Hey y’all! Guess what?? WE MADE IT. We made it and we’re still alive….mostly. Our social lives? Not so much. Boy, will we be ready for a drink in two weeks!
So basically for the past week we’ve been like super duper vegans. Is there a word for that? No dairy, no sugar, no caffeine (Ahem – I’ll get to that in a minute), no alcohol, no gluten or grains, and obviously no processed foods or beverages. When they say “only fruits, veggies & oil/seasoning”, THEY MEAN IT. (“mean” being the operative word there. Because, quite frankly, it is.) Now can I just say, I have always been a little bit of a hater on the vegans. I mean truthfully it just seems like a lifestyle that would cause a lot of dinner party anxiety and irritated friends. But I have to say, I do feel quite good on my insides. Aside from Day 1 being the most miserable day of my life – my stomach feels flatter (that’s a relative term), I’m fairly energized for a hungry person and, overall, I just feel lighter. I can’t really explain it, but I’m happy about it!
This is just a quick update, so Maggie and I wanted to fill you guys in on our progress and share some of our favorite recipes (yes, there are recipes that I would actually eat again as a non-starving human):
MAGGIE
Energy Level (1=NO energy, 5=TONS of energy): This has varied during the week, but I would say overall I have stayed between a 3 & 4.
Misery Level (1=Not Miserable at all!, 5=SUPER Miserable!): Overall I have been pretty happy, so I would say 2!
Favorite WEEK 1 Recipe: Stuffed Portobellos with Kale was my fave but Cauliflower Stir Fry came in close second. I would totally make both of these off the detox! I surprisingly loved the breakfast smoothies too!
Least Favorite WEEK 1 Recipe: Avocado with Tomatoes and Peppers… which is weird to me because these are all things I love to eat together, but for some reason it did not sit right.
Hardest Part/Day: Thursday was a dark day because I tried to eat the Avocado/ Tomato / Pepper recipe that I mentioned and it just kind of messed me up for the rest of the day.
Easiest Thing to Say GOODBYE to: Nothing has been terribly hard to give up.. Gluten, Added Sugar, Caffeine & Processed Food were a piece of cake. Dairy and Alcohol were probably the hardest.
Thing I’m looking forward to most this week: I’m excited to add more protein back in my diet with fish and quinoa. I think any tiredness was attributed to not having enough protein.
Total weight loss: As of last Thursday it was 2 lbs, but I think it’s probably more like 4 or 5 now. I feel / see stomach fat disappearing!
Maggie and I definitely had different vices that were worried about giving up. She was nervous about dairy up front, whereas I didn’t really think much about that until I was a few days in. My concern was definitely caffeine. I’m a black coffee drinker, unless I’m treating myself to a latte which is usually a weekend thing. That always kind of made me feel like I had a leg up on the triple-venti-double-cream-mocha-caramel-latte drinkers of the world, but I still knew it would be hard. Day 1 I went cold turkey. BAD. IDEA. You think you’re strong? You think you can beat it? YOU CAN’T. IT OWNS YOU. All morning I felt lightheaded and dizzy, and by 2pm I had one of the worst migraines I’ve ever come down with…and it lasted until 5am the next morning. So the truth? I haven’t given it up. I have cut wayyyy back to one (or even 1/2) cup a day, but at the end of the day, I have a job. And I have to get that job done. Considering I have absolutely ZERO intention of giving it up completely, I knew that two weeks worth of migraines just weren’t worth it for a three week challenge. Judge all you want! Sorry ’bout it. That being said, here’s my update:
LEILA
Energy Level (1=NO energy, 5=TONS of energy): After Day 1
of hell, my energy level went way up. Almost higher than normal, and with less exercise than usual. I’d say about 4-5!Misery Level (1=Not Miserable at all!, 5=SUPER Miserable!): Definitely easier than I thought – misery level is low, probably a 2 as well. (I mean we did give up wine…it can’t be a 1)
Favorite WEEK 1 Recipe: I agree about the Stuffed Portobellos & the Cauliflower Stir-Fry. Cauliflower “rice” might be my new favorite thing! I also really liked the Butternut and Apple Soup from last year’s recipe lineup.
Least Favorite WEEK 1 Recipe: I went off the recipe plan and tried a Kale Salad with Grapefruit & Avocado. Normally I love that pair together, but I think I’m learning that I just don’t like raw kale. It’s too…..green. Like you’re chomping on something you pulled off the side of the nature trail.
Hardest Part/Day: Day 1 for sure. I tried to give up on coffee and IT FOUGHT BACK (and won).
Easiest Thing to Say GOODBYE to: I agree, nothing’s been too tough. I think we’re both pretty decent eaters normally (unless we’re eating out) so nothing was too much of a shock. Dairy hurt more than I thought it would. I’m a big Greek Yogurt hog.
Thing I’m looking forward to most this week: Quinoa!! Thank goodness for some variety! (Not that I don’t love my veggies) I’m also excited to try to cook fish for the first time. You’ll probably see that on the blog soon!
Total weight loss: From last Sunday night to this morning – 8 lbs! I didn’t even know it was possible to lose that much. I was hoping for 3 lbs a week at the most. There’s no way I can keep that up after this is over. But here’s to tryin’!
If you’re interested in trying some of our favorite recipes from the Whole Living Action Plan, here are the links!:
Kale Stuffed Portobellos – I was skeptical about the Apple Cider Vinegar, but it had really good flavor!
Cauliflower Stir Fry – This also had such good flavor, you would never miss the meat! Also, who knew you could make faux-rice just by tossing cauliflower in a blender?? Great way to skip out on some carbs – I’m definitely doing that again!
Butternut Squash & Apple Soup – NOTE: I doctored this a bit – I used Garam Masala & cinnamon because I didn’t have all the spices listed. I also used vegetable stock in place of the 3 cups of plain water, and I think it really added to the flavor. Finally, I topped it with a drizzle of Harissa Olive Oil (anything that has a good kick to it) which was nice with the sweetness of the apple. Even chile flakes would be good!
the milk truck 