Hello everybody!
I've been vegetarian for two years and one month. I wanted to review my goals, and chart my progress, and see if any of you have suggestions as to what to do next.
Goal: To eat vegan most days, but to refrain from obsessing about food.
Over the past two years, I've
-- Given up meat
-- Stopped eating eggs as an entree item
-- Stopped baking with eggs in my own kitchen
-- Substituted turbinado for sugar in half of my recipes
-- Stopped drinking milk
-- Stopped cooking with milk in my own kitchen
-- Identified a few restaurants where I can go to get a vegan meal
-- Learned how to cook tofu
-- Eliminated butter, and margarine that contains whey, in my own kitchen
-- Gone 58 days without cheese on purpose, plus some days that weren't planned in advance
I don't know what to do next. My main hurdles are restaurant food, and cheese. Also, I have stopped losing weight, because my efforts at animal-product elimination have plateaued over the past year.
Here are the next steps I am thinking about
:
1. Count calories (a reasonable amount) to spur weight loss. Then,
2. Add exercise -- something I've slacked on. Then,
3. Stop cooking with cheese at home. Then,
4. Stop eating cheese at restaurants. Then,
5. Eat vegan at restaurants. With the end goal being,
6. Eat vegan except for a couple days a month.
My last concern is that I don't want to obsess over food. I had food and weight issues back in junior high. Plus, some vegans I know talk more about weight (theirs and other people's) than about health or environment reasons. I don't want an eating disorder.
I've written a giant honking book! I don't mean to be so narcissistic. I know you all have good ideas and can think outside the box. What should I do next?