It’s been about 6 weeks and I think this whole being a part time vegetarian thing is around to stay. It’s been so easy  and I feel so much better that there seems to be no reason not to keep doing it. There were a few times like vacation and camping where it got hard, and I gave in a little, but it’s flexible and that works.

Things that are different since the change:1) I can’t get enough rice, especially wild rice. It’s almost taken over my pasta addiction, almost.

2) I eat some really weird combinations of food. Oh we have some leftover cobbler? Sweet, there’s rice pilaf, and a cucumber left perfect, now let’s toss some dried mango in there and call it lunch.

3) I’m getting 10 x the variety of veggies that I was getting before.

4) Chuck has even decided that it’s ok to eat vegetarian more often, and he doesn’t really complain about it (gasp).

5)Hummus is a new house staple.

6) I have random cravings for chicken nuggets, that’s never happened before, and I’m thinking it might just be a mental reaction to the reduction in processed food in my life, I’m dealing with it.

7) I really like these burgers. I never thought I would go for something like that, but having them in the freezer at work is a lifesaver on days I don’t have lunch made.

8) Our grocery bill has gone down by a few bucks. It’s not a whole ton, but it’s a little, and I will take it because every little bit helps.

When I started this whole Part-Time Vegetarian thing I was already trying to cut back on processed food and grains, so adding in vegetarianism was another step toward finding the diet that best suits me and my life.

I’m replacing today’s usually scheduled fitness update to talk about the whole Part Time Vegetarian thing that I am trying out. I want to preface this by admitting to you all (as if you didn’t know before) that I am a total nerd and I’m probably going overboard here but that’s me, so feel free to skip to the bottom where I talk about how the effects this whole thing has had on me.

Since the beginning of this experiment I have been tracking my diet in excel (again dork status). I don’t plan on doing this forever especially if I decide to stick with this diet, right now it’s important to me to make sure I am getting everything my body needs nutritionally and spiritually (ie. I’m not craving anything major) to function properly. It has also helped me keep track of how I feel after I eat certain types of food. Already after only a few weeks of tracking I have a good idea of how to balance my diet.

To begin with I made sure I was getting the right volume of macro nutrients (fat, protein, carbs) in my diet. For a base I used .35-.5 g/lb fat (or .4g/lb @ my body weight = 56g/day), 1-1.2 g/kg protein  (so roughly 1.1g/kg @ my body weight = 69.85g/day) and the rest is carbs. Where did I come up with these ratios? Lots and lots of research and experimenting with my own diet since college. Yes I’m such a dork I have kept spreadsheets and note books on this kind of thing for years.

We are both dorks, and he was a vegetarian. Clearly kindred spirits.

There is a lot of debate about how much protein we should actually be getting. FDA recommends .8g/kg of bodyweight, however this is for a
typical sedentary person with 20-25% bf. This is not for everyone, and doesn’t account for active people (active being a relative term, and again another debate for another day). There are a million articles that debate a million different ratios of protein to bodyweight, or LBM (lean body mass). Right now I feel the best on a 60-100g range of protein a day. What I mean when I say my best is that I have high energy while still feeling strong and being able to make slow gains in weight lifting. If I eat more protein I tend to feel more sluggish, and crave fats, whether that comes from a decrease in fat intake on
those days or an over abundance of protein I haven’t figured out yet, but maybe that will be the next experiment.

When I refer to fats I try to keep it to the healthy fats, EVOO, avocado, dairy, eggs, etc. I know there is a lot out there that says you should have a low fat diet, but in truth you need fats for proper brain function
and hormone production. A diet too low in fat can have disastrous effects. I’m not saying you should go crazy with the fried food, just be smart.

Carbs I have found it pretty easy with these, since I already made a change by trying not to get them through starches (pasta, white rice, etc..) I have been eating a lot more vegetables, which it great for my
energy and the antioxidants. I have been loving bean burritos, and potatoes, like totally and completely craving them. I hope this isn’t a phase because for the first time in my life I’m not dreaming about mounds of cheese covered pasta, and it feels good.

So far I have only slipped three times and I’m on week 5. I originally planned to only do this for 2 weeks, but the first two weeks went so
well I decided to extend it for a month, and now until the end of July. I’m going to reevaluate how I feel, and what my goals are then and see if I need to make any changes. By then I’ll have had 6 weeks under my belt.

As far as cravings go it’s been cheese pizza, and ice cream. These are two of my favorite things, and I think I will always crave them, so I
guess I’m not craving anything weird.

Things I have noticed: My abs are more visible. I didn’t expect this so I never took a picture of my stomach before, and now I wish I had. I think it has to do with bloating more than body fat but either way I will take it. The dark circles under my eyes that I have had FOREVER are way lighter!! I have been taking a multivitamin for years and it never did much, so maybe getting more “stuff” out of my food is helping. There have been a few others, but I’m going to wait until the 6 weeks is up to discuss them.

I think this is a long enough post now. Thank you for those of you who made it through!

What are your thoughts on vegetarianism, veganism, flexitarianism or pescatarianism? (did I miss any?)

How would you describe your diet?

Do you think this is the kind of diet you could do?

Something I realized recently is while I told you all I was doing this experiment, how I’m going about it, and how I’m feeling with it I never really delved into the whole why aspect. Since that’s kind of important I thought I would share with you guys a few of my thoughts on the matter.

In my original post a couple weeks ago I talked a lot about how I wanted to live healthier.  First off I want to say that I don’t think you need to give up meat to be healthy, I do however think eating whole foods is the way to go. I love this post on the Paleo vs Vegetarian debate, I totally agree with the author when he says that whole
foods are the most important part of this puzzle.

Let me outline for you the basic path that lead me to try this whole thing out.

I have been on a bodybuilder type diet before, one consisting of lots of lean meat, and whole foods, however I did not particularly enjoy this type of diet. While I was able to slim down and gain considerable muscle, I still felt sluggish after eating, and my stomach became
extremely fussy, something I hope no one has to deal with, ever. I’m not saying this will happen to you, I’m just saying this is what happened to me. We all know veggies are good for us. Why not make them the focus of our diets? This kind of seems like a duh thing but it’s part of the thought process so I felt the need to mention it.

A friend of mine had huge success altering his diet based on his blood type, loosing considerable weight and gaining energy. When I looked
into this idea I found that my blood type according to this diet should be meat free, based on fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, and whole grains.

Large scale farming is disastrous for our environment, and hard on the animals. I don’t like the concept of caged or tortured animals. I don’t like that these large scale operations make it hard for small time locals
to stay afloat. I don’t like the idea of importing food that can easily be
grown locally from other countries (some things I get, like tea coming from China, but most vegetables, and beef can be grown here just fine).

I read this article and I loved the concept, however I don’t think I’m ready to go full on vegan. I don’t think I could ever give up honey, and cheese is awesome.

I come from a hunting family where meat is a huge part of our lives, and there are certain things, venison, fishing, rabbit, just to name a few that I’m not sure I even want to give up. I also feel better about these meat sources since the environmental costs are much lower, and the animals are essentially free range.

Making the switch to more sustainable means, such as local, humane farms is definitely one option to keep meat in my diet, but does that
really solve the health issues? Besides it’s typically more expensive, and we are scrounging to save our pennies right now. The logical answer was to simply reduce my consumption of meat, but I already serve a weekly vegetarian meal, and I’m not sure how Chuck would feel about making the switch to 3 or 4 nights a week, since he doesn’t have the same outlook on the whole matter that I do. I took a look at my diet in an attempt to see where I could cut, and that pesky article I mentioned above popped back into my head. The idea works perfectly since it doesn’t disrupt anyone else’s habits. Both breakfast and lunch are on my own anyway. I also thought about cutting dairy, but decided it was best to start small.

Chuck’s immediate response to this whole thing was, so you can still eat meat with dinner right? When I said yes he immediately said ok, but it’s going to be hard for you. Luckily the only time it has been hard is the weekends. When I really want a breakfast sandwich with sausage, and then we are at a barbecue with burgers all around, but I have managed just fine. I also give myself some gracious space for holiday and big get togethers, because this diet is flexible. If I eat meat at both lunch and dinner one day I can very easily be a complete vegetarian the next day, it balances out in the end.

It’s been two weeks, and I’m feeling good. So I’m going to continue this thing for another couple weeks and see how it goes.Tell me what you think; is this stupid, or a great idea? Could you cut back to only eating meat and dairy once a day or less?

This is something I have thought about on and off for years now, like years and years. Then inevitably the scent of bacon wafts past and I exclaim to myself that I am an idiot for such thought and I am on my merry meat-ful way, until the next time my mind wanders in that direction.

There are so many reasons to become a vegetarian, even Einstein thought this was a great idea when he said “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

The evidence is overwhelming when it comes to the benefits of a plant based diet, but even our mostly plant eating ancient ancestors partook
in some meat eating. Not that I am saying we should adopt all of their habits, I’m just saying that I personally feel there are benefits to both sides of the argument here.Am I confusing you yet? I’ll try to break down whats going on in my head.

What I am thinking is:
We are in age of excess, and so we eat more of everything, especially the things that were hard to get for our ancestors, because we have been taught to prize them, specifically meat & animal products.

My belief: An optimal diet is best grounded in whole, unprocessed foods, with a vegetable base that is prepared with love.

What this means:
That vegetables should come first, meat and starches second and third, if at all; that our food is meant to be enjoyed, all of it, in every step of its journey.

That’s it. That’s all I’m trying to say here folks. I don’t want to criminalize any food (or food group) here, because it’s all just dandy in moderation.

These thoughts have lead me to try out a new thing or idea if you will. It’s a bit of an experiment and I’m excited to see where it goes. With everyone I know trying out a million different food fads, and dealing with an unending list of allergies I think taking a step back to the old fashioned way of eating is necessary. I’m not saying it’s all chicken pot pie, and pot roast. I’m thinking back before that when meat was more of a side dish, or a once in a while kind of thing for so many who couldn’t afford otherwise.

I’m going to be a part time vegetarian.

For those of you thinking what in the hell does that mean?; it means that I’m only going to eat meat once a day or less. I’m sure a lot of
you are thinking I’m crazy for giving it up and conversely a lot of you are thinking that’s still a lot of meat. However this is a pretty big step for me, someone who comes from a bacon, hash, sausage, turkey sandwich, and roast meat background. I, like most Americans eat meat in almost every meal which adds up to 3x daily. That is a lot of meat, a lot more than is necessary to survive, and we aren’t even talking about the portion sizes of any of these. That is a whole other discussion.

Mark Bittman gives a pretty good defense of a part time diet and has a number of published works relating to his Vegan Before 6:00  diet. I chose not to go vegan because honey and cheese are hard for me to give up. That’s not to say it wont be a discussion in the future.

I want to point out that a big part of this idea is that portion control is in effect. Luckily most vegetables have larger portion sizes so I’m thinking I will be able to handle that just fine.