Almost two years ago, I decided to start eating plant based. I ate this way for a time at a different time in my life, and I found that it worked well for me.
While I think that this type of eating is great for your health, I must admit that it also falls in line with my animal loving beliefs as well. It doesn’t help that I live in “chicken house” country, and trucks of chickens heading for slaughter pass by my home on a regular basis. The condition of these chickens and the smell is enough to make me think twice before consuming chicken from the grocery store or a restaurant. I’m also not a fan of butchering our own meat. At this point in my life I’ve decided that if there is a way for me to live without a creature dying, I want to go that route.
Anyhow, I talked a little bit about how I eat on my YouTube channel recently, and I wanted to share it with you today.
Coupled with exercise, my results have been incredible! I now have a BMI of under 20%, and I feel wonderful. I feel like I did in my early 20’s. No more sluggishness!
I hope you enjoy the video. I’ll talk to you soon, friends!
Last summer, I decided that was time to get in better health…for good! The pandemic made me want to increase my lung health, and I also wanted to be the best version of myself that I could be. I wanted to be the person God created me to be. It has been nearly three months since I’ve reached my goal weight of 108 pounds at 5’2”. I feel fabulous. Even though I am in my forties, I feel like I did in my early twenties. It’s wonderful. I truly believe that the Lord has created us to live abundant, healthy lives. But if we just do what the rest of the culture is doing, we will miss out on this blessing.
Now, before I go any further, I would like to preface this by saying this is my story and experience. I’m sure that many of you have reached optimal health by doing things very differently than I have. That is fantastic! It is important that all of us find out what works best for our individual bodies in our journey towards better health.
Health is an immense blessing we can give our families. The healthier I am now, the less likely my children will have to care for me in old age. Hopefully, I can pass on my good habits to them, and they will do the same to their children.
This isn’t easy to do. I’ve had to have a total mindset shift. I’ve had to realize that while of course we can eat things like dairy and meat, it doesn’t mean we should. While these things are allowed in Scripture, I tend to believe that they are intended to be eaten in moderation. Meat wasn’t given to mankind for food until after the flood, when the earth had been completely destroyed by water. I can’t help but think that at this point in time there wasn’t enough plant food to sustain people available, so meat became allowable. This is a result of sin, and I wonder if eating meat is God’s best for us.
The same goes for dairy products. These items are full of fat, and are meant to quickly grow a newborn animal from infancy to nearly adulthood. As fully grown adults, this fat tends to stick with us, since we are no longer growing “up.” Instead, we grow out. This definitely isn’t good for us.
I personally believe that at the least, these products should be eaten in moderation, or on special occasions. My body is responding very well to me eating no meat, and a small amount of cheese about once a week or so. For fat, I eat things like extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and avocados.
I haven’t been working on my health alone. My husband has joined me!
My husband has lost nearly 100 pounds this year. He is at his lowest weight, ever. He has been pre-diabetic for several years now, and had been avoiding carbs for awhile now. Last year, (with my encouragement, ha!) he finally started to cut back on dairy and pretty much cut out red meat. He eats grilled chicken or fish several times per week. He’s also found out that he can eat whole grains! He decided to start jogging once he lost enough weight that it wouldn’t be too hard on his knees. He is 6′, and now weighs in the 175 pound range.
I knew following a “diet,” buying a drink mix, or any of the other things pushed on us would work for me. Instead, I started to purchase and eat whole foods, and committed to exercising for thirty minutes per day. For exercising, I must actually break a sweat. Otherwise, my body doesn’t respond as well.
If you would like to lose weight, I would suggest that you find something that will work for you forever. I knew that I needed to make a life change! I have found foods that I really like that are actually good for me!
Well friends, I guess that is it for now for this little update. I just wanted to let you know that I still am plugging along and am doing well!
Have you had success at living a healthy lifestyle? Please feel free to share about your experience in the comment section below.
I believe it’s time to change up our meal plan! We usually keep things pretty simple around here. Cooking has never been my favorite thing to do, but I have tried to find ways to make it more enjoyable for me over the past couple of years. I understand that making meals for my family is a privilege. I get to make meals for my family. I get to nourish them and love on them with the food I make. This is a blessing, and I need to do my best to remember that.
Tonight, we watched the documentary Forks Over Knives. I had planned to watch it for awhile now, and we finally were able to carve out some time to watch it this evening. From time to time, there was a bit of sensitive material, and I probably wouldn’t have had my little guys in there if it had realized that beforehand. The documentary was pretty much what I expected it to be however, and I’m glad I watched it.
Anyhow, while I usually make most of our dinners plant based, I really want to switch all of them over to it. I do not eat meat, but the rest of my family does in moderation. Of course, I’d love for all of them to eat like I do since I believe it is a very healthy way to eat. If I could just find a couple of more recipes that they enjoy, I will be in business!
Last week, I purchased my first Instant Pot, and I haven’t yet tried it out. I hope to this week, though. I found a Vegan Instant Pot cookbook online, and it just arrived. I spent an hour or so looking at it last night, and I hope to shop for a few new recipes when we go to the store tomorrow.
It looks like I will be trying more ethnic dishes than usual, which is fine by me! I know my family isn’t totally on board with the plant based eating thing like I am, but switching dinners over is a step in the right direction.
I have been eating this way for awhile now, and I feel really great. Combined with exercise, I’ve lost 35 pounds. I’m convinced eating predominantly plant based has been the key to my success. My weak areas are definitely sweets and breads (which sometimes are loaded with refined flour). I have found wraps and a whole grain bread that I really like, and I make sourdough bread weekly which sure is a treat!
I think for now, I’m going to look for 6-7 new recipes to try. I hope my family likes them. I’m determined to try to figure this out, even though it’s not my strong point!
Totally off topic, but I’m also going to try to make a quilted table runner for the first time ever this week. Now that, I’m looking forward to.
I hope you have a blessed week with your families, friends!
And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3, 5 NKJV
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