Hi everyone,

Here is an update to a post I did a little while back, and I am happy to say that I have passed the first month with success! Here are a few things that I have noticed since making the dietary changes.

Weird Eating Patterns

I don't think this would effect everyone, but I am generally prone to strange eating patterns, such as having little to no desire to eat anything for days on end, then suddenly deciding that I must consume the entire planet and all of it's contents. Although this sounds very similar to binge eating, I don't actually have an eating disorder. My body just seems to have a very strange relationship with food. Let's not even talk about the irregularity of my meals.

These were all problems I had before going vegetarian, but they definitely have gotten worse since. I know that this has to do with the fact that I don't balance my meals properly, and I will hopefully sort that out soon, but it is something that you will notice too if you have the same problem.

Cravings Still Aren't Consistent

In the previous post I mentioned that some days are worse than others, and some days I don't crave any meat at all, and that hasn't really changed much, except for the fact that the times I do crave for meat are much less frequent. I think the only two times it was really hard was, one, when my partner was eating muscles on crackers, and my seafood loving ways would have destroyed my will power if I wasn't as determined, and two, when I was feeling really sick and not in the mood to cook, and we have no vegetarian takeaway places in our town. That one was hard, but somehow I didn't cave!

Breakouts and Moodiness

This, again, could be singular to a few people, but I am naturally moody and this month has been a bad one. This could be due to a multitude of factors, but sometimes moods are caused by a lack of nutrients that the body might be needing at that time. This doesn't mean that going vegetarian will mean that you are constantly lacking nutrients, as some people think, but all it is, is an awkward beginning period in which you have to figure your body out and figure out new ways to get the same nutrients, whether that is through different foods or supplements. It passes eventually when everything settles.

And concerning my skin, I have always had trouble with it, and my body reacts very badly to any changes, for example the two times I tried to go on contraceptive pills, (both times with completely different pills) my skin broke out horribly, and took ages to normalize even after going off of the pills. This has also happened with certain medication, and I seem to be more prone to breakouts now that I have gone vegetarian, but again, that is just because my body is trying to acclimatize to the new conditions, and it seems to be normalizing.

Nightmares and Poor Sleep

This could be completely unrelated, but I have heard that a few people struggled with this while transitioning as well, so that is something to consider if you decide to change over. It is also not permanent, just the body reacting to the hormonal changes that are occurring.

Feeling of Lightness, and Weightloss

I can definitely see that I am losing some weight, although not very fast since I have completely fallen off of the exercise bandwagon with all of the injuries that I have had, I think once I start being more active the weight will fall off much easier than before I made the diet change, which is a welcome perk!

The light feeling that everyone talks about is definitely still present, but I am getting used to it now so it is not such a big deal. I definitely noticed it a few days ago when I went on a jog, well technically it was supposed to be a relaxed walk which turned into a full out sprint because the dog I was walking with refused to be calm, but I could feel a sensation in my belly, that felt almost as if I was exercising on an empty stomach, even though I had just eaten and I had plenty energy, this was the first time that I have done anything even vaguely active since going vegetarian, and I will update you if the feeling continues when I get back into regular exercise! It was awesome!

These are just a few observations that I have made, and as I am writing this it has been a month and a half. I really think that this will be a permanent choice for me, and I have been loving it so far. I hope this helps you, if you are looking for motivation to try the vegetarian lifestyle out,or if you are just curious to know what it is like!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Have a lovely day!