Its Been A WHILE

SO! A lot has happened with my vegetarian diet and how I have been feeling in this diet. I was going to try to make this blog a daily entry blog, but with a 21 unit course load that is proving to be VERY difficult to manage. Also considering how another class of mine is also asking that we make a big project for our final... which I didn't plan for. REGARDLESS, I have taken pictures of notable vegetarian meals that I have cooked and eaten while out and about, I even had a fun statistic that may mean something to what I have been doing, and that is weight loss?

After my first pilot week, of attempting to be vegetarian I weighed myself. I of course, haven't been tracking calories, doing any exercise really, in fact it felt that I was stress eating most of the time as I kept snacking on chips, or bad foods. Regardless, I felt that I wasn't going to lose weight as I was primarily eating a lot of carb heavy foods, a thing that I learned reflecting on my two weeks of this diet. I have been reliant a lot on potatoes, rice, pastas, and breads, not because I can't afford veggies. But because, I learned I don't really like veggies unless its like, savory or in some sauce. Salads had bored me eating the same salad kits over and over again, and I don't have any massive culinary experience with cooking with vegetarian meals. In fact, I think the only reason I lost weight...

- oh by the weigh ;) I weighed 190 lbs two weeks ago, now I weigh 187.4 lbs, as a 6'1'' guy that isn't over weight but I wish I was less chunky and more lean aha -

... because there isn't really things off hand that I can eat without having to cook it myself or going out for take out. For example, as a meat eater, it is easy to have a giant pack of chimichangas or hot pockets available. Heck, even ramen noodles are your friend because they are so cheap and easy to make when you are hungry. Of course these meal options have anywhere between 300-500 calories. And they aren't the greatest in terms of satiating your appetite long term, so you usually feel very hungry even after eating two hot pockets or a bowl of Maruchan Ramen. Now that I am vegetarian, I can't eat these stable noodles, or microwavable options unless I were to go out to buy bulk bean and cheese burritos. But with this class, and learning about environmental injustices I've been more skeptical with what I put in my mouth and don't really feel the need to do that.

Regardless, I know that being so carb dependent now isn't the healthiest thing in the world. I should really incorporate veggies, fruits, and less carb heavy foods because most of the nutrients I am missing from my meat absence can be present in some veggies. Which is why this week I am going to go grocery shopping again, to get some better whole food options and maybe I will learn to like veggies. That don't necessarily need to be stir fried, or fried haha.