Vegetarian/Vegan Diet

Ok I will have to say that at first the thought of me giving up meat was somewhat traumatic. Then I read the book Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman changed my life! This book was the wake up call and slap in the face that I needed about all the crap I put into my body. After reading this book, if you can eat meat any time in the immediate future you need some kind of help.


So what does it mean to be a Vegetarian? Simply put being a vegetarian means that you do not eat meat or meat by products. This can be a little hard to get used to if you have been a carnivore your entire life. Let me tell you from my personal experience though, that the health benefits far out way the meat cravings.

And by the way people, yes fish is eating meat. I’ve had so many people ask me if I can still eat fish! Obviously someone missed some health classes.

What is the difference in Vegetarian and Vegan?

Vegans do not eat any type of product that comes from an animal. This includes eggs, cheese, milk, etc. A vegan will not eat anything that includes any part of meat. Surprisingly this includes Jello. I never knew that cow hooves were used to make gelatin.
My Personal Experience with the Vegan Diet

I was 27 years old and on blood pressure medicine, and getting ready to be put on cholesterol medicine. I was average weight, and I worked out like I thought I should. I could not figure out why I had to still be on medication. After reading this book I decided to give being Vegan a fair shot. With in two months my blood pressure was under control and my cholesterol.

Yes, it was very hard to stick to this diet. I am like a lot of other working moms who has to fix meals quick, and going through a drive through is a normal part of my life. It took time to learn to prepare my meals, and have healthy snacks ready at all times. There are also great meat substitutes that can get you through those meat cravings.

The Skinny Bitch Diet

Ok I will have to say that at first the thought of me giving up meat was somewhat traumatic. Then I read the book Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman changed my life! This book was the wake up call and slap in the face that I needed about all the crap I put into my body. After reading this book, if you can eat meat any time in the immediate future you need some kind of help.


So what does it mean to be a Vegetarian?

Simply put being a vegetarian means that you do not eat meat or meat by products. This can be a little hard to get used to if you have been a carnivore your entire life. Let me tell you from my personal experience though, that the health benefits far out way the meat cravings.

And by the way people, yes fish is eating meat. I’ve had so many people ask me if I can still eat fish! Obviously someone missed some health classes.

What is the difference in Vegetarian and Vegan?

Vegans do not eat any type of product that comes from an animal. This includes eggs, cheese, milk, etc. A vegan will not eat anything that includes any part of meat. Surprisingly this includes Jello. I never knew that cow hooves were used to make gelatin.

My Personal Experience with the Vegan Diet

I was 27 years old and on blood pressure medicine, and getting ready to be put on cholesterol medicine. I was average weight, and I worked out like I thought I should. I could not figure out why I had to still be on medication. After reading this book I decided to give being Vegan a fair shot. With in two months my blood pressure was under control and my cholesterol.

Yes, it was very hard to stick to this diet. I am like a lot of other working moms who has to fix meals quick, and going through a drive through is a normal part of my life. It took time to learn to prepare my meals, and have healthy snacks ready at all times. There are also great meat substitutes that can get you through those meat cravings.

Oh and I lost 20 lbs in a month when I transitioned!  That says it all for me.

Apple Cider Vinegar Diet

The Claim: Taking apple cider vinegar daily can help lose weight



My experience: If you can actually drink this before a meal you have a stronger stomach than me! The only way I lost weight was by throwing up after drinking the apple cider vinegar. However; for those of you with cast iron stomachs I will describe the diet for you:



The diet:

Take 1, 2, or 3 teaspoons of the apple cider vinegar before every meal. Do not exceed 3 teaspoons before a meal or your stomach may sour on you!



Does it really work though? From what I have read there is little findings to show that it works. I guess anything is worth a shot though.

Grapefruit Diet

OK, for some reason "Grapefruit" is the new diet fad. I would for sure lose weight if it were me, but only because I would be gagging the whole time. Obviously, I am not a big grapefruit fan, but for those of you out there who love it give this a shot.

Breakfast
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
2 Eggs (any style)
2 Slices Bacon

Lunch
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (any style, any amount)
Salad (any kind of dressing)

Dinner
1/2 Grapefruit or 4 oz. Grapefruit Juice (unsweetened)
Meat (any style, any amount) (fish may be substituted for meat)
Vegetables (any green, yellow, or red vegetables cooked in butter or any seasoning)

Bed Time Snack
1 glass tomato juice or 1 glass Skim milk

Vegetables Allowed
Red onions, green onions, bell peppers, radishes, cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, carrots, peas.

Vegetables to Avoid
White onions, potatoes, celery.

Cabbage Soup Diet

The claim: Lose up to 10 lbs in one week

My experience: I lost 6 lbs in the one week. Most of the days were easy, and others (such as beef and tomato day) I was absolutely starving. I think I would rather starve than eat beef and tomatoes the whole day anyway. One good point to this is the cabbage soup is actually tasty. I did not think of it as a diet soup. The bad.....well lets face it that much cabbage in your system isn't going to be pleasant for anyone around you! Stay close to the bathroom and keep the air freshener handy.

The following is the details of what you can eat while on the 7 day program.

Day One:
Fruit: Eat all of the fruit you want (except bananas). Eat only your soup and the fruit for the first day. For drinks- unsweetened teas, cranberry juice and water.

Day Two:
Vegetables: Eat until you are stuffed will all fresh, raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. Try to eat leafy green vegetables and stay away from dry beans, peas and corn. Eat all the vegetables you want along with your soup. At dinner, reward yourself with a big baked potato with butter. Do not eat fruit today.

Day Three:
Mix Days One and Two: Eat all the soup, fruits and vegetables you want. No Baked Potato.

Day Four:
Bananas and Skim Milk: Eat as many as eight bananas and drink as many glasses of skim milk as you would like on this day, along with your soup. This day is supposed to lessen your desire for sweets.

Day Five:
Beef And Tomatoes: Ten to twenty ounces of beef and up to six fresh tomatoes. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water this day to wash the uric acid from your body. Eat your soup at least once this day. You may eat broiled or baked chicken instead of beef (but absolutely no skin-on chicken). If you prefer, you can substitute broiled fish for the beef one one of the beef days (but not both).

Day Six:
Beef and Vegetables: Eat to your heart's content of beef and vegetables this day. You can even have 2 or 3 steaks if you like, with leafy green vegetables. No Baked Potato. Eat your soup at least once.

Day Seven:
Brown rice, unsweetened fruit juices and vegetables: Again stuff, stuff, stuff yourself. Be sure to eat your soup at least once this day.


The recipe for the soup:

6 large green onions
2 green peppers
1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole)
3 Carrots
1 Container (10 oz. or so) Mushrooms
1 bunch of celery
half a head of cabbage
1 package Lipton soup mix
1 or 2 cubes of bouillon (optional)
1 48oz can V8 juice (optional)
Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.
Directions:

Slice green onions, put in a pot and start to saute with cooking spray.

Cut green pepper stem end off and cut in half, take the seeds and membrane out. Cut the green-pepper into bite size pieces and add to pot.

Take the outer leafs layers off the cabbage, cut into bite size pieces, add to pot.

Clean carrots, cut into bite size pieces, and add to pot.

Slice mushrooms into thick slices, add to pot.

If you would like a spicy soup, add a small amount of curry or cayenne pepper now.

You can use beef or chicken bouillon cubes for seasonings. These have all the salt and flavors you will need.

Use about 12 cups of water (or 8 cups and the V8 juice), cover and put heat on low. Let soup cook for a long time - two hours works well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

***This will create an extreme amount of soup. If you and someone else are going to do the diet at the same time, then you could probably split the soup (which will make it even cheaper). If not I would recommend cutting the recipe in half or freezing the soup for quick fix meals later.****