Back to Veg

If I had a Vision Board, I would put "vegan" right in the middle of it.  It's supposed to work...something about manifestation.  But I can't call myself a vegan because I quit after a month.  Here's why:

Vacation + "That's crazy",  "I could NEVER do that", "It's too bad you can't eat this (non-vegan food) because it is amazing", "You'll shoot your eye out kid!" comments + Non-Committal Habits = MARY THE QUITTER

Committing to anything hasn't always been my strong suit.  Run, run, run.  I would move, find a new job and stop seeing the flavor of the month multiple times in a year until one day I read a quote from a magazine that said, "Make a commitment to life, and it will make one back".  It planted a seed and I knew the only way I could feel better about my chaotic life was to do things differently.  That was when I changed my life, right?  Nope.  I daydreamed about being more stable like those around me...as I moved across the country, changed jobs and switched flavors a few more times.  Until something finally snapped in me and I just stopped.  The thought of that old me freaks me out, makes me think someone is going take away everything I've worked to change and destroy the art of staying put that I've been learning to channel, which has proven to be rewarding.  Now, having something and someone to call my own, to claim a history and deep connection with sounds like the sexiest, most exciting thing on earth.  You can't take adventure out of this girl, but a vacation rather than a complete upheaval of my life does the trick in the more restless times.

So here I am, asking myself, why the hell would I stop doing something (going vegan) that gave me more energy, made me feel happy and sexy, helped me break weight loss plateaus, cleared up my skin and made me feel part of something very significant?  It's likely a combination of the naysayers (meaning most people), commitment issues (lots of temptation out there) and eating out. 

I've decided to tell myself three things:

1) Self, there are naysayers in life no matter what you do so who cares if someone says you're crazy.  You kind of are (in a good way, sweetie) so just love it and move on.  You're an even cooler chick for being compassionate to yourself, to the animals and to the environment...even if it is not popular. 

2) Self, you went years without committing to a human being and now find yourself happily cohabiting with someone whose happiness is important to you everyday.  Would you cheat on him just because there were sexy boys at a party? No.  So who cares if there are sexy meats and cheeses at a party, choose the veggies.  Just like those sexy boys, the sexy meats and cheeses are good for a moment until you feel like crap and remember how perfect your wonderful veggies are for you! You don't feel like you miss out on those other boys, right?  So you'll start feeling that way about meat and dairy! 

3) Self, if you must eat out (which is inevitable in our culture), plan, damn it, plan!  I don't care if you end up at a Brazilian steakhouse.  Eat something deliciously vegan beforehand and get very friendly with that salad bar at the slaughterhouse, I mean the restaurant.  Have a drink if you must, you wino!

So....TOMORROW (Not today silly...that's just crazy talk!) I will go back to my "Crazy Sexy Diet" book by the beloved Kris Carr and start with her "21-Day Adventure Cleanse".  I've already been in the weaning phase for a few weeks where I work in some meals and days of going veg.  On June 21st, if I weigh less, feel happy, energetic and confident then I am going to grow a set of conviction and make the commitment for real this time.
Here I come!

Mooove over scale!

I was challenged with the question of why I am continuing this experiment on a recent Easter trip to the farm.  Eating a vegan diet is challenging.  Eating out becomes tricky and people assume your food tastes like cardboard or that you’re a hippy.  Let me assure you my food is delicious and I am only sort of, kind of a hippy.

Why am I doing this? 

To lose weight?  I am a female over the age of 12 in America so I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly obsessed with my scale.  Meaning...I actually had to ask my boyfriend to hide it for one week.  Yikes!  But losing weight being the sole motivation to exercise or eat rabbit food isn’t enough to lose it and keep it off.  When I really break it down, I want to be what I think is beautiful.  To me, that is healthy, energetic, compassionate and inspired.  Though...I wouldn't hate being a size 4 again.

Is it working? 

• I am starting to make food choices based on how I know I will feel after I stuff my face instead of what I think the scale may say the next morning.  I want to feel good.  I choose carrots and homemade hummus instead of cheese and crackers.  Almond milk or coconut water in my morning smoothie instead of cow's milk. 
• I am waking up before my alarm even goes off and nearly skipping my way to the shower instead of dragging myself out of bed and walking to the bathroom like a zombie. 
• I have energy to meet work deadlines that I struggled with just a month ago which means I go home at 5 pm instead of 8 pm. 
• I am inspired to nurture the hobbies that for years have been begging me to play (like writing a blog!). 

What about compassion?  I was determined to get a cheeseburger on the way out of Wisconsin.  The fantasies were getting pretty steamy as I thought of having my way with that big, juicy meat.  Until I said hello to the cows pictured below (No, the one in the pink is not one of them!).  I think compassion had a play in my choice to have brown rice pasta with extra olive oil in my pesto (Oooh, I am so bad!) and veggies that night.

Mary

The Thing About Fairytales...

Is that no one tells you “happily ever after” involves, ahem…the “princess” eating a bagel, cream cheese and a snickers bar three days into her vegan program and thinks, “I can’t do this.  It’s too hard.  The cows are dumb and smelly.  I should eat them.”  Or that she wonders if her prince notices she doesn’t always follow through with great ideas that could potentially  propel her into a reality so stunning and meaningful it would turn Mad Men's Don Draper into a faithful human being.

My point is, I am not perfect.  Neither are you, so don't judge.  While it's rewarding to do what you said you would do (and told all your friends you would do), deviations from any goal or plan aren't always screw ups or errors.  Sometimes you just have to adjust what you're trying to accomplish and re-evaluate the motivation for your desires.    My bagel, cream cheese and Snickers bar "screw up" only three days in has turned into 14 days with no meat, a tiny amount of dairy (usually eaten by accident - the stuff is in everything!) and a minimal amount of gluten. 

Here are some benefits I've experienced in just two weeks of avoiding animal products, most processed foods, no caffeinated/sugary drinks and moderate exercise a few days a week:

1) Weight loss - 6 lbs baby!

2) Increase in energy and better concentration

3) Improved complexion (I swear!)

4) Spending LESS money on eating out and MORE time in my kitchen making delcious whole foods 

5) Regular poops.  Everybody poops on this diet!

To deal with sweet cravings:

1) Coconut Milk ice cream (Luna and Larry's will light your fire!)
2) Fruit, fruit, fruit...it does a body good.
3) Kind bars (minimally processed and they do the trick)

For the days I dream of getting busy with a carne asada burrito, I visit a delicious vegan restaurant here in Chicago called Native Foods Cafe.  See if you have one nearby at www.nativefoods.com.  I licked my sesame kale bowl with brown rice clean.  I would have smacked my friend's baked sweet potato fries right out of her hand and into my mouth if it wasn't for my newfound compassion for all living beings.  Also, watching documentaries like "Forks Over Knives" for more inspiration on why a plant-based diet rocks really helps.  It's available on Netflix for you streaming junkies.

Stay tuned for more flirty vegan diaries!

Fairytale Veginnings

I have a crush on veggies, whole grains and fruit (wild, right?). But I am currently in a volatile relationship with meat, dairy and gluten. I have crazy highs and nasty lows with the latter threesome. For a while now, the lows outweigh the highs and something’s gotta give!

Enter the cute, sweet boyfriend last year who grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Trips to hang out in the Land of Cheese Curds always ended up with me trying to bond with the cows on his family farm. They were terrified of me at first (the cows, not the family). They even had the gall (or utters) to do the following:

• Stage drawn out stand-offs in which I repeatedly called like a dumb ass, “Let me pet you, cows!”.
• Rally up the cows for very intense staring contests with me (which they always won).
• Poop every time I walked toward them.

I narrowed it down to three possible reasons they did not like me:

• They were racist cows and assumed I was the T-word based on my dazzling Middle Eastern good looks.
• They were PMS’ing big time.
• They hated my Bvlgari perfume.

After careful thought, I started making the connection between those sweet animals and what was on my plate. Maybe they could tell I would eat them medium-rare if given the chance. Maybe I really was a T-word!

Between the great cow standoffs (or bonding experiences) and this amazing website http://www.crazysexylife.com/, I am inspired to dump the meat, dairy and gluten relationship and flirt shamelessly with veggies, whole grains and fruit. Let's see if the flirtation develops into something more than just a crush.

Wish me luck!