Spine

Don't believe me? Here's proof! http://www.masaladose.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/vegans.jpg I take strong exception to the characterization of us as cowardly, and I hardly think our warp-drive starships are "primitive." The physique seems about right, though.

I guess I don't see any reason to be skeptical of what the United Nations tells me about climate change. In any case, the report in question is titled "Livestock's Long Shadow," and here's the Wikipedia description: Livestock's Long Shadow - Environmental Issues and Options is a United Nations report, released by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) on 29 November 2006, that "aims to assess the full impact of the livestock sector on environmental problems, along with potential technical and policy approaches to mitigation". The assessment is based on the most recent and complete data available, taking into account direct impacts, along with the impacts of feed crop agriculture required for livestock production. The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. The findings of this report suggest that it should be a major policy focus when dealing with problems of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortage and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. You can find the entire report here.

Is there any reason to reflexively doubt the UN on this issue?

Proper Eats is the reigning champion in my book. The service and preparation can be very slow at times and the place can get stifling hot, but the food is consistently excellent. Blossoming Lotus is great, too. Nutshell is interesting, but now that I'm used to the simple preparations at Proper Eats, Nutshell's food sometimes seems overcooked and oily to me. Laughing Planet is very convenient when you need some good nutrition.

Same here! I was a pretty healthy omni, but once I started reading about vegan nutrition, I realized how much I'd been missing. I probably ate collard greens a total of five times up to age 36. Now I have some in my fridge more often than not. Similar story for many other powerhouse foods. The wonderful thing is that the human body is both resilient and adaptable, and it will thrive when you give it the right fuel, even if that doesn't happen until your 30s, 40s, or beyond.

Present!

Heh. Close! Great working out with you, too. "Old school" is definitely an apt description.

I'm happy to say I've been vegan for one year now. It's one of the best things I've ever done. It's made me more compassionate and mindful. At the same time, I recognize that veganism is only part of the solution to the world's suffering. I still drive a car. I still buy the occasional cheap product made by underpaid workers overseas. So I'm careful not to confuse veganism with sainthood. I feel like I've been a good ambassador for the veg life. I think that's important, though it's certainly not an obligation. I don't try to persuade my friends or family, but I think I've influenced them all the same. They see how healthy I am, and they know I'm doing something right. Of course, that "something right" isn't veganism exclusively, but also a whole-foods diet and plenty of exercise. Anyway, here's to another year of eating nothing but plants! Kale, collards, broccoli, spinach, carrots, peppers, flax, hemp, almonds, quinoa, buckwheat, rice, barley, millet, lentils, beans...the glorious list goes on and on.

We're like two ships passing in the night. I was at Proper Eats for dinner tonight, but I'm jet-lagged and heading to bed now. Hope to catch up with everyone tomorrow somewhere.

Damn. Just...damn. What else can I say? Amazing work, L&G. Your chest and narrow waist look especially great. See you in about a week!

Thanks! I'm 5'9", around 161 pounds. I don't count calories but I think it's usually somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 daily. Sometimes less if I'm on a brief hiatus from training, which happens sometimes. My split varies quite a bit, but it's something like this: 1. shoulders/triceps 2. back/abs 3. chest/biceps 4. legs ...with some days off (often more than I'd like) thrown in there.

Thanks for the encouraging words, all! And thanks to L&G and Tuc especially for the specific comments. Yup, I'm loving the bigger pecs, and it's definitely gratifying to see the "V" shape start to emerge in my upper body. I'll keep at it. My training pace has been slow and steady--partly because I don't take in a ton of calories, partly because I have limited time to train, and partly because I'm still a wimp sometimes when it comes to thrashing my muscles at the gym. But I'll keep going, and really try to solidify these gains. Robert: let's meet up sometime for sure! You mentioned you might be able to bring me into your gym as a guest sometime...let's make it happen.

Steve Nash rules! And so do you for getting yourself in such good shape!

Updated original post with new photos, 12 July 2008.

I've been putting whole flax seeds into my morning smoothies. The VitaMix is so powerful that I get very little grit.

I like chest and biceps best. I'm particularly liking incline dumbbell curls these days. It's a light-weight exercise, which I do after the heavier lifting of standing barbell curls, hammer curls, and bent-over concentration curls. But I do those seated incline curls nice and slow, and it burns so good!

L&G, I have to join the choir here: amazing work. Your arms look very dangerous.

Hey, so how was the prom?

It was one of his Scientology Moments. He publicly criticized Brooke Shields for taking medication to treat her post-partum depression. Brooke wasn't very pleased about that.

That's the kind of logic that got Tom Cruise in trouble! Seriously, I totally agree that a healthy diet can prevent and heal much of the world's suffering. But there's a place for medication. Many illnesses, including mental and emotional ones, are too profound to be treated with diet and lifestyle alone.

I hope you're eating your veggies too! They're low-calorie but packed with vitamins and minerals that your body needs. I have to agree with others and say that weight is just a number. It's much more important to eat well and feel good than strive for a number that may not be appropriate for you. Anyway, I think you look great.

Glad you're okay. I saw footage from Wisconsin Dells on CNN and recognized the name of the town from your profile.

Pumpkin seeds are also an excellent source of iron. I like to eat a handful of them and then an orange--the vitamin C in the orange increases iron absorption.

I'll see you all for the Portland portion, the Stumptown section...whatever ya wanna call it.

The Age of American Unreason, by Susan Jacoby