24. My lucky number - so let's make today a good day with some positive, hopefully helpful tips for you guys and girls.
#1. Are you always feeling bloated, sluggish and just rotten after consuming food? Try firstly cutting out dairy - for 30 days ideally but even a week if its effecting you, you should see a difference. Dairy is the most toxic food group to the human body - so targeting this first may solve some or all of your issues. Don't worry there are lots of substitutes - almond milk, coconut rice milk, soya milk, oat milk, you don't have to be having your tea's and coffee's black, and you can use these milks in sauces, to bake etc. You can also get soya yogurts and creams. Just ensure you check labels for sneaky 'milk powders' etc.
#2. If you are coming to this lifestyle wanting to lose weight - expecting to 'restrict' because after all that's what we have been brainwashed to believe a 'diet' is all about ( but this is NOT a diet - its a lifestyle), you won't stick to this lifestyle or you will begin to binge on vegan junk processed foods. You must ensure you are getting enough carbs and eat until you are full - whether that's 1 bowl of rice or 3, a 5 banana smoothie or a 10 banana smoothie (yes people have these regularly) you must listen to your body. If one lesson you do learn from this lifestyle is you do have to tune into your body more. It will tell you what it needs. If you are well carb'ed up and satisfied with the right energy and food you simply won't crave the junk and rubbish. I am not saying you can't ever indulge in the more unhealthy vegan dishes on the market but you don't want to be falling into that conventional 'diet' routine or restricting and then having a massive binge - as you won't lose weight, you will just store all the fat like other diets and damage your metabolism.
#3. Many people gain weight when they first come to this diet. This is what I need of course and I welcome that. This happens to many people who have been on 'restrictive diets' they simply gain a load of water weight - some panic and give up when they gain the weight, but if you keep at it your body will adjust and you will fall to the point YOUR body should be. This is because you are eating as much as it requires for you! So once it has reached this point you weight will maintain. As you aren't starving (making it decrease) and then having massive binges (making your weight increase) causing the famous (yo-yo outcome). Some people gain weight if they have come from a binge eating disorder or some people simply just go crazy - seeing people on this lifestyle eating 5 bowls of rice but they may be running 3 miles a day and you may be eating 5 bowls of rice for dinner forcing it down but have an office job - so yes you will gain weight and you will have to work on simply eating until you are full! If you begin to feel you are forcing food down - STOP, your body is telling you it has all the energy it needs, any extra will just be stored and not used effectively. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Many people share stories of gaining up to a stone in the few 4-6 months of beginning the lifestyle but then they get to months 7-9 and begin losing it all and the couple of pounds they wanted to lose and begin with and once there the begin to maintain and never weigh themselves again, feeling lighter and leaner too but they are simply happy and buzzing off the lifestyle that they finally learn that a number does not define us! THERE IS NEVER A QUICK FIX - boy have I learnt that - despite what the media may say 'juice for 3 days and lose 10lbs' yes you may lose 10lbs but a week later after returning to food you will be hungry eat more and gain 12lbs. See the cycle? Patience, work and persistence is key. #4. Cutting out meat will cut your saturated fat and trans-fat intake, instantly helping your cholesterol levels decrease. Meat needs very acidic enzymes to be broken down by the stomach - this means digestion takes a lot longer, so digestive upset and issues may improve for you. You will also be cutting out 'mercury' that is present in meats and can contribute to the causes of diseases like cancer, heart disease and many other life threatening illness. You cut out all the hormones and chemicals that can play around with your hormones and effect your mood in a negative way. Don't go cold turkey if you have always been a meat eater and meat is a big part of your life. Simply start by having a 'Meatless Monday' every week for a month, see how you feel on the days you don't consume meats. #5. On this lifestyle the only vitamin that you will be under Government recommendations for is B12. This is very much needed in your diet as lack of B12 causes fatigue and anemia. However you can get supplies and sprays - try and get the sprays ( available at Holland and Barrett ) the tablets aren't always properly absorbed by the body as the spray instantly is. Don't panic too much about all this, you are significantly defiant in B12 we are simply just under the line. #6. You don't just learn how to feed your body on this lifestyle, you learn how to look after yourself, treat yourself better and how to focus on more important issues in life rather than 'weight, illness and body-image', you simply begin to focus on happiness, using all this extra energy you have, enjoying food, illnesses are cured or improved and you are too happy to be worried about what the scales say because you are feeling amazing.
#7. Struggle cooking? Don't know where to start recipe wise? Buy my book when it's released and kick start positive vibes to plant-based cooking, all recipes are easily adaptable to EVERYONE'S needs and cravings. CHECK IT OUT GUYS. I will keep you updated. What to stay tuned for:-
My blog post for Thursday - Thoughts for Thursday, will be very eye opening. Learn some VERY important facts about the plant-based lifestyle. Love to all, let the sun shine on your day. xx