Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Plan So Far....

Alrighty, so as some of you know - next week, beginning on Monday, I am going Vegan for 30 days! This is going to be an amazing experience and I look forward to learning new things about food & plant-based nutrition from this first hand experience!

I've learned over the past few days that "Vegan" can mean lots of different things. There are "hardcore" Vegans that cut out all processed foods and live primarily on whole grains, veggies & fruits. Some are so involved, they cut out all forms of sugars, natural & artificial, including honey! Then there are the more "lax" Vegans that allow themselves to eat processed grains (like tortilla wraps and pasta) but still keep their meals free of animal products. I've been toying with the idea of which degree of Vegan I will be doing, and honestly I'm still thinking about it.

Initially, I wanted to go hardcore Vegan and then back down to regular vegan if hardcore is too intense. However, upon thinking seriously about this, I realized that my issues with food (mentioned in prior blogs) might cause a monumental freak out if I go hardcore too quickly. I don't want to drop everything out of my diet, change it too drastically and then trigger a binge of epic proportions.

So I believe I have decided to reverse this plan. I am going to start out as regular Vegan - lots of fruits, veggies & whole grain (yet perhaps processed) grains. If it had a pulse (or came from something that had a pulse) it won't go into my mouth at all beginning next Monday. If after the first week, I determine that I am ready for a more intensive challenge, then perhaps I shall slowly progress into hardcore Vegan territory.

I will do my absolute best to keep everything 100% Vegan the entire month. However, if the hubby and I go out to eat at a restaurant and the only option is keeping vegetarian (but not Vegan) - I am not going to freak out about this. I understand that this is a lifestyle adaptation for a lot of people, and that is the mindset I aim to have throughout this process.

I really look forward to sharing all of my experiences with you! Until then, I am going to keep nutrition healthy, but I'm not looking to drop weight this week - I'm maintaining my weight and that's okay with me for now. Hopefully weight loss will be a perk of the Vegan Investigation!

No comments:

Post a Comment