Shang-tu’s blog

Great article a few days ago at Huffington Post from Kathy Freston -- The Weightloss Hype: Why Counting Calories Never Works.  Also, some research came out in the fall about the benefits of how exercise can increase weight loss. What they reported was maybe surprising to some people: the result? Not Much! They found that the diet in fact had much more of an effect on weight than exercise. I'm not talking about those athletes like Michael Phelps, just the common guy who gets a few hours of exercise each week, the recommended amount. For the obese, maybe a little knowledge would go a lot further.  As a totally plant-based guy,  I'm not saying that this lifestyle (vegan) is any better for weight loss. Any fool can overindulge in animal-free junkfood and put on some weight. But I will tell you that the weight loss I experienced when I became a conscientious vegan (from vegetarian) was dramatic, and that was due to an absence of fat in milk, dairy and other crap. I was also more aware of the role of fiber and starch in the diet.

I found this website on Stumbleupon, and frankly the photos of fat gone wild have got to make a plant-based herbivore like me a tad nauseous:

This is why you're fat . Sort of like that stuff on the food programs on the Travel Channel. You know what I'm talking about: the goons who will eat anything...Too bad that there is not enough room or interest or money on primetime TV in this American culture for programs which promote a healthy and sane lifestyle. Speaking of fat, it's all very simple, according to Dr. McDougall, "The fat you eat, the fat you wear." This truth has made a lot of sense to me, especially when I lost another 15 lbs going from vegetarian to vegan. 

This is why you're fat._1238216357442

I think this is where I would go: The Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center near Tucson (Patagonia), AZ. I've been interested in veganic farming, which the Center practices. You can see video clips on their website of Dr. Cousens, the Center's founder, along with a clip of Woody Harrelson, a longtime raw foodist. 

This was taken from the website:

Living in a vegan-friendly area sure makes life a lot more pleasant and convenient. Stuck in a rural area, miles from a veg friendly store or restaurant, well, it sucks. I lived in Seattle for 9 months last year and I got a taste of the vegan life in the Emerald City. In fact, I lived only a couple of blocks off of University Avenue, just a few blocks north of the University of Washington. Though many cafes and restaurants are vegetarian-friendly, there are a few that go full vegan. One of these is Araya, the Thai restaurant. Chaco Canyon is OK, too.

Vegan products are easy to find too. I visited SideCar Pigs for Peace store where I could get Alternative Baking cookies (which are popping up all over the place), my favorite...Also in the area for baked stuff, Mighty-O donuts and another fantastic bakery, the Flying Apron, located down in Fremont and not far from the bridge.  The supermarkets in the area are adequate too: Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Yeah, Seattle is veg hip....

From a vegan posting on Flickr...

Deers' revenge!, originally uploaded by amber10_79.

Eating meat kills. Think I'm kidding? Look at this (from CNN on 24 March 2009) and from various other news orgs, like the Washington Post. Meat eaters face a 30% greater chance of premature death.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/23/healthmag.red.meat.lifespan/index.html

What really gets me is that with all the news out there, don't you think they (non-vegs) get it? You would think so, especially those with compromising medical conditions or the obese.

Of course, this news is old stuff, especially to the vegan and vegetarian community. The China Study included research which showed this to be the case years ago, thanks to Dr. T. Colin Campbell et al. Look for more information at the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) website, and vegsource. com for more information on this.