Ever since I had Ollie, I haven't really had the motivation to try to lose all the weight I gained during pregnancy.  Sure, I would exercise a little here & there & then try & cut my calories, but that would just lead to binge eating.  I would lose ten pounds, but then gain it right back & even a little more.  This lead to a downward spiral with my self-confidence.  I wasn't healthy mentally or physically.

I've talked about my self-confidence not being very high since giving birth to Ollie & it is my fault for not really putting in the energy to do something about it.  I never put any energy towards making myself healthy.  I wanted the "quick fix," with low calorie & restrictive diets.  They have not only slowed down my metabolism, but also made me gain more weight than I originally had. 

The last few years, I have been slowly researching the vegan/plant based lifestyle.  It has always interested me because personally, I have never been a huge meat eater.  I know Matt likes meat & so I have eaten it just because it was the easiest thing to do without having to make separate meals.  Lately, though, I have been REALLY wanting to try out the plant based/vegan lifestyle. 

I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos about how to become plant based & just listening to their stories.  The common theme I witnessed was that they all came from a similar background of low confidence like me & struggled with weight issues.  However, when they switched to this lifestyle, they started feeling healthier mentally & physically.  They have all talked about an increase in energy (which I lack so very much) & just feeding their bodies good nutrients, plus, the one thing that really stuck out to me was how they stopped counting calories & ate whenever they were hungry & stopped when they were full.  That sounded like freedom to me.  I have always dreaded counting calories. I inevitably tear myself down if I have gone over my "daily limit."  An example of one diet I did was that I could have a very small portion of chicken, no oil, one veggie & one fruit.  You could ONLY eat the fruits & veggies they told you & you could not mix them.  How utterly depressing.  I love fruits & veggies & to only eat the same veggie day after day, it was miserable.

That is what eventually turned me on to this high carb & low fat plant based/vegan lifestyle.  I could eat the things I loved & I knew they would be healthy & nutritious for me.  After a horrible weekend filled with croissants, donuts & pizza, which all made me feel bloated & gross, I started this new lifestyle today.  I will be writing down recipes that sound good to me & figuring out how this all works.  Thankfully, Matt has agreed to do this with me (for a week) to see how he feels.  He is still drinking his non-vegan protein shakes, but every meal will be plant based/vegan.  I will be starting a food journal & a weekly menu filled with recipes that we love & I will post them on this blog.  The first week of doing this, I will post everyday on my blog, but after that I will update weekly, that way I won't bombard you all everyday with a new post about food ;)

Just to remind you guys, I am so new to this so I may slip up, but that is where grace comes in ;)  I personally chose this lifestyle because I know it is the healthiest I can do for my body.  Like I said earlier, I have never been a fan of meat & also I am lactose intolerant, so this may be easier for me than for someone who loves meat or can tolerate dairy.  I am excited to start this new journey & if you are plant based/vegan & have any tips for me, please let me know!

Hope you all have a lovely Monday night!