Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I was doing some cleaning the other day and came across something I saved from 2012. At the time, I knew it would be significant, but I had forgotten about it. I had the receipt from the last time I ate an Egg McMuffin stashed away.

This is significant because it reminds me of just how far I have come. I was serious about losing weight at the beginning of 2012, although no one else would have believed it at the time. I had many failed attempts at losing weight before but something was different this time around.

Before going plant based last year, I always worried about protein. How would I get enough protein to build muscle. Oddly enough, I was not building muscle as efficiently as I am now being plant based.

One thing I've learned is that if you're eating enough food, you'll have more than enough protein. There are so many bodybuilders at the gym I go to that just do not understand this concept. Protein powders are not necessary to build muscle.

Almost 11 months ago, I went plant based, just as a challenge. The last time I ate poultry was September 6th. I never imagined that I would stay with this eating plan but discovered how awesome it felt to eat this way. I have a lot of energy and my muscle continues to grow. I can't think of the last time I had a cold either.

Growing up, I never went a day without eating something from an animal, whether it be dairy, meat or eggs. Every day I would consume either eggs, cheese, steak, chicken or any combination of these foods. I ate very few vegetables and not enough fruit.

A friend asked me recently why I decided to go plant based. I thought I should write about it because there were a number of factors that contributed to the decision.

I had already lost 150 pounds, so it's not like I needed to change my diet further to keep the weight off. I was mostly flexitarian, eating occasional eggs, dairy or poultry 3 or 4 times a week for a couple years. But I had an issue with my weight loss; I was left with loose skin. I wanted to tighten my skin, not just around my abs, but in my arms, etc. Weight loss really does a lot of damage to the skin and I refuse to get a tummy tuck.

This past weekend, New York City hosted a Vegetable Food Festival and the proceeds went to the Humane League. I attended a good part of the event on both Saturday and Sunday.

Being plant based for 8 and a half months now, I was really excited when I heard about the NYC veg food fest! I really wanted to hear the vegan bodybuilders speak, as I am focusing on muscle building. To me, they are like rock stars and to hear their stories, it was an awesome experience!