Plantfood Life

Welcome to my blog site. My name is Monique Connealy and I am a total foodie! I created this site because I have finally found the way to enjoy eating and still maintain a healthy weight. By consuming a completely plant-based diet, I get to have lots of delicious food, while enjoying the health benefits that plant-based eating brings. I think this is awesome!

About Me

I have always loved food. When I was a child, I was very thin, and could eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight. But when puberty hit, everything changed. I was no longer able to eat with impunity and I quickly gained thirty pounds. And so began my lifelong struggle of dieting, and the roller coaster of gaining and losing weight. Since my early twenties, I have lost anywhere from 20 to 50 lbs, many many times. Each time I regained the lost weight and packed on even more pounds. I know I have lost over 40 lbs, at least three times.

So here I am again. I have recently lost over 50 lbs. Here is a before and after of my recent weight loss.

In early 2017 I was trying a couple of weight loss plans. They worked when I did them, but I was not fully on board because I was hesitant about how healthy they were. Years ago, I had discovered plant-based eating, but I never did fully comply with it, even though evidence shows it’s the most healthful way to eat. But but in the summer of that year, I made the decision to go whole food, plant based, no oil, salt, or sugar, otherwise known as WFPB SOS Free.

It sounds pretty drastic, but so does open heart surgery, or taking a bunch of medications. I had high cholesterol and was pre-diabetic. I was 192 lbs, which is obese for my height. I was concerned about my health and I was genuinely ready to make a change. I rewatched the documentary, Forks Over Knives on Netflix to become inspired. I read Dr. Esselstyn’s book, Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, and I began a new way of eating.

Is it easy? At first it wasn’t, but I made it my obsession (some obsessions are good), and that helped keep me focused. I joined some Facebook support groups like McDougall Friends. I went to a really great, one day health conference, and joined a fun MeetUp group that has monthly potlucks where everyone brings food that’s prepared WFPS SOS Free. I also read food/recipe blogs by others who eat this way, and I try their recipes.

Am I going to keep this 50+ lbs off? How is this going to be any different than any of the other times I have lost significant amounts of weight? The answer is: only time will tell. But, I will say that I have no reservations about this being a healthy way to eat. I know it is. I have read the research. I have the lab reports to prove this is making me healthier. So far, this is the longest I have ever been able to maintain a lifestyle change and keep off the weight I lost. It gets easier the longer I practice it, and now that my husband has joined me in this way of eating, it’s even more fun. (So far so good, I originally wrote this in the summer of 2018.) 

My intention with this blog is to share what I have found, and how to be successful. I will be posting links to my favorite recipes, and sharing some of my own. I will talk about what I do, and hopefully inspire others to give this way of life a try.

I am not selling anything, but I will share links to products that I like. In the future, I might be able to collect a commission for doing so, but it’s not currently my intent to make money from this blog. My sole intent is to share how to be successful eating a WFPB No SOS diet. And by diet, I mean what I eat, not a quick fix crash diet.

 

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Note: This is a free blog site. I do not have control over which advertisements are posted on my pages, and they may represent views opposite of what I believe.