My positive and negative report...

Dear Clients, Friends and Family,

When you have some time, sit down and watch this clip on the keys to living long and healthy. There are some great tips!

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_buettner_how_to_live_to_be_100.html

I also wanted to share some of the resources that many of you have sent to me throughout this Vegan challenge.

http://www.vegcooking.com/

http://www.doctoroz.com/challenge/go-vegan

http://www.oprah.com/food/Tal-Ronnens-Vegetarian-Recipes

http://www.vibrantvegan.com/

One of our clients also suggested a great book 'The Vegan Table' by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.

My suggestion would be to create a folder in your inbox titled "Vegan Info" and store this info there for when you may need it.

My personal journey has been interesting.

Positives: Still feeling great despite the diet restrictions. My energy or ability to workout at the intensity I like hasn't been affected. Haven't been sick (knock on wood). And I have been introduced to foods that I really, really like and had it not been for this Vegan challenge, I probably would have never tried these items.

Negatives: Despite the diet restrictions, I've only lost 3 pounds. Just goes to show you, weight loss at the end of the day falls back to calories in vs calories out. And regardless of what you're eating, if you're not burning more than you're eating, you won't lose weight. I burn a lot but I also eat a lot. If I were doing a more strict vegan diet - ie a lot more fruits and veggies and less processed foods - it would be harder to consume a lot of calories and therefore, weight loss would happen more naturally. The difference for me is I have substituted high calorie cheese products with high calorie cheese substitute products - ie Tofu cheese, Soy Sour Cream etc...Fortunately, I only want to lose a few pounds so that's not my primary motivation for trying out this Vegan challenge.

At the very least, my hope is that I've been able to share some ideas that will help each of you strive for your personal best and live your life to the fullest!

Yours in health and fitness,

Sherri McMillan