path to plant-based : why and how i'm going vegan

Last week, I shared that one of my goals for 2013 is to adopt a plant-based (vegan) diet. Today, I'm going to tell you my step-by-step transition plan, but first, I'll tell you quickly why this is even a goal of mine.

I first got turned on to plant-based when I read Kris Carr's Crazy Sexy Diet last spring. Kris is a super kick-butt wellness warrior who used an alkaline, anti-inflammatory vegan diet to flip the bird to her stage 4 cancer and revolutionize her life. After finishing the book, I went completely plant-based for about three weeks and felt INCREDIBLE. I had more energy, lost almost ten pounds without counting calories, and most importantly, just felt completely renewed and full of ME-ness (if that makes sense?).

The trouble with getting all charged up and trying to change your diet overnight is that it's not sustainable (at least not for me). After the initial "Yeah! I can do anything!" wore off, I didn't have the resources and habits to keep me going.

So, over the past few months, I've been doing my homework. I've got an arsenal of resources: vegan cookbooks, vegan blogs, vegan Pinterest boards. I've made friends, both online and "real-life," that can help me along the way. I've been trying out new plant-based meals and not beating myself up if I have a turkey sandwich the next day - because it's okay, and for me, necessary, to make gradual changes rather than overnight 360s.

So now I'm ready to start making lasting changes to adopt a plant-based diet. Here's how I'm doing it:

• Week 1: plant-based breakfast (all other meals can be whatever)
• Week 2: add in plant-based dinner (keep the breakfast going)
• Week 3: add in plant-based lunch (so meals should all be vegan now; won't worry about snacks or desserts yet)
• Week 4: snacks are plant-based now, too!
• Week 5: keep everything going, and add in vegan desserts
• Week 6: work out any kinks that might have come up along the way (not sure what I mean here, but I think it's good to plan for tying up loose ends)
• Week 7: be awesome

I've actually already finished week 1 and will tell you about it soon!

Now you tell me, any wellness or diet-related goals you're working on this year?