Take a Deep Breath... and Begin

Hi.  My name is Sandra.  This was me 30 days ago.  I don't have a full length picture to show you because I NEVER EVER let anyone take pictures of me.  Why? Because I hate the way I look.  Which brings me to the point of this blog.  Thirty days ago I hated the way I looked and felt.  I was driving to work and heard this guy talking about plant based diets.  He touted the benefits of eating plant based.  He challenged all the listeners to try it for 22 days.  He guaranteed we would feel SO MUCH BETTER.  An added benefit?  We would lose weight!

Thirty days ago I was 135 pounds overweight.  Yup... quite a bit, I know.  Worse than that, I felt awful. My bones ached.  My blood pressure was up.  My cholesterol was up.  I had digestion problem, including constant heartburn.  I was getting random pains in my shoulders and chest.  I was petrified I would have a heart attack.  And I was ALWAYS tired.

Now I love food.  I mean, I REALLY love food.  I watch cooking shows.  I have hundreds of cookbooks.  I love to go food shopping!  I know... weird.  I love to cook and bake.  I love to try new foods.  I love to go out to eat.  I love all kinds of food.  My particular food vice ... salty and sweet together, combined with something creamy and fatty and delicious.  So, it is really no surprise that I am this overweight.  

The man on the radio promised enormous amounts of new found energy, numerous health benefits, and weight loss.  Hmm... sounded good to me.  "What did I have to do", I wondered.  Oh nothing really.  Just give up meat, dairy, sugar, and processed foods.  WWWWHHHHATTTT????  Are you kidding me???  What kind of a nut case gives up all those foods???  Oh, and no alcohol.  That didn't bother me as I am not a big drinker.  But I can see how that would be a deal breaker for a lot of people.  But still.... I felt like crap.  I mean, I felt worse than crap.  I felt so bad that I actually considered doing it.  And then, the man on the radio said... "Just give it 22 days."  And just like that, I committed to doing it.  

I spent the rest of the day planning the next 22 days. A huge bonus was that I got to go to Whole Foods the next day and spend hours shopping for my new diet.  (Did I mention that I love food shopping?) Now don't laugh at this next part.  I actually put into the plan that on the 23rd day I would eat a big steak dinner with some kind of gooey chocolaty dessert.

I began on a Saturday.  Most people start on a Monday, but I jumped right into it.

Vegetables, fruits, nuts, and whole grains.  

You think that is not a lot to live on, right?  You know what I discovered?  There are hundreds of thousands of things you can make with plant based foods!  I will not bore you today with the many recipes I found and tried, or my favorite ones to date.  But I will tell you this...  after only three days I noticed a difference on this diet.  I had energy to do things!  I wasn't tired anymore!  A few days later, my aches and pains disappeared.  All my digestive problems disappeared.  My heart no longer raced.  

I was eating three meals a day.  I was eating only one serving of whatever I made, so I WAS exercising portion control.  I mean... I DO need to lose A LOT of weight.  And I never snacked after dinner.  In fact, I made it a point not to eat for three hours before going to bed.  

I finished the 22 days, and I felt great!  I lost 11 pounds in those first 22 days. 

And you know what?  I decided to keep going.  No one is more surprised than me.  I never had that steak dinner with that chocolate dessert.  Nor did I open my celebratory 23rd day chocolate covered potato chips, which I conveniently stashed at the back of my pantry.

Today is day 35, and I am still going strong on my plant based diet.  This morning I weighed myself, and I am down 15 pounds.

I have not started exercising yet, but I know this is a necessary component of my goal to become fit and healthy.  

Please join me on my journey.  I need all the support I can get!