The Experiment Continues...

It has been 8 days since I finished the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart. Before I started, I thought... Well, I think I thought it would be more life-changing, but it wasn't as different or as difficult as I thought it would be. Some of the recipes were similar to ones I've used in the past, and some my whole family really enjoyed. I thought I would miss cheese and other dairy products more. I was wrong. I thought I wouldn't miss the meat very much. I was wrong about that too. By the end of it, I was dying to eat a piece of juicy chicken or take a bite of bacon! I know what you are all dying to know though... Did I lose weight? Well, yes... but not the way I thought I would. After those three weeks, I had lost 10 lbs. Was it enough for me to want to continue eating that way? No.
Here's why: First, I didn't feel very good. After the first week of sticking mainly to vegetables and grain, the meal plan introduced a heavy amount of soy for protein. My body rejected this. I got sick and felt really ill for several days. After that, I tried to bounce back. I ate grains that were heavy in protein and filled myself up with green vegetables. I made thick soups with a variety of beans, and I still felt weak and tired. I was taking 2 hour naps in the middle of the day - something I cannot afford to do when I'm supposed to be caring for and paying attention to four kids. (Not to mention the canning season that was already underway!) I had indigestion for days and hardly any appetite - Part of me believes that is the real reason I lost more than just a few pounds. I had to force myself to eat breakfast because I just didn't feel like it. I learned recently that my sister had a similar experience while trying to eat vegan back in high school. She and I have a similar body type, so that was an interesting tidbit of information to know.
I did stick to it though and continued eating vegan for a full 21 days. There were a couple of times I wanted to cheat, but didn't. There were a couple of times I didn't intend to cheat, but I found out later that I had unknowingly eaten something with dairy in it. It was an experiment, and overall I do think it was worth it because I did learn from this process.  I learned that staying away from dairy products also kept me away from refined sugars and most processed foods - most cakes, cookies, flavored chips and such contain milk or milk products. There were a couple of birthday parties I attended - and I was surprised how easy it was to say "No thanks" and satisfy that sweet tooth later with something else, when I would normally accept that large slice of cake and devour it with delight - without caring about the consequences.
So, what now? I've been eating "normal" again for 8 days with light dairy and meat added here and there and have already gained a few lbs back. I would like to try something else, but what? I have the book, It Starts With Food which is an introduction to the Whole30. I have another book to finish before I dive into this one, but I think I might try what it has to offer and see if I can learn something else about my body.
What about exercise? During the first couple of weeks while I was eating vegan, I also started the 30-Day Ab Challenge and 30-Day Squat Challenge. (You can Google those and find an image and set that works for you - they vary in the amount and type of exercise.) I kept going with that until I felt too ill to continue. I recently started the Ab Challenge again. I was surprised that I could keep it going and that I could feel myself getting stronger (until I stopped doing the exercises.) Later, when I started again I was surprised at how easy it was. My body remembered - Yay! My kids are excited to start school, but I am too because there is a group of moms who meet every morning to work out and I'll definitely be joining them more often this year. We've met once a week during the summer and it has been nice to keep in touch and have our kids play together at the park while we get a workout in. It hasn't been consistent for me though - it's my own fault for not making it a priority, but it will be much easier when I'm dropping kids off and have to be there anyway.