My New Lifestyle

If you're new here, this site used to be my personal blog where I chronicled my journey to being healthy, happy, and fit.

Except, I was never able to accomplish any of those things with my old mindset. I was constantly trying fad diets like paleo, juice cleanses, and even a vegan diet (but not the healthy kind). My weight fluctuated up and down as nothing was able to stick. It was frustrating and draining both physically and mentally as my mind shifted from one new set of "rules" to the next.

Then I discovered a diet that made the most sense to me and happened to be backed by many doctors, health institutions, and evidence-based research. It's one that sounded fairly sustainable and not as restrictive for me as past diets.

This is where the story begins:

I have transitioned to this new lifestyle which has literally changed my life for the better. I don't like using labels because there is a stigma associated with just about everything now (why is life so controversial?) but basically, I have switched to a lifestyle studied, proven, and recommended to be the healthiest diet by organizations such as Kaiser Permanente (the largest U.S. managed care organization), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It is referred to as the whole foods plant-based (WFPB) diet. It consists of eating mainly fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and tubers, while minimizing or eliminating meats (including poultry and fish), eggs, dairy, and highly refined foods like bleached flours, refined sugars, and oil.

You may be thinking that it sounds restricting, but in fact, it doesn't feel that way at all! This comes from a shift in mind-set from "I can't have that" to "I don't want that."

To understand what I mean by this, I recommend watching the documentary Fork Over Knives. It is available to watch on Netflix.

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. ⁠— Hippocrates, father of medicine, 431 B.C.

And good news⁠—it is incredibly easy to make the transition. There are alternatives for everything meat and dairy. Check out the options at your local grocery store. Make the switch to non-dairy milk. My personal favorite is soy milk but you can also try almond milk, coconut milk, rice milk, cashew milk⁠—the list goes on. They are fortified with calcium and vitamin A and D for strong bones. Also, contrary to popular belief, all fruits and vegetables have protein in them, which I know is a major concern in our society today (even though Americans eat twice as much protein than they need). If you eat a well balanced plant-based diet, you can easily attain more than enough protein. If you are concerned about your protein intake, there’s also tempeh, seitan, and tofu that you can add to your meals. Plus, don't forget that nuts and beans are packed with protein!

The chains have fallen off and I no longer feel bound by food. I never have guilt when eating, I am never counting calories and I never feel deprived. I feel satiated, I eat whatever I want, I think clearer, I have so much more energy, I recover faster after workouts, I get all the vitamins and minerals I need (minus B12 which I'll get into in another post), and all while easily losing weight! I was very sedentary during my switch to this new lifestyle due to endless hours of studying I had to do for a certification I needed for work. Literally, didn't try to lose weight and yet I dropped 5 lbs! I feel fueled, energized, refreshed, excited, happy, and healthy!

This blog was previously dedicated to my journey to be fit but the blog posts were all about limitations and counting calories. They are the perfect example for what not to do. Funny thing⁠—I had a previous post also titled "My New Lifestyle" which focused on limiting calories. Yikes. Going forward I plan to post about my new lifestyle and share the benefits of eating WFPB, how to get started, and what my journey has been like so far after almost 8 months on it. I am also going to be sharing some of my favorites recipes so far, what I shop for, and how I prepare meals. Buckle up!

I want to share this because I truly care about you all and want us to make these steps towards a healthy lifestyle together!