Weight loss and the New Year

Can a picky eater slow down weight gain? Well not if the eatings picked are full of fat and sugar. However, this past year, since Lent, I tried a reduced animal protein diet. Specifically, for Lent, I gave up meat. This was something all new for me. I never practiced a Lenten fast before. Yet, I had never been old enough before to see higher cholesterol levels in my physical. I run barefoot and I didn't have my recumbent bike then, see my ice bike story.

I didn't give up fish or dairy products (or insects). So that makes me an icthy-ovo-lacto-ento-vegetarian. In the beginning, I ate rice and beans at dinner almost every night and a whole grain cereal for breakfast such as Ezekiel 4:9 brand with almond or rice milk. I learned how to use my pressure cooker and tried all sorts of spices to provide variety. I also practiced eating when I was hungry, but only small portions at a time. I lost weight. I kept the fast for the most part after Lent, except for the roasted lamb on Easter. Yummy. 

I got most of my diet ideas from Sans Auto, see his Sabotage Fatty series. Once I resumed running in the spring, weight was easy to keep off and numbers such as blood pressure and cholesterol were happy also.

I didn't stay completely land meat free, though. For example, Easter lamb was great. I tried a free-range-steer hot dog over the summer. That was disappointing. When visiting, I never declined a meat dish offered to me out of consideration towards my hosts. The only other intentional partaking was at Thanksgiving, when I ate with my family at a community meal. Turkey with gravy is nice.

As I look back over that past 11 months I think I've only missed variety, but only a little. I can still enjoy Mexican night with my family. My grocery bill has remained steady despite the rise in meat prices. My kids have to eat the same meat leftovers for much longer now. The only thing I really miss is a big pulled-pork sandwich. It's a treat I could rarely find here in New England anyway, so I'm not that deprived. I'm a picky eater of a sorts now. When I wasn't picky, I could, and I would, eat everything at the Christmas parties. But now I have increased my vegetable intake a great deal. I have fallen off the small portion wagon though, especially in December, when every plate of cookies I see makes me hungry. I still have a sweet tooth, but my weight gain is not as bad as I feared.

I will be back on my recumbent soon and I actually bought a pair of Nike Frees (3.0) for winter running.

In conclusion, I highly recommend the mantra of all successful diets, EAT LESS EXERCISE MORE. Additionally, I recommend the lower global impact diet (minimal land animal protein) with smaller portions and the lower global impact cycling life (recumbent especially). It's cheaper, it's healthier, and it gives you something to blog about.