‘Living-on’ means eating in the on-campus dining facilities. Today was my first day doing that with my new lifestyle. As someone who is quite intentional about the food that goes in her mouth, I found myself being even more purposeful in my selections. Instead of thinking “colorful plate,” I was thinking about the different vitamins and minerals in each of the foods. I grabbed some cooked spinach because I knew it had more iron (found in red meat) when it is cooked. I also grabbed a standard salad. Not a lot of protein, but I was not about to eat mac and cheese to get it. This may be difficult. I was hungry by 4… Darn my metabolism.
As a side note, I taught willPower&Grace at lunch and then went to Pilates after work. Two-a-days are usually exhausting. But I was feeling good. I even ran back up the hill to campus. I kept thinking of reasons I could stop: My body will be tired tomorrow. The hill is steep. It is still warm outside, which sometimes makes me nauseous/dizzy. But the excuses made me want to finish at the top, so I did.
Just to be clear, this is not a diet. I do not believe in diets. I never have. I believe in changing one’s diet, as long as it is meant to be a lifestyle change. But not dieting. Temporarily effective, but not long term. Usually do more harm than good. And this vegetarian thing isn’t about a diet. I don’t want to lose weight, nor do I need to lose weight. I’m happy the way I am.
This morning I proudly announced to the ResLife crew that I had a new identity: vegetarian. It’s good to know I have the support of people I trust… and will keep me accountable.
Katie Schmalzel 