New vegan

I don't expect that anyone still reads this so this will probably turn into my own personal recipe box and a way to keep track of my eating.

Two years since my last blog entry? Two years ago seems like such a long time and yet it flew by and some crazy things have happened in that span. First...

I met a boy. Well, I met a guy. What started off as innocent flirting turned into a few dates which turned into a summer of love that included two different road trips to Chicago, amusement park dates and late nights with a bottle of wine and netflix marathons. Then came something that has changed me forever, I became a mom on May 31st. Jack was a huge surprise and totally unexpectant,  but I wouldn't change anything. He is smart, sweet, silly, and not to mention unbelieveably adorable. It's amazing seeing him grow each day, learning what he can do and watching him turn from a little slug of a newborn into this super happy baby.

Pregnancy though,  pregnancy is hard. You feel like crap for a solid 10 months. I had a few days here and there but overall, just getting out of bed was tough. So I ate. I ate what I wanted, how I wanted and when I wanted. I should've invested stock into Taco Bell and poptarts because those were my biggest culprits. Then, I had Jack via ceserean, came home, stepped on the scale, and saw that I put on 60lbs from start to finish.

Dairy and processed foods kids, not good for you.

Veganism fell by the wayside. So did working out. I drank soda, I ate crap, and I did it because "i'm pregnant." It's been 5 months since I had Jack and I'm still holding on to 40 or those pregnancy pounds. I've been trying quick fixes and staying mostly vegetarian (seafood being a problem) but then a blog post from this blog popped up on my timehop and I spent the next hour reading through all my old posts. Why haven't I resumed my vegan lifestyle after having Jack? Why did I deviate from it to begin with? My son is starting baby food and I only let him eat organic foods that I make for him to ensure he's getting the most nutrition, so how can I give him pureed avocado while I chow down on Burger King. He looks to me as his example.

Plus the energy. I miss having energy! I felt so great being vegan and having the weight off. I want to be able to play with him son. I want him to see me choose carrot sticks or a pear as a snack instead of chips. I want him to enjoy food and not lable food "healthy = gross" but instead view clean, whole, non processed food as just good food.

So I decided yesterday to return to being a vegan. Last time I did this I just jumped right in, no baby steps, and I lasted 4 years (and maintained that weight loss all that time). Good thing I kept such a nice recipe index through this blog because I've forgotten about some of these recipes.

The first thing I want to do is keep it small at 30 days. 30 day challenge, see if I lose and see how I feel then reevaluate at the end of 30 days. Because I love goals so much, here's my month goals for November 9 - December 9:

1. All vegan. No dairy, no animal by-products. Vegan diet.

2. 100oz of water per day. Hydration is so important.

3. Blog a couple days a week my progress.

So there it is. Good luck to me, hopefully by new years I'll be ringing in the year with a much happier, healthier and thinner me.