For a week straight, I rivaled Declan Boyle’s 4,000 calorie diet with a Vegan Diet challenge, and it was anything but normal.

While he was eating more food a day to get those calories, I was eating less because of my limited options.

Most people assume that being vegetarian and vegan are the same type of lifestyles, but they are in fact totally different.

Veganism, or being a vegan, is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products, and all other animal-derived ingredients. While a vegetarian is less strict and only relates to the exclusion of meat or other animal products from their diet.

The everyday snacks I eat were restricted and I could not enjoy things such as meat-filled meals at dinner, and instead, I had to turn to different ways to find protein.

Beans were my go-to for an easy solution to the lack of protein, but quinoa also became a staple throughout the week due to its high levels of not only protein but iron and fiber as well.

For breakfast throughout the week, I stuck with smoothies and vegan muffins that I made in prep for the diet. I also had to stay away from eating yogurt in the morning, which proved difficult for me because of how much I loved eating them.

Though it was not my typical bagel and cream cheese or butter, these alternatives were easily just the same deliciousness.

Lunch became more difficult as the week passed because I was limited to options.

Sometimes I would eat leftovers from my dinner the night before; when I had Cava for dinner, I made sure to pack my scraps for lunch the next day. Salads were also a go-to for lunch because they were quick and easy and they didn’t require any planning the night before.

Dinner started to become experimental as I ran out of ideas. Pinterest became my best friend to help me find meals that I did not try and come up with new plans for the week.

Yes, it was tempting to try and resist eating meat at the end of the day because of how hungry I was, but the vegan meals made me feel a little healthier.

The week was definitely difficult for me to accomplish because I kept wanting to go back to my regular eating habits, which was hard to resist. The more active I was, the harder it was to stay away from my typical meals, but I successfully avoided them and stuck to the Vegan diet.

Though I was excited to start a new lifestyle for a week, I quickly realized that it would be harder to maintain it for so long.

Those who are strict in upholding the diet obviously have their own personal reasons, but if you are a meat lover looking for a change, this challenge is not for you.

All in all, I enjoyed the diet and I liked how healthy I felt throughout the week, but you will not catch me, anytime soon, going on another vegan diet.