To Vegan or Not to Vegan?

 

 photo credit: The Secret Advice of a Vegan CrossFitter

I knew I wanted to lose weight.  Rather, I know I need to lose weight.  A couple days ago, I got my blood test results from the doctor's office and it wasn't the best of news.  I knew I had to do something right away. 

After watching Vegucated and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, I knew the direction I wanted to go in.  I considered becoming vegan.  Although, the thought was daunting.  It was a huge leap, but I knew it had to be taken... but that severe?! No meat?!!!

I hesitated.

A couple times I visited Target, I kept seeing the book VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore your Health for Good by Mark Bittman.  First thing that came to my mind... Wow! Another Atkins Diet book.  VB6 meant: Eat like a rabbit during the day and when the 6:00 pm bell rings; have an all-you-can-eat-until-your-sick kind of diet!  But each time I visited, I glanced at it and even picked it up.  But I said, eh, another book to read... BLAH, who has time for this!?  I think I was drawn to the book's (pretty) cover!!

But the last straw was drawn when I knew I couldn't juice for more than half a day.  I was hungry and dizzy!  I probably would have drooled if I just saw a commercial for McDonald's or something.  It was bad.  I could juice as part of a regimen, but I couldn't do what Joe Cross did!  I didn't have the will power, but I was in need of intervention.

"Let's go vegan!" I thought to myself.  If I just ATE the foods I juiced, I would be happier that I get to chew on something!  I picked up my Kindle and read the reviews on Amazon for Dr. Joel Fuhrman's* book: Eat to Live.  The reviews were great...and I was almost tempted to hit "Buy Now".  Something scared me.  Can I do this?  No meat?!

I hesitated again.

Then, a thought came in!  What about that book at Target?!  So I looked it up... all I could remember was VB6.  I read the reviews... and overall, they were good.  So I knew I should just give it a go.

So I did.

I read the book... in one day.

*Dr. Joel Fuhrman was the doctor consulted in both Vegucated and Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.

Get Vegucated before you become Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead!

Have you seen the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and Vegucated?  If you haven't, you should. 

In Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Joe Cross, an Australian, documented how he went from being overweight and sick to healthy and fit.  He cured himself by juicing across America and influenced some of those he met.  By the end of the documentary, I had to juice too!

Watch the trailer:

Vegucated has changed my mind on how I look at meat products.  It's not about how a sausage is made; rather, it documents how animals are treated in the process.  Also, they discuss how having a diet filled with meat, poultry, seafood, and dairy affects our body.  The documentary encourages people to consider becoming a vegan.  For a split second, I wanted to!

Watch the trailer:

Both documentaries convinced me to change something about how I ate.  The only problem is that both cases are very extreme to how I currently eat.  I think my body will hate me in the short run!

What are your thoughts on the documentaries?

I hate DIETS!

I've always had a weight issue.  Yo-yo-ed my way through my early adult life.  I remember being in my early 20s and was at my healthiest weight.  I often used the excuse of getting a master's degree made me gain all the weight back..and then some.  But enough excuses...  it wasn't the master's degree that got me here.  It was me.

I've done Weight Watchers before and it truly does work.  I highly recommend it if you want to lose weight and have support of the meeting group.  However, I've realized I need something totally different.  Weight Watchers works if you stick with it and follow the PointsPlus plan. But, for me, I felt a little trapped.  I constantly counted.  I had nights where I had no more points left and I still haven't had dinner.  I felt guilty eating over my points. Yes, I know you get extra weekly points and extra activity points... but guilt still hit me.  Does anyone ever feel like that on WW? 

I just gave up... and gained the weight back.  The program works, but it just wasn't for me.