one week down

I've officially been a vegan for one week now, and it's going great! I wanted to post sooner, but I've just been so busy. Leading up to this diet change, I was nervous and anxious, yet excited all at the same time.

I was nervous because I didn't know if I would be able to do it. I grew up in a small town in the Midwest - I was raised on meat and potatoes. Can I really give up meat and dairy? I was also nervous because I wasn't sure I'd be able to follow the diet. I've never been much of a dieter because....well, probably because I never thought I'd be able to follow it or I guess I just never wanted to. I've always been the type to just eat what I want when I want it.

I was anxious because going vegan was going to be such a big lifestyle change. I felt that I had so much to do. I had to clean out the pantry and the fridge; I had to go through all the food we already had and label what I could and what I couldn't eat. Then I had to make several trips to the local grocery store, then Whole Foods, then back to the local grocery store. On top of that I had to read each and every label of each and every food I bought...talk about exhausting (and time consuming)! Now, how to store all of this stuff and cook it? That led to several trips to and from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and The Container Store, and back again. Aaaah! In the end though, it was all worth, and once everything was organized my anxiety subsided.

A glimpse into my pantry

Now, the excitement took over. Everything was organized, my fridge and pantry were stocked, and I was ready to go! Day 1 came and went, then Day 2, and I couldn't believe how easy it was. I haven't had any cravings for meat or cheese, I haven't been tempted as people ate restricted items right in front of me, I haven't been hungry or felt deprived in any way. I'm just shocked by how great I'm doing and how easy it's been! I don't think I've ever followed a diet for this long :p As if that weren't enough, I feel great! I'm not "cured" of my migraines by any means, but my pain level has decreased dramatically since Day 1. I still have some head pain everyday, but it's nothing compared to what it has been, and I've been functional almost everyday this week. Of course, I still experience a multitude of side effects from all of the medication that I'm on, but if the side effects are my biggest complaint rather than the pain, I know I'm on to something. On top of that, my doctors are changing a few of my medications around right now. The last time they did that I was practically bedridden for a month. I just can't believe not only how great I feel, but how great I feel while undergoing all of these medication changes. I'm flabbergasted! I haven't felt this great in years. I thought this diet change would help, but I didn't think it would help this much, and I certainly didn't think it would work so quickly. I hope things only continue to improve from here.