Tomorrow, or 'today' as most of you reading will refer to it, marks the six week anniversary of The Great Cheese Cutback/My Vegan Transformation/The Latest Crazy Thing I'm Doing. It has been slightly tumultous, but not nearly like I thought it would be. I did a form-type thing again, but I added some grocery list samples to lighten the mood a bit.
Biggest Change I Consciously Made:
~Probably cutting out soda cold-turkey. This isn't even a vegan thing, but I'm really secure in this decision as part of my overall goal to be healthier and happier.
Biggest Change I Subconsciously Made:
~After I cut back on cheese, it made more sense to me to start cutting back on all dairy and introducing substitutes already. I also completely stopped using dairy or eggs in my own cooking, only when others cook for me or I go out to eat have I consumed them. I never set out to reach levels of this journey that I have so quickly, but I am glad that it's happening.
Things I Need Improvement On:
~Remembering how little coffee it takes to actually boost my energy now; cutting back on refined sugar; reading ingredient lists to avoid accidental ingestion; talking about it less and driving non-dieting/non-vegan people less crazy; keeping fruits and veggies stocked so I'm not tempted to backslide; adding an exercise plan (to go into effect immediately upon my show closing).
Old List of Grocery Staples:
~Milk, eggs, coffee creamer, coffee, three different kinds of cheese (at least), pasta, pasta sauce, bananas, fake meat, bread, a certain soda.
New List of Grocery Staples:
~Nuts, Rice milk, bananas, blood oranges, coffee, chocolate rice milk (as opposed to creamer), pasta, pasta sauce, brown rice, more veggies than I feel like taking the time to list, whole-grain bread or whole-grain tortillas, real juice.
How I Feel:
~Pretty great, actually! I've said before that the results of eating healthy and sticking to my guns far outweigh the instant gratification that I used too (and occasionally still do, it just has a different form) seek from food, and it still rings true. Additionally, I do have a good bit of energy that I'm not used too. I get out of bed at a decent hour (according to my lifestyle) naturally, and even after a draining rehearsal I still have energy to hang out with people/get a little more work done/attempt some late-night yoga/etc. This is a huge and amazing change in my life.
Things I'm Still Not Happy About:
~Some substitutes are a little pricey; eating out is a little tricky (although I'm getting my footing pretty well); figuring out the balance of nutrients is a bit time-consuming; I am utterly terrified to travel out of the Twin Cities and see what happens, restaurant-wise. This is a major issue for someone who gets as wanderlusty as me, but I am hoping around mid-March to be able to force myself to face it; I am trying to fix a mental issue (dependance on food for comfort/reward/punishment) physically (cutting out problem foods), which can be done by sheer force of willpower. It's not a perfect method, however. I still struggle not to let me old demons rear their nasty head, and It's made for some pretty emotional nights. However, the end result of nights that I DO resist is a surge of self-esteem and empowerment, and that almost makes it worth it.
I think that just about covers everything. I bared my soul a little towards the end there, but don't be too sad for me! I'm doing pretty good and feeling pretty good-who could ask for more?
Peace, passion, and love.
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