Tag Archives: Julie Marie Christensen

Committed to PD!

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I just love Julie Marie and Jerry (J&J), originally from Chicago, transplanted in San Diego and more recently onto Southern Utah. I’ve followed her since her Plant Purity days, jumping on her “cheezy” scalloped potato recipe as a new plant-based eater. I thrived on a knew found knowledge behind Julie’s online classes, as well as books and information from Dr. John McDougall (The Startch Solution) and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a physician from the famed, Cleveland Clinic. While the research was done for me, I went all in on a plant-based lifestyle and the results were astounding! Not going to get into the why or how, but you can read my Protective Diet testimonial from 2014!

Come October, 2021 I will have been following a plant-based lifestyle for 10 years but the last year has been difficult. In fact life in general has been a real struggle the last three years and I have fallen into some bad habits, all of which I know Julie discusses in various videos. It’s got to a point that my plant-based lifestyle has teetered on a very fine line. While I’ve not forgot what Julie has taught, the willpower has caved and I’ve fallen on her protective diet, but did remain plant-based. Is there a difference? Yes there is, but her site has all the information you need. I know how bad and far I’ve fallen because I feel terrible. Clothes are “getting smaller” while aches and pains have returned to parts of body. The common denominator…the food I choose to eat.

I’ve tried the last few years to get back on the PD lifestyle, but have failed and fallen off after a month, struggling to get control of how to eat. While the last 12 months have been the most difficult with stay at home orders and a real lack of physical activity, weight has continued to come back. I don’t need a scale to give me an arbitrary number to tell me I am “fat” or overweight. I can feel the fruits of my poor habits every day and night and at 51 years old now, I don’t want to feel older than I am.

Thankfully, I am still healthy, even after a few knee and shoulder surgeries that I have recovered from. I am active…at times, going on hikes with my Boy Scout troop or scuba dive (4 dives a month) in Monterey. Yet, the running has stopped, but I did purchase a used bicycle but after buying the necessary equipment, I’ve probably rode it less than 20 miles. It’s all about wanting to change and making that effort, something I have yet to do. Looking back to 2011, my actions were deemed “extreme” by my primary physician and one reason I never returned to him after he told me I was being “unhealthy” by cutting out meat, dairy and added oils.

Watching Free Class #260, it feels like I am back on day one with Julie and Jerry. I know how and what to do when it comes to moving around the kitchen cooking the food. No, I won’t burn water and I really enjoy the PD recipes that have been created over the years. So how do I take that first step and continue forward each day, taking another positive step forward to gain control of my healthy again?

While my eating habits are okay, one of the contributing factors has been watching the “vegan” Instagram accounts that cook. Now, I am not being forced to make any of the recipes, but damn near every time tofu is used, how is it being cooked? You got it. Fried! Remember oil is still fat and not something used on a protective diet. At this point, I am not going to get into “well it’s healthy fat” or “its olive oil.” No oil in the ingredients or used in recipes. While the vegan results of these recipes look amazing, by no means do they follow what is taught by Julie.

Now, some of you might feel I am brainwashed by her teaching and recipes, but I’ve had the results to prove what she is so passionate about. Feeling amazing, running 50 mile races and finishing. No way could I have done that prior to changing my eating habits. No way! That for me was one of the key components to my success two years in row running the American River 50.

Now at age 51, I don’t want to feel I am “too old” or “too slow” or “not strong enough” to do anything I set my mind to. I’ll admit there have been times of weakness and have cheated. Over the last year, craft beer has been a real struggle. Guess it doesn’t help I am in a small group of friends who are passionate for a well done craft beer, regardless of style. Yet, I’ve got firsthand knowledge of just where those simple ingredients of water, barley and hops go. Remember, I said my clothes were getting smaller? Hahah….no, I was getting bigger.

Today is that first step to the 5 month challenge that Julie proposed in #260, regardless of how much you need to lose. I’ve got a number in mind, but I refuse to step on the scale to confirm my current weight. I know it’s now where I want it to be and I know that I am in control of how I want to feel. So thank you Julie and Jerry for all you do , in order to bring good healthy to people worldwide with your recipes and support.

Eat Happy. Be Happy.

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It’s been four months of failure since PD – Week 4 was written. Preparation or SUS, “set up Sunday” plays an important role in being successful. When I first started a plant based lifestyle, I had no plan, just Dr. McDougall’s book, The McDougall Program – 12 Days To Dynamic Health. This book preached very simple recipes when acclimating to a new routine and how to eat. Over the years, that routine has been lost and I have been going day to day, rudderless, trying to find the right equation to get me back on course.

What happens when you fall back to old habits? I have noticed quite a few changes that have resulted on my life negatively. Falling away from basic principles taught by McDougall and Julie-Marie put me in a place I don’t want to be at. Yet, only I can make the changes to reverse the process. It’s been a very challenging 2018, as I resolved to make strides in improving myself. Yet as we look towards June 1, what minimal progress that was made in the first few weeks have been lost.

Inspiration should come from within, but sometimes a bit of external pushing can help. I have a co-worker who continues to drop weight and get control of his health. He’s been absolutely amazing after a stomach surgery, as he’s held to his program and continued to make great steps, not only in his health, but his active lifestyle. I have run with him a few times, as he’s become more accomplished than I have over the last few years. This is how I saw myself  when I was on the road to recovery, as I wrestled with health. Hopefully I can use some of his inspiration to help kick start change.

I know it’s been said time and time again, but I need to micromanage my intake, something that you shouldn’t have to do when following a Protective Diet. Yet some of the greatest strides I made, where made using software to track everything I ate. Every day is a new day and it’s never too late to start. Hopefully tomorrow is that day.

PD – Week 3

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Monday starts week 3 of reacquainting myself with the principles and living a Protective Diet. I’ve decided to change logging format to a weekly basis now, rather than daily. While I have many thoughts, it’s easier to post and hopefully have others in a similar situation follow along. Don’t want to feel I am boring readers with information they don’t need or want to read. Hopefully that isn’t the fact and if I can help one person with something I write, then excellent!

Week 3 started off well, but I find myself falling into some frustrating habits. In the motto of the Boy Scouts, “Be prepared!” is something I haven’t been. I’ve been attempting to follow a weekly menu I put forth each week, but after the first 14 days, I’ve started to run into problem. These could easily be resolved if I had time on my days off to follow SUS (Set Up Sunday) as Julie calls it, however, and I’ve said this before my days off are spent working, cleaning the house, doing house related projects. Rarely do I have time to cook for 2-3 hours in preparation for the week. Can I fit it in? Sure, I could make a few early morning adjustments and probably start my day working on SUS before starting my day off.

Going back to Julie and Class 200 – Stop the Snack Challenge, this was a key point that I had been failing on, which saw me start the downward slide. Outside of just a day or two, I have done well. Eating through out the day, has really helped to cut out those between meal snacks. I continue to struggle after dinner, grabbing a snack less than an hour after I eat. Not sure why, as I am satiated but left feeling hungry to some degree. I think there might be a connection, especially on the weekends, as I have been known to skip lunch on my days off, which makes me more hungry approaching dinner time.

Overall, things are still moving in the right direction. As I recall, from reading my words, it wasn’t easy to begin. While I don’t struggle in the kitchen, cooking was challenging, but the longer I followed McDougall and PD, it did get easier. While I have a plethora of recipes, it’s sometimes challenging with so much good food to eat, where to begin.

What I do know, the longer I follow PD, the stronger my conviction becomes. I know what I am doing is the right thing and while the start has tapered off just a bit as I start the 4th week, but continue to adhere to the program and most importantly, always learning.

PD – Day 15

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This is the health I want to recapture from 2014. Trim, fit and healthy. Smiling after my first 50k finish with Otto.

Now 2 weeks in I get to look back on what has transpired since jumping into the PDL pool with both feet. As expected, the water is warm, refreshing and quite comfortable. Thanks in part to the many wonderful people who follow the principles set forth by Julie Christensen, creator of the Protective Diet. While I subscribed to the entire program, I have yet to achieve that 100% PD lifestyle, it’s a goal I will continue to strive to attain. Right now, day 15 as I look back what have I learned?

First, this lifestyle is an ultra marathon, not a sprint. While I have expectations, I know for a fact, if I follow the the Guide to Optimal Health I will see improvements in my overall life. Weight will be down, clothes will fit better. Energy will be up and I will be living to eat, instead of eating to live. The steps are simple to follow and to date, I am setting a good pace in the early portion of my journey back into the Protective Diet lifestyle.

Keeping a journal has been great fun, then again I enjoy sharing my experiences, not only to help myself but to help others who could potentially run into issues moving forward. It was great to hear Julie mention my previous success (56:00 minutes) in Class #200 Stop the Snacks Challenge. What made a difference recently, as Julie cited, was going back and re-reading my PD testimonial I posted  in October, 2013. Reading can influence our decisions, but “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

I know I fall back on this repeated in just 2 weeks. Looking at where I was, bloated, heavy, out of shape and otherwise miserable, living with pains and unsettling blood work numbers. The after picture, taken at a Tough Mudder event and just slim and trim I look. I still remember how I felt that day and may days after it. The feeling was one in a million! Comparable to crossing the finish line in one of my 50 mile races. It’s something that I just can’t describe, but that feeling is short lived if you don’t follow through and resolve to maintain that lifestyle you created for yourself.

While I am not one for excuses, I know I have slipped a few in on my wife, one too many times and they get tiring to hear, over and over. While I don’t have any excuses, I know the mistakes I made, they were made knowingly that it would compromise my health and start me down a dark path, that left unchecked would take me to a place I vowed I would not return to. Looking in the mirror daily I didn’t get a sense of the regression. Stepping on the scale it was more apparent that my poor decisions were putting weight back on that I didn’t want to carry at age 48.

Still a few years away from 50, I vow now to have the best health in my life when I hit this milestone! It WILL be done! Why? Because I have been there before and I have the road map and experience to get there. Setting goals and monitor progress aided me in my journey, thus the reason I continuously write about my experiences, weigh myself and track the foods I eat. All these working together put get me in “my zone” where I feel I have the best chance to succeed.

Next milestone in this journey is 30 days. I know what to expect and where I believe I will stand when I report back. It my intention to “stay the course” and remain engaged with the PDL community for the love and support of those who follow this lifestyle. That aspect alone is priceless. I appreciate all the feedback and comments from those on the Facebook group as we all continue on this journey together.

PD – Day 14

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Now 2 weeks into the new year and “new me!” Actually, it’s the same me but with the mental fortitude and desire to “get it done” as my running partner always says. This time around feels very similar to how I started back in October, 2011 with a commitment to myself. Some called what I was doing, “short term” and “extreme” but 10 months later the results were shocking! The weight loss, eating a starch based diet was incredible.

This time around, I have found my Kryptonite. Snacking. I know Julie mentioned this recently in Class #200 – Stop the Snacks Challenge. Following her Guide to Optimal Health, I consider myself to be somewhere between Level #3 and Level #4. I’ve already eliminated the “food addiction and cravings” and understand the basics of a Protective Diet living.

While I may never perfect a Protective Diet, I know what my goals are, where I currently am and know what I need to do in order to achieve it. As Julie mentioned, I have achieved my goal some years back. I got a false sense of security that I was “heart attack proof” (remember Dr. Esselstyn?) and I let my guard down slowly. I lapsed into making poor dietary decisions and failed to follow what got me to where I wanted to be. It’s starts with a Protective Diet.

Not sure if its snacking in the true sense of the words, as I have been doing well, while at work avoiding the crap that shows up in the break room. Even during my days off from work, I am not caught in the kitchen too often ahead of a planned meal. My problem comes after I eat dinner, I find myself unsatisfied and wanting to eat more and have dipped into the pantry for some otherwise unacceptable bites.

Currently, I am trying to get myself to the point of feeling satiated when I eat. Right now, as has been the case for a few weeks I feel bloated even before a meal approaches. Eating on top of that only makes me feel like a fat slob, as guilt starts to creep in and I question my determination.

Being able to identify “true hunger” is what I need to key on. Being able to stop at “full and satisfied” is where I need to begin, while staying away from the between meal bites that are aiding that “stuffed and lethargic” feeling I currently have. It’s a terrible feeling I have been struggling with for nearly 2 weeks. Eating until satiated has been a challenge.

I fall back to what I have learned since 2011 and pictures of before and after. The motivation is there! I will succeed but need to fine tune some of the practices of mindful eating in order to take advantages of what a Protective Diet promotes. Reviewing the Goals of Protective Diet Mindful Eating Practices, there is work to be done of what allowed me to achieve my optimal health. For me, the most important aspect is, “experience and appreciate true hunger before meals.” Too many times I notice I am cooking and eating because the clock dictates it’s lunch or dinner time.

I can identify with Jerry and the need to snack because of all the calories burned when running. When I was at my optimal level, I would eat after I got done with a run and follow it up in a few hours with a meal. However, with a foot injury and my current health, I haven’t been all that active on the trails, putting in the miles to justify those “added calories” (snacking) to my lifestyle. In the future, when I get back to where I need to be and the running increases, snacking will return in due time, but that isn’t now.

Maybe writing on my experiences, when “overwhelmed,” sharing my previous and current challenges with others allows me a solution. Just sharing details of what I am doing helps me mentally on a Protective Diet. I know I am not the only one who has struggled. We all have at some point and time. Even Julie, as amazing as she looks and feels now has struggled.

In conjunction with watching Class #200 today, I am challenging myself to “Stop the Snacks!” One step I have already taken, as been attempting to drink more water daily. The past few weeks I start the morning with 32 ounces of water on the way to work. Once I am at my desk, I easily drink 4-6 cups of tea in a 2-hour period. I will revisit this challenge in 2 weeks as I near the end of January to see where I am.