I thought I established a Google+ group for the Plant-Based Diet group that meets monthly at Santa Rosa Kaiser, but I don't see what I thought I posted. Anywhere. Facebook wins this contest! But I'm not a fan of FBook, so here's this blog. In November of 1999 I weighed 230 pounds, had high blood pressure for which I was taking medication and had recently been informed that my fasting blood sugar of 140 was in the diabetic range. I'd had to take a month off from work because of pain in my knees. I joined a 12 step program for food and five months later I weighed 160 pounds, no longer had high blood pressure - with no meds, no sign of diabetes, and no pain in my joints. I'm very grateful for that program and am still quite active in it. But a year or so ago (August 2012) I began noticing pressure sensations in my chest on moderate exertion (mowing the lawn). I mentioned that at a physical and wound up diagnosed with coronary artery disease. I followed Dr. Sanford Warren's advice and changed to a plant-based diet after meeting him in March, 2013. In less than a month the chest sensations went away. My wife and I love to work out at the gym and I can do 20 minutes on the stairmaster without chest pain. That's about my fitness limit, so I'm pretty pleased. Not bad for a 71 year old guy, imo. Switching to plant-based was a piece of cake (ha ha) as I was used to weighing and measuring my food anyway - to the nearest eighth of an ounce. Here's a typical days food plan: Breakfast: 3 oz. dry oatmeal cooked in water and eaten plain 2 oz. nuts 6 oz. fruit or a medium sized piece of fruit such as an apple, orange or banana Lunch: 8 oz. cooked beans (I soak them over night and cook in a rice cooker - just beans and water) 6 oz. cooked veggies such as carrots, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, string beans, etc. 8 oz. salad consisting of roughly 4 oz. tomatoes, 2 oz. kale and 2 oz. diced cucumber. No dressing except rice vinegar. 6 oz. fruit or a medium fruit. Dinner: Same as lunch except I have steamed quinoa instead of beans. I'm certainly NOT recommending this food plan to anyone, just listing it as an example in the hope that it might be useful for someone as a starting point. Please consult your own doctor or nutritionist. I'm trying to drop five pounds so this is a little less than I normally eat. The program I'm in recommends neutrality around food, so I purposely keep the food very plain and simple. Does this seem spartan? I've been eating this way for so long I have no idea any more. Food is just fuel to me, I get my entertainment elsewhere. I sometimes experience slight hunger, but nothing I can't handle. When I experience hunger I just think of something else to do instead of eating. The hunger goes away and soon it's time for another meal. A bottle of water helps too. I look forward to reading about your experiences and welcome comments and criticism about the blog. Hopefully the comments will be constructive, but I have a fairly thick skin. Art