The vegeterian diet has begun in earnest

friends,

i've been slowly acclimating myself to a vegeterian version of the south beach diet this past week, and by thursday i had pushed all meat out of my menu. saturday and sunday i managed to stay within the veg diet but cheated on the south beach side of things (within my allotted cheat provisions, of course). now i stand before you (just imagine it) with my fridge completely stocked full of fruit and greens, my daily lunches decoded, and my snacks as healthy as ever.

lunches were a killer for me to figure out as i tried everything from naked provolone cheese to guacomole dip to cheese spread on my sandwiches. i went the jimmy john's route and tried slapping multiple slice of provolone between whole grain wheat. that alone tasted bland, so next day i spread guacomole dip between them, topping it off with fat free mayo and tomatoes. the first few bites were okay. after that the sandwich went downhill fast.

next day i tried some cheese spread. the resulting taste made me nauseous the remainder of the afternoon, so much so i almost skipped small group. thursday i tried nothing but fruit all day, and come friday i'd concocted a low sugar, low fat pb&j sandwich that meets both south beach and the veg diet. besides tasting great, the sandwich is guilt free and also satiates my hunger. experimentation over.

already i've noticed a difference in energy level. from thursday on i haven't felt as tired later in the day, specifically after lunch when the "afternoon slough" kicks in. in fact, coming home friday night i was remarkably alert, thinking it was time for some action (redman, "time for sum akshion", whut? thee album, 1992). saturday and sunday were the same. even after my cheat snack (ice cream) i felt good. so far i like how this is transpiring.

my menu's a simple one, yet very tasty and filling. breakfast consists of three oranges (i have a large appetite). for snacks until lunch i have a handful of peanuts (lightly salted and dry roasted). lunch now consists of two low-fat, low-sugar pb&j. for the afternoon i pick through a small tupperware bowl of cantelope chunks. i have yet to nail down a rotation of dinners as this weekend consisted of south beach-appropriate pizza, but i'm working on it. i'll keep you updated.

so far, so good. i've also decided not to eat anything past 7:00 p.m. i've read in more than one place that eating too close to bedtime bogs down digestion and saps energy from the body while it's sleeping. hence, if you chow down before going to bed you'll wake up just as tired at 7 a.m. as you were at 11 p.m. so, last night i finished dinner at 6:30 and, despite a late-night hunger, refused to eat a bite until this morning. i'm happy to say that my experiment paid off: when i woke up i did so quickly and easily. i'll keep trying it out just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

as i write this now i'm satisfied hunger-wise and feeling awake. all this without caffeine, too! how many people can say that???

i've begun exercising to dance dance revolution again. initially my goal was to dance for one hour and burn 600 calories (much like i did each day over christmas break). don't really have the time for such a superman goal right now, however, so i'm looking at 300 calories in half an hour, exactly one-half of my original goal. i did it yesterday and now have the momentum to push forward through infinity. i'll be tracking weight loss every friday (i.e., only jumping on the scale on fridays), and hopefully the combo of veg south beach and dance exercises will produce desirable results. i hope to integrate a strength training regimen three days a week. my room's clean now, so i have the space for those bodyweight exercises! i may have to let my schedule simmer down a little before i can determine the best time of day for strength training. either way, i'm glad to be exercising again.

here's to health and energy!