Well, it looks like it’s been several weeks since I’ve been here. In that time we’ve gone through Christmas and New Year’s, and then a nice three day vacation to the coast. Now it’s back to work (which is not as frantic and busy as it was just before the Winter Break), and last night, Alabama won the National Championship! So it’s all good.
I gained back about seven pounds over the holidays, but now it’s time to get back on track, and two pounds have come off already. But I hate this yo-yo-ing. It’s such a pain to have to re-lose the weight you’ve already lost once. But what’s done is done and the only thing I can do is to start from where I am right now.
That means I’m back to “No Flour, No Sugar,” which has worked so well for me before. In addition, I think I want to cut back on animal products as well. Maybe not “cut out” completely, but at least cut back. We got to see Mary and Ken over the break, and Mary’s looking really good, and I’m sure a lot of it has to do with her healthy eating habits. She’s eating vegan, and I do believe it’s really healthy, and someday I might get there, but for right now I just need to make baby steps in that direction.
There are levels of vegetarianism, and there are various reasons why people become vegetarians, some for health, others to be kind to animals. I agree with the “Be kind to animals” philosophy, but honestly, if I cut back on meat, that won’t be why I do it. For me, it’s more about my personal health. Basically, I’m more concerned about myself than I am about animals in general. Maybe that sounds a little self-centered and selfish, but it’s true.
So anyway, here’s what I came up with: on certain days, I may decide that “If an animal had to die to give me this food, then I won’t eat it.” I want to cut back on eating dead stuff. Now, if we’re talking cheese and yogurt and eggs, I’m okay with that. Animals don’t have to die to give us these products. I don’t think they are the healthiest things we can eat, but in comparison to a lot of the other garbage we actually eat, not really so bad. I’d rather eat eggs and cheese than Snickers bars and Krispy Kreme donuts.
So I’m putting this idea out into the world right now, to make it real for myself, and to help encourage me to eat better. No flour. No sugar. And on occassion, no DEAD animal products. I think I’d like to try that for a while. It’s too much of a drastic change to suddenly NEVER eat animals again—especially when I’m giving up flour and sugar at the same time—and I don’t want to try to do too much as once, which makes it more likely I’ll fail. So for the time being, I’ll just ease into this new way of eating.
I know from personal past experience that I FEEL better when I’m eating healthier, and I’m hoping that as I begin to feel better, I’ll be encouraged to make bigger changes. But you’ve got to start somewhere, so this is where I’m starting.
One thing to keep in mind is that this type of eating is NOT a diet. It is a lifestyle change. You wont be perfect in eating this way so just accept you will make slip ups at times. The good thing is the less of the “junk” you eat the more baby steps you have taken forwards. I also agree with not eating my animals. I have been off beef and pork for over a month now. I either think of it as a horror show with the blood or I relate it to the cholesterol running rampant in my veins. I still eat chicken and fish on occasion though. Baby steps. One thing I swear by is my juicing for breakfast every morning. Its good when you can see the benefits of what you are doing. My personal triumph is that I have not gotten sick since last September. Loosing 15 lbs is just an added bonus. I have reached a plateau. I REALLY want to find some more energy for myself. I am ready to take the next baby step. I just have to figure out what it will be. Good luck with your baby steps and if you want to text me your progress sometimes it helps to have someone share your joy and keep you on track.
Thanks! I will probably take you up on the texting, as I agree it helps to have someone to share with. Mary is great for that. Almost every night she sends me photos of the vegan meals she prepares for herself, lol! It’s an inspiration.
I keep thinking about a juicer, but it’s so expensive. But I keep hearing so many good things about juicing, one day I’ll just have to break down and do it.
How did you make it through the holidays without getting sick? That alone is quite an achievement. I had a little “cold” kind of sickness a couple of weeks ago, but moreso, with all the holiday eating, I’ve had to break out the pepto bismol a few times. Getting back on track now, and it feels so much better!