Why HAVEN’T I been posting… I’ll be honest with you (cuz I’m an honest gal)… I’ve been really super duper boring and I didn’t want to write about the stuff that has been occupying my mind. Mainly I have been obsessed with losing those pounds I gained when I quit smoking, and with that, obsessed with my new vegan diet. I didn’t want to bore you… and plus, no one likes to hear a skinny girl complain about her weight.
I will say this… that shit works. I’ve lost 10 pounds and fit into all my old jeans again. I still want to lose another 5-6 pounds, but here’s what works for me… diet and exercise. Yeah, fucking DIET and EXERCISE.
I’ve heard 80% of your fitness goal is diet. Since my metabolism went from 100 to 0 when quitting smoking (it will level out in a few years again), I have had to exercise more and be super strict with my diet to lose the weight. So, I swim 3-5 times a week… and I am going to start running on the other days.
The vegan transition has actually been pretty easy for me. I was vegetarian for most of my adult life, so cutting out meat was a snap. But there was no way I was going to change my body without getting rid of my mass cheese and sugar consumption. The first four days were painful, but I now feel better than I ever have in my life, physically. I’ve also been a super whiz in the kitchen, making my way through Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. Just the other night I made the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy… and it is to die for.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some crappy, gag inducing vegan products out there. To which I say, BLESS YOU TRADER JOE’S!!! Eating healthy can be expensive, and rolling the dice as far as taste when trying something new. I have not had anything bad from Trader Joe’s, EVER. And… the vegan oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and the vegan chocolate chip cookies from there are addictive. Like, I really can’t have them in my house anymore. They are that good. I call them heroin cookies. I have to eat them 2 at a time, and it is not uncommon for me to stop by the TJ’s near my pool after my work out to get my smack.
If you want to be inspired to get in shape – watch The Bigger Loser. Not only is it great tv, it is really inspirational. You also see that to lose weight you have to work really fucking hard, but you can do it. You have to just have to want it bad enough.
I mean, guess what? I love garlic bread and could eat french fries and ice cream (mmm tofutti cuties!) every day too… but I love fitting into my clothes MORE. I am not a person who can do moderation. And turns out, vegan food is fucking delicious and makes me have more energy, feel better, and have a clear conscious about doing good work in the world.
So every time I think about a large pizza… I think, yeah, you can eat that… and I’ll be able to jump around in a thong and look hot.
Hopefully I can do this, and eventually start thinking (and blogging) about OTHER things.
It’s great that you’re becoming vegan!
Just – honestly – going vegan to lose weight is one of the worst reasons
Though veganism IS one of the healthiest diets if you are careful to eat a wide variety of foods (getting enough B12/protein/etc), it’s really a movement for animal rights — please don’t lose sight of that
Best wishes!
E
Great resources:
http://veganfreakradio.com/ (great to listen to while running/working out!)
http://community.livejournal.com/veganism
Comment by jesuisreconnaissante — April 8, 2009 @ 4:54 am |
Thanks, E…
And absolutely, you are right! I am a long time member of PETA, animal rights advocate, anti-fur, anti-animal testing, anti-hunting, protesting gal… I’ve been vegetarian for most of my adult life (15 on, with only a couple years not)…
Like so many people, however, going Vegan seemed like it would be TOO difficult for me to do. Now that I am, I can’t believe I didn’t do it sooner… because absolutely, the main reason to go Vegan is the horrendous treatment of animals – chickens and cows for their eggs and milk. But going from veg to vegan, to fully make that committment… yeah, for me it took the getting skinny approach to throw out cheese and my love of baking (though, i plan on trying vegan baking soon).
And it was The Skinny Bitch books that sold me – on the animal creulty, the unhealthy choices I was making even with diet cokes and products I use on my skin. But in the heat of the moment when I think of wanting a cheese pizza… I still go “no, no, no… I am getting rid of my excess fat!!!”
I say whatever works for you, works. The animals win either way!
Comment by prettyfancy — April 8, 2009 @ 10:00 am |