Going Vegan: The 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart begins today - OregonLive.com

When I first switched over to a plant-based diet almost two years ago, I initially dropped a fair amount of weight as my body's metabolism shifted away from processing all the saturated fat I'd been consuming as a meat eater. But after a few months, that weight loss hit a plateau. A variety of reasons caused this: I test a lot of FOODday recipes, and even though they are vegan, they aren't always low-fat; I walk to work most days, but am a slacker when it comes to more vigorous exercise; and gosh, I think Juanita's tortilla chips are about the best thing in the world.

Today, along with a lot of people all over the world, I'm starting the 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart. It's a free three-week online program developed by Dr. Neal Barnard and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine designed to help people boost their metabolism, lower their cholesterol, and improve their health by shedding a few pounds.

The Kickstart is built on two simple rules: No animal products whatsoever -- no meat, eggs or dairy, aka "vegan" -- and almost no use of vegetable oils. Best of all: There's no calorie or carb counting.

To make it easy, there's an online guide that includes daily online pep talks from health and fitness gurus like firefighter-turned-author Rip Esselstyne, triathlete Brendan Brazier, and former NBA star John Salley. The website also has 21 days worth of meal plans and recipes that work on the plan. There's even a grocery list to print out and get started.

Besides the obvious -- losing some weight -- I'm hoping the program helps me change my snacking habits. I love salty, savory snacks like pistachios and those addictive tortilla chips, and I like the idea of turning to apples and bananas instead, particularly with apple season approaching. And I'm always excited to try new recipes that get me thinking about food in a different way. Like a lot of people, I associate low-fat with low-flavor, and when I got to talk to Dr. Barnard last week, he pointed me towards some recipes that he promises will change that perception. Here's hoping!

Next week, FOODday will have my interview with Dr. Barnard in advance of his various appearances Sept. 16-17 in Portland, including VegFest, where he's one of the featured speakers. I'll also share some of the Kickstart recipes I'm trying. In the meantime, here's his invitation to join the Kickstart program. I hope some of you will join me. These things are always a lot more fun if you aren't doing it alone.

-- Grant Butler
Follow @grantbutler

05 Sep, 2011

--
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHrk7LR7smQBhqMSNKpb6P899nw5g&url=http://www.oregonlive.com/foodday/index.ssf/2011/09/going_vegan_the_21-day_weight.html
~
Manage subscription | Powered by rssforward.com