I agreed to give my body to science for three months to see how a plant-based diet impacts the body’s metabolism.
Thankfully, there was a huge support group: the other participants in the study, the research team, and many family and friends. I knew I had people to lean on when I was struggling to stick with the guidelines or needed a new recipe and that I had people to celebrate with as I (hopefully) felt healthier or discovered a delicious meal.
During our initial screening, we had to be available for weekly classes during the three month period. These hour-long classes were part support group and part educational. The participants in my group ranged from the early 20s to mid 70s. Mostly women – actually, now that I think about it, there was only one man in our group who was part of the study.
One of the best parts of the experience was how much the research team encouraged and welcomed our supporters during the weekly meetings. A couple of participants brought their partners each week which made those men honorary study participants.
Every Wednesday, we would gather at PCRM headquarters for our weigh-ins, check-ins, and taste tests. Within the first week, I lost five pounds and proceeded to gain two pounds the following week.
Very early on, we were taught about the Power Plate: fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes.
Essentially, if the food didn’t fall into one of those four categories, we probably shouldn’t eat it.
Cookies were replaced with cinnamon rice crackers, peanut butter was replaced with peanut butter powder (which I’ve come to enjoy more than peanut butter!), and the refrigerator was stocked with all kinds of fruits and vegetables.
My body was confused.
The first week or two was relatively simple – my body enjoyed having fresh food and new flavors. And then all I wanted was cheese and pasta and comfortable, familiar foods. Not being able to eat avocados or peanut butter or meatless sausages (darn you, egg) was hard. Breakfast was hard and required planning which was the last thing I wanted to do considering I plan just about every other facet of my life.
But, once I got over the hump, it was (relatively) smooth sailing. I learned to have snacks on hand and eat enough before going out to eat so that I wouldn’t slip up in a sticky situation. Of course, that meant I felt like I was always eating.
Questions and comments ensued. What was I eating? I looked great! When would I be able to eat ice cream again? I looked so strong! Would I ever go back to my old diet?
The way my body was becoming more muscle than fat made me feel a baby elephant most days and an energizer bunny on others. I woke up with tons of energy, no longer needed my morning coffee (or afternoon, for that matter), and was thinking clearly.
Week after week, I felt healthy, strong, and was loving my body.
Ask any human how they feel about their body and you’ll get a myriad of responses. The response may be impacted by what the person is wearing, how someone looked at them earlier in the day, what they ate, what kind of mirror they looked in – anything goes.
For me to wake up day after day feeling good about my body was, quite honestly, strange. Looking back on it now, my struggle to roll with all of the positive changes meant that I was finding something to feel uncertain of. In this case, it was the way that my clothes were fitting.
Nevertheless, the weekly sessions became a highlight of my week. I looked forward to seeing my vegan friends, learning a new recipe, and learning more about the impact food has on our bodies.
The topic for our very last class was the one food (group) that many people had a hard time not eating: cheese. Listen, I love cheese just as much as the next person.
Cheese, I discovered, didn’t love me.
Heh, like heather. 