When I decided to make this change I will admit that I had some pretty big concerns about how making the change to a more plant based diet would affect me but I have been pleasantly surprised. I have talked about some of these concerns before but it was things like thinking that I would be hungry all the time or that I would start to feel like a rabbit and of course one of the biggest worries was the time that it would take to prepare my meals. I’m happy to say none of these concerns have come to fruition. It has generally been a very positive shift in my life.
When I think about the last six weeks I have definitely been surprised quite often. A few different things have been surprising me. One of them is how little I miss meat. With the exception of last week when my brother had a pepperoni pizza that smelled amazing I have not actually craved for anything. Even with this craving for pizza when the weekend rolled around I didn’t want it anymore. My grocery bill also does not miss meat. I have been pleasantly surprised at the change in my food budget since I’m not buying hardly any meat, sure I’m spending more in vegetables but without meat it more than balances out.
Another pleasant surprise has been how incredibly satisfying I am finding my meals. I have always loved food (which in part is why I am the size I am). What has impressed me about my meals since going vegetarian though is the fact that I am now enjoying my food on more levels. It does not only taste great but I am finding it very visually stimulating and it is even a more pleasurable experience to eat. I’m taking time to enjoy my meals and becoming much more mindful as I’m eating. Cooking with more vegetables has added a lot more colour and texture to my foods. I get excited to taste the food as I am preparing and cooking it. Of course I probably could have had the same effect if I had started to try new recipes even with a meat based diet but that being said I don’t remember ever being this excited as I cook other new dishes in the past.
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| With food that looks this good how could you not love it! |
The last thing that has really surprised me is my energy level. I have always associated meat with giving me the energy I need to do things. I guess it probably comes from the whole idea of needing protein to build muscles and muscles in my head equal power and energy. (Yes I know that is not actually the case but it’s how my brain is working…or at least how I can explain the thinking). What I realized though after eating meat the week my parents were home I would argue the complete opposite. It might be a side effect of just feeling better about myself or the fact I exercise more when my family isn’t here but I generally have a much easier time getting out of bed and feel a lot less sluggish in my day now than I did the week I was eating meat for dinners. It makes me feel good to be eating this way which encourages me to continue doing it. It is hard to argue with how your body feels, now that I’m actually listening to my body that is.
In terms of actual results I’m pleased to say that it appears as though my body is agreeing with the change. My weight has been more or less steadily coming down with only a minor hiccup around the two weigh-ins that happened while my parents were here. Even the first few weeks when I wasn’t really tracking my food I was still losing weight. Now that I am beginning to track again I suspect that I will see even better results. I’m slowly working my way back so I’m on track for my 100 pound weight loss goal for this year. I really want to be proud to say I’ve lost x amount of weight rather than feel discouraged because I’m not where I want to be. It is a strange thing to know although you are losing weight it is just to get you back to the spot where you started. It is like a strange form of failure in my head even though I know it is just a part of the journey I need to take.
Switching to vegetarianism hasn’t been without its challenges mind you. The biggest challenge is probably my own fault because of the fact I decided to do it part time. I find that although most people are generally just curious about my decision they don’t really understand why I’m doing it, especially since I’m not doing it 100%. I have heard things like “What is the point of giving up meat for weekdays if you are just going to eat meat on the weekends?” or “It’s ok to eat meat for this lunch because you aren’t really serious about vegetarianism anyway”. This frustrates me because it hits home because I find that I sort of agree with them. The argument I make though which I think is still valid is that I’m doing this because it makes me feel healthier and because the more I learn about where my meat comes from the less I want it. Yes I still want meat and I still think it tastes good but I do thinking in choosing meat less it will have a big impact on my life in terms of health but I also think the research supports the fact that it will also have at least a small impact on my carbon footprint in this world. (I joke at work since my job requires the murder of way too many trees I have to find any way I can to live green outside of work). I guess really what it comes down to is the fact that I’m using the label vegetarian as a way to describe myself rather than just saying I’m moving to a more plant based, less processed diet. (Damn semantics will get you every time – but I guess that is part of why I love the English language.) As I continue to move forward with this lifestyle, whatever it ends up being defined as, I know I will learn to just accept some people won’t understand me and worry less about explaining myself. I mean really not matter what we do sometimes you just can’t win.
The other thing that I have found a little challenging is that at my office we often go out for lunches. We work close to a great area of the city that is full of amazing little restaurants and I love the chance to go out once and awhile to enjoy the food. What I have learned is that a lot of my favourite places do not necessarily have a whole bunch of options for vegetarians. This has made it hard for me to want to stick to my vegetarian ways especially when I have favourite meat based meals at the restaurants. I’m happy to say though that the times I have gone out I have stuck to my guns. I not only survived eating out but I also survived a potluck and was able to stick vegetarian choices. There is something very powerful about sticking with it even when it is hard. I find that it is very positive and uplifting to know that I have not cheated or gone back on the choices that I’m now making.
All in all when I look back on the last six weeks I am so proud of the changes I have made. I love how positive it feels. I am enjoying the creativity that it is forcing me to have and the fact that I’m exploring so many new recipes and foods (I mean really I had no clue what a lentil actually was until a few weeks ago…hehehe). I look forward to continuing this journey to see where it takes me.
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