Being vegan/vegetarian doesn't make you skinny!

Hi Strangers!
Well, this is my first blog since April. Shame on me. Blogger even had me verify my e-mail again. Apparently they thought I died. That's really sad. Anyways, I would blame my absence on busyness, but the truth is, I just have been too lazy to blog. Well, I am back my friends! And I promise I am going to be better about blogging!
So, I will just give an update on how the vegan lifestyle has been going thus-far. I am still really enjoying my new diet :) I have had a few relapses when I have been outside of home...for example: at a wedding, out to eat with friends, etc. I promised myself when I started this that I was not going to let it keep me from living my life. If there is wedding cake, then I am going to eat some wedding cake! However, I am 100% vegetarian ALL the time. But for almost 100% of every week, I still consider myself vegan. Or as my dad likes to call it..."veg" "an". Haha.
Becoming a vegan has not made me thinner or magically healthier overnight. Not because a vegan diet is not good for you, but because I am not doing it the best way possible. As my nutritionist bf likes to say, "It all comes down to calories) :). Don't get me wrong, I eat more fruits & vegetables in a day than some people eat in a week or month. BUT, there are foods that I need to seriously cut out of my life...or at least only have them on a rare occasion. Some of my vices are beer, wine, vegan sweets (like cookies, etc.), and way too many carbs. One good thing about being a vegan is, I eat whatever I want and I don't gain weight. I have stayed exactly the same weight since April. Before starting this diet, I had already lost 10 pounds on Weight Watcher's, and I have been able to keep that weight off.
However, I would really like to lose at least 15 more pounds.
My best friend Rainie is the nutritionist I was referring to and has an awesome fitness & health blog Be Well. She introduced me to a site I am now obsessed with: www.sparkpeople.com. You can record your food, fitness, and even your water intake. ALL FOR FREE! :) It keeps up with everything-calories, fat, carbs, etc. You can even personalize it to track things important to you. For example, I track my B12, Iron, and Protein since my diet is so much different than most. You can either use it as a way to stay at a healthy weight, or you can use it to help you lose weight. It will keep up with your calories for you. You just have to enter the food and serving size of the food. So hopefully, I can start eating healthier & choosing carrots over the cookies :)

I am definitely planning on changing up my blog very soon, and I hope to be better about posting! If you have any suggestions for topics, please let me know!

<3 Lauren