Maybe (but probably not) you noticed that I've changed the title of my daily accountability post already. Whew...how did I make it an entire day with the same title? :) Anyway, I changed it to Accountability so that I can add to it whatever I need to add as I add it...I'm so great with words.
I've now decided... actually it was decided as I was shoveling the sixth, possibly seventh, spoonful of "sinfully delicious" (as Alaina and I discussed) chocolate chip cookie dough into my mouth...that I'll add a food intake post as well. But before we get there, I'd like to announce that I'm not necessarily trying to lose weight. A year ago I decided to stop eating meat, just to see if I could do it. A friend of mine had read Skinny Bitch and decided to give it a shot. She said one of the biggest changes that she saw was improved skin...read: less acne. As adult acne has been a pain in my side for a number of years, I decided to check into this, as the what felt like thousands of dollars at the dermatologist just wasn't cutting it.
So, for 30 days, I went vegan. I'm not sure if you understand the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan because I certainly didn't, but it's a big one. Vegans eat primarily organic, non-animal based foods...as in has, had, will have, or came from something that has, had, or will have, a face. It is very difficult living in a very small town with very limited groceries to maintain a vegan lifestyle--try finding vegan butter. But the exercise of going vegan for 30 days was to cleanse myself of all that is nasty (and it was a nasty process) and then step back and determine what I could actually do to maintain such a non-animal-eating life. I decided that being vegan was next to impossible for me. There were too many limitations to it for me. Not that I wouldn't do it if I lived within a few miles of Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, but 50 miles from the nearest one just wasn't going to work for me. Plus, it was too expensive for me.
In the end I decided that a vegetarian lifestyle was more suited to me. Although there are vegan foods that I've tried that I refuse to give up...the butter I told you about...yeah, it's freakin' awesome! The main things I stay away from are any meats, high fructose corn syrup (check out your bread labels and let me know how you fare...bread...hfcs...why?), dairy, and processed foods. I try to eat as natural of a diet as I can...although there are some things that just stick around. Non-dairy coffee creamer and an occasional Dr. Pepper are two of those so-bad-for-me things that won't go away. And when I go to restaurants and I have no veggie choices, I always choose fish. I figure it's the lesser of all the evils.
After taking on a vegetarian diet, I did slip up a bit, but since October 2009, I have been faithful to the lifestyle choice. I have lost weight, but that was never my intention with choosing the lifestyle. The main reasons were to feel better, feel less guilty about the cruel treatment the animals receive at the hand of greed, and improve my skin. The things I got include better sinuses (I think that's from the dairy), better skin, overall better health, and a knowledge that I, one vegetarian, is saving 600 chickens from slaughter a year. 600! That's crazy! So, if you're interested, read Skinny Bitch, and see what you think. But be prepared...it's a tell-it-like-it-is kind of book. One chapter's topic is poop. The entire chapter talks about poop. Insightful reading, believe me!
It appears that I've gotten quite off topic...back to accountability:
W/O for the day:
20 mins elliptical = 2 miles, ran 3/4 mile, walked 1/4 mile. And rocked it out to the Black Eyed Peas! If you don't have their newest cd...get it tomorrow! It's so good. The best one yet for sure.
Food intake for the day:
B/F = Glass of OJ and my supplements, a cup of coffee and a handful of almonds
Lunch = 1 1/4 cup homemade vegetable soup with alphabet pasta added and a handful of oyster crackers
Dinner = Baked potato and mixed veggies
Snacks = cup of tea, another handful of almonds, 1 (yes only 1) mike & ike, 6 or 7 spoonfuls of cookie dough and a piece of toast.
Dang! Stupid snacks! They get me everytime!
Hope you had a great day and I'll be back tomorrow!
NLN
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