5 Vegetarian & Vegan Q's

Here are some questions that I find myself answering frequently.

Q: How do you get your protein?
A: I've found that this question is most often asked from people who are truly concerned about me. I appreciate this concern and I've done plenty of reading on this subject. I was worried, too, at first that I would need to eat lots of tofu or beans to meet my protein needs. Luckily, protein is found in plenty of foods!

Q: What can you eat?
I focus on fruits, vegetables, whole gains, nuts and beans. I started by following the Engine 2 Diet, so if it has a mother or a face, I don't eat it. Unfortunately, I am still struggling with my cheese addiction, but I have successfully kicked several other bad habits. I'm still a work in progress and strive to stay on track, but yes, it is hard. On Mother's Day, my family cooked fried chicken, dressing and twice-baked potatoes. I happily ate my vegan quiche.

Q: Why are you doing this?
My mother was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in January, but it wasn't until mid-February that I started to take my health seriously. After weighing in at my yearly appointment, I was not amused by the number on the scale. I also knew that I had been neglecting my health for far too long. I didn't care to take charge of my health until that number popped up on the scale. I also knew my bloodwork from the previous year wasn't too amazing, and I aimed to improve it (which I have tremendously).

Q: Is this just a diet/temporary thing?
A: People often assume that I have a strict list of things that I can and can't eat, much like a "diet" that people "go on". When most people refer to a "diet" they mean that they are altering their eating for a short period of time for an expected result. I don't intend to go back to the way I was eating (drive-thru lines and canned meals), so I don't refer to this as a "diet", but rather a lifestyle change.

Q: Do you miss meat?
A: About three months in, I was sitting at my desk working away while listening to some music with my headphones on. Suddenly, a smell caught my attention. Could it be pork roast? Yes, yes it was. My coworker, completely unaware of my decision to forgo animal products, probably thought I was insane when I literally took my headphones off and stopped working. Yes, I miss the smell of meat. And yes, I do slightly miss the taste. However, I now know what is the right decision for me and why I'm making that choice.

Here are some other FAQs I face!

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

Breaking Up with Bikram

And now, my letter I've been meaning to pen to break things off with Bikram Yoga.

Dear Bikram,

It's not you. it's me. Really, I take the blame. You were always making time for me every day and never failed to challenge me. I truly enjoyed our time together. I'm sorry things didn't work out between us. You never expected anything from me but my best. I even took the cautionary route and agreed to see how things would work out on a 30-day intro package.

During our time together, I was pushed beyond my limits physically. Your instructor urged me to push "beyond my flexibility" and made sure my toes were pointed during my moves. I gulped over a liter of water on our first date and was truly amazed with the whole experience. You made me want to keep coming back. For a while, anyway.

All of this changed two weeks later. After my tenth class, I found myself struggling with housework as my brother arrived for a weekend visit. You'd taken so much of my time and my head had obviously been in the clouds. Although I was really concentrating on our relationship, I failed to keep up with other aspects of my life, including the laundry and dishes. This was the final straw.

We've really had a good run. You allowed me to really concentrate on my balance and focus. You encouraged me daily and I could see some positive changes in myself. I left you each time with a sense of relaxation and felt a spiritual connection like never before. As they say, all good things must come to end. Maybe we'll meet again someday.

Love,
Kelsey

Veg Update: Day 116

Today marks Day 116 without an intentional meal with meat in it. I say "intentional meal" because I consider my last true meaty meal an A-1 Thick & Hearty burger from Whataburger. I ate half of the burger on February 13th and was almost nauseated by the amount of heartiness in it. Why did I choose this as my last meal, you may ask? Well, this definitely was not on my mind when I ordered it. I didn't drive up and think, "Here it goes... My last carnivorous meal."

The next day, I stepped onto the scale at the doctor's office and I made my decision. That was it. No. More. I'd made excuses for myself long enough. I had been interested before in the idea of leaving meat behind. Although, I was never one to follow through with my plans to do, well, anything. When it comes to eating right and exercising, I was pretty awful at it.

Let's get back to the "intentional meal" phrase I used earlier. A couple of months into my "lifestyle change" (no, not a diet!), I was invited to the Alamo Drafthouse opening on Slaughter. The food and drinks they provided were decadent and impressive. I admit I had one teeny tiny bite of meat there. It was for research purposes, I told myself. Alas, I felt a tinge of guilt and failure afterward. I had stayed on track for nearly two months, but I tried not to beat myself up over this.

My next encounter with meat was about two weeks ago. I met up with a friend at a Mexican restaurant and realized there was about one tablespoon of ground beef in the sauce on my enchiladas—once I was 90% done with my plate. I was mildly disappointed, but this was my first meal in nearly 100 days to accidentally have meat.

I'm not trying to be perfect. I'm not trying to make a point. I'm doing this purely for health reasons and well, just to prove to myself that I am capable of making a change. I've been feeling pretty good, lost 13 lbs. and I find that this lifestyle is forcing me to reconsider plenty of things. I also learned that people are not comfortable with my change.

I kept quiet at first about all of this in fear of what people would say and think. Now I am finding people are just honestly curious about the whole thing. I welcome the questions and am happy that people are intrigued. There's been plenty to learn during my experience and I hope this encourages more personal growth than it already has.