Omg how is it Spring Break already?! Since I am no longer a student #TakeMeBack, I don’t actually have a Spring Break. But since I live so close to Galveston now, I know I’m going to be spending a lot of weekends at the beach when it warms up. And after my Colorado trip where I ate nothing but crap, I definitely need to put myself on a Spring Break diet to shed the extra pounds I put on during winter and tone my stomach so I’ll be ready for crop-top season!!
I already have my diet “game plan” ready: I’m eating Vegan or plant-based as often as possible. I know veganism is not a “weight loss” diet, but trust me, I looked and felt my absolute best when I was vegan. I lost a healthy amount of weight super quickly, I felt more energized, I wasn’t bloated, I slept better, and I just felt skinny and strong!
It’s next to impossible for me to be completely 100% vegan 100% of the time (Tex-Mex y’all) but if I have the option, which in most cases I will, I’m going to eat vegan. This just means that I’m not eating any meat (no chicken, no beef, no turkey, no pork, no fish), and I’m not eating/drinking any dairy products (cream, milk, sour cream, cream cheese, regular cheese, or eggs). I just went grocery shopping on Sunday and I didn’t buy any meat or dairy products so I will only be able to eat vegan at home. And if I go out to eat, I’ll order whatever is closest to vegan or vegetarian and I’ll ask for no cheese. It’s what you call a “plant-based diet”, meaning I’ll mostly be eating plants.
This may sound really intimidating to some of you but there are a ton of dishes that you can substitute the meat or dairy out of. Pasta for instance, just use noodles, tomato sauce (without cheese) and vegetables. You can see my recipe for vegan tomato, caper, and artichoke pasta here. I also have a recipe for vegan vegetable pot pie you can find here. Tacos, you can have avocado, potatoes, and/or beans as the fillings. And so on!
Meat is really hard for your body to digest, plus it’s super fatty so cutting meat and dairy out of your diet will help you shed pounds quickly. Here’s a breakdown of my Spring Break Diet:
No meat – if there is no vegetarian option then I’ll eat shrimp
No cheese – ask for everything without cheese on it
No milk/cream
No eggs – ask for no eggs or give them to someone else that eats eggs
Lots of vegetables
Moderate amount of fruit
Healthy Pasta (no cheese)
Corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas
No Starbucks or coffee with cream/sugar
Smoothies or meal replacement shakes for breakfast
No beer – vodka sodas only
I don’t like really restrictive diets and taking a lot of stuff out of my diet like carbs… I love carbs. It would be much easier (and healthier) for me to cut out meat and dairy instead of carbs. So that’s why I like a plant-based diet because it’s more of what I like and it’s much easier for me!
Here’s what my daily meals will look like:
Plant-Based Breakfast Options:
- Smoothie: fruit, orange juice or almond milk, aloe concentrate, herbal tea concentrate, protein powder, Prolessa Duo fat burner/appetite suppressant.
- Meal replacement shake: Herbalife cookies ‘n cream meal replacement shake mix, protein powder, Prolessa Duo fat burner/appetite suppressant.
- HEB Organics apples & cinnamon oatmeal w/ protein powder and Prolessa Duo fat burner/appetite suppressant mixed in
- Honey Nut Cheerios with unsweetened almond milk (honey isn’t vegan, so this is plant-based)
Plant-Based Lunch Options:
- Vegan salad: lettuce, fruit, vegetables, Brianna’s Real French Vinaigrette dressing, croutons.
- Baked potato with vegan butter & vegan cheese
- Vegan corn dog with tater tots
- Vegan chicken nuggets with tater tots
- Pinto beans with pico de gallo and diced avocado
Plant-Based Dinner Options:
- Baked potato with vegan butter and vegan cheese
- Vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, brussel sprouts)
- Vegetable pot pie
- Tomato, caper, and artichoke pasta
- Grilled vegan-cheese sandwiches & Campbell’s tomato soup
- Rice and veggie stir-fry
- Roasted cauliflower tacos with avocado
Plant-Based Dessert:
- Talenti Roman Raspberry vegan sorbet
I’m going to follow this diet as closely as I can until I reach my goal weight and then I’ll start slowly reintroducing some stuff back into my diet. I’d prefer to stay plant-based forever but I know I’ll have cravings and I’ll go eat at a family or friend’s house and they’ll be serving regular food with cheese or meat in it. And of course I can’t turn down their food!
This is always my go-to diet when I’m actually trying to lose a little weight and slim down. It’s just easier for me to cut out meat instead of trying to count calories or cut carbs or cut out sugar. There are just so many substitutes for meat and cheese that it makes this diet not even feel like a diet. And veganism is a lifestyle rather than a diet so I feel good that I’m saving animals at the same time.
What are some good meat and cheese substitutes that you’ve tried and liked?!
