I see it all as a process (why i stopped eating meat)

This fitness thing.. this becoming the person i think i am meant to be...
to have energy to serve, to have energy to be a good mother, wife, friend, sister, daughter, teacher, artist, .. the list goes on and on to do all of that felt i had to change.

I first began over 2 years ago.. working out eating better.. I did the body for life eating .. it worked great.. with one exception.. my poor tummy.

I would feel great during the week but on my free day my stomach was just a mess! It would take literally 3 days for my system to get back to "normal" ... What the program says to do is eat really well.. balance of carb and protien 5 to 6 meals a day during the week.. one free day a week.. and GIRLS.. what a free day i would have! cokes, ice cream, chips, that list goes on and on too :)

so.. I began to realize that TRUE change for me had to be made by getting rid of bad habits for good. I started out first by getting rid of ice cream and candy bars. I use to eat ice cream most every night .... and if i was on BFL program i would have it on free day (sometimes twice!).. so I decided that was the first thing to get out of my diet.. my first "bad habit" to get rid of.

Over the last 2 years I have "cut out" and for the most part gotten rid of cravings for such bad foods like french fries, soft drinks, ice cream, chips, crackers, sugar candy (like starburst and cherry sours), cookies, cakes etc... I literally have NO cravings 99% of the time for these things that use to be staples in my diet.

The more process and bad foods i cut out.. the better my digestive system felt.. the better i felt, the better my skin was and less aches and pains were present. I began reading 2 years ago and visiting with several people who are vegetarians, or vegan or raw vegan. I have been educated for a long while about the ill effects meat can have on our systems.
I learned that the way meats are processed lends itself to getting bacteria on the meat and how may times when people have "stomach virus'" or tummy upsets they are actually bacteria from the meat(s) they have eaten..

I wont list all i have read and what i understand .. i dont have that kind of time.. I will post a few things at the end of this to show you what i have read and links i find interesting..

But i will tell you that I have wanted to eat more fruits and veggies for a very long time.. I want to be healthy and aware of what i am eating.

I have tried "going cold turkey" (no pun intended) a few times.. switching drastically from a SAD diet to vegan for a few days.. but that didnt work for me. I felt deprived and had many cravings that i just didnt want to resist. I figured out i was a "step down" kinda of person... I want bad habits out of my life .. not this constant up and down.. hot and cold thing.

So.. I decided almost 3 weeks ago to stop eating meat.. one reason was to see how i would feel, to see how i felt emotionally about "not eating like everyone else", and mostly to see what my tummy and digestive system would do. I wanted to give my insides a rest from meat.

The first week I 'slipped' three times.... but i didnt beat myself up or worry about it..
the last almost 2 weeks i have been complelely meat free. I can honestly say i have not missed it one bit!

I have noticed my taste buds are changing quickly, and a meal that my DH found bland I found full of flavor! I also LOVE the fact i can eat alllll i want of my veggies and i dont have to really worry. I read somewhere that some vegans-vegitarians eat up to 3000 calories a day!

So far i am not missing meat.

I AM making sure i am eating eggs, seeds, fruits, veggies, and oils.. and eat 5 to 6 times a day. I have a LOT more to learn but so far I am feeling great and loving the no meat life :)

I havent tried the Greensmoothiegirl smoothies yet but its on my list to do :)

so... call me crazy but i feel good

some links:

click here

list of "reasons"

I read many books, like The China Study, 80-10-10, any book on Veg i could find in the library.
I also watched a film called "Super Size Me" (changed my mind instantly about fast food!)

We stopped eating red meat in our family about 2 years ago.. except for the occasional hamburger .. . we were red meat free. One reason for this change was because of cost ... steak and roast, and hamburger meat (the kind i use to buy which was hormone and anitibotic free) was getting expensive! .... the other reason was to reduce the Cholesteral in our systerms :) I switched from ground beef to turkey and chicken. My family is still eating meat.. I fix it for them but I dont really have a craving anymore to eat it. Its very interesting to me how much its just NOT a big deal to me... I dont feel deprived or anything... I am craving fruits and mostly veggies all the time now! I am shocked for sure!


I am not saying I will NEVER again eat meat but for now... I love being Veg :)