Making the Vegan Transition!

Yesterday I wrote about my very painful experience with gallstones. Well, I have a bit of good news! After doing another ultrasound this morning it has been determined that surgery is not needed. The doctor suggested I make simple changes to my diet to reduce the chance of having to deal with gallstone pain again.

And so for the zillionth time in my life, it was suggested that I pretty much adapt a vegan diet.

Well, in my doctor’s words, “Cut back on high fat foods like cream, cheese, fatty meats, take-out and processed foods.”

Sounds like a plant-based diet to me. 

I know I could simply cut back on these foods, but why not eliminate them altogether?

My boyfriend has been a strict vegetarian (no meat, eggs or dairy) for 5 years now. And while I like many, many vegan foods I have always had a difficult time sticking to just vegan foods.

3 Reasons Why:

For one, I can’t stand beans. The taste, the texture, the smell. While I have forced myself to eat them many times because I understand that they are actually super healthy, I have always had to disguise them as well as I can. But sometimes even knowing they are there turns me off.

Another thing, one I hate to talk about, is my poor relationship with food in general. I am a food addict. Not going to lie, I love food. I love ice cream, and steak and cheese! There are indeed always great alternatives, but they aren’t quite the same as the real thing.

And lastly, the alternatives are a little bit pricier! I mean, tubs of ice cream go on sale for $2.99 all of the time! But a super tiny tub of vegan ice cream rarely dips below the $3.99 mark. Most vegan foods just don’t go on sale, ever! And while I know buying unprocessed, fresh foods, and ingredients, is truly much cheaper than buying anything processed, sometimes I just really want an Oreo (which is vegan! And does go on sale) or a veggie burger!

 

I might as well try it again, though:

 

What it comes down to is the fact that clearly my current diet is not working out for me. I’m overweight, I’m exhausted, I have gallstones and I’m just plain tired of living like this.

Because my boyfriend is vegetarian, because I have been vegan on and off, and because I have done a lot of research, own a lot of books and watched many documentaries, I know in the end that a vegan diet can do wonders for your health. So for the next little while I’m going to start the switch.

I can’t promise anyone, not even myself, that this time it will work out. I can’t guarantee I will stick to this diet for the rest of my life. But I know that for now I can start making the transition to a healthier diet.

I might even keep you guys updated on my progress ;)

How about you? Are you a vegan or vegetarian? How did you make the transition?

Thanks,
Cole

 

PS - At least most beer is vegan! And one reason Nick refuses a vegan title - He loves Guinness!

Fitness Fridays

As a mother, or a parent really, I think that my health is extremely important for several reasons. 

• I want to set a good example.
• I want to be able to keep up with Sid.
• I want to be alive and well for a long time to be with Sid.
• I want to have enough energy to get everything done.
• I want to feel good about myself.

 

My Weight Struggles

Well, here is the problem; I have allowed myself to gain weight and get out of shape (again). Like a lot of people I struggle with my weight. Well, the weight really is not an issue for me, it’s the way I feel and lately I feel like CRAP! 

I’ve been eating junk, I haven’t been exercising and I’ve even been slacking on personal hygiene. I’m not sure why, or how this happened all I know is that I need to switch things around and get back to where I was over a year ago. 

I used to workout multiple times a week; jogging, yoga, aerobics DVDs, lifting weights and a lot of walking, walking every where! 

I ate healthy; on schedule, tons of fruits and vegetables, mostly vegan foods, whole wheat everything and barely ever ate out. 

After I had Sidney I went all out and completely changed my lifestyle. It was hard work, I had never lost weight in a healthy way before. I had to learn everything, because I didn’t know anything about being healthy! It was a great experience and I loved how I felt. Now it’s time to get that  back.

The Obstacles

Clearly things need to change in my life if I want to be healthy, energetic and a good example for Sidney. My problem is I often get overwhelmed when I try to change things too quickly. I get so worked up and thinking, “Why bother, I know I’m just going to fail again?” that lately I don’t even want to try! 

I’m also kind of scared that I am so out of shape that if I start working out I’ll hurt myself. Which is possible. I hurt something in my side when I leaned over to talk to Sidney last week… 

Well, if you read my Monday post, you’d know I’m following The Magic which is all about gratitude and positive thinking. I feel that with The Magic, I can conquer these feelings of failure and work towards a healthy lifestyle again. It will be hard, I have a lot of bad habits I need to switch around, but I know I can do it. I did it before, I can do it again. 

My one and only obstacle is my mindset. Once I overcome that I can do anything.

The Changes

I’m going to have to take baby steps if I want this to work. My eating habits have gotten so out of control I don’t really know where to start first. My exercise routine (or extreme lack of) will need work, too. 

So, I’ve decided that each week I will work on one goal, one switcheroo for both eating habits, and exercise habits. And hopefully by next Friday that will be better and I can move onto another one, but if not there’s no shame in continuing to work on it for another week (or two?).

This week I want to eat healthier breakfasts. My usual breakfasts lately consist of coffee… and sometimes pop tarts, but usually I don’t remember to eat until noon.

Healthy breakfast options:

• Oatmeal with fruit and almonds
• Smoothies
• Yogurt with granola and berries
• One egg omelette with veggies OR
• Scrambled tofu (if I can get Nick to make it for me)
• Whole wheat toast with peanut butter and grapefruit
• Cottage cheese with fruit
• Home-made whole wheat muffins

Now, as I said above, I’m terrified of hurting myself due to being extremely out of shape and not exercising for months. I want to start going for walks at least three times a week, and do some simple stretching in the mornings. 

Well, I guess that's it for now. I'll update on my progress next Friday. 

What are some of your healthy tips? Favourite health/fitness blog?

Thanks,