I reached my goal of losing 22 pounds several months ago (yay!), and then I continued to lose 8 and 1/2 pounds more — arriving at the final total of 30 1/2 pounds lost on this special diet. Wow. I never could've imagined it.
And "special" diet it was too! Very special, in that the food was delicious, nutritious, plentiful, balanced between yin and yang, balanced between carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and balanced between strengthening and relaxing, serious and fun.
I learned how to broaden my choices and outlook on everything. (And I am still always learning more.)
I made sure to eat vegetables from each of three categories: Root, Round, and Leafy Green.
Root vegetable examples: daikon root, carrot, burdock, and parsnip
Round vegetable examples: onion, squash, dried beans, lentils, and cauliflower
Leafy green examples: kale, collard greens, broccoli, lettuce, and dandelion leaf
I varied my methods of cooking. Pressure-cooked, boiled, steamed, sauteed or pan-fried, baked vegetables, casseroles, breads, and pizzas. High heat, low heat, fast, slow, with oil and without oil.
I learned how to measure out enough food onto my plate that would satisfy me and give me enough strength to last me until the next meal. I practiced my chewing and paying attention on my food and the here and now. I spent time appreciating the delicious ingredients that took so much time and effort to finally arrive at my table.
I discovered good nourishing snacks that refreshed me in the afternoon, like a cup of kukicha tea with soy sauce that replenished my salt reserves lost from perspiration during hot summer days and exercising, or a cup of "Morning Tea" that also included ginger root, kuzu powder, and a bit of umeboshi to revive me after eating a lot of restaurant food. A handful of almonds roasted in tamari (storebought) satisfied my cravings for a little fat and salt.
I increased the amount of raw vegetables, especially while we were traveling and eating out in restaurants. I reintroduced raw green salads to my diet after realizing that I had become too rigid in my thinking!
Whenever I could, I included seaweed in my diet: kombu cooked with the beans and soups, wakame, nori, dulse, arame, and even mekabu (wakame sporophyll).
What do I want to do next?
Well, there is one thing that I want to do for sure, and that is learn how to cook all those wonderful dishes they served at French Meadows Macrobiotic Summer Camp! And I want to see if I can find some of the tools they used, like the light-weight square-edged vegetable cleaver, the very practical and useful strainer-ladle, and the Asian grater with the two-directional holes.
I am also looking forward to visiting the many web sites of all the teachers at camp, and some day I hope that I'll get the chance to visit some of the restaurants around the country that were recommended to me, like Seed Kitchen in Venice, California!
And so today marks the first milestone of a great idea that I have, which is to design and create my own weight-loss plan, my own diet, and my own life, and I can highly recommend it to anyone! Cheers and Bon Appetit to all of us!
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