Some Thoughts...

I kind of knew starting a special diet during the holidays would prove a bit difficult, but I have proven one thing to myself before today-I have definitely felt better after not consuming as many meat products in the past almost two weeks. Today I ate meat, and surprise surprise, I have not felt very good after having done so. I didn't eat a lot of it, just a normal serving size with breakfast and with dinner. This just validates my decision and I'm pretty excited to really start full time on it. I have noticed another side effect with my recent pattern of eating...thought I really like the taste of meat, I haven't really missed it or craved it.

The Year For Change

This is it. We are coming up on a new year and I have decided to challenge myself to be a vegetarian for one year. My reasons are mainly health related.

I’m pretty disgusted with what I’ve allowed myself to turn into. I am a 28 year old beautiful woman. I am married to a wonderful and supportive man. I have no children yet. I have a great job and good friends. But here’s the kicker…through my own poor choices I have allowed myself to become grossly overweight; a whopping 340 pounds. I never imagined in my entire life that I would be THAT big. I look at myself every single day in the mirror and get disgusted with myself, but yet I continue to do that which is bad for me.

I have tried every diet and pill out there, but I have always found that through diet and exercise I was able to attain a healthy rate of weight loss and keep it off for a time. I can’t really tell you why I ever stopped. I would lose 50…sometimes 60 pounds, but would always quit and I would usually justify it by saying things like, “Oh, I can always make it up later,” only to find that “later” would end up giving me back the weight I’d lost, and THEN some.

Why vegetarian? some may ask…you can eat healthy and still eat meat, some say. You won’t necessarily lose weight by being vegetarian, some have also said. The answer for me was simple. I have become increasingly disappointed and frankly disgusted with the state of the meat industry and have been shocked by studies of diets that consisted of mostly plant based, whole foods. I have also been noticing that I feel absolutely gross after having a meal in which I had meat…my stomach would feel bloated and gurgly, and I shall spare you with the host of other things going on with me.

January 1, 2012 will be my official start date, though I have been attempting a practice run, so to speak, before that date comes (I will be eating a dinner of seafood for Christmas Eve, and some sort of meat at Christmas dinner, but other than those two days, I plan to remain meat free.) So far I have only eaten meat twice in the past week and a half and I must say, I feel great. My skin is starting to look better, and the bags under my eyes have all but disappeared and I don’t look so tired. My body is definitely reacting in a positive way, so I am looking forward to this coming new year and the challenges it will bring.