dear bacon, i'm quitting you... for about a month. love always, sarah a.

For the past three months I have not counted calories and I have not exercised regularly. When I first started counting calories in March, I lost somewhere between 20-25 lbs. but I hit a plateau and I am having a really hard time getting back on the wagon.

I'm going to try something new to shake things up a bit and it may be a little more difficult to do. I am sick of counting calories and I am sick of feeling guilty about what I eat so I figure the only way I can avoid that is by only eating things that are good for me, or at least not that bad for me. I have a friend who is doing this plant based diet (no meats, no dairy, no oil) of all veggies and fruits (except for avocados) and he has lost weight in just two weeks. This diet, however, is not so much focused on losing weight but instead it is focused on promoting heart health. I recently saw this documentary called "Forks over Knives" that features the two doctors who essentially "invented" this way of eating and I have to say it is pretty compelling. I think all documentaries are propaganda, but you can't argue against the fact that people in countries where they have a plant based diet have very small amount of heart and cancer related deaths.

Anyway, before I get into too much detail that I may present inaccurately, my goal is to try this plant based diet for one month and see how I like it. I can't imagine a life without cheese or bacon because one of my favorite things about being alive is experiencing endless amounts of different types of really good food. Entire cultures are represented in a dish and I love love that I can learn more about a group of people just by eating their food. So, I don't think I can adopt this diet as a lifestyle but I definitely know that I can learn a lot and adopt a lot of really good habits by attempting this diet.

My goal for 30 Days (starting Monday, Sept. 19):

1.) Eat a plant-based diet (with none or very little oil). Here is more about the plant-based diet: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease 
2.) Make low-cost meals

I will try to journal some of what I eat and approximately how much each meal costs. I don't want to spend more than $5 (maybe $10) per day on food (not including alcohol). I will also try to journal if I lose any weight without having to count calories.