I am hungry, I want cheese and eggs.   I started a vegan challenge on Friday, March 1st, 2019.  It  is going pretty good (I have not cheated) I have been able to keep myself relatively satisfied so far, I feel like I am taking it one meal at a time like an addict.  I guess it is similar, breaking habits.  Maybe cheese acts like a drug in the brain making me want it.  I’m not sure it is bad for me but I figured I will not know unless I try to go without.  Another reason why I do not want to eat dairy anymore is because I have seen and read about how the dairy industry treats the cows and it sounds cruel and I don’t want to support that.  

Secretly I’m also hoping my face will clear up and I’ll lose a bunch of weight.  I don’t actually believe I will lose weight but face clearing maybe.  I guess we will see if I can make it through this challenge.  I planned pretty well for it because I knew from the last time I tried something like this that the lack of planning was the cause of my failure pretty early on in the game (it might have been the first day). To be fair I was new to gluten free too at the time.  

No, I am not gluten free because I think it is healthier or a way to lose weight, I am because I was pooping a lot, nauseas everyday and once I kinda did poop my pants. Maybe that is too much information but I feel like there is a lot of gluten free haters out there and maybe you just don’t realize the severity of sensitivity some people may have so now you can just back off (seems like I am a little sensitive about this issue).  I have never been diagnosed with celiac and  at this point I don’t care because in order to get an accurate test I have to eat equivalent of two slices of bread everyday for 8 weeks and I am not willing to put myself through that because I feel better eating gluten free.  

Now, I am adding more elements of exclusion, no meat, dairy, fish or eggs.  Seems kinda crazy to me too, but like I said I have reasons that are important and I feel like I should give it a fair try.  No one said it was going to be easy, doing something for the first time almost never is.  I found some great filling alternatives to eggs, meat and cheese.  So far I have enjoyed the full sensation with putting hemp seeds on my smoothy bowls as well as chocolate chips in fact I think I will include both of those ingredients in my oatmeal this morning.  I have bean eating a lot of guacamole to fill me up but I think I have had enough of that over the past 3 days, although it really did save me on the first night. 

Friday night was the first night of the challenge. After coming home from a 10hr day at work and confusing grocery store trip where I was feeling slightly delirious from hunger,  I ate 1/2 a pound of guacamole and taco chips and potato chips for good measure (see what I mean about not losing weight). I felt saved after that binge and like I might actually be able to do this.  Although, now it is the fourth day and the thought of anymore guacamole makes me want to gag.   

Due to this aversion that I am having to guacamole now I am a little apprehensive about the day and days ahead meal planning.  I have two maybe three what seem like tasty meals to try out, butternut squash Alfredo with gluten free noodles, sweet potato (almost sick of these too, ill try this one tomorrow) tater tots with black beans, corn, and avocado (hmm not sure if I’m ready for that either hopefully by tomorrow) and rice bowl with beans and broccoli.  

Two more things to report, first, I just weighed myself to see if by the off chance I had lost any weight and the answer is no, most likely due to my guacamole and chip binge confessed above.  Second my poop has become much more soft and frequent, this might be too much information but if you are struggling with constipation possibly this is good diet for you.  Let me just tell you what I have been eating besides the chips and guacamole.  Breakfast, smoothie bowl containing: banana, blueberries, raspberries, mango, hemp seeds, chocolate chips, walnuts and granola (yummy and filling probably better in the spring/summer).  Lunch: sweet potato, beans, broccoli, guacamole, hot sauce.  Dinner: Thai rice noodles with beansprouts, green onion and tofu.  Snacks: carrot sticks and celery sticks with humus, hot buffalo almonds, chips, guacamole  and chocolate chips.  That was yesterdays menu and I went to bed feeling full.  My plan moving forward lay off the chips, some friends of mine have suggested some healthier alternatives like crunchy chic peas so maybe I’ll experiment with that next.  

Wish me luck I think I am going to need it.