Things are going well

So my vegetarianism has been going well lately. I go to a school where it seems like most people are vegetarian so vegetarians are catered to more efficiently since there are so many. It is a very small school on a farm so there are only two places you can eat with a meal plan. The main cafeteria and the vegetarian/ vegan cafe called Cowpie.  When I first heard about Cowpie I thought, oh well that's nice. Maybe I'll try and eat there once a week or so. Well  not only do I eat there frequently, I eat there for just about every meal. I used to be fairly picky about my food, going through it picking out what I thought was iffy. I came to understand that with vegetarian food nothing is really iffy. It's all good for you! It has been pretty easy just eating what they serve me. I don't even notice that there is no meat in it at all. I have been better about not eating meat when I am not at Cowpie. I just choose the vegetarian option. There usually always is one. The last time I remember eating meat was not last Saturday but the one before that. I was craving a specific grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and goat cheese from a restaurant downtown. Things had been bothering me at school people wise so I decided to eat my feelings. So I'm going to say I gave up meat for lent this year, just so I have a time frame. Its been longer than just the Season of Lent that I have gone without meat. I am a bit worried about what will happen when I go home over the summer. My mom is pretty supportive which is awesome, but I don't know if she herself is willing to give up meat. She does understand that I am doing it mostly to promote a healthier lifestyle and reduce my impact on the earth, and she does sympathize with that. But I wonder if she will keep all the meat out of the house. If its there I'll eat it. The kinds of meat things I would eat would be things that can be microwaved or made quickly, which now that I think of it is pretty nasty and weird... Bacon has always and will always be a problem but I don't know about that anymore since we had to dissect baby pigs in Bio today. That put a new perspective on things. The other kind of meat I would eat would be lunch or deli meats. I really like to make sandwiches and meats were always the main ingredient. My mom and I need to go shopping together and do some research about what other kinds of foods there are that may replace meats. For example my mom and I love chicken nuggets and strips and there are a few brands of meatless ones out there. Also alternative lunch meats. There are all sorts of companies that make vegetarian foods and meals, but I would like more fresh food. My mom and I don't cook all that much, although I do more often now that my diet has changed, so I need to find some good recipes and be able to prepare them. I should do my research now and stockpile recipes for when I am home on summer break. Spring break will be interesting. Hopefully I can resist temptation and keep to this healthy regime. I really hope so.

Until next time! 

Long Time No See

So I haven't posted in a long time. A lot has changed and then again a lot has not. I will try to update this more often. For no ones sake but mine. 

Setback I Guess

     So on Friday I went to my friends house for dinner. Her soon to be brother-in-law was making dinner for us. It happened to be baked chicken. Yes, yes I ate it. It was very good, although my system didn't think so later...even though I did eat the chicken for dinner, I mean I had to be polite, I did manage to resist all my old favorites at the mall. All the Asian people standing in front of their shops with samples of my favorite bourbon chicken. I almost fell victim but I didn't eat any of it. I had a very good smoothie instead.

     As for the weight issue things seem to be going well there. I have noticed the needle creeping closer and closer to 140. I think I am just about there. I am not quite sure what a good healthy weight for someone about 5'9" is. I want to be at the most 135 pounds but I want to make sure that is healthy first. My doctor always said I have been at a healthy weight but I have always had these stupid muffin tops and extra tub in the front. I want to get rid of that and be tone and nice looking. That is my goal. To get rid of the spare tire. People have told me recently that by butt is getting nicer so thats good I guess. I don't look at it or pinch it often so I can't really say myself. 

     I don't know what to do about my favorite foods. The obvious answer is to branch out and make new favorites. But some of my favorites are so for a reason. I don't know what to do about the bacon issue. I have some fake bacon I'm going to try. We will have to see how that goes. If it isn't good I might have to put it on the list of things I just can't give up yet. So far I have not run into any real bacon so it hasn't been a problem, but I know I can't avoid it for long. 

     Well, thats about it for now. So far things are going okay besides Friday. Until next time, Evelyn.

Slow Progress

     So far things have been good. I haven't eaten meat since last Saturday. I feel pretty good physically and good about my choice. It is and isn't as hard as i thought it would be. I can usually find good foods to eat but sometimes it is tempting. The commercials on tv have all my old favorite foods that i can't eat anymore. It's also tempting when everyone around me is eating all the things i used to be able to eat. It's hard but so far i can do it. I feel better and the needle on the scale is inching back to 140. This slow progress is heartening and makes me want to stick to it. Among all the other things going on in my life right now, this is the easiest thing to handle. 


Until next time, Evelyn

The First Resolution

     Deciding to become a vegetarian is a substantial life decision and it is one that I have made for myself. I am not sure if I can even go through with it but I want to give it a try. I have decided to create this blog for myself and for anyone else, perhaps like me, that finds it helpful. 

     For my first blog post I am going to write here what I wrote in my diary about being vegetarian the other day. This blog will pretty much be my diary or journal about how I am doing and so I can keep track of things. 


For reference I am an 18 year old girl

Friday March 5th 2011 3:50 pm

     I want to become healthier. I am slowly becoming fat I think. I am about 5'9" and I weigh 140, a little more sometimes depending on the day. I am usually just around 140 but lately I have noticed being above that notch on the scale. I want to be healthier. I have started taking yoga classes which I like. They make me feel good. But there is another choice about being healthy that I want to make but I am not sure. I am considering becoming a vegetarian. I have been trying to get healthier for a while now but I keep making stupid eating decisions. I eat something healthy and then later I eat something really unhealthy. I think its why I am gaining weight instead of loosing it.The point is I need motivation. Not just, ohh I should eat healthy. I love food and I love eating. I love to eat the worst kinds of food. So eating healthy is going to be very difficult for me. I am not good about choosing to eat healthy or just choosing not to eat when I know I shouldn't (like when I have already eaten). I need something that will make me be able to say, NO I WILL NOT EAT THAT. I was only going to give up red meat and go into this slowly but I don't think it is going to work. I need to dive right in! NO MEAT! Not even chicken. Maybe bacon on SALADS, maybe. I don't know how this is going to work but it is going to have to. I want to be healthy but I need some help doing it. So I think I will do it. No meat not even chicken. Eggs and fish okay but no meat meat. I want this to work. I want to be lean and beautiful. My face is too full and I have a spare tire around my waist. Once I get stronger I am going to take looooooooong walks and maybe I will start jogging or something. I want to feel GOOD about myself. This is going to be a test for me. I'm not sure if I can do it but I can't think that way. I wish I had a buddy to do this with. This is going to be my mission for ME! I gotta do this for myself and my future self. 

The reasons why I want to become vegetarian, or at least this point a pescetarian, are because I want to be a healthier person and because I want to lower my impact on the earth. Animal based energy sources (meat) are not as efficient sources or energy for the body as plants and meat takes much more energy to MAKE. So by doing this I am helping both myself and the planet. 

So yes, i have decided to become a vegetarian (pescetarian). Yesterday, March 6th, I had my first meat free day of my new vegetarian life. The only animal protein I had was fish for dinner at San Nicola. I will still be eating fish. 

This blog will be my diary and journal, support system through all this. I hope that maybe it helps someone else along the way. HERE BEGINS MY NEW LIFE!