15 Reasons Why I love being Vegetarian

1. I have discovered that I love many vegetables I had never tried before (like eggplant).

2. I have a greater appreciation for other cultures.

3. When I go out-of-town I eat at new and interesting restaurants instead of franchises. (I look up vegan places a head of time).

4. When I watch movies with an environmental agenda (like Avatar) I feel good about myself knowing that I am helping the environment every day.

5. I rarely get sick to my stomach (this is big for me).

6. It regularly leads to interesting conversations with people.

7. I always have an easy out when offered sketchy food.

8. I am able to look my dog in the eye and not feel guilty because I am not eating animals with the same ability to love as she has.

9. I realized how much a LOVE hot tea.

10. I feel more compassionate toward other people because of the compassion I have found for animals.

11. I feel a deeper connection to all animals.

12. Two Words: ALMOND MILK.

13.  Gaining control over my diet makes me feel in control of other aspects of my life too.

14. Pooping (especially when vegan) happens regularly, with minimal effort, and feels amazing.

15. I have the pleasure of cooking way more often than most college students, and feed myself healthy satisfying meals.

Hiking Is Soup For My Soul

The Gorgeous View

Last weekend I went hiking with my family, and it was definitely one of the most fun “work outs” I have had in a while. I say work out in quotations; because, It honestly did not feel like a work out. I was far too busy enjoying myself to worry about distance, or pace, or calories. We visited the Carl Sandburg house in Hendersonville, NC. This weekend was the third or fourth time that I have hiked that trail. Next time I am in the mountains I am going to make a point to find some new ones, then I will really feel like an adventurer. Also, I am definitely going to look into some parks or something around here to explore.

 

My sister, Tinkerbell (My dog), and I on the trail.

Spinach Banana Smoothie

The past few days I have been drinking smoothies for breakfast. The thought process behind this is that first of all I want to add more raw foods (especially vegetables) to my diet. I LOVE LOVE LOVE vegetables, but I prefer them cooked. In this smoothie I get all of the benefits of raw spinach, but it is completely masked by the banana flavor.

Ingredients:

• Banana
• Spinach
• Almond Milk
• Ice

The proportions are really up to you. I use one banana (preferrably a little brown they’re sweeter), about two cups of fresh spinach, about two cups of ice, and just enough almond milk to get the ingredients to mix in the blender.

Mix it up.

The Final Product.

This smoothie is really creamy and sweet (with out being too sweet). It is exactly what I want first thing in the morning.

My Body

 

I think that I have been procrastinating on writing another post; because, I do not have the results that I have been hoping for. Deep. Breath. Here it goes. I have not lost any weight. None. Zero. I have been completely vegan, and worked out like a crazy person, and the scale has stayed put.  

BUT just because I have not had the results I wanted or expected does not mean that I have not had some results. I am definitely looking more toned. That sounds cliché, but I swear it is the honest to goodness truth. My calves have not looked this awesome in years. My stomach is much flatter and my arms are looking thinner and more muscular. Honestly, I am thrilled.  

I think that my lack of weight loss is a direct result of eating too many calories. I really do not want to write down everything I eat, and calculate exactly how many calories I am eating throughout the day. I think that this method is obsessive an unnatural. Right now my game plan is to eat more raw fruits and vegetables. No one got fat eating fruit and veggies. Also I just need to eat more consciously and continue doing what I’m doing.  

I do feel a little frustrated, but I am still hopeful.

A “Bad” Work Out

You know those days where you finish your work out and feel completely pumped? Everything felt great and came surprisingly easy? You met or exceeded all of your expectations and it was not nearly as difficult as you had anticipated? Yeah I know those days too. They are great huh!

 Well today was absolutely not one of them. I did the 5K distance (3.1 miles) on the treadmill at the gym. I walked for 3 min at a 3 mph pace and then ran for 2 minutes at a 5mph pace. It felt so hard tonight. I know that all of you real runners are out there scoffing and rolling your eyes right now (hopefully not too long from now I will look back and roll my eyes too), but I’m sure you have also been frustrated with a similar work out experience at some point (right?). I did this work out a few days ago, and it took me a little longer, (I started at a slower pace, then decided to pick it up) but it was so much easier then. It took me 48 minutes tonight. I think that this is a good place to be right now. Of course I want to cut off some time. My goal is to run the whole race.

 The good thing about today’s “bad workout” was that even though it felt harder I still finished. I stuck with my plan and kept with it the entire time! That is an accomplishment right?!? If I can pick a goal and stay with it on an off day, then I know I can definitely do it on a good day. The fact that I was able to be focused on my goals means that I am on track. (It also means that I need to do some tweaking to my diet).

Why I Became a Vegetarian

I am an animal lover. Growing up my family had a dog, a cat, a guinea pig, a lizard and a variety of fish. A few times in my childhood I swore off meat, but when you are young, and have little control over what is available; it can be tough. I ended up eating a lot of peanut butter and jelly.

Two summers ago a friend of mine read the book Skinny Bitch and decided to eat a vegan diet. Let me tell you… that girl looked amazing! She looked like a completely different person (in a great way). She just seemed more alive. I read her copy and immediately made the switch. I noticed an immediate difference. Within days of changing my diet I felt better. 

I was a stringent vegan for the summer, but when I went back to college in the fall I quickly fell back into my old ways (meat, soda, grilled cheese). Bad stuff. I know! The difference was that meat never tasted the same to me again. After I had done without it for those months I could not enjoy eating animal products the same way again.

In January 2009 I officially made the switch to vegetarian. It was a New Years resolution, which thankfully I was able to follow through with. I have been really happy with my diet. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. It makes me feel good that I am standing up for animals.

I am really interested in animal rights. I really want to spread the word that vegetarians can do anything that anyone else can do and that animal protein is not essential to human functioning.

First Post

I always feel like the beginning of an adventure is the most exhilarating and also the most difficult. Starting a blog seems like something very remarkable (maybe I’m taking this too seriously), but choosing a starting place feels like a challenge. I am a complex person. I have a dynamic personality. How do I begin to show that? I hope that the correct way for me to start this project is to explain why I chose to “publish” my personal life.

I am a vegetarian and recently I discovered a wealth of information on Matt’s blog nomeatathlete.com . Matt is also a vegetarian and he is an amazing runner. Many of my friends/family members have given me some discouraging advice pertaining to my diet. They had me really questioning whether I should consider adding meat back to my diet for weight-loss purposes. Nomeathathlete gave me the support that I needed to make a personal decision, which was (of course) to continue abstaining from animal products.

I think that what sets me apart is that I am a normal woman who has been a vegetarian consistently for a year and a half (off and on before that), and I am now looking to lose weight and get in shape while refusing to include animal products in my diet. Many of the people on Matt’s blog lost weight when they eliminated meat (I did not see any change). I will not be making the leap from omnivore to herbivore, so I will not be dealing with those variables.

I want for this blog to be my opportunity to make a stand for animal rights, and also to chart my journey through some drastic life changes.