It's a very slow process - two steps forward, one step back - but I'm inching in the right direction. - Rob Reiner

February 25, 2011

Michael's March Madness Vegetarian Challenge

If you read my blog post The Chicken is Out to Get Me then you know that I tried being vegetarian for 9 days and I was very surprised that I actually enjoyed it and had more energy than I thought I would.  So I have decided to take it a step further and try it for 30 days - that should give me a really good idea of how a vegetarian lifestyle will work for me.  Honestly, I know very little about being a vegetarian and I'm not typically one to try new things or eat alot of vegetables so this will really be a stretch for me especially since I generally eat meat at every meal.  But I'm so tired of my bad cycle of eating.  Eat healthy a week, then eat like crap for two.  I need to be better about fueling my body, and I think this will help me start making alot better decisions when it comes to food.

So here's my plan.  During the entire month of March (including Feb 28 and April 1):

1.  Eat vegetarian for entire time period (not vegan - I will still include dairy, cheese, and eggs).
2.  Try new things
3.  Cook more
4.  Prepare a weekly blog review about how I did, how I feel, and things I ate
5.  Realize I may not be able to go 100% meat free - at this point I'm not ready to inconvenience other people - so if I get invited to dinner or something I will not ask them to make something special just for me.  I will try to do my best with what is served.

My main resources for recipes and information - Cook Train Eat Race and No Meat Athlete.  I would love to hear from any of you who are vegetarians - any other great blogs, websites or books out there.  Any recipes, etc to share?

Anyone been thinking about making a switch and want to join me on my journey?  If so let me know and we can share information.

11 comments:

  1. Check out the following blogs of vegetarians. They will be a great resource for ya!

    Marni at http://trimarni.blogspot.com/
    Aimee at http://trirunveg.blogspot.com/

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  2. I am not gonna lie, I love meat, I just have learned to eat it in moderation, I dont need a whole steak, cut it half and make 2 meals out of it, I have increased my veggies alot, like mom is proud of me alot. I have always loved fruit

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  3. This is great! I'm really excited to hear how this goes for you. I've dabbled in vegetarianism myself and, honestly, liked it a lot. Our family has been slowly moving back in that direction over the last few years. I'll try to send you some of my favorite recipes!

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  4. I think it's awesome! I'm glad your week of going vegetarian went well! I think I mentioned this before, but I'm a vegetarian and have lots of great recipes to share! I've been away from bloggyland for awhile b/c I have been super busy w/ my house projects, but hopefully I'll be posting some more veg. stuff soon!

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  5. I wish you good luck in your lifestyle change! Looks like a great plan. I was vegetarian for 6 months first, then turned into 2 years. #5 got me...I hated inconveniencing people.

    Sorry about your back :( that can be so debilitating...Get better!

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  6. Congrats! I won't lie - sometimes it can be hard. I think the trickiest time of day is lunchtime because there don't seem to be as many veggie options around then. But after a while, it truly does become second nature. I VERY rarely eat meat - and it's usually on a "have to" basis. I can't even begin to describe the difference in how it makes me feel. If you start missing certain tastes or are simply scrambling to find something filling to eat, I'm obsessed with pretty much everything Morning Star Farms (once you've tried breakfast "soysage", you'll never turn back). And a smoothie a day makes me feel like I'm getting all of the necessary nutrients. You'll also find that almost everyone looks at you cross-eyed when you tell them what you're doing because everyone seems to think you can't get protein without meat. But as I'm sure you already know, it is more than possible to get everything you need without gnawing on a turkey leg. You'll do great and good luck!

    http://fulloffeet.blogspot.com/

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  7. I am looking forward to following your progress on this. I've never really thought about going vegetarian, though I eat tons of fruits and veggies and have found myself eating less meat recently.

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  8. Haha, our "about me" sections are pretty similar except we have a huge difference: I'm not good enough to do triathlon, haha! You are awesome and I can promise you're not the slowest out there -- you've already got me beat!

    Good luck on the vegetarianism! I've been vegetarian for about 12 years and vegan for 3, so if you have any questions, I'm not the trustiest resource out there, but I do have lots of experience. :) Can't wait to read how this goes for you!

    xoxo,
    A

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  9. i cant wait to see how your challenge goes, maybe it will finally push me into trying to go veg. i follow a pretty cool blog, and she posts (seriously!) everything she eats. so its a good resource. www.healthytippingpoint.com

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  10. I don't know about going vegetarian. I love me my chicken.

    I don't think I would be able to keep that up for too long. Good luck!

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  11. I'm a vegetarian! (Though I don't drink milk in the traditional sense, I also don't avoid products with dairy, eggs, etc.)

    It took me a while to get really comfortable with it - I went cold turkey (pun intended) and now almost 4 years later, I'm still loving it. (There was a year in there where I did eat fish, but I stopped.)

    Have a happy 30 days! I am sure you will find the best way to do what makes you feel best. So important!

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