Monday, November 19, 2012

Vegan Forever

About 2 months ago, I decided to embark on this wild & crazy adventure--a vegan adventure!  After some friends mentioned their success on the Engine 2 Diet, I decided to try it for myself.  Being the skeptic that I am, I wasn't just going to see what happened.  I needed documentation.  So, I went to the doctor and had some basic blood work done. 

That was the first eye-opener.  For a fairly young mother of four, who exercises semi-regularly, and has even done crazy things like running a half-marathon; I was not as fit as my body tried to tell me!  My beginning numbers looked like this:

  • Weight--149 pounds
  • Height--5ft 4in
  • Glucose--99
  • Triglyceride--88
  • Cholesterol--197
  • LDL--131
  • HDL--52
  • BMI--25.6 (overweight)
While these numbers are well within the "normal" range*, I have recently witnessed the horribly painful death of someone very close to me because of poor heart health.  I definitely understand that you cannot predict the day or time that you die, and that it is futile to try to prevent your body from aging.  But, I also firmly believe that we were given these earthly bodies as a gift from God, and we are to care for them like we do anything else on this earth--to the best of our abilities. 

*And, anyone who knows me also knows that I'm just not very good at accepting the "normal" label. 

I tried this Engine 2 Diet for 7 1/2 weeks, and I liked it.  Now, there were some recipes that we are definitely NOT trying again.  I did find some that are now weekly dinners, and I have some others that I can go to in a pinch.  I have even become confident enough to look at recipes online and find the ones that apply to the way I want to eat.  (I'm not quite to the point of being able to craft my own recipes, but I might be willing to attempt one soon!)

After my time was up, I went back to the doctor to have my bloodwork redrawn.  Because my glucose was normal and the insurance wouldn't pay for a new test, I just did the lipid profile.  When the PA called with the test results, she was obviously excited.  Not only had I lost weight, but my choloesterol had dropped significantly.  So, for those who are interested, these are my NEW, shiny numbers:

  • Weight--134 pounds
  • Height--5ft 4in
  • Glucose--***
  • Triglyceride--34
  • Cholesterol--148
  • LDL--96
  • HDL--47
  • BMI--23.0 (Healthy)
My plan was to try this "diet" for a month, maybe two.  I think a better plan might be for me just to make a change in my life to accomodate some healthy eating.  My body is telling me it just might be worth it!