Resolutions Update: Pescetarian

I WANT MEAT!!!

For those of you who don’t know, my New Year’s Resolution included a different “resolution” each month. This month has been pescetariansim.

Challenges

Protein

Since I’m not a huge seafood lover, trying to get my protein from fish instead of meat has been difficult, and spinach has less protein than I thought.

I’ve tried new things though! When my husband and I went out with another couple after youth one night, the special was breaded jumbo shrimp. It was gooood.

I got a box of frozen fish sticks for lunches, but they are NASTY – definitely worse than I remembered as a child. Even smothering them in ketchup didn’t help!

Other than that, salmon meals have been a go-to. I’ve used Pinterest to look up vegetarian recipes and found several keepers!

Even with all the new recipes, it’s been a struggle to get enough protein. I’ve noticed myself being slightly more listless.

Most Unexpected

What’s surprised me most of all is how much I was craving Arby’s! I was dying for a roast beef sandwich smothered in melted cheddar sauce or a french dip! This only lasted for about the first 2 weeks though. Now the only temptation I have is for grilled chicken.

Cheats

I’ve cheated twice so far.

I had a lunch meeting scheduled and set up by someone else. It was at a BBQ place. The only  thing on the menu that didn’t include meat were the side dishes. So I opted for the healthiest meat I felt I could find: a chopped chicken BBQ sandwich. My stomach did a bit of adjusting as I ate.

The second cheat was a predetermined one I had set up before going into this month: my birthday. Even though I wasn’t craving meat too badly, I decided to get a Mexican dish I’d been wanting to try.

Changes

I wanted to try pescetarianism to see if I’d feel healthier – and I do! But it’s hard to tell exactly what’s caused that because, in addition to pescetarianism, I’ve also been drinking more water, counting calories, exercising more, and managing my time better.

I’ve noticed that when I’m intentionally more disciplined in a couple easy-for-me-to-manage areas, the discipline starts bleeding into other areas of my life as well. No meat meant more fish and veggies; more water meant less pop; counting calories meant healthier picks; more exercise meant more daylight to burn, less over-sleeping, and more diet splurges; better time management with my work schedule meant more time for me, for housekeeping and for volunteering. I’ve felt less busy, more freedom, and happier overall.

Moving Forward

What I’m planning to keep from this diet-change experiment is to simply eat less red meat. I had a free blood test a couple years ago and was healthy, but based on my family medical history, one of the suggestions they made was to limit my red meat consumption to just once a week. I think I’d like to get more serious about that this year. And with all the chicken I’ve been craving instead of my taco beef, it might actually work.