Tough times

The past week has been rather hectic and we have slid right back into some of the bad eating habits we had before starting the Forks Over Knives diet plan.  We have had fast food twice, restaurant food three or four times and generally struggled to eat well.  Not the kind of news I enjoy reporting on this blog, but I can't lie to you all, we are having a tough time being vegans.

All is not lost, of course, because we can just get right back on track at the next meal.  One burger from McDonald's has not undone all the good we're doing by eating a plant-based diet.  And most of the restaurant food we've eaten has come from restaurants that provide vegan menus.  Like I said a couple of weeks ago, we are doing SO much better than we were two or three months ago, I refuse to be discouraged.

Yes, I am a little frustrated that we didn't stick with it, but I'm not ready to give up.

One thing I do that helps me see what I need to work on and where my weaknesses are, as well as what things I'm doing RIGHT, is keeping a food log.  It's just a notebook where I list everything I eat, not calories or anything else, just a list of food.  And I try to keep track of my emotions and physical symptoms, just to see how those factors are affected by diet.

I also make a quick note of any exercise I do.  Because of ongoing back problems, I am starting over, doing a series of stretches every day to get me to the point of walking on a treadmill every day.  I need a lot more exercise than I'm getting.

I believe a food log is a good idea for anyone, on a diet, needing to diet or whatever.  We do not realize how much food we eat in a day, and some days, we've found that we didn't eat much at all!  And surely not enough to get all the nutrients we need.  Try it for a week, or even a couple days, write down absolutely everything you eat, then you'll see why it helps us so much.

Basically, with this lifestyle change, I have three goals: First, get healthy enough to be able to reduce the amount of medication I need; second, feel better, physically and emotionally; and third, lose weight.  And that is in order of importance.  I know I am healthier -- I just feel better for one thing, but I've also been tracking my blood sugar levels and they're significantly lower than they were six months ago.

I've lost over 20 pounds since starting FOK, but I've lost 32 pounds since when I was at my heaviest.  That's great, but I do have a long ways to go to feel fit.  I have promised myself a little treat (not food!) when I have lost 50 pounds, and I plan to keep those little treats going right until I reach my goal weight.

I will admit that some of my "slips" were more in the form of "little rewards" because I've been so good about watching my diet.  Dumb!  It's not a reward, it's allowing myself to veer off a path I have set for myself.  And I will also admit that every time I've eaten fast food, I ended up with an upset stomach.  It is so completely not worth it!

I have managed to resist one thing -- Pepsi.  I love Pepsi.  Nothing better on a hot day than an ice cold Pepsi.  And I haven't had one since I started the FOK plan.  It's been incredibly tough at times, because everyone in my family drinks Pepsi.  I am drinking a lot of water and iced tea, but it ain't Pepsi.  I'm hoping that if I ever do succumb to Pepsi's siren call, it will taste terrible to me.  I'm afraid it won't though, so I'm doing my best to just stick to water.

On the positive side of the last week's insanity, we did find a couple new dishes we can make quite easily.  We've started using a meat substitute from  Yves Veggie Cuisine (available at Whole Foods).  It looks and tastes like ground beef that has been browned.  It's made of soy and a serving provides 10 grams of protein, which is very important.

Getting enough protein is essential and to eat vegan, one must keep track of their protein intake, even though it's quite simple to get protein from beans and other foods.  This week, we used the Yves meatless ground product to make tacos.  I could not tell the difference between these tacos and traditional hamburger tacos.

My two nieces were at our house when we cooked these and they both ate two tacos.  A sure sign of approval!  We also use the meat replacement in our pasta sauce.  My husband said it was nice to eat something that was familiar, even though we've enjoyed the tofu dishes and other meatless dishes.  We were meat eaters a long time, and we still enjoy at least pretending we're eating meat.  That's probably silly, but, hey, it works!

The biggest lesson we've had from this lifestyle is not giving up.  Some days I'd really like to just eat a freaking candy bar, and some fries, and a pepsi, then some pizza . . . .  and on and on.  But I know that what I really want, in the long run, is to reach my three goals: get off the meds, feel healthier, and lose weight.

Reaching my goals is going to be far more rewarding than any candy bar or pizza.  Still, if I indulge, I'm not giving up.  I'm committed to this lifestyle plan and, along with my husband, I'm sticking to it!