Day 2: Challenge

Day 2 had me even more excited to commit to this lifestyle. I ran into a few naysayers, which solidified in my mind that I am doing the right thing for me. Normally, I would be swayed by their arguments, but on this day I realized it's not about anyone else. I made this decision for myself and not to please anyone else.



The challenge came in the evening. I had to attend an awards ceremony for work. It was immediately following work, so I didn't have time to go home and make dinner. The dinner they served was turkey, chicken cordon bleu, a pre-dressed salad, steamed veggies, green beans, and a dinner roll. The dessert served was a cupcake and ice cream. By the way, the cupcakes were sitting in front of me the whole time. It took a lot not to just grab one and eat one.

So, basically I starved for a few hours. I asked for a salad that didn't have dressing already on it and they said they didn't have any. Luckily the veggies were not steamed with butter, so I did eat a little of that to tide me over. When I FINALLY got home, dinner was not waiting on me, so I simply ate some toast with bananas and chocolate almond butter. Then I spent the rest of the evening cooking Day 3's lunch, working out, watching Glee, and going to bed early.

So today's menu:
Breakfast: oatmeal
Lunch: Hummus wrap, almonds, and pineapple
Dinner: steamed veggies, toast with chocolate almond butter, banana
Snack: Vegan peanut bar

Why I decided to go Vegan

I would venture to guess that the majority of vegans decide to be vegans to "save the whales" or something. Or they are in PETA and will throw flour all over your Lady Gaga meat dress. Not that I am some kind of animal cruelty lover, but that is not why I decided to go vegan.

Actually, it had nothing to do with animals at all.

A few days ago, a story came on the news about Lent and fasting. My husband decided that he liked this idea of extreme discipline. He thought it might bring him closer to God and to feel that spiritual connection again. His attempt to fast the entire day only brought him to McDonald's at 1:00 in the afternoon. I tried explaining that Jesus' DNA is half diety, so there really is no way we can compete with him on a 40 day fast.

So this brings me to why we decided to be Vegan. Neither of us are particularly religious people, but I think having a spiritual connection and being spiritual is an essential part to feeling complete in the world. Since, we can't actually fast, we decided that being Vegan is the next best thing.

In addition to all the spiritual stuff, it has great health benefits. Both of us could stand to drop a few pounds. Veganism forces you to eat less all together and more healthful things when you do eat. Also, why not? It's not going to hurt us to make better choices and be disciplined when it comes to being healthy human beings.

So, goodbye McDonalds and Wendy's and Arby's, and well you get the point. Here's to a healthy life!