The Vegan Diaries — Part IV: My Hair Feels Like a Broom
The following video is a recap of my third week on the vegan diet.
The blog post below it focuses on how this diet is effecting me physically.
Well y’all, it finally happened. On day 20 of Lent (Monday, March 16, 2020), I had an overwhelming craving for meat — tacos, to be exact. This just proves even further that a girl raised on a ranch in Texas, the land of roadside taco stands and cattle, should not go vegan.
This week, I’m going to focus on the changes this diet has made to my body. I know I’m only at the halfway mark and I know my body will change even more throughout this process, but I would like to give everyone an update thus far.
So, the big question on every “if I could just lose 10 more pounds” persons’ mind: have I lost weight? Yes, I have. At first, I didn’t know that I would because traditionally, I do very well on a low carb, higher calorie diet for weight loss.
On Friday, March 13, I had lost eight pounds in a matter of 17 days. Throughout the weekend, I didn’t eat any more than I had in the previous 17 days, and on Monday, March 16, I weighed three pounds more than on Friday. Today, Tuesday, March 17, I weighed a pound less.
The point I’m trying to make is this: my weight fluctuates more than it ever has on this vegan diet — which is something I’ve read about and was even told firsthand may happen from a former vegan’s sister.
So the weight loss is no surprise to me, that’s really my only light at the end of the tunnel with this: maybe I’ll have lost 10 pounds or something, who knows. On the contrary, the biggest surprise to me throughout the past few weeks is my skin.
Growing up, I, like many teenagers, had acne. I was one of those people who I would always have a few spots on my face no matter what. Once I turned 21, it died down significantly. I still got breakouts every now and then, but nothing too serious.
When I did the Whole30 diet at the beginning of 2019, my face broke out on the second week. This is common in a whole foods diet and is a phase known as “detox.” I figured this *might* happen on this vegan experiment but I didn’t know to what extent.
Y’all, I look like I’m 13 again…and not in a good way. When I did Whole30, the detox phase was over within seven days. My breakout began about four days into my vegan experiment and as of today, day 21, it is still very much present, and I think it’s even gotten worse. And another thing, my face is very pale. I have no color in it.
This is very shocking to me, especially since every YouTube video I’d ever seen about going vegan ranted and raved about clear and glowing skin. Well, this isn’t the case for me.
Another shock was my hair. My hair feels like a broom, and not like a nice, brand new from the home improvement department broom, like a “yep, I got this bad boy at Dollar General my freshman year of college and have used it for the past 20 years in my shop,” kind of broom.
My hair is brittle and incredibly dry, way drier than normal. Which don’t get me wrong, my hair dried out some when I moved from Northeast Texas which may as well have been a community trapped in a humidifier (my high school football field is literally called “The Swamp”). But this is different, this is not good. I just pray that my hair doesn’t all break off or fall out by the time Lent is over.
Again, every YouTube video I watched claimed that my hair would be so luscious, but I don’t think so.
According to the American Hair Loss Council, low protein, deficiency of nutrients, rapid weight loss, and thyroid problems are all causes of hair loss as well as side effects of the vegan diet. I can’t speak to the thyroid issues, but low protein, nutrient deficiency, and rapid weight loss fit the bill to a tee for me right now.
Although this doesn’t go along with my physical appearance, I would like to talk one more time about my energy level.
I’m not going to sugar coat it, I feel like garbage — and I have since last Wednesday. Even with the B12 I feel terrible. I wake up in the morning, don’t want to get out of bed, take a B12, and feel okay-ish throughout the day but as soon as 4:00 p.m. hits I am a zombie. This is not fun. I am not happy. Yes, I know I signed up for this, but I am taking a moment to wallow in self-pity.
Okay, the moment is over, time to suck it up now. I’m going to check in with Barbara Quinn, MS, RDN, CDE, LMNT, to see if there’s anything else I can do for my energy level.
Bottom line: I am ready for this to be over and I pray to God I don’t lose all my hair or break out like a junior high kid to the point of no return.
Week 3 update:
The bloating has gone down significantly, I don’t wake up bloated anymore so that’s a good sign.
My face has as many craters on it as the moon.
I think I only ate out twice for dinner this week and both times were at vegan friendly places.
I have lost seven pounds in three weeks on a plant-based diet.
I am keeping track of my food intake and my daily average is as follows: 941.4 calories, 113.6 carbs, 33 grams of protein, and 22.7 grams of fiber.
I checked with the Environmental Protection Agency (aka the un-biased government funded agency which focuses on combatting climate change) Carbon Footprint Calculator, guess what? My carbon emissions have yet to change.
Footnote:
I know many of you are more than likely skeptical of this journey and have questions about the process. I would love to visit with any of you about this experiment and can be contacted via email at mpurviance97@gmail.com or via phone at (406) 259-4589.
To follow this journey in depth, subscribe to my YouTube channel, like the Activists vs. Agriculture Facebook page, and follow me on Instagram @mayzie_purviance.
