I am starting to get it down again.
We made it two weeks doing the vegan routine and then after some deep thinking and soul searching I accepted the fact that veganism is not for me. Even on a quarterly basis. We will still do "light meat" months where there will be very little meat; like once a week or so.
There were some really good recipes I have found and will take away from this experience, but while we are working to lose weight and get healthy this sort of eating just isn't right for us. Now I can truly say I applaud all the true vegans; there is nothing easy about their lifestyle, and full blown vegans can have a hell of a time shopping depending on where they live. So much respect to my herbivore friends.
That said; the reason I felt that this eating style wasn't right for us is because I found myself snacking constantly. At meal time our portions were almost whackadoo crazy, but then my brain justified it with the fact it was vegan. Pasta is not a vegetable, even if it is rice pasta. Maybe if I had looked for more recipes that are pasta free it would have worked out better for us. I know there are plenty out there, next time we do a mostly meatless month we will go that way. I figure when we do our summer month of it we will try to go raw as well (best time of year to do it cost wise).
It could all be mental but the addition of small amounts of complex protein (fish or chicken) really makes me feel more full and have way more energy. Even when we juiced back in October we had some meat at dinner with a ton of veg. That I think is the best formula for us.
The following is the eating model I try to follow the most (work days):
Before Breakfast: water, I consume 32 oz. of water each morning before I leave for work; where I eat breakfast. So before I even leave the house or even eat anything I have half of the "daily recommendation" of water.
Breakfast proper: dairy, protein, fruit, small amount of grains (carby goodness), more water, and sometimes tea.
Throughout the day: water, water, green tea, water, green tea, water, fruit or veggie snack with protein, water, water, coffee (not a blended frappe mocha something, but black coffee with a tiny 1/2 tsp of sugar and a tsp of creamer), water, and did I mention water? I have a 21 oz tumbler at my desk and before I have tea or coffee or anything really I drink an entire thing of water. I average about 5-6 tumblers each day at work.
Dinner: a medium portion of meat, a bunch of veggies, and a small portion of grains (brown rice and quinoa are my go to grains at dinner) and a glass of milk.
Dessert: if I truly can't resist (and I mean I will drink another 64 oz. of water before I allow myself dessert or a snack post dinner) I go for a bit of Greek yogurt with diced apples and raisins in it, or homemade froyo (I just blend equal parts frozen fruit with Greek yogurt and a splash of milk; too runny and we call it a smoothie. LOL) or if I am wanting salty crunch I make popcorn on the stove.
The only difference between this and a weekend day is that we do get our one blended coffee beverage for the week (sometimes two if we are feeling squirrelly and have a lot going on) on our two days off, and we eat lunch. Typically a weekend lunch is a salad with meat and cheese and such in it (better than a sandwich) and fruit or yogurt for snacks as we need.
This is just one of a million healthy methods for eating right and losing weight. Obviously, if you are constantly go, go, go this probably isn't the best plan for you, but if you have a similarly sedentary desk job, such as I do, this works out pretty well. I also use all break time at work (two 15 minute chunks and a half hour lunch) to walk.
As I am sitting here chugging my second post dinner container of water it made me think of how much water I consume on an average weekday... My H2O intake is roughly 230 ounces per day... Just of water... That doesn't include coffee or tea or milk or any other beverage... Wow, that's kind of nuts to think about. But hey, at least I know dehydration isn't an issue... Hahaha!
Okay, for my next post I am hoping to share some random hilarious stories and such from the past month. I was holding back on a certain story until I reach the big five oh in likes on the blog's FB page (if you haven't liked it yet I'm not going to force you), but I can't keep it in anymore.
Now to go level my level 7 druid troll.
Bet you don't hear that every day....
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