Day 1: Motivation

Hello,

Day 1 in the bag. It was full of mixed feelings and questions.

I should start with a quick description of myself. My name is Corey and I'm 26 years old. I am an ultra runner running any distance up to 100 miles. I was previously on the national judo team and considered myself pretty athletic. When I was young, and right up till I met my wife I was the pickiest eater, eating nothing but meat and processed foods. When I say I ate nothing but meat: I mean it.  As far as vegetables went I only ate potatoes and corn (are these even vegetables?). This all changed when I met my wife Laura. By now you should be able to tell I really liked her and wanted to see her frequently. She invited me over for dinner and made Stuffed Chicken (stuffed with broccoli/cheese) with asparagus and Brussels sprouts. I was so nervous but it was actually pretty darn good. I changed from eating 99%meat and processed foods to a good 60/40 ratio (60 being the meat portion). My wife decided to go vegetarian 6 months ago, and has vowed to help me by going 100% vegan too. Like I mentioned before I would not be able to do this without her. Love you babe!

When I arrived at work yesterday all my colleagues knew what I had decided, and made fun of me (not all, but some). I choose not to get into conflicts or debates with people because I really do not like to argue and honestly I just turned vegan 24 hours ago. I'm still new to this whole different lifestyle and have questions for myself. It is a lifestyle that I have yet to read more into, such as the facts of the meat/diary industry on our environment. A lot of people were not judgmental but curious on why the sudden change which was simple and understanding. There was one line that stuck with me yesterday that was said by numerous people and that was "I need meat". I understand what they mean, hell I purchased a smoker 3 weeks ago and I swear I used it every chance I got, definitely getting my monies worth. Now in the last day or two I truly learned it’s not a need but a serious want, hell it’s an addiction. I thought I needed meat in every meal. I would watch my wife make a vegetarian/vegan (delicious) meal and when she was done I would cook up some bacon just to add with the dish. Mentally I didn’t believe I could eat a dish without some source of meat on the plate, I have now learned that I can do it Meat Free!!! Even before I made the change I knew about the nutrition of a plant-based diet giving the body enough nutrients and proteins so our bodies can strive. I was still shocked to hear some people’s excuses saying that meat is the only source of protein besides protein shakes. I cannot get upset I recently watched a piece on Jamie Oliver while giving a talk on TED explaining how we as a nation are un-educated with food, and I couldn’t agree with him more. Hell, I don’t even know anything about food/nutrition. I am glad I have a super understanding wife since I am now overloading her with questions.

 

Facebook has been so powerful for me the last 24hours. I didn’t think I would get a response from anyone, I was just doing this so I could put my own thoughts down and reflect on them during tough days and to track my progress. I am over whelmed and simply in AWE with the support from friends and strangers. People sending me their wishes which is giving me so much confidence in this mission to better myself and the choices I make. I am 100% devoted to this and I know I will succeed. Thank you everyone.

 

I think I should add some sort or daily dilemma to everyone of my post.

So here is dilemma #1.

Every morning I make a smoothie. I love to load it up with kale, spinach, parsley, berries, banana, chia seeds, spurilina, and udo's oil. I would also add Shakeology (strawberry) and little orange juice with almond milk. Since the transition into being vegan my wife purchased Vega (chocolate) and I took out the orange juice. The smoothie is still manageable to get down but not enjoyable. Would I see a difference if I would get a berry version instead of the chocolate one? Is there any vegan supplement chalked full of vitamins and nutrients that might make my shake once again delicious? Any information would help.

Thank you everyone,

Fact: Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction