Strategies for Staying Fit at Work

Guest Post By Cat Smiley 

Sometimes, even crack-of-dawn boot camp sessions don’t balance out an entire day of sitting in the office working nine-to-fives. Even with walking the stairs, ignoring the staff room cupcakes and trying to finish on time so that you can take your dog for a walk, the dilemma stands.

Conquering Veganism One Weak Moment At a Time

While we were walking through the grocery store one evening, my eyes began to wander down aisles that we hardly visit anymore. There was a whole section of frozen pizzas, pizza bites, and every other frozen food that I used to eat before switching to my plant-based diet. I used to eat all of that without even really thinking about how bad it was for my health, or how much weight I would gain by eating all it (30+ lbs., which I've completely lost in 6 months). 

The funny thing is, I had just bragged to my husband that I had "conquered" veganism. And by conquered, I meant that it was "so easy" for me to eat plant-based. I'll tell you that it is easy to eat this way physically and financially. Conquering your eating habits mentally is another thing altogether. As we walked through the store, he saw me gaze at the forbidden foods, and I said, "Oh man, this is hard to walk by all of this food..." He jokingly said, "I thought you had conquered that whole veganism thing."

The truth is, I haven't. I'm not about to tell you that I'm not longer vegan—I totally am. What I mean to say: It is tough to walk by all of the things I used to eat. I don't really have the urge to tear open the packaging and eat it, I just have some serious memories of eating as an omnivore. And I should, as I lived as an omnivore for 24 years of my life. However, I will tell you that I have never been more happier, healthier, and more content with my life as I am right now. I feel so lucky to have regained my health at my age. Even at 23, I was battling high cholesterol, and that's downright terrifying. 

I'm here to tell you that it's totally normal and fine to have that weak moment where you look at that item of food and think about when you used to eat it. I don't intend to ever eat that way again and plan to be a vegan  until the day I die. And it's fine if you mess up! Get right back on track the next meal, not the next week or month. Don't ever let anyone else make you feel bad about what you are doing or why you are doing it. If you're eating healthier and are working towards a plant-based lifestyle, congrats! I'm here for you if you ever need any guidance or just need a friend to support you in this. 

We're creatures of habit, and while it can be tough to look at that [insert name of omnivorous food item here], don't forget why you're doing this, and what the end goal is (better health)! Keep in mind that this will probably be a lifelong battle, and figure out what is more important to you: your health or your cravings. We're not perfect. Heck, we had a Tofurkey pizza the other night. (Don't judge me!) We're eating healthy, plant-based foods 90% of the time and more importantly, we're doing what we feel is right for our bodies, the environment, and all of the animals we share this earth with. You'll conquer your veganism too, one weak moment at a time! Hang in there and stay strong.

Vegan Diet 101: Naysayers Gonna Naysay

When you're in the midst of making a huge lifestyle change, the last thing you need are friends and family making you feel uncomfortable about your choice. When I decided to begin my journey, there were naysayers from the beginning. This is why I tried to conceal my plant-based diet for as long as I could. But why?! Well, for starters, I didn't want to deal with the barrage of questions that I faced on a daily basis or the lack of support from some of the closest people I had in my life.

In my experience, almost every question or discussion I had with a naysayer stemmed from what appeared to be them trying to disprove my lifestyle. Why? My diet was not in line with theirs, and in turn, their diet must be "wrong" or "flawed". I felt that the probes into my diet were nothing more than questions that were meant to make me feel like throwing my hands into the air and saying, "I QUIT!"

I'll let you in on a little secret: in the beginning, there were many times when faced with naysayers that I really did just want to quit. When people began to make comments about my lack of animal protein, the risk of malnutrition and asking me hypothetical questions ("Okay, but what if you hit a deer with a car... Would you eat it?!"), I seriously considered just tossing in the towel. This is why I started documenting the plant-based lifestyle on The Little Red Journal.

I'm here to tell you that you don't have to listen to them. Well, maybe physically, but don't ever let that get stuck in your head, affect your progress, or cause you to go omnivore again. The results that you will see in time will be more than enough to put their concerns or bashing to rest. Knowing that I am awful at making life-changing decisions, I purposefully did not visit my hometown for four months after announcing my change (and I certainly didn't blog about it much). The amount of criticism I received early on discouraged me from visiting.

I wanted to recreate LRJ to be a place where anyone interested in learning more about a plant-based lifestyle or vegans alike could find resources, hope, and encouragement that I didn't fully receive. Sometimes it comes from strangers we've never met in real life (Shout out to Happy Herbivore, Engine 2 Diet, Dr. Colin T. Campbell, Chef AJ and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn). We all need support and even if it doesn't come from your immediate surroundings, know that they are many people out there going through the same thing and plenty of people looking to help you transition or continue improving your health.

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!

Where to Begin

Kitchen Overhaul

5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

Pinterest Plant-Strong Board

Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"

Protein in a Vegan Diet

5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)

Veganism in a Nutshell (video)

5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism

Foods That Kill

Make Health Your Priority for 2013

I always avoided New Year's Resolutions. My follow through with lifestyle changes has always been terrible in the past. After watching "Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead", I ran to the store and bought a juicer. That went well for a couple of weeks until I forgot that peaches had a pit. I tossed the whole fruit in there and nearly had a panic attack when the seed started bouncing around with the blade. I also stopped because after bringing juices to work each day, my boss was making fun of me endlessly and singing some "Juicy Juicy" song after each sip.

Then there was the time I wanted to buy a stationary bike. I hadn't been to the gym in months and this was when I started to gain some weight. I was convinced that I could place it smack dab in the middle of our living room while I played some video games or watched a movie. We really didn't have any room to actually put a stationary bike in our tiny apartment and we had a small gym at our apartment complex that I never visited. Not even once. The idea died out after looking up the prices and I steadily gained more weight.

When I decided to make my lifestyle change nearly a year ago, I didn't begin on January 1, 2012. I had laughed the idea off a month or so earlier when I watched Forks Over Knives and thought, "Wow, I get the idea, but that looks really hard." In January, a month after her diagnosis, my mom finally told me that she had Type 2 diabetes. My first thought: "Well, I must be next." Looking back, that is seriously some narrow-minded thinking and a defeatist attitude.

Resolutions are tricky. You have to want to change. There's no easy way around it and you'll need to be dedicated. Over the last year, I went vegan and almost immediately tried to convert everyone that I knew. Why did I do that?! I truly believed in the science and that it could help me restore my health (and it certainly did). Most people didn't like the fact I was trying to change them and I learned one thing: only YOU can make the changes you want to make. No one can do it for you, but you don't have to do it alone.

If you've been telling yourself you need to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, reverse your heart disease or diabetes, then it's time to take a good look at your eating habits and assess what's really going on. I know it's not easy. I wish I could stand by you, help you go to the grocery store, cook some plant-based recipes and cheer you on at the end of each day when you've resisted all the animal products you've encountered. Most people won't get it, but you're making a change for you and your health. I'm here to help, listen and guide you into plant-based success. Seriously, contact me if you need anything, and make 2013 the healthiest year you've ever had!

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!
Where to Begin
Kitchen Overhaul
5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet
Pinterest Plant-Strong Board
Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"
Protein in a Vegan Diet
5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)
Veganism in a Nutshell (video)
5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism
Foods That Kill

Transitioning to Veganism: Kitchen Overhaul

Once we decided to go plant-based, I knew there was no way that I could handle having any tempting foods in the house. I had just weighed in at my doctor's office at 30 lbs. more than the day I graduated high school. Things had to change and I wanted to succeed in my journey. I watched Forks Over Knives and immediately after, I walked straight into my kitchen and declared to my husband that I was going vegan.

My pantry and refrigerator was pretty much packed with non-vegan items. I had cans of beans with pork fat, junk foods out the wazoo, frozen foods and canned meals like you wouldn't believe. Luckily, our friend moved to Austin recently and didn't mind me handing over any items that I could no longer consume under a plant-based diet. Here are my tips for starting with a clean slate and make your pantry and kitchen plant-based friendly!

Clear a counter and pull out all non-vegan items. I know this sounds daunting, but you have to get into every nook and cranny. If you allow yourself a few of your favorite non-vegan items, you'll be setting yourself up for a relapse. It's best to pull out everything so you can really see what you've been consuming and how you can clear out some space for more whole grains, beans, veggies and fruits!

Junk foods are enemy numero uno. We had all kinds of little snack items that were completely processed and nowhere near healthy for us. I'm talking buttered popcorn, salmon dip, frozen pizzas and frozen dinners that I took to work. No more of that! Clear out anything with ingredients that you can't even pronounce. That's usually a good sign that it's not plant-based! Instead, you'll be eating healthier snacks, like homemade guacamole, spring rolls and spinach artichoke dip.

Donate all non-perishable items you can no longer consume. I wouldn't tell you to toss everything into the trash since that is wasteful, however there were some items that I realized I should never have been consuming, much less anyone else! I bagged up most of what we couldn't eat anymore and passed it along to a friend. You could also donate the items to a church or local food bank.

Rethink your freezer space. I always crammed meat in the freezer but despised cooking it. I guess I always had a vegan heart, but just didn't know it yet. Regardless, you need to clear out all the non-vegan items and make room for your next trip to the grocery store. Toss or give away foods such as meats, frozen dinners, pizzas, corn dogs, waffles, ice creams, etc. You'll be filling your freezer up with frozen fruits and vegetables that can come in handy for last-minute meals, smoothies and homemade vegan fruit ice cream.

Evaluate what's left. Don't worry, you've just made one of the biggest steps in your journey, which is purging the old foods from your life and discovering all of the new ones that will replace them. I know it's tough (I've been there), but now you have the opportunity to fill your kitchen with all of the grains, beans, veggies and fruits your little heart desires! Head on over to my post Vegan Diet 101: Where to Begin for a starter grocery list for some ideas on what to buy for a plant-based diet.

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!

Where to Begin

5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

Pinterest Plant-Strong Board

Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"

Protein in a Vegan Diet

5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)

Veganism in a Nutshell (video)

5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism

Foods That Kill

Embracing a Minimalist Lifestyle

I will attempt to go as minimalist as possible by start of the new year. Since that's only less than two months away, I will need to be swift in my actions. I have already embraced a much simpler lifestyle since my huge health shift in February 2012. Now, nearly nine months later, I feel there are others areas in my life worth improving.

We've probably moved a total of six times in the last seven years. When Kendan and I moved in together, we had hardly anything. A couch, bookshelf, dining table and basic kitchenware and bedding were all that we had. After two years in our first apartment, I still remember me bursting into tears the night we moved when we had so much left to cram into two tiny trailers (that were already pretty full).

I know how this happened. I was GREAT at organizing. When you organize all of your things in your life and home, more can fit. And that was precisely the problem! After our most recent move, we went from a two bedroom apartment down to a modest one bedroom. I still had lots of things, and knew that something had to give. We could only cram so much. During our move, I was able to get rid of a few larger items and even in our new apartment, it took a full day and several people to move all of the boxes.

I blame my shopping problem that I feel I inherited during childhood. I remember going to the mall with my mom and her looking at me and saying, "We only have one check left in the checkbook..." That to me meant: "Let's pick a good store to spend the last one!" And did we ever. I liked to think that I was a smart shopper who would only buy things on sale and mostly necessary items only.

Especially with my ~30 lb. weight loss over the last nine months, I was shopping at thrift stores more often. I was only buying a few clothes so that I could look fairly normal as my body began to change. Nothing crazy; just a few jeans here and there until I needed to buy yet another smaller size. Once I hit my six month mark, I wanted to make even more changes to my life, including the things that are in it.

Join me, either as a bystander, or someone who is also interested in making some minimalistic changes to their lifestyle, as I purge the rest of the unnecessary objects out of my life!

Looking to embrace a minimalist lifestyle? Check out my posts below!

Cutting the Clutter: The 5 C's to More Happiness
5 Lessons I've Learned by Decluttering
Top 5 Reasons for Cutting the Clutter
Cutting the Clutter: Kitchen Revamp
Sell your crap. Pay off your debt. Do what you love.

Results of Adopting a Vegan Diet: 6 Months Later!

Today is officially my six month mark of when I changed my lifestyle. On February 13th, I stepped on the scale at my doctor's office and decided that was not a number I was happy about. More importantly, I knew my past bloodwork didn't really give me much to brag about, either. I had already seen Forks Over Knives, my mom had recently been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (and so had her mother within the last decade) and I was ready to make a change. I picked up the Engine 2 Diet book and ran with it.

The last six months have been challenging. I tried new exercise routines, learned how to cook in bulk and even found a way to satisfy my cheese cravings after falling off the wagon and experiencing a two month relapse with the dairy product. After seeing my doctor in June and receiving some good news, I decided to forgo the cheese and haven't had any since.

Is it hard? Well, sometimes it can be challenging, especially when many people around me don't eat like I do. I slightly miss some products, but now that I've embraced all of the research and information that I've accumulated over the last six months, I now know why I don't want to eat them anymore!

I'm proud of the fact that I've encouraged and influenced some fellow coworkers, friends and family members to think twice about nutrition and have strived to spread the knowledge that I've obtained. I've smiled when people are concerned about my protein and ask me hypotheticals to see if I would fall back into my old eating habits. I've learned so much and messed up a few times, but I got back on track quickly and redeemed myself.

My husband, friends, coworkers and family have all supported me and have kept me going strong even when I feel defeated. So the results are in: I've lost 25 lbs. to date, my total cholesterol has dropped by 80 points, my bad cholesterol dropped by 60 points and my resting heart rate and blood pressure have both improved. I know my heart isn't working as hard as it had to before, my eating habits have improved and I now crave fruit and vegetables instead of greasy burgers with a side of fries.

I'm here to help if anyone has any questions about veganism and I want you to know that you can have success with it, too! Whether you're looking to lose some weight, lower your cholesterol, reverse your diabetes or any other problems that can be solved with this amazing lifestyle, just let me know! It's really worth it when you feel better, look better and are the healthiest you've ever been in your life.

August 13, 2012

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!

Where to Begin
Kitchen Overhaul

5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

Pinterest Plant-Strong Board
Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"
Protein in a Vegan Diet
5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)
Veganism in a Nutshell (video)
5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism
Foods That Kill

5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

I recently read an article with a headline that screamed, "The scary truth about vegan diets". Are you scared yet? You shouldn't be! The article discussed some people who had actually seen some declines in their health including an unusually high number number of cavities (caused by overconsumption of carbs), weight gain and even a high cholesterol. 

The article clearly stated that a balanced, well-planned vegan diet can be healthy. I'm not sure what the people they interviewed we're eating exactly, but there is definitely a way for even vegans to be severely unhealthy. I like to refer to my own diet as a whole foods, plant-based diet.

You can sit on the couch, eat a bag of chips and call yourself a vegan. There's tons of vegan "junk food" that I have seen since making my switch. These junk foods are usually processed and overindulging on them can definitely have a negative effect on your health.

Here's some ways to ensure good health!

1. Find a great vegan doctor. I felt confident in my diet until everyone thought it was "too dangerous" or bad for my health. That's when I turned to Dr. Linda Carney to monitor my health and progress while I made my switch. She is monitoring all of my bloodwork numbers, answers all of my questions and addresses any concerns I may have.

2. Take a multi-vitamin and a B12 supplement. I won't go into details (because that's another post!), but it's important to ensure you are meeting your daily nutrients. LIVESTRONG.com has some great information on multi-vitamins for vegans. Also, Vegetarian Times has an article about choosing the right multi-vitamin. *For this topic, please be sure to discuss this with your doctor to see what they recommend!

3. Study up. It's not a requirement that you need to read every single book out there on veganism, but find a few that speak to you and learn all that you can. You'll find it easier to understand all of the benefits and the best way to plan balanced meals. Check out my Pinterest boards for vegan documentaries and books.

4. Focus on plant-based meals and not on junk food. If you find yourself reaching for a quick fix for dinner (aka vegan burger patties every night), try out cooking a casserole-style dish on Sunday afternoon that you can eat over a few days. If you get bored easily, plan smaller, quick sides that will pair well with the entree. Looking for ideas? My Plant-Strong Pinterest board has 340+ ideas! 

5. Keep fresh fruits and vegetables on hand at all times. Craving ice cream? Pass on the vegan versions you can find in stores and opt for homemade ice creams made with fruit! We generally have fresh fruit that we've cut so it's a quick snack instead of reaching for a bag of vegan chips or other junk foods.

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!

Where to Begin
Kitchen Overhaul

Pinterest Plant-Strong Board
Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"
Protein in a Vegan Diet
5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)
Veganism in a Nutshell (video)
5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism
Foods That Kill

Vegan Starter Kit

Throughout the last six months, I've been steadily gaining more information about veganism. My journey started with health concerns and has slowly evolved into something much more. When people hear I'm vegan, among other questions that they ask, I'm often asked, "Why?!" The answer, at first, was clear cut: "For health reasons!" Now, six months later, I'm finding it harder to answer. It's not just moral or health concerns. It's not a mixture of all sorts of things wrapped up into one big concern.

I found the Vegan Starter Kit site one night and was overwhelmed with info (in a good way).  I'd recommend this site to anyone who is even remotely curious about going plant-based. I even thought that "vegan" had some sort of weird connotation to it and that automatically meant you would need to move out to a communal and make your own laundry detergent (haha). The more you delve into WHY people are actually vegan (and the reasons are countless), it opens up your mind to the benefits in health, the environment, spiritually and ethically.

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!

Where to Begin
Kitchen Overhaul

5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

Pinterest Plant-Strong Board
Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"
Protein in a Vegan Diet
5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)
Veganism in a Nutshell (video)
5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism
Foods That Kill

5 Things I've learned Through Veganism

I recently read a blog post by Lindsay Nixon of Happy Herbivore. (On a side note, if you're interested in veganism and enjoy a great blog, be sure to sign up for her newsletters!) Reading this post reminded me of myself during my first couple of months as a vegan. I was slightly pushy. Okay, I was more than slightly pushy -- maybe even annoyingly pushy. I do apologize to anyone and everyone for this. I wasn't disapproving of everyone's else meal choices as much as I was frustrated and saddened with the overall food situation of America.

Again, I'm already sounding preachy. I feel like I was in on this little secret of how terrible the food really was for our bodies and upset that others didn't quite see it yet or even want to believe it. I felt like the crazy person in the room that was trying to convince others of the information that I'd read or watched. I had hoped that I wasn't coming off this way, but I do know that I was now. Since the two-month mark, I feel I've greatly improved in this arena.

Here's a few things I have learned:

1. Change can't be forced. My attitude towards food in the first couple of months was pretty harsh. I kept thinking, "Why would anyone want to slowly kill themselves with food?!" I've since learned that I can only take control of my own health and be a silent motivator. People are put off by overbearing vegans who are snappy. I now strive to be open and informative when asked. I don't try to give unwanted information since this method does not work.

2. Not everyone wants to think about where their bacon came from. Most people (even me over six months ago!) will happily eat their crispy strips of bacon, sunny-side up eggs and a tall glass of cow's milk before thinking twice about it. Even I was blocking out animal rights when I first decided to become a vegan. When you Google "vegan", undoubtedly you will find some things that are uneasy to watch or hard to read about animals being "processed" for us to consume. It's not easy, but definitely beneficial to know where your food really comes from, good or bad.

3. I am not a doctor. However, I do have a vegan doctor who is monitoring my health very closely. I've read several books, watched countless documentaries, researched lectures from the top doctors in veganism and strive to learn as much as I possibly can about the topic. I definitely didn't do that when I was consuming fast food or gorging on chocolate! My bloodwork recently proved that yes, what I am doing is making a huge difference. With a drop of 80 points in my total cholesterol, and all of my numbers well within the healthy range (some in optimal), I know I can trust Dr. Linda Carney with my health!

4. People are just curious. When you consider that only 1% of the US population is vegan, you begin to understand why people are confused and often misinformed about this lifestyle. As friends, family and coworkers saw me with more energy and less of my "extra" pounds, I was suddenly bombarded with many questions which I tried to honestly and intelligently answer.

5. Inspiration happens when the preaching stops. A funny thing happened after I got off of my high horse. People started responding positively to my change. There seemed to be less hostility towards my new lifestyle and more genuine interest. Coworkers were noticing, friends were making the switch and even my mom started to be more receptive. To date, I've inspired five people (that I know of). I'm not attacking anything anyone else does, but I am trying to support something that can be a phenomenal benefit to everyone's health!

Moral of the story: LEAD BY EXAMPLE!

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!

Where to Begin
Kitchen Overhaul

5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

Pinterest Plant-Strong Board
Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"
Protein in a Vegan Diet
5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)
Veganism in a Nutshell (video)
Foods That Kill

Protein in a Vegan Diet

When I first decided to make my switch, I was reluctant to tell anyone. As soon as people starting to find out, I chose to be pretty open about all of it. I've recently wrote a post on different questions that I was frequently asked, but one of the top on the list was, "How do you get your protein?!"

There's plenty of information out there about how vegans actually get their protein. People tend to think that we need tons of protein every day, but that just is not true. According the Pyhsicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Americans are taking in twice the amount of protein they really need.

Too much protein?!  You've probably never heard of that. I hadn't heard of it either, but after doing more research, I was shocked to find that "too much protein" can lead to all sorts of problems, including osteoporosis, cancer, kidney stones and kidney disease, to name a few. According to Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, animal protein accelerates cancer and atherosclerosis, while plant protein does not.

Here's a few links that may help you better understand protein in a vegan diet:
The Vegetarian Resource Group: Protein on a Vegan Diet
Engine 2 Diet: Can I Get Enough Protein Eating the Engine 2 Plant-Based Diet?
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: The Protein Myth
Mayo Clinic: Healthy diet: End the guesswork with these nutrition guidelines
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Nutrition for Everyone: Protein
Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn: Q&A
LIVESTRONG.com: Daily Protein Requirements

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!

Where to Begin
Kitchen Overhaul

5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

Pinterest Plant-Strong Board
Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"
5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)
Veganism in a Nutshell (video)
5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism
Foods That Kill

I'm not on a Diet; I'm Eating Healthy!

 

I've always taken my health for granted. When something goes wrong, I don't even know why I'm shocked! Looking back I know exactly how I got here. Now, I've never considered myself to be "overweight" or anything, but in the last few years I've noticed just a little extra that kind of bothered me.

A few weeks back at my yearly health checkup, I stepped up on the scale as the nurse requested. I was horrified by the number. It isn't terrible in some people's minds I'm sure, but to me 154 just didn't look right!

I've been telling people my excuse lately: in college I walked everywhere! To class, up the hills, down the hills and to my apartment for a quick nap. You see, I lived close to campus and I only drove my car to get groceries. I also didn't eat well.

Since I was getting so much exercise, I was burning off calories I didn't even consider that I was consuming. As a college student, I'm sure you know diet isn't usually a concern. (Mac and cheese for dinner? Yes, please!)

Fast forward three and a half years. Same diet. Near to none exercise. That equals a problem. Now I will say that I was in such shock over my nearly 25 lb. weight gain since high school (which was almost seven years ago now). And yes, I'll never be 18 again.

So I hopped on to my own scale in the bathroom. Luckily that one read 144 the same night. (Instant 10 lbs. of weight loss. Woot!) Now I don't know if the scale in my bathroom is accurate, but I've been weighing in on that one since my "lifestyle" change.

Yep, I'm calling it a lifestyle change. Not a diet! Diets can work for people who stick to them, yes, but a lifestyle change is something I feel is more permanent for me. You see, my mother recently found out that she has Type 2 diabetes. I knew it was now or never. So I studied up and did something I've never actually done before: cook meals at home.

And not just any meals. Healthy meals packed with vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts. Tacos stuffed with sautéed veggies and a side of beans. Whole gain pizza crusts covered in fresh veggies. Homemade fruit "ice creams" that I didn't feel guilty eating.

Friends are asking me, "So you're vegetarian, now?!" I don't know the answer to that just yet. However, I was surprised that 18 days later I'm now down six pounds. Not only that, but I'm feeling phenomenal! I'm getting to work an hour a half earlier and waking up without attempting to hit the snooze. I can see a change in my body and I crave the taste of my next decadent meal with the full flavors all the vegetables and fruits offer.

And I'm not looking back! Sure, there's been challenges. I've been tempted during my workdays with pulled pork, warm chocolate chip cookies and even endured the smells during Waffle Wednesday. It's all been well worth it, though. I'm excited about the challenges ahead but feel more empowered and in charge of my health than ever before! For more information on my new lifestyle change, please visit the Engine 2 Diet website.

UPDATE: See how going plant-strong changed my life and my results six months later here!

Looking to go vegan? Check out these related posts below!

Where to Begin
Kitchen Overhaul

5 Tips for a Healthy Vegan Diet

Pinterest Plant-Strong Board
Top 5 Reactions to "I'm Vegan"
Protein in a Vegan Diet
5 Tips for Eating a Plant-Based Diet (Anywhere)
Veganism in a Nutshell (video)
5 Things I've Learned Through Veganism
Foods That Kill