My first Veganiversay!!!

Exactly one year ago, I wrote this post.

What have I learned in a year as a vegan?

So many things!!! First, I learned that being vegan is not as difficult as I imagined it would be.

I was that girl, the one who said, "I could probably go vegetarian, but never vegan! I love cheese way too much." Ha! Nope, cheese is a distant memory of mine now. And I do remember it tasting delicious, but I also remember the nasty effects of it, mostly IBS-related. Now, I crave cheese-free foods like pizza. I didn't ever find a vegan "cheese" that I liked, so I simply learned to live without cheese. Ant it's really not that hard. Well, not hard at all after a year. :-)

Another lesson: It's okay to order special when out to eat. I have had to get over my fear of upsetting the server and/or chef. I'm used to saying things like, "Is that cooked with butter? If so, could you please either cook it in olive oil instead, or just cook it without any sauce/oil?" and "I'll order the thin crust pizza with NO cheese, extra sauce, and piled high with extra veggies." also, "Can I put a meal together with side items? Great, I'll have the steamed broccoli (no butter!), the baked potato (no butter!), and a large garden salad (no croutons or cheese, oil and vinegar on the side)."

No need to be militant about it. If I am starving, and the only thing available is a granola bar that "may contain traces of dairy or eggs", I choose eating the granola bar over going hungry. This reminds me of another lesson-

Always be prepared! I have taken to carrying a Lara bar or other vegan bar in my purse at all times, usually accompanied with a baggie of dried fruit and/or nuts. This helps if I'm ever out and about and unable to get home to my vegan goodies but am hungry.

Quantity and Quality are both important, which is where being a healthy vegan really comes in handy... Vegetables and fruits (well, most of them anyway) are very low calorie and very high fiber. Eat up!!! No need to choose between quantity and quality. I eat about 10-12 servings of vegetables and fruits daily. Why? Because they are delicious and filling. They have really helped me to "beat the binge" (for the most part. I still have slip-ups every now and then, see my WW.com blog if you must...)

There are a lot of vegan junk foods out there. It's not too hard to gain weight as a vegan, despite the fact that 90% of vegans are not overweight (or something to that effect, a statistic that I read on Peta, I think, so take that one with a grain of salt...). Oreos, potato chips, redvines, soy/almond/rice ice cream, corn chips, etc.... But I have learned that all of these foods are fine in moderation! However, there are some items on this list that are definately "trigger" foods for me and binges, which I will periodically avoid just to cleanse my mind of these foods.

Non-vegan Family and friends can be really supportive. Just bringing my own dish or a package of oreos to parties and events has been a life saver for me, and family and friends have NEVER minded that I bring food along. A year in now, they will usually think of me and have a dish or two at the party that is vegan (or, a dish that they thought would be okay for me, like bacon-soaked green beans... "What? They're vegetarian, no milk and no meat actually in there..." I had to laugh at that one.)

But there will always be people who aren't so supportive. People who are maybe jealous? I don't know. I haven't actually run into many of these guys yet, but I'm ready for them if I do! Veganism is something that I feel pretty strongly about, and no one is going to convince me to go back to meat and dairy.

...I still miss sushi. I only ate sushi annually (birthday!) since it was so expensive. But it was one of my favorite foods in the world, and I do still miss my birthday treat. I am considering going for sushi on my birthday this year and trying the vegan options for the first time, like an avocado roll.

Healthy vegan eating can and WILL result in weight loss, with or without a program (if you need to lose weight, of course!). I don't see how it couldn't. I've obviously followed Weight Watchers for most of my vegan journey, but I really think that if all one ate were healthy vegan foods (beans, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, healthy oils, etc.), that even without calorie or points counting, weight loss would follow.

One can be a healthy vegan eater without being a master chef. See any of my "open a can" recipes for proof of this. ;-)

I feel lighter than I did when I ate animal products. Not just physically lighter, but emotionally lighter. No more guilt for eating animals, no more guilt for contributing to animal suffering. Veganism is one thing that I have done JUST FOR ME, and since making the decision to go vegan, I have made one healthy decision after another. Health leads to health. Happiness attracts more happiness. :-)

I'm positive that there are more lessons that I've learned, but these are the ones that are on my mind right now.

Happy veganiversary to me!!!

One year VEGAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vegan Food Pyramid

I'm writing a paper for my English Comp II class about vegan nutrition. It's thesis is, "A vegan diet can provide adequate nutrition."

This paper has made me really think: Am I getting adequate nutrition? What could I be doing better, to not only write the paper, but to be an example of a healthy vegan?

I found this picture by googling "vegan food pryamid". Here's some guidelines for a healthy vegan diet that I also found. Click on the picture above to go straight to the source if you want to! I found it to be a very imformative site.

Legumes: 2 or more servings per day

group includes beans, peas, lentils, tempeh, tofu, and meat/dairy substitutes. source of fiber, protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins.

Vegetables: 3 or more servings per day

group includes broccoli, collards, kale, carrots, and sweet potatoes, etc. Source of Vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, and fiber

Fruit: 3 or more servings per day

group include citrus fruits, melons, berries, bananas, and apples, etc.. Source of fiber, Vitamin C, and beta-carotene.

Whole Grains: 6-11 servings per day

group includes bread, rice, pasta, hot or cold cereal, corn, millet, barly, bulgur, buckwheat, oats, and tortillas. Source of fiber, complex carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and zinc.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria commonly found in the bodies of animals. Vegetables are not reliable sources of B12. Vegans should include reliable sources of B12 in their diet by consuming a multi-vitamin, a B12 supplement, or foods fortified with B12.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids

Most people consume too much fat, but few peopel get enough of the healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. These essential fats can be found in walnuts, canola oil, and flax seeds. For maximum absorbtion, flax seeds should be ground up in a blender or coffee grinder, then added to smoothies or sprinkled on top of other foods. Flax seeds are also rich in protein, potassium, magnesium, boron, and lignans, which may help to prevent cancer.

Vitamin D and Calcium

Vitamin D and calcium are important in bone formation. Vitamin D can be obtained from sunlight exposure. Vegans who get little sunlight, or those who live at high latitudes, should take a vitamin D supplement or consume fortified soymilk or rice milk. Vegans should also get 3 servings of high calcium foods each day, such as kale, broccoli, collard greens, and fortified soymilk and orange juice.

WOW. I need to reevaluate my diet a bit. I haven't been taking my multivitamin regularly (and as you can see from this post, I have no excuses) and I don't eat any fortified products. If I don't clean up my act soon, I could face some consequences.

To me, this is just another reason that veganism is so healthy for people. It forces me to really think about nutrition. I have to try to get a good balance of everything in order to be healthy. As a non-vegan Weight Watcher, I hardly ever thought about these things.

Are you getting in your nutrients,

or are you like me, and have been slacking?

Oprah's vegan challenge!

I apologize for a lack of paragraphs. I cannot figure out why blogger keeps taking my paragraphs away! I will put every other paragraph in bold, to help make this easier to read...

I feel like I'm in the minority here, but I loved the vegan Oprah episode! Also, I think that both Michael Pollan and Kathy Freston were very good sources of information. Both furthered our cause.

First off, in case you missed this story completely, here's the gist:

Oprah decided to challenge the entire crew of Harpo to go vegan for one week. It was entirely optional, but a lot of people signed up!

The entire wealthy staff was handed big bags of freebies from Whole Foods and Kashi (can you tell I'm bitter about this?) to get them started.

In the episode, one of Oprah's correspondents visited a factory farm. One of the "good ones" that "treat the animals with dignity". Pfft.

They showed a LOT. I cried, as I always do when I watch animals walk to their deaths. They started with showing the cows in a cramped lot, being force-fed corn products to fatten them up.

Then they showed the cows being led to slaughter...

Next, though they were unable to film the actual killing (yes, let's call a spade a spade, shall we?) we watched the reporter's face as she watched the cows being stunned with rods being shoved violently through their skulls (from behind, to preserve the animal's dignity, of course).

I don't know why the cameras couldn't show that part even though the next part was just as graphic. Cows being drained of blood, skinned, cut in half. It was pretty graphic. Having just seen these beautiful animals as alive in the previous scene, I was very sad. :-(

Of course, this part at the factory farm wasn't that long, but it was the most shocking.

The rest of the episode was Michael Pollan talking about food from his angle. And Oprah asking the veganist (Kathy Freston) about if it was "okay" to eat eggs from chickens if you know for a fact that they are ridiculously happy to give the eggs away. Kathy said, "Yes, but most people don't have access to that." and Oprah said, "Most people don't. But I do!!!" ...kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but... sigh. (You know what else you could have access to, Oprah? A live-in vegan chef!!!)

Michael Pollan is NOT a vegan. Kathy Freston is. Oprah does not appear to be choosing to remain vegan, but some of her staff is. The benefits of veganism were discussed, as well as the benefits to keeping some animal protein in your diet.

Kathy Freston showed how easy it is to switch from meat and dairy to veganism. I love that she showed a bunch of fake meat and cheese as well as fresh options, like beans, grains, and produce. I think that anyone starting out needs those starter things like fake meat. I still cook with it occassionally, it's really good! No shame in the fake stuff. :-)

Michael Pollan's take on who should or should not eat meat is a bit different from mine. He thinks that if someone knows exactly where the meat comes from and can deal with the knowledge, they should eat meat. Me, I think that the only people who should eat animals are the ones who would be willing to kill the animals themselves (hunters, indigenous tribes, fishermen, etc.).

But overall, I think that this episode is a big step in the right direction, and I thank Oprah for doing this.

P.S. After watching this with me, Stacey has agreed to do "Meatless Mondays" at our house!!! YAY!!!

My honest thoughts about who should be vegan...

I have done some major soul-searching since going vegan. It was a big decision, and continues to be a big part of my life. I love being vegan!

It really helps me to know that no living being suffers for my food. All that crap that I read in Skinny Bitch about how eating meat and dairy is like eating the pain of the animals... it's finally ringing true to me.

It wasn't until I went vegan that I started to love myself, really love myself. Veganism is another reason to love myself. Even though I don't get a picture of an animal I saved by being vegan every month by mail (which would be awesome! Why doesn't PETA do something like that?) I know that animals are being saved by me. And that makes me feel so good. So warm and fuzzy.

Plus, I don't miss meat and dairy. It's a lot easier to be vegan than I thought it would be! I feel lighter, more beautiful, and more care-free on a vegan diet.

Why am I a vegan? Because it just makes sense for me.

Should you be a vegan? It is a completely personal choice. I don't think that everyone should be vegan. That makes me different from a lot of vegans, I know! :-) I don't like to preach about veganism; It makes me feel funny. Even though I don't eat meat or dairy, I'm not perfect. I still use products that have probably been tested on animals on a regular basis. I wish that weren't the case, but I'm on a tight budget and can't always go cruelty-free. :-(

My stance on who should eat meat:

If you would be willing to kill it yourself, eat it. If you can honestly say that you would be willing to break a chicken's neck, slit a pig's throat, bleed a cow to death... then, you should eat meat. If you hunt or fish, you should eat what you kill, not hunt or fish for sport. I believe that hunting and fishing for food is just fine, and it's how many people around the world survive. Plus, it's been done since the beginning of time.

But if you are just being willfully ignorant about what your food is (yes, that fried chicken used to be an animal, same with your beef patty, your turkey burger, your tuna salad and your bacon), you claim to love animals, you say that you care about animal rights, and would NEVER kill an animal for food, then in my opinion you should be a vegan***.

***Of course, if your doctor has told you that you will die without animal products, then just try to eat them in moderation. Every little bit helps!

Hopefully this clears up some questions that people ask me about why I'm vegan. Of course, this entire blog post is my opinions, not necessarily facts. :-)

I also want to say that I would never judge anyone based on their diet. It's none of my business what anyone eats. This is just my honest opinion about who should and shouldn't be eating meat.

Vegan compliment

I think that I've mentioned on this blog that I belong to Curves. My mom and I go together at least three times a week most weeks.

Anyway, one of the ladies who works there gave me some pretty big compliments yesterday.

She started by asking for vegan book recommendations!!! I told her all about The Kind Diet of course. How it was the book that changed my life, literally. She wrote it down.

She told me that she has noticed that not only have I lost a lot of weight since going vegan, but I carry myself with more confidence and appear much happier and healthier.

!!!!!

This is the moment that I have been waiting for since beginning The Kind Diet. Not only have I noticed that I'm happier and healthier, but now I know that others are noticing, too. And apparently I carry myself with confidence now. Me. Confidence!

:-)

I don't even remember telling her that I was vegan, but I guess that back in April when I made the switch I was so proud that I told anyone who would listen.

My point is, hang in there. If you are newly vegan, or just considering it, (or "flirting", as Alicia says), what the book claims about the health benefits are true.

And I am not the only one who notices my improved health and outlook on life. It's obvious to everyone now.

And, I may have inspired someone to give veganism a try. To this vegan, there is no greater reward than that!

Easy-Peasy-One Two Threesie!

How is it that being vegan, something that I always thought of as being so difficult, is so easy?

Years ago, when I was a vegetarian, I would say, "No way could I ever be vegan. I could never give up my cheese!"

Months ago, when I started the vegetarian transition again, I said the same thing. "How can I give up pizza? I'll give up the pepperoni, but NEVER the cheese! It's too delicious!!!"

So how is it that I've been vegan now for over a month, with very few difficulties? Why was there such fear of failure going into this?

I'm not sure. There is definately a stigma about veganism. People think that it's too difficult. That it's nearly impossible. That all vegans eat is vegetables, fruit, nuts, and seeds.

There is a BIG DIFFERENCE between veganism and raw veganism. I am pretty sure that I never will be a raw vegan. I'm pretty sure that I would never want to be. It's not for everyone, and I think I'm one of the people that it's not for.

However, it is very easy for me to be vegan. I don't feel deprived at all. I'm eating all sorts of delicious foods every day. For example, this is today's menu (typical work day menu):

breakfast: PB&J on a whole wheat sandwich thin, banana

lunch: bean and rice burrito, carrots

dinner: avacado, EVOO, salsa, Daiya "cheese", wasa crispbread; brown rice

snacks: Tofutti cutie (vegan ice cream sandwich), broccoli and cauliflower

I would love to be not eating any processed foods, and I am still working on that. But for now I think that I've found a sustainable and happy medium that I can stick with and enjoy. It works for me!

Veganism rocks.

Confession: I've already gotten lazy!

No surprise for those who actually know me. I cooked for a week and a half, and then stopped being creative with my meals!

My basic meals now are still vegan, and some are even superhero, but most are very easy and quick. For instance, I am eating bean burritos at least every other day. Refried beans, salsa, tortilla, and sometimes (if I'm feeling creative) some brown rice and a bit of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Easy, vegan, delicious. But I feel like I'm eating too much processed foods in the tortillas. The last ones I got were from Whole Foods, and only contained like two ingredients, so not too processed, but still. Alicia was very clear about limiting the whole grain products and focusing more on the whole grains themselves. So I need to watch out for that. But still enjoy my bean burritos, because they are great, vegan, and easy!

The other popular meal I eat almost daily is beans and rice. I cook a big pot of brown rice on the weekend and eat it through the week. My favorite rice meal? A bowl with brown rice, white beans, sunflower seeds, EVOO, and a dash of sea salt. Yum! But almost every night I have beans and rice in some sort or another.

I have found a very easy, very lazy way to be a clean-eating vegan. Leave it to me, right?

I am determined to learn to cook at least one meal from TKD next week, even if it kills me. I need to cook if I'm going to make this diet last a lifetime!

Saying "no" to honey, wool, leather, and silk...

Time for me to talk about the parts of veganism that don't really affect my health, but are very important to the cause.

Honey, wool, leather, and silk:

These are the items that I haven't really thought about much in my transition to vegan eating. But I really should! They all contribute to the exploitation and death of animals, which is one of the main reasons that I became vegan.

Honey:

First of all, bees are animals. Bees are sensative animals that, like animals on the factory farms, can't speak up and defend themselves, so people like me have to do it. I need to stop eating anything that contains honey, even traces of it. I no longer want to support the honeybee industry. I had no idea how badly the poor bees had it until I read this article: http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm

Wool:

This will be a tough one for me, because I love a good wool sweater in the winter. And I intend on still wearing the ones that I own, because it won't do anyone any good if I throw them away. Also, if I just HAVE to have something wool, I will just buy used. That way I'm not really contributing to the wool industry, I'm contributing to Goodwill or the Army Salvation. Here's the article that helped me wake up to how bad wool really is: http://www.veganviews.org.uk/vv77/vv77wool.html

Leather:

This one is more obvious. Hello, of course the cow had to die in order for us to use its skin for fashion/furniture/car interiors/etc. So if I'm not going to eat the cow, I shouldn't use its skin for the same reasons: animal rights and environmental issues. Like wool, I will continue to use my leather items until they break or I donate them. Here is a great, eye-opening page full of articles about the production of leather: http://www.cowsarecool.com/wsarecool.com/

Silk:

Like honey, I never thought of silk as being cruelty to animals. I mean, worms are just like bees: I hated them and avoided them, and was kind of scared of them! But this is different than just cringeing when I see a bunch of worms after a rain storm, and freezing in fright when a bee comes anywhere near my face. This is about mass production of silk from silkworms, and the torture and murder of innocent unknowing beings. Here's a great article that is very informative about the silk industry (actually this one talks about down too, something else I should have mentioned!) : http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=121

I'm not giving anything up!

I keep reading articles written by vegans about how they are not giving anything up by being vegan. And I finally get it!

When I wanted to be vegan, all I could think about was never eating cheese again. How will I live without ordering a big cheese pizza every once in awhile? And what about birthday cake and ice cream at parties? And the cookies that I make with my parents and brother at Christmas? I wouldn't be allowed to eat those, either?!

Now, I get it. I'm not giving anything up. I no longer WANT to eat things with animal products in them. I want to focus on eating a plant-based diet. I don't want meat, dairy, or eggs to be in anything that I eat. Therefore, I'm not giving anything up. What I want to eat has changed.

I'm sure that I will still get cravings for dairy, when I'm at a party and I'm standing near the cheese plate (those little cubes of cheese look so cute and tasty, one wouldn't hurt me, right?) or when birthday cake is getting passed around (there aren't many eggs or much milk used to make this cake, is there?). But it will pass, and I will remember why I chose to be vegan.

Yes, I CHOSE to be vegan, I don't HAVE to be. No one is forcing me to abstain from consuming animal products. Nope, this is something that I WANT.

I'm not giving anything up. I'm just eating differently now. :-)

And it feels great.

My "first" trip to Whole Foods...

My first trip there in a loooooong time anyway. And my first trip there as a vegan. It was fun to find all the items recommended in TKD. I did get a couple of processed vegan junk food items: Rice Dream Mint Chocolate Pies, Newman's Own oreos... some sort of seaweed rice crackers.

And yes, I have already tried all three of these, and the verdict is delicious! I only ate two bites of the Rice Dream thing, because I was admitedly intimidated by the nutrition label: 330 calories and 19 grams of fat. Yeah, definately not an everyday food. But I agree with Alicia when she recommended these as spectacularly evil-tasting vegan junk food.

The seaweed rice crackers taste good, but healthy, which is my way of saying that they are not greasy like chips. But not salted cardboard, either. Good.

On to the healthy items I purchased: quinoa, barley, millet, whole wheat couscous, aduzki beans (sp?), red beans, kidney beans, black beans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds, collard greens, sweet potatoes, whole grain tortillas, nori, miso paste, brown rice pasta.

I ultimately decided against getting the umeboshi plums. I've heard so many bad reviews about them, and they cost $15.99, which just isn't in the budget right now. I know that some day I will get suckered into trying the "Magic Weight Loss Tea", but that day was not yesterday. They were out of brown rice syrup! I was sad, because that was something that I really want to try. Next time...

And yesterday was tax-free day at WF, so I got away without paying sales tax. Awesome. Today I get to start trying new whole grains, which are now the staple of my diet. I'm very excited to see what quinoa tastes like, I've heard nothing but positive reviews.

I will let you all know what I think after I try it. This weekend I will be experimenting not just with grains, but with miso soup and steamed greens for breakfast. Sounds foreign, but I'm game to try anything.

Dairy Dreams

Last night, a big part of my dream was me drinking milk. Now, I've never really been one to drink straight milk, so I can only assume this is a crazy part of detoxing from dairy. In the dream, I kept on opening up and consuming more and more of those little school-lunch milk cartons. I remember that they were 2% and that nothing had ever tasted so good to me. (Oh, and I was at the zoo with my friend Zachary Ty Bryan--note: he's not my friend in real life.)

Then at the end of the dream, I suddently remembered that I was vegan, and sunk to the ground, crying. It was very dramatic. And funny in retrospect.

100% Vegan as of RIGHT NOW!

... and I feel great about it.

Last night I had an epiphany, and I just went with it. I didn't want to eat that lean cuisine pizza, and I never wanted to again. So I just did it. No more dairy! No more eggs! No more processed things full of strange and sugary ingredients. Of course, that last one isn't a forever thing as much as dairy and eggs are. I'm sure that I'll still eat some processed junk foods, but they will be vegan, and they will be limited.

I'm really looking forward to the changes that this lifestyle will bring to me. I already feel better, inside and out. I've been vegan for four days now, but TODAY is the first day I'm committed to it as a permanent lifestyle change.

Here's today's meal plan, just to give you an idea of how I eat:

breakfast: almonds and a banana
lunch: brown rice, bean trio, turnip greens, extra virgin olive oil
dinner: bean and rice burrito (frozen, Amy's), side salad
snacks: air-popped popcorn w/ extra virgin olive oil, raisins

The thing that I would love to "fix" is breakfast. I don't have time in the mornings, and need something to go. A piece of fruit and a handful of nuts or seeds is what I've done for a week now, and it's good and satisfying, but it's boring.

Over the weekend I ate oatmeal with fruit and peanut butter mixed in, which was delicious! But I can't eat that through the week because of time. Plus, I'm rarely hungry when I first wake up, I need an hour or so to feel hunger. I usually end up eating at my desk at work, which is frowned upon, so I have to have something that I can "sneak" and a banana and some nuts or seeds works pretty well for that. I'm hoping to find a recipe for vegan granola bars that I can make at home and take on the go. That would be great!

Anway, what else is there to tell? Oh, I did my first "hot body scrub" last night. I plan to continue to do this at night and see if it really helps. It definately felt nice! (For those who are curious, it's from the book, and is just scrubbing your whole body, head to toe, with a steaming hot washcloth). I'm also considering getting the ingredients for the umeboshi-daikon tea, that supposedly helps to speed up weight loss.

To me, that's not as important as eating right and exercising most days. It would be a great bonus if it worked, though, to lose a bit faster. Alicia says that if you follow all of the suggestions on "how to lose weight quicker" you will lose a couple of pounds a week. Sounds awesome, but really I'm fine with a rate of one pound a week. That will have me at my goal by some time in 2011, which is soon enough for me! Especially because this time, I'm staying there, because I know how to eat and how to treat my body.

Feeling Guilty about a lean cuisine?!

Who would have thought that I would ever feel badly about eating a lean cuisine? Not I. I have always thought that my beloved little cheese pizza was the epitome of healthy eating. WRONG. I actually have three pure vegan days under my belt right now. It's crazy, I was planning on doing the every-other-day thing, but ended up having a very vegan weekend.

And tonight I have planned to eat a lean cuisine pizza. It's a cheese pizza, so at least it's vegetarian. But it has a lot of cheese, or cheese-like-product, all over it. So at least one cow suffered to make this delicious little pizza, and I don't want to eat it.

Plus, my body has been detoxing both from dairy and simple sugars, which are both in this pizza. So how can I go back to eating this now, just to make sure that I don't "waste" any food? It doesn't seem right.

I think that I am going to speed things up a bit. I don't think that I can eat that pizza. I may have to give it away. But if I do end up eating it, I'm not going to feel badly about it afterwards. I think that I'm almost to the point where I want to throw my hands in the air and declare, "I am vegan, hear me roar!"

We shall see. I'll let you know what I decided tomorrow.

Week One- Thoughts.

Okay, so I know that it says in the weight-ticker over there that I lost 2.6 pounds last week. That's both true and misleading. This is actually the weight I lost between March 29 and today. So it's for two weeks. But since I skipped my April 5 weigh-in, 195.6 was the weight that I knew when I started this blog.

So really the average weekly loss is probably 1.3, not 2.6. Which is still AWESOME! My goal for 2010 was to lose an average of one pound a week, and so far I'm pretty much doing that. And it looks like since I stopped tracking by calories/ww points I'm still losing well.

I'm really trying to honor my hunger signals as discussed in The Kind Diet as well as putting my meals together with the 50% vegetables, 25% protein, 25% whole grain, or 50% vegetables and 50% whole grain formulas in mind. And chewing well! I really practiced my chewing over the weekend and realized that I don't need or even want as much food as I used to. When I chew really well, I eat about half of what I had planned for.

And I've discovered that I really love beans. All kinds! I have been eating canned, but this weekend I bought a bag of dried and will be trying those out this week. I also really need to get some more grains, because although I'm really loving the brown rice, I know that if that's what I keep basing my lunches and dinners around I'll be doomed to get bored of it soon.

Over all, I've learned that being vegan won't be as difficult as I have always thought it would be. It will be hardest when at family events and when going out to eat. For example, my mom's birthday is next month and I know that I will probably eat a piece of cake, which will have both eggs and dairy in it. But according to Alicia, that cake won't even taste right to me after a month of clean, vegan eating. We shall see.