Plant Based Weight Loss - 10 Tips for Getting Started

As long as I can remember I've always had very unhealthy eating habits.  Since childhood I have fed and nurtured my unhealthy relationship with food to the extent it has become intricately woven into every facet of my life.  

Sure, I always said I wanted to be fit and healthy, but the sad part about it is that I did not know how to give up my killer eating habits. Nor did I deep down even believe it was possible for me to change my eating habits.  It wasn't until about four months ago, when the curtain of denial was divinely drawn back, that I was able to make the decision to fully embrace a plant based lifestyle. 

If you are in the same boat and have struggled with poor health and weight issues, below are the top 10 things that propelled me into a happier and healthier way of life. 

1. Surrender – many times I had to pray for the willingness, to be willing to let go! For me, divine intervention was the key. 
2. Education - thoroughly research the plant based lifestyle before you start.  The movie “Forks over Knives” is a great movie to watch - http://www.forksoverknives.com/. It provides a great source of education and motivation.  Once you have done the research, choose the plant based lifestyle that will work best for you.   Select a plant based program that you will be able to fully embrace.   In my life, if I want to make a lasting and forever change, I have to believe in what I am doing.
3. Develop a network of plant based friends to support you through the process.  I have been richly blessed with a tribe of plant based friends who are supporting me and cheering me on in my quest to get healthy and lose weight.   Their support has been invaluable!  If you need help in finding a plant based support system social media offers a lot of vegan/plant based support options - such as Pass the Plants, Please.
4. Clean out your kitchen cabinets, fridge and freezer and give away or toss all unhealthy and non-plant based foods.  I did this the night before I started my new lifestyle and I actually cried - which shocked and embarrassed me!   Sniffling I called a friend of mine and together we walked through the emotional process of saying goodbye to the junk food.
5. Purchase a few tried and true plant based cookbooks.   Some good friends of mine gave me a Lindsey Nixon Happy Herbivore Cookbook.  Her recipes are simple to follow and for the most part she uses easy to obtain ingredients.  If you enjoy creating your own dishes, the following website has a great list of essential vegan pantry items - thekitchn.com.
6. Make out a list of what recipes or foods you want to eat for the first week.  This will provide you with the much needed shopping list for your first vegan excursion to the supermarket!
7. Restock your kitchen with healthy plant based foods.  Now comes the fun part, the restocking of your pantry with healthy food items.  If you have a vegan friend, who is available to shop with you, ask them to join you…their insight will be most helpful. Fruits, vegetables and dried beans will be readily available at your local supermarket, however, miso, nutritional yeast and some vegan staples may not be so easy to find at your local markets – especially if you live in a rural area.  So for the harder to find staples, consider making a trip to Whole Foods for your first shopping trip.  I always find their employees to be super helpful.
8. Read a plant based lifestyle article, post or blog or watch a vegan recipe clip everyday.  For me, doing so keeps my desire to get and stay healthy fully stoked and burning strong!
9. Don’t hyper focus on the bathroom scale numbers.   I need to lose a massive amount of weight and it can be overwhelming.   Since December 8, 2015 I have lost 54 pounds, however, I still have a long way to go.  During this journey what keeps me motivated to stay the course is not the weight loss, it is the health improvements. Nothing feels better than starting to regain one's lost health.
10. Be patient and kind with yourself - we did not get unhealthy or obese overnight.  One of the greatest lessons I have had to learn during these last four months on this new lifestyle is to be patient. It is the tortoise that wins the race. 

Wishing you prosperity in your journey!

Love,

Sharon

How My Plant Based Lifestyle Helped My Autoimmune Disease

Photo from grumpylittles via Google

Friday, April 8 marked the end of my fourth month on my new plant based/gluten-free lifestyle and I am down 53 pounds!  My body is loving its new fuel source and with each passing month it rewards me with reduced pain levels.  

While for the most part this is a plant based on the road to health blog, during this entry, I want to also take time to address the devastating effects that autoimmune diseases have one its "captives."

Anyone who has an autoimmune disease or who has a loved one that suffers from one knows first hand how debilitating autoimmune diseases can be! One of the enigmas with autoimmune diseases is that for the most part you "look healthy" which is polar opposite to what you feel on the inside.  


During a flare, the inside of my "non-sick looking autoimmune diseased body" feels like it has been ran over by an 18 wheeler!  And prior to going vegan and finding out what foods my body is allergic too (gluten) - everyday was a flare! Almost daily I would cry from the pain caused by the psoriatic arthritis (PsA). And I still struggle with basic everyday tasks! Sometimes, something as simple as washing my hair in the shower can leave me feeling exhausted and in pain.  
At times, the effects of PsA has left me feeling alone and isolated because I was afraid to show the true depth of my pain. And I am not alone in these feeling, many individuals suffering from autoimmune diseases have to fake it through the day and special occasions!

Most choose to "fake it" because it can be very scary to leave oneself vulnerable to others judgments.As stated earlier, I am currently blessed because my body has responded to my diet change and my psoriatic arthritis symptoms have began to improve...but I also want to say that not everyone suffering from an autoimmune disease has the same allergies or even has the health and strength to prepare a special plant based diet. 

If an individual with an autoimmune disease makes the decision to go plant based, it is critical for them to work closely with a qualified healthcare professional to choose the best plant based nutritional course for their disease.  Dr. McDougall offers some great council and has great success treating autoimmune diseases.  Plus, they will most certainly need support from their friends and family - for example it might be hard for them to even go grocery shopping or do meal preparation. 

My goal in sharing my autoimmune disease struggles is not an attempt to garner sympathy.  It is to simply help individuals who are blessed enough to not suffer form an autoimmune disease gain a deeper understanding into just how overwhelming it is to suffer from one. 
Overall, what I would like to impart to anyone who is closely connected to someone who has an autoimmune disease is to please remember be patient, gentle, kind and most of all long suffering!   It is a painful path for them to walk and they truly need your unconditional love and support! 

Okay, now I am off my soap box and onto the stove! ;)

Lately I have been receiving requests from followers to include more recipes with my blogs.  So, this evening I made one of my favorite soups with a new twist.

Recipe:
5 - 6 medium Yukon gold potatoes - peeled and cubed
1-2 bunches of green onions - coarsely chopped 

4 cups of warm water
4 generous tsp of veggie chicken seasoning (Vegan McKay's Chicken Seasoning)
2 cups of fresh Asparagus - coarsely diced
2 to 3 cups of soy milk
celery seed to taste
salt and pepper to taste
• Add the McKay’s vegan chicken seasoning and stir until dissolved
• Cook potatoes until they are almost fork tender
• Add diced Asparagus
• Cook until the Asparagus and Potatoes are tender.
• Add favorite plant based milk (I use plain unsweetened soy)
• Let soup cool and then blend ¾ of the soup until creamy
• Add blended soup back to pan
• Add salt, pepper and celery seed to taste
• Return to a heat and bring to a simmer
• Garnish with a light sprinkling of celery seed and serve with your favorite vegan bread or crackers (I serve with Schar's corn crisp-breads).

Wishing you prosperity in your journey!

Past guilty pleasures and a lifetime of weight gain

Prior to going vegan and starting a healthier plant based lifestyle, I could not remember a time when sugar was not my drug of choice, especially ice cream.  It’s frozen creamy goodness would envelope me in a warm blanket of self-denial.  One spoonful transported me to a place of numbness, one that even the roughest tempest couldn't penetrate.

In the past I tried many times to "get clean," only to succeed for a few weeks, or, if lucky, a few months. Despite my best efforts, it would only be a matter of time before I would be wheeling a grocery cart down the well-lit aisles of the freezer section, peering through the frosted glass, in search of the perfect blend of frozen flavors - all the while hoping no one I knew saw me.

During one distant shopping trip, I found the coast was clear and I slowed to a stop in front of the premium "high fat" ice cream section.  I began narrowing down my choices.  Should I get my old friend "Cherry Garcia" or try a fling with the new”super-premium Greek Frozen Yogurt?" I ended up skipping both of the first options and was drawn to a larger carton of the new chocolate Oreo cookie variety.  As I reached for it, I was already envisioning myself devouring it.

After I grabbed the one quart chocolate Oreo variety, for good measure, I threw a pint of limited edition blackberry cobbler into my cart and quickly guided my basket to the check-out counter. My palms were still cold from the ice cream and I had already began to feel the guilt start to creep in. I knew within a day or two of my purchase, all of the ice cream would be polished off and I would be left feeling sick and wanting more.

By the next day after my purchase, the pint of ice cream was consumed and the larger carton was waiting in the wings - that was when I believe God sent a friend to help answer my pleas for deliverance.

It was late that same night (a few years back) after having finished eating the pint of blackberry cobbler ice cream that I was chatting with a close friend on the phone. During this phone call, he asked me if I was still sugar/junk food free.  Confession time.  I admitted I was eating sugar again and had actually meant to tell him about "falling off the wagon." We chatted for a while about my struggles with sugar and junk foods, then he suggested I start researching and writing a weight-loss book.  His logic being that the research for the book would help me find the path to success and at the same time help others who are struggling with the same issue. 

This was not the first time in my life that someone had encouraged me to write.  My therapist had also encouraged me to write, but I at that time, I had yet to fully embrace writing because I always doubted my writing abilities, however, as my friend encouraged me something inside me changed. The more I mulled over his writing idea, the more I came to believe that it might actually work and thus the blog and my hopes for writing a book in the future began.

While it took several years for me to become fully engaged and committed to a healthier vegan lifestyle, I have finally wholeheartedly embraced veganism and each day I find it more and more rewarding! 

Thankfully I can now say that since December 8, 2015 I have been completely vegan and have also gone gluten free due to allergies.  So no more non vegan frozen treats for me! 
And regarding my love of ice cream, I have recently purchased a good blender and have learned how to make my own vegan ice cream using frozen ripe bananas, blended with a few of my favorite berries and a splash of 100% juice or soy milk - nom, nom!

Wishing you prosperity in your journey!

Sharon