So Weak Right Now!!! HELP!!!

Okay...I am really weak right now. I am on this whole vegan kick and I am thinking about giving it up. It is not just the vegan thing, it is also giving up on the fast that I am doing for lent. HELP!!!

It has been about 3 weeks (started a little befand I am doing well...until yesterday. I have been researching more on vegetarianism, veganism, and so on.  I want to make sure I am getting all the nutrients and things I need to be healthy, which I can still do, but it is hard.  Also, going out to eat and eating with friends is VERY HARD!!! 

I recently decided to attempt to become a Pescetarian. This is a whole lot easier for me and I will not feel like I am depriving myself of foods that I enjoy.  This way I still get the nutrients that I need and I don't feel like I am missing out on things that I like.

I will make it through the day. The food smells will not get to me. The pictures of food that I can't eat that my friends are posting on twitter and facebook will not make me slip. The coworkers making homeade lasagna tomorrow is not tempting me!!! I will have positive thoughts. I am doing this for a reason and I have to think about the bigger picture!!!

You are a what????

Recently I announced on facebook that I was becoming a vegan. Well... I said I was removing all meat products from my diet and a couple of friends just assumed I mean vegetarian. Then I had to explain that I am giving up eating ALL meat products which includes dairy products also. Several people were very supportive, others were like really??? Most people who know me know I love meat and even have joked in the past with my friends that are vegetarian or vegan about tricking them into eating meat.

I wrote a little about the change a couple of posts ago, but didn't go into detail.  Why did I become a vegan??? It started off as me doing the Daniel's fast for lent and I took it a step further and decided to make it a lifestyle.  I will not say it has been easy, but it is not as hard as I thought. I just have to be creative.  Some people assume that you can only eat salads and fruits, which is so not true. I have experimented with several different recipes and after Lent I am excited to try some of the dessert recipes I have found and friends have suggested (I do have a couple of friends that are vegan).  

Do I miss meat. YES!!!! But I don't think of it as depriving myself.  I am just making different choices in the foods that I eat.  As many of my close friends know I love seafood, crab legs are my weakness.  I was actually in Whole Foods one day and walked past the seafood section and that was so hard.  I just make a choice not to eat those things.  Nothing wrong with them, just for me trying something different.

Will this change be forever....I have no clue.  I hope it will be for a while. I even think in the long run I might add seafood back into my diet, but don't think I will do anytime soon. I mean they say have 21 days you make it a habit. The longer I go without eating those things I think the easier it will be for me not to crave or miss those things.

I hope my friends continue to be supportive and understanding.  It is easy when I cook for myself, but going out to eat or going over to a friend's house to eat can be hard. Most people are like more power to you and they feel they could never become a vegan....I use to say the same thing, but trust it is not that hard. If I can do it, I am pretty sure anyone can do it!!!

Change in lifestyle

New change in my life...I am embarking on something different.  Don't know how long it will last or if this is a life long change...I am experimenting with several vegan dishes.  This is interesting for me because I LOVE meat and animal products.  What I am doing is trying to find healthier ways of cooking foods and using no processed foods and no animal products was a start.

Now I love to cook...and love to eat, which is my problem. The picture to the right is of a cookbook that I have recently purchased.  It has some great recipes in it and it has truly inspired me.  I am really trying to do this long term....but I don't know.

I think so often we are accustomed to food we grew up on and we are afraid to try new things.  I mean...if the food taste great and gives you the nutrients that you need  why not eat it? Even if it does not have meat or grease?  I am a southern girl at heart and love pork and fried food, but I also know these foods are not great for me in the long run. 

I have been trying this new way of eating for about a week now and so far so good. I have my moments where I want to go grab a burger or slice of pizza. I have my moments when I have to think about what I am going to eat and really plan out my meals, but in the long run I know this is better for my health.

Tonight's dinner....sauteed spinach, baked sweet potatoes, and I think I might do some black eye pea fritters.