Sunday, July 22, 2012

{ Welcome to my World }

Welcome to my world.  My name is Lolly and this is my journey.  The journey of a crazy, overeating vegan cat lady who is trying to get healthy, get skinny (or at least comfortable) and get my groove back.  Will you come along for the ride?


8-month old sweet Suzanne on a lazy Sunday
8-month old darling Anderson who is so camera shy
I have been a vegetarian for more than 17 years and transitioned to veganism about 3-4 years ago.  People will often say (sometimes quite rudely) "how can you be so heavy and be a vegan?"  Well, folks, potato chips are vegan as are a lot of other unhealthy things. I have obsessive compulsive behaviors and and an addiction to food and binge eating.  I have lost weight and gained it back more times than I care to count, but this time I want to really live what I believe.  I first became veg for ethical reasons but I now also know the health benefits and really would love to be a spokesperson for this lifestyle that I love so much.  Losing weight and getting healthy - and keeping it off - is the first step.


The last few months have been hard for me - I lost my job in March and am unemployed for the first time in 25 years; dishwasher, washer and dryer all broke in the last few months and no funds to repair; and the house a/c is dead (which is not cool for this hot-blooded gal) - luckily I could afford a portable room unit in the meantime since we have had 100+ degree days here in Virginia.  You get the drift.


I have some days taken a headlong dive into the depths of despair and depression - and even the most loving efforts to lift my spirits by friends and family hasn't had much success.  I worry constantly about not having a job, about not being able to feed my furry-children, about paying the mortgage....   HOWEVER, after a thought provoking conversation with my mom (who also just happens to be my BFF), I realize that I cannot get into this fatalism and so have made up my mind that things WILL get better. That doesn't mean that I won't ever worry or be sad, but....

I am ready to FIGHT!
...fight to love myself
...fight to be healthy
...fight to make good food choices
...fight to stay in control
...fight to believe in myself
...fight the fear of...?

I have also begun to realize that losing weight is not a comfortable experience for me - it involves stretching myself far beyond where I believed I could go.  I AM going to change because I want and need to, but it's hard.  Weight has been my safety blanket for so long yet it has also been my noose.  But being obese is not comfortable and actually quite painful so going through the loss far outweighs any of the uncomfortable experiences I may have in the process.

So this blog will document my weight loss journey, my vegan, plant-based diet, yummy recipe creations, and if I am honest a few cute pics here and there of my furry dog and cat children. 


I need to do this for me, for my life, for the lives of my dog and cat children who need me to be around.  I am always so inspired by other peoples successes and also learn much from the struggles of others.  So let's do this together.  Will you join me on my journey?




Until next time, friends!


Lolly

1 comment:

  1. Hi Lolly...thanks for stopping by my blog! I really enjoyed reading what you have to say here. You make such an important point that vegan doesn't always equal healthy. There certainly is a lot of vegan "junk food" out there. When I was vegetarian the first time around in my life, I leaned too much on this convenience and processed food. I certainly have changed that and now eat all whole foods and can really see the difference in how I feel. Once you incorporate the most whole foods into your life, that is when you really form a connection to food. I can't wait to see what you do with your blog here and hope to stay in contact!

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