Vegan diaries: week 1

Ha, I feel like such a dork for that title.  Forgive me.

So today marks the first week on a vegan diet.  It's been so much easier than I thought!

Changes?

Lost 2 pounds.  Before you flip, yes, I'm aware I'm pregnant, which is exactly why I'm keeping close tabs on my weight.  I'm getting plenty of calories but am planning on upping my healthy fats as much as I can this week.  I'm not worried about a minor weight loss because I've been eating like total crap most of this pregnancy and I'm chalking up the 2 pounds to water weight.  If I lose any more weight, I'll definitely re-evaluate, but two pounds isn't a biggie since I know I'm getting plenty of calories and TONS of nutrients.

My mom has lost 3 this week, and considering she is already pretty stinkin' skinny, I think that's pretty encouraging for anyone who would like to revamp their diet to a lifestyle change rather than a fad diet.  She doesn't have to count calories or limit herself.  She eats what she wants when she wants it.  On average, vegans just weigh less.  Period.  It's easier to maintain your weight with a diet of healthy stuff like fruits and vegetables and whole grains.

My skin has totally cleared up.  Like, completely.  Not a single zit!  To make sure it isn't just a coincidence, I'll chime in about this again later, but this might be my favorite advantage to a vegan diet.  :)

My eczema is still here, which is probably what I'm hoping to cure the most.  I've never had severe eczema, only minor, but with this pregnancy came a drastic change in my eczema and my arms are covered in itchy patches that have even been bleeding lately.  It's awful.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this improves over the next few weeks!

My heartburn has completely disappeared.  I was shocked by this!  I only have heartburn during pregnancy but it's bad and it's every single night, not a rare occurrence.  About two days in, my heartburn completely stopped.  Last night, when I cheated while out to dinner with friends (I've decided not to stress about trying to find vegan restaurants so I'll totally allow myself to eat vegetarian meals here and there when I dine out) and had fettuccine alfredo, I ended up with really bad heartburn that  kept me up.

Overall, I feel so much healthier!  My energy level hasn't improved at all, which is another thing I'm hoping for, but since I'm pregnant I know I might not get much relief from the fatigue until the baby is born.  We'll see.  I'm trying to add exercise in this week as my new goal.  Maybe this will help?

Admittedly, I hate vegetables.  If it isn't drenched in butter or cheese, I have to force myself to eat it.  This week I've had an insane amount of veggies!  And new ones I've never even tried before, like rutabagas.  I had no idea how delicious rutabagas were!  It's like a whole new world has opened up to me.  I've had lots of kale, spinach, onions, mushrooms, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, cauliflower, rutabagas, tomatoes, red peppers...I could go on and on.  I'm so embarrassed to admit this, but the only veggies I ate before this were ones that were inside of meals, like salads or casseroles.  I did force myself to drink green smoothies whenever I could because I know how bad I am about my veggies.  Unbelievably, in only one short week I've gone from hating vegetables to loving them.  I figured it would happen over time, as everything I read says that you acquire tastes as you consume things, but I didn't expect it to happen so fast.  

In fact, this morning I spoiled myself with some juice and for the first time...oh, I don't know...in my life(!), had to make myself finish off the glass because it was too sweet for me.  Me, the girl with the sweet tooth of steel. All of a sudden I only need a tiny splash of agave nectar & almond milk in my coffee instead of having a little coffee with my creamer.  Fruits now taste like heaven, instead of just good.  I've grown to appreciate the taste of good, healthy foods so much.  

Last night, after I ate that ridiculously fatty meal, I felt like crap.  And I realized how good I've felt all week at that moment.  

Another super cool perk is that I've all but kicked my "eat because I'm bored" habit.  I guess it's because we don't have any convenience items in the house, so if I want to eat, I have to do so intentionally.  I have to peel a kiwi or cook some spaghetti squash, so I don't do it mindlessly because I'm bored.

I thought this was going to be so difficult, but it's not.  At all.  I'm shocked.  

The meals we've had and liked this week:

Lentil tostadas - Just like lentil tacos but we put the filling on top of a toasted whole wheat tortilla and added some chopped avocado, tomato and salsa.  My favorite for sure!

Pad Thai - Oh so good!

Creamy Avocado Pasta - I'd give this 3.5 stars outta 5.  Not the best in the world, but pretty tasty if you're craving something like fettuccine alfredo.  

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans, Avocado and Cumin-Lime Dressing - Awesome!  'Nuff said.  I'd cut the onions in half next time and double the avocados, but so, so good.

We had leftovers a few times and a pretty tasty little kale salad that was simply a head of kale, an avocado and the juice from one lemon or lime.  Squish it all together with your hands and it's a great way to get in some super healthy greens.  

This past week we bought The Engine 2 Diet book, The Vegan Slow Cooker and Veganomicon,so I'm looking forward to trying out some new bookmarked recipes!

Dat's all, folks.  ;)