Veggie Burgher 1st Anniversary

When people say how hard it would be to start eating vegan, I tell them the truth: "It was easy." Switched to a plant-based diet in April 2010 was so easy for me because of the large vegan community online who is eager to share recipes and knowledge and offer support. This community of vegan bloggers and Twitter-ers embraced me and made my journey into veganism fun.

A year ago today, I started this blog to join the conversation of vegans and offer support to others who, like I was, are vegan-curious. While chronicling my cooking and baking successes and failures for the past year, I met so many fantastic people online and was inspired by so many wonderful blogs.

But I also questioned this blog's purpose. I don't make my own recipes, take gorgeous photos, or do the wonderful daily meal chronicling that so many others do so well. So when I asked myself what value I can add to the blogosphere, I realized that I've been successful at something difficult: maintaining weight loss. Statistics vary, but this article from MSNBC reports that more than 80 of people who lose weight gain it all back within two years. Yo-yo dieting--losing a lot of weight, gaining it back, losing it again, etc.--is very unhealthy. Regaining weight burdens your arteries and skeletal system, may stress the liver, and may weaken cancer-fighting cells, according to this article from Women's Health Magazine.

I'm not a doctor, personal trainer, or nutritionist. But I do know what's worked for me, and I think those experiences could help others. And I need the motivation too to continue maintaining. So this year I'm shifting my blog's focus slightly. I'll continue to post about healthy, plant-based meals (and the occasional treats that, while not healthy, are essential to weight loss and maintenance, I think). But I'll also be posting more about fitness, something I'm probably more passionate about than cooking and baking, and other tips for a balanced, healthy lifestyle that supports a healthy weight.

Thanks for visiting my blog, and I hope you'll stick around this year. Here's to a new year for Veggie Burgher! (And for those not from Pittsburgh, locals call themselves Burghers...I'm not just misspelling burger!)