One less notch in my belt…

Day 60, under my one less notched belt, and happy to report that 19 pounds of unwanted gristle has magically vanished from my now plant powered only body…or should I call it my physical temple. And speaking of temples..I have been to my share of fun Bar Mitzvahs in my time with many wonderful Jewish friends on Long Island but I now have this profound Bar Mitzvah feeling in my heart, head and soul that this just might be the new me. What started out as a 30 day research product to discover if a plant based diet, with No Dairy, might help heal our beautiful Antonio of some serious health issues has turned into a spiritual and physical awakening for me. Yeah Yeah Yeah…Blah Blah Blah I know I know. One should never discuss such deeply personal topics such as religion politics football teams and…FOOD. But you know what? This is my testimony “today” and I’m sticking to it. I am certainly not telling ANYONE what they should or should not do regarding food as I honestly feel there is no perfect way to eat other than always chew your food and breathe…two concepts I could never grasp growing up one of eight kids and when momma sounded the dinner alarm we all ate with the intensity of the Broken Skull Ranch. Besides the loss of 19 unwanted pounds in sixty days, and still eating more than a wild African rhino, I am ecstatic to report I have a ton more energy, I can now sleep without sleep aide pills, I obviously feel more light, I also feel more present and alert and the big one is…I feel a lot happier!! smile emoticon:) So…if you are someone who has been experiencing any of the above mentioned ailments or discomforts I highly HIGHLY recommend you just remove all meat, fish, chicken and dairy from your diet for just 30 days and see how you feel. And…if you need an accountability buddy to help you stay focused give me a shout out. And while you are chewing your veggies remember.. start a simple stretch program.

 

Birthday night out on the town…

May 13 2017 was, by far, the very best Birthday EVER for me because our beautiful Antonio was able to join his mom, sister, and me out for a night out on the town to celebrate my birthday. Saturday was also day thirty-three of our Medical Cannibas experimental journey with our angel Antonio to find a healthier more holistic healing solution to his self-injurious behaviors…and although Antonio may appear “stoned” in this video I will gladly choose this state over leaving our beautiful boy home with a caring respite provider. We all had a sensational night and because it was “my birthday” I had the “right” to choose a plant power only restaurant. There have been so many wonderful lessons I have learned over this recent journey with our beautiful boy and I sincerely don’t know where to begin but below are just a few of the lessons learned…

-We always begin with inclusion
-We can’t have a breakthrough without a breakdown
-With obstacles come opportunities for growth
-The most important actions are never comfortable
-Tomorrow becomes never if we don’t take the first step now
-Pursue what’s in your heart and the universe will conspire to support you
-No man/woman is a failure who has friends
And most important of all…
Don’t quit till the Miracle Happens!

 

We will prevail no matter what the difficulties…

Day 28 of Medical Cannibas experiment under way with our beautiful Antonio and we will find a cure for his innapropriate and self-injurious behaviors. I am reporting that some moments, and days, just seem to be a little better than others. I would love to provide testimony and report that everything is wonderfully “peachy” and that medical cannibas has absolutely cured our beautiful angel of his behavioral challenges…but nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, we are gloriously happy with our boy’s progress to date but also realize that any lasting behavior and life changes require absolute rigor and specific accountability. I myself never trust anyone who spews out that every day is absolutely fabulous and I am guessing you feel the same way. I am beyond blessed and grateful to have chosen this life and promise NEVER to quit till the Miracle Happens! My hope is that you NEVER EVER quit too.
Get some.

More than a morning spoonful of Antonio love…

Day 23 of medical cannibas experiment with Antonio and we continue to see positive results every day.
Now… if I can just get inside my beautiful Antonio’s magnificent brain and figure out how I can help my boy achieve his peak potential…I know he will do so much more. Just a 1% improvement each day would be so huge. How cool will that be…? I bet Antonio is thinking the same thing about his dad…”Now if I could just get inside my dad’s noggin and help him improve by 1% each and every day. How great would that be….?”
Feeling blessed and moving forward. There is no finish line.
“Every day we have the opportunity to create a living masterpiece.”
– Michael Gervais

 

 

Day forty five and loving every bite of it…

Day forty five and LOVING the new me.

I can honestly say that eating a plant-based diet, with absolutely no dairy, is one of the best things I have done for myself in a VERY LONG time. What started out as a thirty day search to discover if removing all meat and dairy products from our beautiful Antonio’s diet could help reduce his seizures and self-injurious behaviors has turned into wonderful self-discovery of my own eating habits. After 45 days I have lost 12 pounds while still eating like a hippopotamus. I am getting much better sleep and no longer take any sleep aides. I definitely have more energy and the swelling in my left knee has significantly gone down. I feel much lighter, and more flexible. I feel happier. I feel less stressed and… I almost look more handsome. If you, or anyone you know, might benefit from what I am experiencing please pass my testimony on. If you are looking for an “accountability buddy” I am here to help. Believe you me…I enjoyed a great medium rare steak, juicy cheeseburgers, and carne asada burritos with the best of them but this plant based diet is really working for me now and sometimes doing what seems like “unrealistic” is easier than doing the “realistic”.
P.S: If you have never tried cactus, you don’t know what your missing. Super Great Power Plant.

Resolve to do something you fear every day…

Resolve to do one thing every day that is a “straight up” challenge, something that you fear. Playing small accomplishes little if anything at all. It was killing me to think what my lack of boldness over the years may have cost my son physically, emotionally, spiritually by postponing more loving action. But i know there’s nothing I can do about the past …I just dropped that story like a hot rock.
“Got” me a Bigger Mission now. I hope you get a Mission too!

 

Plant Power Morning Fun…

Day 40 of 30 day Plant Power No Dairy only diet experiment to see if a Plant Based Diet could make a positive impact on our beautiful Antonio’s physical and behavioral health. I immersed myself in the process before adopting the dietary change for Antonio because Antonio does not speak at this time and I needed to be the “tempeh guinea pig” to experience what Antonio might feel. I originally set a 30 day goal for this experiment but because this new way of eating for me has had such a profoundly positive impact on my own physical and behavioral health I decided to “triple down” and extend my journey for 90 days…a full season. I have come to realize that there may be no single greater thing I can do for my son then to adopt a cleaner healthier diet for him. I sincerely know that a ” Plants Only” diet may not work for everyone but it surely won’t hurt giving our bodies a rest once in a while…

Carpe diem

 

Day 13…

13 days into our medical marijuana experiment hoping to find a more holistic healing solution for our beautiful Antonio’s self injurious and aggressive behaviors and… “so far so good”. No this is not some “glossy BS” post where I am reporting that all innapropriate behaviors have miraculously vanished and that our beautiful Antonio moves through the home in a relaxing tranquil state, no…not yet. But I am delighted to report that our little man appears happier, and his innapropriate outbursts have significantly decreased. Please take what helps from my post and research any and all healing alternatives that might help you or a loved one. Medical cannibas is working for our Angel today.
“Was it not true that the best mathematical minds had proved man could never fly…?”
Don’t quit till the Miracle Happens!

 

Waiting on Antonio…

10:38 PM after a long day at Cristina’s swim meet and its already 30 plus minutos and counting…and our beautiful Antonio is still not ready, and more importantly refuses, to exit the family “swim taxi”. Doesn’t it always seem to be those “tiny little things” in life…? And I’m not talking about this tiny little bug buzzing around my noggin as I sit patiently under the garage door light waiting for my Antonio to surrender and come inside the casa. No I’m talking about those “tiny little things” that repeated over time amount to something positively huge and great if we just don’t quit and embrace the compound effect. So I will just sit and wait my little angel out, under a buzzing family of flying insects, with the firm belief that no matter where we are in life we can always change for the better. 

Don’t quit till the Miracle Happens