Two years ago, my husband and I made the decision to go vegan. Within a few weeks of that decision, we discovered the whole food plant-based movement. We wholeheartedly jumped in, which has turned out to be one of the best decisions of our life.
Earlier this year, I shared about that whole food plant-based transformation. Here is my two-year vegan diet health update on my decision to go plant-based. Take a look at these before and now photos of our progress.
I will use me and we throughout this post as my husband and I are committed to this together.
My story was featured in the Winter 2022 Issue of Forks Over Knives Magazine.
You can also find out the success story on the Forks Over Knives website.
Plant-Based Diet Health Update
It is amazing to look back to the summer of 2019 and see how much has changed with my health. All of these changes are attributed to my plant-based vegan diet.
So Much Energy on a Healthy Vegan Diet
One of the biggest benefits of going vegan is all the energy I have. Each morning I get up and walk for 60-90 minutes. I have a standing desk, so the only time I sit during the day is to eat or drive. I do at least 30 to 60 minutes of a higher intensity activity such as biking or aerobics. With all that, there are still several evenings where I am restless and I need more activity.
I took up mountain biking this summer, which has been a lot of fun. My favorite part about it is being able to get exercise out in the middle of the forest.
I recently started doing Zumba workouts. Most of the classes have been too low intensity for me. I need to search YouTube for more challenging classes.
Quality Sleep
With all that time on my feet during the day, I do tend to crash hard when it comes to sleep at night. I sleep a solid 7-9 hours every night. I sleep even longer in our motorhome when we go camping.
Maintaining Weight Loss
My weight has not changed this year. I have actually stopped weighing myself because I am pleased with my body. My goal has been to get to 22.5 % BMI but I am stuck at just over 23%.
I do notice that my waist seems to thicken up a bit when I start eating more processed or prepared food. This is more of an issue when we travel. I stay committed to whole food plant-based when I am home, but never stray from eating vegan.
My Body Size
While my weight has not changed from the 40-pound loss, I do feel like my body has continued to slim down. For years I have always seemed to be between sizes or different sizes depending on the label.
Now I am proud to say that I am now a size 8 or medium. I can order clothes online and know that they are going to fit. I recently ordered a lot of nine brand new skorts and shorts off eBay for $40. Before they arrived, I figured it would be a win if five of them fit. All nine fit well!
This is the first time in the history of online shopping that I could order something and know that it is going to fit. That is such an awesome feeling!
Still No Menopause Symptoms
I have not reached menopause yet. The kind of wonder what is up with that since most women have stopped menstruating by my age. I am not having any symptoms with perimenopause, so I do not mind.
My waist is still thicker than I would like it to be, which is probably hormonal.
Learning My Limits
My energizer bunny ways have gotten me in trouble on the bike several times recently. Twice this summer, I got a heat illness because I pushed myself so hard mountain biking in the middle of the afternoon. The most recent was severe, which prompted to change to inside aerobics
On the first day of our circle the mitten of Michigan camping vacation, I fell hard and bruised some ribs. I believe that my top-quality diet helped me to recover from that and my over-exertions the last few months.
Plant-Based Health Goals for Year Three
For this next year, I have several physical goals. I want to improve my flexibility and balance. Also, I want to strengthen my core, and hopefully shed those last five or so pounds that are holding onto my midsection.
I also want to develop more vegan recipes. I have gotten muffins down, but I want to master other foods. A tighter grip on eating well while traveling is another area of focus.
I hope that I have inspired you to move towards a more plant-centered healthy lifestyle. Feel free to reach out to me or leave a comment below with any questions you might have. I can share more of my personal experience or direct you to an authority on the subject.
