Merry Christmas and Happy 2019!

It has been a very busy two weeks - hence the lack of posting. I am happy to report, however, that I managed to stay vegan throughout the holidays and only managed to gain 2lbs (despite all the over eating, and random vegan junk food).

THE FOOD

Apple Crisp

Our Festive Table

The week before Christmas, we had a potluck at work for our department.  Everyone was signing up for various meat products, so it was quite obvious early on that there was going to be nothing there for me to eat.  I decided I would bring my usual soup, and make a dessert for everyone to share.  I figured that apple crisp was something that people wouldn't turn their nose up at if it was vegan, since there really isn't much in a normal recipe that would be considered non-vegan (maybe a little butter).  I made it from scratch the night before, and it smelled amazing.  Unfortunately, I didn't really have enough apples, and so the ratios were off.  I like a lot of the topping (I always double it), but this didn't work with the lack of apples I had.  I still tasted delicious, but I would have tasted better if I had more apples.

Christmas got even crazier this year, as I had decided to host my family on
Christmas Day for dinner.  It worked to my benefit, seeing as how I could prepare vegan foods that I could eat, but it was a lot of work.  The Saturday prior, I ended up spending the entire day cleaning.  Sunday was groceries and dinner at my inlaws (not vegan, so I had to prep and bring my own dinner and dessert); Christmas Eve was making dessert and the stuffed squash for Christmas Day; and then Christmas Day was opening presents and a lot of cooking.

Stuffed Squash
Maple Carrots
Peppermint-Chocolate
Mousse

As far as my menu went, I made stuffed acorn squash (totally delicious), mashed potatoes (which turned out ok, but were headed for disaster when the recipe didn't go as planned), maple glazed carrots (also delish), stuffing (which didn't even make it to the table because it didn't turn out at all - but also wasn't vegan (and I hate stuffing) so no loss to me), a turkey roast for the meat eaters and, finally, the most delicious chocolate peppermint mousse (there are four Lindt bars in there!).  I decided against cooking an actual bird because I didn't want a carcass laying around, and certainly didn't want leftovers.  Because everything had to come together very quickly, and I was totally sweating and starving, I completely forgot about taking photos.  I did remember to take a couple of some of the leftovers. 

Gardein Crispy Chick'n

One thing that was a total lifesaver this Christmas, was being able to turn to "junk" vegan food in a pinch.  I'm trying to stick to whole foods as much as possible and skip all the extra additives in the processed food.  Although I could notice a difference in how I felt when I re-introduced additives, I still haven't felt as bad as I did before going vegan. The big game changer for me was finding Gardein products.  Their Crispy Chick'n is amazing!  The Porkless Bites are also pretty good, and I'm looking forward to trying the Beefless Tips that are currently in my freezer.  I also discovered So Delicious coconut milk ice cream bars - which is awesome for me because the hardest thing for me to think about giving up forever is ice cream, and I love coconut, so this was a great find.  I also purchased a vegan trio of desserts from M&M Meat Shop.  The trio includes nanaimo bars, brownies (which I highly recommend eating at room temperature), and chocolate-coconut bars.  They were so nice to have around during the holidays.

THE GIFTS

I was spoiled!  The first surprised I received was when I came down the stairs and noticed that my stocking was full.  Normally this would not be a surprise; however, in our family your stocking is always filled with candy (mostly chocolate)  on Christmas morning.  My husband had told me that he was confused as to what to put in it, and I had made a few suggestions of non-candy items he could add, but he wasn't having any of it.  So to see anything in my stocking was a bit of shock. The first item I opened was Swedish Berries (which I love), and as I started checking the ingredients he remarked that they're vegan.  He had Googled vegan snacks to find out what candy I could have, and then bought them.  I thought this was incredibly thoughtful!  Along with the Swedish Berries, I also received black Twizzlers and Skittles.  I know there are a lot of chemicals and sugar in them, but I was allowing myself to eat the junk during the two weeks of Christmas holidays, and then I'd go back to my healthy ways after that.  My body certainly showed me that it prefers the healthy stuff, so going back will not be an issue!

My next surprise was Mickey Mouse pajamas, which are so cozy and warm, and a food
processor/chopper.  I'm also excited to report I received an Instant Pot and the cookbook Vegan Under Pressure.  These, however, were not much of a surprise since I picked up the Instant Pot at the post office one night.  Amazon did not do a great job of hiding the box  - they just stuck the postage label to the outside of it!  I have yet to try the Instant Pot, but look forward to incorporating it into my routine.  I find it a bit intimidating at the moment, to be honest.  I'm afraid I may blow up the house!

All in all, it was a really great Christmas spent with family.  I feel very blessed to have such a wonderful, thoughtful, loving and giving family.  There isn't anyone else I would rather spend my time with, or take this journey with.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

~ Alisa ~

Happy 1 Month Veganniversary to Me!

It's been exactly one month since I decided to start eating vegan, and I can't believe the difference a month makes!  I feel so much better.  I have had a few digestive issues as my system adjusts to the additional fibre and beans, but am otherwise feeling better.

I've lost weight and inches, without really even trying.  I'm down a total of 10.5lbs, and 16.5 inches.  I've never felt hungry, am not counting calories, and haven't even set foot in the gym yet.  I'm really excited to get back to the gym in the new year (once my lunch time Christmas obligations wind down, and I can get back into a routine) and see what fun things happen then.

All in all, I feel like this is something I really want to stick with.  When you feel better, and see great results, it makes it worth the struggles you encounter along the way.  The key is to stay focused, and remember why you're doing it in the first place.

Thanks for following along!

~ Alisa ~

Week Five: What's on the menu?

This week I needed to prep easy things.  Saturday I had a massage, and Sunday was my husband's birthday and we were having dinner at his parents house.  This limited my time for kitchen prep.

Banana Coconut Quinoa Muffins

I decided to try something new for breakfast this week since I was getting really bored with oatmeal every day.  I baked up some Banana Coconut Quinoa muffins from a recipe I found on Pinterest.  They turned out so good! And they're super easy to grab and go in the morning.  Yumm!

I decided to repeat the broccoli salad from last week for lunches, and opted to recreate the chili from week one for dinner - but added lots and lots of mushrooms.  Both turned out really well, and were really easy to put together this weekend with limited time.

I also thought it would be good to remake my chocolate haystack cookies from last week as my daily snack.  They were so good.  Unfortunately, the store didn't have any coconut palm sugar so I used raw cane sugar instead (thinking nothing would be different) but they turned out really bad!  They almost taste burnt, didn't stick together at all, and left me with a big heap of chocolate granola, basically.  I won't make that mistake again.  Who knew sugars could be so different, and yield such different results!

~ Alisa ~

Recap: Week Four

Weight:  178 (down 10.5 pounds and 16.5 inches)

I can't believe it's been almost a month already.  The past four weeks have gone by like a blur - in a good way.  Although, I am seriously behind on everything at home - cleaning, prepping for Christmas, and just general "stuff."  I feel so much better though.  I'm still wiped at the end of the day, but I chalk that up to moving offices and the general busyness of the season.  I cannot wait for Christmas to come!

Thanks for checking in!

~ Alisa ~

Week Four: What's on the Menu?

C is for cookie, and cookie is for me!  Yes... I was able to veganize my absolute favourite Christmas cookies!

Chocolate Haystack Cookies

Ever since I was a kid, I can remember my mom making chocolate haystack cookies at Christmas.  I even remember stirring at the stove, while standing on a stool, and falling off and taking the boiling pot of chocolate with me!  I love, love, love these cookies.  So, how could I eat them now that I'm vegan?  Well, I traded the processed white sugar for organic coconut palm sugar, the butter for coconut oil, and the milk for coconut milk.  The rest of the ingredients stayed the same.  They didn't turn out exactly like my mom's cookies, but they still taste really good.  My mom's are more of a chalky texture (in a good way), and mine are more chewy.  But still.. yumm.  So yum, in fact, that my friend at work asked for seconds (and I can't stop eating them!)!

Coming off my spicy week last week, I decided to dial it down a few notches, and try for more of a sweet/savory type of dish.  I also couldn't decide which dish to eat for lunch and which for dinner, so I just figured I'd alternate as the mood caught me.

Broccoli Salad

For lunch today, I enjoyed a veganized version of a broccoli salad I've always taken to potluck dinners.  I ignored the bacon requirements, swapped the raisins for dried cranberries, used vegan mayonnaise, and organic raw cane sugar instead of processed.  My lunch today was amazing.  I wanted more... and could have eaten way more (thanks to an office move that made me quite active all day today).

For dinner today, I tried a box of Daiya cheezy macaroni... as my son said, it tastes like Play Doh.  And it does.. yuck.  I should have stuck with my soup for the week (which was ready to go).

Butternut Squash Soup

My soup this week is a butternut squash soup, with cauliflower.  I only tried a taste when it was done and before I portioned it out for the week.  Because of all the activity at work today, I knew I would not want a hot dish so I took the broccoli salad. I should have stuck with the soup for dinner though.  I'm sure (even if it is bad), it's better than eating Play Doh!



~ Alisa ~

Recap: Week Three

Weight:  180 (down 8.5 pounds and 14 inches)

Down another two pounds this week.  I'm definitely feeling better, and have way more energy.  My problem this week, I think, was eating more carbs and snacks.  I'm supposed to be limiting my starchy veggies to 1 cup per day, and the dishes I made this week were definitely higher than that.

My friend at work also introduced me to these wonderful chocolate-coconut bars that are to die for.  Luckily for me, they're quite expensive and I'm a big 'ol cheapo, so I won't be buying them too often, I don't think.  Perhaps Santa can stuff them into my stocking!

I also noticed a lot more compliments this week from people I work with and friends.  I guess it may be showing now that I'm doing something different.  I've had people comment on my skin, and my weight loss.  It definitely feels good to hear people notice, and it makes it easier to stick with it.. even when I don't "see" what they see.  I mean, sure.. my pants fit better, and I'm not as sluggish as I used to be.. but I'm still a long way from where I used to be... a long way from where I want to be!

It all takes time, I suppose.  It took me almost six years to get to this point - some higher weights, and some lower (but never back to where I was) - so, I guess I have to have patience.  Patience is not something that comes easy to me.  I'm very much a Veruca Salt on that one.. I want it now!

~ Alisa ~

Week Three: What's on the menu?

I have to say, last week's menu had me questioning my ability to continue on this journey.  Both dishes were incredibly bland.  I decided I would incorporate my absolute favourite veggie, sweet potatoes, into this week's menu.  I also decided to spice things up a little... or what turned out to be a lot!

Sweet Potato Chili

For lunch, I decided to try a sweet potato chili.  It was delish!  I could eat this for days and not get tired of it.  It was sweet with the sweet potato, but with a bit of a kick at the end.

For dinner, I chose a spicy sweet potato/quinoa casserole.  It was WAAY too spicy. I tried a spoonful when I first made it, and my mouth burned for two hours.  I'm not even kidding.  I ended up scraping off the topping (before I remembered to take a photo) and it made it moderately better.  I think I would skip the step of tossing the sweet potatoes in salt and pepper to start.  The pepper was too much. 

I decided to keep breakfast the same this week, as the two weeks prior.  I alternated between overnight oats (when I remembered to put them in the fridge), and cooked oats.  Both I find rather boring, but at least it's healthy and satisfying.

Spicy Sweet Potato Casserole

I think next week, I will take the spicy down notch.. or twelve!

~ Alisa ~

Recap: Week Two

Weight:  182 (down 6.5 pounds and 13.5 inches)

This week was much better.  I found myself having more energy, and just feeling "leaner."  I wasn't puffy when I woke up in the morning, and my fingers didn't hurt to bend.  I did have a number of headaches, but I'm almost certain they're unrelated to the diet - although I hope that eating this way will also lead to them disappearing over time.

As far as food went this week, I did not enjoy my soup or my casserole.  It's unfortunate when you cook for the whole week, and you decide on Monday that you don't like your food, that you are then stuck eating it all week.  I'm hoping for better choices this week.. but having tasted my casserole already I'm not sure this week will be a whole lot better.  It's so SPICY!  My tongue was burning from a little taste.. for hours after! Yikes!  The chili is cooking though, and it smells really yummy.

I don't think I had any slip-ups this week.  We ate out a couple times and I stuck with salad, the garden crasher, and cheeseless veggie pizza.  I even resisted my favourite Domino's Hawaiian pizza during our lunch and learn on Tuesday.  And it smelled sooooo good!

I'm hoping week three will go as well as this week went, and I'm hoping I'll continue to see the scale drop. It certainly is motivating to see the scale move so quickly AND feel better.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Stay tuned tomorrow for my food recap - hopefully it doesn't burn my guts!

~ Alisa ~

It's All Fun and Games, Until Someone Forgets to Put the Overnight Oats in the Fridge!

This week I spent five hours in the kitchen preparing my food for the week. The five hours resulted in my adding a food chopper to my already lengthy Christmas wish list!  I also may need to buy shares in cashews. Holy expensive just to blend into nothingness.

Creamy Broccoli Soup

The first item on the menu this week is another recipe from Eat to Live Quick and Easy.  I decided to try the Creamy Broccoli Soup mostly because the ingredients sounded super healthy - kale, turnip and broccoli. Well... it tastes about as good as it sounds (especially if you share my "kale is a devil weed" opinion... bleh!).  I just keep repeating in my head "this is healthy.. this is healthy"... but it does not taste good.

Tu-no Casserole

The second recipe was another from Forks Over Knives for a Tu-no Casserole.  I had high hopes for this one with it being a pasta base... but it is very "meh."  There's a lot of chickpeas, and that may add to the blandness of it all.  It also didn't help that I  couldn't find the kelp powder to add, which would have given it the tuna flavour... or any flavour.  I'm not sure I'll make this one again unless I can find the kelp powder.

Overnight Oats

For this week's breakfast, I decided to try overnight oats in order to make my mornings even easier.  I put the oats, chia seeds, and almond milk in the fridge at night and then in the morning add strawberries and walnuts.  Unfortunately, this requires some forethought the night before, otherwise you wake up in the morning to thoughts of "oh crap, what am I going to eat now?"... like I did this morning!  A little improvising resulted in a cooked version (minus the chia seeds) of this week's breakfast.  I think I actually enjoyed it more... because cold chia seeds remind me of eating fish eggs might be like... yuck.

"Oops I Forgot to Cook the
Overnight Oats" Oats

On my way home tonight, I stopped at Walmart to pick up a prescription.  I was so excited to see they were selling So Delicious Holiday Nog.  I absolutely LOVE egg nog.  It's one of my favourite things about Christmas and something I look forward to each year.  It was so tasty.  It doesn't taste exactly like egg nog, but close enough and way less fat and calories.

I also found a dark chocolate almond bar that classifies as vegan.  I picked one up just to try a single piece, and then pass the rest to my husband.  Passing it over was no problem.  I don't know if my taste buds have changed already, but it was gross.  It tasted like chemicals, and left a really bad aftertaste.

Tomorrow will be a test for me.  My colleague and I are presenting a lunch and learn, and we are ordering Domino's Pizza.  It's my absolute favourite kind of pizza.  Hopefully, I will resist.  I'm certainly enjoying the thin feeling and the weight loss (another two pounds down today).  Wish me luck!

~ Alisa ~

Recap: Week One

Weight: 185.5 (-3 pounds and 8 inches)

It was a rough week, and I'm certainly glad that I did the meal prep on Sunday to get me through and keep me on track.

Monday I woke up early excited to start the day - which is odd for me considering I usually wake up with a feeling of dread - and to the smell of onions and garlic from my cooking the night before.  The day went by quickly.  My soup for lunch turned out to be a lot tastier than I thought when I tested it Sunday night.  Unfortunately, after lunch, my day went downhill.  The sugar detox began to take effect.  I did bring a Coconut Dream Larabar with me, but forgot to bring it to my 3pm meeting and that went long.  By the time I left, my head was killing me.  Dinner was just ok.  I did miss the meat in my chili, so I added the remainder of the seasoning I had to spice it up.  It tasted a lot better the rest of the week.

Tuesday was better, in that I remembered to eat my Larabar around 2:30pm to avoid the sugar headache I got Monday. Wednesday I started the day light headed and really nauseous.  I figured this was because of the lack of calories my body was use to getting, and part of the detox process.  I have years of mistreatment to get over. 

Thursday ended up being my husband's and my weekly date night due to a P.A. Day on Friday.  After our parent-teacher interview with our son's teacher, we went out for dinner.  I chose Buffalo Wild Wing because it's a favourite of my husband's, and I can get the garden crasher (naan bread, hummus, and assorted raw veggies). 

On Friday, we also ended up going out for dinner because my husband and son were dying to get out of the house after being stuck inside all day.  We ended up going to Swiss Chalet where I thought I'd be good in choosing the vegetarian stir fry.  I had no idea that the teriyaki sauce is not vegan due to honey being an ingredient.  I guess this is why my massage therapist says she's "mostly" vegan.  When the food arrived, it was drenched in the sauce (next time I'll order it on the side).  While it tasted good going down, it did NOT agree with me AT ALL.  I spent most of the evening and night in the bathroom.

Saturday and Sunday, we always go out for lunch to kill the day.  I ended up ordering cheeseless, thin crust pizza at both East Side Mario's and Pizza Hut.  East Side Mario's was definitely better.

Now, here I am on Sunday night after five hours of cooking... exhausted.  I'm definitely happy with my progress this week, and for being able to stick to it.  Other than Friday night, it's been nice not to have my usual post-eating stomach ache.  Hopefully, this week will be even better for my body and mind.  I'm looking forward to getting through the detox portion of this way of eating and I can't wait to see how I feel when my body adjusts.

~ Alisa ~

Mindfulness: Enjoying the Journey

As I wrote before, I've really taken a liking to listening to podcasts on my way to and from work.  I have 45 minutes (each way) to dedicate to listening, and it's nice to learn something new in that time, instead of listening to the same music over and over.

I really enjoy Oprah's podcast called Super Soul Conversations.  You can find them in Google Play Music, and on iTunes.  Most recently I've listened to "Michael Pollan: Conscious Eating" and "Kathy Freston: The 8 Pillars of Wellness."  While I learned from both podcasts, I found Kathy Freston's to be very eye opening.

Both podcasts touch on the subject of conscious eating - understanding where your food comes from, what it went through to make it to your table, and consciously deciding to eat it.  Considering what meat goes through to make it to your table (watch Earthlings if you need your eyes opened), making the conscious decision not to eat meat becomes very easy.

The second theme in both podcasts, as well as others I've been listening to, is the theme of mindfulness.  Mindfulness is where you turn your brain off, and live in the moment - in whatever you are doing at that moment in your life.  And you live it... you turn off your thinking and just "be" in that moment.  So, for example, if you're in the shower getting ready in the morning... make sure you're "in" the shower - you're feeling the water, enjoying the warmth, the smells - you're not thinking of what you have to do when you get out, when you get in the car, when you get to work.  Just "be" in the shower.

It's really a powerful lesson to learn.  Once you realize how often you're not in the moment, you realize how much of your life you're missing out on.  Turn the phone off.  Turn the iPad off.  Turn the music off.  Just sit and listen.

Once you are active in the moment, you begin to live your best life.  This is what I want.  I'm not only trying to transform my body in this process, but also my mind.. they way I'm living.  I want to enjoy my life - not just exist in it.  If you're not LIVING your life, you may as well be dead!

~ Alisa ~

Week One: What's on the Menu?

I've learned that the best way for me to stick to a diet is to make it as simple as possible.  Our family loves to eat out, and loves convenience food.  In order for me to succeed, I need to make my new food simple and convenient.  This is where batch cooking comes in.

Breakfast Oatmeal

Saturday, I looked through numerous cookbooks and vegan websites to pick a healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner.  My only requirements were that they were vegan, followed the Eat to Live requirements (as closely as possible), and provided a week's worth of food.  I found a delicious recipe for oatmeal, red lentil and carrot soup, and vegan chili.  I made my grocery list to include all the things I didn't have in the house already (which was 99% of the ingredients).  Sunday morning, we headed to the grocery store and purchased my list, as well as non-vegan items for the family.

Red Lentil & Carrot Soup

My grocery cart looked very, very different at the end of this shopping trip - and it made me very, very happy. Normally, I leave the grocery store with a feeling of sadness.  I feel guilty for buying processed food, both for myself and my son.  I feel like I'm neglecting his health, and setting a horrible example for him.  He has agreed to go vegetarian with me, but is reluctant to give up his dairy products.  He loves milk and cheese. I'm really hoping that this journey sets an example for him, and becomes something that he wants to do as much as I do.

Vegan Chili

Last night, I spent the evening cooking up a storm.  I prepared, cooked and portioned out the soup for this week's lunches; and then, I prepared some of the ingredients for the chili so they were ready for the slow cooker this morning. I was up bright and early to throw everything in the slow cooker and turn it on, and then prepared my breakfast.  Luckily, the extra work that goes into breakfast is countered by the fact that lunch just needs to be thrown in my bag for the day, and that it yields two servings (so I only need to make it every other day).

I have to say, everything turned out pretty well.  The breakfast was quite good, although not as sweet as I would have thought.  I'm sure it will get sweeter as I my taste buds adjust to no sugar.  The soup for lunch was absolutely delicious! I even received a raving review from my vegan coworker! I was shocked at how great it tasted given the amount of onion in it.  For me, the chili was just OK. I think, next time, I won't include so many tomatoes, and I'll add in a significant amount of mushrooms instead.

All in all, I think this week will be pretty successful!

~ Alisa ~

Starting Over... Again

I've always been a very active person.  Starting in grade school, I was on every sports team possible - basketball, volleyball, baseball, figure skating.  I loved being active (and getting out of class, who am I kidding?).  When I started college, things got a bit harder.  I didn't really have time or a way of working out. In 1999, I started working in downtown Toronto, where the law firm I worked for offered a reduced rate on a monthly pass to a very fancy gym in the building.  I loved it.  A group of us would go to classes together (Thursdays was Cardio Party with Garth!), and it was a lot of fun.  When I left that firm, I joined another without such a benefit.  However, they did have a small gym in the condo building and this is where I developed my love/hate relationship with running.  Every day I would run on the treadmill.  When I left that firm, my husband bought me a treadmill for our home so I could continue running during the cold Canadian winters.  Otherwise, outdoors was where I loved to spend my time running.

After my first 10K in 2011

In 2011, I ran my first 10K race and, in 2012, my first half-marathon.  While I wasn't exactly eating healthy, I was counting calories and exercising daily.  I was thin and fit and loved it.  Unfortunately, every autumn I would fall into the cycle of skipping a few runs because it was dark out, followed by skipping all runs because it was cold out, and then getting too busy with Christmas.  By January, I would have gained more than a few pounds.  I would vow to get rid of it, but not until the weather changed and it was nice enough to run outside again.

Then, in 2017, I developed a knee injury.  I couldn't run, and no other form of exercise gave me the results I wanted.  So why bother...

After 3 months of Keto and
2 months of Carb Cycling

In January this year, I hit my all time high of 199.5 pounds.  I started trying to make healthier choices, and started back at the gym (between physiotherapy sessions).  In April, I hopped on the Keto and Carb Cycling train, and got down to 177 pounds. I was finally seeing the scale move in the right direction.

Today

Unfortunately, our trip to Disney, followed by the busyness of back to school, Thanksgiving, Halloween, etc. resulted in a million excuses as to why I couldn't start back on my diet or get to the gym on a regular basis.

So here I am again... at 188.5 pounds and I feel like I'm starting all over again.  I'm really hoping that by changing both the way I look at food, and the type of food I'm eating, that I can make a positive change in my overall health, as well as my waistline.

Wish me luck!

~ Alisa ~

Why Vegan?

When I decided to transition to vegan eating, I knew there would be questions, and eye rolls, and comments about the healthiness of eating this way. I'm am surprised, however, how quick people are to judge or discredit this way of eating.  Being vegan is nothing new - at least not to me.  I have a few friends who are vegetarian and two who are vegan, and it's always intrigued me as to why people become vegan.

The question I get most often is "why vegan?"  Firstly, it's not like I just woke up one morning and said "I think I'll be vegan today."  I will agree that it's a pretty extreme way of eating - at least to meat eaters.  My journey started in 2015.  My mother in law was losing weight at a rapid rate, and I wondered what she was doing.  She introduced me to the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  Her chiropractor introduced the book to her.  Dr. Fuhrman believes that we should be eating the most nutrient dense foods in order to live our healthiest life possible.  His diet is referred to a Nutritarian diet.  The basic principles are to eat two pounds of vegetables per day (one pound cooked, one pound raw), four servings of fruit, one cup of whole grains or starchy vegetables, one cup of beans or lentils, a small amount of nuts, and flaxseed. The diet does not allow for eating meat, dairy, processed foods, oil, caffeine, sugar or salt.  He recommends following this strict regime for a minimum of six weeks, and then you can reintroduce some occasional meat (chicken/fish), if you so desire.

At the time, I was feeling really badly about the way I physically felt and looked. I wanted to lose weight, and this seemed easier than counting calories. The six weeks seemed to take forever, but I did end up losing 20 pounds by the end. My meals consisted of a breakfast smoothie (filled with fresh and frozen fruit, 100% fruit juice (no sugar added) and unsweetened almond milk), the worlds largest salad (no dressing) for lunch, and a plate of steamed veggies for dinner - sometimes with a side of sweet potatoe or whole grain rice.  I was never hungry, I will give him that... but, other than the smoothie, I pretty much hated everything I was eating... as did my stomach and bowels.  I also developed serious TMJ issues with my jaw, as a result of the extensive amount of chewing.  At the end of the six weeks, I gave up and reverted back to my old way of eating.

Since then, I've continued to struggle with my weight.  Earlier this year, I decided to look into a few different diets, and in April I landed on trying the Keto diet. It worked really well.  The weight and inches just fell of, and I loved the food I was eating.  Something just didn't feel right though.  I was never at peace with how I was eating, and I constantly worried I was harming myself more than I was helping.  I read testimonials from people who cured all their ailments through Keto, and who felt amazing.  I never did.  I felt ok.. until I didn't.  My stomach did not like the increased amount of fat, and eventually my hair started falling out.  In July, my husband and I planned a quick vacation to Las Vegas.  While I was determined to stay Keto, it became apparent very quickly that Keto was going to be a difficult lifetime commitment.  I also noticed, as I reintroduced carbs to my diet, that my stomach issues resolved.  When we got home, I switched to a Carb Cycling diet where you alternate low-carb and high-carb days, and have a "free" day every Sunday to eat whatever you want. This seemed appealing to me, as it seemed to offer some flexibility in what I ate, and having a specific "cheat" day allowed me to have things I was craving that may otherwise be off diet.  I followed this until the end of August when we went on our family Disney vacation.  What happened then?  Disney = food... lots and lots of food... lots and lots of not-good-for-you food.

Once again, I found myself eating badly, lacking in motivation to get to the gym, and, quite frankly, depressed about the way I've been taking care of myself, or lack thereof.  I'm tired all the time, my stomach hurts, and I have a headache mostly every day.  I find myself eating healthy all day until I get home, and then everything falls apart.  I needed some motivation and then it hit me.  Two of the healthiest people I know (my co-worker and my massage therapist) are vegan.  Maybe this was the solution I've been looking for? I started reading books, watching documentaries (Forks Over Knives, Earthlings (don't watch this unless you plan to never eat meat again)) and listening to podcasts (Oprah's Super Soul Conversations).  Things started to click.  I started to notice that my stomach hurts after eating meat or cheese.

I decided to come up with a plan to ensure my success.  I decided to cleanse my body by starting with six weeks of Eat to Live, followed by a vegan (whole foods plant based) diet.  I hated Eat to Live before, but it's because I'm not a great cook and wanted things easy.  This time around, I am trying to make it better by meal planning.  Sundays will be my cooking/prep day where I will make a large batch of soup or chili for my lunches during the week, and make some sort of casserole that can be reheated for my dinners.  I want things to taste good, otherwise it will be torture and I'll give up.

I will admit, while my decision to move to vegan was initially a health-based decision, after watching the documentary Earthlings, my decision is becoming more and more about the animals.  I recommend watching it if you're having trouble committing to a vegetarian or vegan diet.  I also recommend the Oprah's Super Soul Conversations podcast on the 8 Pillars of Health.  Both of these may change your life.

~ Alisa ~

Welcome!

Thank you for joining me on my journey to becoming vegan!

~ Alisa ~