Also knows as “lbs” or “pounds”. I know many of you are dying to know if we have both lost weight. The answer is yes. At the start of our 3rd official week eating vegan, we both have lost 5 lbs or “El Bees” as Aleta calls it. The first week, the bees pretty much melted away at the rate of .5 per day. This slowed a bit the second week, down to 1 bee. Considering we are both getting our daily intake of protein and hitting the gym regularly, we should be on track to gradually taper off a couple more, but nothing too drastic. I have read multiple articles (you can google) in which people experience moderate weigh loss or even gain weight.

Being a vegan does not warrant eating whatever you want. You can easily consume 2000 – 2500 calories a day as a vegan and if not careful, most of those calories can come from carbs (too much rice and pasta) or fat (soy cheese/milk/ice cream, too much oils). Unquestionably, however, is the lower saturated fat and cholesterol. It is very difficult to load yourself on saturated fat as a vegan and next to impossible to find anything with cholesterol. You may not lose weight, but your heart, stomach, liver, and kidneys will thank you for it later.

Aleta and I have a running joke in our marriage that started our honeymoon week. We both love to hit restaraunts with rich meats and sauces. We love prime and Brazillian steakhouses along with greasy spoon meat and 3 and BBQ joints. On many of our weekly date nights and 2 day road trips, we will have many heavy meals. Especially on our weekend getaways to Dallas that include a night at Fogo De Chao, lunch at Sonny Bryan’s, and the greasy hotel breakfast buffet.

The phrase “Don’t touch me” rose out of these experiences when one of us would want to initiate some romance. We’d be so full, bloated, gassy, and happy that both of us just want to go to bed. It would culminate in some heartburn before we turned out the lights and a general “stomach hangover” the following morning.

I can safely say that before either of us went vegan, we had to take antacids or something stronger like “Pepcid AC” 2 – 3 nights a week. We’d make each other “cocktails” before we went to bed consisting of baking soda and water (a natural remedy for indigestion). I will go farther to say that in general I would have some kind of burn after every meal either at home or on the road.

Since we have been eating vegan, I have had very very minor heartburn once. I have not taken any antacids in two weeks. We both agree that all of that general “bloat” after eating heavy meals is down 95%.  We both have yet to have any kind of “fat and happy” general lethargic feeling after a meal. This is even after we have had full vegan meals like the lasagna Aleta made today or full on bowls of asian noodles, green beans, and broccoli in peanut sauce.

And “Don’t touch me” has been struck from our vocabulary…