DV

That's because you're one of the smart ones, Bruce! If you look back in time, humans died younger than our grandparents because of infection, trauma and childbirth. Soap and water, clean drinking sources that are separate from sewage, antibiotics and (somewhat) surgical expertise have done more to improve human life spans than anything. All the "natural" medicines and unprocessed foods in the history of humanity did nothing to extend human life all that much after reaching reproductive age. Unless you believe the stories in the bible about those who lived into hundreds of years (in which case you probably believe a lot of unfounded things).

Thanks for the link, BW! That was so brilliant, I had to add it to my signature.

Thanks for bumping this! I'm sick of oatmeal and sick of protein smoothies. This should do it for me!

Do you check your blood sugar? If I understand correctly, you are not taking any meds for diabetes so you may not be checking it. I wonder if you have dips in your blood glucose as well as spikes and if that is what is causing the lack of energy. You might want to monitor things more closely with your doctor in order to keep your blood glucose in a tighter range. If you've removed whole grains from your diet and had a corresponding drop in energy then it would be worthwhile to add them back to see if the energy returns. You could try oatmeal for a change (or any other whole grain). Good luck!

First, strong work. I hate doing high rep anything although my trainer has me do so often - I don't know that I would push myself nearly as hard. I am very interested in what your daily eating looks like. Are you actively trying to cut body fat right now? I'm in a cutting phase (5'10", 158-160 lbs) and only go lower than 2500 calories for 72 hours max, then bump it up to my maintenance range. I presume you're busy with your studies but if you have time to read then you may want to check out How Fat Works. I think the author gives a good explanation of insulin resistance and the fat metabolism aspects of diabetes. Much of his research (and others) is mouse research but not all of the theories are extrapolations. I haven't studied the physiology of diabetes in quite some time and was surprised with what I learned. Of course this may be old news to you if you've been living with diabetes and studying it recently.

I was a raw foodist for one month, mainly as an informal experiment. I experienced no "detoxing" effects and had no change in my energy level, which is understandable because a) there is no such thing as detoxing as explained in layman's terms, and b) I was already eating a clean vegan diet for a few years. Many diets work for different people and most people would get the same effects from a raw or whole foods vegan or whole foods omni diet (in the short term) if they are coming from a highly-processed, poor diet. The problems start when the newly converted don't educate themselves further, concerning any diet, to see where nutritional deficiencies can occur. No diet is perfect, even if it is "all natural," because nature doesn't care about you once you've passed your reproductive peak. At that point, it's every man for himself and the smart ones will use human ingenuity (supplements, antibiotics, soap, surgery, medicines, vaccinations) to overcome the very natural processes of living - which include disease, cancer and death! As a side note, I've had a few raw foodists come to me with medical concerns such as low B12 levels, low vitamin D levels, high LDL levels, high homocysteine levels, high C-reactive protein levels. And these are in young people! I wish they would come to this forum to post about their experiences with documented nutritional deficiencies so that there could be some balance. In my experience, many raw foodists do not seek medical advice unless there is a medical urgency or emergency. Simple blood tests can help to keep people from developing diseases that take years to manifest. No matter what you eat, your particular body may be more prone to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, etc. Everyone can benefit from really getting to know their bodies, inside and out, at an early age. And no, "listening to what your body tells you is right" will not cut it. If our bodies could reason then we wouldn't need a brain and all the "bad" substances out there wouldn't produce endorphins.

Nice to see that you're keeping up with the training, especially with exams!

You lose an opportunity for maximum muscle growth.

BeforeWisdom is all man. I've seen pictures. Female here.

Why do rawfoodists repeat this so often? Being annoyed by someone pushing a ridiculous, guru-based crap is NOTHING like hating someone who presents rational, logical, science-backed arguments and doesn't try to convert you to the "right kind of religion". Have you ever saw any comments making fun of/hating on Lean & Green? Amen. Giacomo (L&G) is a perfect example of a raw foodist without an agenda on this forum. When raw foodists preach to vegans it is the same as vegans preaching to omnis - a sure way to turn them off.

Here is our favorite and it comes from "The Real Food Daily Cookbook": Golden Gravy You can decrease the amount of oil significantly with no change in taste.

Exactly. I cook such extravagant meals for my omni friends! I've heard this many times before from friends - "I could be vegan if someone would cook like this for me every day." And I used to do that when we first went vegan - and cost us each about 10 lbs of pure fat gain!!!

Oh, Bodybag, I did get it! Now, of course, you have to tell me where you live in Philly, where you eat, how long you've lived there, what you are doing for work/school and where you can get good pretzels now that I've heard Federal St. pretzels has closed down!?!

I'm not surprised that they're outsourcing. In a capitalistic system many formerly state-run departments are outsourced. Most of the U.S. defense budget is spent on private firms and I'm sure other countries are not far behind. The worst part about being spied upon, IMO, is that you never have time to adjust your hair before someone snaps a surveillance shot.

I've always gone with choice number one - but double it. The other choices aren't traditional enough, IMO, and are not strong enough to make much difference anyway. We're going to a vegan Thanksgiving potluck tomorrow (about 20 people) and I'm a bit disappointed that the hostess is serving Tofurkey since EVERYONE from Portland has had this numerous times! I'm bringing appetizers - Mini Seitan Wellingtons with Bernaise Sauce. I need to get offline now and make the pate and seitan!

Bodybag, the Long Beach, CA location under your avatar confused me as I thought you were in Philly! Joe, my behind definitely lags behind, but slightly ahead, of my hamstrings!

We have a few deadly mashed (or smashed) potato recipes here as well. Truffled potatoes - same as VP's recipe but use Earth Balance, cashew cream, grated black truffles, unflavored salt and truffle oil (I think Oregon black truffles are even better than Italian - they have an aged parmesan flavor when ripe) Horseradish and Chive potatoes - above recipe without the truffles, truffle oil and add horseradish and chives

I've tried that one but was not too impressed as the texture wasn't what we were expecting. This year, for Christmas, we're having the following recipe with dried cherries instead of figs in the filling: Seitan Roulade with Stuffing I'll make it a few times and will try it with hazelnuts (filberts) and chestnut flour, in the place of the almond meal, to see which one is best. Filberts and chestnuts are a local product here and remind me of autumn/winter much more than almonds.

Well spoken as usual, VeggiePrincess.

It is always a pleasure to read your posts, Phillipeb. You write with an intelligence and eloquence that is refreshing.

Welcome! Which part of Connecticut?

Bodybag, you confused me there! I don't have any posing pictures as I'm really old-headed and am not yet comfortable with pictures of me on the internet! Johan, thanks for the kind words. I follow you around the forums at times, even if I don't post. I've been thinking that I might get back into posting more and just ignoring the raw stuff (except for Giacomo, of course). I find that avoiding certain members also works - just like in person! I'll have to start a different training journal since I'm cutting now and have a birthday in a few weeks.

Add some wheat protein (seitan) for a fat-free, low carb source of protein.

That changes things. I do all the cooking for the big holidays as well and I know all about nibbling. How else can you tell if you have the seasonings just right? If it's possible, eat your 5-6 meals as usual and just eat a small amount during the holiday/social meals. Your overall calories will probably be increased, as well as the fat grams, but you can counteract that somewhat by eating small portions of the unhealthy foods. Try to concentrate on the social aspect of the meals, rather than the food. Good luck!

That's because you used to live in Philly - and I'm discovering that I am somewhat of an acquired taste, just like vegan scrapple. Now, are you originally from CA or PA? Or neither?