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6 posts tagged diet
In The Land Of Eating Healthy
Thinking of following this diet I found on Toothpaste for Dinner. Good idea?
Weight Loss Update on George: The Morbidly Obese Lizard
Some of you have already met George La Rosa, our family’s morbidly obese bearded dragon, but, for those who haven’t, allow me to introduce him.
This lizard came into our lives when my brother adopted him as a pet in college a few years back. In those days, he was actually quite little and enjoyed perching on Robert’s shoulder, like a parrot with scales.
Now he lives with my Mom and Dad and under their care has become, well…fat. There’s just no nice way to say that. They were alerted to George’s weight being an issue earlier this year when they took him to the vet and discovered that a) George is morbidly obese and b) George is not a he, but rather a she.
Since then, Georgina has been on a much stricter diet, (down from 5 worms a day to just 5 a week) and gets plenty of fresh veggies. Additionally, an exercise regimen of walks in the grass coupled with some lizard-style swimming in a shallow bath have been introduced.
Admittedly, the progress has been slow. At times it even seems like Georgina hasn’t lost any of the weight she put on. But, just when I’m starting to lose faith, I’ll watch as she lifts her body and runs across our living room floor at full speed, charging at some unknown enemy. (Maybe obesity?)
It’s something I definitely didn’t see her do a month ago and the fact that she’s gained back that agility means that something is going right.
If you have any words of inspiration for George, or tips, then share them, won’t you?
George: The Morbidly Obese Lizard
Meet George La Rosa: a morbidly obese bearded dragon.
George came into our lives four years ago when my brother, Robert, bought him as a pet while at college. The lizard would come home for the holidays and needed certain accoutrements (i.e. a heating lamp, live crickets, etc.) to stay in tiptop shape.
Then, when Robert got into medical school, it became apparent that he couldn’t take George with him, because lizards aren’t permitted on plane rides. (Hello, PETA, this is your next cause.)
Meaning that the new caretakers of George would be none other than my parents, Sheila and Bill. Now, George had steadily increased in girth and appetite, going from a svelte, agile climber to, as my Dad dubbed him, “a lethargic lizardo.”
George had also moved on from deftly chasing crickets to being hand fed live worms with a pair of tweezers. So my parents, being the Italian/Irish people that they are, would dutifully feed George to his hearts content. Unfortunately, his heart and tummy desired 8 to 10 worms per day—a substantial sum!
Eventually this gorging on invertebrates led to a health issue: one day George didn’t make a bowel movement. In fact, he hadn’t “moved” in several days, forcing my parents to wonder if something was wrong. They researched local reptile veterinarians, found an appointment and went, carting their poor George along with them.
What happened was this: My parents and George sit in a waiting room, the veterinarian, “a woman with rainbow hair and multiple piercings,” came out to greet them and, upon seeing the patient, began to laugh uncontrollably. Apparently the diagnosis was clear upon first glance: morbid obesity coupled with an inability of the patient to lift its own body.
The conversation was as follows:
Vet: How often are you feeding George?
Dad: Once a day.
Vet: How much?
Dad: 8 to 10 worms.
Vet: Seriously?
Mom: Is that bad?
Vet: Lizards of this size should be fed 2 worms once or twice a week.
Mom and Dad: Oh…
[Vet proceeds with a lizard rectal exam, feels around, looks surprised.]
Vet: Also, George appears to be a she. Georgina.
[Beat.]
Vet: Can we take a photo of George for our Facebook page? I’ve never seen one this size.
Dad: Sure…
So, now we have a morbidly obese, sexually confused bearded dragon who hasn’t had a BM in days because it has, quite plainly, tried to eat itself to death.
Cut to the present: George is now on a lizard diet, consuming 2 worms twice a week and getting exercise on the floor of our living room. I can’t say that I’m noticing any immediate weight loss, but I’ve heard these things can take time.
Does anyone who may be going through a similar problem have any words of wisdom for George? Any weight loss tips?
When my friend tells me she wants to go on a diet
She’s like:
And I’m just sitting there like:
Day 21 Of 30 Day Vegetarian Diet.
I haven’t written about my 30-day vegetarian diet since i started it so now I feel quite badly and would like to flood you with updates!
Firstly, it has been going well. I started on March 19th and now have 9 days left.
Things that have changed in my life:
-Going food shopping: instead of turkey sausage I now buy Trader Joe’s imitation sausage which, I was impressed to discover, is actually quite spicy and delicious and tastes like the real thing!
-Cooking: This has been upped for me. In order to accommodate a veg lifestyle I’ve made a point to try and cook more of my own food so I can control it. I even cooked David a veg dinner! We had fajitas with faux chicken strips and this super delicious vegan queso (it’s actually some of the best queso I’ve ever had). You can find my recipe here!
-M Cafe: This has become my sanctuary, haha. On days when I don’t feel like cooking, I go to M Cafe, which is down the street from my apartment. Previously I had never been, and now I’m there 2-3 times a week. I’m usually buying their curry tempeh salad and sesame soba noodles. I think I might treat myself to a BabyCakes cupcake from there on my last day.
Things that are difficult:
-People keep asking me why I am doing a veg diet, and I’ve found it’s hard for me to explain without sounding like a vigilante (though perhaps not a bad thing?). I’ve always wanted to try it out, and I think it’s great for the environment and animals. But I’ve tried not to get too in depth with these questions, as I worry I may come off as a nut.
-Sushi (how I miss you!!). Dying to find some decent veg sushi in Los Angeles, and trust me I’ve been looking.
-Making sure I get enough vitamins and all of my nutrients in has been a challenge but doable.
With all of the changes I’ve made and the harder parts of changing your diet, I’ve also got benefits. I do feel less weighed down, I don’t know exactly how to put that into words but my body feels lighter (lack of oxygen to brain?). And I have also been more aware of what I am putting into my body, which makes me feel a bit healthier and conscious.
In terms of what I will keep, I actually do think that I will continue to try and maintain my veg ways. But I do have the urge to eat fish… so realistically I’d say that I may be a pesco-vegetarian at the end of this.
I don’t think a veg diet is for everyone, but it’s not impossible and because I live in Los Angeles it has been more than easy to make the switch.
9 days left! If anyone knows of a great sushi option do tell?
30 Day Plan: Go Vegetarian.
I have been very hesitant to write about this because A) I’m afraid I’ll cave and fall off the wagon and B) I write for a green website and often about vegan issues, and I am fairly certain everyone I work with assumes I am already a vegetarian if not vegan.
But the truth is that the only meat not in my diet right now is red meat, and that’s only because I heard that it increases the risk of breast cancer— so I cut it out. But I’ve been toying with the idea of going vegetarian for awhile, because I really do love animals and would like something to hold over other peoples heads! Additionally, working at Ecorazzi has really shed some light on the benefits of nixing meat, so I decided that I should give it a try…eventually.
I’ve read that going veg for 30 days and setting a start and end date is the way to do it, I’ve just been looking for the right time to put down the turkey, cold turkey.
Enter the Genesis Awards! An event I attended over the weekend which honors celebs and media types for their work with animal activism. I got to sit in on the ceremony, which was catered by celeb vegan chef Tal Ronnen, and watch as presenters like Olivia Munn and Betty White awarded filmmakers and broadcasters for revealing the dangers of factory farming, or highlighting a story about a puppy mill, etc..
The thing is, this event was essentially like being forced to watch PETA videos for two hours while being served vegan ravioli. The footage that went along with each award included cows being beaten, monkeys dying in cages, baby chicks being thrown into grinders, that kinda fun stuff!
So, while nibbling on my vegan cheesecake (note: some things do taste better with dairy I’m sorry to say!), I decided that I would start my 30 day vegetarian diet that night. Meaning that from Saturday, March 19th until Sunday, April 17th I will be all veg all the time.
Today is Day 3 of being without meat, and so far so good. This morning I had whole wheat toast with peanut butter for breakfast, as a snack a banana, and my lunch (pictured) of hummus, pita, taboulie and falafel. Everything has been yummy, I don’t feel deprived (yet), and I’m pumping myself up with the promise of veggie burgers in the very near future. I’ve also started taking vitamins in case I’m not getting enough of something (though what, I couldn’t say).
Luckily I live in Los Angeles, and aside from all of the restaurants having veg options, I also am two blocks from a vegan Thai restaurant called Bulan, and four from a macrobiotic joint called M Cafe— going vegetarian looks like it will be pretty easy.
I’ve also promised David that if I went veg, I would cook a vegetarian meal once a week for us to try (yes, this is an easy way for him to get free food but I also suspect that he may be curious about going veg and eating healthy). So, every week I’ll be trying out a new recipe and seeing how I do in terms of cooking sans the meat, and I’ll provide David’s feedback on it as well!
If anyone has any recipes/tips/snacks that help make the transition into veg easier, I am all ears!