Friday, March 13, 2009

how the vegan thing is going

So, the vegan 'til 6 project is going pretty well. I feel like I've made sweeping changes to my diet--it feels much healthier. I'm not distracted by so many choices, like "shall I have toast with butter? Shall I bake muffins?" and all that sort of thing. I've lost a couple pounds, which is good. Part of me is shocked that I haven't lost more, but I guess it's all those nuts . . . and guacamole . . . and dried fruit sometimes . . . hmm, that's not very low-cal is it? In the evenings I eat as usual with the family, and that is what I love about this plan. It's the best of both worlds.
On a typical day I eat oatmeal for breakfast, nuts and an orange for snack, and lunch is beans, brown rice, salsa, maybe avocado slices, more fruit, and some kind of vegetable side dish, because that is part of the reason I wanted to try this--to eat more vegetables. So I've made roasted vegetables, green beans with tomatoes, and this week I've been having steamed broccoli as a side. I pack all this for work in little glass containers. It doesn't matter how bulky and heavy it is, since I drive to work and since I have a fridge in my office.
It's still fun and I'm learning a lot. After Lent I'll consider what I'd like to add back in. By the way, I decided to have a little 1% milk in my coffee in the morning, like Mark Bittman does. I feel fine about it. My only frustration is that my espresso pot is still giving me a lot of trouble--on any given morning I may only get half of it to perk through. I must do something about that. I may go for a French press.
Getting up in the mornings is still hard over here! Maybe because I do get up so early . . . Rainer is doing better, though. I'm hoping to get back to a little crafting this weekend. Happy Friday!

8 comments:

ames said...

Low cal? Bah! Nuts and guacamole and dried fruit are packed full of good things for you, and we all need calories to get through the day. Sounds awesome to me!

Sorry to hear your coffee pot is struggling...but there are some really cute knitted French Press Cozy patterns out there!

Our Green Nest said...

Glad it's going so well! You do not need to worry about your calorie intake! Since you are eating good fats and healthy calories, there should be no worries! Have a great weekend!

Joy said...

I'm glad the vegan thing is going well for you. The nuts and guacamole fats/calories are good ones and you need those to process the vitamins in the veggies so don't feel bad about eating plenty of them. ;)

Ellen said...

It's good to hear your Lenten fast is going well! I may have to give Vegan 'til 6 a try for next year.

howie mama said...

I highly recommend the french press! I love it-very easy-just make sure the strainer fits very snugly.

Anonymous said...

oh, you give me so much ideas!!!
thank you!
Uva (from Italy)

Kristin said...

I gave up dairy & sugar for lent. It is a bit harder than I expected, I miss the dairy more than the sugar! I have had some of each in small amounts unintentionally but I am not going to make myself crazy about it.

I received the book (Thank You so much!) after I had started and I think the vegan 'til 6 idea is a great one and I think more manageable. The biggest change is making sure you have well planned meals so you don't go hungry.

I too have lost a few pounds. I also feel so much better, more energy, etc.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Anonymous said...

I've been following your 'vegan til 6 ' with interest, I don't think I could do vegan, maybe vegetarian though. I'm curious as to what recipe book you would pick for your favourite if you had to recommend one ?
Lisa x