14 days of vegetarianism in, (just cutting out the meat, not trying any veeganistic alchemy) I'm down fifteen pounds, feeling good, sleeping good, quicker and with increased stamina. Little boy down 8 pounds and reporting the same.
Denmark Vesey said ...
Now you talkin'!
But peep.
It's not "vegetarianism".
it's DVism.
"Cutting out meat" is tangential.
A lot of fat vegans running around.
It's the cutting out of toxins across the board and the addition of nutrient dense real food that's put a bounce in ol' CNu's step.
Fist tap to Jr. from the Blackest Man On The Internet
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7 comments:
Since the issue of health/weight/diet/culture is topically trending at this moment;
My man Prof. Lester Spence on it.
Shay at Bookerrising on it.
My man Cobb on it - and sounding a whole lot like DeeVee - mean, snobbish.
The discussion at Spence's spot was most interesting, but none of these "discussions" and the issues they raised, and, none of what I took to be the snobbery dispensed hereabouts - would have ever made a dent in my attitude toward diet;
A. Because I can cook like a muhphuggah.
B. Sistahs love to eat
C. Charisma, swagger, good humor have kept the panties flying up on stage (albeit larger ones)
In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, I'm basically contented and have been for quite some time.
The key to changing my dietary religion was having a goal sufficiently meaningful to get me off the dime, in other words NECESSITY.
Necessity for me came in the form of my son's entry into citywide competitive tennis this summer. He's only twelve, but he will be the dominant male teenage player in the city. About a month ago, he played and beat last year's number one ranked teenage player, but the match was too close because of a vicious drop shot that forced my son repeatedly back to the net.
I watched the match closely and it was very clear that the boy got to slim down.
Means I got to slim down - cause he do exactly what I do.
Enter DV-ism.
"Cutting out meat" is tangential.
A lot of fat vegans running around.
It's the cutting out of toxins across the board and the addition of nutrient dense real food that's put a bounce in ol' CNu's step.
I can't argue with the nutrient dense real food theme, because you chia and quinoa AINT NO JOKE - and you can feel them quick, fast, and in a hurry.
But cutting out meat is decidedly not tangential as I now believe it's a primary source of those toxins. After just two days without meat, my seasonal allergy symptoms went completely away, as did what I referred to as "middle-aged stiffness" upon waking up in the morning. I'm now firmly convinced that the meat being sold and consumed has folks suffering all manner of inflammatory auto-immune symptoms quite apart from ordinary aging and other irritants.
DeeVee and SeeNew agree?
I can't believe it?
Means I got to slim down - cause he do exactly what I do.
Blackest Father on the planet right there!
Dina
In retrospect, there's an irony within an irony here Dina. I felt strongly compelled to reject the message - for all this time - on the basis that it was rooted in and emanating from narcissism and vanity.
Whether that was ever intended or not, that's how it struck me, and that's how I took it. To make matters worse for me, I have always taken joy in cooking and gotten dap for doing it well - not to mention the all-around love of eating - further compounding the ritual habitual.
So, we get down to the new conditional imperative that was sufficient to move me off the dime - years of coaching, training, playing tennis with my son - and the thought of him losing to any other child - is egotistically unbearable to me.
What is that but narcissism and vanity?
Truly?
But there it is, the school of Nu-jutsu - about to be objectively measured in the green and white arena - must.not.be.defeated!
The little boy cracks me up. He aced me four times yesterday - in my vain defense, I'm babying a sore hamstring and unwilling to lunge explosively - but every time he did it, he would moonwalk and Michael Jackson "hee, hee, hee" talking bout "how sexy his skills are". Boy is straight bubbling with Mayweatherian swagger..,
I now know for certain exactly why it's harder to change a man's diet than to change his religion, and it makes me wonder how to go about constructing a more universal appeal to peoples sensibilities to get them to feel the need and make this change.
I'm not trying to be captain save-a-ho, but I've now given away over 4 bags of chia seeds in single-serving samples, and have gotten two close friends to shake off the meat eating habit without any prompting to do so - and about a dozen other folks to start incorporating chia into their daily diets as an afternoon "pick me up".
One of my colleagues, a master baker and diabetic, has lost 10lbs in a very short time - and she's also gotten evangelical about the chia - because all of her spring and summer clothes are comfortable and looking good on her.
anyway..., there's no disputing the truth of dietary DV'ism.
Accept no substitutes!
Wow CNu...that's some good stuff, man. I hear you when you say you initially looked at what DV was suggesting as narcissistic and vain, especially when coupled with DMG's "40 dollar loaf of bread" comments.
But you got in time though. You figured it out through a want of achievement for your son. You didn't have to get to the point where you're laid up in a hospital bed somewhere. Or in my case, having to leave school to be there for my old man so I could help him put his shoes on and carry him around with half his colon missing. All the while feeling mad, sad and straight confused, because family would refuse to acknowledge that his diet almost did him in; they still talking that "you was raised on this" nonsense fifteen years later. Truth is, I myself wasn't necessarily. And I don't have time to be trying to fit in with a bunch of folks getting fitted for pine boxes years too soon; family or not.
He's still kickin' though; I always thought my father was invincible when I was a kid. Know that's not the case at all now. But I have to strive to do better than him, and just like you, strive to make sure my son (and daughter) follows and does better than me.
Good job, brother.
Cnu,
Your comments fit right into a running discussion we've been having in these parts about what it takes to make someone change their diet.
A good friend of mine from childhood, mother of three, 40 years old, has STAGE 4 rectal cancer. Already had the surgery and is pooping in a bag.
STILL EATING SUGAR. STILL EATING TAKEOUT!!!
She knows that sugar feeds cancer, but can't muster the motivation to change her diet. Has a juicer collecting dust on her kitchen counter.
Soo....
Million dollar question? Is it that she has no instinct for self-preservation? That she hasn't truly hit rock bottom yet and needs a rock bottom before motivation sets in? Or the necessity you speak of doesn't seem urgent to her?
Dina
Based on my own past month's experience, I'm convinced that rock-bottom - or even approaching it - is probably highly de-motivating.
In order for me to move off the dime, three factors came to bear.
1. I had to have something definite, tangible, immediate, and aspirational to work toward.
2. That something had to be tied into the mainsprings of my own ego-complex. I equate tennis with combat in a 78x36 foot arena.
3. I absolutely.cannot.stand.losing - ANYTHING.
In order to keep me moving, additional factors entered the equation.
1. Collaboration - my son was immediately with the program, because he's configured exactly like me above - and - he's the actual combatant.
2. Feeling it - Chia is a bad muhphuggah..., just mixing up a couple teaspoons in warm water is sufficient to see and to feel living food in action. The filling and energizing effects of chia are HUGE.
3. Immediate feedback - cutting out meat made me feel MUCH better within 48 hours.
4. Positive feedback - tennis play picked up, food eaten dropped off, and weight started just melting away quickly and noticeably.
Daily compliments and positive feedback - and now a locked spiral of steadily improving play against and with the boy and him against and with his opponents - all conspire to keep it moving.
Self-preservation? Nah folks will die bound hopelessly to their ritual habitual.
Self-aggrandizement? Ding! Ding! Ding! Food is merely an accessory to the mission, and the mission is to win and become one of the greatest of all time.
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