As most of you know, I became a vegetarian. It has helped me immensely! I started in September 2019, planning to only do it for just that month, but I felt so good to where I had to continue. I am now in month five of not eating meat. The reason I started in the first place was because my boyfriend’s mom was actually not eating meat for awhile. She was telling me how it helped her a lot with having more energy, weight loss, less bloating, etc. I was interested because I always felt so sluggish and nauseous after eating meat. I also was ALWAYS bloated. Many people may eat meat and that doesn’t happen to them, everyone is different. I believe that my body was becoming sensitive to it possibly. I just knew something had to definitely change. I started researching more about the vegetarian lifestyle and watched people’s experiences on YouTube on how it has affected them in a positive way. I then said, I need to do this for myself. In the beginning it was a little difficult because my body was immune to eating meat. I did not crack at all though and it became so much easier. I don’t even think about eating any kind of meat, I feel that I would get sick if I were to eat it again. The only time I miss it is when I see well cooked meals on social media, such as seafood boils, chicken alfredo, steak, well you know; the good stuff lol. It isn’t that serious to where I would go back though. I don’t even eat seafood and I loved seafood! I thought of maybe going pescatarian, but I don’t think it would be worth it. I’m telling you guys, I feel more than great. I am never bloated anymore, I don’t get nauseous, I also lost so much weight which is what I’ve been wanting for the longest. I struggled losing weight for several years. My freshman and sophomore year in High school, I was in the 120s. I began to gain weight quickly my junior and senior year. I was 140-145 for a very long time, even entering College I was stuck in the 40s. I tried working out, doing challenges, etc. it just wasn’t enough, or I would crack. About two months before I stopped eating meat, I hit 148 and that’s when I truly knew I had to make those changes. We can say we’re going to do something several times, but we just have to go do it without thinking about it too much. There is no such thing as a “perfect weight” don’t think that if you’re in the 40s or more, that you aren’t a healthy weight. Don’t worry about my numbers, like I said; we are all different! It is about being comfortable. I was not comfortable in my body and I didn’t like feeling sluggish all the time. I wanted to do something for MYSELF. Not eating meat isn’t the only thing that has helped me; there is more to it. I make certain that I eat vegetables and/or fruits EVERYDAY… no excuses. I also eat smaller portions and eat healthier in general. I measure my rice and pasta now, and I only eat bread 1-3 times a week (not even). I used to eat bread basically everyday. There are also meatless products, but I only really like veggie burgers and the plant based “chicken” patties. Being an Afro-Latina, I grew up eating a lot of chicken with rice and beans, empanadillas, and many other meat dishes. I can still make my rice the Puerto Rican style and I can eat tostones (plantains) still and any other dishes that just don’t have meat. If you don’t plan on becoming vegetarian, looking out for portions is key. Another thing I stepped away from is eating eggs and dairy. It can be difficult though, because a lot of foods have eggs and dairy, but it’s not impossible to look out for that! Dairy upsets my stomach anyway, so it’s for the best. I also do not workout often, I workout once or twice a week and they are not serious workouts. My goal weight was 125 and I weighed in on Tuesday 1/7/2020 at 124.80! I told myself I would do a long post on my journey once I met my goal weight. I have come so far and my goal is to maintain my weight and workout more. Once again, all sizes are beautiful, don’t you guys ever forget that. It is all about comfort and if you want to make a change you can do it! Here are some pictures of my before and after and a few pictures of when I weighed myself. I didn’t weigh myself everyday, so you will only see a few weigh ins. I hope you enjoy these pictures and just know you can do anything you put your mind to!
The Before
Weigh ins
The After
