PB & Me: 8 Surprises from Plant-Based Life
Our New relationship (so far).
On February 17, Heidi and I decided to try a PB (plant-based) 22 day challenge. Can it be only 2 months have passed? It feels like another lifetime, doesn’t it? As we continue to navigate this pandemic, we’ve also continued navigating the world of PB. Here are the top surprises—things I never expected—after 2 months of PB.
Surprise #1: We’re still doing it!
Yes, we’re still plant-based. Well...mostly. We continue a routine of PB eating during the week. But we do “cheat” on weekends. Not a lot; perhaps we’ll have some real cheese on nachos, or a little meat. Easter was more than usual. We enjoyed a lot of ham. However, even during the weekends, we’re not really pigging out on ham (ha), or meat of any kind.
I guess you could label us 90% PB.
Surprise #2: I hardly ever eat leaves
This might be the biggest surprise: PB is not just greens. I truly thought plant-based eating was just different variations on lettuce and kale 3 times a day. But with the exception of a garnish or as part of a bigger meal, I simply don’t eat them. I probably should eat more, to be honest. But I get great joy knowing I’m eating lots of healthy plants..and none of them are leaves.
Surprise #3: I only miss meat medium-rarely
I grew up eating meat, and I loved doing so. Do I miss it? Sure, ok, a little bit. But, really, it’s not the cross to bear I thought it was going to be. Now, if I decided I’d never, ever eat meat again, I know I’d really struggle. But it’s a huge help knowing, if we suddenly start jonesing for carnivorous concoctions, we can gnaw during the weekend if we really want. And then, usually, by the time the weekend rolls around, we find we don’t care that much.
Also: I thought milk would be a hard one to give up. Nope. I really like oat milk. It’s good enough!
One more comment on meat: It does feel good knowing I’m rarely contributing to the cost of resources and cruelty of the meat industry.
Surprise #4: We’ve all been cheated!
Who knew?
Turns out, there's a whole other world of good tasting things that I simply haven’t experienced before. I enjoy beans and lentils far more than I ever expected. Who knew there were so many kinds?
This is a fact: we’ve been misled by the food industry to think that the western diet is the only diet worth trying. My mind has been opened to new tastes, sights and smells I simply never would have tried if I didn’t do this. And I can honestly say, I am enjoying the journey. Not everything is great. But the shear amount of new flavors I’m trying is well worth the change.
NOT a Surprise: You need dedication
Really good.
We’ve had our daughter Brynn staying with us during the pandemic. And just before our library shut down, Heidi managed to check out four awesome cookbooks. So I have been blessed beyond measure to have not one but two chefs who are trying new recipes.
Without them, I don’t think—no, I know for a fact—that I could never stick with this. They’ve made it easy.
What else makes it easier? Not traveling. Not dealing with business lunches. Not dealing with my annoying friend Jeff.
Thank you Heidi & Brynn. I really appreciate your creativity.
Surprise #5: I’m getting good at pretending
NOT A BURGER.
For the most part, I’ve learned to stop complaining about “fake foods.” I understand that we need to borrow food names to label the PB replacements.
However. There are a few that we have simply NOT found a substitute for. Heidi has tried four different “burgers.” Don’t call them burgers! You’re embarrassing us all. Call them “patties.” Not one tastes remotely like a burger from our favorite hangout, The Feve. Ice cream is not really ice cream, either (although, it’s not terrible.)
I don’t mind pretending. But I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will never get a great, thick, juicy burger unless it’s from the cow, not the garden.
Surprise #6: PB does not mean “Pretty Buff.”
If you recall, I lost about 13 pounds in those first 22 days.
I haven’t lost one pound since.
Losing weight is harder than I hoped. We even exercise 5 days a week. In fact, each week is a struggle to just maintain the current weight. We cheat on the weekends, we work all week to get back to the same weight, and then repeat the cycle.
I can hear you say, "Well, Mike, if you didn’t cheat every weekend, you could lose more." And that might be true. I plead the pandemic. We need the cheat!
The other reason why may be my age. At 57, it may have finally come to the point where it’s hard to lose weight for me.
Not gonna lie; it’s a disappointment. We may have to settle for the knowledge that. we would be in a lot worse shape if we didn’t do PB.
Surprise #7: I feel better.
PB Ceviche. Awesome!
I really do. Not crazy dancing-on-the-ceiling better (you go, Lionel!). But, simply, better. Heidi says she feels less heavy. It’s hard to put into words, but both of us feel lighter. Heidi says, “I’m losing weight on the inside!” No, I do not feel like a new man. I do not feel like I'm 25 again. But I feel good inside, and also mentally, knowing we’re being healthy.
And there’s more good news. All my life, I’ve had digestive issues of various kinds. I’ve long since accepted it as something hereditary, and that I would never have a healthy stomach. But I can honestly say, I have never felt better in that area. It’s a very welcome bonus.
Surprise #8: I’m not going back.
We’re still working on the details. We don’t have answers to important questions like, Will we stop eating meat completely?Will we stop cheating on weekends? Will we ever lose another pound in our lives?
But the bottom line is simple. We.Feel.Better. And we know we’re healthier. We aren’t really missing things that much. Why would we stop now?
I’ll post another update in a few months. Maybe by then, I’ll have found the perfect burger replacement. But I’m not holding my breath on that one.
Surprise yourself!
What better time than now when we’re cooped up in our homes, to give this a try yourself?
Who knows? Maybe you can walk out of your house healthier, happier and thinner than when your co-workers last saw you in the flesh.
But wait! there’s more.
