My journey & Lean and Green

Cilantro Turkey with Ponzu Sauce

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Due to high cholesterol, massive breathing problems, horrible sleep apnea, and taking a fist full of pills every day was a horrible way to live. I couldn't even walk around the block without having to take a break! My pulmonologist, cardiologist and immunologist all told me I had to drop about 60 pounds (240 to 180)

My AWESOME sister introduced me to a savior named Luisa, a health coach. OMG, was I skeptical!!!! I HATE "diets" and "organized" programs, and I resisted calling her for a few weeks. After battling with the scale, I gave Luisa a call and was totally NOT into it...it sounded like a cult diet following!!! (Boy, was I wrong!)

After more battling with my weight, I called Luisa back, and she opened my eyes, and I decided to try it for a month. She ordered me my "fuelings" (you eat them 5 times a day, every 2.5-3 hours) and a few days later, a huge box arrived with food I would NEVER imagine me eating...it looked like space food!

On Nov 2nd, I began this journey, and after returning some of my fuelings, figuring out what I liked and didn't like, and LOTS of help and encouragement from Luisa and her husband Rick, I was off and running. This is a program that not only focuses on your weight, but the entire being; a lifelong transformation and achieving optimal health. A great deal of time is focused on habits of health, which was pretty cool!

It took a few days, and my body began to change a bit. I felt better, I was sleeping better, and began to feel better about myself. A few more days into it my breathing began to improve...maybe it was psychological :-) I had a few set backs by drinking wine, but what the hell, I needed it after a horrific day! I learned it is all about choices.

The weight began to fall off! Week 1 was 4.5 pounds, week 2 was another 4 pounds, week 3 was 3 pounds (thanks to Thanksgiving) and week 4 was another 5 pounds...In 1 month, I was down 16 pounds...not too shabby! This works, it's easy (once you get used to it) and with my coach Luisa by my side, it makes a huge difference.

The monthly cost is cost-neutral, meaning, you are diverting your food dollars from the standard grocer to this food.  At first, it seems expensive (because who usually buys a month of food at one time) but since it replaces 2 or 3 meals a day, it really is not that bad.....and it's creating a healthy body with tons of health professionally led support for free.

My biggest fear about starting this program of add H2O, microwave and eat, was that I LOVE LOVE LOVE to cook. Even if I got over the "fuelings" (they really are not that bad plus there are tons of sites that have "hacks" for them) how would I live without cooking?

Luisa explained to me that once a day (or twice depending on the serving size) I could let my creativity run wild with "Lean & Green" meals that I MAKE MYSELF! Woohoo!

There are restrictions to these meals, and I had to be super creative in finding substitutes for those naughty things like carbs, sugars, glutens, etc., but nothing crazy.

So what could I use? Lean protein (turkey, chicken, fish, red meat, tofu, eggs from 5oz to 7oz depending on the protein you are using. 1 1/2 to 3 cups of fresh veggies (some are excluded), spices & condiments in various measurements, and fats. No fruit and no wine/beer (that was a killer for me). Overall, with some creativity, thought, and a love of cooking, I set out to create unique, delicious, and easy-to-make Lean & Green meals.

Most of the posts in this blog will all fit the Lean & Green requirements. They will primarily be ethnic (I have lived all over the world and have a true love of regional and ethnic cooking) and pretty easy to make. One thing about my cooking is that I do NOT NOT NOT use processed, canned, frozen or boxed ingredients. That is one of the most wonderful things about cuisines from everywhere except America. Maybe that's why America is the most obese, poorly nourished, and has some of the highest rates of diabetes and juvenile obesity in the world. BTW I am very liberal!

I started posting my Lean & Green Dinners on my FB, Insta and Twitter pages, and lots of really cool peeps have asked me for my recipes. A friend of mine, Deb, had the idea of doing a blog; so here you go! Thanks, Deb! My coach Luisa and I had the idea to do some cooking classes in the new year, and who knows...maybe a cookbook (I can always dream)!

Enjoy, cook your heart out, improve your health, and most of all, cooking is love!

Brian