I DID IT! (no meat) And The highlights of my week

So I did it guys! I went meatless for over a week. The "experiment" was supposed to end on Tuesday but I kept going. To be honest, I think im getting the hang of this and may continue forward with this for as long as I can tolerate it. I'd like to see how I feel after maybe 30 days for now. I am wondering how my body would react. In reality, all I really gave up was chicken and any kind of red meat. I still allowed myself eggs, cheese, and seafood.

Ive only been eating the cheese sporadically and is from trader joes. Per the container, there are no added hormones, preservatives, etc (which is the main reason behind the experiment). So, based on that Ive allowed the cheese.

Some thoughts:

1. I feel good. I have to admit the first few days (and maybe even right now) I miss chicken. Eating chicken in salads, wraps, with rice, etc. has always been such a huge part of my diet (my whole life!) and now that its missing I actually miss it. Not tnecessarity o the point that I want to say :"forget this" but in a way that I randomly think about it and then have to remind myself that I am temporarily not having it.

2. Ive never been a big "red meat" eater so in terms of that, i dont really care much for it nor miss it at all from my diet. So, thats good.

3. I feel "healthier" (in my head) it may all be an illusion or a "placebo" effect or maybe not eating meats is actually making me healthier. I dont know. only time can tell.
4. Ive been eating really clean for the most part and it may have a lot to do with the fact that I am making a conscious effort to eat clean ('cuz we all know thats not always easy) this may go hand in hand with the "feeling healthier" thing. By eating clean I mean that Ive given up a lot of my trigger foods such as sweets, granola bars, sugary cereals, etc. The first few days were a nightmare but my craving for it have died significantly.

5. Ive noticed some other physical changes, but I want to see how much longer I can do this and see if i continue to see significant changes in my overall well-being.

The plan going forward: To continue this and complete 30 days. Meaning that I will come back with a full 30-day review of my life without meat on or shortly after 08/02/2013 (which is when I'll complete a month).

So, what have I been eating? in a nutshell:

Breakfast: I always have either one of these items: 1. Greek yogurt with granola 2. almond butter and organic jelly (from TJs) on Ezequiel bread OR 3. Whole wheat bread with egg whites/boiled egg + Cafe w/ almond milk.

Lunch: Stuck to either a tuna sandwich, eggs sandwich OR 100% whole wheat pasta with tuna and I'd have organic chips and fruit on the side

Dinner: this is where I had to get creative. See below for some of the items I had for dinner:

 

I leave you with some of the highlights of my week:

1. My dad's birthday (full post coming up dedicated to my dad, because he is simply awesome).
2. Emails that made my day! :)
3. Having such a close knit family and amazing parents (both of them)
4. I spent about 3 hours at barnes and noble after work this week and it was amazing. I grabbed some cafe with soy milk and journaled about different things going on in my life. Such great therapy which gave me clarity on a few things.
5. My virtual running team. Okay this is extremely weird but I was so excited to get up and run on Thursday morning that I could barely sleep the night before. isn't that crazy?! the power of support keeps astonishing me.

QUESTION: What are your thoughts on meat? (I love it. I admit it. But just curious on what a life without it is all about :)

Doing anything exciting this weekend?

How I (almost) got lost around my own neighborhood

First of all,  below is a portion of last night’s dinner (still no meat). A banana smoothie with TONS of spinach (hence the delicious- looking green color), while beans w/ salsa and sweet potato. I know this combination sounds kinda’ strange but it was good and got the job done.

So this morning I woke up for my regular morning run (a routine which began about 2 weeks ago and which I am building slowly). As I ran my regular loop I started to develop some kind of strange energy which propelled me to run outside my usual route. And so, as I ventured out of my familiar vicinity and with only about 15 minutes to spare (before running home to get ready for work) I found myself a little confused in regards to my whereabouts. Now, let me explain--- I’ve ran the alternate route before and I have been fine but I believe that the panic of having to get ready for work made me forget where I was for like half a second.

Thankfully, I eventually saw the sign for a familiar street which I like to think of as the middle point for everything within my apartment complex (which is huge!). Reminds me of my good ol’ college days up at the university at Albany (a huge place) where as an innocent freshman I had to find my way around by identifying a tower that was smack in the middle of campus (the good old days…). So, anyways, I was relieved once I saw that road and continued on my way.

As I found my way back to my apartment I said goodbye to the panic and continued on to enjoy the wonderful endorphins of running. Feels great to get my workout done before beginning my day. That way there is no room for excuses! And today is father’s birthday (whom I love so very much). We are going out to dinner tonight so, a workout would not have been possible.

Todays workout summary:

 

Source: Nike+ running App. If you have an IPHONE or smart phone in general. I recommend it. Is a great tool to track your mileage, calories and running/walking rates of speed. There are a ton of great apps out there but that’s the one I use. Although ive been seriously considering getting one those “polar” fitness watches I see all over the place lately.

By the way: You don’t need a smart phone or an app to get out there and run. If you have two legs and maybe a watch to time yourself, that’s really all you need.

If you don’t already work out in the morning, I encourage you to join me and wake up 30-40 minutes earlier (start slowly, every other day if you have to. Maybe start with 20 minutes) and get out there and walk, jog, run, do a workout DVD, whatever it is that can do to get your body and your metabolism moving. I assure you that once you get in to a morning routine there will be not looking back and you’ll begin to feel amazing and empowered. Take advantage of the fresh air and calm atmosphere the early morning hours have to offer!

Question: have you ever gotten loss while working out around your neighborhood?.