The Secret to Thriving during the Eastern Great Lent.

A couple secrets, actually.

The first is Lebanese and Syrian cooking.

At our new Melkite parish, the Divine Liturgy has been followed by Lenten brunches. Vegan compliant, even.

But it's so good I almost don't believe it. My middle son, who cares little for veganism, gave a big thumb's up. And rightfully so--the creativity forced by the restrictions of Great Lent (no meat, no eggs, no dairy) leads to some great cuisine. 

It would not be true to say that we have followed it strictly--we're still Latins working our way into it. But the Church advises edging your way into fasting, as jumping right into the deep water is a great way to fail. Still, my enthusiastic wife has made both Wednesdays and Fridays meatless, so that's working so far.

The second thing that works, but is not recommended, is being sick for ten weeks, most of it lung-ailment related.

For variety's sake that has been punctuated by another torn cornea, evergreen pollen allergies, and a strained back. The gumminess in my lungs has made me almost entirely eliminate dairy during the same time-frame. Early I had a little lactose free milk in my coffee (now replaced with non-dairy creamer) and I had some of my own famous mashed potatoes on Sunday, which are always leavened with sour cream and milk. But other than that, nope. And my appetite vanished with my sense of smell.

Making a virtue out of necessity, I am now down fifty pounds from my worst weight and had to punch out two holes on my best dress belt, and will have to add another to my jean belt.

I'm still entirely too heavy, but it's nice seeing it go away. And the cardio has been good, even if I think the loss of dairy protein has taken a notch out of my bench press. Still and all, it could be a lot worse.