30 days of veganism (aka Vegan-anuary) and sobriety (aka Sober January).
And you know what? I actually liked it.
Here are some things I've learned within the last 30 days (aka "She Quit Drinking and Eating Meat for 30 Days and Here's What Happened").
1. I don't miss meat - for the most part. Yeah, you read that right. I plan to continue to my plant-based diet, but I am not committing to a whole life of vegetarianism or veganism. One thing I do miss is Chic-fil-a. 🙈 I'm not running out to get it right now, but I can't commit to NEVER eating it again. My mom also bought me a gift card for Eleve for Christmas - they have the BEST. STEAKS. EVER. I can't commit to eating a meat-free meal when I go there. So, call me a hypocrite, but it's my life and I can live it however I want. Eating mostly meat-free and plant based is saving some animals and is better for my health that being a full-on carnivore IMHO.
2. I lost weight. I am down 9 lbs since I weighed in for a Diet Bet in December. I promise you, over the holidays, I didn't lose anything. My only goal then was not to gain - which I didn't (for the most part). I logged over 200 miles in January and hit up Red Zone at least twice a week, so it could be a combination of plant-based, exercise and calorie-savings from no alcohol, but I can truly say the scale (and my pants) tell me it was good for my waistline.
3. I'm running better than I have in years. I just ran the Charlie Post Classic 15k and finished in 1:07 at a 7:15 pace. My last 15k was 1:20 a couple of years ago. Enough said.
4. The food. Vegans eat well, y'all. I haven't had ANYTHING I didn't like. Some pop culture favorites are vegan. Oreos? Vegan. Chips and salsa? Vegan. Hummus and pita? Vegan. The list goes on and on. I ate well. My new favorite has to be lentils. I had never had lentils before embarking on my plant-based diet. I have a FANTASTIC lentil Instant Pot dish that I love. There are some great meat substitutes on the market that may even be better than the real thing! Gardein meatballs? Morning Start Farms Meal Starters Steak Strips? Gardein Meatless Grounds in chili? I can go on forever. Oh, and I can make a mean Southwest Tofu Scramble. Pinterest is my new BFF BTW.
Alright, alright, alright. I know what everyone REALLY wants to know about, so I will address the elephant in the room.
Alcohol.
At first, I really missed it. Snow-mageddon happened and I REALLY missed it - I mean what else do you do when you're snowed in? I cleaned out my closets - sober. As the month went on, I missed my old friend less and less. I felt so in control of my life. I felt like a better mom and wife. I felt like my house stayed clean(er). I had less anxiety. I didn't have to go on any apology tours. The negative self-talk that creeped in when I drank was gone (for the most part). I loved waking up in the morning not groggy (not hungover, per se, but that groggy, heavy-headed feeling you sometimes have when you drink the night before). In summary? I felt like I adulted and had my shit (somewhat) together.
Even though I experienced all of these positive changes, I was still on board for the pre-planned celebratory night out on February 1. I was excited. I had been looking forward to it most of the month. And then, two days before D-day, I got REALLY nervous. Scared to death. Why am I going out on Thursday to drink, just because I can? Isn't that defeating the purpose of Sober January? Will I have one drink and become a total shit show? Will I drink myself into oblivion, unable to stop myself? I went back and forth, but ultimately decided I would meet up with my girlfriends for a drink.
I drove to my favorite brewery (if you haven't been to Lo-Fi, I would encourage you to check it out!) and they were out of my favorite beer. Probably a good thing, because Lo- Fi's Glitter Pony is 8.4 ABV - probably not the best thing for a gal who has lowered her tolerance by being sober for 30 days. So, I ordered my next go-to - Mexican Lager. I sat at the bar, chatted with the tap-tender as much as possible (she was slammed!) and watched what was going on. You see, they threw this huge party to celebrate us regulars coming back out to drink with a huge oyster roast (ok, it wasn't for us, but it sure sounds good!). And then it happened. I felt a wave of sadness. I felt my old frenemy anxiety and negative self-talk coming to hang out. And then guilt showed up - uninvited - I felt guilty for being out. I realized all I wanted was to be home with my husband and family. I paid my tab and went home before my friends even made it there. Lame, I know.
(Photo Cred - https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtXxYh-AMxCWxb9Ou6Oa0gnACeYdtPvxdGzav1BMatCtUrff42KDc8h_GI2mxct-JjGw48a3KZmiuC-3kgj2Ma8Y4Ulkm8jT5GyOknLFbF12ZDM_e5k17UD3csBO8fs6Hx0W0dHfXp-50/s1600/Lo-Fi+Brewery+symbol+-+wall+and+a+glass.jpg)
After I got home, Hubster and I decided to head out for a bite to eat and hit up King Street Grille. My meal was still plant-based (portabello wrap - no cheese - with the side salad). We had 2 beers each - and I ate a bunch of crap I wouldn't have eaten if I hadn't drank those 2 beers as we walked around the mall (i.e. pretzels from the pretzel vendor). Restaurant bill was $60 - OMG. Another reason to stay sober and home - the cost!
I fell asleep on the sofa when we got home - without doing any of my chores. I woke up a tad groggy at 445am (an hour after I usually wake up) and my house was a mess because I didn't do any of my chores. Sigh. Another reason I shouldn't drink!
So, if you made it through this whole rambling blog, the Cliff Notes version is that January brought some positive changes in my life and I plan to maintain them. Am I never eating meat or consuming a by-product or never drinking again? That's highly unlikely. But, you will see me eat more plant-based and drink a lot less. Here's to being the best person I can be!
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