I saw fast results at first eating tiny morsals of food, but that didn't work out well for me. With a hypo thyroid and insulin resistance my body rebelled against my drastic mesures. I had been going to a diet doctor resorting to extreme mesures to lose weight. I had B-12 shots, counted my calories to stay within 1,000-1,200 a day...often times staying at 800 and doing cardio for hours. I was headed down a bad path to loose weight, and it was obviously not sustainable for the long run.
I initially lost 13 pounds, but in a mass revolt, unlike any seen since the America rose up against the British, my body gained it all back and then some.
So there I was a month and a half out from the pageant, killing myself in the gym and in tears because I was hungry, irritable, and not seeing results. It was at a time when I hit a low
point in fighting my body that I know I had to make a change...a lifestyle change.
I had toyed with the idea of becoming a vegan for quite some time. But I was convinced there was no way I could do it, and that I wouldn't have anything to eat. Thankfully like an answer from above, on a trip to the bookstore purusing the aisles I came across Alicia Silverstone's new book The Kind Diet.
As I read through the book I was more and more intrigued. A large part might be due largely in part to the fact that Clueless is my favorite movie, and I officially idolized her after she was in Batman. At that moment I figured, "if this woman looks younger than she did when she was in Clueless, and I'm not seeing any results with this crazy method, then maybe I should give it a try."
So I dove head first in to the vegan pool...and that's saying a lot from a woman who loves cheese, bison steaks, and salmon. But honestly...and I'm not pulling your leg...I'm glad I became a vegan.
Even in the month out from the pageant I found myself feeling much better, not painfully bloated after I ate, not ready to rip off the head of the nearest person (my parents like that one), and I just felt all around better. And even though when I hit the Miss DC USA stage I wasn't where I wanted to be, but for the first time in a long time I felt comfortable and beautiful in my own skin.
I also made the change largely due to my uncle's cancer diagnosis. I have a grandmother in the early stages of dementia, my grandfather lost both legs to diabetes and eventually died of heart complications, and health issues run through my family. So with my decision to go vegan, aside from losing weight, I wanted to end the health issues with preventive issues now in the choices I make. I also felt that if I did become Miss DC USA I didn't want to be a hypocritical role model. I knew I couldn't stand in front of kids, talking to them about making healthy choices, and I myself was making destructive eating decisions that was throwing my already damaged metabolism out of whack. I would have felt awful telling them right from wrong when I could barely take care of myself.
I'm not a perfect vegan...especially since I'm in the midst of finals. But I'm determined to take a more "Superhero" approach (that's what the book calls it when you eat less processed foods, and in a macrobiotic style) to my veganism once I have time to really put in to meals...but I'm still doing better than I thought and I'm loving every day as a vegan thus far.
I'm in the process of reading The Hip Chick's Guide To Macrobiotics for ideas for the future. And I'm looking forward to my future as a vegan.
I used to be a gourmet cook, but I'm still trying to get my bareing on the vegan cuisine. But there is one thing that I've come up with that is my favorite comfort food to make. And especially now with my recent loss, and the stress of finals, a little comfort goes a long way.
The recipe features my fav super grain: QUINOA!!!
I like to call it a porriage...but you may call it yummy.
1/2 c. quinoa
1 c. water
1 c. almond milk
2 tbsp. brown rice syrup
4 tbsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. flax seed oil
-Rinse the quinoa. Put the water and the quinoa in a small sauce pan. When the water has boiled down put the almond milk and brown rice syrup in with the quinoa and let that boil down. Once its at a consistency you like let it cool some. And before you eat add the cinnamon and flax seed oil.
...what can I say, I'm no Martha Stewart with writing recipes, but give it a try and add what you like to the mix, that's how I came up with my recipe. I'm at my humble vegan beginnings but as I travel to Miss USA I know there will be more fun, and vegan fun to be had along the way :-)
XOXO,
MacKenzie
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