Confession

Do you remember the rumor that Usher Raymond (R&B singer) titled his famous album "Confessions" as a publicity stunt released during his break up with another R&B singer - Chili from the group "TLC"? It sold millions. I don't think he's recovered yet from that album.

Well, I would love to say this is a publicity stunt, but I cannot. I MUST CONFESS - - I've eaten cheese, eggs, and.....UGH!!!! CALL THE PRESS....MEAT!
Yes, I just ignored every compassionate value in my body and gave up. I was gaining weight, due to the pregnancy, and had other personal

stresses of life going on (like PhD applications...lol).

THERE I SAID IT!

As some of you may already know, I'm one of those passionate people who goes all the way about something, cold Turkey (or Tofurkey) BUT will be pretty hard on myself when I miss the mark. I don't know. My mom didn't raise me like that. I guess I just always wanted to make her, my grandmother, my grandfather and step-dad proud of me. YES, I'm a prime case for someone's psychoanalytic sessions on an uncomfortable pinned-cushion couch.

So, why am I blogging about "The Plain Truth"? Well, it's easy to hide behind a facade of facebook pics. Note: I still cook vegan meals to this day. My problem since July 2010, has been returning to being 100% vegan. With this blog, I want to share "the plain truth" as I return to the journey of healthy living. Someday, I'll have the nerve and boldness to post my weight, but don't hold your breath. I'm still a lady! But I will be brutally honest about whether or not I went to Taco Bell (not real food, at all...Lol) and played Jedi-Mind-Tricks with the teenage boy behind the counter by saying, "If you happen to drop cheese on my taco, you can leave it there. Otherwise, no cheese." Or when I succumb to the pressures of parmesan cheese, mozzerella cheese, cheddar cheese.....do you see where I'm going here? I will be honest and have a reference to how to deal with the mishaps that I experience. For example: Do you know why we all love cheese so much? Well, I will share the answer to that in a future post.

There's so much I want to share: meal plans, workout plans, family stories, funny things that happen on the way to the farmer's market, and more. So, consider this blog of plain truth to be someplace you can relate to another human being who's not afraid to admit their mistakes yet continue to pursue a lifestyle of compassion for all beings. In no way am I promoting, as my vegan hero chef - Colleen Patrick-Goudreau - calls: the voice of an excusitarian. I'm making no excuses. If we're honest with ourselves, we all need to have an animal free diet. Not only is it kinder to the animals, but an animal free based diet is a healing factor and prolongs our own lives. Therefore, I'm not here to be a "RIGHTEOUS VEGAN", pointing fingers and looking down my nose at someone who enjoys their meat, cheese and eggs. Message to vegans and vegetarians: We all ate meat at one point in our lives....move on!

So, today - May 27th at 2:01am - I am back at stage one. I am proud to say that I was 100% vegan today, but did NO exercise for the day. What did I eat today:

• Whole Oats Oatmeal (cooked on stove) topped with: Earth Balance Soy Butter (instead of milk based butter), light brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon & nutmeg (try adding your own spices to oatmeal, you'll save money by just having to buy plain oatmeal). Side of organic peach slices.
• 3 travel packs of mixed nuts: cranberries, cashews and raw almonds. I had appointments all day and didn't plan accordingly to eat lunch on the run.
• Vanilla Chai Soy Milk drink
  
• Veggie Patty (non-dairy), wheat bun, non-dairy mayo, dijon mustard, soy based cheese
• Chickenless Nuggets
• Broccoli (w/ tbsp EVOO and McCormicks "Lemon Herb Seasoning" - try this seasoning because it's not full of salt)

Today's TEMPTATION:

• McDonalds!!!!!!!
• Potato Chips in the impulse section of Trader Joe's
• More Potato Chips in the impulse section of Lowe's Grocery Store

Today's CONFESSION:

• I did not drink enough water today. As a mom who is constantly breastfeeding a growing 2month old baby, there's no excuse. I should be drinking way more water. I will do better tomorrow - how about you?

Today's SUCCESS:

• I'm BACK!!!!!
  

So, what was your temptation, confession and success for the day? In the end, you are a winner.

"You may feel that you are the errand runner or that life has overlooked you. You've done your best, but maybe you haven't seen the results you had anticipated, or you've been through some disappointments and now you're tempted to think, "Oh, what's the use? I'll never get out of this situation. I'll never accomplish my dreams. But don't believe those lies. You are handpicked by God." - Love Your Life: Living Happy, Healthy & Whole by Victoria Osteen