Hey Andrea! I'm glad to hear you are still doing the diet, i am sooo curious about it. I might be tempted to try the diet but I don't know how to start! And I would really like to see some new pictures since you say you have lost 16 lbs! Good for you girl!
I know everyone can choose what level of vegan they choose to be, but I have a few questions for you:
6. Have you ruled out processed foods altogether?
For the most part, yes. Sometimes I have a graham cracker, or wheat thins when my kids are. Its kinda a dumb thing, but sometimes I just want to put something "bad" in my mouth. My downfall is tortilla chips. I love them plain, or with guacamole. I eat too many, but its like dessert to me! I have decided I DO NOT like meat and cheese imitations. Soy cheese, tofu, textured vegetable protein, etc. Not good tasting to me, and just adds calories. I have imitation chicken lunch meat sitting in my fridge and I'm not looking forward to trying it :)
7. when you cheat, what do you eat??
Hmmm, you probably don't want to know. When I cheat, I eat whatever I want. Like when we go out to eat... I'm not spending $10 on a salad without cheese and ranch! Therefore I get whatever sounds tasty. I never get dinner made for me, so if we are invited over for dinner, or go out, I eat what is there. Not the best way to go about things, but you would not believe how GOOD things taste when you haven't had them in a while. My tastes have changed so much. I really enjoy things that are meant to be enjoyed. The only thing I try steer clear of is sugar. It really affects me.
Veronica, I'll put a picture up someday, but I don't have a good one right now. I'll do my best to put recipes on here. Great questions! I hope this is helpful to everyone.
1. what are your favorite vegan recipes? what is a typical day in meals (because i totally wouldn't know what to eat...)
The keys is eating more simple and back to the basics of what The Lord has blessed us with. Whole foods. For Breakfast I have either a bowl of oatmeal (1/2 C old fashioned oats, 1 C water, microwave for 2+ minutes) or a bowl of Grape Nuts with Almond Milk. Sometimes I microwave it. I also eat at least two fruits. This morning I will have an orange and a banana. For Lunch I eat more fruit. Today I'll have an apple and a pear. If we have leftovers from the night before, that's what I have. If not, I'm not big on making myself something so I just pick at stuff. Sugar snap peas, steam some broccoli, piece of toast with Simply Fruit jam by Smuckers (found that at Walmart). The BEST bread is Dave's Killer Bread. I get it at Costco. I really like the frozen edamame from Costco. You just microwave it in its pouch and they're tasty! Its hard for me to tell you what I eat for lunch, because I don't really know. Every now and then I make a salad. Some "better for you" salad dressing is Annie's Naturals because it doesn't have sugar in it and its vegetarian (some dressings have cheese). I found that at Winco. I just try to make extra food for dinner so we have leftovers for lunch or else I never know what to feed myself or to send with Chris to work. Sometimes we have 2-3 leftover meals to choose from because I made so much. That might sound "unappetizing" to some, but we really like leftovers :) Once a week he gets a footlong Vegi from Subway for $5. For dinner I always make a meal. I need to put up some recipes. Chris is easy to feed, but he LOVES everything I make and even brags on his facebook status :) He has lost about 20 lbs. If we want a snack later on, we usually have fruit. I have made sorbet made in the vita mix, sugar free whole wheat oatmeal cookies (that are actually really good, i think), or home made granola. We rarely eat after dinner though because we eat pretty late- around 8:00, and we stuff ourselves at dinner. I don't crave sweets on most days. Like I have said before, I crave them when they are sitting right in front of me.
2. do you still try to exercise?
Yes, I LOVE exercising. I honestly don't think that is how I lost my weight though. I had already lost about 13 lbs when I started working out. I am much more toned though. I am not in great shape, but I feel good, and the endorphins I feel throughout my day are amazing. Plus, I love taking the kids to the daycare for an hour. With it being winter, we all love getting out and going to the gym.
3. do you allow any sugar? what about brown sugar and baking and stuff?
I don't allow sugar when I am being good. If a recipe calls for sugar, I use honey. Brown sugar is just as bad as white sugar, it just has molasses added to it. I haven't tried to bake anything healthy. I just don't bake anymore. I know, that is sad but its better that way. Also, I spend a lot of time making dinner so I don't usually want to make anything else afterward. I did find that recipe for the sugar free oatmeal cookies and I'll put it up soon. I still do have sugar though. I am having a really hard time. For example, we had friends over last night and they brought cookies. I LOVE COOKIES! I started by having a half, then after they left I ate 3! While they were here I made hot chocolate, and we ate spice drops!!! What is my problem? If I had control of my life, then NO, I would not allow sugar.
4. WHAT ABOUT BUTTER??
There is this Margarine that is more healthy than regular margarine. I really like the taste too. Its called Earths Balance. I bought it at a health foods store for $5! Yes, spendy, but we rarely use it, so It has lasted a long time. I don't eat bread and butter like I used to. My kids mostly eat it.
5. how do you make sure you get enough protein?
The amount of protein we actually need is between 10-30 grams a day to replace was is lost. That is much less than people think, and what we're told. My oatmeal in the morning has 5 g. That is nearly half my needed intake if I'm shooting low. It we have mexican for dinner, I easily surpass what I need with the black beans. In a can of black beans, there are 21 g and when we have tacos (see my delicious recipe below), I eat a cans worth of beans. That's another thing. I don't hold back. If I want to eat, then I do. If I want to stuff myself, I do and I don't feel miserable because everything is low fat and so fresh. Nuts are a great supplier. The edamame I get from Costoc has a ridiculous amount of Protein. Fruits and Vegis have some protein as well. Here is an awesome chart I just found to give you an idea how much protien is in stuff. It amazes me that I dont need meat to get what I need, because that is not what I learned growing up. We eat meat though at least once a week. And YES, I still love it.
| Item | Quantity | Protein (g) |
| Almonds (dry roasted) | 1 oz. | 4.6 |
| Apple, with skin | 1 | 0.3 |
| Asparagus | 1/2 cup | 2.3 |
| Avocado | 1 | 4.0 |
| Bagel | 1 | 10.0 |
| Beans, refried | 1 cup | 15.8 |
| Beans, garbanzo | 1 cup | 14.5 |
| Beans, navy | 1 cup | 19.7 |
| Beans, soybean | 1 cup | 28.6 |
| Beer | 1 12 oz. can | 0.9 |
| Broccoli | 1/2 cup | 2.6 |
| Cashews | 1 oz. | 4.4 |
| Cheese, cheddar | 1 oz. | 7.1 |
| Coconut | 1 oz. | 2.5 |
| Granola cereal | 1 bowl | 3.7 |
| Grapes, concord | 1 cup | 2.0 |
| Macadamia nut | 1 oz. | 2.4 |
| Macaroni | 1 cup | 6.7 |
| Oatmeal | 1 cup | 6.0 |
| Oats, rolled | 1 cup | 13.0 |
| Oranges | 1 | 1.2 |
| Orange juice | 8 oz. | 1.7 |
| Pancakes | 2 | 4.5 |
| Peanuts | 1 oz. | 6.6 |
| Pistachios | 1 oz. | 5.8 |
| Raisins | 1 cup | 5.3 |
| Rice, brown | 1 cup | 4.5 |
| Rice, white | 1 cup | 4.8 |
| Sesame seeds | 1 oz. | 6.5 |
| Soybean | 1 cup | 28.6 |
| Spaghetti | 1 cup | 6.7 |
| Tuna (water packed) | 3 oz. | 25.1 |
| Walnuts, black | 1 oz. | 6.9 |
| Wheat bread | 2 slices | 4.5 |
| Waffle | 1 | 7.2 |
| Wheat, enriched | 1 cup | 11.6 |
| Wheat gluten | 1 cup | 58.0 |
| Yogurt, plain | 1 cup | 13.0 |
| Burrito with beans, rice, veggies | 42.5 grams | |
| Cereal with soy milk, 1 bowl | 26.4 | |
| Deli sandwich with meat replacement, bread, and condiments | 39.2 | |
| Not Dog (hot dog replacment) w/ two slices of bread | 15.2 | |
| Pancakes (3 pancakes w/syrup) | 8.2 | |
| Peanut butter and jelly sandwich | 19.6 | |
| Pizza with cheese, 1 slice | 26.4 | |
| Potato, baked with sour cream replacement | 12.5 | |
| Rice, brown with stir fried veggies and soy sauce | 21.2 | |
| Salad, basic with veggies, sunflower seeds, raisins | 19.4 | |
| Soup, 1 bowl vegetable soup | 10.2 | |
| Spaghetti with marinara sauce and meat replacement meat balls | 32.1 | |
| Tomato sandwich | 9.6 | |
| Tuna sandwich | 34.5 | |
| Vegetable chow mein w/Braggs liquid aminos | 12.5 | |
6. Have you ruled out processed foods altogether?
For the most part, yes. Sometimes I have a graham cracker, or wheat thins when my kids are. Its kinda a dumb thing, but sometimes I just want to put something "bad" in my mouth. My downfall is tortilla chips. I love them plain, or with guacamole. I eat too many, but its like dessert to me! I have decided I DO NOT like meat and cheese imitations. Soy cheese, tofu, textured vegetable protein, etc. Not good tasting to me, and just adds calories. I have imitation chicken lunch meat sitting in my fridge and I'm not looking forward to trying it :)
7. when you cheat, what do you eat??
Hmmm, you probably don't want to know. When I cheat, I eat whatever I want. Like when we go out to eat... I'm not spending $10 on a salad without cheese and ranch! Therefore I get whatever sounds tasty. I never get dinner made for me, so if we are invited over for dinner, or go out, I eat what is there. Not the best way to go about things, but you would not believe how GOOD things taste when you haven't had them in a while. My tastes have changed so much. I really enjoy things that are meant to be enjoyed. The only thing I try steer clear of is sugar. It really affects me.
8. do you think about "organic" stuff at all?
I don't because I am already spending more on healthy food, I cant fit "organic" into our budget. Plus, you have to search it out, and I don't have that kind of time with two kids whining in the cart. I know its better for our bodies, but its not a step I've made. I am very open to it though. Maybe someday soon I will. This lifestyle change has been a process and I think Organic is a step I'll take someday.
I don't because I am already spending more on healthy food, I cant fit "organic" into our budget. Plus, you have to search it out, and I don't have that kind of time with two kids whining in the cart. I know its better for our bodies, but its not a step I've made. I am very open to it though. Maybe someday soon I will. This lifestyle change has been a process and I think Organic is a step I'll take someday.
Veronica, I'll put a picture up someday, but I don't have a good one right now. I'll do my best to put recipes on here. Great questions! I hope this is helpful to everyone.
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