Vegan = EPIC WIN (for me.... maybe not you).
Admittedly, the vegan diet is not for everyone. It takes self-directed education. It's got a steep learning curve and difficult adjustment period that is time consuming. The stakes are high.... if you screw up, you might get sick.
However, if you have the will to make the switch, and you are willing to educate yourself, then it is worth it!
I visit VegWeb several times a week. It is the best resource on the web for FREE recipes.
Anything non-vegan can be made vegan. There is a vegan substitute for everything. Vegans are not deprived. We get our protein. There's even fake cheese, and NO.... I do not miss dairy one bit.
I thought I could never go vegan because of my dairy addiction. I practically lived off cheese, cream, milk, and eggs. Then I realized I was fat, fat, fat. I started my "vegetarian diet so I'll eat better" kick when I was 21. By 31, this diet had turned into my nightmare.... my "vegetarian diet that made me a real fat ass".
I grew 40 LBS over weight, from 125 LBS in my early 20's to about 165 LBS by 31. Most people could not detect my growing size because of my style of dress and the way my body evenly distributes fat across all areas, from my face to my fingers.
I grew depressed and hopeless. I felt my self-confidence slip away. I thought my husband could do better than me, and didn't understand how a sausage like me got lucky enough to snag a man so handsome. I had to buy larger and larger sizes in clothing. Constantly adjusting my clothes so they hung in ways that masked the spare tire around my mid-section. I was slugish and didn't want to move. I was jealous of other women who were thin. I would go to the gym and work out for an hour several times a week and see NO RESULTS on the scale. I didn't believe I could lose weight. I tried fad diets, pills, and drinks. I tried starving myself until as late in the day as possible, thinking that was going to do me some favors. I honestly believed that it was impossible for me to lose weight, and was starting to reconcile my identity as a "fat chick".
What the hell was I thinking? I wanted it easy. I wanted a quick fix. I wanted someone to invent a magic bullet, a pill, and solution... find the wonder drug to make me skinny. Typical entitled American ethos.... Wanting instant gratification in exchange for laziness and a refusal to accept hard work.
My iPhone chanced my life.
I got an iPhone and started browsing the free apps. That's where I found LoseIt. LoseIt is a free calorie counting and weight loss app. I downloaded the program and started playing with its features. I set up my "goals" for weight loss and a program/plan to get me there. I entered my starting weight (165) and my desired weight (125), and reviewed the options for how fast I wanted to lose the points. I downloaded this app on Christmas Eve in 2009, and decided that January 1st, I would enact the new program and get serious about changing my situation.
Who really follows through on New Years resolutions, anyway.....?
Me. That's right. I did it. I started using LoseIt in January 1st, 2010 at 165 LBS. It was hard to make the switch, and also hard to admit that I was going to have to change! *shudder*
I had to start COUNTING CALORIES and tracking what I ate every day. If I lied, I was only cheating myself. This is where LoseIt comes in so handy. Every time in the past that I attempted to "count calories", I failed. FAILED. But with LoseIt, I win. WIN! This is because I always have my iPhone with me, and have no excuse to stop tracking. The phone is there, its in my hand.... if I can browse Facebook, check my email, read the New York Times, and text my friends, then there really is NO EXCUSE to neglect counting my calories. So the fact that this app was available for the iPhone meant all the difference in the world.
Also, you really have no idea how many calories you are consuming until you start counting them. Your whole relationship to/with food will change. When I started counting my calories, I was mortified. No wonder I was fat!!!! I had been easily consuming 2500-4000 calories a day on my high fat, high carb, high dairy, "vegetarian" diet that consisted of very little veggies and fruit and lots of cheese, oil, and eating out. Gross.
It was not easy to get adjusted to my new diet. I read labels. I went for low calorie options to substitute my usual products. I was consuming 1200 calories a day from January through March 2010.... and something amazing happened for the first time in years: I was SHRINKING. The pounds were melting off. By March, I had lost close to 20 LBS. The success had me feeling fantastic, like I had a new lease on life.
In March, I also decided to explore the option of a vegan diet. I subscribe to some vegetarian and vegan e-newsletters. Reading the articles, watching online videos and presentations, and generally staying on top of my food-education efforts, I decided to give veganism a serious looksie. Here's some of the sites I frequent:
I also read Skinny Bitch. Other books worth checking out that I've read in the past:
- Food Politics - http://www.foodpolitics.com/
- Safe Food - link to book on Amazon
- Chew on This - book oriented toward kids
I'm not about getting all "preachy" on people about their diet. Going vegan is a personal choice. I also believe that being over weight, being unhealthy, eating the wrong things, and suffering from all the chronic conditions that we see developing (diabetes, obesity, heart disease, high cholesterol, some cancers) are also related to these choices. I believe you CAN reverse many negative health situations by altering your diet. You can and SHOULD go organic because it's better for your health and its also a matter of protecting the environment... its a simple thing to change. Going vegan is more difficult, but not as hard as you might think.
And the weight loss story.... Now I'm down to 125, give or take a 2 pound +/- daily fluctuation.
I'll resume more later, as now I am tired of writing! I will continue to post ideas, recipes, tips and tricks, motivation, and resources.
A final thought.... I decided to name this blog "Fight for Your Life" because it's really REALLY hard to take a stand in relation to your health. There are entire economic sectors banking on your bad choices. Fast food, pharmaceuticals, health care providers, corporate factory farming, and funeral homes. They don't just bank on your bad choices, they profit from them. Our late-capitalist society has entered into a state of advanced environmental degradation and ethical erosion. It's all about greed and profit, with no end in site. Americans tend to vote against their own interests, and even if you don't, the lobbyists will buy off your representatives. Corporations and money run this country. Your health and well being is of no concern. The only one who is able to help you is YOU.
I don't want to go out on a note that's a complete drag.... because there is HOPE. Everything you need to inform yourself is out there, and you can empower yourself to make better choices. Educate yourself about food/toxins/health/economics/environment. Everything is connected. Vote with your dollar. I have been using free resources online for years that have helped me to get to this point. Now I want to give back. I want to promote health.... but also feel it is important to start contributing. I hope to raise consciousness about this dark and broken system that is stealing our health, wellbeing, and happiness. I want to help you break free, if only a tiny little bit. Perhaps not a single person will ever read this blog.... But perhaps one person will, and just maybe they will learn about something they didn't know before that leads them to taking action (no matter how large or small). That's fine with me.
I am fighting for MY life.... every single day.
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