Day 35 --- Work and Play

Day 35 ---  Good work and good fun

Today is Tuesday and what a great day it has been! Like many people, I really enjoy working. I especially enjoy working with schools. And there's nothing much better than that except for maybe working with the school with a really wonderful people. Well I've been blessed to have all of those while working with Kings Christian school in Cherry Hill New Jersey.

I started my day with an apple and some nuts. Simple breakfast, but one that I really like. When it was time for lunch, we went over to a famous sandwich shop called The Boyz. Amazingly they had the absolute perfect thing for me to eat. They call it a sub in a tub. For those of you who might not be familiar with the term sub, it is short for submarine, that might not of helped but a sandwich in the shape of a submarine is called a sub sandwich.  What they do is they take all the lettuce and tomatoes and all of the meets that you would add and they serve it in a bowl so that you get all the flavors without the bread. It was to say, it was delicious. 

After a good day of work, my friend John, the head of the administrative team, took me to see the Philadelphia Flyers play hockey.  It was a great game! And of course the Flyers won which made it even better.

Getting back to the diet, I've been told that I can take one meal per week and kind of go crazy. I've been saving up for this night. So, I went to bit crazy. I had a half of a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. And then later on had about a half a serving of softserve ice cream. I have to say it was delicious but it wasn't like I was thinking that I've really been missing a lot by not being able to eat this type of food.  

Well that's all for now. I hope that all is great and healthy with you.

Day 34 -- Great new life

Day 34 -- What a great new life

Today is Monday and I spent the day working with a school in New Jersey.  They are wonderful people and I really like them a lot.  Many here know of the broth fast that I have just completed and the questions and comments have been fun.

Overall, it was a great day.  I'm reminded of the lack of energy that I experienced at times during the fast and now it seems like years ago.  Additionally, it was well, well, well worth it for me.  Now I feel great.  My thinking is clearer and I find that I don't get as tired.

Monday night football is a big deal for many of us.  I decided to go out and watch the game at a local New Jersey sports bar.  Off I went to grab a seat and get ready for the game.  I wasn't too worried about the menu.  I knew that I would find something that I could eat. Below is what I wrote while I was there.

Right now, I'm at a regional chain restaurant called Miller's Ale House. I told them that I was looking forward to eating here tonight and explained that this dinner would only be like my fourth solid meal in over 30 days. The response was, "and you came here?"  It was kind of funny but I said that I was quite sure that I could have a great meal with something on the menu. I found it pretty quickly, Ceasar salad with Mahi-Mahi but I asked for a vinaigrette and no croutons.  I probably could have had "some" croutons but I didn't want the temptation nor any guilt. I want to feel like I'm making good choices. And how am I so deprived about having hearts of Romaine dressed and tossed with a bit of Parmesan, topped with warm, seared Mahi-Mahi? How much more does there really need to be? 

When the dish arrived, both servers came by and commented that although they knew that this was on the menu, neither had ordered it. One mentioned that they hardly ever serve it. Both agreed that they will recommend it. Kind of funny that making a healthy choice about food isn't so geeky I guess. 

Oh, and by the way, it was $9.99. 

This is not that difficult at all. I caught myself saying to the waiter, "I can have almost anything" what a change in attitude that is for me. Before I would have said, "I can't have this and this..." Before I saw this like "I can't have..." and now I find myself thinking differently.  This really isn't a difficulty.  It's just a change in thinking.   

Day 33 ----- Church, Monster Trucks, and Sushi

Day 33  ---  Sunday is a day for church and monster trucks and perhaps some sushi

It was a great day.  I awoke a little tired and in no rush to get to the first church service.  The school that I am working with in New Jersey has asked that I attend a local church where a lot of their kids attend.  Thankfully, they had an 11:00 service so I was able to take my time in getting ready.

I started my day with nuts and an apple, but really this is a typical breakfast for me as I really don't care for eggs, or pancakes or most breakfast foods.  Apples and nuts, of course cheese is nice too, make a great breakfast.  And with this nutrition, off I went to church.  It was a very nice service with great songs and a solid and applicable message.

After church I went back to my hotel and ate some nutritious foods from "Whole Foods" market and then got ready for the monster truck show.

Now if you know me, you know that I'm not the type of guy that you would find at a monster truck show but John invited me to attend with his two sons and how could I say no?  Although I might not have purchased tickets for this, of course I would go if I could.  And there was no disappointment at all.

What a blast.  It was fun watching these huge trucks with their deafening engines roaring about inside of a stadium.  The sound was unreal.  With earplugs in, it was really too loud.  Certainly the loudest event that I have ever attended and that includes being 8 feet away from the speakers at the Rolling Stones 1982 Farewell tour and The Who, who is known for there very loud shows.  This was on a whole different level.  Even with the earplugs in I could hear my ears ringing and the vibration and sound waves made it fully palpable.

At the end of the day, we said farewell and I was happy to not only have been able to go, but also that I didn't give in to eating anything there.

For dinner, I took a short walk to a Japanese restaurant, not really knowing if there would be much that I could eat.  I am happy to say that they had quite a few items on the menu that were good including a cucumber and avocado sushi roll with brown rice.  Overall, it was delicious.  I originally also ordered a sashimi  sampler but when it arrived, I kept thinking that perhaps, maybe just perhaps, I shouldn't be eating raw fish right now.  So even though I paid for it, I decided to pass.  I thought that it is not worth the risk without first talking to the doctor.  I have a call into him and it will be interesting to hear what his thoughts are about this.

I walked home, well to the hotel that is, called my bride and called it a night.

Day 32 --- First real day with the new diet

Day 32 ----  First day with the new diet

Today was the first day where I could have a greater variety.  Today is Saturday and I was back working with King's Christian School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  Today was a big day for the school.  It was there fall Open House.  My job was to look for areas that went really well and recognize these but also to find room for betterment.

There were lots of yummy snacks available, but I never found one thing that I could consume, save one.  I found that the seniors were selling bottles of water.  Perfect, as I was feeling dehydrated.

It was a full and busy day to be sure.  Finally it was time to call it a day.  My good friend John, who is the head of the leadership team, invited me to lunch with him and his dear wife Rosemary.  They took me to a local diner with a large menu.  I went with a big salad and was just careful with what I ate and what I didn't.  I stayed away from blue cheese, etc and focused on lettuce, tomatoes, and the regular stuff.  It was delicious and their company was marvelous.  What is not to like about these two?  They are both wonderful.

I asked them if they could recommend any special places to be sure to visit while in the Philadelphia area.  They said you have to go to McGillin's Olde Ale House.  It's the oldest pub in Philly.  John offered to come along with me and at first I accepted but then remembering that he had been away from his wife for a few days and that he will be taking me to a couple of events in the coming days, I changed my mind in having John around.  In truth, I love the guy and would have loved his company.  There is no doubt about that but I wanted to be sure that I was not becoming a burden on his relationship with his wife.

But I did take John's advice and I did drive into Philly to go to McGillin's.  I wasn't sure what to expect but I was looking forward to it.  So, off I went.

It was loud and fun there and fun to think about how many people had been there before I.  This was to be the first meal where I could have meat, so that's what I did.  I ordered the Caesar salad which was topped with a small piece of Filet Mignon.  It was perfectly healthy and completely delicious.  I sat at the bar and ordered an Octoberfest beer, one of my favorite drinks.  Now I knew that I was pushing it by having a beer and not even a light one at that.  But I had a plan.  I would only drink a little.  Now you might be thinking, yeah right.  But that is what I did.  I drank about half and then asked the bartender to remove it.  She was concerned that I didn't like it but after a quick explanation, she agreed but insisted that it stay within arm's reach in case I changed my mind.  I assured her that I was not going to have any more, and I didn't have any more.  So a short beer, a mini steak, and a delicious salad and I was set.

The guy at the bar seated next to me was very interested in what I had been doing and asked a bunch of questions.  I enjoyed answering them for him.  It's a fun topic to discuss.

Day 31 --- East Coast and Transition

Day 31  ----  East Coast and Transition

This is only my second day of transition and I am trying very hard to make sure that I get things right.  That said, I knew that I need some healthy foods to start my day.  So, I searched for a "Whole Foods" market which is an international store filled with all organic and extra healthy foods.  There are seven stores in the UK mates, so check it out.  

I purchased three small amounts of nuts, (pistachios, macadamias, and hazelnuts) as well as a couple of packages of dried and seasoned kale, a couple of apples, and perhaps a couple of other items.  Armed with this, and having downed an apple and a couple of handfuls of nuts, I started my work day with meetings at a school in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. 

Many at the school were well aware of my fast and were filled with questions about how it went and how I was feeling now.  I loved talking about all of this and I hope that it was motivational to some.

The head of the leadership team at this school found a great place to take me to lunch.  It had a huge selection of salad items and many varieties of vegetables all in a grand buffet.  There were many items that I could not eat, yet.  But there were more than enough options for me. Most everything was healthy, but some were just not yet on my "OK to eat" list.

Tomorrow I will be able to have plenty of options including meats.  But for now, I'm in transition and after this much effort, I don't want to blow it.

I was on my own for dinner.  I chose a local Indian restaurant knowing that they tend to have many items that are within my new high fiber diet.  I order Vegetable Korma.  It is a characteristic Indian dish which can be traced back to the 16th century and to the Mughal incursions into present-day Northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Classically, a korma is defined as a dish where meat or vegetables are braised with water or stock.  Needless to say, I stuck with the vegetable.  But modern Korma definitely in not just stewed in stock or water.  It has lots of spices and this dish in particular was very spicey.  I was a bit concerned, but everything was fine.  The kind waitress substituted yellow lentils for the rice and it tasted delicious.  

I was eating alone and so my thoughts wandered around until they landed on our son David, perhaps the very best son ever known to man.  I took a picture of myself and texted it off to him telling him that I was eating healthy Indian food tonight.  He quickly wrote back and said, "how appropriate as tonight is Dandiya".  Ok, what the heck is that? I thought.  Apparently it is quite the Indian holiday where dancing is a major part.  Well, I didn't dance, but I was about ready to do so after having that delicious meal.  Amazing how good it tasted.


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Day 30 ---- Travel and Transition

Day 30 ----  Travel and Transition

As you may remember, Dr. Saunders strongly encouraged me to eat carefully during the first 2-3 days.  He recommended only having fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds, basically high fiber.  He is a brilliant man and has helped me so much that I was not about to question his advice.  This coupled with the fact that I have read about others who did not transition properly and had significant digestive issues.

What was to make things more complicated was the fact that I needed to travel all day across the USA.  But I knew what I could have and I knew that I had plenty of options.

I needed to be up at 4:30AM and off to the airport at 5:00 for a 6:30AM flight.  I awoke on time, feeling great, and drank some water, ate an apple and off we went to the airport.  Sadly, I had to say goodbye to my mate-for-life and board the plane.  So we said our farewells, said a prayer, and I entered the airport.

Santa Barbara airport is one of the best airports that I utilize.  It's not fancy but it's small and simple and very easy to navigate, plus very familiar.  I went through the check in procedure and was officially inside the secure gate boarding area.  My first stop was to buy some nuts for the flight.  I knew that with nuts, an apple, and some water, I would be fine.  And I was fine.

The first leg was to Phoenix followed by a flight to Philadelphia.  I munched on delicious nuts and apples on the way, with plenty of water.  It seemed easy and delicious.

Once I landed, I rented a car and drove off to see Herbie Hancock about an hour or so North of Philly.  He was amazing.  He had so much energy still at 73 years old.  I was very happy to see him.  He played only 6 songs in total but that filled up a full two hours.  Imagine that, each song averaging 20 minutes.  Awesome.

After the show, I drove back to my hotel, getting in kind of late but feeling relaxed and satisfied with the ease of the day.

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Day 29 --- (Dinner) Finally a real meal

Day 29 --- Dinner, as in a real, solid food meal

It's a date.  A date to remember but also a date with my sweet wife of 15 years, well 15 years this December.  I was so looking forward to this meal, and more importantly being able to go out to dinner with my bride on a real date.  So, I asked her when she wanted for me to pick her up at home.  We set a time and I waited, impatiently.

Knowing that we would be going out soon and that Suzy would want to get ready before dinner, I got ready early with the plan being to stay out of the house until the time when I was to pick up my date.  Six O'clock was the arrangement.  So I took a shower and picked out a pressed dress shirt and Suzy's favorite jeans, on me that is.  Then I slipped out for a meeting with one of three triplets related to college planning.  I was excited for the evening and happy to have the meeting to keep me occupied until at least 5:30.

After the meeting, I walked around our little village and picked some flowers to bring to Suzy before our date.  Also, I got the car straightened out and walked around waiting for 6:00PM.  Finally it was just about time and so I walked up to our home, flowers in hand, and rang the doorbell.  And there she was standing there, Miss America, looking as beautiful as ever.  I couldn't help but notice my heart rate increase a bit.  I just love this girl.  Suzy was completely ready to go and truly did look beautiful, which is pretty easy for her.

Off we went feeling like a school boy on a first date.  We took our time driving to Sojourner Restaurant in downtown SB.  I asked for there very best table "because we were celebrating".  There gave us a lovely table in the corner and for the first time in 30 days, I held a menu in my hands.  I was not just excited that was going to be able to eat soon, but that there were so many choices available to me that were healthy and delicious.  But after reading nearly every item on the menu, I ended up choosing one of my favorite dishes at Sojourner and after many years of eating it, I just now realized how healthy it is for me.  I've included part of the menu below, just for fun.  I proudly order the Golden Indian Dhal.  It is a bowl of stewed red lentils with a variety of mixed vegetables and a side of brown rice.  I also ordered a side of avocado, just for fun.  Suzy ordered the Gazpacho and a great salad.  She has been on her own diet as well and so this was a treat for her as well.

We were in no hurry, but I was a bit anxious and excited.  The meal arrived and it looked beautiful.  I could see chunks of different vegetables sticking out of the red lentils and the brown rice looked wonderful.  I took one bit and savored the way the warm solid food felt in my mouth.  It felt heavy on my tongue and reassuring.  It was delicious.  I haven't been a big fan of brown rice, but I have to say that it tasted wonderful, especially mixed with the lentils.  The avocado was absolutely perfect.  I really enjoyed the contrast between the cool avocado and the warm Indian Dhal.  Suzy was thoroughly enjoying her Gazpacho, a favorite to be sure for her.

We enjoyed our time together so very much.  The food, although it was disappointingly slightly better than warm with the rice being cool, was delicious and fulfilling none the less.  I might have mentioned this to the staff but after 30 days of no solid food, I was in no mood to complain.  The small serving, I ordered the lunch sized plate, was more than enough.  I was full and my mouth was happy.

Suzy and I enjoyed our meal and then went for a walk around the downtown area before heading back to our home, full, content, happy, satisfied, and proud of myself.

(By the way, this isn't the end.  I didn't really know it at this point but there a lot more to come)

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