At the end of three months, I can report to you honestly that I love eating this way. My blood sugar is under control for the first time ever, I have eliminated 3 medications, the arthritis in my hips has improved to the point that it doesn't consume my thoughts during the day, the nausea has disappeared, and I have lost some weight without even thinking about it. The first month was confusing, the second month I felt that I was gaining understanding and after the third month I have collected so many recipes for plant based dishes, I don't know when I will get to them all. I have had some slips off the wagon into dairy products, but I haven't eaten meat, poultry or fish for three months and I can tell you that I haven't missed it. I had some cravings the first month, but not since. I have accepted that there will be times socially, when I will have to make other choices, and I will include some dairy. That's ok as far as I'm concerned. This isn't a religious commitment I have made, but a personal decison I have made to myself. I have learned that when I eat this way I feel better, when I eat badly I feel badly.
Hubby has willingly come along for the ride with me. He is not as committed to vegan eating as I am but he has adopted some strong vegetarian habits, with some occasional chicken on the side. He travels with his work, and I think that once out on the road he heads straight for the pizza parlor. But he has still made some amazing changes in his food choices. He likes desserts and so once a week I will make some type of dessert that doesn't include dairy and I was amazed how easy it was to do. I will post a chocolate cake, some oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies that are all dairy free and I challenge you to tell the difference. None of these treats are low-fat but they are vegan. Low-fat is another post.
One of the kids asked me why I wasn't talking about any weight changes I have experienced. There are two reasons. The first reason is that weight loss was not at the top of my list of goals. Getting control of my health and reducing medications were the main targets. Feeling better, getting my life back were the focus. I knew that if I concentrated on these things that the weight would take care of itself. Daniel and Kelley have been the most involved in my progress and they will tell you that I have only mentioned my weight loss changes a few times. My reports to them have been excitement sharing a recipe or talking about the health changes. The second reason I haven't talked about this subject is: it's none of any body's business!
I still have a long way to go in understanding what I'm doing and to get to the point where I feel really healthy again. But the changes have been so apparent and happened so quickly that it was fun to keep going and trying different recipes. I have not felt deprived or had overwhelming urges. I have read some books and blogs from people who have been vegan/vegetarian for 10, 15, 20 years and I look at my three months and it's paltry in comparison. But everyone has a starting point and this is mine!
No comments:
Post a Comment