I came across a picture of myself taken twelve years ago and thought, “I like this girl! I think I want to be her again!” I usually exercise pretty regularly, and have tried everything from hot, hot yogalates to insane crossfit workouts, but ultimately I know that 80% of weight management is what you eat. I even do pretty well with the eating part when I am concentrating on it, but in the past five years I have only been concentrating hard enough just to drop ten pounds or so, and then comes the fun when I eat it all back on….and then REPEAT.

This time I thought I’d try to concentrate a little bit harder and try to make it all the way back down the scale, and stay there. My usual lifestyle change that cuts out carbs and sugar usually works pretty well, and so I resolved to get back to planning meals and meal prep, but this time I thought I’d give myself a bit of a challenge. Off I went to Amazon Prime to order the 10 day Green Smoothie Cleanse by JJ Smith to give myself a jump start. The shiny new book arrived, and my husband agreed to take the challenge with me. Then I read the instructions that included 10 days with no chewing. I know. I should have known. Actually, I suppose I did know, but was temporarily lulled into fairytale thinking.

After deciding that 10 days of no chewing was not for me, I began my journey with my faithful plan, coupled with the resolve to make it all the way back down the scale. And then I ran across the hilariously incomparable Tabitha Brown. It was a pseudo-snowy/icy day in Southern Louisiana. I think it may have snowed half an inch and the whole city shut down. The courts were closed, the schools were closed, and my daughter was on a marathon play date down the street! So it was just my computer and me alone for hours. As I scrolled through my Facebook feed, I happened upon a shared post of vegan actress Tabitha Brown in her live video reviewing the TTLA sandwich, a new vegan sandwich created and sold at Whole Foods. After witnessing Tabitha’s commentary on the TTLA, I knew I had to try the sandwich for myself. The snow and the ice melted away, south Louisiana reopened, and I was on a mission to taste the TTLA. True to Tabitha’s description the sandwich was divine, and my life did change right before my very eyes. I began to wonder about the possibility of enjoying vegan fare. I started follwing Tabitha and saw that she is a fan of VeganSmart, a tasty meal replacement sold on Amazon and in Whole Foods, Wal-Mart and other stores across the country. And it just so happens that my brother and his business partner own the company that produces VeganSmart, and VeganSmart is their number one product. Tabitha was showing love to my brother’s company so I liked her even more!

I have considered being vegan-ish before chiefly because my brother is always pushing his product, which I can confirm is a tasty and satifying meal replacement. But Tabitha’s spin on VeganSmart and the vegan lifestyle made it even more appealing. I also follow LSU student Emilie Hebert @emilieeats on Instagram for amazing vegan meal ideas. She has over 60,000 followers and her vegan pics are amazing!

Well, it has only been a couple of weeks that I have been following Tabitha and Emilie for vegan meal ideas, and while I cannot say that every meal has been vegan, many meals have been. My plant based meals and snacks have increased, I have dropped weight, and I feel pretty, well, FABULOUS!

I am not sure where my love for Tabitha Brown, Emilie Hebert and my vegan-ish lifestyle will take me (because I really love short ribs and fried chicken), but it has me on my way down the scale and feeling pretty satisfied. So if you think you’d like to eat well and feel fabulous with me, follow me on my vegan-ish journey, and don’t forget to follow Tabitha Brown, Emilie Hebert, and VeganSmart along the way!