Panem et Circenses

So, I kind of want to get something out in the open right now: I’m vegan.
Allow me to share the story of how and why I became vegan in the same monotonous (almost scripted at this point) explanation that I use frequently.


I became a vegan when I was nineteen years old.  Around that age I started practicing Shao-Lin Kung Fu and continued to train for about four years.  During my training, I befriend a number of black belts, whom I discovered were vegan.  I saw this as an opportunity to change my eating habits, which were horrendous at that point in my life. 


To put it simply, being vegan means that I can’t eat anything that is or comes from an animal.  Yes, this includes chicken, cheese, and fish!  You would be amazed how many people ask about those three foods.  No, I’m not doing this for animal rights reasons and no, it doesn’t offend me when people eat meat (this is another common question I’m asked).  I hate what they do to process meat, not the consumption of it.


Was there any positive change with becoming a vegan?  Well, at the time I started, I weighed 215-220 lbs; I now weigh 180-185 lbs.  However, I only partially attribute being vegan to the gradual change in my weight, though I feel excercise played the bigger part.  Now, if you are thinking about becoming vegan to lose weight... don’t.  As I’ve said, my diet was only a part of why my weight loss.  Moreover, it’s important to do a lot of homework into what your body needs to stay healthy.  It can be easy to overlook things like your protein intake or essential vitamins, which can result in serious harm to your body.  


There, I can now direct the curious to this post.  Why?  Because I’m that kind of jerk, and I want more readers.


My editor, Arcelia, has been posting delicious vegan recipes and pictures on her Facebook page (as well as mine).  This reminded me of my goal to acquire a vegan cookbook and try every recipe therein.  I have already placed the order for one (Vegan cookbook) and I am excited to try some new dishes.


If this gets me fat again I’m blaming Arcelia...