Sunday, October 17, 2010

Sixteen and a Half Pounds!

This is less of a food post, and more of a moment within the greater journey that has been my vegan transition. After sixteen weeks, I have lost sixteen and a half pounds! This is a huge accomplishment for me, and I am very proud of it. I feel healthier than I've ever been, and I feel more confident and comfortable in my body than I have in a long time. But, the real reason I am sharing this with you, readers, is because this triumph has been so easy to achieve.

I have felt uncomfortable and nervous about my weight for a few years now, not because I was especially heavy, but because it felt out of my control. I have mild hypothyroidism, so that does add to the challenge of maintaining a healthy weight. But, more so, I felt like I was already pretty healthy, eating fruits and veggies and whole grains, never drinking soda, exercising consistently.  So, if I was gaining weight even while doing all of these things that are good for me, how was I ever going to lose weight? I was full of fear for the future. Would I have to starve myself in order to get to a healthy weight? That seemed counterintuitive. What would happen when I got pregnant? I didn't want to be one of those women panicking over every pound. How would I ever find a balance within my body?

So, this summer, I made it my goal to take back control of my body, figure out what works for me, and banish the fear from my life. In order to live as blissfully and joyfully as possible, I needed to figure this out, now. I thought about going to see nutritionists and dieticians, but first, I thought I would just try something simple. Andrew Weil's food pyramid was suggested to me, and I decided to follow it, to the letter for two weeks. I bought a scale, and took my measurements, and then I waited. As some of you already know, those two weeks were life-changing for me. I lost three pounds. That's three more than I had lost in the last three years (without counting food poisoning and bad breakups). The next week, it was four and a half pounds. And every week after, it has been a little, or a lot, more.

The very best part of this is how effortless my weight loss has been. As you can see from my blog, I eat incredibly delicious food every day. I feel amazing. I am not living in a place of denial. I am living in a place of exuberance. I eat birthday cake, brownies, pie, and pudding alongside my whole grains, vegetables, and legumes. I am never hungry. I am never dissatisfied. And I am lighter, by sixteen pounds, and unquantifiable stress. If any part of this resonates with you, whether it's dissatisfaction with your weight, or just not feeling like the best version of yourself, I strongly urge you to give a plant based lifestyle a try.  I feel so lucky to have found the answer to my problem, and now that I see how easy the solution is, I don't want anyone to go through the same struggle. This lifestyle is not a punishment, it's a gift. So please take it. It truly can change your life!

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