Is dairy sabotaging your weight loss goals?

July 10, 2016 Ashley 0 Comments

I’ve been off dairy for so long now, that sometimes I forget.

I forget just how comparatively bad I had it when I wasn’t on a plant based diet.

And how amazing I felt once I’d kicked the cream from my fridge.

(“Missing: all the extra pounds’ve fat and bloat you caused me.”)

That is, I did forget – until today when I came across this chick’s musings about her newfound moo-free diet. And it all came crashing back to me. I’d wanted to make the vegan switch for a while (because: vanity). And, TBH, I can’t remember which was the final straw that plucked the straw from my milkshake. But I’m pretty sure it was the collage of awesome skin and slender bodies every one of my vegan girl friends were posting online. After asking what treatments they were getting done, and hearing “nothing; I just went vegan a couple years ago”, that was it for me. And for a while – I was nearly there. I ate no meat, no eggs, no fish… but had no willpower to quit milk products. When I finally, did, though – it was like the keystone to my dietary freedom – plus a bunch’ve other beautiful side effects. I’m accustomed to it now. But, today, when I started hearing this lady talk about going minus bovine products, it was a trip down transformational memory lane. And the perfect reminder of why I’m such a hover-nazi and (kindly) accost the barista reaching for the non-soy carton on accident.

So what exactly changed for me?

Well, for one, within a month and a half of quitting dairy, my skin was glistening. You know those supermodels who look photoshopped? Or those friends you have with peaches ‘n cream complexions? I had that. Foundation free, awesome skin. Now, mind you, I also was going low salt, high water, and vegan eating – but I was still eating plenty of food and enjoying my daily trip to Starbucks.

(Example of yet another chick who’s skin improved after going sans the calf drank.)

Also, it was like a weight had been lifted from me – energetically.

I wanted to move. I was running outside and being far more active than I ever had before. This was completely new to me – who did cardio, but ever begrudgingly so, and never anything more than absolutely required. I was always so focused on counting calories, that I forgot about quality – and what might be sabotaging my desire to move and burn off energy healthily in the first place.

But that weight wasn’t just metaphorical. In fact, around that same time, I realized something about my pants I’d bought some time ago. See, I’d gotten two pairs of Buffalo jeans a year or two prior. One was for when I felt buffalo sized. And the other was for when I was at my slimmest. Six weeks in, my I-starved-myself-to-fit-in-these jeans were now my porky pants. I had no “skinny jeans”. I needed to shop. The fun part? I was opposite of starving. I was eating lots – just lots of plant based foods and zero udder juice.

But that loose fitting denim was likely attributable to another thing that happens when you cut the cow effluvia from your food. And that’s the dreaded bloat it causes. Even though I’m not lactose intolerant (you wouldn’t catch me sprinting to a stall if I relapsed on a vat of dulce de leche), milk products always made my belly balloon up. I never realized that’s why I didn’t have a flat belly. I just figured that’s how my body responded to food in general.

And I think that’s the biggest myth that gets dispelled when you finally switch to clean eating.

Because we’ve never felt any other way, we all just figure that the bad stuff our bodies feel are “just how we’re built”. That’s what I always thought. “Crappy is the just the soundtrack to my life. It can’t be altered.” I usually don’t like being mistaken, but I’m so glad I found the right diet to prove me wrong. And I think that’s why it’s always fun to hear these personal accounts from randos I dunno who are flirting with the vegan lifestyle. Because, when I write about my experience with a plant based diet, it’s not to brag. It’s not to sit on some high horse. (Wait – are we vegans are even allowed to ride horses? Is that a thing?) And, it’s def not to recruit food newbies, like I’m some meatless missionary. Nay, sir. It’s so I can hear more heartwarming stories like I did today. This lifestyle’s amazing. I just wanna share it with you. Which is why – though I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: you can’t out-train a bad diet. Calorie matching can’t account for the refined sugar, mystery crud, antibiotics, and hormones that end up in your dairy and processed foods. (Even the “organic” labeled ones, apparently.) That said, know that this isn’t a finger waggy thing. You do what you do, shawty. All’s I’m saying is maybe try nixing the cow titty drizzle one product at a time, if you like. Just to see if it works for you – for a couple months. Hate it, and you can always go back. (Though I bet you one grande soy latte ya won’t once you realize that schmexy azz reflection matches how you feel.) And, to reiterate, it took me a while, too. First was cheese. Then creamer. Then whipped cream. But if I’d had the ghost of fitness-future force me to witness how superior I feel and look today? Shizzzz, I’d rent a crane to remove my fridge stat, toss it in the landfill, and be done with dairy for good.

’cause once you see and feel the effects from dismissing it… you won’t be missing it.