It’s Blog Post #8 and the last post of 2016. I wrote a piece for the Vancouver Coastal Health blog and you can read it here and the link is now available under “Published Work” in the menu. http://vchblogs.ca/trip-planning-dont-forget-travel-clinic/

A lot of the feedback was that people didn’t like Blog Post #7. It was too serious and way too complicated. I’ll try to simplify things a bit. I understand that most people go into a nice slumber when mentioning calorie counting, reading food labels, and weighing food. It wasn’t meant to be a “you should do this” kind of post. It was to be a “Here. This is what’s working for me.” I apologize if it didn’t come across that way.

The things I hope I did get across are that consistency and sustainability are the most important things. While we congratulate people who go on a strict diet and lose 20 lbs in three weeks, the chances that they can keep it off are pretty low. That’s because it’s too extreme and not something the person is able to stick to. Find things you enjoy eating and figure out how to incorporate them into a healthy diet. Labelling a food as “good” or labelling a food as “bad” is not really the best approach. Instead, looking at your diet as a whole will give you a better indication of how healthy you’re eating. I’ll use an Alan Aragon example:

Which food is healthier? Celery or ice cream?

Most people would say celery. I would say ice cream.

Celery has little to no calories (we need calories to live) and very little nutritional value. There’s no macronutrients!

Ice Cream (based on the vanilla that I eat) has 1 gram of protein, 3.5 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbs, 110 calories for a half cup.

If you were trapped with only one food, either ice cream or celery, you would live longer on ice cream!!

The point is that we need to look at our whole diet with all the variety of foods we eat, not a single food in isolation.

One question I did get was, “How do I get that much protein? My answer is MEAT! However, the person asking… is a vegetarian. Now, we’re getting to an area I don’t know that much about. Vegetarians and vegans need to do their research. They need to know that they’re getting their essential amino acids and nutrients. My personal belief is that meat offers the best and healthiest way to eat. If that’s not for you, my advice would be to take your diet very seriously, do your research, gauge how you’re feeling, and even seek professional advice from a dietician or nutritionist. Knowledge is power.

As for how else I get my protein. I eat a lot of eggs, Greek yogurt, hummus, whey protein, and protein bars. It is definitely a challenge and requires planning. Milk, cheese, and certain vegetable will help with your protein numbers as well. Drinking lots of water is vitally important, especially if new to a high protein diet, so you can avoid the X-Lax. Consult with your doctor before any major changes to your diet. There is a long standing belief that high protein diets damage the kidneys. Research that I have looked at and the advice of experts I have read does not support that belief.

Enough about that diet thing and being oh, so, serious….While I talk about health and lifestyle on this blog, it is actually and ultimately, my writing blog….a place to write my thoughts on pretty much anything; to practice an art form. There are no rules for spelling, punctuation, or grammar. It’s art.

“Yeah, Roy, I know. Spelling, punctuation, grammar, terrible. I’ve been reading it from the beginning.”

I plan to blog about some different topics. I’m looking at doing some reviews (movies, music, restaurants etc.). It would be to branch out with writing and to try something new. Next month, my wife and I are heading to The United States of America. It’ll be the first time going down there with Donald Trump as the president. I’m thinking about writing an expose on how people are feeling in Washington State. I’ll interview people and ask them about their fears and the political unrest. How has the division of the country affected their lives? Are they afraid that color-based segregation, coat hanger abortions, and the oppression of women will manifest itself more publically and once again be socially acceptable? Can special interest groups and corporate America steal from hard-working American people in a more overt way making it impossible to “fight the power!” and to bring a stronger sense of equality to the population? Actually, I’ll probably just visit breweries and ask about beer.

I doubt we’ll be “talkin’ about a revolution” but let’s talk about a resolution. It’s almost that time. I was finally successful with my resolutions and goals in 2016….working out, eating right, career changes, beginning my writing with a website, blog, and articles and travelling to China. With 2017 just around the corner, I’m ready to tackle new goals. More working out, more frequent blog posts, and more travelling top the list. My wife and I will get another cat (or two cats) in 2017. Opening a craft beer pub, climbing Mt. Everest, and getting a nipple ring will have to wait until 2018. My ten year anniversary is coming up in 2017, so I’ll also once again try to get to Mordor to destroy the one ring.

Thank you to everyone who has read my blog, sent me feedback, and supported me in this endeavour. I’ve enjoyed writing this and many (not all) of you seemed to have enjoyed reading it. I hope that 2017 will see me able to put out more frequent posts that are of a little more quality than the crap you’ve endured so far. Happy 2017! The usual ending jokes are here. Enjoy.

We want to get a cat.

Go down to the SPCA and grab one.

That’s what Trump said.

 

I’ll probably just visit breweries and ask about beer…..but no stouts or porters. I don’t like the dark ones.

That’s what Trump said.

*Ok, it’s not going to become a regular thing. That’s the last one.

“Hey, did you hear that Rihanna is in town filming Bates Motel?”

“Breanna?”

“No. Rihanna.”

“Oh, I thought you said Breanna. She’s someone I work with?

“Someone you work work with?”

“Huh?”

“Or is she someone you work work work work with?”

😦