Low-Carb Vegan?

Greetings my luvlies!

Updates

So far I've been keeping my promise to lead a healthier lifestyle. This past week I've managed to eat clean for the most part, and I have gotten back into exercising. I'm still not back to where I use to be with the amount of exercise, but its a start! The Fall semester has finally ended which means that I will be posting more regularly. I will also start uploading my routine onto Instagram again.

Low-Carb Veganism

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a weakness for carbohydrates. I love rice, pasta, potatoes, and basically anything that is starchy and carb filled. Way back in my senior year of high school I lost a total of 20lbs. Now I know that doesn't seem like a lot for some of you, but it was for me. Ever since then I've only been able to lose 5lbs in the span of a year. So how did I do this? I went on the Atkins diet. Looking back at the Atkins diet, I do not recommend it to anyone! Though it has become more strict, the diet allows you to have unlimited meat, eggs, and fats. I ended up stopping the diet because I physically felt like crap. I was scarfing down bacon, eggs, steak, pork, anything that was greasy and dead I ate.

However, while scrolling through the internet for back exercises I had a bit of a revelation. I read a few articles and most of them mentioned that those with back fat have a problem with processing carbohydrates. I linked this back to all of the previous diets I have been on, and found a connection. Whenever I restricted the amount of carbs I consumed, I lost weight. So why haven't I been doing this all along? A lot of it has to do with hunger and easiness. Anytime I was on a low-carb diet I was extremely bitter because I was hungry all the time. I was even hungry while downing down a ton of calories on Atkins. So either I would binge on the diets, or quit them completely. Carbs are also convenient. They have a longer expiration date, and they tend to be cheaper which is important for college students like me.

I know there is a lot of talk in the vegan world about high carb diets being good for you, but I don't necessarily believe that. Every single body is different. I do personally believe that everyone should develop a plant based diet, but different plant based diets.
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The Plan 

I am starting to do research on cheap, easy, and low-carb vegan recipes. So far all I have been getting are a bunch of quinoa recipes (so expensive), but i know there is hope. A lot of the low-carb vegan articles I have been reading include beans as a substitute for grains. I LOVE beans which is why this is appealing to me. Tofu, tempeh. avocados, and nuts seem to be on the menu too! i am currently trying to tailor the list in a way that is cheap, and hunger proof. In a few days I will post my full meal plan. I will be posting a few links at the bottom of this post about fat storage for the ladies out there who have a similar body type as mine (stubborn fat accumulation mainly in the back, stomach, and arms). I will also be linking some information about low-carb vegan diets. 

Have a luvly day my luvlies!

Fat Storage Articles

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2236546/What-wobbly-bits-say-From-bingo-wings-love-handles-chubby-cheeks-store-fat-holds-key-health--lose-weight.html

http://www.mycottontales.com/the-reason-you-store-fat-in-certain-areas/

Low Carb Vegan Diets

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-food/weekly-meal-plan-the-low-carb-vegan-menu/

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/vegetarian/a/veganlowcarb.htm

http://ecowatch.com/2015/06/16/low-carb-vegetarian-vegan-diet/

Social Media Health and Fitness Frustrations

                                                       Greetings my lovelies!

 
Raise your hand if you are a social media addict. I know for a fact that more than half of you who are reading this just raised your hand. I myself will admit that I am a social media addict. My top two vices being Youtube and Instagram. When it comes to fitness I love these sites to bits. They've taught me how to make yummy vegan meals, they taught me how to squat like a boss, and most of the fitness and health people are beyond inspirational. However, as I dive deeper and deeper into my health journey the more I see the dangers of the health and fitness industry in social media I have a number of frustrations, so I have decided to make this a series. Hopefully I can enlighten someone with this series. As always, feel free to comment!

The "I Lost ____ in ____ months" Youtube Gimmick

Yes, I understand the joy that comes with reaching goals, especially health goals. However, in the competitive social media world we live in today, many of these feel like gimmicks. These type of titles are meant to lure us in and you know what? They work! These videos get thousands if not millions of views on Youtube. Don't get me wrong, I used to be a huge sucker for these videos. I believed that if I followed exactly what that youtuber did then I would finally get the results I wanted. However, what many of these youtubers fail to point out is that EVERY BODY IS DIFFERENT. Yes, eating a plant based diet, and exercising will do wonders for your body, but results will always vary. If you take ten people of the same weight and put them on the same exact diet for 3 months, at the end of those 3 months you will get a wide range of results. These "alluring" titles make people (especially the youngsters) believe that they will get the same results and if they don't their reactions could be dangerous.

What I would like to see more of
I understand that the social media world is more competitive than ever before. It's a competition of you has the most eye catching title and thumbnail. With that being said, these youtubers have the power to positively affect a lot of people. Instead of unlicensed youtubers giving their unprofessional opinions, I would rather that they explain their journey in order to motivate their subscribers. In my opinion, this is way more effective and far less dangerous.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

Somehow I made a vegan smoothie that mimics the taste of a peanut butter ice cream sundae. I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you decide to make it (which I hope you will) tag me on instagram @kimiluvly!

Ingredients

• 3 sliced bananas
• 5 sliced dates
• 1 heaping tbsp. of natural crunchy peanut butter
• a few strawberries (optional)
• cinnamon
• 1/2 cup of oats
• 1 tbsp. of brown sugar
• maple syrup (optional)
• granola (optional)

What you do

1. Blend the bananas with a little bit of water in your blender/food processer
2. Slowly blend in the rest of the ingredients. If the consistency is too thick add some more water. If it is too thin add more banana or oatmeal.
3. You can top this smoothie off with anything you like. I personally chose granola.
4. ENJOY!

This recipe will give you tons of energy and on top of that it tastes heavenly!