In the days after the beginning of the Vegan challenge, changes to mood and energy levels were definitely noticeable. Having more energy in the morning and avoiding a mid-afternoon slump was reason in itself to keep going. That and the fact that I have so far managed to dodge all those January bugs going around (touch wood!).
Three weeks into the challenge, the physical changes have really become more noticeable.
The first thing that people have been noticing is that I’ve lost weight. I didn’t feel like I desperately needed to lose weight before starting the challenge, but over the past year or so my weight has slightly crept up and I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with my figure...
I have lost weight in my arms, legs, thighs and round my hips, as well as a bit on my stomach. This is mainly due to cutting out processed foods and sugary snacks, which I found mostly seemed to contain meat and dairy. Though I can still eat delicious Vegan chocolate (and Oreos, yup, they’re Vegan!) my sugar intake has dropped considerably, and I’ve barely missed it!
Thanks to having more energy, I am able to accomplish more in my workouts at the gym which is a great feeling. The challenge has helped my body become stronger and gradually it appears to have started becoming leaner.
Another great physical side effect of the Vegan challenge is the improvement in my skin. Though I noticed annoying blemishes clearing up just a week into the challenge, I feel like my skin has a far more even tone to it. As a bit of a beauty junkie, I love testing out new creams and products and now they appear to be making a proper difference now that they have a good, healthy base to work with.
In an effort to try and get creative with the challenge, I tried out a great lasagne recipe from Aine Carlin’s book Keep It Vegan. It was delicious, and I even took leftovers to work for lunch.
I also tried out Aine’s Vegan chocolate cake with mint icing. This was a massive hit with my non-Vegan friends, so will definitely be making this one again!
I am guilty of snacking constantly at work. During the challenge I swapped sweets for apples and bananas, but this week I sampled some delicious Nakd bars. They have now become one of my favourite snacks to help keep my energy up at work! My favourite so far is the almond Bakewell flavour- so yummy!