How to Start a Vegan Diet in January for Veganuary

January 22, 2025January 22, 2025 Lipedema VeganLeave a comment

January is the perfect time to make positive changes, and what better way to kick off the new year than by participating in Veganuary? This global movement encourages people to try a vegan diet for the entire month of January. Whether you’re doing it for your health, the environment, or animals, transitioning to a vegan diet can be a rewarding experience. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you start strong and stick with it.

1. Understand the Benefits of a Vegan Diet

Knowing why you’re trying veganism can help you stay motivated. Here are some compelling reasons:

Health Benefits: A plant-based diet can lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation, and improve overall well-being. It is especially helpful for the 15% of women worldwide who have lipedema!
Environmental Impact: Eating vegan reduces your carbon footprint, water usage, and deforestation.
Animal Welfare: A vegan lifestyle spares animals from harm and exploitation.

2. Start with What You Know

Transitioning to a vegan diet doesn’t mean starting from scratch. Take a look at meals you already enjoy and veganize them. Love pasta? Swap out the cheese for a plant-based alternative. Enjoy stir-fries? Just replace meat with tofu or tempeh.

3. Stock Your Pantry with Essentials

Having a well-stocked pantry makes cooking vegan meals easier. Start with these staples:

Grains: Brown rice, quinoa, oats, and whole-grain pasta.
Legumes: Lentils, chickpeas, black beans, and split peas.
Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and sunflower seeds.
Spices and Condiments: Nutritional yeast, soy sauce, tahini, and smoked paprika.
Plant-Based Milks: Almond, soy, oat, or coconut milk.

4. Plan Your Meals

Meal planning helps you stay on track and prevents you from reaching for non-vegan options. Use online resources or cookbooks to find simple recipes. Here’s a sample day:

Breakfast: Overnight oats with almond milk, chia seeds, and fresh berries.
Lunch: Lentil soup with whole-grain bread.
Snack: Hummus with carrot and cucumber sticks.
Dinner: Stir-fried tofu with broccoli, bell peppers, and quinoa.
Dessert: Dairy-free chocolate or a banana with peanut butter.

5. Try Vegan Alternatives

The market is full of delicious vegan alternatives to make your transition easier:

Dairy-Free Cheeses: Brands like Violife, Miyoko’s, or Daiya.
Meat Substitutes: Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, or seitan.
Plant-Based Yogurts: Coconut or almond-based yogurts.
Egg Replacements: Use flaxseeds, chia seeds, or commercial egg replacers for baking.

6. Explore Vegan Restaurants and Cafés

Take advantage of Veganuary to discover vegan-friendly eateries. Use apps like HappyCow to find vegan restaurants near you. Trying new dishes can inspire your home cooking.

7. Join a Community

Support from others makes any challenge easier. Join online forums, social media groups, or Veganuary’s official website to connect with other participants. Share recipes, ask questions, and celebrate your successes.

8. Educate Yourself

Learning about veganism can help you stay committed. Watch documentaries like Forks Over Knives, The Game Changers, or Cowspiracy. Read books like How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Greger or The Vegan Starter Kit by Dr. Neal Barnard.

9. Be Patient with Yourself

Transitioning to a vegan diet is a process, and it’s okay to make mistakes. If you accidentally eat something non-vegan, don’t be too hard on yourself. Focus on your progress and remember why you started.

10. Celebrate Your Success

By the end of January, take a moment to reflect on your journey. You might notice improvements in your energy, mood, or even skin. Celebrate your commitment and consider continuing your vegan journey beyond Veganuary.

Veganuary is an excellent opportunity to try something new and impactful. With a bit of preparation and an open mind, you can enjoy a delicious, healthy, and compassionate start to the year. Are you ready to give it a go? Let’s make January the month of positive change!

Is it possible to be overweight AND undereating?

February 16, 2022February 16, 2022 Lipedema VeganLeave a comment

We’ve heard it since 6th grade PE class. If you eat more calories than you need, you’ll gain fat. And in order to lose weight, you just need to eat fewer calories… or at least that’s what the experts in our lives told us. Doctors, PE teachers, coaches, family members, magazines, etc. all told us that we needed to eat less to lose weight. And if you wanted to lose weight and reach your ideal body weight, you listened, didn’t you? You listened to them:

you starved yourself
you got comfortable with the feeling of being hungry
you always ate less than you wanted (except for those binges that resulted from hours and days of deprivation)
you beat yourself up when you gave in to cravings
you always tried again every Monday

Fast forward past all puberty, childbirth, sedentary jobs, traumatic and painful times in our lives, and all of the stressful events in our life that contributed to weight gain. You may be left with unwanted fat, and completely baffled by how you could be constantly dieting for years and decades, yet still be overweight!

Kim Kardashian eats 1700 calories per day, and is 5’3 and 110 pounds. Have you tried losing weight eating by eating between 1600-1800 and still failed to lose a single pound? How can a woman or man who weighs 100 pounds more than Kim Kardashian NOT lose weight consuming the same amount of caloric energy that she does?

How can a woman or man who weighs 100 pounds more than Kim Kardashian NOT lose weight consuming the same amount of caloric energy that she does?

The answer, quite simply, is metabolism. What if I told you that the harder you have tried to lose weight, the more difficult it will be? The second you decide to drastically cut calories in order to maximize your caloric deficit, you are creating a plateau and will be stuck at that undesirable weight until you begin to nourish your body. The key to weight loss is slow and steady weight loss, otherwise your body will work against your best efforts. And you may be burning more than you thought you were! (Check out the weight loss calculator at the end of this article)

Reverse dieting is all the rage in weight loss and body building communities these days, but what does it mean? Reverse dieting is the act of beginning to add MORE calories to your diet at a slow rate, in order to end a diet or increase your metabolism. Everyone has heard about folks who lost large amounts on weight, only to return to the unhealthy eating habits of their past and regain the weight they lost (and then some!). Your body is designed for survival. If you overfeed, it will store the extra calories as body fat for a future famine when you may need that fat for energy! The problem is, that in America, that day of famine never comes, and our bodies are biologically designed to hold on to that body fat.

But what if I told you that gradually increasing the calories you eat might actually result in weight loss? I personally never lost a pound after months of eating 1700 calories, but when I increased my intake to 2000 calories of whole food plant based meals, I finally saw the scale move in the right direction! Of course everyone’s target calories are unique to their age, height, weight, and activity level! What types of foods are considered WFPB? Whole grains, root vegetables, legumes, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and nuts, of course!

You know what else happened when I increased my caloric intake? I felt happier and healthier. I was more energetic to squeeze in that dog walk. I had less brain fog and more focus. I became goal-oriented. I met my pedometer and step goals with ease! It is possible that the rut you are in is caused by under nourishing yourself, and if you simply increased your intake of healthy foods, you would feel re-energized AND would accomplish your health related goals! Reach out any time to discuss your weight goals with me. I’m here for you!

Also, I highly recommend the following calculator for weight loss. Track your calories for a few day and see if you are eating more or less than this target! https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutcal.htm

Fat Loss Strategies · Mindset and Motivation · Uncategorized

“Intuitive Eating” and Other Lies the Internet Tells

January 26, 2022January 15, 2025 Lipedema VeganLeave a comment

The internet is filled with people who want to tell you good news about your bad habits. 🧁 People who have never experienced obesity think that their 25 pound weight loss (if that!) gives them the authority to tell overweight and obese people that eating the foods that made them fat in the first place will result in weight loss, if they just listen to their bodies. 🤡 Here is the problem with that logic:

🍎 Obesity is caused by insulin resistance and overeating. If people could control their overeating, they wouldn’t be obese in the first place. What’s the solution? Eat the right foods that cure insulin resistance, such as those advocated by @masteringdiabetes ! Whole food plant based low fat foods for the win!
🍎 Obese people often have stretched out stomachs from years of overeating. Is a 100 calorie pack of Oreos going to help them reach their a healthy weight? No- but a low fat whole food plant based diet allows for individuals to eat higher food volume since veggies, fruit, whole grains, potatoes, and legumes are so calorie dilute versus all of the processed crap in the grocery store.
🍎 Obese people have disregulation of their grehlin and leptin systems- which may actually be a genetic issue. Telling obese people to “just stop eating when you are full” is absolutely fat shaming. But filling up on high water content and fiber foods that stretches the stomach lining and effectively signals to the brain that the meal can end is the solution. Not oily foods or processed protein powders, but real whole plant based food filled with micronutrients.

I’m not afraid to use the word “obese” because I’ve been there. And when I studied neuroscience in my undergrad, my professors were involved in research equating the effects of high sugar and high fat foods on the brains of obese people to that of cocaine on the brains of addicts or alcohol on the brains of alcoholics.

I’m definitely not saying you can’t enjoy a slice of birthday cake or some vegan pizza on your date night, but if your goal is weight loss, the name of the game is discipline in eating whole food plant based to create a consistent calorie deficit. The caloric deficit is the only way, and it’s a lot easier to accomplish long term by focusing on whole foods!

Fat Loss Strategies · Mindset and Motivation · Uncategorized

How to Lose Weight on a Budget

January 8, 2022January 8, 2022 Lipedema VeganLeave a comment

Whether your new year’s resolution is to lose weight, go vegan, or follow a budget; this article is for you! I am one of the hundreds of thousands of people who quit their full time job in Fall of 2021. I was a teacher for 10 years before a second career in healthcare/medical education. At the start of the pandemic, I started a local business which took off and allowed for me to become a full-time entrepreneur! I now run three businesses AND am preparing to buy a second real estate property for investment purposes in the next few months!

Being a full-time entrepreneur has been so exciting, but there are certainly aspects that require adjusting when you are coming from the security of a 9-5 career. One of those things is the need for an emergency savings fund! Right after I quit my job, my home’s air conditioner broke (of course!!). $8,000 later, we had a new furnace and AC unit but a dwindled emergency savings fund.

My new year’s resolutions are to continue losing weight on a whole food plant based vegan diet AND to keep my monthly meals under $350 total per person! Here’s how my $350 in food cost is broken down:

$350 divided by 30 days in a month = $11.67 in food costs per day

Three meals a day = $3.89 each Typical meals look like the following:

Breakfast= 2 baked sweet potatoes (97 cents), totaling 0.75 pounds, with a drizzle of maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and hot sauce. Berry smoothie featuring 1 cup of frozen organic berries ($2.25) and 1 cup of frozen spinach (38 cents). TOTAL COST: $3.60

Lunch= 1.5 cups of rice (appx 50 cents) and 8 oz of frozen vegetable stir fry ($1.39), with 2 tbsp of teriyaki sauce, and an apple (75 cents)! TOTAL COST: $2.64

Dinner= A tray of roasted vegetables, including 3/4 pound of potato ($1 cents) and 2 cups of frozen green beans, (42 cents) and 2 tbsp of ketchup. TOTAL COST: $1.42

Dessert= 2 frozen bananas (60 cents) with 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to make chocolate banana nice cream! TOTAL COST: $0.60

These three meals cost $8.26 for the core food groups, allowing for some wiggle room in purchasing condiments, coffee, almond milk for that coffee, tea, etc!

Over the past several months, I’ve shifted my baseline diet to an ultra nutrient dense, whole food plant based diet. My current shift is to lower the cost of my groceries for financial freedom as I run multiple businesses and build an emergency savings fund! As I enter week three of this new eating and budgeting arrangement, it’s going great! Legumes, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits for the win! Follow my blog and find me on IG for more budget-friendly vegan weight loss tips!

Mindset and Motivation

A Guide to the New Healthier You!

December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 Lipedema VeganLeave a comment

If you are overweight, you have an overweight mindset. As much as we want to feel like victims to a cruel world that made us fat, ultimately it was our decisions that made our bodies overly fat. Recovery starts by realizing that we have a problem with our current behaviors and taking responsibility for the changes we want to see.

If you are eating junky processed foods, it’s no surprise that you “can’t lose weight”. If your day is largely sedentary, it’s no surprise that you “can’t lose weight”. If you eat clean all week and then go buckwild on the weekends, it’s no surprise that you “can’t lose weight”. In contrast, how would your weight look if you walked at least 5 days a week for 45 minutes, if you did strength training at least 2 days a week for 30 minutes, if you broke up long periods of sitting with a quick Zumba workout, if your everyday breakfasts and lunches were predictably healthy yet satisfying, if dinnertime prep consisted of chopping loads of fresh veggies and whole plant foods?

Perhaps you overeat when you are stressed out. Perhaps you can’t say no when your favorite snack foods are on sale. Perhaps you drink alcohol when you are bored or frustrated. Perhaps your alcohol consumption leads to decreased inhibitions when it comes to food choices. How do we get to be the people we want to be? How can we reprogram ourselves so that our baseline behaviors are healthy ones, perhaps with the exception of special occasions?

Highly successful people know that change comes from within ourselves. The change you seek is seeking you. The person you want to be is always one decision away. Each day, we must choose to be the healthier version of ourselves with our thoughts and behaviors. Would the healthier version of you finish off the tray of Oreos? Would the healthier version of you snack on processed foods while watching Real Housewives reruns? Or do those behaviors belong the the old you- the one that is long gone at this moment, because you decide it is so.

One of the first vegan resources I ever came across was a book series called “Skinny Bitch”. Her attitude, while controversial, was that if you wanted to lose weight, you had to stop acting like a fat person. You had to stop eating what fat people eat. And you needed to start behaving more like a skinny person. This approach received some pushback because there is thin line between this type of reasoning and the flawed reasoning associated with addictive eating disorders. However, I think that overweight folks do need to understand that they are never going to be like that one friend who can eat burgers and fries at the drive through and never gain a pound. If your life experiences have taught you that your genes are programed to accumulate adipose, then behaviors must be changed. And that all starts in the mind.

There is incredible research into manifestation and multiple universe theories that assert that we truly design our future with each thought, behavior, and action. However, this all begins with our thoughts- what we think is possible, what we think we are capable of… You are capable of living a healthier life. You are capable of sticking with it. You are capable of turning your life around and being an inspiration to others. But it begins with your decision to be the new you! More to come on mindset and motivation, but please reach out at weightogovegan@outlook.com or comment below if you are ready for the new you!

Fat Loss Strategies · Uncategorized

5 Salad-Free Ways to Increase Your Vegetable Intake!

November 3, 2021December 1, 2021 Lipedema Vegan1 Comment

Stock up on frozen vegetables!
- Stocking up on frozen vegetables is by far the easiest way to eat more veggies. Frozen green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, spinach, Brussels, and more are readily available at every grocery store! Common blends include Normandy blend (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot) and stir fry mixes (containing green beans, peppers, onions, carrots, broccoli, mushrooms, etc.). All you need is a simple steamer to reheat these back to perfection. These veggie packs come pre-chopped (my favorite part) and can be kept for years in the freezer, saving you time and money! My favorite steamer is this microwavable silicone steamer, but there are metal options that work with your favorite stovetop pots and pans!
Sneak them in your favorite recipes!
- Throw some steamed broccoli in your vegan mac and cheese, add green beans to your favorite soup/pasta/curry recipe, and load your tacos with fajita vegetables (and don’t just stop at peppers and onions). Also, check out tomorrow’s post on my mashed potato and cauliflower with a taste and texture that is exactly like mom’s mashers but with 50% non-starchy vegetable content!
Set a daily vegetable variety goal!
- Make a contest with yourself or with your family to see how many different vegetables (and fruits!) you can eat in a day! The 5-a-day rule from the federal organizations is pretty weak. It’s easy to get 10-15 or more varieties in a day but including 3-5 different types at each meal. Each vegetable has a different array of micronutrients, antioxidants, and minerals, so it is so crucial to increase the variety of veggies you prepare! Eating the same three veggies each day is far better than shunning veggies. But variety is the spice of life!
Make time for daily green smoothies!
- If you need more veggies in your diet, green smoothies are the easiest ways. A cup of fruit with a handful of frozen spinach or fresh kale/spinach will taste simply like a fruit smoothie! Add a packet of stevia for extra sweetness. Add milk, vegan protein powder, and banana for extra creaminess. Add greens powders, mushroom extracts, or flax seed for extra antioxidants, immunity boost, and omega 3s (respectively). We prefer broccoli, red cabbage, and kale microgreens in our daily smoothies! My husband is obsessed with mango, so we alternate between berries and mango for our smoothie base!
Top your meals with microgreens!
- Microgreens are 7-12 day old vegetable seedlings that are traditionally grow indoors and are available year-round in most areas. Additionally, you can grow your own (upcoming post about that, since we’ve been doing this for years!). When succession planted, you can harvest them as needed to throw handfuls on your cooked meals or in your smoothies. Interestingly, they have 4-100x more antioxidants and nutrients than the mature versions of the vegetables, so they really back a nutrition punch in a small package!

Microgreens can be grown in soil or hydroponically!

Fat Loss Strategies · Satiating Plant Based Meals · Uncategorized

Top 9 Plant Based Proteins to Include in Your Meal Plans

October 7, 2021October 7, 2021 Lipedema VeganLeave a comment

OVERVIEW: Increasing the protein content of your meals is the key to satiation! Especially if you are lifting weights or wanting to conserve your muscle mass, you are going to want to shoot for at least 20 grams of protein per meal. Experts recommend roughly 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day! Enter your daily energy intake in a calorie counter, and I can almost guarantee that unless you are paying close attention to your protein intake, you are missing that mark! Read below for top sources of vegan protein and suggestions of how to make a meal around these plant powered superfoods!

Tofu– you guessed it! If you don’t like tofu, you probably aren’t preparing it well. It’s not supposed to be wet and squishy, unless of course you prefer it that way. If you have previously eaten white chicken meat, you can make your tofu resemble that consistency, savory flavor, and level of proteininess (spelling?) with the right preparation! Any upcoming article will focus on tofu preparation! But for now, opt for extra firm, a delicious marinade, and baking for at least 30 minutes until golden and chewy! Tofu is excellent in stirfry with brown rice and veggies! Each 6 oz serving of extra firm tofu has:
- 22.6 grams of protein
- 11.9 g fat
- 188 calories
Silken tofu makes a wonderful mousse but you can see it has a higher water content, diluting the macronutrients. A 6 oz serving of silken tofu contains:
- 11.7 grams of protein
- 4.6 g fat
- 105 calories
Tempeh is a less common form of soy. My favorite way to eat it is in “bac’n strips” with smoky marinade. A 6 oz serving of those strips features slightly more calories than the plain tofu above, with 4 extra grams of protein:
- 26.9 grams of protein
- 11.2 g of fat
- 313 calories
Beyond meat is a highly controversial topic. It’s that fat content that is the kicker here. Although the product is non-GMO, it falls in the processed foods category. I happily consume it from time to time, in burger and sausage form mostly. However, it is the highest calorie form of protein on this list, so proceed with caution, and opt for natural and whole foods that have lower caloric density whenever possible! But check out these statistics before we continue. A 6 oz portion of Beyond beef features:
- 30.5 grams of protein
- 27.5 g of fat!!!
- 368 calories
Protein Powder- My favorite protein powder, Orgain, comes in a variety of flavors and features of blend of pea, brown rice, and chia seed protein. It’s also fully organic! My favorite ways to consume protein powder are in smoothies and in oatmeal! Also, try adding protein powder to baked goods like pancakes, etc. Two scoops contains:
- 21.0 grams of protein
- 4 g of fat
- 150 calories
Edamame– Raw soybeans get their own special category in this list because they have 33% more protein than their legume counterparts. 6 oz of shelled edamame contains:
- 20.3 grams of protein
- 8.8 g of fat
- 206 calories
Legumes– Some people consider legumes more of a carbohydrate source than a protein source, but it is so important to get that resistant starch and fiber in for your gut health! And, if you are sensitive to beans, try making your own to decrease that digestive distress. I soak dried beans for 1-2 days, then strain and cook in a crockpot with water and a big pinch of sea salt on low for 8-12 hours. If you are new to being a vegan, your gut flora will adjust to legume consumption over time. Other legumes such as garbanzo, black beans, pintos, and lentils feature the following levels per 6 oz servings:
- 15 grams of protein
- 1-4 g of fat
- 220-280 calories
Nuts are a great source of protein and healthy fats. In general, nuts are not an excellent weight loss food because of their high caloric density. They can be used as a garnish, but should never be a main food group in your meal planning. (However, check out number 8 for a great alternative!) A 2 oz serving of nuts contains:
- 10 grams of protein
- 25 g of fat
- 300-320 calories
PB Fit peanut powder is a low fat and low calorie alternative! Try it with an apple, in oatmeal or baked goods, or in salad and stir-fry dressings! A 4 tablespoon serving of this powder consists of:
- 16 grams of protein
- 4 g fat
- 140 calories