30 Days Update

The 30 Days are over (finally!) so, as promised, here's the update:

8. Eat vegan for 30 consecutive days: Chocolate junky

It's no secret that I have a chocolate addiction, but I realized this month that I have a serious chocolate addiction. My initial plan was to cut all chocolaty goodness out completely, but during the first few days, my cravings were just too strong; thankfully, Miko helped ease my withdrawal symptoms by bringing me some dark chocolate... on more than one occasion! I didn't actually buy it so how could I refuse? This is how I rationalized my consumption... Then Oreos (vegan btw) were purchased... but does that really count as chocolate? Midway through the month, on a particularly busy Monday, I caved and bought some dark chocolate at the dep close to work. As I savoured my first bite, I noticed, to my horror, that it contained milk ingredients!!! I quickly hid it far back in my desk and texted Miko to let him know what had happened (and for some moral support). The next day, I had another bite. And the 35 grams were shamefully finished before the end of the week. There was also another case of mistaken identity last week with a similar piece of dark chocolate... To my credit though, major will power was exercised considering all the Christmas chocolate I received (and bought on sale)- none of which I touched.

Chocolate wasn't the only non-vegan food I ate this month though. There may have been milk ingredients in a (ok, 3) cookie(s) that I ate on day 1, parmesan cheese in a soup that I bought at a restaurant (it was only after the soup was ordered that I noticed it in the ingredient list), I may have eaten gelatin (not vegetarian btw) on one or two occasions, some fudge & ginger cookies my boss had made, some chocolate cookies (the shame), and spring rolls were eaten almost every time I ordered sushi (are those vegan? I never bothered to ask). Last week, Miko (vegetarian btw) and I went to a restaurant and ordered Ramen soups. In discussing vegetarian options, the waiter mentioned that all the broth was pork/beef based. We got the soups anyways because it was cold out, and we wanted warm broth, and the alternative was leaving... in our defense, we felt really guilty that evening and I got a stomach ache.

Despite these (mostly junk food related) failures, I think I did pretty well. I bought less coffee at work, and when I did, enjoyed drinking it black (although, I did indulge in $4 soy lattes from time to time). I brought my lunch more often, and ate lots of salads and fruits and nuts all that good stuff that makes you feel good too. Almond milk is actually a hundred times better than cow's milk and will now become a staple in my fridge. I found vegan tea biscuits that did the trick. And Nutella, well I missed that, and I'm looking forward to eating this.

Merci Miko for doing it with me for almost the entire month! I'd say we did the best we could, and will continue to choose more vegan options when available.

15. Do Pilates everyday for 30 days: Pilates kitty

Done and done! I may have cheated a little by rushing through the movements to shorten the workout on those days when I really wasn't feeling it; but, without fail, Pilates was done everyday for 30 days. Moka found her place on the mat beside me almost every time, including that one time I did it last minute at 1:00am and groggily at 7:00am. I did it once with the door closed (Miko was over) and when I opened it, I found her scowling for having excluded her from our workout!

I promise to keep it up, maybe not everyday but at least alternate with gym days. I actually do feel stronger, slightly more flexible, but never got a flatter stomach like the ladies in my DVD... Maybe it's because of all that chocolate!