I've been completely meat free for two weeks now. The longest I've ever gone. I can't say I'll never eat it again, I'm trying to be realistic, but if I do, it will be only for holidays/ special occasions. I feel better after eating, than I did when I ate meat. I have also been mostly dairy free, but not completely. I'm taking that more slowly. The two dairy things that are hard for me to give up, are sour cream and ranch dressing, so I will try some vegan recipes to substitute those.

The other things I'm doing, is eating lots of fruits and veggies. Before, I went most days without any fruit at all and had maybe one small serving of veggies a day. Now, I have a few servings of each. I try to have a salad a day, with some chickpeas on top. Delicious! I have also gone from having two cups of coffee a day, to only having coffee on the weekend. I like lots of sugar and creamer in my coffee, so I'm sure that has helped. I'm eating less processed foods, too.

I'm giving myself a little leeway with the dairy and processed foods and not worrying if I have a little here and there. The only thing I'm non-negotiable on right now, is meat. No meat, period. I make sure most of what I eat is plant based whole foods and that's it. Lots of grains and beans. It's been pretty easy. I feel healthier and lighter. I'm looking at it as a long term process, not something that needs to be perfected over night.

Even though my ultimate goal is health and disease prevention, I do expect to lose weight, and I've lost 5 lbs, so far. Meaning, I'm 5 lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight. I haven't seen this weight in years, I've been stuck at the same weight forever. So, that is encouraging. I used to eat whatever I wanted and exercise like crazy, and couldn't shed a pound.

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Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).

Good for you Lisa. Have you had blood test run for cholesterol etc. ?

No, I haven't had blood work done in years. The last time my cholesterol was checked, it was normal. But my health has been going south the past several years, so who knows what it is now.

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Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).

I have been steadily losing weight over the past weeks. I've lost 8 lbs total. I'm sure much of that can be attributed to my mostly vegetarian diet, but I'm not sure I have been getting enough calories. I've been so busy the past couple weeks, that it's hard to find time to eat and sometimes I am so tired at night or have a headache, that I just go to bed without eating a proper dinner. So, I am trying to make sure I eat enough during the day and get enough calories in, especially since I'm nursing a baby.

I have been meatless for about a month and a half now (though it feels much longer), except I did have a little meat Thanksgiving week and I will probably have a little bit Christmas week, but other than the holidays, I am completely meat free and plan on staying that way indefinitely. While I want to eventually adopt a mostly vegan diet, I am still having some dairy at this point. It is just where I am comfortable right now and is very do-able. Now I see why many vegans were vegetarians for a long time before going vegan. Allowing myself to have some dairy if I feel like it, keeps me from feeling too restricted and just giving up on the whole thing and going back to my former diet. I am still trying to eat a lot of fruit/veggies, but it's been hard with things being busier lately and I need to do a better job of being prepared. My favorite meal that I've been having for lunch almost daily, is a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, corn, and BBQ chickpeas. It's so delicious! I'm amazed that I have been able to resist even the most tempting meat dishes that I cook for the rest of the family. It really hasn't been that hard to give up meat, I just don't dwell on it. I don't have to go through any tug of war in my mind or feel any temptation to eat any of the meat I cook for the rest of the family, so that is very helpful. I don't really feel like I'm missing out on anything. The other night, I made one of the family favorites, Italian Sausage soup. The only difference I made to veganize it for myself, was I cooked the meat separately and used veggie broth, instead of chicken broth. It already has kidney beans, pasta, and veggies in it, so no need to add any extra protein to it. Dh even surprised me by saying he wouldn't mind if it didn't have meat in it.

Anyways, though I haven't been eating meat, I have been eating some sugary processed food here and there, so I guess I've just been working it off with all my constant running around. We are about to start making cookies, chex mix, etc. though, so I'm pretty sure that will mess things up. I can't resist cookies. If they are in the house, I will eat them.

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Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).

Great job, Lisa! You're an inspiration : )

(I haven't been doing so well myself recently, but I admire that you're doing so well : )

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http://stuffedveggies.blogspot.com/

Thank you! Dh just told me the other day, "You HAVE been losing weight!" It's a little annoying because I rarely buy myself new clothes, but I recently bought a new pair of jeans and they are already pretty baggy on me. My main goal has been health and disease prevention, but I can't deny it feels great to lose weight. I hope I don't gain it back over the next couple weeks, lol.

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Mom to Christian (13), Saphira (10), Xavier (5), and Adrian (2).