Meat Again!!
Leave a commentMarch 1, 2014 by CJ
I survived my meat free month. I have to admit I have mixed feelings about it. I’ve discovered that I like beans. I use to avoid food with beans in them, but kidney beans are yummy! I find myself looking up bean recipes. My children discovered fish, not in fish stick form, is actually pretty good. As a family, we have realized that having a meat free meal isn’t that complicated and can be quite delicious.
I have shared my challenges with friends and a co-worker decided to do this meat free thing with me. She told me how she was feeling so much better, less bloated, lighter feelings, more energy and I have to admit my results were not the same. I did notice less bloating, but not all that much, I also noticed I have better, easier bowel movements (keeping it real), but no extra energy, never felt like I was going to float off in the sky.
After talking to her about our results, she mentioned she ate a lot of red meat before the challenge. A light bulb went off in my head. I do not eat a lot of red meat. We probably eat red meat once a month, if that. I typically eat turkey, chicken and pork. I would imagine going off red meat would make a bigger difference in how you feel and digest your food.
Now let’s talk about the physical results. For the month of February I lost an additional 2.5 inches, bringing my total inches lost for 2014 to 3.75, very pleased with this! My weight is still causing me strife. I gained .8 pound this month, my total to +1.6lbs!! UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I admit, while I dropped meat out, I added more pasta and cheese to my diet, which I am sure didn’t help anything. My husband stressed that muscle weighs more than fat and I did increase the weights used when working out. I was also reminded that it’s typically around this time of year, if not sooner, people stop with their new year’s resolutions because the scale is not showing them the results they want. I can see how that can happen. I know to drop pounds, I need to really watch my diet and add at least another day to my 3 day a week workout routine. I’m not giving up, but I am planning on stepping up the workouts in March. The positive thing is, I’ve noticed a difference in how my clothes fit and look. I’ll take looking better in clothes over looking the same and losing a few pounds.
How are you doing with your goals??
Some of my favorite red meat, turkey, and pork free dishes and can found here. I’ll be updating too, since we will be incorporating a meat free day each week, for now on. I also look at these sites quite regularly:
50 Things Before I Turn 50 