A New Day!

I am one of the 2/3 of out of shape American adults. I am a 58 year old school teacher that has been on every diet known to man. I have lost and gained the same 35 pounds over and over and each time...I gain a little more than previously lost. At this moment, I have already lost 15 pounds and still weigh 10 pounds more than I did at full term with ANY of my four babies. I am happy to say that according to my BMI calculator, I am no longer obese but am now..overweight. That is good to know. Thirty pounds from now..I will be "Normal"!

A few years ago, I watched a series of wonderful documentaries on Netflix, and decided that as an aging, single woman, I needed to take heed and get healthy. I went on a plant-based "vegan" diet. The weight melted off, my arthritis flew the coop, my skin glowed and I was taken off my blood pressure meds. I went from a size 16 to a 8-10, from a XL to a M and I was feeling great...until....I went back to meat, dairy and processed food. The weight came back on, the arthritis roared back,  I went back onto the meds and no more glow. Not even the fat and happy one....because I was fat, but not happy.

Sooooo. I am back at it a second time. Second Hand Vegan. Fifteen down, 40 to go.

Now, I have to tell  you, eating a plant based diet in today's America is not easy. If you are considering it and want easy...it ain't happening. It is, however, worth the hassle. There is virtually nothing that you can eat at most restaurants. I hate ordering a salad and paying the same for lettuce and carrots that I used to pay for lettuce, carrots, cheese and meat! Vegetables are loaded with butter and...well , eating out is not easy. Eating at home is not exactly easy either. You have to re-learn how to cook. You spend a lot of time shopping and cutting and experimenting with odd food. Every time I want to complain, however,  I think about the heart disease I am chasing away and the cancer that I am fighting against ever getting, and the work seems easy.

I try to look at it as an adventure. What can I come up with today that will be a new delight to my new palate? What combo of foods will make my friends drool on Facebook and have them begin to question their fifth burger and fry combo of the week? What can I create today? Then it becomes a game, a game that will save my life.

So why write about it? Isn't being a "vegan" obnoxious enough? Well, I write to keep myself accountable. I write to share my adventure and my recipes in Vegan Land, I write to share my photos. Mostly, I write because I am hoping that one or two folks that read this blog, will decide they want to try it. Maybe this little blog can help someone ward off imminent heart disease, maybe it will help two or three people just feel better.

Meals today:
Lunch: Zucchini noodles with Paul Newman Organic sauce and Vegan eggplant queso
https://minimalistbaker.com/cashew-less-vegan-queso/ Dinner - Mexican Layer salad with Vegan layer dip, spring mix, a few tortilla strips (my cheat) and avocado, black bean and corn salad...it was a big mess!
Before bed - a few more chips and salsa and a small bowl of fresh fruit salad.

A thing of beauty!

                                                          http://veganhuggs.com/avocado-black-bean-corn-salad/