Down 8 lbs This Month

I’m down 8 lbs so far this month! I started on the 29^th of April, so I guess I have a two day head start on the month. I feel good too; I don’t feel like I’m starving or anything like that. The only thing is that I’m eating mostly stir-fries because I don’t know a lot of vegan dishes. I am going to look up one this week and make it. Last night I cooked a huge stir fry with an entire head of cabbage as a base. I added in raisins, cilantro, pineapple, cashews, green onions, mushrooms and kale. After eating a bowl last night I still have enough for at least 6 meals. It’ll probably last me through this week.

If I keep losing at this rate I might be able to lose 16 lbs this month! My goal was 10, which I’ll easily get to. That’s only 2 more lbs, and I still have two weeks (plus a couple days) before the end of the month. I want to be back to my pre-winter weight by the time I go to Utah. That’s 17.6 lbs. Totally reasonable, considering we don’t leave until the 21^st. I have 5 weeks until then.

Overall, I want to lose 42.6 lbs, but the 17.6 will put me at a good place. 

May Health Goals

Today is the first day of May, so I'm excited that I have a clean start. I actually started my new eating pattern on Monday the 29th. I'm doing gluten-free, corn-free and soy-free veganism. Also nothing processed, no refined sugar, no coffee, no eating out and no desserts. So I'm mainly doing fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts. The one exception that I have is the hummus that's in my fridge since it's plant based and I've already got it.

I'm also adding exercise into the mix as well. Ideally I would work out every day this month, but that's a big commitment! I can try to do it when I get home each day before Robert gets home from work, but that's going to take a lot of effort. I guess it will be worth it though. Last summer, when I was working out with Katy, we did a month of working out every day. We were fiends at it! I wish that we were working out together again. We went to Avas a couple weeks ago and decided to work out together each Monday at 12:45PM but haven't kept up with that. I should text her for next Monday. Robert and I are doing 'Couch to 5k', so we'll be running 3 days a week, and then the other days I can do some cardio after I get home and check the mail & feed the kitties. Then gym, then back home for dinner and cleaning.

My weight has gone up considerably the last few months. 25.6 lbs to be exact! I had worked so hard to get that off and then sorta just got comfortable and started eating junk all the time with Robert. I stopped veganism (that'll be a different post), ate out, ate tons of desserts and didn't watch my portions. Time to stop that! I want to get back to being healthy, working out, and back to the size that I was a couple months ago. Overall, my goal is to lose 50 lbs from where I'm at right now.

For May, my goals are as follows:

- No animal products. It's easy for me to eat healthily while being vegan; I don't have to worry about wanting fatty foods or what the cholesterol/fat content is in things
- No processed foods. That's a pretty good recipe for eating healthily!
- No coffee - I've been getting way too many mochas lately, and they're chocked full of sugar and useless calories.
- No refined sugar - Easy to do since I'm not eating anything processed!
- No gluten/corn/soy - I don't need corn or soy in my diet at all. The gluten is the only stuff I'll miss.
- Watch my portions - Try to eat slowly and take sips of water while I'm eating, plus put less on my plate.
- Do C25K each week - Couch to 5K is a good program and eases you into running a 5k within a good amount of time. Robert and I will be doing the program together, so it'll be more motivating. The app calls for 3 runs per week, which is totally doable.
- Keep a food log - It's really good to see what I'm eating, where my weak spots are and keep sme accountable if I want something that's not-so-good for me.
- No eating after 8PM - That's definitely my weak time and when I want to snack. It was worse when I was living on my own and up all hours of the night, but with someone keeping me accountable it'll be easier. Plus I'm going to bed at 10PM, not 3AM like I used to.

I should be doing all these things anyway, so I should be focusing on the fact that this isn't a punishment or a time of food austerity. The things on the list above (mochas, processed foods, etc) should be an exception, not the norm.

 I can do this! :D

Worst week of dating + Vegan woes

This week has probably been the worst week of dating that I’ve had in quite some time. Perhaps the worst week I’ve ever had dating wise.  The irony in that is that I’ve only actually been on one date and that all of my bad experiences this week have had to do with veganism.

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Guy #1: 

So first of all a guy named Josh writes me on Grindr. He's from the coast and honestly stunning. We talked about movies, books, morals, downtime activities, the beach, you name it. It was totally simpatico. We became Facebook friends so we could see more of each other's photos. As we're texting after becoming friends on there, he asks "So are you like some kind of greenie?" I hadn't ever heard that term before, so I said "What does that mean?" He said "You know, like someone that cares about the environment and recycles and stuff." I said "Well, yeah, I care about the environment and recycle." He was like "Oh." I thought I knew what he was getting at, so I said "Well, I'm not one of those people with dreads who live downtown and don't shave. I don't have gauges or wear burlap. But I am vegan." He didn't respond for quite a while and said "That's just weird." Previously he had told me that he hunted and fished and that was a big part of his life. 

Even though I'm vegan and don't support or condone hunting/fishing, it's not really any worse than buying meat at the store. In fact, it's probably more sustainable and better for the environment. I just could never kill another living being. If other people do that, that's their business. I didn't say anything about what I thought about hunting or fishing to him. I didn't even bring up my thoughts on animal treatment whatsoever.

I texted him back, but he didn't return my texts again. He was all gung-ho about meeting until he found out about my plant-eating ways.

Guy #2:

This guy was the one that I wrote about the other day where he killed his roommate's fish by dumping bleach in their tank. He's probably shoveling transients into a shallow grave as I type this. For a refresher of that date, you can see the post here.

Guy #3:

We met online and talked through the week for an hour or two each night. He seemed like a fun gun, though he definitely had some quirks. I had mentioned that I was vegan at some point or another and he was always like "that's weird." It didn't phase me at all because I honestly don't really care if people think it's weird or not. On the last night of us talking, he asked "So why are you vegan?" I told him that there are three prongs to my reasoning: First, my health. Second, environmental sustainability. Third, compassion for animals. I gave a brief overview of each one and why it meant something to me, and for some reason that sparked him. He got super angry and completely went off, yelling about how I was "wrong", "delusional" and "had no idea what [I was] talking about." I told him that he was the one that had asked me, and the only thing I had done was explain my reasoning and not talk about anyone else's choices. I also said that I didn't need to justify my choices or validate my life through him and I am perfectly fine with my reasoning. He then hung up on me, which is an automatic deal breaker in my book (though him flying off the handle was as well). He did end up texting to apologize a few days later, but I have no interest in someone like that.
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Needless to say, this week was pretty disconcerting dating wise. I called my best friend and chatted with her about it and she helped to ground me. I realized in talking through it that I had not done anything wrong. I do believe in my reasons for staying vegan and I am the least judgmental person when it comes to what other people eat. How can I judge? I ate meat for my entire life up until 1.5 years ago and most people haven't put in the time and effort into researching veganism that I have. I haven't walked in someone else's shoes, so I really can't say if their decision are "right" or "wrong". That's all subjective anyway. What's right to me isn't necessarily right to someone else.

I don't preach, I don't make comments on other people's food, and I don't shove my ideas down other people's throats. I post stuff on facebook, but that's a forum for people to look at things if they're interested in it. If they aren't it's just like anything else on the internet: just don't click on it.

I think it's really unfortunate that people are so closed minded when it comes to me eating differently than them, and I also think it's very ironic. The general assumption is that vegans are super judgmental about everyone else, but the only thing I've found is that other people are judging me. Ironic much. I guess it's good that the judgmental ones are getting weeded out, because what I eat shouldn't really be a deal breaker in my opinion. I wouldn't want to date someone that expected me to conform to their beliefs just because.

I'm reminded of an article from TODAY.COM that found 30% of meat eaters won't date a vegetarian. Yes, I know this comes from an entertainment site and it's not a peer reviewed article. They also only asked people on one dating website, even though their pool of respondents was 4000. So this isn't something set in stone. But that floored me. 30% is really high! And that's just for vegetarians; I'm vegan! Interestingly enough, only 4% of vegetarians said they wouldn't date meat eaters. Anyone see who's really doing the judging here? Ever since I've read this I've been discouraged. Why, might you ask?

At the very best estimate, 10% of the American population identifies as homosexual.
For homosexual males (to which I am attracted), that would mean 5% of the population. That's already a pretty low number of viable candidates
Here's where the math takes on a "guesstimate" format, but here goes:
Of those 5% of gay males, maybe half are dating someone. That's 2.5% who are available. Then only 70% of those people are going to be ok with just vegetarianism? What about veganism?
What about the other caveats of people I could date: Men under 30? With a stable job? With a car? That don't do drugs? That brings the dating pool down to like .00005% of the population. And that's not even talking about whether our personalities mesh or what our interests are. When women say "all the good ones are gay" I find it incredibly naive and somewhat offensive.

Anyway, the moral of the story? I shouldn't have to give up my beliefs to be with someone, and I'm not going to. I am doing what's right for me and eventually I'd like to be with someone that respects that.

Here's hoping I don't end up a crazy cat lady.

To the boy I went on a date with last night...

To the boy I went on a date with last night:

Let me remind you how the scene went. I ordered the vegan boca burger. You asked "Why don't you get a regular burger?" I said "Oh, I just don't animal products." For some reason, that reminded you of a story of your old roommate where you poured a cup of bleach into her fish tank because you were annoyed the water wasn't clear enough. I asked "....Um, 

didn't that kill all the fish?" As you cackled loudly you chortled "Of course!" and then stared at me for awhile because I wasn't joining in the laughter.

Regardless of me eating animal products or not, I would never find this story funny. In fact, I'm worried you are a sociopath and your old roommate is probably in the trunk of your car. Needless to say, that dinner got wrapped up fast.

Freak.

-45

I am officially down 45 lbs! So excited about that since it's a huge difference. I have 10 lbs to go (exactly) until a major weight goal, then it's only 25 more lbs (possibly) until my ultimate weight goal.

Eating right, veganism, being off sleeping meds, exercising a lot and taking multivitamins and supplements has all combined for that -45, plus motivation and diligence. I am no longer eating home-made french fries or chips + salsa because I know those are binge foods for me. I can't have them and just have a little. Since I know my limits, though, I know it's a good thing to stay away from them.

10 lbs! I'm so close! :D

What vegans actually eat

I love this! My good friend posted it on my wall on fb. He's on here as well at Uncle-Jonah.blogspot and an awesome guy. This photo is good, though, since people are usually like "So you eat... lettuce?" Haha.

One month!

In 3 days I'll have made it one month being gluten free and vegan. It really hasn't been that hard, and the last time I weighed (which was at 3 weeks) I had lost 8 lbs this month. That's really exciting! The next couple of days I really need to focus on cardio to make it to my goal of 10 lbs for this month. Totally doable I think! I am also happy that I've made it to my goal of being GF for at least a month. I think I will keep with it for a little while longer, but to be honest it's not something that I am going to stick with. I am going to keep with veganism, but GF is a hassle to do while also doing veganism. Can you imagine ordering in a restaurant? lol.

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living thing, man will not himself find peace. - Albert Schweitzer

Vegan + Gluten Free

Today I went out to eat a with my friend Ryan [@glacial_till on Twitter] at Cafe Yuum and was pleasantly surprised that the sauce that they used in their bowls is both vegan and gluten free. I got my bowl and then realized that I had forgotten to ask for it without cheese, so I picked off the cheese and really enjoyed it. Eating GF and vegan hasn't been hard at all compared to what I thought it was going to be.

I am preparing a meal at home every other day, which is a lot more often than I was before. I havent really spent money food wise other than on groceries (and an occasional lunch out), which is in contrast to before when I was buying my lunch at school each day. It's also opened me up to new foods since I am wanting to vary my diet in what I'm eating at home. I prepared quinoa for the first time the other day and have made it once again since then.

Last night I made (rice) macaroni noodles, then sauteed fresh onions and mushrooms. I mixed that together and then glazed it all with fat free onion dressing. It tasted very fresh, and was HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) free, gluten free and vegan. Can't go wrong with that!

For my snacks I am eating peanuts, fruit strips, pistachios, rice cakes, granola bars, corn chips with salsa and canned fruit. I think that so far it's going really well, though I am only at the beginning of my stint with this. I really would love to stay vegan for quite some time, but I think the GF part of this is only going to be for a limited time. It's not that I am missing gluten at all, but I'm questioning how sustainable it will be in the long term. Especially with eating at friends houses, etc.

I'm almost at the two week mark, which I am excited for. My goal was one month for being GF and I know I will definitely get there!

Ever since my birthday I've been vegan and gluten free. My goal is to make it at least one month doing both. It will be a week of my food change on Thursday. I am really enjoying it so far, and I am not eating anything that's bad for me. It's really helped me to take a look at what I am putting in my body!

For health's sake, I take a handful of vitamins/supplements each morning:

- Calcium

- One-A-Day vitamin

- Omega 3

- Vitamin B12

- Acai Berry

I'm excited for this change.

Plateau

So I've been doing the vegan thing for a little over a week now. You never realize how many foods you eat have animal products in them until you cut that out! It's good that I am taking a more concentrated look at what I'm putting into my body. I have been on a plateau weight-wise though for the past three weeks. I thought that going vegan would kick me out of that, but that hasn't happened. I think some of why that's happening is because my workouts have definitely gone downhill. Not the quality of them per se, but the frequency. With midterms being this week and last week working out has taken the back burner. I have my last midterm in about 45 minutes, then a coffee date with a friend, then its GYM TIME! I am going to bust out a long cardio routine and then go again tomorrow morning as well. I need to get back into my 7 day a week routine. I am going to get out of this plateau! Luckily I haven't gained any weight at all. It's all within a pound that I'm hovering, so that's not a big deal. By November 14th I want to be 5 lbs more down.

Wish me luck!

Weight + Veganism

I'm down 25.6 lbs so far! I'm way excited about that. My goal is to be down 30 by Halloween, which is completely doable.

I am trying a month of veganism, starting on the 17th. The 13th is actually going to be 4 months of being vegetarian so I would have started it then, but I am going camping with friends that weekend. And I don't want to inconvenience anyone since I think we will be doing some communal food stuffs. I'm interested in trying veganism because I think it's an interesting concept. I don't think that it's necessarily sustainable long term, but I want to try it so that I know that I am talking about in conversation when it comes up. I like being educated on an experience when I am talking about it. Plus I think that it will be good for my body to get a break from animal products for a little while. It will be like a cleanse. Also, it will help me to prepare more food at home and not eat out as much. I am not really doing that anyway, but it will really have me take a look at what I am eating and why I am putting it into my body. I think it will be fun to cook more and try to be creative with food. Plus I know that I am being good to my body, good to the environment and good to animals. This is just a short term experiment but I admire vegans for their belief system and think this will be an interesting experience.

Wish me luck! Oct. 17th --> Nov 18th = vegan.