there's no god-given right to bacon

It's summer and along with the season comes lots of opportunities for socialization. And that's a good thing, at least in my opinion. But these opportunities can be fraught with problems for vegans. Here's a case in point: My fiance and I were invited to a BBQ on Friday night that has a "bacon theme." It actually says in the description of the party that there will be mental health professionals standing by to help rehabilitate anyone who does not eat bacon.

I kinda felt like that was directed right at us, since I am pretty sure we're the only vegans amongst that circle of friends.

I tried to be lighthearted and play along. I posted that we may go and wanted to make sure that bacon consumption wasn't mandatory. The host wrote back that it's not, but we could avail ourselves of professional help to get us back on the bacon-eating path. One of the other guests suggested I should be burned at the stake. Nice, huh?

I know everyone is joking and it's all in good fun. People really enjoy making fun of vegans. And you know what? We bring a lot of it on ourselves by being judgmental asshats. That said, can you, as a Meat Eater, really claim your dietary choices are superior to mine?

We already know how evil factory farming is. We already know what a detriment our gluttony for animal flesh is to the environment. And we have a bevy of studies that indicate a link between consumption of animal products and disease. We certainly don't have any warm and fuzzy evidence that eating animals is good for ANYONE.

I've started answering the "good-natured" ribbing by my friends, who will regularly make comments, post memes on my facebook wall and the like, in this manner: don't make me break out the animal cruelty videos. In other words, you keep your lifestyle to myself and I will too.

I don't want to be one of *those* vegans, so don't make me, m'kay?

How would my vegan comrades have responded?

bridal countdown

Okay, you know that song "Final Countdown?" Imagine that but replace the word "Final" with "Bridal." Oh, yeah, now we're on the same page!

Well, there's nothing like feeling stressed and pressed to get you back on the right track.

It was a long, brutal winter here on Delmarva and I can honestly say that I was a couch potato. I didn't do too badly with eating, but I didn't move my bod much off the couch. I did have a good excuse, however, as I was wildly penning (typing?) my new novel Fat Girl (http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Girl-K-L-Montgomery-ebook/dp/B00UUMA1MK/ if you want to check it out.) It's sort of hard to write a novel when you're running about. You kinda have to stay put.

I  know, I know, that's just an excuse. But if there's one thing I'm super awesome at, it's rationalization!

So I looked at the calendar last week and realized there are less than FOUR MONTHS until my big day! How in the world did that happen? It seems like just yesterday that I got engaged. Plans are coming together, and I even have my dress.

The problem? Well, as I mentioned in my last post, I am a fat vegan. And I'm an even fatter vegan after this winter. Obviously four months isn't a ton of time for transformation, but it's enough to drop a few pounds and tone up. And that is what I'm intending to do.

Being vegan and losing weight should go hand in hand, IF you do it right. My main problem is avoiding all the tasty vegan junk food out there. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf (pun intended) and eat mostly fresh, raw whole foods. So, fruit for breakfast, salad for lunch and typically pasta or rice with veggies for dinner. I'm only on day 4, but I'm feeling awesome!

Why do we eat junky, processed food with wild abandon when eating great food makes us feel so much better? I don't know, but it's certainly an enigma for me!

And, I'm back in the gym doing cardio, strength training, yoga and hoping to start swimming laps again too. October 3rd will be here before I know it. I hope to share some before and after pictures with you soon.

fat vegan

I have a confession to make. I am fat.

I am a fat vegan. Whew, feels good to get that off my very ample chest!

I'm not just saying I'm fat because all women think they're fat. I am fat by pretty much any definition as I weigh well over 200 pounds and I'm 5'6". I just wrote a novel called Fat Girl. Seriously.

What's more, my vegan fiance is also fat. We may be the only fat vegans in Sussex County, Delaware. We may be the only fat vegans in Delaware, for that matter. I've checked and can say with relative certainty that we aren't the only vegans, and we definitely aren't the only fat people. It's just that those two attributes together are ones we are not accustomed to seeing. "Fat Vegan" defies stereotypes.

I've struggled with weight and disordered eating for most of my life. My mother put me on diets, fat-shamed me, and even bribed me to lose weight when I was growing up. When I was 14, I discovered how to starve myself and exercise three to four hours a day. Whenever I get very depressed, I tend to fall back into that mode of starving myself and over-exercising.

Becoming vegan has not helped me lose weight. Not yet, anyway. That's because I eat way too much vegan junk food. And trust me, there is a LOT of vegan junk food out there. Some really GOOD vegan junk food at that.

Do I want to get to a point where I can eat more whole foods and lose some weight? Sure, that would be fantastic. But I am healthy and relatively happy so I'm doing it in my own time. And I know that I am probably going to be a voluptuous girl no matter what. That's just the way I'm built.

But here's the deal: I have found other vegans to be extremely rude, hateful, judgmental and ridiculing when it comes to obesity. They are among the most prolific fat shamers out there. I see them posting memes, videos, pictures, comments, and whatnot about fat people and how gross, disgusting, stupid, lazy and unattractive they are.

I have never understood why people think a strategy of shaming is an effective way to persuade anyone to their line of thinking. As vegans, we're supposed to be compassionate. We're supposed to be stewards of the planet. And I think we are supposed to set an example that others might want to follow.

I've seen a few groups on Facebook for fat vegans. Maybe we're forming alliances, some solidarity. Maybe the skinny vegans will learn to accept us and understand we are all part of the cause. Because if we are really going to make inroads toward ending animal cruelty and suffering and protecting our planet's precious resources, we are all going to have to stick together. And trust me, fat people can be pretty sticky!

Just some food for thought. Vegan food, that is! :)

saving bugs

So, I have to say that I've never been a big fan of creatures with more than 4 legs. I'm a little more tolerant of spiders because I fell in love with Charlotte's Web when I was about 8 years old, and besides, spiders eat other bugs. I have always had a gut reaction to exterminate any insect I find inside the house, be it a fly, ant, beetle, etc. If it's a stinging insect then I typically call in a male (sorry to be sexist but I've always been the sole female living amongst males) to help out, usually my fiance or my oldest son. My fiance, a vegan, tries to trap and release, even for European Hornets, and have you seen the size of those MF'ers?

Yesterday was unseasonably warm and I spent some time in our backyard, surveying it for wedding plans. When I stripped down to take a shower, a little gold beetle fell out onto the floor from my clothes. He was a magnificent creature! Only about a third of an inch long but with the most metallic body you've ever seen, shining like gold. I had no desire whatsoever to kill him. He ran into some crack in the tile and I haven't seen him since.

I think this is real progress in my transformation, although my fiance says I'm not fully vegan until I refrain from killing big, ugly bugs. Whatever, I'll still take it and celebrate it!

a confession

Yesterday I made my children quesadillas for lunch and they looked scrumptious! I haven't eaten cheese in months now but boy did they look so nice and golden brown. I decided to make one for myself, just because I didn't have many options in the house for lunch (a person can only eat so many salads in a week, right?) and I was feeling somewhat stressed and thought the cheese would be a good reward for getting some stuff done around the house.

Okay, yes, I know food shouldn't be used as a reward. I am trying very hard to get away from that mindset, but it means erasing decades of eating disordered behavior and thoughts. So, I had a momentary lapse of reason and willpower.

But here is the good news: I couldn't eat the quesadilla. It just tasted like plastic to me. Blech! Now, it wasn't super high quality cheese, but still, the point is that I DID NOT EAT IT!

I am going to chalk that up as a victory!

vegan thanksgiving

Even though I was just cooking for my fiance and I, our Thanksgiving meal was a great success! I baked a Celebration Field Roast coated with a bit of sesame oil in a baking dish with vegetable broth and carrots, celery, and mushrooms. I made vegan mashed potatoes with a bit of broth, almond milk and earth balance. And I made stuffing - the only one I could find where the bread cubes did not have any dairy in them - with veggie broth and sauteed carrots, celery and mushrooms mixed in. We also had ciabatta rolls under the broiler with earth balance and a vegan maple pecan pie for dessert. The pecan pie was incredible and was made with maple syrup, brown and white sugar, tofu, almond milk and cornstarch.

My fiance was thrilled!

Then for our engagement party Saturday night I made a vegetable curry with red curry paste and coconut milk and rice and it was a huge hit!

I'm feeling that I'm getting the hang of this vegan cooking thing!

on vegan weddings

My fiance would like to have a vegan wedding and I have been thinking a lot about how we can accomplish this. First off, my close friend and baker extraordinaire, who goes by the moniker Madame Buttercream, has graciously offered to experiment with vegan cake recipes. So that is good news! But I was confused about how others would feel about attending a celebration and finding their food choices limited.

I have a wonderful support group of friends on Facebook where I set up a group solely to discuss our wedding. I pose questions and they answer with honest feedback or give me ideas and advice. I posted today about my food dilemma and everyone unanimously agreed that it's our wedding and we should serve whatever we want. Our guests will be appreciative and want to celebrate with us no matter what is on the menu.

Plus, I was assured that if there will be alcohol, everyone will be happy!

So, I'm still not sure what will be on the menu but I have decided not to let the limitation of serving vegan food dictate the time of the ceremony and whether or not we are serving hor d'oeuvres or an actual meal. But I would love to throw it out there to the vegan community for feedback: what did you serve at your own weddings?

I'm anxious to hear your answers! Please comment and share this post among your vegan friends!