I
made a change in my eating habits in 2014. I decided that I would become vegan.
Not because of any cruelty to animal issues, it was purely selfish.
I watched this documentary called Forks over Knives on Netflix. I bet I watched
it at least 5 times and it talked about a link between consuming animal
proteins and cancer.
Several
people that were dear to me had died from cancer. My wife, my Father, my
paternal grandmother, my favorite uncle, so this documentary affected me to my
core. In addition to that, I had recently gone through divorce. I was
overweight and just wanted a change in my life. I knew life was more than this.
I deserved better for myself. Now these motivations were not conscious at this
time, but were building up in the depth of my being.
I
came across an article on a site that I was browsing that was talking about a
detox. So I decided to give it a try. I began a 10 day detox. No intended
results other than just to feel better at the end. I was bloated and
just didn't fell right. I was exercising fairly regularly but I knew
my diet was the limiting factor. After I finished the detox, I said to
myself," now that I’ve detoxed why not try eating a vegan palate". So
I did.
I saw
amazing results very quickly. The most notable was my
weight loss. I went from about 240 pounds to 205 pounds very quickly without
even trying. I ran my 1st half marathon and was floating on a cloud.
Fast
forward to today. I slacked on my diet. I love chocolate and sweets and as a
result I've gained about 14 pounds in 2 years. I've decided to
recommit myself to a vegan diet with the following goals in mind-
- Lose weight- my goal is
to weight 190 lbs. I have not weighed that since I
was probably in my teens.
- get my waist size to a
36
- gain muscle mass
- To show others that no
matter what age it is possible to do what I am doing.
- Also to show that it is
possible to live healthy without breaking the bank.
I know that in order
to do this I need to make some changes in how I do things, hence the title-
- I need to journal. I am using Spark
people to record my meals. I am using Strava to record my physical
activity. This was I hold myself accountable.
- It is imperative that I eat whole foods
as much as possible.
- I need to plan. Plan my meals, my week,
my day, etc. But not become inflexible.
- I have to cook my meals
The main thing I want
to do is to learn new things, meet new people and enjoy
the journey. Not to look so much at the end goal, but have fun
in the process.
