If you would have told me I’d stop eating meat at the beginning of 2018 I would have looked at you, laughed and continued to devour some ribs. I’m the girl that’s obsessed with Japanese BBQ and don’t truly care if my plate is balanced or not. Bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches are a morning ritual and I can make a mean steak–no no no.

However, in February 2018 that would all change

My eating habits for the past year or so have been anything but clean. Honestly, with all the ups and downs that I’ve been experiencing in life, eating whatever the f*ck I want has been my favorite pastime and quite therapeutic. The only time I’ve cared to be selective with my food options is when I’m attempting to get a vacation body or when I have an event that requires me to squeeze into a tight dress etc.

In February however, I realize just how bad I felt. I’ve noticed that I’ve gained  A LOT weight in a 6-9 months spanbut honestly my weight has always been fluctuating so I didn’t really feel inclined to make any serious changes before now. This time around I began feeling really sluggish and lazy. Completing any task drained the hell out of me and most days I really didn’t feel like getting out of bed.

I would routinely wake up with my stomach hurting tremendously.–like it was something just weighing down on it causing me to feel really heavy and slightly nauseous. This made me feel more sluggish and like I wanted to stay in bed all day feeling bad for myself. I’m smart enough to know that if I look bad (in terms of weight gain) AND feel bad it was time for me to do something about it instead of sitting on my ass thinking it was going to fix itself.

Why I stopped eating meat cold turkey?

June 2017, I did a fast with my church and we were not allowed to eat meat Tuesday-Friday for the whole month of June. Although the meatless days only accounted for about half of June, I remember how much better I felt. I wasn’t bloated all of the time. I had much more energy and could get through a days of work without sneaking a nap at my desk or in the bathroom (I’ve actually done that btw).

During that fast,  eating meat made me eat more vegetables. I love carby things (think mac & cheese, mash potatoes etc. ) but I felt like eating those things would be doing myself a disservice so I slowly started eliminating them. I knew that if I could make those diet changes then that I could do it now. That’s that’s why I cold turkey stopped eating meat and here I am almost halfway through the year meatless.

What have my meals been like without meat?

I’ve given up meat completely however I do still consume fish. Eating fish has made it much easier to transition to a meatless diet–so easy that I’m actually considering pescatarianism longterm but we’ll see. I don’t want to cut meat out then overload my diet with fish so I’ll have 1 meal a day (usually) that includes fish. This is an example of what a day of meals will look like.

Breakfast:

Veggie Egg Scramble with mushrooms, spinach, onions and green-peppers.

Lunch:

Quinoa” fried rice” (High in protein) made with Quinoa, corn, string beans, carrots, mushrooms, scallions and onions

Dinner:

Baked salmon steak, spinach, a small portion of brown rice cooked with sofrito.

My main goal is to replace the proteins that I’m missing out on by not eating meat. My favorite sources of protein at the moment are (Quinoa, Eggs, Salmon etc.) I currently eat 3 meals a day (not heavy ) with some snacks in between.

How Have I survived going out in NYC and not eating meat?

My first week of not eating meat I went out with my cousins and the waiter accidentally brought us a plate of wings that none of us ordered( what are the odds). That was hard af.  What annoyed me even more was that it seemed like every seafood option on the menu was sold out so I ended up just ordering mozzarella sticks. Eating at home is the best way for me to avoid slip ups and starvation.

Eating before the turn up

To fight temptation and hunger, eating before going out has been the best option for me. For example today is Superbowl Sunday and I’m going out. Before I head out the door I will make sure to eat so I won’t be tempted by the plethora of wings available. Not only am I fighting temptation, I’m keeping some coins in my pockets.

What body changes have I noticed?

Tummy aches

The number one thing I noticed if that my stomach no longer aches. Everyday I was waking up with a stomach ache and hella gas–it was terrible.

Losing Weight?

Another thing I’ve noticed is my bloating has gone down tremendously. I didn’t really notice any true weight loss until I started working out. Between me and you, I lowkey have a line down my stomach which means I’m well on my way to abs. Not really but closer than I was.

CLICK TO READ LATER: It’s been about 3 months since I’ve started working out consistently–here’s how I got motivated

My energy levels

Lastly, I’ve noticed that while I don’t feel sluggish my energy isn’t 100% there. According to my mom’s nutritionist, since we’ve eliminated meat from our diets with need to add vitamin B12 into our diets. According to nutritionists,  “Vitamin B12 deficiency causes tiredness, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss, and megaloblastic anemia”. I’ve been taking the supplement for a few days now and I do feel better but I can better update you later down the line. Subscribe to to blog so I can let you know how that goes.

Do I plan on going vegetarian or vegan?

No, I just plan on being healthy. I’m not saying that kind of  lifestyle is out of the question, I just don’t feel inclined to do so as of right now. I just wanted to stop feeling like crap and from prior experience I knew eliminating meat from my diet (even temporarily) was a part of the solution.

Has anyone tried or is currently trying to eliminate meat from their diets? What has it been like for you?

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