Don't feel like writing about my weekend.
Nope. I'm changing it up!
We're just gonna jump right on in... and we're gonna keep it short.
So...
Nope. I'm changing it up!
We're just gonna jump right on in... and we're gonna keep it short.
So...
I have gone vegetarian for a year. That's a whole 365 days.
Why did I do it? No, it wasn't a weight loss thing. This would be the WRONG thing to do for such a reason. We're getting over into trendiness issues then, and I can't stand trendy stuff. I want something that lasts.
I did it because of my lup.us issues. I noticed some strange things during our yearly church fasts over the years, which either required no meat, or a reduced amount of meat: I felt a lot better and my bloodwork was good. That got me to thinkng and digging and reading, and talking to my doctor. Looks like I have had bad inflammation responses to protein, namely meat.
I don't have debilitating pain, I don't walk with a cane, and I rarely have swollen joints. But I usually have low grade fevers and I'm in some type of pain most of the time (but it was something that I got use to). I am highly functional, not bedridden or any of that.
So a reduction in symptoms was my goal.
Was I a hundred percent successful? That wasn't even the point. That would have driven me nuts.
But I was around 95% successful. That number is simple enough to come up with. If I only ate one meal per day containing meat, then I would've reduced my meat consumption by around 66%. That in itself is a lot. It took a minute to figure out on paper, but I can actually remember the times I ate meat -vacation and around holidays- and I calculated from there.
That suprised me. 95% is a good number.
What are the results? The results were pretty good. Just talking with my doctor, and looking at bloodwork, my lu.pus symptoms were reduced by some 90%. I only feel bad these days if I'm stressed out, and I try to keep that down. I know lu.pus gets bads around cycle time, and that is rare these days. Heck man, for whatever reason, I don't even experience cramps anymore. (Glory, lol!)
I sleep much better. It's like I experience deeper sleep. And I tend to sleep through the night. I don't even need much sleep.
I lost 30-35 pounds around this time. No, this wasn't a weight loss thing. This was a "feel better" thing. I don't weigh myself. I only get weighed in during my doctor appointments, which are every six weeks or thereabouts. I seem to float up and down in that range. I figure that is because I'm not the most active Oldgirl in the world. I do some moderate walking, but I'm unable to do any running or anything strenuous, as it will hurt my joints.
My anemia is a distant memory. Been working on that for years, and lo and behold, it has evaporated. I don't have any bad protein issues, either. I get a full workup of every vitamin and mineral through my bloodwork, and all of it is good. I also had a significant drop in my cholesterol level. That was always borderline. It's been normal for the past year.
Will I continue in this? Yes. It is something that is becoming more of my own personal reality. It's not even something I care to talk about these days. I find that people tend to announce it if I decline to eat something.
"LadyLee's a vegetarian! She can't eat that."
This ticks me off for some reason. Then people commence to watching me. Which bothers me even more. Let's just say I catch hell at times if I'm eating a bag of chips or candy.
I suppose I have to understand that we all have our own ideas of what a vegetarian is. I have mine, and I have found that these ideas differ from person to person, from vegetarian to vegetarian, even.
I'm still in learning mode, without a support base. I think that it's a matter of not knowing where to find support groups and what not. (I would love a support group of some sort, but I don't want to deal with animal rights folks).
I've done well, and will continue to do so. It's a slow process, and that's cool.
The deal is, I'm making progress. It's a process, and I'm making progress.
I hope I've explained a little something here. It's all a little hard to explain in a nutshell, but I hope I've given you a glimpse into the what and the why.
And for the rest of the month, I plan on talking here and there about the good, the bad, the ugly and the funny of it all!
I know we don't look forward to Mondays, but it's gonna be a great week. Something great is going to happen this week, for you and for me.
So let's run with that attitude... and make it a great week.
On purpose.
Why did I do it? No, it wasn't a weight loss thing. This would be the WRONG thing to do for such a reason. We're getting over into trendiness issues then, and I can't stand trendy stuff. I want something that lasts.
I did it because of my lup.us issues. I noticed some strange things during our yearly church fasts over the years, which either required no meat, or a reduced amount of meat: I felt a lot better and my bloodwork was good. That got me to thinkng and digging and reading, and talking to my doctor. Looks like I have had bad inflammation responses to protein, namely meat.
I don't have debilitating pain, I don't walk with a cane, and I rarely have swollen joints. But I usually have low grade fevers and I'm in some type of pain most of the time (but it was something that I got use to). I am highly functional, not bedridden or any of that.
So a reduction in symptoms was my goal.
Was I a hundred percent successful? That wasn't even the point. That would have driven me nuts.
But I was around 95% successful. That number is simple enough to come up with. If I only ate one meal per day containing meat, then I would've reduced my meat consumption by around 66%. That in itself is a lot. It took a minute to figure out on paper, but I can actually remember the times I ate meat -vacation and around holidays- and I calculated from there.
That suprised me. 95% is a good number.
What are the results? The results were pretty good. Just talking with my doctor, and looking at bloodwork, my lu.pus symptoms were reduced by some 90%. I only feel bad these days if I'm stressed out, and I try to keep that down. I know lu.pus gets bads around cycle time, and that is rare these days. Heck man, for whatever reason, I don't even experience cramps anymore. (Glory, lol!)
I sleep much better. It's like I experience deeper sleep. And I tend to sleep through the night. I don't even need much sleep.
I lost 30-35 pounds around this time. No, this wasn't a weight loss thing. This was a "feel better" thing. I don't weigh myself. I only get weighed in during my doctor appointments, which are every six weeks or thereabouts. I seem to float up and down in that range. I figure that is because I'm not the most active Oldgirl in the world. I do some moderate walking, but I'm unable to do any running or anything strenuous, as it will hurt my joints.
My anemia is a distant memory. Been working on that for years, and lo and behold, it has evaporated. I don't have any bad protein issues, either. I get a full workup of every vitamin and mineral through my bloodwork, and all of it is good. I also had a significant drop in my cholesterol level. That was always borderline. It's been normal for the past year.
Will I continue in this? Yes. It is something that is becoming more of my own personal reality. It's not even something I care to talk about these days. I find that people tend to announce it if I decline to eat something.
"LadyLee's a vegetarian! She can't eat that."
This ticks me off for some reason. Then people commence to watching me. Which bothers me even more. Let's just say I catch hell at times if I'm eating a bag of chips or candy.
I suppose I have to understand that we all have our own ideas of what a vegetarian is. I have mine, and I have found that these ideas differ from person to person, from vegetarian to vegetarian, even.
I'm still in learning mode, without a support base. I think that it's a matter of not knowing where to find support groups and what not. (I would love a support group of some sort, but I don't want to deal with animal rights folks).
I've done well, and will continue to do so. It's a slow process, and that's cool.
The deal is, I'm making progress. It's a process, and I'm making progress.
I hope I've explained a little something here. It's all a little hard to explain in a nutshell, but I hope I've given you a glimpse into the what and the why.
And for the rest of the month, I plan on talking here and there about the good, the bad, the ugly and the funny of it all!
I know we don't look forward to Mondays, but it's gonna be a great week. Something great is going to happen this week, for you and for me.
So let's run with that attitude... and make it a great week.
On purpose.
.png)
After my weekend, I really need something GREAT to happen this week.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, when you mentioned before about your anemia disappearing that is when my ears perked up. I have struggled for years with anemia and I thought to myself that maybe if I gave up meat I could have the same success. Well, you know how that turned out. I'll keep taking my iron supplements. :)
Well, I have been taking supplements for years, and it seems as if now, I'm just able to assimilate everything a little better, including iron. To the point where my doc cut back on the supplements, I simply don't need them much.
ReplyDeleteIt may be similar to people being able to utilize naturally occuring vitamins in fruit and vegetables, moreso than the vitamins in synthetic pill form. I didn't know it, but their are vegetables that contain iron. I eat more veggies now, and am able to get my iron from them.
I lost the ability to store iron a while ago (yep, they have tests for that, imagine that), so that concerns me. I have no idea how to correct that, or if it's possible. But I find it a wondrous thang that the anemia cleared up... Happy for that.
Wow! What a way to "kick start" a Monday morning! I am so very happy for you. Your goal was a lifestyle change that impacted your overall health...that 30-35 lbs was just a residual perk. I'm working on lowering the BP (blood pressure) and in the process changing my habits...the weight is dropping and that is a perk but when the doc takes my BP again next month --that will be icing on the cake...
ReplyDeleteHappy for you Old Gal! :)
Thankfully I don't have any health issues, however I would like to increase my fruit and veggie intake. I'm very proud of what you accomplished. The way you wrote it all out, it just seemed you had a problem, you researched a possible solution, did your experiment and a year later we are seeing your results. So science minded lol~
ReplyDeleteWell, I for one am very thankful for your improvement. And next time we go to dinner, I promise not to make a big deal out of whatever it is you eat.
ReplyDeleteKeep on keepin' on.
I think here in the south it would be difficult to find a support group for being vegetarian. You know socializing is centered around food. And in the summer barbecue & even our "southern" vegetables are seasoned with meat. There is no real answer here. But for you to be as successful as you have been at this is a wonderful thing.
ReplyDelete