked how my meatless year and blog were going and I inform her about the positive feedback I have been receiving from readers and that I felt extremely energetic. Yet another Y employee, Dawn, the Y’s Physical Director, came in and Jayne told her about what I was doing. Dawn then asked if I wanted to stop in to briefly speak to her weight loss group on Saturday morning during their cooking tips hour. I enthusiastically said yes.

Saturday morning came and I arrived in the Y’s community room a little before 10 am with two bags stuffed with examples of the food I’ve been eating since going meatless back in November; i.e. whole grain bread, greens salad, natural peanut butter and etc.

Soon, the room filled up and it came to be my turn to present. My three major talking points included.

Focus on losing just one pound at a time, no matter how much you want to eventually lose. This will keep you positive and focused.

There is always time to cook—even if you have to prepare and freeze meals ahead of time.

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. Eventually one can find the time to go price hunting in their area. There are bargains to be found in many places.

The folks in the weight loss group were very appreciative and I got to chat with a few of them after the talk. I used this time to show them up close some of the healthy foods I brought in. All in all, I loved it and Dawn may invite me back to speak with them all again.

And yes, I am available for Bar Mitzvahs too!

Talk to you soon!
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I Dream of Meat

Day 14

For me, there are a few signs that a new diet is working.

Weight loss – I was 212 lbs. when I started going meatless on November 2nd.

Now I am down to 207 lbs.

Another sign is that I have a steadier stream of energy. I continue to feel great with the exceptions of a few blips on the radar here and there. Otherwise, I feel much better than when I was eating meat.

Better digestion. That one speaks for itself.

The last sign of a new diet working may only apply to me. It’s a strange one:

I dream of the foods I’m avoiding.

You heard that right. Meats are invading my dreams! They have been kicked off of my meal plate so they are trying to sneak into my psyche!

Last night I dreamt I had to eat at McDonald's so I ordered a salad. On top of the salad greens were strips of bacon! Under the salad was a fine layer of chilled, pre-cooked ground beef. It was firmly coating the bottom of my wooden salad bowl (since when does McDonald’s have true dinnerware?!) and was an unavoidable presence.

Waking before I could put any beef or pork in my mouth, I was relieved that it was only a nightmare.

The same thing happened to me when I first did the Atkins Diet years ago. Around that time I dreamt I robbed a donut stand at an airport! Yeah, I know, weird and random.

And yes, I have done the Atkins Diet in the past. It does take off pounds quickly but they come right back if you go off of the diet plan. Not worth it for that and a few other reasons.

Talk to you soon.