Tranquility Workshops Blog

As of this morning, I’ve lost a total of 1.8 lbs.!  An important thing that I’ve noticed, is that by eating foods that are high in fiber and low in sugar, that I’m staying fuller for a  longer period of time, and I’m not having cravings to grab snacks constantly.  Drinking water throughout the day probably helps, as well, although I only was able to get in about half of the amount that I should be drinking.  I deliberately didn’t bring water along with me to some outside activities, because I didn’t want to be  running back and forth to the bathroom constantly.  I tried to make up for it later in the day, but there’s only so much water you can drink in a short period of time without feeling waterlogged!

Some of the vegan foods I tried today:

• Van’s All Natural Homestyle Blueberry Waffles:  they smelled and tasted like blueberries, but none to be seen!  I prefer the plain ones over these.  If I’m not going to see the blueberries, I don’t want to taste them!

• Amy’s Shepherd’s Pie:  full of organic vegetables and tofu in a tasty sauce, topped with mashed potatoes;   I found this to be a typical frozen dinner, ok for a quick meal on the go.

• Whole wheat pasta with sauce and salad:  tasty, although the color and texture are slightly different that the regular pasta.

Now that I’m several days into this, I really need to find some good vegan recipes, because there is nothing like home cooked food! 

At the end of the day, the pedometer read 8500 steps (which included a short hike at the local state park).  My right knee was starting to bother me, so I didn’t attempt to do the remaining 1500 steps.  For me, 10,000 steps is going to take some effort. 

All in all, my mindful eating is going well, and I feel that I am becoming more aware of the difference between actual and emotional hunger. 

I’m also pleased that right now I’m not eating animal products, as mindful eating involves considering the origins of your food.  Watching the DVD of Food, Inc.  made me more aware of what goes on in the food industry, particularly in meat and poultry processing plants, and that information has given me food for thought.   Now that I have this information, I can either choose to put it out of my mind, or use  it make changes in my lifestyle as I see fit.  Observing my thoughts and my emotions related to this topic have brought me to this juncture, and right now, eating a vegan diet feels like the right thing for me.   I’ll continue to monitor my thoughts, feelings, weight-loss results, and overall physical well-being to see to see if veganism if the right path for me to stay on.  It sure is an interesting adventure!!  So many people I talk to say:  "I could never eat that way!".  Well, in my opinion, you don't know what you can do until you try it.  I'm finding out for myself......step by step.