I used to have totally unfounded notions about vegetarians, like they're all insanely skinny, they never eat too much, they only eat healthy.
Then I became friends with a few and hung out with them, and saw that they can be the first to grab the deep-fried Oreos at the state fair. Another time I went to a fancy vegetarian restaurant with my husband S. back when he was a full veggie, and we ate so much that we had to sit down on the curb midway through the 10-block walk home. Now that I’m a daytime vegan (disclaimer: Wednesday was my birthday, and I ate a small scoop of ice cream with the lovely vegan treats my co-workers brought for me … thank you, co-workers!), I still eat a lot if I’m in the mood, so the biggest challenge is still stopping when I’m full. But since I started eating this new way, it’s a bit easier.
An example: A new restaurant near us (North Jersey area), HLS, serves astounding stuff like faux-chicken patties with a delicious, soft-textured, delicately-spiced filling and flaky sweet potato wrappers. And a vegan whoopee pie with heavenly, frosting-like filling between crunchy, caramel-ish cookies. HLS stands for Health, Love & Soul, and they mean it. I had lunch there last weekend, and with the doors thrown open to the sidewalk and the sun gleaming on the apple-green walls, it was easy to recognize that full feeling and stop, because I didn’t want to destroy the fabulousness of it all by feeling stuffed and ill. Here’s to independence from eating too much!
--Rebecca Turner
Categories:
Eating out, Food, Health, My weight loss