30-day veg pledge re-cap

In May I took the 30-day Veg Pledge, and I made it! Here's the quick re-cap.

What happened?

1. I lost about 2lbs; too little to tell if my diet made a difference or other factors (like yard work season!)
2. I felt exactly the same; no changes to my energy level, no digestion problems.
3. At least for now, how I feel about meat has changed a bit. I didn't eat a lot of it before, so I didn't miss it. It's a convenience thing for me. My 30 days was up 6 days ago and I've only had chicken breast twice.
   

What I learned:

1. It takes planning. No more throwing some chicken on the BBQ for a fast, healthy meal. Real food takes creativity and I'm sure it's something I'd adapt to eventually as I built up an arsenal of easy, tasty recipes.
   
2. Eating at other peoples' homes is challenging. People do not accommodate vegetarianism (not that I expect them to). Meat is the main event, so I would have to either eat at home then just go to be social and not eat there, or snack on side-dishes. Either way, I felt like a total diva.
3. Eating at restaurants is just as challenging. Fast food options are limited to sub sandwich places and Mexican chains (bean burritos). A few places have garden burgers or pasta with veggies, but it's harder than you'd think to find a meatless option if you want more than a side salad.
   
4. The biggest challenge was having a veggie-hater husband. It wasn't really as simple as having him eat what I made, and maybe cooking meat on the side for him. I had to cook two separate meals. It was such a hassle to plan that I ended up eating a LOT of garden burgers.
5. Convenience vegetarian food isn't healthy. It's full of sodium and not a good staple; it should be more of a last resort, like any convenience food. I was trying to watch my sodium intake a little closer because of it. Also, it's super easy to make up for meatless dishes with eating too many carbs. Veggies and soy products just aren't as filling. If I snacked a bit and wasn't ravenous at meals I was ok. But when I was starving it was tempting to eat a plate of pasta. And I did that a few times. :/
   

What I'm planning for the 30 days:

1. Cook a new entirely vegetarian meal once a week.
   
2. Limit eating meat to a couple times a week (and red meat to maybe once a week, if that.)
3. Cut out processed meat. Buh-bye chicken nuggets and deli turkey.

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