Meat Free Diet - 3 Week Results

You might be asking why in the world is this crossfitter going meat free? Well, as an avid meal prepper for the last year, I followed a predominantly Paleo diet lifestyle. The reality is that I got tired of eating meat. I had played with different ways to handle meat in my meal prep; cooked, raw, a hybrid, etc. The timing of going meat free coincided with that of my good friend Mon going vegan. I saw how beneficial her shift to a vegan life was to her, her energy, and overall; all while training for her marathon too! I figured I'd give it a try. Plus, I knew going meat free would support eating for my blood type; A blood types thrive on a vegetarian diet (we can do another blog post about that at a later time). So anyways, prior to that time, I had inadvertently trended meat free. I had shifted for a few weeks to a pescetarian diet. After that I intentionally went vegetarian (still eating egg whites and eggs) for 2 weeks and then finally vegan in the third week. I'm currently in week 4 (second week vegan) and it's been going great. 

Results

I took my measurements at the start of each week and after 3 weeks going meat free, not trying to lose weight (meaning eat to satisfaction and train like normal) I lost 8.5 inches! The weight on the scale was less significant. I have a 5lb weight range I naturally fluctuate within and so although my 3 weeks showed 2lb loss it wasn't significant since it was within that fluctuation range. The table below shows my measurements in inches.

Pros and Cons

I put together a quick list to see the pros and cons and clearly the pros out weight the cons. Again, the cons in my personal opinion don't feel like a con, since these were just more general awareness items and easily addressed with proper meal planning.

Pros:
- Felt full after each meal
- Performance in gym didn't suffer
- More energy
- Deflation (loss of puffiness)
- Additional weight loss (without trying)
- Improved health potential (so many plants)
- Regular bowel movements
- Meal prep was SO much easier
- Saved $50 a week in grocery shopping

Cons:
- Diet may lack some key nutrients, which can easily be supplemented, such as Vit B-12
- I had to ensure and that I was getting enough protein in EVERY meal!

Note: I wouldn't really count these as negatives or cons, but things to be aware of and things you can easily address if you are informed

Vegetarian and Vegan Food Meal Prep

Here are meal prep photos of what I ate in these 3 weeks! Each row represents 2 pics for the week; e.g. first row is a pic of the full week main meals and to the right a daily spread.
​Scroll to the bottom for a full description of each meal!
Make sure you follow me on Instagram for my weekly meal prep photos posted on Sunday!

Week 1 (VEGETARIAN):
Meal 1: 
egg white veggie muffins with asparagus, tomato, and squash
Meal 2: 
chickpea, grape tomato, bell pepper, onion salad with cucumbers
Meal 3: 
black bean burger with salad (baby spinach, kale, Swiss chard - with tomato, cucumbers, carrots, and pumpkin seeds)
Meal 4: 
eggplant bean meatballs with zucchini noodles and mushroom (marinara not shown)
Meal 5: 
boiled eggs and broccoli
Meal 6: 
quinoa zucchini burger with portobello mushroom, Brussel sprouts, and tomato (avocado not show)
Snacks: baby carrots, cashew butter, hummus

Week 2 (VEGETARIAN):
Meal 1: 
1/2 sweet potato with few slices of banana, handful of blueberries, cashew butter, sprinkle of raw pumpkin/sunflower seeds, and dash of cinnamon 
Meal 2: 
veggie egg white muffins with artichoke, asparagus, and sprouts
Meal 3: 
black beans, broccoli, grape tomatoes, avocado, and lime
Meal 4: 
veggie snacks (baby cucumber, mini bell pepper, and baby carrots) with raw almonds and cashews
Meal 5: 
spaghetti squash, lentils, broccoli, mushroom, and grape tomato
Meal 6: 
pinto beans, portobello mushroom, Campari tomato, and sprouts

Week 3 (VEGAN): 
Meal 1: 
1/2 sweet potato with few slices of dried banana, handful of garbanzo beans, broccoli floret, and sprinkle of raw pumpkin/sunflower seeds
Meal 2: 
black eyed peas with quinoa and shredded sprouts with onion and mushroom
Meal 3: 
black beans, quinoa, grape tomatoes, green beans, sweet potato, and beets
Meal 4: 
veggie salad (baby spinach, mini bell pepper, and sugar snap peas, tomato, broccoli floret) 
Meal 5: 
steel cut oats with slivered almonds and shredded coconut with coconut milk unsweetened vanilla yogurt
Meal 6: 
portobello lentil stuffed mushroom with zucchini and asparagus (avocado not shown)
Other: lara bar and bobo bar

Week 4 (VEGAN):
Breakfast - Meal 1: 
Proats (protein steel cut oatmeal) topped with shredded coconut, slivered almonds, raw pumpkin seeds, and blueberries 
AM Snack - Meal 2: 
Curry Chickpea and kale with sweet potato
Lunch Meal 3: 
Black beans, quinoa, grape tomatoes, and baby spinach 
PM Snack - Meal 4: 
Eggplant, mushroom, onion, and hemp seed marinara with spaghetti squash and broccoli 
Dinner - Meal 5:
Tofu and diced tomato scramble with shaved Brussel sprouts with mini bell pepper and broccoli florets (avocado not shown)
Other: lara bar and post-workout protein shake