Eat This

For the very first time in my blogging life I have had a blog buddy request a topic! I’m honored. So, at the request of my friend over at Sticky Feet: Part Deux I am going provide some encouragement and tips on starting out and sticking with the Eat to Live plan.

Sticky Feet’s comment was this: “…can you tell me about what you eat each week? Like a menu plan type of thing? What about at school? I read Eat to Live, but it just seems impossible for me to actually make it happen (and feel full!).”

The hardest part of the Eat to Live lifestyle is sticking to the six week plan. The book explained that I would most likely be experiencing the feeling of “true hunger” for the first time in my life. When I read this I snickered at the thought of feeling true hunger. I figured that I would still be able to grab something here and there to not let that feeling happen. But after seeing the results of the plan in my co-workers and reading the life changing material myself I knew that I had to stick with it.

During the initial six week plan I would do the following:

Breakfast: Steel cut oats with seasonal berries, or some fresh fruit. Coffee with a shot of soy milk.

Lunch: Large salad, usually a “Spring Mix.” On top of the generous portion of greens I would put ½ a cup of my own “bean salad.” To make this I would mix 1 can of chick peas, 1 can of black beans, half of a red onion chopped, green onions chopped, two cloves of fresh garlic chopped, two chopped carrots, and a variety of spices. Then I would add some sort of a nut mix. I found a great nut mix at Wal*Mart that had soy nuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds with ZERO SODIUM! I think it is called “good health mix” or something like that under the Wal*Mart brand. For a salad dressing I would use balsamic vinegar. No oil.

Dinner: Another salad, but this time not as large. Steamed vegetables with rice and on occasion half of a baked sweet potato.

With Lunch and Dinner I would eat a serving or fruit. Sometimes this involved taking an apple back to work with me, but I always tried to eat it close to my meal if not right after it. When I started to feel hungry between meals I would drink water, tea, or coffee. No sugar added. I tried to not drink any calories.

After the six weeks was over the weight loss was very noticeable. I would walk through the store and know that there were entire aisles that I couldn’t walk down because there was nothing down them that I needed. Because I was seeing results I knew that I was doing something right. I was no longer feeling the hunger that I had felt when I started and it was easier to eat less at meals and feel gratified.

Eat at meals, not between.

One Year!!

This time last year I was returning from a wonderful weekend in Chicago with one thing on my mind: Food. But it isn't' what you think. I walked into my house and purged my kitchen of just about everything.

A few weeks before my Chicago trip I started reading Eat to Live and I knew that I had to change my eating lifestyle or I was going to die. I’m not being dramatic. I was well on my way to extreme obesity and until reading the book I didn’t even know how much damage I was causing. I’ll spare you the details and just share the facts. In the last year I have lost, and kept off, 45 pounds! I have not been sick. My allergies are gone. My skin is much improved. My hair is no longer falling out with every shampoo. I feel fantastic!!

I am one year a vegetarian. (Trying to be as Vegan as possible) Dairy free. Animal product free.

But you know what? I’m not done! I still have weight to drop. (Don’t believe me? You haven’t seen me naked….I think.) But it is no longer about weight. It is about HEALTH! I am at the beginning of a food revolution. I’m growing my own food. I’m buying local food.

I want you to join me. Not for me…for you. I want you to join me so badly that I will even buy this book for you. Just tell me.

Powered by YOU

It’s that time of year again, friends. It is time for Andrew’s Community Support pledge drive.

Andrew can only succeed to the extent that his friends and community members become engaged in his life. When people like you join together to make a change in Andrew’s life it not only improves his ability to lead a lifestyle beyond his means, but it also give YOU the satisfaction of helping someone else.

The future unfolding before us is vast, dynamic, and filled with challenges. But with supporters like YOU it is possible that these challenges can be transformed into opportunities by working together with intelligence, creativity, and compassion. It is your responsibility to make sure that Andrew can make it another year. And he can with your continued support.

Andrew’s lifestyle comes with high annual fees. Your direct financial support is essential to maintaining his high-quality standards. Like a museum or a library, Andrew Flynn is sustained through special gifts from friends like you who value his companionship. By naming Andrew Flynn in your will or trust, you can invest in the future of witty humor, intelligent talk and great entertainment. Leave a legacy and ensure the future of Andrew.

Supporting Andrew means you are supporting all the qualities you like about him and yourself. Can you imagine a Wednesday night at church without his quirky looks from the back row, or a Friday night where he didn’t lose his shoes? I certainly don’t want experience a day without him.

A variety of thank-you gifts are available when you pledge your support to Andrew Flynn!

With your donation at the $45 level: Select 1 tee-shirt from Andrew’s dresser!

With your gift at the $60 level: Select 1 generous 16oz coffee mug from Andrew’s cupboard!

With your gift at the $90 level: Select 1 insulated travel mug from Andrew’s cupboard!

With your gift at the $120 level: You can borrow one of Andrew’s sturdy canvas tote bags!

With your gift at the $140 level: You can borrow an umbrella from Andrew’s trunk!

With your gift at the $250 level: You can select 1 of Andrew’s polo shirts from his closet!

With your gift at the $500 level: You can be an Andrew Flynn “Sponsor of the Day.” This includes each of the generous gifts above AND the peace of mind that you are helping one of this community’s most treasured citizens.