Totally Vegan Day

Good day. I'm fully immersed now. I had a blend of fruits and vegetables for breakfast, leftover pasta salad for lunch, and a salad for dinner.

Overall, I'm feeling good. Normal energy levels, but I was pretty hungry in the afternoon.

I'm finding lots of people on YouTube that I enjoy watching. One is Michael Gregor. He is very fact centered but presents his opinions in a way I understand, often humorously.

Tomorrow's adventure is vegan pizza!

Reality, Preparation, and a New Hope

Yesterday was an interesting mix. A friend at work was having a rough morning so I offered to go to lunch with him (even though my wife had packed me a salad). He "had to have a burger" so we went to In N Out. I got a Double Double, so no, not the best choice.

After we put the kids to bed, Tonya and I went to the grocery store and bought a ton of produce!

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about taking things seriously. A year or so after I got back from my mission, I was starting to feel spiritually weak. This is fairly normal among return missionaries, when you no longer are spending all day every day in the service of God. I thought about how I had become so strong in the first place, specifically the things I did to prepare for my mission.

I took my mission preparations very seriously. I organized a young adult daily scripture study group in my ward for about 6 months leading up to my mission. I had read the Book of Mormon and the New Testament, along with a few other popular books written by prominent church leaders. I focused my thoughts and was well prepared by the time I entered the MTC.

So, I thought, maybe I can do this again. I decided to do a "faux mission preparation". In other words, I pretended like I was preparing for another mission and did the things that I would do if I were really going. I read my scriptures more, and prayed more, and obviously got the results I was looking for.

Yesterday, I came home feeling guilty. Choosing a cheeseburger over a homemade salad, I feel, was representative of how seriously I was taking this transition. What would it take to make me take this more seriously?

What if I were to go to the doctor and he told me that I had high cholesterol and blood pressure? I don't want to wait until that happens to take it more seriously.

Therefore, I'm fully committing myself to this transition and making better choices. I am preparing for my next doctor's visit. I'm preparing for my next hike. For next year, for the next 50 years. I'm preparing for playing sports with my kids. For their weddings. I'm preparing to live a long, healthy life.

The Start of a Journey

On Saturday, Tonya and I went to the temple. On the way home she told me that she had been praying about nutrition and had received inspiration that we should more closely follow the Word of Wisdom. I welcomed this news and wanted agreed that would be a good goal. 

I have been overweight or the last 10 years, ever since I returned from my mission. I have tried a few different diets, most notably the ketogenic diet which I have tried four or five times. I have seen varying degrees of success on this diet. The first time I tried it I lost approximately 25 pounds. Since then it has been anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds but it would normally end with me being unable to continue to stay on the diet, simply because the variety of foods available to eat is fairly limited. 

I have been studying diet and nutrition on my own for several years now. I am familiar with the different theories regarding why we get fat and what to do about it. However, the Lord has given us his dietary recommendations in the form of the Word of Wisdom and I intend to prove him and follow them.

After discussing this together, Tonya and I decided that the first step of moving towards more fully keeping the Word of Wisdom would it be to reduce or eliminate the processed foods that our family consumes. This comes in the form snacks in the pantry such as fig bars, pretzels, and crackers.

Last night our family home evening was centered around this decision that we had made, that we would reducing or eliminating the processed food in our house. The kids took it fairly well, although I don't think that they all fully understand what we meant. Leigh Ann seemed very positive about it. Kanyon seemed like he had some concerns and Will seemed very nervous. Eden, unable to understand what we were saying I think I am the most concerned about as she probably eats more processed foods and any of them.

I am approaching this with total optimism and complete faith. I fully expect my health to improve as I transition to a whole food plant-based diet. Yes, that is the goal. I think I need to go vegetarian. And once I have eliminated meat from my diet I think it would be wise to continue and remove Dairy from my diet as well. The evidence is overwhelming and I I'm afraid of cancer and heart disease.

We are trying to take this slowly. We are just starting by removing the processed foods that we eat. However, my goal is eventually to have a mostly vegan diet on a day-to-day basis. Tonya is not completely sold on a vegetarian lifestyle. She feels that some meat would still be practical and I respect that.

I'm very happy that she brought this to my attention and approached me about this matter I am excited to more fully obey the Word of Wisdom and experience the blessings that have been promised to us. 

From Doctrine and Covenants section 89:

 18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
 19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
 20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
 21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.

I intend to keep a record of this transition on this blog. The transition will most likely be slow at first. I had oatmeal and berries for breakfast today, a good choice. But I also had some salmon that needs to get eaten before it goes bad. I don't intend on throwing away any food. We will eat through our leftovers but then not be buying any more processed foods. I also intend to eat as little meat as is reasonable, given that the rest of my family is not going vegetarian. Yet.