Definition for Ladies Spring 2014 Issue 001 April 2014 | Page 54

My Journey

from a Junk Food V
egetarian to a

Healthy & Happy Vegan!

Amanda Fisher’s journey to veganism helped her improve her health and her life
There is more to my transformation than my “before” and

body, and worst of all, as I got older I noticed my metabolism

“after” photos. Not only did I lose weight, more importantly

start to decline. I put on more weight eating the same foods

I gained my life back!

as I had been before. This was not pleasant and had to stop.

I was always destined to not eat meat. I look at any animal as a

After reading Skinny Bitch and watching movies such as Forks

friend, not food. Due to circumstances within my family, I was

Over Knives and Food Inc., I made the switch to vegan and

not able to become a full-on vegetarian until I was 17 years old.

promised that I would continue to educate myself in relation

When out on my own I would choose veggie options, but at

to my health and fitness.

home my parents ruled the roost, and what they said went!

I continued my vegan reading and watching documentaries,

When I finally became vegetarian I didn’t know where to

and in 2012 enrolled myself in the certificate of plant-based

look for information about healthy vegetarian diets. No

nutrition held through e-Cornell graduating in early 2013.

one around me was vegetarian, and everyone seemed hell

That year, I also competed in my first fitness model competi-

bent on trying to get me to eat meat again. It was like they

tion, and although I didn’t place it was a great learning experi-

wanted me to fail. But giving up and resorting to eating

ence. I am looking to compete in two competitions this year!

meat again was not an option.
Unfortunately, years of poor choices took their toll on my

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My fiancé, a certified personal trainer, and I have started our
own health & fitness business, “Bangin’ Bodz”. (He does

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