2014 | My Non Leather Life

Yearly Archives: 2014

My Non Leather Life’s 2014 Vegan Holiday Gift Guide

December 11th, 2014

Hi Guys,

I thought I would make a vegan holiday gift guide for you all. Here are my ideas! As they say on Youtube, “let’s get started!”

1. T-shirt that says VEGAN

Well, if you are vegan then you get the right to proclaim it loudly and proudly to everyone you meet in the form of a vegan t-shirt. I almost feel wearing a t-shirt with VEGAN emblazoned on it is a cool right of passage for every vegan. Not only do you advertise the message, but it is a good way to meet other vegans out and about. This T-shirt does all that, but with a sense of humor. I need one.

LOL. You can buy it here. They have a really hilarious t-shirt as well for you fullyraw fruitarians out there. Heat is Murder. GENIOSITY.

And it says Raw Vegan on the back. I love it.

2. Fruit of the Month Club

What about a subscription to a fruit of the month club. Even before I was so into fruit, I loved when my parents got gifted a fruit of the month club during the holidays. The whole year you could expect a big box of really interesting fruit. It is a pretty cool gift. This site compares and contrasts all the fruit of the month options out there so you can select one according to your budget.

3. Minimale Animale Bikini

Ok my 3rd idea is not necessarily vegan, but it is kind of fruitarian. If you have been having hawaii envy and staring at pics of Loni Jane on instagram on the beach daydreaming about being on a tropical paradise, then perhaps you will like this one: I have been lusting after these awesome bikinis from minimale animale. They are the perfect “lie on the beach and absorb the vitamin d in as little fabric as possible” bikinis. I bought one and instantly was addicted and now I want another one.

bikinis from minimal animale

4. LUSH

Ok, I say this one every year but who wouldn’t love a gift basket from Lush? Lush is very against animal testing, refusing to work with any companies who work with other companies who do animal testing, they often host vegan demonstrations, and I’d say most of their products are vegan and all of the ones that are are clearly marked vegan. (Why not all, I know….)

My favorite Lush products are their beer shampoo Cynthia Sylvia Stout, and this new christmas-y soap I got called YOG NOG. But you really can’t go wrong with a Lush thing in my mind. Also get some bath bombs because they’re so cool.

5. Vintage Inspired Parisian Vegan Shoes

What about a super cool new pair of vegan shoes from vegan company Good Guys Don’t Wear Leather. I would pick these babies below

Impractical for winter I know, but it would give me hope for spring. Good Guys has the coolest vegan shoes for men in my opinion.

If nothing at Good Guys strikes your fancy, check out my cool vegan shoes board on pinterest where I have hundreds of cool new vegan shoes that you can buy online by clicking on the pictures. Also there are bags, coats and pleather jacket type things. Some great gifts on there for sure.

6. A Vegan Down Comforter

A new synthetic fake “down comforter” for any body you know who doesn’t have a totally awesome comforter. I feel this makes all the difference in the world, and this comforter was painstakingly compared and contrasted with other synthetic comforters and declared the ultimate winner by the wirecutter’s sister site The Sweethome (a really cool site by the way)

Best vegan comforter

7. A Vitamix

This one is an ultimate gift for anyone who you feel could improve their health. A Vitamix. This costco price is for a certified reconditioned one and the cheapest price I’ve ever seen (thanks raw vegan John Fallucca for the tip).

A vitamix is the best investment in your health you will ever make. I have used mine literally every single day since I got it, and would be very lost without it. It is worth the price.

Also you might want to include one of Victoria Boutenko’s awesome books like Raw Family or Green for Life.

8. Save a Pig and send them to the The Pig Preserve sanctuary

Last year for Christmas my mom donated in my name to the beautiful hundred acre Pig Preserve and Richard Hoyle the founder wrote a note saying the $ helped him take in two more pigs they might have had to turn away. Saving a pig–what is more the true meaning of Christmas than that.

Here is my interview I did about The Pig Preserve.

You can write to Richard in the paypal instructions to the seller.

Here is the link to donate.

9. Nike Pro Shorts and a copy of DurianRider’s Carb The Fuck Up

Some cool work out gear from nike pro to motivate you to workout.

Nike pro shorts just look really cool I think.

Also to take your fitness level to the next level I would really recommend buying for someone DurianRider’s e-book Carb the Fuck Up. Lol, I know, but it was actually a quite fascinating book with many truly concrete tips that can change your life. It won’t bore you that is for sure. I really recommend this book. It is worth it.

Carb the Fuck Up Ebook

10. a quality camera that the best youtubers recommend for starting out making youtube videos

I watch a lot of youtube and this is a camera that very popular youtubers recommend to start out with. You definitely don’t need an expensive camera to make youtube videos, but if you want to start a vegan youtube channel or any sort of youtube channel and have the quality of your vid look nice, supposedly this is awesome quality for the price.

Happy Holidays to all!

Do you guys have any other good gift ideas? Comment below please : )

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Weight Loss on Raw Till 4 Update

December 2nd, 2014

Happy Holidays everyone.

Well, I just got back from Thanksgiving with my family, at which I dined on a potatostrong.com vegan stuffing recipe, as well as mashed potatoes with nothing in them, as well as cranberry sauce.

will from potato strong who lost 40 pounds on The Starch Solution

I have loosened up about my diet even more these days–going back between starches and fruits and vegetables. I kind of go back and forth between trying to be as raw as possible and eating more starches. I’m confused as to which one is better or which one I like more. So I have just been doing both lately. I haven’t noticed any major weight gain or anything even though I think I have been eating more cooked foods. In fact, I am down from a size 12 when I began this journey to a size 6. WOW people.

sorry for my lack of pleasant facial expression, but I never never ever ever ever ever thought I would lose weight this easily.

I mean it’s debatable how easy it was. I guess I did withstand a lot of annoying remarks and I did grin and bear it a lot at restaurants while my friends were dining on foods with delicious aromas and I did haul a lot of 20 pound fruit bags back from the supermarket….but besides that this whole raw till 4, high carb vegan thing has been SUPER EASY.

Compared to a true diet in which you literally starve yourself and are counting calories, depriving yourself of carbs, distracting yourself from eating–this plant based vegan lifestyle is TRUE HEAVEN PEOPLE, I tell you.

Not only that, but it is fascinating. I have learned so much about animal rights, health, the history of alternative health cures and “natural hygiene”, fasting, detoxes, the individual differences of fruits, the proper conditions for health, enhancing performance through raw foods, new recipes, the whole raw food world, the whole controversy over high carb and low carb diets.

I met so many cool people at the Woodstock Fruit Festival and learned so much from all the youtubers I subscribe to.

It has been an awesome journey.

Not to mention I have ironically gotten RID of all guilt I had around food and eating. I say ironically because some people probably view being vegan as extremely restrictive and almost like an eating disorder. In fact, it is the opposite. I feel like Freelee the banana girl saying this, but I LOVE being able to eat as much as I want and I love that I am eating so many fruits and vegetables and whole unprocessed foods.

It’s really fun.

Anyway, when I was home I was looking at all these pictures of myself from when I was younger.

It came together for me, how much I was struggling with my body and being a fat kid.

I wish I had known about this way of eating then. I would totally have been on it. The youngest raw foodist in Connecticut.

I just had no idea.

I remember when I first found Freelee in the very beginning of my journey and downloaded her ebook, she said something like “congratulations you have found the path. you have found the lifestyle that will allow you to have the body of your dreams”.

I wondered if I had or not.

It’s hard for me even to accept, but she was right. I feel I will continue to lose weight and continue to improve my looks and fitness.

This Halloween, a guy was telling me 28 is the best age to be because you are at the peak of your looks.

I told him every year I think I have got better looking and I think I will continue to improve as I age.

I guess that’s one of the awesome things about “starting from the bottom” if you will.

You get to learn so much more on the way up.

Now when I look in the mirror I just stare and stare. I look so good!

I think I only feel this way cause I started from the bottom. And now I’m just so thrilled with my new physique I created through being vegan and eating PLANTS.

I encourage you guys all who are interested in losing weight but never dieting again to check out either

1. The Starch Solution by John McDougall

2. Raw till 4 on youtube with Freelee the Banana Girl

3. Being fully raw (maybe start by reading Raw Family by Victoria Boutenko or 80/10/10 by Doug Graham)

And to all you fat kids out there, I love you and I think you’re beautiful the way you are. But if you want to lose weight, I believe there is hope. Even though it may sound hard, it really is quite awesome. Forget everything you were told about LOW CARB DIETS. Go vegan and eat ONLY plants, no oil, mostly fruits and vegetables and give it 2 years, ha. It will be worth it.

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