We've got a client that came in for some training this week. They have a side business together and are doing pretty well.

I've known them for a few years now and they seem really happy. It looks like them working on this business together has kept them together. During the training, yeah, they had some small disagreements on little things but that's to be expected. The fires very quickly went out, so no problem.

I know this won't work for every couple out there - working together - but for some it seems to work really well. They get to spend time together doing something they like. They travel around the U.S. a little with their business, going to shows and stuff, too. I think the coolest thing is that they're making something together. There's some manual labor involved with that they're doing so they're doing hands-on labor together. It's take both of them to get it done and I think that's cool. They share in their success together and I think that creates a strong bond.

So I just saw that, thought it was interesting and thought I'd blog about it. That's it.

Happy Weekend!
-Tony

Well, today I added meat back into my diet. I did 2 weeks no meat, which was kind of cool. I didn't die or anything. :-) I'll probably have more vegetarian meals as I go forward. I was just replacing carbs with meat and that didn't work too well.

Dairy is still off the table, which takes work but I'm managing.

-T

Well, I'm on day 13 already. The first day was tough but otherwise it's going alright.

I may add meat back into the diet since I seem to be gaining weight. I think it's because I'm eating more carbs like in bread and potatoes. So on the 15th, I'm back on meat. I don't think my first meat will be bacon (which everyone seems to love) but probably a burger or chicken.

I do like the Gardenburger brand "chicken" patties which don't contain any chicken or meat. They're veggie patties that Vegans can have, actually. They're good. I'm not a fan of the regular / original patties they have but these chicken-like ones are great on a bun with some avocado. Yum!

I found that the Smart Balance spread has no milk in it, so I've been using that on bread and on popcorn.

The McDonald's salads don't really pass the milk-free test. I had one but shouldn't have.

I made some falafel once and had a few in a tortilla shell with some avocado and lettuce. That was good, too.

So that's my vegetarian diet update for now!
-Tony

I'm on this no meat, no dairy diet now. So far, no problem. There is milk in a lot of things though. I had to throw out the cheese I had in the fridge so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat it.

I cooked up some red potatoes the other day and I've had chips, salsa and guacmole as the main part of a meal. Another meal was a fried onion sandwich and chips.

Today for lunch, I thought I'd see what Subway had. I ordered this Veggie Max sub and thought they'd just pack it full of veggies on the bread but to my surprise, I also got this sort of veggie patty which resembles meat and is really good. I'm amazed. I'm glad I tried it. I'll have to do this a few more times for sure.

-Tony

No Meat, No Dairy: A new approach to weight-loss (www.suite101.com)

...what if I told you that you could slim down, lower your cholesterol, protect yourself against cancers and heart disease and start feeling better by eliminating 2 food groups that are a totally unnecessary part of the American diet? What if I told you those 2 food groups consist of meats and dairy? Hear me out.

Most Americans were raised to believe they needed dairy products for calcium and meat products for protein and iron, when in fact, these food groups are only "A" source of calcium, protein & iron, not "the" source.

In 1956, the United States department of Agriculture created the basic 4 food groups and included meat and dairy not to keep America healthy, but to keep the meat and dairy industries healthy and in turn, the economy. After much research on the subject, past and present studies confirm what I knew all along - the body has no nutritional requirement for animal products.

...So, we were bombarded with ad campaigns practically begging us to drink milk, eat beef and fry up some pork. Tell the 70-80% of African-Americans and Asian-Americans that are lactose intolerant that milk does a body good or the more than 50% of the adult population that's lactose intolerant.

...Remember that Americans eat too much protein already and this over-consumption leads to osteoporosis. Protein leaches calcium from the bones. Fact: The countries with the highest levels of dairy consumption are also the nations with the highest rates of osteoporosis.

...If you're trying to lose weight and your body needs to rid itself of the weight, you'll see the first several pounds drop off almost immediately. Then the rest will come off gradually and effortlessly until your body reaches its comfortable weight. Your skin will start to glow, your energy level will shoot up and your clothes will get looser and looser each day. If you have high cholesterol it will go down. If you're used to feeling bloated after meals - that will disappear. If you're always tired, you will feel full of energy each day. If you regularly crave "not so healthy foods" those cravings will disappear and your body will crave healthier foods. What more could you ask for?

Ok, so now I'm a little more pumped up about this and it'll be interesting to see how much better I feel and look.

I did some more reading of other people's blogs who have tried this and the one thing that seems to be the hardest thing to give up for people is bacon. Yeah, bacon. I only get bacon once in a while so that won't be too hard - although I did buy some like 2 weeks ago. It's gone. I bet if I keep saying bacon, you'll get hungry and start to crave some bacon. Bacon, bacon, bacon! And how about the picture I've put here - does that help? :-)

Ok, now I want bacon.

-Tony