I don’t think I can officially claim to be a vegetarian, yet, but I’ve heard a term that seems to fit with my current diet: Pescetarian. I eat fish or shrimp almost every night at dinner. Due to the increase of sea food my hair and nails are growing like crazy. Ladies: how’s that for motivation?!
However, January was off to a rough start. I celebrated New Years two hours away with my carnivore mother-in-law. (It was wonderful!) I decided not to beat myself up for failing, but rather enjoy the red meat good-bye feast. 
Ever since I returned home from her house, it’s been easy breezy! Sure, I’ve slipped up here and there with little bits of chicken (Chicken Fried Rice is a weakness of mine) but I doubt I’ve eaten enough chicken in the last 2 months to constitute one serving.
I started out with simple fare like salads and basic pasta dishes. As I grew more comfortable with my new menu items I have been able to increase the difficulty in my meal preparations. Lately, I’m LOVING Asian dishes. Ginger, garlic, onion…..mmmmmm.
The Best Part:
I’ve lost weight without exercise!!!! Within the first two weeks of quitting red meat my pants fit well. I no longer have those red imprints on my belly, left behind by my size 8 jeans that I refuse to replace with 10′s. LOL I am sure a good portion of my belly was bloating due to the hard to digest meat, but whatever…. I really don’t need size 10′s! (Love that!)
My husband said he was on board with this vegetarian plan, but then later said his plan was to be a vegetarian Monday – Friday. Saturday & Sunday were going to be his carnivorous days. (Don’t ask me, that is just what he said. It still is a tremendous effort on his part. For those of you that aren’t sure if you can go vegetarian this might be a good start for you.) Well, he ended up really giving up red meat – for all seven days. He’s lost even more weight than I have (probably because he ate more meat than I did), has increased energy, and has lowered his cholesterol. Yay! 
My favorite part about him going along with this vegetarian thing, is that I finally got him to try sushi. Of course, he liked it…..it’s delicious! In fact, just last night he mentioned he was craving it and couldn’t wait to go back!
Some Helpful Sites:
Food Network (My FAVORITE!)
Please, help me promote Be Green & Save Green. 
That’s so awesome! I do love sushi and even most seafood but no one else likes seafood EXCEPT for sushi, which is way too expensive for every day. Ours are baby steps…smaller portions..mostly chicken. Good for you guys!
ok, i’ve gone organic and i’m totally committed to doing so. now talk to me about meat, especially red meat. why is it so bad? and remember i was born and raised in texas so i have an ongoing affair with a good filet.
LOL, I too have dreams of a bacon wrapped filet with peppercorn crust…..{drool}
From what I’ve read meat is very hard to digest. A lot more so than plants. Because of the extra time and energy in digestion it (short term) can cause excess bloating & gas and in the long run slow everything down enough to mess up our metabolisms.
Also, the industrialized meat processing is just nasty! LOL The seemingly healthy animals are injected with anitbiotics to keep them from getting sick because they are not raised in healthy conditions. They are also given steriods to grow bigger faster. Obviously that isn’t healthy for the animal or for humans to ingest.
Beyond that the chickens, cows, and pigs are fed a corn diet. Corn is not the number one choice for these animals. We feed it to them because it’s cheap and helps them grow (again) bigger faster. Left to their own devices they would eat mostly grass. That’s why “grass fed” and “free range” are important labels to look for when shopping.
thanks! i have found a farm near by that does it all organic. grass fed, no corn, no antibodies etc. i’m planning on heading out there this week. my first step is to eat only organic meat which is damn expensive i might add. i was just wondering if beyond that there is a negative health issue with being a good ole carnivore. i would have to be pretty persuaded that meat was horrible for me before i changed. i can’t do it based on animal rights. humane i am for. but beyond that i’m just not there.
Good for you! That shift in your mind change will have a very big environmental and personal health impact!
There is a big debate right now about if humans are actually supposed to be meat eaters or not. I don’t think I put too much stock in that right now, but I know my tummy does not do well with meat. I never noticed before how hard it was for me to digest until I removed it from my diet.
I too, am for humane…..but PETA really annoys me! LOL They undermine their own cause with their shock and awe campaigns. I think they put too much advertisement into the already converted and just end up looking like freaks. There I said it.
A small-but at the same time huge-shift in our thinking was to not eat so much meat. Early last year we realized that meat didn’t have to be the main focus of our meals and we didn’t need it every day. That might help you justify the cost some, if the meat is your side dish and the {insert favorite pasta or veggie here} is the main dish.
hola, I wanted to comment on another one of your comments, but wordpress wouldn’t let me, so I’ll comment on this one. One: peta people aren’t freaks, thanks :] we don’t try to shock people, we present the evidence, and that’s all. We are simply appalled at the cruelty of humans, and we want to make a chance in the world. Secondly: factory farm animals are fed a lot more than just corn, and it’s a lot worse (they’re often fed part if other slaughtered animals). You might want to check up on your facts, sweetie
1: I wrote what is my perception based on the over the top advertising campaigns of recent years that are so over the top they don’t get aired anywhere other than the PETA web site. Again, preaching to the converted. I don’t disagree with the cause, just the methods. When they have such an important message to spread yet choose such silly advertising to spread it with, I personally consider that “freakish”.
2: Did I say they were fed only corn? I simply noted one aspect, to another reader, of why I chose to give up red meat.
Thanks, sweetie.
And yes, they are freaks. Their good message gets lost on those of us who find their tactics to be at least as objectionable as the practices they oppose.
yummy……. thanks for the tips , i’d adore to abide by your weblog as frequently as i can.use a nice day~~
Out of pure curiousity, I wonder why you became a pescetarian? Being a vegan, I’m curious if you’d be willing to go vegan as well? It’s even more healthy, and far more importantly, it’s good for the animals that are still abused in order to support vegetarian diets.
Thanks for asking! Veganism isn’t something most people can just “jump” into, and certainly not something this midwesterner can jump into. I might get there some day, but for now this diet is really working out quite well for me.