First of all: YAY! I lost weight last week! That is a double edged sword right now. There is the part of me (this is the part I want to get stronger and be around all the time) that says "Just think of how much more you may have lost had you stayed on course all week!." This is a good thing because it's motivational - how much better can I do? Then, there is the bad part of me that says "Wow - look at all the bad things you ate and still lost weight!" This is not a good thing and I need to nip it in the bud right now.
So, in the interest of trying to force myself to make the right choices, eat healthier, and stay on track I am doing something I've never done before. I'm giving up something for Lent. Meat. Yes - I am going to be a vegetarian the next 40 days. This is going to be difficult for me because all the quick easy meals I know have meat in them and I'm not sure I can force my family to go meatless with me. I've never been sucessful at giving up food before but if I'm going to start with something I'm better off with meat than I am with chocolate or coffee. I think this is going to be very hard for me and yes, I know I'm supposed to be all gung-ho and supportive of myself but right now I'm not 100% sure I can do it. But I am going to try. I'm going to start with this week and hopefully I'll see another loss on the scale next week which will help motivate me to keep going. At least tonight will be easy - the meal I plan on making is vegetarian anyway. Lightly sautee'd veggies tossed with lemon-ginger fettucine, artichoke hearts and capers.
I really, really will need support on this one!
So, in the interest of trying to force myself to make the right choices, eat healthier, and stay on track I am doing something I've never done before. I'm giving up something for Lent. Meat. Yes - I am going to be a vegetarian the next 40 days. This is going to be difficult for me because all the quick easy meals I know have meat in them and I'm not sure I can force my family to go meatless with me. I've never been sucessful at giving up food before but if I'm going to start with something I'm better off with meat than I am with chocolate or coffee. I think this is going to be very hard for me and yes, I know I'm supposed to be all gung-ho and supportive of myself but right now I'm not 100% sure I can do it. But I am going to try. I'm going to start with this week and hopefully I'll see another loss on the scale next week which will help motivate me to keep going. At least tonight will be easy - the meal I plan on making is vegetarian anyway. Lightly sautee'd veggies tossed with lemon-ginger fettucine, artichoke hearts and capers.
I really, really will need support on this one!
Will you still be having things like eggs and cheese? Is fish okay? I would suggest looking for as many veggie blogs as possible for recipe ideas - it's easy to fall off that wagon if you're not prepared! There are lots of great recipes I've found on blogs like peasandthankyou.com - hers is vegan, but can be altered to meet your simply meat-free needs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the ideas Mary! I will check out peasandthankyou.com. I'm not going full vegan - it's going to be hard enough giving up meat, forget about milk, eggs and cheese! I MAY have fish once in a while but I'm going to try doing it without that. I found some great recipes on the Weight Watchers website too. I'm going to try to make some really tasty meals so that the rest of the family doesn't start squaking about wanting meat!!!
ReplyDelete"Lightly sautee'd veggies tossed with lemon-ginger fettucine, artichoke hearts and capers." MMMM, off to a good start already!
ReplyDeleteYou can do it, girl. I have confidence in you. From what I remember, you are feisty enough that you won't back down from what you really want. You just have to set your mind to it, & the rest will follow.
How open would you be to at least treating yourself to a freshly-blended green smoothie each morning, made of fresh kale, carrots, and some fruit to help get it down (bananas, apples, oranges, lemon), & maybe a little ginger for a kick of energy? This is a good way to get your nutrients in, & keep you full for a while because of all the fiber present in it. I think the more RAW fruits, veggies, nuts, & seeds you can do, the better. Of course, this may take more of a transition, so if you can at least start off with a green smoothie, you will set a good foundation for the rest of the day.
I'm committed to posting a recipe on my facebook page every day for people giving up meat for Lent. Of course, if there is ever a recipe you are craving, let me know & I can help research. I have a ton of cookbooks and recipe sites/blogs I follow. Here are just a few:
·DeliciousTV, has recipes & a podcast of how-to videos: http://delicioustv.com/
·Everyday Dish TV, has a ton of recipes & how-to videos: http://www.everydaydish.tv/
·vegan yum yum (free app available for iPhones, too!): http://veganyumyum.com/
·Have Cake, Will Travel (not all cakes): http://havecakewilltravel.com/recipes/
·The Kind Life (Alicia Silverstone’s site): http://www.thekindlife.com/recipes-gallery
·Finding Vegan (a great aggregator of online Vegan recipes showing a gallery of photos): http://www.findingvegan.com/
·VegWeb: http://vegweb.com/
·101 Cookbooks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/
·Gluten-Free Goddess: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/
·Post Punk Kitchen: http://theppk.com/
·Cake Maker To The Stars (not just cake here though): http://kitteekake.blogspot.com/
·Vegan Dad: http://vegandad.blogspot.com/
·Vegan Feast Kitchen: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.com/p/recipe-pages.html
·Gone Raw: http://goneraw.com/
·VegNews: http://www.vegnews.com
It's not always about the destination, so I'm also looking forward to hearing about your journey.
Oops, I have a few more suggested ingredients for the green smoothie: cucumber (amazing with helping release water that you retain, & very good for the skin & joints), parsley, & cilantro.
ReplyDeleteYou may need to start off with just a little bit of each of the green ingredients, but as you get more accustomed to it, you can start amping it up! :)
Can't believe I forgot this suggested site!
ReplyDeleteHere you go:
FatFree Vegan Kitchen: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/