I Went Vegan for 22 Days. What The Flip Happened?

I Went Vegan. WHAT Did I Get Myself Into?

No meat, no eggs, no cheese? Omg that includes pizza and absolutely no Hot Cheetos! 😱 Those were my initial thoughts when I decided for a plant-based diet aka my Vegan Challenge. To my surprise I did it! I went vegan for 22 days straight.

SO…Was it Hard Being Vegan?🤔

I went vegan for 22 consecutive days as part of my #VeganChallange (please read WHY I decided to do this here). Heck yes I had a hard time! Well not at first, I had a difficult time my 2nd week of being vegan. I think those are the days my body started to notice my diet, lower protein, lower carbs and higher fat. Huh? 🤨 I was determine not to consume too many carbs because that would defeat the purpose. I wanted this change to be healthier and so I cut down on my carbs, focused on protein and good fats and counted my calories/macros using MyFitnessPal.

Day 1 of my MyFitnessPal Vegan Diet

What do Vegans Actually Eat?🤷🏽‍♀️

Lots and lots of vegetables, beans, fruits, nuts and soups.  My main lunch diet Monday – Friday consisted of salads — because I love me some greens. A variety of Kale, baby kale (yes they are different), spinach, romaine lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots with extra virgin olive oil, salt, black pepper, basil as a dressing. On occasion I would throw in some ToFurky Italian sausage to add more flavor and protein. Of course I did not eat this ever single day but I did eat it often. Not to mention, everything in my salads I could get for such a low price at my local grocery store. Go Vegan, Save money? Who would have thought.

The weekends did comprise of a different story; trying to figure out whether you could eat something or not. I don’t know about you, but while I sit in a restaurant I often read the menu and casually overhear conversations of neighboring tables. Most often these conversations comprise of the guest asking the waiter “does this have high sodium? What kind of oil is this cooked in? Is this beef USDA Certified?” I always strive not be picky when ordering food; now that I was vegan this seemed impossible. Luckily I live in Los Angeles, home of all things trendy and hip. And let’s face it, being vegan has sky-rocked in the last few years and it was going to work to my advantage. Most restaurants in Los Angeles have gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options allowing myself to keep to my new lifestyle. In fact, here are my Top 8 Vegan Restaurants.

Did You Even Lose Weight?

Yes I did! Although I went vegan to try and lose weight and eat healthier, I did not weigh myself until towards the end of my challenge. It felt amazing to see the scale 5 pounds less than my “normal” weight. My new diet provided me with more plant-based protein making it easier for my body to digest. There is no more bloating or that feeling of overeating. I had a lot more energy throughout the day and did not need to consume tons of coffee. Naturally I would have cravings for some Hot Cheetos or Oreo cookies (to my surprise are actually vegan) around 4pm but those cravings were practically gone. The food I consumed throughout the day provided my body with enough energy to last until dinner time.

What did I Learn About This New Experience?

The main thing I learned is that it is possible to live a plant based diet and actually be healthy. I read a lot about vegan diets and their pros/cons of taking up this new lifestyle. I educated myself on how to be cautious and careful when eating out and how to cook vegan friendly foods at home.

It taught me patience (which let’s be honest I need terribly), how to be disciplined and set attainable goals for myself. The entire experience was life changing and made me very aware of the foods I ate prior to this challenge.

As I write this in the new year and reflect back, BTW Happy 2018, I regret the short week after my challenge ended. I reverted back to pizza, tamales and pozole… #MexicanHolidays But I am proud to say that I will continue to challenge myself for another 3 months this new year. If you are thinking of going vegan, take a look at my initial thoughts before I went vegan.

stay healthy, positive and if you are looking to explore a vegan or -plant-based diet, leave any questions you may have.

Here are my Top 8 Favorite Vegan Restaurants in the Los Angeles area. 

xo Andie