The Shape of Me to Come

It's like those in the know....well, know.

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260818/Whole-grains-legumes-and-vegetables-stand-out-in-a-major-review-of-diabetes-diets.aspx

I haven't been on my page in quite some time. But I thought this tidbit was interesting. It's like Dr. McDougall was actually right. Not that I doubted him. But....
Link in comments.

For those who say fiber is non essential. It really isn't. It doesn't just bulk the stool up, which makes having a BM comfortable, it feeds so many things in the intestine that aid in good overall health.

**I haven't gone through all his videos, but the few I have, are pretty good.**

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXMUhIhCWR9/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

🍌 Banana has ~3g fibre vs 🌱 Chia has ~33g fibre. So… does that make chia automatically better? No. Because gut health is not a numbers game. It’s a fibre diversity game. Different plant foods carry different fibres, and those fibres feed different gut bacteria. 👉 Banana brings resistant starch, inulin, and pectin → supports bacteria linked to acetate production → better energy metabolism, satiety, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol control, and smoother bowel movements 👉 Chia brings mucilage and cellulose → supports bacteria linked to butyrate production → stronger gut barrier, lower inflammation, better immunity, GLP-1 support, and long-term colon health So if you eliminate one food just because another has “more fibre,” you’re starving part of your microbiome. Your gut is not asking for one superfood. It’s asking for a party 🎉 A party of different plants, different fibres, and different jobs being done inside you. That’s why I keep saying: Don’t worship the fibre number. Feed the whole gut universe. 💬 Comment FIBRE if you want my full list of plant foods to help you hit 30 different plant foods per week. 📲 Follow for more science-made-simple gut health content. � ⚠️ Disclaimer: This content is for general educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Individual gut responses vary based on microbiome composition, digestive health, allergies, intolerances, and medical conditions. Please consult a qualified healthcare professional before making major dietary changes. #GutHealth #Microbiome #Fibre #PlantDiversity #successscience

Saw this post from Purely Plants.

I keep seeing this argument by non-vegans… I think it was a good ChatGPT answer.

When someone made a comment on a page, as a way for them to justify eating animals, that growing plants/eating plants/crop planting and processing also causes deaths in the fields….

ChatGPT’s response:

"You're conflating ecological roles in wild systems with moral agency, which only applies to moral beings. Non-human predators do not have moral accountability - they act on instinct without the capacity for ethical reasoning. Humans do have moral agency & with that comes responsibility. That’s why we condemn violence among humans, regardless of what occurs in nature. Using wild predation to excuse intentional, systematic exploitation of sentient individuals by morally capable beings is a logical fallacy known as Appeal to Nature.
Predators must kill to survive. Humans do not. We have long surpassed biological necessity - we have access to plant-based nutrition that sustains optimal health & the leading health organizations globally recognize this. Any system built on unnecessary harm is not “natural,” it’s entitlement masquerading as moral reasoning.
As for human evolution - yes, early humans consumed animals in survival contexts, but evolution is descriptive, not prescriptive. What we did then doesn’t dictate what’s right now. We also evolved through warfare, patriarchy & slavery. Evolution doesn’t justify oppression.
Regarding “cultural traditions,” they are not above moral scrutiny. Cultures have included everything from cannibalism to child marriage - appealing to tradition is another fallacy. If a practice causes unnecessary suffering, culture cannot be used as a shield to protect it.
As for your final point: All life involves trade-offs - true. But that doesn’t mean all choices are equal. Crop deaths are incidental, not deliberate acts of exploitation. Using the unintended consequences of crop farming to justify deliberately breeding, commodifying & killing sentient beings is ethically incoherent. It's like excusing murder because car accidents also kill people.
We are not asking people to be perfect. We’re asking them to stop funding industries built on exploitation & use - breeding sentient individuals into existence for the sole purpose of using & killing them. That’s not part of a wild food web - it’s a system of domination we’ve normalized.
If you were the one inside the slaughterhouse, I doubt you’d be comforted by the appeal to “ecological balance” or “cultural norms.” So let’s stop pretending this is about nature. It’s about power, choice, & morality. And it’s time we chose better."

Happy December. I hope you all are well. This is a long read. Its been a hard couple of months. Grab a chair and some popcorn.

It's been a fat minute. I haven't even come back here in over like 2 months. I had over a month's worth of scheduled posts and just didn't come back. On Nov 1st, I posted (prescheduled) about all the big changes in my life and what plans I had going forward. All those are changing again. My boss, my work bestie, work wifey, the person I'd rather spend time with before anyone else (except hubby and kids) is leaving. 😩😭 I have not taken it well. Its weird. And she's leaving leaving, like the state.

Now I find myself in a place to take that job. Technically I'm qualified, except one certificate, but am I really qualified???? Ya know? I've been nothing but stressed. And busy. But very worried about how my job is going to look going forward, whether I can take hers or not.

Excuses are like buttholes, everyone has them. As my husband got his new job I kept thinking how much easier it would be for me to eat healthy because I can eat the same basic thing over and over. And while thats true and I have. Its been FAR from healthy. I find Sundays are very hard for me, like crying hard. We usually go out to dinner before he leaves. Thats not good. At all. And then it goes down hill from there.

I also recently realized due to my unhealthy eating habits, I have high blood pressure. I'm sure my stress isn't helping, but like Dr. McDougall always said, it's the food. My highest reading was 147/87. What made me think to even check was unrelenting headaches and when I was sitting on the couch, I could see my pulse in my eyes. I dont know how to explain that last part. But I could see my vision shift with each beat of my heart. And I could feel it. And along with those symptoms I kept having this odd tingling in my right arm down to my hand.

That scared me. Well, not enough to make changes immediately. But enough to make some plans. Its weird to feel like you're paralyzed by fear but not enough to change the things causing the fear. The chronic pain is exhausting. The joint pain from my psoriatic arthritis is insane. Name a joint, it probably hurts. The best part? Is being back very close to my all time high weight. I was doing great. Losing weight, pain was gone, my sleep was great. Now I can't breathe and tie my fricking shoes at the same time. Stupid. Just stupid of me.

So I'm off to make a game plan. I've got to figure out how to make changes that last longer than 3 weeks to 2 months before I'm white knuckling it down the path of life. Telling myself no seems to be the place to start and the hardest. There are 31 days left of 2025. Back to square one. Back to home base.

Change is hard. Sometimes staying the same is harder.

While thinking of ways to hold myself accountable, I'm not sure if posting weights and measurements are helpful or harmful. I see a lot of people who publicly weigh in on video amd it seems to be working for them. I'm not sure I could do that. Im not even sure I can put my actual weight out there. But for sure, I am going to start posting what I eat. I have a collage app, I can put it all in there and post. The good, the bad, and the ugly. All of it. Sigh.

I honestly feel if I keep going down the road I'm on, I won't see 60. And that kind of scares me. A lot.

Happy November. Two more months left in 2025. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. Its been such a great year full of so many changes. But those changes have also brought a strange sadness I didn’t expect.

2 of my kids have moved out. That was hard. My husband got a new career and is gone a lot. Which isn't good because God I miss him. But its good for our future. I talk to him twice a day, but its just different. I'm also responsible for keeping so many things going, duties we shared before...its just kind of hard. And I miss my kids. I'm thankful I still have 1 at home. We are turning the extra room into a guest/excerise room.

So, because those changes werent enough, at the end of the year, I'll be lowering a portion of my job duties. So I'll have more time to do things at home. This one has been really hard to make right in my heart. I'll miss most of the people I work with, but not the games and politics. I really struggle with office games.

October brought the struggle bus for me. Just the blahs. I didn’t eat very good for most of the month. I had so much going on and didn’t have the time I really needed to just cook good food. I also went through a funk of adjusting to all the newness of things in my life. Cravings were really bad. And for some reason I don't know how to tell myself no and make myself to listen.

BUT

I only fail when I stop trying. So I'll keep trying and keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Fiber is not a non or anti nutrient. We need fiber for more than pooping.

Potatoes are so good for you.

Should we only be eating fruits? I don't know. But I do know we should NOT be eating only meat. And eating only fruit would be a huge improvement in overall health and wellness when compared to only meat.

*I know someone (meat eater) will comment on the more greying beard of the second photo not realizing the first pic has grey but the second picture the beard is longer. So more grey shows.

I hope this guy continues getting better.

Getting nutritional deficiencies from eating only meat? Duh...because protein isn't the only important macro in food.