It's been a week and the vegan experiment is going strong.  I lost 7 lbs. the first week (now at 251), even while eating throughout the day.  Been eating a lot of salads, oatmeal, quinoa, black bean and sweet potato enchiladas, whole grain bread, almond butter, quinoa with caramelized leeks, bananas, strawberries, mangoes, pineapple, spinach, kale, ginger, drinking green tea, kombucha, green smoothies, etc. 

I noticed a period of "detox" where I was sweating profusely, and for no apparent reason for the first 2-3 days.  Aside from that, no side effects that I noticed.  My energy level is good, and I feel my sleep has been more productive -- deeper sleep, and less waking up.   Let the experiment continue.

Veganism Day 2

Had a good day without cravings.  Had oatmeal with cranberries and a spinach / pineapple mango smoothie for breakfast, a salad with cranberries, blueberries and cashews for lunch, several handfuls of cashews for a snack throughout the day, an Odwalla green smoothie for a snack, and quinoa with carmelized leeks for dinner.  So far, so good.

Going Vegan

Watched the documentary "Forks Over Knives" last night, which advocates a "whole foods plant-based" diet.  The film makes an overwhelming case that meat, dairy and processed sugars cause cancer, but that a vegan diet can stop, and in many cases reverse cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. 

After watching the film, I decided I would adopt a vegan diet for one month to see what kind of difference it makes.  I am overweight, my cholesterol is on the high side of normal, and I've been eating a lot of crap for quite some time, as well as not exercising.  Based on the evidence in the documentary, I am hopeful that the diet will help me to lose weight, lower my cholesterol and increase my energy, at a minimum.  I will be blogging about all of this, and hope it will be helpful for me, and for anyone considering a lifestyle change like this.

Day One has gone well so far -- no cheating, and no real wish to cheat.  Had a spinach, lite coconut milk, banana, and mango smoothie, a Naked Green Machine smoothie, two pieces of live grain toast with sunflower butter and several handfuls of raw cashews so far today.  One of the benefits of this diet is that you can pretty much eat all day (as long as you are eating vegan) and still lose weight.  We'll see.  Starting this trip at 258 lbs.  We'll see where I am at on July 4.

Ryan Again Seeking Early Release

I'm not an unforgiving person.  However, I find it ludicrous that George Ryan is seeking a modified sentence to be with his terminally ill wife.  Why is that the Ryans believe they are entitled to special treatment?  I sincerely hope this request is rejected.  And unfortunately, if it is, I'm certain they will blame the system, rather than his wrongdoing for putting them in their predicament.  Just once, I'd love to see a jailbird politican actually "get it."
  

Mysteries of Pittsburgh

Just finished Michael Chabon's "Mysteries of Pittsburgh".  It's a pretty good read, dealing with the post-graduating summer of Art Bechstein, who finds himself torn between two lovers, four friends, and a father who works for the Pittsburgh mob.  Some of the critical praise calls him a 1980s Holden Caulfield, but that goes a bit too far.  It's not a classic like "Catcher in the Rye" but it's a good book with a lot of great turns of phrase and plotting, and shows the promise Chabon fulfilled in "Wonder Boys", "Kavalier and Klay" and "The Yiddish Policeman's Union."

Chicago Mayoral Race

Really, Chicago African-Americans?  Carol Moseley Braun is the best you can come up with?  Aside from the fact she is damaged goods, what qualifies her to run a city the size of Chicago?  Particularly when you consider she showed zero leadership skills in her uninspiring stay in the Senate.  Either of the candidates who dropped out to make room for her run as the African-American candidate -- James Meeks and Danny Davis have better qualifications, and more integrity.  We can all do better.

Moonlight Mile

I'm a fan of Dennis Lehane, and just finished his latest, Moonlight Mile.  Disappointing read.  It's more or less a sequel to Gone Baby Gone which along with Mystic River is my favorite novel by Lehane.  The dialogue, as usual, is great, the plot is the problem -- you can see the payoff coming from a mile away, it's rushed, and it doesn't hold together very tightly.  Coupled with The Given Day (which is better than Moonlight Mile, but just so-so), Lehane is off his game.