A lot of people were asking me about my diet and how I got to a size 0. If you want to follow it too, here are the rules Iāve set up for myself:
Congrats! Youāre a vegan now (mostly). Hereās why:
- No milk. Unsweetened Almond milk has no sugar and is only 30kcal for 8oz. Nonfat milk has 12g sugar and 90kcal per 8oz. Also, I canāt drink milk because Iām slightly lactose intolerant.
- No cream or half & half. Half & half has 20kcal and 2g fat per TABLESPOON.
- No eggs. One large egg has around 78kcal and 5g of fat. You can have egg whites (2) once a week if necessary but only if they are hard boiled or poached but I donāt eat them at all.
- No butter. While butter has slightly fewer calories and 2g less fat than olive oil, olive oil has been shown to have heart health benefits. Olive oil only contains 2g saturated fat while butter has 7g. If you are on an incredibly low calorie diet, it is essential to maintain a diet that benefits the health of your heart.
- No yogurt, with exceptions. Unsweetened coconut milk yogurt has no sugar, 110kcal per 8oz, and 7g fat. If you want the real deal, your best bet is Siggiās skyr, thereās no fat but there are more kcal and way more sugars per serving and the serving is smaller.
- No cheese. Itās so bad for you. So good but so bad for you. I have the hardest time with this one. I usually eat a small amount of cheese once every two weeks or else Iāll binge and eat a whole wheel lmao.
- No white sugar. Most white sugar is not vegan and is filtered through charred animal bones. Which is super gross to me. Maple syrup or raw honey, while still being high in sugars, have health benefits not found in white sugar. Maple syrup is full of anti-oxidants and honey has been proven to aid the good bacteria in the stomach that assist in the digestion of food.
- NO MEAT. Consuming meat regularly has contributed to the heart disease epidemic in the U.S. Your heart health should be a factor in what you eat when eating a low calorie diet. You can have fish once a week but it has to be sashimi, not sushi, or nigiri, or maki, or tataki. Just sashimi.
Things unrelated to veganism (or the bullshit, fish-eating version of it that I follow):Ā
- You drink your coffee black now. End of story. If thatās an issue you can add unsweetened almond milk only to it. Lattes, cappuccinos, and cafe au laits are out. Iām a barista and when I cut out lattes and fancy drinks and syrups from my diet I dropped 5 pounds in about a week. You will get used to the taste, try getting flavoured iced coffees that are brewed, not syrups.
- No soda (not even diet or 0kcal versions), premade iced teas or lemonades, energy drinks, juice (yeah, no juice), sports drinks, vitamin water, smoothies (unless made at home). You drink water and black coffee now. Iced tea is fine when unsweetened. Seltzer is a great alternative to sodas and isnāt packed with the chemicals diet sodas have.
- No fried food. None whatsoever. Be careful with this one though because there are a lot of things that are fried that you wouldnāt think are. Thereās a burger place down the street from me that has the best bean burger Iāve ever had and I used to get one as a treat once a month but I found out that they deep fry the whole bean patty and thatās why itās so good! Now I donāt eat them anymore :c
- No ketchup or mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is fat fat fat and not vegan. Ketchup is full of sugar (and gross). Mustard is fine.
- No moreĀ āinstantā foods. Anything that comes out of a packet and is ready in ten minutes or less is not good for you. No frozen dinners, instant ramen, etc. Itās all fat and calories.
- All vegetables should be roasted with less than .5oz of olive oil per serving or steamed. Get a bamboo steamer, it will change your life.
- Pasta, bread, crackers, wraps/tortillas are a treat. Try to keep it around once a week. That doesnāt mean you can eat each one of those once a week either. If you eat pasta then no more bread or crackers or tortillas for the rest of the week.
- Alcohol. You can drink, moderately. No beer, kahlua, baileyās, malibu etc., or fruity mixed drinks. And watch out for drinks you thinks are healthier. I used to drink gin and tonic all the time because I thought tonic water was the same as seltzer then I learned that tonic water has 124kcal per serving and 32 GRAMS OF SUGAR. Just get your drinks made with seltzer water or club soda and extra lime or lemon. Also, this should be a once or twice a month treat and remember youāre on a restrictive diet. One drink may feel like two or three so be smart and eat a little food first and drink water especially if youāre in an unfamiliar place or with people you donāt know.
- No desserts, ever. Or sweets of any kind really. I buy honey sticks and eat one whenever I think Iām going to binge on sweets.
- Meal replacement drinks and protein shakes are an ABSOLUTE NO. I dated a guy who got really into lifting (lmao, he was a tool) when we were dating and those drinks were developed to help you bulk up. Guys who lift drink them during theirĀ āgainā phases because theyāre high in calories, fat, and sugar. They are the opposite of what you want in your diet.
Also, every day I take biotin (for my hair, skin, and nails), a vitamin B complex (for metabolism), and slow release iron supplements (every couple of days to once a week). I walk or bike to work everyday (literally. I work so fucking much), I do light yoga most days, and I donāt smoke. If I really fuck up, I usually purge but Iām trying not to do that anymore because I like having teeth (I went to the dentist yesterday and she said I have ābeautiful teethā and I almost cried because I was so scared they were going to tell me something was wrong with them).
I drink about 4 liters (~1 gallon) of water a day. Get a water bottle with a straw it will help you so much. I donāt count calories as much as I count fat and sugar but I eat probably around 500kcal. I eat mostly fresh fruit, steamed vegetables, and curries I make at home. Iāll probably post recipes in the future (I used to be a cook so I promise they arenāt your usual grossĀ ā10 calorie chickpea sorbet with with 80 splendaā).
I think thatās pretty much everything. Feel free to ask me questions about anything!
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