Vegan Friday - I'm invading Instagram

Happy Vegan Friday!

I have now started a SexySoberVegan instagram account so do feel free to follow me over there.

As usual with my attempts at a vegan lifestyle, I'd say this week has left room for improvement. So maybe now's a good chance for confession time:

• I used non-vegan mayo on some salad wraps the other day
• I had a kitkat chunky after a gig on Saturday when I was dying of hunger
• I had a non-vegan meal before Saturday's gig (still vegetarian, but it included cheese)
• I had a non-vegan meal out on Sunday evening (again, still veggie, but probably not vegan)

So what can I learn from these slip-ups?

Firstly, I don't want to let perfect be the enemy of good. I'm never going to claim I'm perfect and I think the perfect vegan doesn't exist (despite what instagram portrays). These Vegan Friday blogs are to keep me accountable and to show that it's normal to slip-up from time to time (ok a lot of the time if last week is anything to go by). 

The fact is, our environment is in a state, as is our health, and any reduction in the amount of animal products we use is a step in the right direction. Normally have ten beef burgers a week? Maybe this week have nine. I'm not here to judge anyone or be  the stereotypical vegan militant everyone loves to hate.

But what steps can I take to avoid these slip-ups in future?

1.  use the vegan mayo that I buy. Duhh
2.  keep vegan energy bars in my car instead of kitkat chunkies
3.  try the vegan option on the menu when I'm eating out (there were options, I just really wanted pizza/veggie burger)
4.  maybe take my own vegan meal out to gigs so I'm not forced to eat out in a place with limited options

Vegan wins this week:

• made a yummy vegan korma last night for me and Mr SSV, it included black beans, cashew nuts, mushrooms, garlic and a lot of tahini
• requested a look at the vegan menu while out for lunch on Sunday, had a tofu wrap and it was delicious
• declined various biscuits and cakes over the course of the week

So it's not all bad news.

I'll catch you on Monday for the next instalment of Sexy Monday. In the mean time, have a fabulous Easter.

SSV x

Sober Wednesday - socialising is different now

I've now been alcohol free for 87 days. That is the longest I've ever not had alcohol since I started drinking about twelve years ago.

I've also apparently saved over £250, which isn't bad, although I seem to still be as skint as ever. I suppose it would be even worse had I still been drinking.

Up until this week I've been reporting that I've had more energy, well, this week hasn't been quite like that and I'm not sure why. I'm sleeping solidly but feeling very tired in the morning. I know booze isn't causing it, maybe I'm getting ill?

Friday night and Sunday night were my usual pub nights. I didn't even go on Friday as I had to be up early for work on Saturday. Sunday was one of those nights where, in the past I would have drank in order to make the conversation seem more interesting. Maybe I'm a bad conversationalist? I stuck it out for a bit, before deciding that I was too tired and needed to get home to bed.

I'm enjoying daytime, social dates much more now that I'm sober. Lunch with some girlfriends, sign me up. A facial or a massage followed by coffee and a catch up, yes please! A long walk with Mr. SSV, bliss. Sitting in a noisy pub with people I have little in common with apart from drinking, I think I'll pass.

Drinking buddies may call it getting boring or getting old (charmers) but maybe I'm just getting more in touch with who I actually am. I love being at home, I love quiet time, reading, writing, and I love catching up with my closest friends doing fun things that don't involve a bottle of wine, several cocktails and writing off the rest of the day.

This weekend is my first sober wedding. Yikes! It's two of my closest friends from school and I'm so excited to be there. But I won't be drinking. I'll report back next week with how I get on. It's a ceilidh as well so it'll be a good opportunity for some sober dancing.

Wish me luck!

Until next time...

SSV x

Sexy Monday - weight update & fashion chat

Welcome to this week's instalment of Sexy Monday. Happy Monday everyone!

So I had my first weigh in last Thursday evening and came in at 90.4kg. That's a loss of 0.6kg, woop woop! My weekly target is to lose 0.5kg a week, so that makes this Thursday's goal 89.9kg. I need to work hard for that though as I've had takeaway and eaten out a lot over the weekend, so we'll see how it goes.

To be honest I could have done a bit better with reaching my activity goal each day. Saturday was probably the worst. Sitting in a car, sitting in a rehearsal, sitting down for a (large) dinner, sitting in a car home and going to bed. Great. Actually looking back on my Polar app, the worst day by far was Wednesday, 21st March, I only did 31% of my activity goal! Average for the week was 82% so that's something to improve on this week.

Anyway, moving away from the subject of trying to lose weight, I had a mooch around the shops yesterday with a friend and realised that I am absolutely hopeless at shopping. I do not have a lot of spare cash due to the nature of what I do for work, so I've got into the habit of basically not spending money on clothes at all. I get terrible guilt whenever I do. Plus I hate trying clothes on as I'm tall and they never seem to fit properly. And now all of a sudden I seem to be in a clothing rut where all I want to wear are black roll-neck jumpers and jeans. A smart look but not exactly a varied one. I used to wear dresses all the time but I'm starting to wonder if they make me look older? Jeans, boots and a fab top make me feel so much more confident.

Another thing is that, because I haven't been shopping for clothes in so long, I have no idea what I like, what's my style? What's my 'thing' when it comes to clothes? I need to brainstorm this and probably spend some time on Pinterest. I'm 29, am I too old to wear short skirts? Do I even want to any more? I never wear heels these days and I've basically decided they are not worth the pain.

But part of the idea of this blog is to find my sexiness again. How do I do that when it comes to clothes? I've recently had a clear-out, Marie Kondo style, of the clothes I don't like any more or that I haven't worn in years, I still feel like I only wear a tiny proportion of the clothes that I own, so maybe another clear-out is in order. Also, I need to feel less guilty about buying clothes. I need to trust myself that I'll only buy something if I love it and know I'll wear it loads. I'm not drinking any more and saving lots of money as a result. I am allowed to treat myself to nice things. I am allowed to treat myself to nice things.

Here are some ideas I know I love when it comes to clothes:

• earth tones
• autumn colours
• slim leg jeans
• navy blue
• classic, neutral pieces
• trench coats
• brown boots
• jewelled sandals in summer
• style inspired by Boden & Joules
• not showing too much boob/leg
• simple, good quality clothing
• simple, good quality jewellery, nothing garish and definitely nothing plastic
• let's be real, anything Kate or Pippa Middleton would wear

Actually, even making that list is helping loads. I'm tall so I may just have to buy expensive jeans from Long Tall Sally forever, and what I could do is buy some simple black or navy tank tops from there, and then go and buy nice tops elsewhere on the high-street. I hate having a gap between tops and jeans. I live in northern England and it's just too cold for that.

So there you have it, that's my official permission slip to go and buy some clothes and not feel guilty about it. In the meantime, I'll be on pinterest.

I'll be back in a few says for this week's Sober Wednesday.

Toodle pip!

SSV x

Vegan Friday - vegan breakfast ideas

Happy Vegan Friday!

I thought I'd take this opportunity to share with you a couple of my favourite vegan breakfasts. If, like me, you are transitioning to a vegan lifestyle, a good idea is to sort one meal at a time. So if you can sort breakfast, you're starting the day well and only have two meals left to think about.

Firstly, a life-changing discovery I made has been hazelnut milk. Honestly, try it. 

When I first dipped my toe into plant-based eating I was sure I'd be all over the coconut products but honestly hazelnut milk is so creamy and delicious it's definitely the one for me.

So here's breakfast #1, and what I have most mornings:

• oats
• hazelnut milk
• blueberries
• spoonful of Sweet Freedom chocolate sauce
• spoonful of tahini

Try this, it's truly delicious. Obviously I have to have at least one cup of (black) filter coffee and a glass of orange juice, and this sets me up for the morning. 

During summer, sometimes I like to have a smoothie for breakfast, it's nice to feel like I'm getting some greens first thing in the morning. Here's what goes in:

• small handful of baby spinach
• a couple of spoonfuls of oats
• banana
• berries of some sort (frozen is good)
• ice cubes
• plant milk - if hazelnut is too creamy try almond. I hear coconut water is actually amazing in smoothies, so I must try this.
• spoonful of peanut butter
• small spoonful of cacao powder (the raw stuff)

et voila! One delicious, vegan smoothie to start the day. Bung it all in a blender and blitz.

If I'm after something really quick I'll just have peanut butter on toast with a chopped up banana on top, I find that this is extremely filling though so I only have it if I wake up ravenous.

The instagram account AccidentallyVeganUk announced that Tesco's Choco-Nut Pillows are vegan. This was very bad news for my waistline (see also this week's Sexy Monday post) BUT if I need a treat this is a delicious chocolate cereal and it's usually three boxes for £3. You can't go wrong with that.

Writing this post is actually making me so hungry. Breakfast has always been my favourite meal of the day and if it includes chocolate, so much the better.

What are your favourite vegan breakfasts?

SSV x

Sober Wednesday - I love mornings.

Once upon a time, if I woke up before my alarm I’d be annoyed, groggy and grumpy. Heck, I’d be those things even if I slept until the alarm. Sleep was so valuable to me that I hated to waste a minute of it. 

If I had to be out of the house in the morning for work, I’d set the alarm for an hour before I needed to leave, probably laze in bed for a few minutes after waking up, and then be in a mad rush to get ready and leave. I’d usually leave later than planned, I’d usually arrive a bit later than I should, frazzled and knackered before the day has even started.

Then I stopped drinking. 

The effect wasn’t immediate, but I’m now on day 79 sober and mornings feel so different now. 

I set my alarm for an hour and a half before I need to get out of the house. This means I can chill a bit more while I’m getting ready. If I wake up before the alarm (which is happening more and more as the sun rises earlier, yay!) I am thankful for the extra few minutes and get straight up and into the shower (ok I might cuddle my cat for a few minutes and then get up). I’m now actually considering setting the alarm for TWO HOURS before I need to leave, so I have time for some yoga as well. 

When I was drinking, somehow one late night or one really early morning meant I was tired for days. I always felt like I was playing catch up. Now my body has settled into a rhythm of going to bed earlier and getting up earlier, and one late night or super early morning is absolutely fine, I know I’ll catch up the following night. My sleep quality is improving, albeit slowly, but hey, progress is progress.

I cannot tell you how amazing this feels.

It happened slowly though, I actually felt MORE tired than usual during the first week or so off the booze. Did anyone else experience that at first? 

Maybe our bodies need that time to reset to a natural sleep rhythm. It feels pretty great though and I’d highly recommend it.

I have never, ever, considered myself to be a morning person. But I’m getting there and I feel pretty excited about it. 

Life is a whole new ball game if your default position is 'feeling fresh and productive, thanks!' rather than 'ughhh it's too early, I need more coffee'.

I'm starting to realise that the new me is probably rather annoying. hashtag-sorry-not-sorry.

Join me on Friday for instalment #2 of Vegan Friday.

SSV x 

Sexy Monday - Weight chat and goal setting

Welcome to the first instalment of Sexy Monday.

For the purposes of this blog, sexy can be defined as healthy, thriving, looking and feeling my best. I realise that discussing weight and trying to lose weight is not the sexiest of subjects, but for me, looking and feeling sexy starts with looking, feeling and being as healthy as possible. So working towards being at a healthy weight is kind of non-negotiable.

Last Thursday evening after working out at the gym I weighted myself for the first time in ages (over a year) and found out that I am 91kg. I can't say this was a surprise as I always guess that I'm 90kg or in that region. I'll be continuing to weigh in at the same time each week (after Thursday workout). Weight fluctuates like crazy during the average day, so this will be my little way of keeping it as consistent as possible.

I don’t set too much store by weight, as it doesn’t give an accurate picture of body composition, however, seeing that I am slap bang in the middle of ‘overweight’ on a BMI chart is quite sobering (if you’ll pardon the pun). I am tall (six foot) so you would expect me to weigh more than someone of average height, but I could definitely do with losing some of that weight. I don't like shopping for clothes any more and am self-conscious of my size. This needs to change. I think I use my height as an excuse to eat more than I need to, and because I don't (think I) look 'fat' I assume I'm getting away with eating exactly what I want. That may have been true when I was younger, but 29-year-old me needs to start being mindful of the food I put in my body.

After a quick google and putting in my numbers on a proper BMI calculator I am informed that losing 18kg would put me in the middle of the ‘normal’ range. Crikey. On my six foot frame I would look significantly slimmer and would no doubt feel totally different. Do I need to lose all that weight? At this point I’m not sure (perhaps I’m in denial). Let’s start with the goal of getting to 85kg. Baby steps. Incidentally I have mentioned this to my Mr. SSV and he's happy to help me get to the first goal of 85kg. It helps that he's a personal trainer. I'd like to lose 0.5-1kg a week, so that makes Thursday's target 90.5kg.

How to do this though? I’m no longer drinking booze - more on that topic on Wednesday - I’m pretty much vegan. So for my challenge this week I’m going to make sure I do some exercise every day, and seriously limit any intake of junk food. Chocolate is my kryptonite, and houmous, and pesto pasta, and basically anything fatty. But I need to keep the bigger picture in mind. My body is a temple. I have a polar A370 watch and I’ll make it my target to get to 100% of my activity goal each day.

I will report back next week with updated weight and how I get on with exercise and not having naughty snacks. It’s going to be quite fun going on this secret journey while anonymously blogging about it here. Over the course of the next few weeks and months I’d like my diet to be much more plant-based, as I truly believe that’s the way to go. But again, I also believe baby steps is the way to achieve lasting lifestyle changes. 

Happy Sexy Monday my lovelies.

SSV x

Vegan Friday: Why do I want to be vegan?

Welcome to the first instalment of Vegan Friday. In today's post I thought I'd try to address some of the reasons why I started on the path to becoming vegan.

Before we really get into it I'd like to preface this post by saying that this is not me getting at anyone for their eating habits, this is not me judging anyone who eats animal products - I still eat dairy fairly regularly even though I'm starting to gradually cut down.

I'm writing this more as a reminder to myself and to give myself a kick up the bum to properly jump on the vegan train...

I'm actually not sure where to start with this as there are so many amazing reasons to cut animal products out of our lives.

Let's start with the obvious. Killing animals is inhumane. Anyone who has ever shared their home with a pet will know that animals experience emotions, they experience happiness, pain, and fear. We love our pets dearly, like they are a family member, yet apparently the same rules don't apply to sheep, cows, chickens, fish or any of the other poor creatures deemed acceptable to serve on a plate.

The big companies selling these animal products try to tell us that the animals are treated well, that they are 'free-range', 'grass-fed' or 'organic'. The fact is they are often kept in unimaginably horrific conditions and treated abominably. The following video is difficult to watch but does illustrate the point.

Can I tell you something crazy though? The above reason wasn't what got me started on this path. It was watching the film Cowspiracy.

This is just a short video of the main facts and figures from the film, highlighting the environmental impact of animal agriculture. If you have Netflix and are interested in learning more about this I would strongly suggest watching this film. Going vegan has a massive, massive impact on our carbon footprint, and that is something we all need to be taking steps to get under control.

Over the past few years I've been doing more and more yoga. And the more I do, the more compassion I feel towards our fellow beings, human and non-human. This is another way that I've come round to this way of thinking.

The fact is, a vegan diet requires much, much less land than a meat-eating diet, and the earth is currently running out of space. People are starving because the grain they could be eating is being used to feed livestock, leading other people to become obese and have problems with heart disease, cancer and diabetes. This equation does not add up and there is an easier way. Let the hungry people eat the grain!

A vegan diet is cheap! Carbs plus veg plus some fat is what we need. A tin of beans and some rice is just about the cheapest meal it's possible to have. Vegan food doesn't have to be complicated and I hope to share some of what I eat with you in upcoming Vegan Fridays.

So there are just a few reasons why I'd love to be a full-time vegan. If you'd like more information on this topic I suggest you check out this page  from the Vegan Society.

I hope you enjoyed this first edition of Vegan Friday. Are you vegan or an aspiring vegan? What were your reasons for changing your diet? 

Until next time, thanks for reading.

SSV x

p.s. I'm writing this post as a reminder to myself too. The last thing I want to do is come across as preachy or superior. Living a vegan lifestyle is something to aspire to but I'm definitely not perfect, just trying to improve and stay informed. 

Hello world!

Welcome to the very first post of a brand spanking new blog.

This is an anonymous blog to document my journey to being my best self. Sexy, sober, and vegan. Let's look at each of these in turn:

Sexy.

Yes I want to feel sexier. I'm 29 years old and I guess you could say average shape. Bigger than I would like to be and probably slightly in the 'overweight' section of a BMI chart. This is not where I want to be. I should be in the prime of life and fighting fit, but at the moment I'm nowhere near what I'd like to become. 

Maybe I'll get down to business in later posts about my exact weight and measurements (need to put new batteries in my scales and dust them off first, oh, and buy a tape measure).

Luckily for me, my partner is a personal trainer, so I will be taking full advantage of that and reporting everything here. 

This blog will keep me accountable and maybe even help others also trying to be their best selves.

Sober.

Yikes, what a scary word. I gave up alcohol for Dry January, as many, many people do, and I haven't gone back to it. That makes me seventy-three days sober according to 'Sober Time' - a little app on my iPhone that counts the days sober and the money I've saved along the way (over £200 now).

Ever since moving away from home to go to uni I've been drinking too much, I worked in a bar for years and could always be counted on for entertaining stories of antics the night before. I always wanted to go 'out out', heck, sometimes I even went out drinking on my own! Not only silly and a waste of money but also dangerous and reckless.

Over the course of Dry January I read a couple of books on sobriety, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray and The Sober Diaries by Clare Pooley. Both have really inspired me to go without alcohol for the long-haul. I know that being alcohol free helps me sleep better and gives me more energy to get stuff done, plus I always seem to have change in my purse. 

I sometimes miss a glass of red with dinner, but so far I'm really proud of how it's going and I intend to continue.

I'm already wondering what on earth I'm going to do with a potentially sober 30th birthday later this year. Any suggestions gratefully received. If money were no object I'd go and lie on a beach somewhere tropical for two weeks, read books, eat fabulous food and swim in the sea.

Speaking of fabulous food, let's move on to...

Vegan.

This is the big one, and arguably the one I'm most passionate about.

Just over a year ago I watched the film Cowspiracy and was totally inspired to jump into veganism with both feet.

It's been quite a journey but at the moment I'm stuck at the stage of being vegan at home, and vegetarian when I'm out of the house. This gives me a handy get-out clause if I'm at a lovely restaurant and really really want the camembert starter and the chocolate fudge cake (starting to see why I need to lose a bit of weight). Or if I need to grab lunch on the go and there aren't any nice-looking vegan options.

However, this 'vegan-lite' attitude hasn't been sitting well with me. I'm the sort of person that, if I do something, I want and need to do it properly. So, with this blog keeping me accountable, I'm going to attempt to take veganism out of my home and into the wider world. Wish me luck!

So there we have it, over the course of the next few weeks, maybe I'll set a few more concrete goals in these three areas and see how I get on.

Thank you so much for reading this far. I'm excited to start this journey!

Until next time,

SSV