Recently, I challenged myself to two weeks of only eating nourishing foods:
If Food’s Not Nourishing, I Don’t Want It!
A few months prior to that, I set specific health goals:
Middle-aged Man to Rediscover Rock Hard Abs as Guide & Gauge for Best Life Now!
Let’s review! The two week nourishment challenge was a breeze but not without a few minor failures. Why was it a breeze? First, I typically eat mostly nourishing foods and regulate intake of foods that are not, so the challenge did not require radical changes. Second, previously having completed self-imposed sentences to three days eating only bread and then to eating nothing at all for three days made the limitation of eating only nourishing foods for two weeks a relatively low bar in the self-discipline department.
Basically, I maintained my vegetarian diet and tried to avoid alcohol and desserts. To satisfy an occasional craving for something sweet that would usually mean ice cream, cupcakes, brownies or cookies, I ate God’s dessert: red grapes. Yum! My failures included one night when I enjoyed a glass of Sauvignon Blanc that my wife recommended (so it was her fault) and drinking diet Pepsi throughout the two week challenge. I’m not sure what the deal was with the Pepsi. I might have to go on a no soda streak at some point to compensate for that failure and to prove to myself that I’m not an addict.
Overall, the two week nourishment challenge recharged my consciousness about what I put into my body and showed me how easy it is in the United States to eat healthfully. I am grateful for the curiosity that has opened my mind to eating well, the discipline to do it, and the country in which I live where nourishing food is abundant and relatively inexpensive.
Rock Hard Abs? I set the following goals for my 5′ 10″ 45 year old body:
| 12/18/2021 | Goal | |
| Body Fat | 19% | 15% |
| Weight | 161 lbs | 155 lbs |
| Neck | 14.25 inches | 14.25 inches |
| Waist | 34.25 inches | 32.25 inches |
I am pleased to report that I achieved these metrics within less than two months, and I continue to maintain them. My Body Mass Index (BMI) was 23.1 and now it is 22.2. That keeps me in the CDC’s “healthy category” (18.5 – 24.9). The process hasn’t been all that tough.
Physical Activity. I jog 3.5 miles, 2 – 3 times a week and usually work some high intensity sprints into those miles. I engage in strength training 2 – 3 times a week. I commit to 10 minute ab workouts with Fraulein Pamela Reif, Monday through Friday, as a prerequisite to lunch. I also walk the dogs several days a week and jump rope for sixty seconds here and there.
Diet. I continue intermittent fasting. I am vegetarian, and try to make refined carbohydrates the exception. I rarely eat bread, anymore. My typical lunch is a leafy salad tossed with tofu, beans, olives, and cottage cheese, dressed lightly with one tablespoon of olive oil, drenched heavily in red wine vinegar, and sprinkled with lots of tumeric and some black pepper. I’ve come to enjoy washing lettuce, drying it in the spinner, and mixing the salad ingredients. There’s something zen about the process. For snacks, I usually eat red grapes and/or have a bowl of high fiber cereal mixed with blueberries and flaxseed meal, sometimes with a dash of cinnamon and/or ginger. At dinner time, I eat whatever my wife makes–always vegetarian and always good.
I have increased my animal protein intake. Beyond occasional consumption of small amounts of cheese and eggs, I now consume as staples 4 – 6 servings per week of low-fat cottage cheese–usually mixed in salads–and 4 – 6 servings per week of low-fat yogurt. I also have 2 – 3 servings a week of whey protein powder, swirled into yogurt or blended into a smoothie. I am sorry my Veganista friends; the increase in animal protein works for me at this time. I do maintain one day a week as Vegan Day, so like Darth Vader, maybe there is still good in me. Concluding with my other transgressions against all that is good an decent, I eat 5 – 7 servings of dessert each week, down 2 – 3 alcoholic beverages per week, and drink 10 ounces of diet Pepsi 5 – 6 days a week.
BUT, what about ROCK HARD ABS!?! Fifteen percent body fat hasn’t quite gotten me to a six-pack. Happily, though, some abdominal definition is visible and there is an overall tone appearance. Most importantly, the core strength has increased, the waistline has diminished, and good habits are in place for balanced and healthy living.
With Love,
P. Gustav Mueller, author of The Present